News Archive #9 April 2000 News from April 2000: April 30, 2000 WotC Online Policy and Open Gaming: WotC's Ryan Dancey provides a summary of why Open Gaming is such a big part of WotC's future (on rec.games.frp.dnd): WotC's current on-line usage policies are a far cry from the old, bad TSR policies (you couldn't post anything; if you wanted your material on the internet, you had to sign it over to them and put it on their exclusive low-bandwidth ftp server). However, they still have two major problems. One, ownership of the copyright in the new work you've created is in dispute, and two, nothing in the current policy requires you to extend the same courtesy to other people to re-use your content that you got from us in the first place. We want people to create and post cool stuff for D&D on the web. We want to encourage people with an interest to fiddle with the rules, and to make interesting new content for the worlds. The Open Gaming License fixes the issues I described above. In return for agreeing to a simple set of rules, we (and every other contributor using the same license) give you permission to make authorized derivative works. You own the copyright to that authorized derivative work. The rules you agree to follow are these: You give everyone the right to copy, modify and distribute your work, and you require anyone who distributes your work to agree to the same set of rules that you did. If you're interested in what these proposed licenses look like, you can read more at www.opengamingfoundation.org. As a first step, we're going to convert the core rules of D&D to an Open Game using the Open Gaming License. Over the next few years, we're going to Open the various campaign settings as well. At some point in the future, we'll be able to remove the current on-line usage policy and replace it with a set of Open Gaming Licenses. Assassins vs. Assassins: What makes the Assassin prestige class different from your run-of-the-mill hired killer? WotC's Ryan Dancey says, "A supernatural ability to stun or kill with one successful sneak attack." (on rec.games.frp.dnd) Reach and Attacks of Opportunity: WotC's Ryan Dancey describes two elements of 3E combat that are sure to make it more realistic than the core 2E rules (on rec.games.frp.dnd): Attacks of Opportunity: You're standing toe to toe with an orc, exchanging blows. You get hit, and realize you're way low on hit points. Acting quickly, you pull out a potion of healing and toss it down in one swallow; ready to return to battle. In 2e, that's exactly what would happen per the rules. In 3e, when you pull out that potion and drink it, you're not paying complete attention to the orc right in your face - he gets a free swing at you for "dropping your guard". Maybe you should run away first before you go for the potion. Maybe you should try one more attack and see if you can take the orc down and remove the threat. In any event, the tactics of combat got more complex by adding one very small rule to the mix. [That's "complex" in a good way! ;-) ] Reach: Imagine you're facing a Fire Giant. Why does the Giant let you run right up to his ankles before attacking you? Imagine you're the golf-ball, and his club is the driver! With "Reach", the Giant can start hitting you with melee attacks before you can hit him; simulating the effects of his much larger size. Also, imagine how much cooler it will be to have a long pike or pole-arm. If you're in the second row behind the front-line fighters, and you have a weapon with "Reach", you can still attack the opponents facing the front line! Also, imagine that you're being attacked by monsters with a touch-attack (like level draining, perhaps). If your party uses weapons with "Reach", you can attempt to kill any monster that comes near - before they're in range to use their touch-attacks! Adding the element of "Reach" means combat does a better job of addressing size differences and it allows us to make weapon selection more interesting; again, by adding a small, lightweight rule to the game. Magic Items: Playtester John Troy drops a few hints about magic items in 3E (on the 3E Message Board): Think of Armor and Shields as being just like weapons, with the hints we all described earlier, except instead of mostly offensive effects you get mostly defensive ones. There are actually some pretty cool things for armor. Everything else is governed by it's own rules. There is no "Diablo system" for the other items, they are more or less the same as they were in second edition. However, rules for potions and rod/staff/wands (mostly affecting the wands) have changed. Scrolls, rings, and misc items are pretty much as we remember them. April 29, 2000 Preferred Multiclass: Playtester A'koss (on rec.games.frp.dnd) offers up a slightly different interpretation of what "any" means when it comes to a race's preferred multiclass: Having "any" as your preferred class works a little differently than, say, the Elf who has the wizard as his preferred class. "Any" means just that - any. Your highest level class is the measure of what is *preferred*. When you think about it, it really is a big boon for humans [and half-elves]. Their adaptability allows them to can change their "preference" a number of times in their career. Previously, I'd interpreted a recent Dragon Magazine article to mean that a human or half-elf character would have to choose one class as preferred; clearly, A'koss is indicating that whatever class you're most experienced in is your current preferred class. Interesting indeed... Message Board Roundup: Here's what has been happening on the message boards the past few days (thanks to all who have alerted me to various scoops): Magic Items (Playtester John Troy): Why can't a PC create a staff of the magi in 3E? Because the staff is a very powerful item. It grants spell resistance, acts as a rod of absorbtion for purposes of recharging, grants a retributive strike, and in addition to having a boatload of powers it also has several powers that are activated at will of no cost in charges, unlike any other staff including the staff of power. It doesn't follow the rules for the other staves. It is a very powerful item. They have only limited about a dozen or so items--they either seem to be going by (a) the sheer power of the item and/or (b) the nature of the item. The deck of many things, for instance, is sort of a cosmic tarot, and I can't see any mortal mage being able to create such a thing, with multiple blessing and curses and stuff that can't be negated by even a wish. A relatively minor item, the Philosopher's Stone, has also been categorized as such, which I think fits rule "b". Metamagic Feats (John Troy): The feats are tied into the memorization process (if your class doesn't cast them "on the fly"). All the MM feats have an effect on the spell that practically limits their use. [It's been previously confirmed that a spellcaster only has to acquire each metamagic feat once to be able to use them on any spell he knows and can stack multiple metamagic feats together to buff up a single spell. As we've seen in Dragon Magazine, use of metamagic feats involves preparing the augmented spell as if it were a level or two higher than normal. So if you wanted to cast Knock (2nd level spell) as a Silent Spell, you might have to use a 3rd-level or 4th-level slot to prepare it.] Since Sorcerers and Bards can choose their spells at the time of casting, if they had the appropriate Metamagic feat then they could use it on the "spur of the moment". That's the advantage they have--the disadvantage is that they'll never have as many feats as the Wizard can, or as many spells in their spell lists. Limits to Feats (WotC's Sean Reynolds): Weapon Finesse ... won't work with a bastard sword. You can't take Improved Critical at level 1. A 1st-level wizard can't use Quicken Spell. [He strongly implies you'd have to be at least 9th level to gain that feat.] Adjustments to Wizard Spell Progression Chart: Math whiz Bob Fitch has done a little (and by "little" I mean an enormous amount of) work to try to unravel the secrets of the Wizard Spell Progression chart. After creating a seven-page annotated spreadsheet, he e-mailed me his results and his revised version of the chart. If you'd like to see the end results, step right this way. Baldur's Gate II to Include 3E Classes: A couple of different computer game sites are reporting that Bioware's Baldur's Gate II, a CRPG using the 2nd Edition D&D rules, will apparently allow the creation and play of three new character classes. The Monk, Barbarian and Sorcerer "will be 2nd edition rule implementation of the upcoming 3rd edition AD&D classes," according to the IGN PC and Gamer's Alliance web sites. Of course, it's possible that by the time BGII is released we'll already be able to play some 3rd edition classes in Pool of Radiance II: Ruins of Myth Drannor; and within a few months after that we'll be able to experience the full glory of all of the 3E classes in Neverwinter Nights. Refocus, Delay and Ready: WotC's Ryan Dancey provides a detailed example of how characters can choose to move up or down the initiative order in combat (on the 3E Message Board): When you "Refocus", you add 20 to your initiative roll, which will have the effect of allowing you to move "up" in the initative order. [Note that this differs from previous scoops that have said Refocus *sets* your initiative *at* 20 plus your Init modifiers.] Let's say PC rolls a 5 and M rolls a 19. Combat begins, and M goes first (highest initative). PC elects to "Refocus", and has a newly adjusted initative of 25. All combatants have now acted, and so actions begin again in intiative order. This time, PC goes first (init 25), then M (still init 19). PC decides to take the "Delay" action. PC can act at any time, reducing initiative by 1 each time PC continues to Delay. PC delays 6 times (to initiative 19) and M takes the "Ready" action naming "PC tries to cast a spell" as the trigger condition. [So it looks like you have to name a condition on which to act, but you don't have to name what action you'll take ahead of time.] PC delays again, to initiative 18. PC then acts. PC tries to cast a spell. M gets a chance to react to PC's spellcasting; perhaps M throws a spear at PC. If the spear misses, nothing happens. If the spear hits, PC must make a Concentration Check or the spell is disrupted. Assuming both combatants are still alive, M (still on initative 19) gets the next action. Then PC (now initiative 18) acts. For some reason, M elects to Delay. So does PC. Assuming they want to play the game of chicken all the way, the lowest initiative that can be reached is -10 minus the delaying character's initiative bonus. If that initiative level is reached, the only option is forfeit an action or act. If M and PC both want to act on the same initiative, the combatant with the higher initiative bonus acts either first or last, at that combatants choice; if initative bonuses are tied, the combatant with the highest Dexterity acts first or last; if Dex is tied an Opposed Roll is made to break the tie. April 28, 2000 Movement and Position in Combat: WotC's Ryan Dancey drops a few tidbits concerning combat situations. I've adjusted my combat examples to compensate ... again ... :) (on the 3E Message Board): [A character] can move [his full movement rate] and make one melee attack (in other words, if the character could normally make two or more attacks, they forgo that ability to make a full move and attack once). The attack is the "best" attack - no penalties. If you move at a rate higher than your base movement [via actions such as Hustle or Run], you get no attacks. However, Ryan adds, A charge is an attack. [In 3E] "Flanking" means "having an opponent on opposite sides of a figure" - it doesn't refer to any specific direction. Can a spellcaster move her/his full distance and still cast that round? No. A character can move some distance and cast a spell. I believe you can only make a 5' move and still cast a spell. If a character chooses a Ready action and the condition is *not* met, what can I do at the end of the round, if anything? Your "ready" action lasts from the time you declare it to the next opportunity you have to take an action. And you can't do anything but wait in a state of extreme readiness. 3E Character Generator in Beta Testing: WotC's Ryan Dancey indicates that the free character generator program that will be included with the PHB is currently in testing. He says that at the moment, "My version cannot load or save, but it can create characters. Ability scores (including random rolling), skills, feats, classes, spells, and equipment (including gold costs and weight) are implemented. The basic functionality works, and obeys 3e rules (mostly - that's why we're beta testing!)." (on the 3E Message Board) Experience Awards: The April Playtest Group of the Month page has been updated. We learn a little about how experience points are handled in 3E (thanks to Chris Kennedy, Cain, Maximillian and Beau Yarbrough for the scoop): Chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide ... deals with the topic of "Rewards." [An early] draft contained a big table that summarized the XP values for defeating monsters of various Challenge Ratings, depending on the average level of the PCs in the party. Chapter 7 of the DMG ... contains a section of about 1,000 words on the subject of "story awards" -- ways in which PCs can earn experience points without necessarily defeating, or even encountering, monsters. Because it’s impossible to quantify the situations in which "story award" or "roleplaying award" XPs might be given out, we can’t write rules to dictate exactly how a DM should handle this type of reward. But we do advise DMs to encourage their players to do more with their characters than just have them run around the countryside fighting every monster of NPC they meet. April 27, 2000 WotC RPG Poll: Head on over to the main D&D page to find a link to an interesting survey. They're asking you to rate several hypothetical RPG settings on a scale from "I would prefer to play the main storyline of this setting as the famous characters" to "I would prefer to make up my own storylines and characters in this setting"; the settings listed are Dragonlance, Lord of the Rings, Wheel of Time, Star Wars, Chronicles of Narnia, The Matrix, Arthurian Legends, and Harry Potter. Note that there's nothing that states that any of these are actually being considered as RPG settings by WotC (though clearly Star Wars and Dragonlance already are WotC RPG settings, and Harry Potter's probably not too far behind). High Ability Scores: We've known for a while that ability scores might be pretty high for certain monsters. Just how high is illustrated by playtester John Troy (on the 3E Message Board, thanks to James Hoover for the scoop): Elder Wyrm Gold Dragons have over 30 scores for INT, WIS, and CHA. That beats the Pit Fiends with say a 23 INT. Of course, remember that all of these scores do not have the old special modifiers for Deities--no awe power, no immunity to illusions, no spell immunities, no innate regeneration. It's just a cumulative modifier. Minor Artifacts: Playtester John Troy discusses the fate of some formerly "standard" magic items (on the 3E Message Board): Several magic items, including the Sphere of Annihilation, the