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I suggested in another thread that rogues should get 1d6 per level expertise dice, sneak attack should only work with advantage, and rogues should lose parry. Then they could add "flanking strike" doing lesser damage (1 die max?) against enemies adjacent to another ally. That way rogue...

In the previous playtest I argued that feats should be combat-centered, for the reason Shieldhaven pointed out. But I'm willing to roll with them on this. It's hard to judge, though, since they've stripped out most of the cool feats this time around. How would a skill-specialist fighter stack up...

Um, he knows that monster math is an extremely important change both because it's obvious, and because Mearls has said so about a dozen times. The reason it's so important is that if the monsters are pushovers and/or one-shotting the PCs, it's hard to effectively playtest combat. How can I test...

See, the cleric had upwards of two class-specific things he could do at first level other than heal in the last playtest, so obviously they had to cut that down to zero. ;) In other news, bring back at-will orisons!

Looking at the new skill list, I think it could be culled again in places. Drive and Use Rope all seem like they should be cut right off the bat - too specific. Profession and Perform sound like they should be built into traits rather than being their own skills. I think Gather Rumors should go...

I think this kind of sums up one of my issues with the changes to spellcasters. In order to keep them from getting overcrowded at level 10 it looks like they made them anemic at level 1. There are clear ways around this and I'm surprised they didn't take them. I voted negative on the poll, but...

Chris, what weapons are you using there? It might make a slight difference. For example, a halfling can TWF with two d8 shortswords, while an elf can use a d10 longsword and a d6 shortsword (for the same average damage). Also, the ability modifier is important for the guy with the big weapon...

Yeah, sounds a lot like 4e crits (where you got +xd6 damage on crit with a +x weapon) but not gear-dependent. Sounds nice!

I think TWF can work as it is in this playtest by default, with a specialty to improve it (most likely by getting rid of the disadvantage). EDIT: And since I'm not trying to spam the thread, I'll tack on this unrelated point: It's very silly that the fighter styles all save the coolest...

I agree with Jeff that each class should get some kind of goodie at 6th level, like the fighter does. The fighter's extra attack has an obvious mechanical purpose: it ensures that weapon damage isn't swamped by Deadly Strike damage. I'd think the same worry would apply to wizard cantrips and...

My initial response was very negative; it's been tempered a bit in places upon further reading, though. The changes to the fighter? Fine. Great. I miss Jab and Snap Shot, Whirlwind Attack seems to make Cleave obsolete, and Parry should be fighter-specific. Tumbling Dodge is kind of cool. The...

Hmm, so we're down from six different class mechanics to two? I kind of hoped the core classes at least would remain more mechanically distinct... But I guess I should wait till I see the damn thin before I whine.

If bonus damage is not halved, then DW essentially becomes free advantage on every attack for rogues and fighters past very low levels. For example, if the level 10 fighter has 4d10 CS dice and is still doing about d10+5 normal damage, CS is 2/3 of his damage. If Deadly Strike damage is NOT...

I think 3e splatbooks tended to be as you describe. the FRCS, for example, had stat writeups for NPCs and a billion pages of descriptions of locations, but it also had subraces, prestige classes, feats, etc. for players. I think it really depends on the book what's most appropriate.

The only big change I'd make from the current balance is to cut down on the number of enemies that are cannon fodder at first level. It's much more satisfying to carve your way through a dozen gnolls if you remember being afraid to face off against two or three of them, and since so many of the...

Okay, I think one problem here is some confusing use of the word "core." When most players say "XXX is core," they mean that it's assumed to be part of all D&D settings unless it's explicitly ruled out, and that it's part of the default rules. So warlocks weren't "core" in 3e because they...

I think the idea is that playing a character with a companion is like playing two PCs at once. You, as a player, are twice as "powerful" but your actual characters remain balanced. Personally, I wouldn't feel overshadowed in a group where another player was running two characters, especially...

Which is why 3e's skill system was a pain - when a level 10 rogue gets +20 to diplomacy checks (with synergies, etc), the level 10 fighter with +0 is not in the same ballpark. But a +7 difference between untrained and maximally specialized isn't crazy. When the trained character has an 85%...

If weapon specialization is through specialties it becomes much easier. A fighter can pick "sword master" to get cool sword maneuvers and bonuses, or he can pick something like Survivor or Defender for completely different bonuses.

I think the biggest variable is skill advancement as you level. Currently it is +1 to one skill each even level, capped at +7 training. I think maybe it should be +1 to two skills. But anyway, +7 is a pretty respectable bonus.