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I might consider playtesting online, so that I can legitimately give feedback. But the current playtest packet doesn't exactly inspire me to try it out with my group, where it would be taking time away from ongoing campaigns. But since online isn't an option, I'll probably be sitting out this...

Unless I'm reading a different part of the rules, it says that casting a spell typically takes a single action. It then, parenthetically, describes that action as being approximately six seconds of recitation and hand movement. That doesn't mean it takes a whole round (at least not in a...

Here's what I think the armors should look like: Light GP AC Padded 10 12+DEX Leather 40 13+DEX Studded 160 14+DEX Chain Shirt 320 15+DEX Mithral 1280 16+DEX Medium Hide 10 15 Scale 40 16...

Also, Studded Leather is strictly superior to Ringmail, in every possible way.

A character should only wear medium or heavy armor if they can't afford a high DEX for some other reason. It would be foolish to decide, a priori, to wear medium/heavy armor, then dump DEX because of it. If race and class bonuses exist, they appear to be quite small.

The problem isn't that DEX allows one to survive combat more effectively. That's to be expected. The problem is that STR has almost no benefit that can't be gotten by just maxing DEX instead. STR is a newb trap. With the current ruleset, I'd expect STR 8, max DEX Fighters in light armor to...

Uber-stat indeed. If you're using a one-handed weapon, going DEX based vs STR based costs a single point of damage. Even with a two-hander, STR only gets you two points of damage, maybe reach, and a little flexibility with damage type. Meanwhile, DEX gives tremendous benefits.

There's a huge difference between banning a specific race at a table, and trying to balance a system. Taking out options for fluff reasons is trivial. in contrast, identifying and fixing balance problems is the hardest part of game design. And "fixing" roles isn't easy, either. I have no...

Custom Theme in my post just means picking feats instead of a published Theme. Well-chosen feats are likely to overpower whatever combinations WotC chooses for their published Themes, if the Theme is just a package of feats. If the DM wants to houserule new Themes in the vein of the published...

Themes should be the 100% Combat pillar counterpart to Backgrounds, if Themes are simply packages of feats. Feats should be 100% combat. Trying to balance combat vs. non-combat feats has never worked well. Now, I've mentioned before that I'd like Themes to be more than the sum of their...

Not quite. I like the fact that Paladins can choose who they think is evil, and who isn't. And act according to what they think is true. I reject evilness as something that something is. Or goodness, or chaoticness, or lawfulness. It's cartoonish and silly. I think it's far more...

I generally dislike "favored enemy" mechanics. They force class balance to be determined by the DM's adventure design, and can easily make the player feel screwed over, or pandered to. When they exist, I'd rather they be very broad (e.g., Undead for Turn Undead), and come from Themes, not...

The more decisions there are in a character build, the more difficult it is to balance them. Leveling raises the number of decisions made. But it should be balanced throughout. So, yes, balancing a game like DnD is tough. But that's why we pay professionals to do it! The best thing they can...

While I do think it is necessary that Themes and Backgrounds have something extra, that custom ones don't, it shouldn't be by making Traits exclusive to pre-built Backgrounds. Based on that blog post 2 weeks ago, Traits are essentially the Interaction-pillar feats. A whole pillar shouldn't be...

I'm confused because these seem like different issues. How much implied setting should the designers put into the base game, is very different from how much control players should have over the setting. As far as implied setting, I prefer a very light setting, easily separated from the...

Depends on the intent of the campaign. It's important to understand where the "game" is. Is the game about deciding which player gets narrative control at any one moment? Then the world can be mostly constructed by the players, even down to the NPCs and creatures they encounter. Is the game...

Yep. I was about to go hunt this down for the folks upthread. Traits are not a new concept (they're Interaction feats), but it looks like they're looking more seriously at using them. That blog post suggests them as one of several alternative designs. I'm very glad to see this Ro3. The...

There are two kinds of build options: Inherent, which a character, in-game, could not choose. Learned, which a character, in-game, can decide to learn. A Race is Inherent. Starting Ability skills are Inherent. A Class level is Learned, as are most feats. For Learned options, clearly this is...

Successfully accomplishing my ideal requires this very thing. If my optimization produces a character that blows away a non-optimizing player's character, then I am breaking the game, and ruining someone else's fun. I do not want that. I was talking about my characters in that quote. If I...

I think you are misunderstanding what you are reading. My desire for a balanced, well-designed ruleset has nothing to do with the quality of DMs I've played with. In fact, I've DM'd DnD more than I've played it, and game balance is even more important to me as a DM than as a player. I do not...