Deck of Many Things, the Hammer of Thunderbolts, and the Staff of the Magi are now considered "minor artifacts". Basically, they are normal [magic] items, but unlike any others no formulae for creating them are given, and it means that players will not be able to create such items at all. International Availability of English-Language 3E PHB: WotC's Keith Strohm tells all he knows (and it ain't much) about when to expect English-language 3E materials in international markets (on the 3E Message Board, thanks to James Hoover for the scoop): There will be a delay for international countries to receive their copies of English language versions of D&D books. This is due largely to the limitations imposed by global shipping and international distribution infrastructure. It is unclear to me how long the delay will be for each market. A good rule of thumb to use would be the current lag time. Invisibility: WotC's Sean Reynolds discusses the impact of the arcane spell invisibility on combat (on the 3E Message Board): "Invisibility now uses a different mechanic than granting you an AC bonus." Armor Class Thirty-Something: WotC's Sean Reynolds confirms what has long been suspected/rumored (on the 3E Message Board, thanks to azrogue for the scoop): "There are no AC limits now. The tarrasque's AC is over 30, for example." Gygax Galore: Everywhere I go, I hear people saying, "More Gygax interviews!" Or those could just be the voices in my head. In anycase, here's page one of another interview with ol' EGG himself. Thanks to Walter Christensen for the scoop. Spell Chart: A math whiz by the name of Bob Fitch has come up with some numbers to fill in the Wizard Spells per Level chart that was started from a recent anonymous tip. However, playtester A'koss (on rec.games.frp.dnd) has some interesting observations to share (thanks to Gerard for the scoop): Is the chart correct? "Eric's chart has lots of errors." Does 3E shortchange wizards? "In 2e, the 20th level mage would be able to cast 5 [first level spells per day], but doesn't have the advantage of being able to memorize extra spells with a high Int. You'll see that even with ignoring Int bonus spells, you do not get short changed in 3e. In a normal campaign, a 3e wizard with a moderate intelligence will be able to cast considerably more spells than his 2e cousin. You'll like it, trust me. ;)" This isn't the Sorcerer Chart: "The Sorcerer actually casts *more*, but gets higher level spells slower and can only learn a limited amount." Duh, which I would have remembered and passed on if I'd had my brain turned on... So what does it all mean? The spell chart and the bonus spells table is only accurate where indicated by gold type. The rest of the numbers are pure speculation. The most problematic area with the spell chart is the number of 0-level spells. The spell chart is probably accurate in some places, but it's not perfect. It would be good enough to get a rough estimate, but not good enough to make a perfect 3E character. We don't really have any information about how school specialization affects the number of spells per level. It does appear that Wizards and Clerics gain spells at about the same progression. This tells us nothing about the progression for Sorcerers, Druids, Bards, Rangers, and Paladins. Finally, a good reminder from Anonymous: "The number of spells and the bonus table for high ability scores changed a lot from playtest to revised. They may change again. The numbers I quoted are from the most current version." April 26, 2000 Can't Get Enough Gygax? Who can, really? You can find another Gygax interview here. (Thanks to Jonathan Petersen for the scoop) Classy Stuff: A couple of class-related tidbits on the 3E Message Board (thanks to James Hoover for the scoop): According to Sean Reynolds, there are still specialist wizards in 3E even though there is only one "wizard class": "Just as a ranger can choose a favored enemy, or a cleric can choose domains from a god, a wizard can choose a specialized school and forbidden schools." On Paladins (playtester John Troy): "In 3rd Edition, a paladin is 'Called.' The PHB specifically states that a Paladin is not a choice. A person can deny his destiny, fail at the goal of advancement, or become something else beforehand, but paladins are called to a higher purpose, and they can't 'learn' to be a paladin, it is an instinctive thing." 2E Products Available After 3E Released? WotC's Keith Strohm explains the fate of the 2E line of products (on the 3E Message Board, thanks to James Hoover and Adrian Frost for the scoop, check here for a big list of 2E products that are still available for a limited time): There are a few 2nd Edition items that will be available after 3rd Edition releases (most notably The Priest's and Wizard's Spell Compendiums, and the Encyclopedia Magica's--but by no means is this the entire list). Once these items are replaced by their 3rd Edition analogs, we'll no longer make them available. All of the other 2nd Edition inventory that is not on this list will be destroyed to clear the way for future 3rd Edition products. Wizards Not In Cartoon Loop: WotC's Jim Butler tells all he knows (and it ain't much) about the re-release of the D&D cartoon beginning on Fox this week (on DND-L): Wizards doesn't own any of the rights to the old cartoon series. Your guesses as to why Fox decided to resurrect the old series are as good as ours. Once we get some more information, we'll let everyone know. Haven't We Already Discussed This? WotC folk, responding to accusations of greediness, get to discuss all sorts of stuff that was hashed out way back in August (on the 3E Message Board, thanks to James Hoover for the scoop): Keith Strohm: Yes. The major motivating factor behind releasing 3rd Edition is money. The 2nd Edition business model is fractured, fragmented, and unable to sustain profitability. Launching 3rd Edition provides us with an opportunity to restart the business and apply strategic principles that will insure the long-term sustainability of the RPG category at Wizards of the Coast. It just so happens that this business restart also allows us to retool the Dungeons & Dragons game, making it a more flexible, easier-to-learn system that will be better able to respond to the needs of our consumers. As a publicly-traded company that values the creation of exceptional games, this is a "win-win" situation. Sean Reynolds: We could easily continue to create new things for 2E. However, it will just add to its broken state. The 2E game is a Frankenstein's Monster made out of the dismembered bodies of other Frankenstein's Monsters. There are patches, and there are patches on the patches. There are layers upon layers of rule conflicts and confusion. We could keep adding to that (every class we've done for D&D could have been written as 2E classes) but we've chosen to build a new creature instead of sewing up the old one again. One of the reasons it's being made is to make it easier for people new to D&D - they won't be overwhelmed & intimidated by 1000 backlist products. I don't know if anyone said it was being done to improve your hobby, unless it was in the context of "We think the new edition is better than the old edition, and we think you'll like it better." [Making money] is _a_ motivating factor. It's not the _only_ one. The 2E PHB and other core books continue to sell, and sales have increased recently. We could keep doing what we were doing. Instead, we decided to fix the problems with the old game and be innovative rather than become stagnant. WotC makes most of its RPG money off of sales of the PHB, DMG, and MM. Everything else on top of that is gravy. We have changed how we produce our products so that they meet certain standards so that they'll be profitable if they sell as much as we expect them to sell. Nowadays, most of the things we produce are at least breaking even, if not making money. However, the current buying market for new 2E products is about 10-20,000 people. Our market research tells us that there are about 1.6 MILLION people that play D&D at least once a month. They stopped buying new stuff long ago. _One_ of the reasons for making the new D&D is to make those people aware that there's still new RPG D&D stuff coming out and that they might want to take a look at it. Having just 1% of those people become active customers again would almost double the current buying population; 10% of them would increase it by an order of magnitude. We want those people buying stuff again. Yes, Wizards wants to make money. They saw the old TSR die because TSR didn't listen to its customers and drove them away. Wizards wants to make games that people will play (and buy) ... and while it's easy to produce crap that people buy and then get disgusted with, it's a much better idea to make something that people will buy, use, and buy add-ons to. The new D&D is like that - we think it's a damn fine game and will get a lot of people to become active buying players again, revitalizing the hobby. No, Please -- Not Math Again! A kind anonymous scooper has posted some tantalizing tidbits about the numbers of spells a wizard can cast each day, as well as the bonus spells for one particular Intelligence score. He also reveals the details of a feat. An 18th level wizard recieves the following base spells: (starting with 0 level) 4-4-4-4-4-4-4-3-3-2 Bonus spells for 20 Int are: (no bonus 0 level spells) 2-1-1-1-1 Spell Focus gives you a bonus of +2 DC on the school of choice's spells. So if you choose Invoke/Evoke your fireballs are 2 points harder to dodge. What does it all mean, especially when combined with a close analysis of Mialee, the sample wizard character from the official site? Well, it means we can partially fill in some correct numbers on a wizard spell chart and a bonus spells chart. You'll see that they're quite bare -- I have to tell you the math is driving me mad! Either Mialee is messed up (which is quite possible given other mistakes on her character sheet), or somewhere I've gotten some bad info, or there's some other factor we aren't seeing. I'll keep you posted, and if you come up with some reasonable guesses that can account both Mialee and the above anonymous info, please feel free to share. April 25, 2000 Prestige Classes: Aside from having prerequisites, are prestige classes all that much different from any other class? WotC's Ryan Dancey elaborates (on the 3E Message Board, thanks to James Hoover for the scoop): Prestige Classes are just classes you can't take at 1st level and can't take without meeting some prerequisites. All other class rules apply normally. The individual Prestige Classes might contain further restrictions on future choices; but that's an artifact of the class, not the system. 3E Not GenCon Exclusive: According to WotC's Keith Strohm, you don't need to be at GenCon to get your 3E PHB on August 10th (on DND-L): "All of the 3rd Edition August releases will be available on the same day, Thursday August 10th in all sales channels." April 24, 2000 I Don't Wanna Wait! Sean Reynolds offers up a few reasons why WotC isn't releasing all of the core rulebooks at one time. In particular, he addresses the two-month gap between the PHB and the MM (on the 3E Message Board, thanks to James Hoover for the scoop): Because the same people working on the PH and DMG are the ones pushing the design of the MM. Because we want people to have a month to look over the PH to familiarize themselves with the rules before tackling the DMG, and so on with the MM. Because we don't want people to have to spend $60 in one month (many will find it easier to save up each month). Because there's a 16-page document with some sample monsters and (I think, not sure) sample magic items to tide you over until then. [Sean has indicated that he's not referring to the Conversion Book. Hmmm.....] Message Board Miscellanea: Various tidbits from your favorite WotC folk (thanks to James Hoover for the scoops): No Kara Tur 3E Planned: Jim Butler says, "We don't have plans to return to Kara Tur under the Third Edition D&D rules. We do plan to release all of the older gaming product in an online format (including Kara Tur and all of the other game worlds). Stay tuned..." FR Novels Not Included: You may know that WotC is planning on releasing a bunch of old Forgotten Realms materials. Jim says whether it's through the web site or on a CD, "We have no plans to release anything other than the game products. I'm looking into novels right now, but I don't expect that we'll be releasing them over the website." Heat Metal: Sean Reynolds says, "Heat Metal has been modified to have a weight limit." April 23, 2000 Armor Table Revised: An anonymous source has provided yet more details about armor, and I've worked it into a revised version of the 3E Armor Table on my Combat page. Thanks, Anonymous! More on Magic Weapons: A couple of days ago, WotC's Ryan Dancey and playtester John Troy dropped some hints about the system for creating magical weapons -- a sort of mix-and-match system whereby you could have a Flaming Dire Flail or a Vorpal Wounding Mighty Cleaving Longsword. John Troy adds a few more details about the system (on the 3E Message Board; thanks to Thrombin, James Hoover, Jeff Hartsell, Henry Link and Chris Kennedy for the various scoops in various incarnations): Vorpal does the decapitation on a Critical Hit, so it depends on the weapon's threat range. Wounding now does 1 hp per "wound" per round unless they are bandaged, or if a cure wounds is applied (which heals all of them). Cleaving is a feat that allows a user to make an extra attack on someone near to the strike if the prior attack killed somebody (which, of course, would include the lopping off of heads [from the Vorpal effect]). Cleaving can [normally] only be done once/round, but [the] Mighty Cleaving [power of this sword] allows an additional attempt to be taken. IF you have the Cleave feat, a sword of Mighty Cleaving allows you to use the Feat an extra time in a combat round. If you DON'T have the feat, you can't cleave at all. So there is no benefit unless the user has the ability to Cleave and chooses to do so. ...there are limits to what a weapon can have for bonuses and effects. Each effect has a virtual "cost", and thus there is a limit to what you could have. The "Vorpal" "Wounding" "Mighty Cleaving" "+1" longsword can exist, but a "Vorpal" "Dancing" "Holy" "+5" Sword is not allowed in the game (with the possible exception of a real artifact or an avatar's weapon). So there are limits to what a weapon can do. Even taking into account the metal the weapon is made of and the special abilities of the rare intellegent weapons (which is similar to the old system in terms of determining powers), you have some limitations. D&D Cartoon on Fox? A few scoopers have indicated that Fox is going to start showing a D&D cartoon on Saturday mornings. However, each one said something slightly different, and no one seemed to be able to point me to any official confirmation of this... until now! You can read all about it at The Complete Guide to the D&D Cartoon web site. Super-extra thanks to Avaron Gansdell for the confirming scoop! Update: If you find Ain't It Cool News to be a more authoritative source on "media events" like the D&D cartoon, you can also read about it there. Thanks to Jason Klank and and Joel Flank for