I just think there was some office politics, Jeremy Crawford's profile rose as Mearls was quietly sunsetted. Which is weird cux crawford has the charisma of soggy toast. Alternately Mearls might not have liked the direction they were going and said, just put me on MTG.
As far as i can remember, non damaging powers don't do any crit damage except if you have something like a War ring, which specifically says it does extra crit damage.
I always liked Kingdoms of Kalamar, which is "semi-official" as one of the few non WotC or TSR settings to carry the official D&D logo. It just reminds me more of the games i used to play as a kid.
My only real concern is not that this is a new edition to the game (which i don't think it is, yet. it's just another crunchbook and a blip in a long list of errata which exist for errata's sake) but that it's basically like book of 9 swords. which heralds that WoTC folks are already working on...
Well it started as an idea that i was sick of the typical old AD&D trope that because Mages were the most powerful class they naturally should run everything. Which is true even in Psi-Heavy campaigns like Dark Sun. So toying with the idea that Magic was somehow taboo, who would fill the power...
Well i am familiar with the Cthulhu stuff and could probably ramble off a dreamlands or Carcosa mod from the top of my head, but i am planning a kinda of weird, psuedo sci fi series of adventures set around a group of moons orbiting a distant gas giant, where arcane magic is outlawed and...