If you want simplicity and impact, make crits do maximum damage plus an additional maximum weapon dice (ie: twice maximum weapon damage plus modifiers).
It was a nice idea to 'simplify' the system - saving throws would just be a variety of skill or ability check. Generally though, more saving throw types mean more power to spellcasters to pick your worst. If they do reduce it again, then I would suggest Fort = Str+Con, Ref=Dex+Int and...
There are no strength, intelligence or charisma saving throws in Basic. I hope they made an effort for the PHB, otherwise we may as well go back to Fortitude, Reflex and Will.
Depending on how organised they were feeling.. Eladrin could position themselves every 25ft between two cities.. and ready actions to teleport.. then in a single 'round' of action, a messenger could teleport (move), drop a message bag into the hands of the next waiting Eladrin (free), who...
I think I like the starter set box art most of all. Monster Manual is also excellent. I'm less enthused about the PHB, seems a bit dark and I can't tell what's going on. DMG is fine.
I wonder how it would play out if you adopted the rules from (for instance, I'm sure there are other examples) the recent XCOM games. In them you get two actions, but as soon as you attack (one action), your turn is over. This would obviously stop the duergar conga line, but would also...
I'm quite disappointed that they didn't try to evolve weapon powers, but they did end up with the awkward maneuver dice.
If the fear was complexity then as many people have said, there could be simple weapons with no powers, or simple options, or unlockable powers. I would personally have liked...
I would rather XP be awarded only for achieving goals. Sometimes that goal will be to kill as many goblins as possible, hence XP per goblin seems appropriate, but if the aim is to acquire some magic doodad at the bottom of an undead crypt, then getting that doodad is what grants you the XP...
I hate to be that guy, but isn't the restriction of 1 extra action per round just a retread of the limit on swift actions from 3rd edition that led to minor actions in 4th edition?
Well, he's right that elegance can't be aimed for, but he's horribly wrong when he gives an example of something made 'more elegant' in the current rules.
Quite simply, elegant rules make sense. Internal sense, in that they seem in keeping with other rules and follow the logic of the ruleset as...
Seems wonky to me that they have a magic hitpoint shield created by their form, although there was always a healing component to changing forms in previous editions. I guess it depends on the range of hitpoints the different forms have.
The number of hitpoints your wildshape form has should be the threshold to determine when the wildshape is automatically dispelled - the actual damage should still be taken by you, with your hitpoints. A druid with 50HP that turns into a cat with 5HP would revert when they end up at 45HP. If...