the scoop. Official: Walter Christensen dug this up from the Fox Kids site -- this is the most official confirmation yet. Whew, we can all rest easy now. Tordek vs. The Zombies: I've whipped up another combat example for your viewing pleasure. This one pits Tordek the dwarf against a couple of tyrantfog zombies. As usual, the example is riddled with guesswork and questions -- but, hey, if we had the rules we wouldn't need to bother, right? Step right this way... Update: The example has been tweaked a few times since it was first "opened for business." Some of the issues that are still causing some questions or controversy (in a good way) are a) exactly what situations provoke attacks of opportunity; b) are a monster's two claw attacks really considered "one attack" for the purposes of attacks of opportunity or moving and attacking in the same round; c) does the concept of "facing" still exist in 3E? In any case, this is exactly what the Combat Examples are all about -- bringing up issues we're uncertain about so they can be discussed. My sincere thanks to all who have pointed out errors, made suggestions, and otherwise contributed to the discussion. April 22, 2000 Birthright Domain Action Rules in 3E? Ryan Dancey talks about how the rules for running domains in Birthright could have an impact on the 3E rules (on OGF-D20-L, thanks to Uncle Joe for the scoop): "...there's going to be a book at some point that encapsulates the 'Realms Rules' from [the Birthright] product line and generalizes them for core D&D." Ed Stark Chat: Scooper Henry Link has read through the chat log from Friday's chat with D&D Creative Director Ed Stark. Here's Henry's report: Improved Critical feat doubles your threat range for one particular weapon. Some eastern-style weapons - e.g. the "Shuriken, the kama, and the siangham are all part of the Core books." "The dwarven waraxe is... a big axe dwarves learn to use (exotic weapon proficiency) one-handed." "The urgrosh has a axe on one end and a spear on the other. The spear end can be used to resist a charge, etc., while a character with 2-weapon fighting can use both ends as if he were using 2 weapons." When asked if there were any "neat Prestige classes" for fighters to move into in the DMG, Ed replied "Plenty, but we'll have to save most of them for another time (many Prestige Classes are coming out in later books and as Dragon articles and I don't want to steal their thunder). Right now, the Dwarven Defender, the Arcane Archer, and the Blackguard (anti-paladin) are the most logical for fighters in the DMG." "Fighters gain feats faster than rangers, barbarians, and paladins, mainly because the latter three classes all have special abilities built into their advancement" "...the ranger has been "tuned up" so he's just more effective at what he can do. His species enemy approach, for example, is more versatile and expandable (he could have multiple species enemies as he gains levels) and his other, natural abilities are enhanced and clarified. He also has his own spell lists (as do the paladin and bard, other semi-spellcasters)." Why aren't rangers and paladins prestige classes? because "Rangers and Paladins are standard classes and there was some discussion about whether or not they should be Prestige Classes, but we decided against it. They can still be pretty broad characters--Prestige Classes become more and more narrow as they develop. They become "the best" at certain things ... at the expense of others." Fighters cannot by themselves create magic weapons in 3E unless they have some component of cleric or mage in them first (a level or two in mage). When asked if you could customize a fighter with feats to be an unarmed combat master, he replied, "Yes. Monks get many of those abilities as they progress in levels (heck, they start out with [the feat] Unarmed Strike, which turns their fists into weapons--thus avoiding the AoO). Fighters can choose to develop along an "unarmed" track and buy those types of feats--and there are reasons to do that. Still, the best unarmed fighter is almost always the monk ... just like the best armed and armored fighter is almost always the fighter." When asked which of the known prestige kits could a straight fighter have the easiest time to get into, he replied, "Of those in the DMG, none are really easy to get to that way. Prestige Classes have lots of requirements, many of which can't be met while staying inside one class." How specialized do you have to be with weapon finesse? one weapon or many? "One pick of Weapon Finesse gets you a weapon--dagger, rapier, short sword. A single weapon." There is a feat called Improved Trip. No specifics are given. "Expertise ... (which allows a character to use part of his attack bonus as a defensive bonus instead) requires a moderately high Intelligence." Analysis of Recent Official Updates: Ed Stark, Creative Director of D&D, offered up the arcane spell True Strike and the Vampire "monster template" on the official 3E site recently. I have a few thoughts on the new material, if you'd care to read... Vampire Medium-Size Undead Hit Dice: 5d12 (32 hp) Initiative: +7 (+3 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative) Speed: 30 ft. AC: 25 (+3 Dex, +6 natural, +4 masterwork chain shirt, +2 shield) Attacks: Slam +11 melee (or masterwork bastard sword +13 melee); or masterwork shortbow +9 ranged Damage: Slam 1d6+6 and energy drain; bastard sword 1d10+8; shortbow 1d6 Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: Charm, energy drain, blood drain, children of the night, create spawn Special Qualities: Undead, damage reduction 15/+1, cold and electricity resistance 20, gaseous form, spider climb, alternate form, fast healing 3, vampire weaknesses Saves: Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +4 Abilities: Str 22, Dex 17, Con —, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 12 Skills: Climb +10, Listen +15, Ride +7, Spot +15 Feats: Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword), Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Weapon Focus (bastard sword), Weapon Specialization (bastard sword) Undead: Immune to mind-influencing effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and disease. Not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, energy drain, or death from massive damage. The Will save against this vampire’s charm and the Fortitude save to regain levels lost to its energy drain have a DC of 13. Magic Items Carried: Potion of haste. Challenge Rating: 7 Notes: Ed Stark puts it quite well: "The vampire isn't a monster; it's a template. Using the vampire template that appears in the Monster Manual, you can "add" the vampire to virtually any other creature or character easily." However, what is presented is one particular vampire. Looks like this vampire was a skilled fighter in life. We can see several things that another vampire might not have -- specific equipment (chain shirt, potion, bastard sword, short bow), specific feats (Weapon Specialization, for example), and specific skills (Ride, for instance) that another vampire of a different race or class might not have. Each vampire will be unique. We see a number of special abilities or resistances that apply to undead in general. It makes a great deal of sense, for example, that undead are not subject to critical hits. The undead, with no functioning organs, have no vital spots. I have heard rumors that masterwork armor reduces either the Max DEX cap or the Check Penalty. Cold and Electricity Resistance is likely just like Spell Resistance but applies only to these two sources of potential damage. Riding is a skill that hasn't been officially mentioned before. All of the feats have been mentioned before. Mobility is the only one we don't have a pretty good guess about. Update: Scooper Daniel Vitti says, "I played a monk in a 3e demo that had Mobilitiy. It allowed him to move in and out of an enemy's threat range without incurring an attack of opportunity." With the Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat, this vampire will be able to wield that bastard sword in one hand and still use its shield. Fast Healing seems to be the new term for regeneration. We've known for a while that energy drain would be a little less lethal and more temporary. We see a hint of that here ("the Fortitude save to regain levels lost to its energy drain have a DC of 13"). True Strike Divination Level: Sor/Wiz 1 Components: V, S, F Casting Time: One action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: 1 round Saving Throw: None Spell Resistance: No You gain temporary, intuitive insight into the immediate future during his next attack. Your next single attack roll (within the duration of the spell) gains a +20 bonus; additionally, you are not affected by the miss chance that applies to attacks against a concealed target. Focus: a small wooden replica of an archery target. Notes: Looks like there is now a distinction between components that are consumed during casting (M for material component, as in the Unseen Servant spell in February) and those that are not (F for focus). We've seen DF for Divine Focus in cleric spells; this refers to the cleric's holy symbol which isn't consumed in spellcasting either. As Ed Stark says when introducing this spell, its benefits are an almost guaranteed hit (very useful for spells that require an attack roll or one-shot magic items like arrows of slaying) and an improved chance to hit invisible or otherwise concealed creatures. That 1 round duration threw me for a second. It seems to imply that "1 round" includes your next action or possibly "all of next round." The spell would be pretty worthless if it expired before you got to make an attack or cast a spell! As Ed mentions, if you have the Quicken Spell feat, you could choose to cast this spell and another spell in the same round. We see the continued trend of the PHB addressing the player directly ("Target: You"). April 21, 2000 Official Updates: A slew of updates at the official 3E site. A big 'thanks' to the 20+ people who wrote to let me know! :-) New Monster -- Vampire: Ed Stark says, "The vampire isn't a monster; it's a template. Using the vampire template that appears in the Monster Manual, you can "add" the vampire to virtually any other creature or character easily. There are other templates in the Monster Manual -- lycanthropes, liches, etc. -- and they're all pretty interesting." New Spell -- True Strike: Says Ed: "This spell is okay for a low-level sorcerer or wizard, but it's really good for a higher-level character and terrific for a multiclassed character--and it's "secondary" benefit helps as well: true strike ignores concealment. That means someone using this spell can hit an invisible character (who is really just 100% concealed) much easier." Playtesters on Skills: From the DMG: "In your campaign, however, you can require that a character can't learn a new skill or feat that he hasn't been exposed to." New Fighter Concept Art: A picture's worth a thousand words, so you'll find about 10,000 words here. No clever quote. I'll have more details and analysis soon. Correction -- Character Generator CD-ROM is PC-Only: WotC's Brian Mitchell (D&D Marketing Manager) wrote in to set the record straight on the Character Generator program included with the 3E PHB: "Just wanted to drop you a line and let you know that the Character Generator is in fact PC only. We're working toward cross-platform products in the future, but for now its strictly PC." Me, Me, Me: You can read a brief interview about ... um ... me ... right here. And really, I only mention this for the sake of completeness! ;) Oh, go ahead, read it -- you'll laugh, you'll cry, all that stuff. Thanks to Robert Blezard for posing the questions. April 20, 2000 3E Compatible with Balanced Parts of 2E: WotC's Ryan Dancey addressed issues surrounding compatibility between 2nd and 3rd Edition D&D. This was in response to discussion of converting a 2E character kit called the Bladesinger: There are lots and lots of things in 2e that are just plain silly. Most of them are in the PHBR series; those books tended to be both edited and designed out of house and suffer from the twin evils of inconsistency and power inflation. 3e will not support those things in the way they have been presented in the past. Individual DMs are going to have to make decisions about what to allow in and what not to allow in to their own games; but I don't think it serves any larger purpose to say essentially "here's how you convert a 2e character to 3e. Take all the broken 2e stuff that doesn't exist in 3e and give it to the character anyway; ignore resulting problems of game balance." ... The objective of 3e is to be >compatible< with the core D&D game. 2e, in the hundreds of thousands of pages published for it contains numerous specific rules, classes, kits, spells, items etc. that are poorly designed. 3e will not support that stuff. Over time, I expect that the amount of material avaiable for 3e that has been tested, subjected to rigorous peer review (and potentially distributed joint development via D20) will provide the kinds of systems necessary to figure out how to re-balance some of that material. The results will essentially always be more expensive, of much higher level, or will perhaps be excluded entirely for breaking certain fundamental aspects of the game design. Flaming Flail: Okay, I know this definitely looks like some of my April Fool's edition slipped out a bit late, but this is all legit. :-) Here are some names of some magic items you could find or make using the 3E D&D rules (on the 3E Message Board, thanks to James Hoover, Larry Williams, and Jeff Hartsell for the scoop): From playtester John Troy: How about Brilliant Energy Shiruken? A Holy Disruption Urgosh? A Fey Bane Ghost Touch Bastard Sword? A Lawful Returning Hammer? A Vorpal Wounding Mighty Cleaving Longsword? Just give my dwarf a Ghost-Touch Thundering Returning War Hammer +2 and Plate Armor of Spell Resistance and Invulnerability and I'm all set to Rock and Roll! All those weapons that I've described are REAL and in the game. Expect the higher level characters to have those weapons. ...weapons with more than one "special effect", if they have any, are rare. I was just sort of teasing you about that. The Magic Items are a lot like Diablo, in that standard items are given one or more special effects, which can stack--the more powerful items have more chances of stacked elements. ...there are now lots of ways to also add "curses" to normal items--not just the kind that turn you into a CE berserker or kill you, but there are many possible minor effects, like only working in sunlight, at night, being randomly unreliable, causes negative effects to XP or attributes, petty things like causing a characters hair to grow or requiring consumption of things. Think of the old 1st Edition artifact drawback tables for examples. So, as a DM, you could set up a campaign where all powerful magic items have such drawbacks.. ...there are still several "fixed" items, like your Sun Blade, Frost Brand, or the wonderful Holy Avenger. They kept specific special types, but they also want the mixing and matching you get in a game like Diablo. Weapons and Armor both have these traits. From WotC's Ryan Dancey: Flaming Dire Flail (3rd Edition DMG - DRAFT) Cost: 2690, Damage: 