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Yeah, I could definitely see that. I guess the real trick is that the "Longsword" (Arming Sword or Spada) really was the lighter sword design optimized for fighting with both Slashing and Piercing attacks. If the Morningstar can do Bludgeoning and Piercing at once, I think Slashing OR Piercing...

Exactly why the AD&D/3.X Monk shouldn't be a unique class. It's a Fighter build path with Background and Specialty selections. So are we agreed then? The Magical Monk who shoots fire and leaps 15' in up and 40' across and explodes people's heads Fist of the North Star Style is just an unarmed...

As much as I agree that the 4E Monk was a totally distinct, well-constructed class in the context of that game, he's also a PHB3 Psionic refugee that has basically nothing but the class name in common with the version of a monk most other people are advocating putting into the D&D Core. He's a...

No, not really - they lack the raw mass to do the job of a Bastard Sword. A bastard sword can kill a man in plate by caving in his chest (it won't cut through his armor). It can also parry heavier weapons in a pinch. The Katana will probably break. Again, not really. Swinging one-handed...

The problem is that all those implementations have been failures, IMO. Their contributions in combat have been either bad versions of what a Fighter can do or a way to monopolize unarmed Martial Arts so the Fighter is bad at it. Their other unique features were generally completely self-centered...

Frankly, the non-magical Monk shouldn't be a class unto himself. The Martial Artist is a Fighter (the best Unarmed Fighter in all the land is a Fighter, after all, according to the Fighter design logic already put out in Next). You can hit all the Martial Arts fundamentals under a combat...

Eh, I'd be just as happy if they didn't overly complicate things with weapons. If we try to get too "realistic" to deal with niche scenarios we run right into the ugly bugbear of the fact that almost all slashing and piercing weapons in D&D short of the longbow, crossbow, and mounted lance can't...

The difference would be that the Katana is not considered an exotic weapon but the Courtblade is. In older versions of the game a 1 Feat weapon proficiency tax got you a size bump to your damage die. You know, the really sad thing here is that Elves get a damage die bonus to Longswords due to...

Elven Courtblade, anyone? - Marty Lund

3.X/Pathfinder monster design is definitely its weakest point. Bolt-on-PC levels might be great for creating DMPC monsters and PC-style BBEG characters that need to overload an encounter or have resources to last for a days-worth of activities like a PC. They were rubbish for everything else...

Suit yourself, I guess. A product with a lot of unnecessary barriers to entry is a poorly designed product. Having a path to a ton of customization and complex, fixed-mechanic decision-trees does not preclude the existence of a path to simple packages and rules-light action resolutions within...

Rogues ruin everything! ;) Seriously though, the Rogue's real shtick, in a nutshell, is to "debuff" stuff. They disarm traps and bypass hazards. They pick locks and subvert NPCs. They use crippling attacks and engage in sabotage. They undermine the senses and good sense of others. This covers...

See Neonchameleon's post on the previous page regarding chunking in decision making. The Essentials structure is significantly superior UI/UX design not only because it allows for a lower floor of complexity when someone wants that but also because it compartmentalizes the aspects of more...

I think the core mechanic of using a spell book and preparing some spells should be retained by the Wizard regardless of power distribution mechanisms. The spells a Wizard prepares at the beginning of the day are the spells he casts. Whether he has to prepare each individual casting on a slotted...

Meh. D&D is always a consensus-driven game. The general consensus is that the DM's job is so demanding that everyone else either doesn't want to do the job or isn't up to the task. Ergo, you generally defer to the guy who bit the bullet for everyone else if he really feels strongly about some...

Yes. I guess I didn't make that clear enough in my initial post on the thread. Yes, I mean Wizards memorize their spells regardless of what method they use to discharge Arcane energy for the day. That's the point of the spell-book, in my mind. They also draw from the same Spell List and Level...

Well, let's look a Wizards with 3 flavors of casting - Fixed Slots, Spontaneous Slots, and Mana Points. Common Features: 1.) Base Armor and Weapon Proficiency: No armor, basic weapons, staff 2.) Spell book 3.) Spell memorization 4.) Spell list 5.) To Hit Bonuses and Spell Save DCs Now how...

The D&D Essentials Fighter sub-classes (Knight and Slayer) and the Skald from Heroes of the Feywild show much better templates for what "at-will powers" need to be for characters that use the "Making Sharp Things Go Through Soft Things That Scream and Bleed" skill to attack than anything in the...

This is an excellent response. The primary benefit is that it gets around the "Wizard as Sacred Cow" problem by divorcing the class and name from the casting mechanic choice. Putting the choice of including mechanics firmly into the hands of the DM is also a nice hedge against the shift in game...

The only thing I can guess with regards to that is the fact that Eldritch Blast scales by level. It goes up to 14 damage at 3rd level. Still, the Warlock really does feel like a poor man's Cleric who can't heal. He's terrible. - Marty Lund