How do you think 4E will morph?

[Miar]

Subject line about says it. I'm just wondering how people thing 4E will change and grow. With 3E you has prestige classes take off. With 4E will it be the multi only classes? What kinds of things do you see being added? What being complete cluster f f. . . friends (stealing a line there ? and needing to be rewritten. What's the biggest effect 3rd party stuff will have this time around?

 

[Obergnom]

I think it's hard to tell, no one could have guessed the changes made to 3.5 with the PHB2 and the Bo9S. Prior to that, the edition did not change, but grow, imo.

Maybe this time around we will see more new classes and less addons to existing ones. (ie. less paragon paths and epic destinies than PrCls before.)

I hope the big third party impact will be adventures, monsters and settings. DMing stuff.

 

[Steely Dan]

I'm really hoping they take it easy with this edition – no more Complete Gnome Cobbler Handbooks for me.


…I learned my lesson with 2nd Ed.

 

[Obergnom]

Me and my group are planning to buy the Core Rules Series only, but no X Powers books. There is hope here, the new classes will be balanced against the old core, and not against the old core + splat.

 

[Doug McCrae]

There will be lots of splats containing new classes, feats and magic items. Some of the new stuff will be broken and DMs will have to ban it.

Same as any other rpg.

 

[Grazzt]

There will be lots of splats containing new classes, feats and magic items. Some of the new stuff will be broken and DMs will have to ban it.

Same as any other rpg.

Yep. This. It's only a matter of time. And let's not forget books containing new powers too since those seem to be the new "thing" in 4e.

 

[Lord Xtheth]

Just like in Magic: the gathering, each set has to be "better" than the last so people will buy it. By "better" I mean More powerful.
Hopefully they try to make things Different, and not just try to "one-up" the previous books with "Better" classes.
However I think my hopes have already been crushed, with the release of new Warforged that are infinitely better than the MM versions.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Where will the game morph too?
I don't really know. I think there will be a lot of new classes (probably more then in 3E) over time, but a lot will be achieved also by expansion of existing classes (alternate class abilities, more powers, paragon pathes).

An interesting question is what kind of subsystems might still be coming. Many posters on these boards would like Craft/Profession subsystems, and I can see WotC eventually doing one themselves.
The current artificer preview shows there are still some mechanically option left unexplored, and there might be way more coming.
The Forgotten Realms book apparently introduce "backgrounds" as a new subsystem (it might be nothing more then a few special feats, but it could be more), and there might be more to come. Possibly even something complex as the conviction/willpower system in Exalted or other games.

There might also be new subsystems for non-combat stuff and especially skill challenges. I can see a lot of these things being introduced in the DMG 2.

Well, that's all overly optimistic, of course. But I prefer to be optimistic here...

Yep. This. It's only a matter of time. And let's not forget books containing new powers too since those seem to be the new "thing" in 4e.

From what I understand, powers, paragon pathes and possibly destinies will be the major parts of the "splats". And naturally, also be the things that can break the game...

Let's enjoy things as long as they are, and later cherry-pick the non-breaking parts!

 

[Obergnom]

*sniff*

... but yeah, I know you will be right... well, maybe the PHB2 will not increase the power as most of it was designed pre-4e release as far as I know. With the classes coming in that book, I will be fine

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Just like in Magic: the gathering, each set has to be "better" than the last so people will buy it. By "better" I mean More powerful.

I think "ideally" you'll see more and more powerful stuff released until the game groans, and then reboot to a new edition.

The Warhammer 40k model.