1d8/1d8 (double weapon), + 1d6 (both attacks; Fire; not multiplied in crit), Critical: x2, Range Increment: -, Weight: 20, Type: Bludgeoning. The "Threat Range" for the Dire Flail is 20. In the PHB, when the Threat Range is bigger than 20, it is usually listed with the notation "19-20/2x" which means "Threat on a 19 or 20, crit x2 damage". The "increment" value relates to the various distances ranged weapons are effective. A Light Crossbow (simple weapon), has a Range Increment of 80 ft. Weapons suffer a -2 penalty for each range increment above the first. Projectile weapons like bows can shoot up to 10 increments; thrown weapons can shoot up to 5 increments. From John Troy: Basically, only Attack rolls do critical, since the fire is more of a special effect. The Fire effect basically means the flame is ablaze (at the request of the wielder, who is never damaged by it). Also, there is a different effect called "Fire Critical", which means that the sword looks normal, but if you score a critical, the blade will suddenly "blaze up" and do something like 3D6 damage. So, think of the effects as something that doesn't do critical damage, but is an "add on" to the normal damage, akin to a spell. You could even get a Dire Flail with both Fire and Fire Critical, which pretty much should be renamed to "If you score a critical, the guy is crispied up." From Ryan Dancey: A Vorpal Wounding Mighty Cleaving Longsword? Just for comparison, the above weapon would have a gp cost of 54,315. Scaled to the economy of the baseline 3e game, this one weapon would constitute essentially the entire wealth (cash, non-liquid assets, lands, equipment, magic items) of one 11th level character. How Much Greyhawk in "Adventure Path"? WotC's Keith Strohm talks about the first two core 3E adventure modules, Sunless Citadel and Forge of Fury, and how they relate to the core campaign setting (on the Greyhawk Message Board, thanks to James Hoover for the scoop): These adventures will use Oerth place names and localities. Since most of the pages in each adventure will be packed with adventuring material rather than source material (the focus is on the adventure not the place the adventure is set in), these products are roughly analogous to some of the 1st Edition AD&D adventures (like C2 Ghost Tower of Inverness and the S series). New Birthright Products for Download at WotC: If you're a fan of the Birthright campaign setting for AD&D, you surely know that a number of scheduled products never saw print before the line was cancelled. Well, today you're in luck -- you can download The Book of Regency in PDF format from the WotC Birthright page. And there's more -- in May you'll be able to download the Player's Secrets of Hogunmark accessory, an entire BR novel called The Falcon and the Wolf, and The Legacy of Kings, a BR board game. In June, WotC will release Blood Spawn, a BR monster book. Long live Cerilia! (thanks to Doug Justice for the scoop) April 19, 2000 Min/Max Not All Bad: WotC's Keith Strohm has a few thoughts to share on the subject of min/maxing (on the 3E Message Board, thanks to James "Keeps On Ticking" Hoover for the scoop): There is a very vocal group of folks who believe that roleplaying is a "higher" evolutionary stage than min-maxing. And riddled throughout posts by proponents of this thought is the belief that min/maxing is juvenile and a detriment to the game. Although I myself prefer a nice blend of roleplaying and "dice-chucking" (just ask my Thursday night gaming compatriots -- Andy Collins, Bruce Cordell, and Chris Perkins--about Gaerioth Shadowhand), Dungeons & Dragons is, at its heart, a game about kicking down doors, killing monsters, and taking their stuff. I've been lambasted before by people who objected to my statement that the Diablo computer game is the perfect expression of the D&D game, but I'd like to restate it here. Market research (and sales patterns) bear out the fact that more people play D&D as a hack n' Slash game than as a highly developed interactive storytelling event. One of the things that is great about D&D (and RPGs in general) is that this works. Different folks can come to the table and derive enjoyment from different aspects of the game. Instead of burying our head in the sand and pretending that there are not hundreds of thousands of people out there who derive enjoyment from mastering the rules to derive maximum effectiveness for their character, we are embracing it. Folks don't need extensive rules to help them roleplay and participate in interactive stories, but they probably need rules for how Strength affects their ability to climb or hit an opponent. Roleplaying is still a part of the D&D game -- despite what some folks have concluded from the snapshot of rules and coming attractions for the D&D game. It's just not the only part. Sometimes You Need a Little (Weapon) Finesse: If the Weapon Finesse feat allows you to use your high DEX bonuses to improve your melee attack rolls, and having a high DEX also grants bonuses for AC, missile attacks, and Initiative, why should anyone with a high DEX not take Weapon Finesse? Sean Reynolds speaks: Because you can't pick Weapon Finesse just any weapons. Because there are drawbacks to using Weapon Finesse. Because Weapon Finesse doesn't apply to all weapons (no, I am not simply restating my first sentence). So not only do you have to take a separate Weapon Finesse feat for each weapon (which we knew), but you won't be able to use certain weapons with finesse at all, apparently. (on the 3E Message Board, thanks to James "Old Reliable" Hoover for the scoop) April 18, 2000 Power Play: Sean Reynolds discusses the content of a new column in Dragon called "Power Play" (on the 3E Message Board, thanks to James Hoover for the scoop): Unlike 2E, 3rd edition D&D acknowledges that people are going to try to min/max, but does a really good job of plugging those holes. The Power Play stuff is about finding ways to take advantage of the flexibility of the system, all within the rules, and without getting totally cheesy. If you're willing to make your character specialized in one thing, you can make yourself pretty good (mechanically) at that one thing at 1st level, hopefully using your later levels to broaden your character's skills and abilities. With this kind of information easily available, says Sean, not only will players have access to it, but "the DM can be prepared for it. And unlike 2E, the new game is at least prepared for min/maxing and makes it really hard to break the rules (and fortunately, if you make a character that pushes the rules too far, it just means your character is REALLY vulnerable in other areas, so your benefit doesn't benefit you as much)." Counterspell: Scooper David Dunn points out that the May issue of Dragon Magazine has a tantalizing description of how counterspelling a fireball would work in 3E: Basically, when you encounter an enemy spellcaster, you declare, "I'm getting ready to counterspell anything that guy throws at us." Your character doesn't act until your target starts casting a spell. When he does, you make a successful Spellcraft check to identify the spell; if you have the same spell prepared, you can cast it as a counterspell. You're not actually casting another fireball; you're casting a fireball counterspell. If you don't mind your enemy's spell succeeding, you could just cast your own fireball back at him and not worry about having a ready action or making a Spellcraft check. As for the momentary delay in starting a counterspell after identifying the spell your opponent is casting, the 3E spell system simply isn't that precise. As long as you have the spell prepared, ready an action, and make your Spellcraft check, it works. 3E Seminars in GenCon Preregistration Book: If you've registered for GenCon, you may have already received your info-packed preregistration book. I found particularly interesting the page describing the seminars to be held on "Third Edition Thursday" (August 10, 2000): D&D Character Generation Workshop: "Run through third edition character creation in this character-building workshop, and walk away with an official third edition character." Convert Your Campaign: "Work with the experts to convert your old campaign, characters, spells or monsters to the new 3E D&D rules. Whether you want to blow up the world or make a nice, clean transition, we can answer your questions and help you get your 3E D&D campaign off the ground." The Next D&D Campaign World: "We've had a lot of success with creating campaign worlds for the second edition of Dungeons & Dragons -- what'll we do with 3E D&D? Come tell us what should be the next big campaign setting for D&D, and we'll give you our thoughts on the subject." Adventure Design for Third Edition: "The latest version of D&D offers many more options and possibilities for creative Dungeon Masters. Talk with the professional designers and editors from Wizards of the Coast and learn how to take advantage of these new features when creating your own adventures." Third Edition Monster Builder's Seminar: "This seminar offers advice and strategy on how to custom-build monsters for your own campaign." Deities & Demigods: "Come to this seminar and discover the third edition way to customize and create gods and pantheons for your third edition campaign." Of course, the fun doesn't end on Thursday. Here are some more worthy seminars you might choose to attend: The New Realms: "Join Realms team members Rich Baker, Skip Williams, Sean Reynolds, and Julia Martin as they give you a sneak preview of the new Realms." Dungeoncraft: "Talk with columnist Ray Winninger and the editors of Dragon Magazine about what makes a great Dungeon Master." FR All-Stars: "Meet your favorite Forgotten Realms designers and authors and ask them anything you want about the Realms." How to Sell an Article to Dungeon Adventures or Dragon: "Tips from the editors on how to make your submission survive the slush pile." Talk Back to the Editors: "Your chance to tell the editors of Dungeon Adventures and Dragon Magazine what you'd like to see printed within the pages of those publications." D&D 2000 and Beyond Why Convert to 3rd Edition? Prestige Classes D20 System -- Open Source Gaming Min-Max your New 3E D&D Character: Despite the name, it looks interesting, as it's more about the Character Generator CD-ROM. "...this seminar will examine many of the new features of advanced character generation including multi-classing, feats and skills and prestige classes." Psionics in 3rd Edition D&D: "Share your thoughts on one of the most tricky subjects in Dungeons & Dragons." The Complete Star Wars Seminar: "Come meet the creative team that has contributed to the vision of George Lucas's galaxy far, far away." I plan on attending GenCon "Third Edition Thursday" so I should be able to provide you with a lot of notes on these seminars. Update: I see that starting on p. 147 of the preregistration book is the Seminars section, and it does appear that you can indeed pre-register for the seminars. April 17, 2000 Greyhawk Bits from Veggie Boy: Sean "Veggie Boy" Reynolds with a few miscellaneous Greyhawk tidbits (on the Greyhawk message board, thanks to Erifnogard and James Hoover for the scoop): Why will Forgotten Realms get new clerical domains while Living Greyhawk won't? "The Living Greyhawk campaign is supposed to stick to Core D&D (PH/DMG/MM) as much as possible, so we used the core domains. The official Living campaign will use those domains. However, there's no reason why your non-Living campaign can't use the domains that we create in the FR book." What domains should Earth Dragon Cultists (from Slavers) have access to if you want to convert them to 3E clerics? "Using just the core domains ... Law, Evil, Earth, and possibly Protection." What deity info will be provided in the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer? "The LGG will have all of the Greater, Intermediate, Lesser, and Demigods listed in the PGTGH, plus a few that were missed. They'll have a brief write-up of the god, the god's dogma, what clerics of that god do, and the domains." The Future of Dragon: Editor Dave Gross discusses the future role of Dragon Magazine (on the Dragon Magazine message board; thanks to James Hoover for the scoop): Dragon is the D&D magazine. Starting in August, that means 3rd Edition, but we'll be calling it "D&D" from then on. We won't be covering other Wizards products, but TopDeck magazine and other sources will. We'll focus on the "core" D&D experience, which is to say the "standard" fantasy medieval campaigns -- including both the Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms settings. That doesn't mean we won't also have some coverage of the inactive settings. In fact, we'll have an area devoted to steady coverage of inactive settings starting in September or October, as a nod to the faithful who love them and are doing their own 3E conversions. Still, we'll focus on the classic fantasy medieval D&D universe. While the "Countdown to 3rd Edition" is over in August, we'll continue to present useful information about the new system, both in our regular columns (like "Sage Advice" and its new companion, "Power Play") and in features. With "Forum," "DMail," and lots of other places, we'll continue to act as a communications relay between R&D and the players at large. ...it's back to basics in most respects. Why not visit with Chris Perkins and me on the first Sunday in May at 6:00 PDT? We'll be chatting about the futures of both Dragon and Dungeon, as well as about great puzzles and riddles. [Note: That's in the WotC chat room, not mine! :) ] Chat Room Update: The chat room has been a big success so far. WotC's Ryan Dancey and Dave Gross have made brief appearances. Thanks to all who have stopped by to chat. Unfortunately, in the chat room's very short life so far, there have already been multiple instances where people are impersonating me or employees of WotC. This is simply not cool. To verify that "EricNoah" is the real deal, the identity should indicate Madison, WI in the address. I would urge you to be skeptical of folks claiming to be from WotC as well. At the moment, there's simply no way to police this situation. I will give the chat room a few more days, but if this situation continues I will literally have no choice but to shut it down. Thanks again to those who have used the chat room responsibly to create a fun environment! April 16, 2000 3E Conversion Book in Dragon: Dragon Magazine editor Dave Gross indicates that a letter in May's D-Mail stating that the July issue of Dragon will include the "3rd Edition Conversion Handbook" is incorrect. It will be in the August issue of Dragon, though that still comes out a few weeks before the start of the actual month. Dwarves and Bows: Is your world in shambles because Tordek the Dwarf is using a composite longbow? Playtester A'koss helps put it all in perspective (on rec.games.frp.dnd): 6' Longbow for a 6' [human-sized] Archer, 4' Composite Longbow for a 4' Dwarf. What's the problem? Dwarves are not considered "Small" in 3e, while Gnomes and Halflings are. This *will* have a bearing on what size of weapons they can use. However 3e breaks them down into nice groups... Each of the races also have special weapons that are typically unique to them. Of Good and Evil: Playtester John Troy provided the 3E definitions of good and evil as they pertain to the game's alignment system (on the 3E Message Board): Good: Protect Innocent Life (emphasis on Innocent, evil is not Innocent). Implies Altruism, Respect for Life, Concern for Dignity, Sacrifice for others. Evil: Debase or Destroy Innocent Life. Implies Hurting, Oppressing, or Killing Others. Some are without compassion, others do it for sport or duty to evil deities. April 15, 2000 Shall We Chat? I've set up a chat room for 3E D&D News. I'm going to treat this like a trial run; we'll just have to see how it goes. Update: It worked okay -- several folks showed up for a nice chat, but I wasn't thrilled with the quality of the chat service. I've discovered that Gamespy has chat service -- a web/java interface that can also be used via standard IRC software. If you want to link to the web version, follow this link. If you want to use a regular chat client, you can connect via chat.gamespynetwork.com port 6667 in #dnd3e. More Ed Stark: You've probably read the recent Ed Stark interview on the official 3E site. Recently, a Real Audio file with more questions and answers has been posted. It's a large download, and the clip is about 20 minutes long. A few of the juicier tidbits: 3E products beyond the core rule books will... ...be designed so you only need the three core books to use them. ... focus on "tools, not rules" for "making your own materials, and using our stuff as good examples." ...include character-building and adventure-building tools. Ed played Tordek the Dwarf, and says he's an example of a "mainstream" fighter who has taken "standard choices." "Dungeons & Dragons is really built around the fighter." D&D 3E described in one word? "Provocative." Ed says he's seen jaded gaming veterans suddenly saying "wow" and eager to try new things. DMG Details Environmental Hazards: WotC's Ryan Dancey provides a tantalizing list of hazard-related topics covered in the Dungeon Master's Guide (on the 3E Message Board): Being buried in landslides and avalanches Being drowned Starvation and Thirst Being too hot Burning Being too cold Being dipped in or coated with acid or lava Being suffocated / lack of oxygen High altitude effects Inhaling smoke Walking (and falling) on ice Being hit with falling objects 3E Product Lineup: Don't like paging through the online WotC Product Catalog? Well, you're in luck -- just about all of the core 3E products are listed (including cover illustration) at the bottom of the official 3E page. Magic Missile in D20 System: WotC's Ryan Dancey used the Magic Missile spell to show the dry "stat block" that would be part of the open D20 System game as a way to illustrate that D20 and 3E D&D are related but not the same (on OGF-D20-L): Magic Missile Type: Evocation [Force]; Level: Sor/Wiz 1; Components: V,S; Casting Time: One Action; Range: Medium (100ft +10ft/level); Targets: Up to 5, no two can be more than 15ft apart; Duration: Instantaneous; Saving Throw: None; Spell Resistance: Yes; Each missile 1d4+1 damage; missile strikes unerringly even in melee, partial cover or concealment; no damage to inanimate objects; if multiple missiles used, caster picks which missiles strike which targets; 1 missile per 2 levels after 1st (maximum 5 missiles). Pretty dry and boring. The description in the PHB is much more detailed, has examples, and other information which is not required, but is pretty darn helpful. April 14, 2000 Official Alternity Gamma World Site: If you're an old-school D&D player from back in the days, no doubt you've experienced the twisted universe of Gamma World, the post-apocalyptic SF role-playing game from TSR. Well, with Gamma World set to be released in June as a campaign setting for the Alternity game, WotC has opened up the official Gamma World site. You'll find art previews, sample creatures, links, and more. Pure-Strain Humans only, please -- no mutants allowed! ;-) Official Update -- Fighter Character Closeup: The official 3E site has been updated with April's Character Closeup -- the dwarven fighter, Tordek. "From the underground kingdom of his ancestors, a sturdy warrior emerges to earn his place in legend. Everything about him - his armor, his weapons, his demeanor - suggests a resolve as unyielding as the stone walls of his dwarven home." (thanks to Beau Yarbrough, Yyrkoon, Cain, and Thor Biafore for the scoop) My Analysis: Dwarf Abilities: We learn that dwarves receive 60' range darkvision, the ability to "intuit unusual stonework," +2 save vs. poison, +2 save vs. spells, and a +1 to hit goblinoids and orcs. Weapon Specialization: Looks like fighters can choose to specialize in more than one weapon, as long as they have the feats to pay for it. Armor and Movement: Tordek's armor may holding him back a touch. We do know that heavy armors can reduce movement rates, thus Tordek's very slow rate of 15' at all levels. Exotic Weapons: A reliable anonymous source indicates that the "dwarven waraxe" is not the same as the "dwarven urgrosh" described in the April Dragon Magazine. Saving Throws: Looks like we can safely guess that the Fighter Saving Throw chart looks a lot like the others, but with Fortitude as the "good" category and Reflex and Will as "bad." Official Update -- Weapons: In a new feature called the Weapons Rack, D&D Creative Director Ed Stark gives us a glimpse at what makes the Longspear a useful and deadly weapon (thanks to Beau Yarbrough, Yyrkoon, Cain, and Thor Biafore for the scoop): ...the longspear has a reach of 10 feet. In many cases, that means a fighter or other character wielding a longspear can attack an opponent before his opponent can attack him. It's a great way to keep creatures with nasty melee attacks (like ghouls and their paralyzing touch) at bay. It can also help a fighter deal with opponents who also have reach--instead of walking through a giant's "threatened area" and incurring an attack of opportunity, the fighter with the longspear can trade blows with the creature evenly. Official Update -- Playtest Group of the Month: The Playtest Group for April weighs in with a very, very familiar issue -- how age affects ability scores. It's so familiar ... in fact, we've seen this exact information revealed by the March Playtest Group of the Month. (Thanks to Yyrkoon, Synaptic Dragon, Henry Link, Lance Goetz, and jbs for the scoop) April 13, 2000 No Minis in Adventure Game: While they were once listed in the WotC product catalog, Chris Pramas points out that the introductory D&D Adventure Game no longer is listed as including miniatures. He cites cost as a reason for their exclusion. (on the Miniatures message board) Another Gygax Interview: You can read an entertaining interview with D&D co-creator Gary Gygax right here. (thanks to Silverdawn for the scoop) 3E Minis Galore: Here's what 3E Miniatures guru Chris Pramas says about the forthcoming 3E miniatures line (on the brand new Miniatures message board): The 3E minis line will launch at GenCon, along with the game. We're starting with 24 blisters, and will be releasing more in the months to follow. The initial release is as follows, with prices ranging from $2.99 to $9.99: Tordek, Male Dwarven Fighter Mialee, Female Elven Wizard Lidda, Female Halfling Rogue Jozan, Male Human Cleric of Pelor Redgar, Male Human Fighter Krusk, Male Half Orc Barbarian Devis, Male Half-Elven Bard Vadania, Female Half-Elven Druid & Wolf Ember, Human female Monk Alhandra, Human Female Paladin Soveliss, Male Elven Ranger Hennet, Human male Sorcerer Niben, Male Gnome Wizard Dire Rats Goblins Gnoll Skeleton/Grick Orc Twig Blights Displacer Beast Umber Hulk Troll Beholder Celestial Eagle Hero Builder's Guidebook Sample: WotC's Ryan Dancey further elaborated on the contents of the forthcoming Hero Builder's Guidebook (on the 3E Message Board, thanks to wsmith and James Hoover for the scoop): Here's an example from the unedited manuscript (which means: this stuff might actually not see print). This is from a section that helps players create interesting personal histories. This is a list of possible enemies your character may have accumulated prior to becoming a 1st level adventuring hero: No enemies Minor childhood enemy; someone who harbors a grudge or a prejudice but has no current or mature basis for the antagonism Jilted lover or romantic interest; someone the character wronged in a matter of the heart Jilted lover's friend or relative; someone who harbors ill feelings for the character due to the character's actions towards a loved one Romantic rival; someone edged out by the character's success in some affair of the heart Enemy of the family; the character's family has earned the enmity of a person, group, or opposing family The friend of my enemy is my enemy: One of the character's friends has an enemy, and now that person hates the character too Social rival; someone the character has wronged (either actually or only in that person's imagination) in a social context such as training or business has become the character's enemy Villain: One or more local villains have chosen to direct their hatred towards the character; perhaps as a result of some minor adventure completed by the character Monster: One or more local monsters has chosen to view the character as a threat; perhaps as a result of some minor encounter between the monster and the character Enemy of alignment: A person of an opposed alignment finds that the character is simply offensive due to ethics and moral issues Powerful enemy: A noble, officer, or other high ranking official looks on the character with disfavor; perhaps due to the character's lack of manners (real or perceived) or because the character inadvertently spoiled the person's secret plans. Arcane rival: A fellow apprentice or student of the arcane arts develops an intense dislike of the character; perhaps perceiving unfair favoritism on the part of the instructor Diabolic Enemy: A demon or devil (or other powerful Outsider) identifies the character as a current or future threat Imaginary foe: The character believes (falsely) that someone is out to get him or her Enemy within: someone in the family hates and fears the character, either openly or secretly These "enemy concepts" are presented on a chart for ease of reference. The player could use these ideas as the starting point to create an entire NPC, or might just make a few notes, or might get inspired to create a whole new enemy type. Since there are no rules (like "every PC must have 2 enemies"), this material is purely inspirational, not functional. Monks and Multiclassing in Dragon #271: The May issue of Dragon has arrived, and this month's "Countdown to Third Edition" covers two topics -- the Monk class, and the issue of multiclassing. Next month we'll get to read about Barbarians and Rangers. Monks: While the Rogue shines in the Skills area and the Fighter excells at garnering Feats, the Monk is (so far) the undisputed master of Class Abilities -- powers that are unique to Monks. Check out this list of class abilities (in alphabetical order, not in the order they are gained; descriptions have been filled in by a playtester): Abundant Step (Dimension Door) Deflect Arrows Diamond Body (immunity to poison) Diamond Soul (Spell Resistance) Empty Body (Short-term etherealness [walk through walls, etc.]) Improved Trip Ki Strike (Strike creatures that can only be hit by +1 weapons, improves with level) Leap of the Clouds Perfect Self Purity of Body (Disease immunity) Quivering Palm Slow Fall Still Mind (Save bonus to Enchantment/Charm spells) Timeless Body Tongue of the Sun and the Moon (Speak with any living creature) Wholeness of Body This list apparently matchs a bunch of the 1st edition monk's abilities -- things like falling without taking damage, self-healing, immunity to disease, poison and aging, and resistance to mental attacks. Monks gain one or more class abilities per level. Here are the Monk abilties gained at first level: Evasion: Just like the Rogue ability -- any successful Reflex save for half damage is treated as no damage. Unarmed Strike: Attack unarmed without drawing an attack of opportunity. Gain an extra attack per round at a penalty of -2 for each attack. Stunning Attack: Once per level per day, declare a stun attack, which forces the victim to make a Fortitude save or be stunned for one round. Multiclassing: The basic mechanics of multiclassing are explained in Dragon #271 -- nothing new there. Here is the big revelation -- the complete list of each race's favored multiclass: Favored Multiclass Race Favored Multiclass Dwarf Fighter Elf Wizard Gnome Illusionist Half-Elf Any Half-Orc Barbarian Halfling Rogue Human Any That's right, half-elves and humans get to choose their favored multiclass! So quit yer bellyaching -- humans can multiclass even more effectively than the other races! April 12, 2000 Message Board Musings: A couple of interesting but not strictly 3E related happenings on the WotC Message Boards: New Message Boards: You can post to new boards on the topics of the D20 System (RPG.d20), the D&D Movie (RPG.DnD.DnD_Movie), Gamma World (RPG.Alternity.Gamma_World), Miniatures (RPG.Miniatures) and the Harry Potter card game (TCG.Harry_Potter). FR Survey: WotC's Jim Butler has posted a survey about your wishes concerning the size, frequency, and format of FR gaming products. You'll need to e-mail the survey as directed by April 16th in order to be eligible for a prize. The survey is on the RPG.DnD.Forgotten-Realms message board. (thanks to James Hoover for the scoop) Ed Stark in the "Spotlight": D&D Creative Director Ed Stark is in April's Personality Spotlight. You can read all about fighters and feats in Ed's interview. (thanks to IONDragon for the scoop) Why are 3E Fighters so much more interesting than their counterparts from earlier editions? Ed says it's because "you can customize your fighter using feats and combat maneuvers so that you, like the wizard or the rogue or the cleric, still have interesting choices to make during character creation, level advancement, and in the heat of combat." What new stuff can we glean about Feats from this interview? Quite a bit... Cleave: gives "the user the option ... to gain extra attacks after downing an opponent in combat." Power Attack: gives "the option of doing more damage with less of a chance to hit ." (This confirms a recent anonymous scoop.) Point Blank Shot: "+1 with ranged attacks within 30 feet." Precise Shot: "a more effective way to fire missiles into melee combat." Combat Reflexes: allows you to use multiple attacks during an Attack of Opportunity (presumably, only if you normally have multiple attacks available to you). 3E Monster Manual is a Manual Detailing Monsters: WotC's Ryan Dancey answered some questions about the 3E Monster Manual (on DND-L; thanks to Joseph Provenzano, Baloo, Air Garcia, Allister Huggins, and "Old Spotty" for the scoop): "It's a big book of monsters" that will contain "many" new monsters as well as old stand-bys. "There are creatures both entirely new, and creatures that are not new but have not appeared in the core Monster Manual product before. Not every monster that appeared in previous editions of the core MM product are in the 3e version. And (obviously) not every monster ever published appears in the 3e Monster Manual." On converting other monsters to 3E format on the fly: "For the vast majority of 1e and 2e monsters, you can probably eyeball the creature stats, flip the AC modifier, adjust from THAC0 to 3e attack bonuses and 3e multiple attack rules, add (if you want) more hit points, and continue playing without interuption." Ryan shares more details: Virtually every "ability" that monsters have in 3e is templated. So all the constricting creatures "constrict" in the same way; though the details of damage and power may vary, they all use the same "rule" to describe the constricting. All monster spells, spell-like effects, supernatural effects, and extraordinary abilities are typed, and their interaction with anti-magic, spell resistance, etc. is explained and templated. Some monsters are presented as "templates" themselves; for example, Vampires are a "template" that is applied to other races rather than a stand-alone monster. Rules are provided for monsters gaining experience, including "monster levels", and "character class levels". So there will be Evil Gnoll Rangers. More Cleric Domains for FR Clerics? WotC's Sean Reynolds provides a partial list of cleric domains that are being developed for the Forgotten Realms: "Charm, Fate, Time, Undeath." (thanks to James Hoover, Baloo, and Jeff Hartsell for the scoop) 3E Product Q&A: A few tidbits of news about various forthcoming 3E products (thanks to James Hoover and wsmith for the scoop): Poster map with Greyhawk Gazetteers? Says WotC's Sean Reynolds, "According to my creative director, both should have a postermap (essentially the same, although I am told that the Living Greyhawk book's map will have a few more tags on it)." Date of UK Release of PHB? Here's WotC's Keith Strohm: "...the release date for the 3E PHB will be at Gen Con UK." According to the WotC United Kingddom site, that's August 31, 2000. "Adventure Path" Modules: Keith Strohm says, "Although it doesn't say it in the catalog (and it should), The Sunless Citadel is for 1st through 3rd level characters." As to how interconnected these modules are, he says, "It will probably be necessary to slot in other adventures in between and link them with an epic plot suitable for your own campaign. Think of these adventures as building blocks. The more specific we make a 'campaign' story, the harder it is for DMs to use these blocks in their own homemade campaigns. The adventures are linked, at the most, the way some of the 1st Edition adventures were linked together (ie., you might find something in a dungeon room of the 1st adventure that sheds light on something in the 4th or 5th adventure). Don't really think of these modules as series. Together, they are simply the core D&D adventures available for 3rd Edition." Gary Gygax Interview: You can read an interview with Gary Gygax over at Vale of Lost Souls: Band of the Red Hand, a Neverwinter Nights fan site. (thanks to Tormod for the scoop) More Anonymous Roundcon Bits: Anonymous dropped by again to share more observations from a recent 3E demo at a gaming convention. Again, these are not confirmed, but they're interesting if nothing else: Combat Actions: One of the actions characters can take in combat is called Aid. When you Aid someone, that character can receive a +1 bonus to AC, to hit, or damage. Improved Critical: We've previously heard of a Feat called "Improved Critical." Anonymous tells us there's a feat that can double a weapon's critical range. Could these be one in the same? Presumably, you would have to take a separate Improved Critical feat for each type of weapon you wanted to be extra-skilled at using. Update: A different Anonymous confirms that this is correct. Further, he indicates that you also double your critical range when using a magic weapon, and that this can stack with the Improved Critical feat. So, "say a weapon has crit range 19-20. With Improved Crit or with a Magical weapon you get 17-20 crit range, with both you get a 15-20 crit range." Binding Wounds: No longer is binding wounds an automatically successful attempt. Now, a character who tries to bind another's wounds will need to roll against DC 15. Those who have the Healing skill can add a bonus to the roll. Movement and Spellcasting: Wizards may may move and still cast a spell during the combat round; apparently, Sorcerers aren't able to do so. FR Adventures are 3E Adventures: WotC's James Wyatt clarified that all of the new D&D products starting in August will be for 3rd Edition (on the FR Message Board): Into the Dragon's Lair and Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor are both Third Edition D&D adventures. After July, there will not be any more Second Edition materials released. It may be worth noting (for those who may be shying away from this year's Second Edition products) that sourcebooks like Cloak & Dagger were intentionally designed to remain useful after the launch of Third Edition. They're heavy on source material, very light on rules material, and therefore very easy to use in any Realms campaign, Second or Third Edition. I believe that's true of just about everything on the 2000 catalog, pre-August. April 11, 2000 Dungeon Says Bye-Bye to 2nd, Hello to 3rd! WotC's Chris Perkins gives us a sneak peak at the adventures lined up for the last 2E issue of Dungeon Adventures and the first 3E issue (on the Dungeon Message Board, thanks to wsmith for the scoop): Here's a sneak peek at what you can expect to see in our last 2nd-Edition issue and our first 3rd-Edition issue: ISSUE #81 [Last issue containing 2E adventures] "Divisions of the Mind," by Charles C. Reed. An AD&D® Underdark adventure for levels 8-12. Features an illithid stronghold and a scheming beholder, not to mention hordes of other subterranean nasties. "A Race Against Time," by Kent Ertman. An AD&D city-based adventure for levels 1-3. This adventure is a sequel to "The Best Laid Plans" in Issue #79 and features a hunt for a mad bomber. "The Door To Darkness," by James Wyatt [yay, James!]. An AD&D adventure for levels 1-9. Features a two-sided, fold-out, miniatures-scale poster map of the Sleeping Dragon Inn. "Ashtar's Temple," by DeAnna Ferguson. An AD&D adventure for 1st-level characters. A good, old-fashioned dungeon romp with orc mercenaries and other evil critters. "Khazefryn," by Felix Douglas. An AD&D Underdark adventure for levels 9-14. Packed with monsters, this homage to the classic "D" series modules pits the heroes against the drow, a pair of deep dragons, and other monsters. "Skulking Below," by Darren Dare. An AD&D adventure for levels 1-2. Features a band of skulks and an undead Thieves' Guild. ISSUE #82 (3rd Edition Spectacular!) "Dark Times in Sherwood," by Ian Malcomson. A D&D® adventure for low- to mid-level characters. As outlaws, the PCs must undo the machinations of the wicked Baron Isambart de Belame. Includes a two-sided, fold-out poster map depicting Sherwood Forest and Nottingham Castle. "Eye for an Eye," by Patrick W. Ross. A D&D adventure for low- to mid-level characters. A deformed man seeks revenge against the town that spurned him and uncovers something dreadful in the nearby swamp. "Evil Unearthed," by Ed Stark. A D&D adventure for low-level characters. Brave heroes must discover the fate of two missing adventurers and thwart an evil cleric's plot. "Playing with Fire," by Jeff Grubb. A D&D adventure for low-level characters. Delve into the hidden lair of the Fire Lord to stop a gang of marauding azers. "Iriandel," by Tito Leati. A D&D adventure for mid-level characters. Brave heroes must violate a barbarian king's barrow to undo an ancient curse. Greyhawk Gazetteers: WotC's Sean Reynolds explains the difference between the D&D Greyhawk Gazetteer and the RPGA's Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, as well as what the latter contains (on the Greyhawk Message Board): Consider the D&D Greyhawk Gazeteer (D&DGHG) the "Cliff's Notes" version of the Living Greyhawk Gazeteer (LGHG). If you have the latter, you don't need the former (we're talking 32 pages compared to 192 pages). As far as the LGHG overlapping existing products, it updates all of the world to 591 (instead of just the cursory overview given in the 1998-2000 GH products), is the 3rd edition D&D sourcebook for the full campaign world, gives more details than we've ever seen before on some regions (Baklunish west, for instance, finally has enough info that you can play it "out of the box,") and has writeups on every demi-, lesser, intermediate, and greater god listed in the PGTGH, plus a few more that were accidentally left out of that product and one new god of the Baklunish. Dungeon Adventures Guidelines? Dungeon editor Chris Perkins discusses the forthcoming Dungeon submissions guidelines. Note the interesting bit about new types of stat blocks (on the Dungeon Message Board): I'm pleased to say that the new writer's guidelines are complete and ready to go, and we are waiting for permission to post them. Since the guidelines contain dozens of tidbits concerning the 3rd-Edition rules (including a few secrets that even Eric Noah doesn't know about! [We'll see about that! :)] ), we can't post them just yet. We're hoping to post the new guidelines before the release of the _Player's Handbook_. I don't know when exactly. The old 2nd-Edition guidelines for module submissions ran about 4,000 words; the new 3rd-Edition guidelines run about 12,000 words. Why so long? Well, to make sure our adventures reflect the style of other core D&D products, our guidelines now incorporate the same Style Guide used by in-house designers. The 3rd-Edition guidelines are also much more instructional and comprehensive. There are also several new game features that need explanation: For example, in addition to monster stat blocks, we now have stat blocks for traps, towns, and smashable objects such as doors and treasure chests. Benefits of Multiclassing: WotC's Sean Reynolds talked about multiclassing (on the 3E Message Board, thanks to James Hoover and wsmith for the scoop): You get all of the class abilities you normally get for your class (or classes, if you are multiclassing), and you get all abilities that characters get for going up in levels (one feat every 3 levels and an increase in ability score points every X levels). Even if these abilities would "double up" (say a Clr1/Ftr1 picking up another level in Ftr, which would get you one feat for Ftr2 and one feat for character level 3 at the same time), you get them both. April 10, 2000 3E Product Roundup: Okay, so you want a quick list of the 3E products currently slated? Your wish is my command: Core Rules Player's Handbook (Core Rulebook I) Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams August 2000 288 p. hardcover $19.95 Dungeon Master's Guide (Core Rulebook II) Monte Cook September 2000 244 p. hardcover $19.95 Monster Manual (Core Rulebook III) Skip Williams October 2000 224 p. hardcover $19.95 Accessories Player Character Record Sheets (Accessory) August 2000 32 p. paperback $9.95 Dungeon Master Screen (Accessory) September 2000 8 panel screen $9.95 Diablerie (Accessory) JD Wiker December 2000 96 p. paperback $19.95 Hero Builder's Guidebook (Accessory) Steven Schend and Ryan Dancey December 2000 96 p. paperback $16.95 Introductory Games Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game (Introductory Game) Jonathan Tweet, with Jason Carl, Andy Collins, and Dave Noonan August 2000 Boxed Set $9.95 Dungeons & Dragons: The Movie Adventure Game (Introductory Game) Jeff Grubb November 2000 Boxed Set $14.95 Campaign Settings D&D Gazetteer (Campaign World, Core Accessory) Skip Williams September 2000 32 p. paperback $9.95 Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (Campaign World) Erik Mona November 2000 192 p. paperback $26.95 "Adventure Path" The Sunless Citadel ("Adventure Path" Module #1) Bruce Cordell September 2000 32 p. paperback $9.95 Forge of Fury ("Adventure Path" Module #2) Rich Baker November 2000 32 p. paperback $9.95 Forgotten Realms Into the Dragon's Lair (Forgotten Realms Adventure) Sean Reynolds and Steve Miller October 2000 96 p. paperback $17.95 Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor* (Forgotten Realms Adventure) Shawn Carnes and Sean Reynolds November 2000 128 p. paperback $17.95 3E Core Books Price: The $19.95 price for each of the three core D&D 3E rule books is quite a bargain, but don't expect it to last forever. WotC's Keith Strohm warns, "please don't look at the price of the core D&D rulebooks as THE price for the next 10 years. It is probable that the core books will increase in price at some time in the future." (on the Star Wars Message Board) FR's King Azoun to Bite the Dust, But No Crown for You: As pointed out by scooper Claus Olesen, it's clear from the description of the forthcoming FR adventure Into the Dragon's Lair that Cormyr's King Azoun will be killed off in August's novel, Death of the Dragon. However, WotC's Dale Donovan offers this correction to the description of Into the Dragon's Lair: "For clarity's sake, the following sentence [from the product description] is not true: 'Whoever claims the treasure earns the crown of Cormyr!' The rulership of Cormyr is clear at the end of Death of the Dragon, and it doesn't come up in this adventure." (on the FR Message board, thanks to Claus Olesen and James Hoover for the scoop) Hero Builder's Guidebook to Fill in Character Background: WotC's Ryan Dancey explains what will be in the Hero Builder's Guidebook, to be released in December 2000 (on the 3E Message Board, thanks to wsmith and James Hoover for the scoop): Its the book for people who want to know about their characters before 1st level. There are no rules in the book at all. The contents are lots of crunchy charts and tables about your life, your parents, your home town, your ancestors, your friends & enemies, and how you formed your ethics, your thirst for adventure, and anything else you might want to know about your character besides the stuff in the PHB. The bulk of the book is a look at each race by class, with suggestions about how each class/race combo is viewed in general in the baseline campaign, and a few suggested "variants" that propose alternate starting skill lists than those recommended by the PHB as defaults. PHB Cover is Prototype, Not Placeholder: WotC's Keith Strohm discusses the covers of the three core rule books (on the 3E Message Board, thanks to James Hoover for the scoop): The cover for the PHB is indeed the prototype of the real one. The real one is much cooler. The other two covers [the DMG and MM] are prototypes. Though they will look similar to the ones shown in the catalog (the colors will be the same), the symbol in the center of the book will change. You'll notice that in the catalog, the prototypes all use the same symbol as the PHB. Other than that, you're looking at the covers for the 3rd Edition Core books!! PHB Cover Revealed: Clap hands and sing, all ye people, for the most pressing issue of the era has been resolved. The WotC product catalog has been updated through December 2000. Here's what's in store for Q4 2000: The September lineup includes the 3E DMG, DM's Screen, D&D [Greyhawk] Gazetteer, and The Sunless Citadel (the first of the Adventure Path modules). October's offerings include the 3E Monster Manual, Into the Dragon's Lair (a Forgotten Realms Adventure), and the Star Wars Episode I Adventure Game. In November, we'll see the RPGA's Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, the Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor adventure (for Forgotten Realms), The Forge of Fury (second Adventure Path module), and the Star Wars Roleplaying Game. December will bring us Diablerie (a Diablo II accessory for 3E) and Hero Builder's Guidebook (3E Accessory). Thanks to Dwayne Carnachan, Steve Elliott, Jeff Heikkinen, and Thom Davis for the scoop.

April 9, 2000 DM Screen in September? Although products to be released in September through December 2000 are not in the WotC product catalog yet, word is that we'll see a Dungeon Master Screen in September along with the release of the DMG (on rec.games.frp.dnd): Dungeon Master Screen - Septemeber release - $9.95 est. A collection of the most useful charts and tables, organized on an eight-panel screen with most essential reference material. 3E Tidbits from Roundcon: An anonymous scooper has dropped off a laundry list of goodies from his 3E experience at a recent 3E demo. These aren't confirmed, but many look very promising... He played a sorcerer who was proficient in two simple weapons: spear and crossbow. Here are the stats for these two weapons: Short Spear: 1d8 damage, Crit range 20, Crit multiplier x3, missile range 20' Lt. Crossbow: 1d8 damage, Crit range 20, Crit multiplier x2, missile range 80' On missile weapon ranges: the range listed is actually a "range increment" -- so for the short spear, for example, the first 20' is no penalty, the second 20' has a small penalty, the third 20' has a larger penalty, etc. Anonymous didn't provide specific details about the penalites for each range increment, but indicated the penalties range from -2 to -10. Anonymous details a new feat called Power Blow: Power Blow: Requires a 13+ STR. Allows you to take a penalty to hit in exchange for an equal amount of damage bonus, up to a maximum equal to your character level. So a 4th-level character could take a -4 to hit and receive a +4 damage instead. No indication as to how often this could be used. [This might be the same as a feat called Power Attack which so far hasn't been described.] Update: Anonymous elaborates: "Power Blow is the same thing as Power Attack, and there's no limit to the number of times it can be used. When you use it, however, you must take the same penalty to *all* of your attacks in a given round." Casting touch-based spells does not provoke an attack of opportunity and doesn't need to be cast "on the defensive." Concentration is a Constitution-based skill. Prestige Classes: "The Shadowdancer seems to basically be a ninja. The requirements for entering include minimum numbers of ranks in several skills, including Hide, Move Silently, and others. The rank requirements are all in the 8-11 range, [so given the fact that there's a limit to how many skill points you can allocate to a given skill per level], you're only going to be able to get it at higher character levels. The shadowdancer has several neat tricks having to do with sneaking and playing around with shadows. The one I was able to get out of the GM is called 'Hide in Plain Sight'. As long as you are in or near some shadows, you can stand there without anyone seeing you. BTW, it is considered a 'Supernatural' ability, meaning while it can't be disrupted, an Anti-Magic field will prevent it." "The Arcane Archer has abilties like being able to place spells into their arrows. On top of this, apparently at very high levels they can create arrows of slaying." The Dwarven Defender uses a d12 hit dice and has damage resistance (starting at -3 damage per blow and later getting higher). "On top of this, they can 'set' themselves. As long as they don't move from a spot, they get AC bonuses, CON and STR bonuses, damage bonuses, plus a wad of other extra bonuses." Monks: "The monk, upon reaching 20th level, is considered to have reached ultimate harmony, and from then on counts as an 'outsider' [i.e., extra-planar]. In addition, they become immune to non-magical weapons" and other forms of non-magical damage as long as it doesn't instantly cause more damage than the monk's current hp total. Black Tie Not Optional: The 2nd Edition rules contained a lot of optional rules right in the core rule books -- things like Death's Door, Weapon vs. Armor adjustments, Individual Initiative, Non-Weapon Proficiencies, etc. WotC's Ryan Dancey indicates that none of the rules in the 3E PHB are considered "optional" (on the 3E Message Board, thanks to Randolpho the Great for the scoop): There are no optional rules in the 3e PHB; the baseline assumption of the 3e product line will be that you're playing by those rules without variation. The DMG has lots of discussion about changing the rules and what those effects might be. So when you see an adventure, it will be written as though you were using alignments as presented in the PHB - not one of the suggested alternates presented in the DMG. If you make changes from the baseline rules, keep track of them - because you'll need to take those changes into account when you work with other published 3e stuff. April 8, 2000 DMG Intended as a Guide for DMs: Don't like the paladin or monk multiclass restrictions? Don't care for material components for spells? Think humans should get more perks than they do? If you're already considering tweaking the 3E rules (and who isn't?), then the 3E Dungeon Master's Guide is for you, according to WotC's Ryan Dancey (on the 3E Message Board): "Hopefully, the DMG will give everyone enough information about why certain choices were made that if they chose a different set, they'll be able to anticipate all the 'ripple effects' in the rest of the ruleset." Dragonlance "Classic": WotC's Jim Butler discusses the Dragonlance "Brands" and why a future product won't support all eras of DL history (on the Books.Dragonlance message board): It's important to focus a campaign setting. Trying to release a 3rd Edition game product that included material for 4th Age, 5th Age, and War of Souls would be counter-productive, since no one would get everything they wanted. I've mentioned in other forums that I believe we have two Dragonlance brands. The first, classic Dragonlance, is the War of the Lance. The new Dragonlance will be the world after the War of Souls. D&D Stuff at Gamespot: Gamespot has posted new previews of some forthcoming D&D-related computer games, as well as an updated version of their History of D&D. The fun starts right here. (thanks to DeAnna Ferguson for the scoop) Official Updates: Two small updates to the official 3E site: first, the April Playtest Group of the Month is up and running. In this week's Playtesters at Work, it's "revealed" (though we already knew this) that human characters receive an extra skill point per level (four at first level) and a free feat at first level. Also, another short interview with Pool of Radiance II: Ruins of Myth Drannor producer Jonathan Kromrey has been posted; the questions deal with the fighter class and the issue of feats in general. (The Yeoman and Bill Robinson were the first of dozens of scoops -- thanks to you all.) April 7, 2000 Monk and Paladin Multiclass Restrictions: Playtester John Troy explains why the Monk and the Paladin are rather exclusive classes, and as such one must be pretty devoted to them (on the 3E Message Board): It is for roleplaying [reasons] -- here's an example. Yondalla is a Neutral Rogue. She spent her life on the streets, and became a burglar--breaking and entering, stuff like that--hiding in the shadows, taling people--that kind of thing. During the course of her adventures, she starts to befriend Sean, a Monk, and becomes intrigued by their practices. After reaching 8th level, she grows to dislike thuggery and wants to access her mind. She converts her alignment to LN and decides to follow the Monk path. So now she's a first level Monk. To maintain the path of the Monk, she can't deviate from the course, and has to forsake any other class -- she can keep the skills she has, but can never go back to them. There is an XP penalty for this, of course, because D&D likes to have multiclasses characters keep symatico levels, but the player doesn't mind. Now, let's say Yondalla, after several years and reaching 5th level, begins to stray. She met an old pal from the streets and found out that things were getting bad. She figures out she needs to increase her skills as a thief to get revenge. She raises her [Rogue] level to 9. She has forsaken the monastic way and can no longer gain any more Monastic talent. She left that life behind completely when she made her choice. There are penalties that prevent abuses to the Multiclass system -- for optimal experience [points], they encourage players to Multiclass within one or two levels--A fighter-thief would be 1, then 1/1, then 1/2, then 2/2 without penalty, but somebody doing 8/1, 8/2, etc, would have penalties, which are cumulative for each class. However, the game doesn't say you CAN'T do that. A Barbarian can forsake his old life and become a Paladin, for instance. However, the Paladin and Monk don't allow distractions--there are either meant to be used as "Single Classes" by nature of the XP system, or somebody could Convert "into" one, or "Fall" out of one, and it fits the realistic portion of career paths. The "never gain" again rule makes people realize it's not a light undertaking or a distraction. So if you leave the path of the Monk or Paladin, you still get to keep the powers you've learned from those classes? Says John, "You don't lose your Monk powers because you don't 'forget' what you already know, except maybe after a long time. Paladins WILL lose their powers, but only if they switch alignment. (Monks can keep their powers, just never train more)." Who's Writing the Realms? With WotC's prolific FR designer Steven Schend gone, who is driving the Forgotten Realms into the 3E era? WotC's James Wyatt spills the beans (on the FR Message Board, thanks to James Wyatt for the scoop): The designers on the D&D Worlds [which includes FR work] team are Sean Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo, and myself, as well as the Creative Director, Rich Baker. The editors on the D&D Worlds team are Julia Martin, Michele Carter, Duane Maxwell, and Roger Moore. Jim Butler and Anthony Valterra, as members of the Brand and Category teams, take an active part in the development process as well. Eric Boyd has never been on the Realms team -- he's a freelancer, not an employee. However, he continues to be willing to bounce ideas around with the designers via e-mail. Ed Greenwood has been and continues to be involved in the development of the new Realms sourcebook, as well as writing novels for this company. Lord of the Rings Trailer: Okay, not 3E-related, but if you're a D&D fan you're likely a Tolkien fan as well. You'll want to drop by and download the Lord of the Rings "Sneak Peak" (kind of like a trailer but also has mini interviews with folks in the movie). Don't bother with the official site -- go to http://www.movie-list.com/l/lordoftheringstrilogy.shtml and you'll be able to link directly to the movie size of your choice. The official site has it set up so you can't easily save the movie for viewing later. But if you use the link above, you can save it. Those using Internet Explorer can right-click on the link to the particular movie file and chose Save Target As. If you're using Netscape you can do the old SHIFT-Click trick to save the movie to your hard drive. April 5, 2000 Elf "Stat Block" in D20 System Rules: WotC's Ryan Dancey, in addressing issues surrounding the D20 system, gave the following example of what is said in these "stripped down" rules about elves as a PC race: Race: Elf. Size M (ht: 4 1/2 to 5 1/2; wt: 85 to 135). Long lived (elderly = 700 years). Language: Elven. Optional Languages: Draconic, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Orc and Sylvan. Standard Alignment: (C)G. Ability Mods: +2 DEX, -2 CON. Immunity to [sleep] spells. +2 save vs. [enchantment] spells. Low Light Vision. Proficient: Longsword or Rapier. Proficient: Shortbow, Longbow, Composite Shortbow, Composite Longbow. +2 to Search, Spot & Listen checks. Passing withing 5' of a concealed door gives an automatic Spot roll. Favored Multiclass: Wizard. His point is that the D20 System rules are "not going to have a two page essay on Elves like the D&D Player's Handbook does; it's going to have a block of information like" what you see above. As he puts it, "The D20 System Reference document won't be a roleplaying game; not in the traditional sense of a product you'd buy on shelf in a store. It will be a very dry, very sparse set of rules, and then a longer, slightly less dry section of 'fantasy roleplaying elements' like classes, races, spells, magic items and monsters - the stuff you'd need to write something that would be plug-n-play compatible with D&D. At some point in the future, we'll revise to add science fiction elements and other modules as necessary to add genres." (on rec.games.frp.dnd) GenCon Lore: Thinking about going to GenCon this year? Need some practical advice about where to stay, what to wear and what to bring? You'll want to read the informative Keeper of the Ancient GenCon Lore site. Update: Apparently the site has a daily bandwidth maximum. So if you can't get through now, try again later... Combat Example: We've learned a lot about 3E in the past few months, enough to actually run a fairly decent sample combat using what 3E rules we know. I've put together a combat that pits Mialee (4th-level elven wizard) and Lidda (4th-level halfling rogue) against a monstrous foe. Want to see who wins? Step right this way... Update: Apparently there are a few flaws with my example. What can I say -- I'm only human! I'm not a machine! <starts to cry> Okay, seriously, the most pressing problem is that invisibility is a touch spell, not a ranged spell (at least in 2E -- who knows, maybe it's a ranged spell in 3E). That's been fixed. And for those of you saying "Scent" is more likely to be a bad odor that causes opponents to become sick ... if it ain't on the page, it ain't on the stage! In other words, the monster description doesn't indicate what it does so I just made a guess. Finally, we've found out what "masterwork weapons" are -- they're superior quality weapons that grant a non-magical +1 bonus to hit (according to WotC's Sean Reynolds on the 3E Message Board, thanks to James Hoover and Andrew Theisen for the scoop). April 4, 2000 Paladin and Monk Multiclassing Restrictions: WotC's Keith Strohm discusses the rationale behind limiting how and when Paladins and Monks can multiclass (on the 3E Message Board): Originally, there were no restrictions on multiclassing/moving in and out of the monk or paladin classes. However, a majority of playtester feedback indicated that there were sufficient numbers of people who felt that there were enough roleplaying reasons to restrict monks and paladins in regards to multiclassing. This is a clear example of playtester input influencing the design and development of 3rd Edition D&D. The great news is that, like everything else in the game, your DM can easily say that paladins and monks can indeed multiclass and gain levels in their monk or paladin class. The "fix" is easy and painless. Countermanding Sheens and Turning Undead: Anonymous dropped a little hint about how Turning Undead works in 3E. He says that in the most recent Dragon Magazine (#270) "there is a mechanic *extremely* similar to 3e turning undead in the 'Revenge of the Sheen' article by Bruce Cordell. The ability is called 'Countermand Sheen.'" I have the issue in front of me. Sheens are mechanical constructs, and the Countermand Sheen ability allows a creature called a Mankin to freeze Sheens in place for a few minutes. The mechanic involves rolling a d20, adding a bonus for high Intelligence (+1 per four points of INT), and consulting a table. The table shows how many HD of sheens have been countermanded relative to the level of the Mankin. It looks a little something like this: Sheen Countermand Table Check Results HD of Sheen Countermanded 1-3 Mankin's level -1 4-6 Mankin's level 7-9 Mankin's level +1 10-12 Mankin's level +2 13-15 Mankin's level +3 16-18 Mankin's level +4 19-21 Mankin's level +5 22+ Mankin's level +6 Warning: Speculation! Warning: Speculation! Now for some speculation: what if we were to substitute a few things to make this 3E compatable? This is a Cleric-only power. Instead of adding a bonus for INT, add bonuses for both the Cleric's Wisdom and Charisma. Limit the number of attempts to 3 plus CHA bonus per day (minimum of 3 if cleric has low Charisma). Change Mankin's level to "Cleric's Level." In a mixed group of undead, the least powerful are affected first, then the more powerful. Turned undead flee or avoid the cleric for 10 minutes. Example: A 5th-level cleric (WIS16, CHA 12) encounters two zombies and six skeletons. A d20 is rolled and a 10 comes up. The cleric would add +3 for high WIS and +1 for high CHA, for a total of 14. Consulting the chart above, the cleric has turned his level (5) plus 3 for a total of 8 HD worth of undead. He can turn all six of the skeletons (1 HD each) and one of the zombies (2 HD each). They run away, and now the cleric can either try to turn the remaining zombie again during his next action, or battle it. He can attempt this four times per day (3 plus his CHA bonus). Now, this isn't confirmed by any means, but it does offer a quick-and-dirty way to simulate the 3E Turn Undead ability. By using the Cleric's level, the ability scales nicely with level, affecting more and more HD worth of undead creatures. However, the one thing I haven't seen is whether the undead have a chance to resist (perhaps an opposed roll of the Cleric's CHA vs. the undead's WIS, or maybe just a straight Will saving throw for the undead...) I'll see if I can dig up some more info on this. April 3, 2000 Mini-Me Part III: More tales of painting lead figures have been posted at the WotC site. (thanks to the Yeoman for the scoop) Armor Proficiency: What happens when a character wears a type of armor she is not proficient in? Anonymous explains: Remember the 'check penalty' column for studded leather? If you are not proficient in an armor type you suffer this penalty on all attack rolls and all skill rolls that require movement. So you can get away with wearing lighter armor without being proficient a lot easier then using the heavier armors which can have mods of minus 5 or 6 or more. So for example, Studded Leather has a "Check Penalty" of -1, so a character who is not proficient in Light Armors would suffer a -1 to hit and to movement skills like Running, Swimming, Climbing and Jumping. By comparison, Full Plate (a Heavy Armor) has a "Check Penalty" of -6. As we've seen, some characters get some or all of the Armor Proficiencies (Light, Medium and Heavy) for free, while others must acquire them as Feats. Sorcerer Spellcasting Secrets: This is apparently the day for 3E demo reports! A scooper named Penn Davies spills the beans on how Sorcerer Spellcasting differs from that of the standard Wizard: I played in a D&D3E demo at a local gaming con, Gryphcon, in Guelph, Ontario. I played a Sorcerer, and can clarify exactly how their spell casting differs that of wizards. Essentially, at any given spell level, a sorcerer will have more slots available for casting spells per day, and doesn't have to decide what spell is in each slot before the actual time of casting. To balance this they get new levels of spells [at a] slower [rate], and are capable of knowing many fewer spells per level. As an example, as a first level sorcerer, I [could cast] four first level spells [per day] as compared to the two that the wizard had, but I had a maximum of 2 spells of first level that I knew. I could pick either one on the fly when I cast, but that's still not much selection. It seemed balanced, and a lot of fun. Update (4/5/00): Do Sorcerers still need spellbooks? Not according to Anonymous... Sorcerers don't need spellbooks at all, although they might voluntarily keep a few notes around on spells they were just learning to cast. Since sorcerers aquire spells in ways unrelated to "book-lairnin'", even owning a spellbook serves no purpose. Also, the Spell Mastery feat allows wizards to prepare specific spells without using a spellbook. There is little, if any, similarity between Spell Mastery and the sorcerous method of spellcasting. Fighter Chat: On Fri. 4/21/00 6-7 pm (PST), chat about 3rd Edition D&D Fighters with Ed Stark, D&D creative director. Ed also addresses weapons that are unique to the latest edition, or are radically different from their 2nd Edition predecessors. Monks, and More: A lucky fellow named Peter B. got to try a 3E demo at MegaCon in Orlando. Here's what he had to say... (on the 3E Message Board, thanks to James Hoover for the scoop) What a 1st level Monk gets: +0 to hit [i.e. it probably uses the Cleric/Rogue combat chart] 1d6 in unarmed attacks 4 [base] skill points at start 1d8 HD Monks do not provoke an attack of opportunity when attacking unarmed Stun Attack: 1/day, if target is hit it cannot act for one round unless it makes a Fort save at 10+level of monk) Monk armor class is ajusted not only by their Dex adjustment but also by their Wisdom +4 to AC vs. attacks of opportunity All classes (except Barbarian) know their racial language and common.. and can read/write them as well for free. Barbarians have to pay to get Read/Write. There are some classes you can't "come back to" if you multiclass ... in other words you can't raise levels in that class once you pick up the skills of a new one. [Note: The ones I've heard so far for sure are Monk and Paladin.] Ok now my opinion of the new system. I loved it, combat ran very smoothly and quickly. Min/Maxing is hard as hell to do ... why? Because every stat counts for something, every skill depends on something else. First level characters are not all that powerful. (We got our butts handed to us in a fight) I love it! Miscellaneous 3E Tidbits from GAMA: Friendly scooper Vivian Abraham has become privy to some first-hand information about 3E. Sit back and enjoy the tale, won't you? I was talking with a friend of mine (who'd prefer to be anonymous) who owns a gaming/science fiction book store. He went down for the GAMA trade show in Las Vegas and got to play in a D&D3E demo! After restraining myself from sucking his brain for every smidgen of information he possessed ;), I got the following tidbits, some of which are known and some of which are kinda new! He played an Elven Mage, and another guy played a Cleric. They got 3-4 zombies sicced on them by the GM. Each of these zombies had about 24 hit points and, needless to say, the PC's got their butts kicked. My friend reports that: 1. He had a bow and arrows. The GM said these counted as a "simple" weapon, and I suspect this is a special benefit for elves. [We saw something similar with the sample elven Wizard character on the WotC site.] 2. He had bonus first level spells due to his intelligence, but no bonus cantrips. He was a little miffed that cantrips weren't unlimited, but I reminded him that cantrips can do damage now! He had three cantrips and a couple (2-3?) first level spells. More on that below. 3. He got to check out the feats list, and described Turn Undead as a feat. He said that he thought it was more powerful than before in some ways. Apparently, you roll a D20 and depending on what you roll you can turn a set number of undead with HD (level?) equal to your level plus x, after consulting a chart to see how well you did. He said the zombies had a really high HD (he may have meant level though). [Update: Anonymous reports that Turn Undead is not a feat. We have heard rumors of a feat that improves on the Turn Undead class skill, however, so this might be what he saw.] 4. Some of the mage feats listed included Enchant Ring and Enchant Wonder. Apparently, there is a feat for each subcategory of magic item. Brew Potion and Scribe Scroll are at the low end, while Enchant Wonder is at the high end. (This may mean a better differentiation between things like rods, staffs and wands!). A Wonder is basically a Misc. Magic Item (a bag, a spoon, etc.) 5. Detect Magic! This is a cantrip, as we knew. There is a detailed description of what it does in terms of what kind of aura the caster sees. The GM will describe the aura, and the player will use that description to try and figure out what the item is (much like Auspex 2 in VtM.) More important, Detect Magic can determine whether a person is a magic user and her approximate level! Neat! Didn't say anything about sorcerers, but apparently they are being kept under wraps. No sorcerer or monk PCs were available for the demo :( 6. Mage Armor. One of my friend's first level spells, this raised his AC to an 18, including a +2 modifier he had from his Dex. Unfortunately, the spell only lasts 1 hour/level of the caster (definitely not the same as the Abjuration Armor spell!). He also had Sleep, but that was pretty much useless against the Zombies. April 1, 2000 Summary of RPG Plans for WotC: Ryan Dancey summarized what gaming systems WotC will (and won't) be supporting as well as specific campaign setting information for D&D (on the 3E Message Board): Every game we make for the core roleplaying hobby from here on out will use the core D20 game system. We will not produce any commercial products for non-D20 RPGs, including SAGA or Alternity [beyond what's already on deck for this year as outlined in the product catalog]. The only two D&D campaign settings which will see commercial development in the short term are the Forgotten Realms and Greyhawk. Dragonlance products will be released in support of the new trilogy once more of that material has been published. We might, at some point, revive one or more of the older settings but not until at least 2002 or later. Support for all settings will appear sporadically in DRAGON and DUNGEON, and on the web on fan-hosted and run sites. Magic Item Creation Feats: Playtester John Troy addressed concerns that wizards would have to spend all of their feats acquiring those useful in creating magic items (on the 3rd Edition Message Board, thanks to Lt Phoenix for the scoop): The Wizard gains bonus feats slots that are applicable to compensate, just like the fighter does [for gaining combat-related feats]. (Not the Cleric, Druid, or Sorceror, but they all have their own alternate advantages). Using Feats does help keep people different. A Wizard will still have to decide whether or not to spend feats on Metamagic (Feats that enhance magical effects) or on Item Creation. I highly doubt that a Wizard will want to have access to creating all types of magic items. It also sets up differences--one mage may be a smith-oriented one, the other an apocathary. Also, magic items are, from my mind, somewhat easier to create in 3rd Edition then they were in the past. So if they don't limit it in some manner soon various wizards will be creating whole stockpiles of such elements. April is Alright for Fighters: April is here (see April News Archive for the complete foolishness), and right on schedule the official 3E site is showing signs of spring ... ing at you with a drawn sword. Yes, April is the month for "Fighters Fact File." We're informed that we'll be treated to an interview with Ed Stark, a new feature called the Weapons Rack for inspecting 3E weaponry, as well as a new spell, a new monster, a new playtest group, and a dwarven fighter named Tordek in the Character Close-up. (thanks to Lee DeBoer for the scoop) March 32, 2000 (April Fool's Edition) D&D 3E Delayed: WotC's Bryan Darcey announced today that the release of D&D 3rd Edition would be delayed until at least 1st Quarter of 2001. "We've found some issues with the GUI that need to be addressed, and QA and bug reporting has taken longer than we anticipated. The trouble is hardware compatibility -- with so many combinations of video cards and sound cards it's nearly impossible to create a crash-free game. But we keep trying!" As for the released date of June 2002 posted at Electronics Boutique, Bryan added, "These stores don't know any more than we do about the release date of 3E. It will be done when it's done, and not a moment sooner. When it goes gold, you'll be the first to hear about it." Lots of Flailing on the 3E Message Board: Amid shouts of "that gnome looks like a human" and "prove it," one poster on the official 3E board sighed, stomped about, and moved his arms in a flailing motion. More to come... 3E Minimum Specs: WotC's Jon Bortler indicated that the minimum specs for 3E have increased dramatically over the past few weeks. "The processing power is going to require almost the equivalent of the human brain," he notes. 3E in the House? Throw your hands in the air, and wave them like you just don't care. If y'all wanna rock the house tonight, some body say "aw yeah!" Monster Manual Cover Revealed! I've seen firsthand the cover of the 3E Monster Manual! I don't have an image to share yet, but I can describe it. Like the other manuals from previous editions, it features several of the most menacing creatures posing in the center. The creatures are (from left to right) Giant Goat, Pikachu, Invisible Stalker, and Humanoid That Looks Like All The Other Humanoids But Has A Slightly Different Nose or Forehead. They look mean and tough -- it's a great cover! I also got to flip through the finished book for a few seconds -- my eye landed on the Brain Mole entry. Looks like Brain Moles can progress through character classes to become up to a 15th level Ninja! What do you think? Time to ask the average person, "What do you think of the forthcoming 3rd Edition?" Dwarf wizards? Are they crazy? I will never buy this game if some non-existent fantasy race that never wielded magic before can now wield this non-existent power. -- George Beam, Lettuce Bagger I've been away from the gaming scene for a while, but I think it's high time they got rid of half-orcs, monks and barbarians. Second Edition should be great! Wait, what do you mean, "third" edition? -- Dorcas Melorkis, Tropical Fish Trainer 3E convinced my mom to buy me a set of spiked armor to wear at school. Now let's see the other kids sic their pet elephants on me! -- Edward R. Malloy, Gerbil Photographer D&D is for losers and geeks. Why not try a REAL hobby like fantasy football or trolling on rec.games.frp.dnd? -- Phil McKracken, Cowpoke I think New Edition really went downhill after Bobby Brown quit the group. That's too bad, because I really liked the song "Cool It Now!" -- Shallonda Kerton, President of the School of Hard Knocks Dungeons & Dragons, D&D 3E and AD&D are all property of Wizards of the Coast.