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I believe, based on a post by Mearls, that this idea was tried and then ditched. He said that it just turned into PCs using their best rechargeable ability, spending the next turn doing whatever they needed to do to recharge it, and then using it again. I think the idea is just to give PCs...

It looks like Change Shape is now just Disguise Self in a different package. I thought the annoying part of shapechange in 3rd edition is how it let you use some of the attacks and defenses of your new form. I don't see anything to indicate that's the case in 4e.

As best as I can tell, the (Leader) tag means that the creature has some sort of ability that makes other monsters more effective. The Shade Knight has an Aura. As best as I can tell from their DDM stats Mobile Melee Attack means that the creature can attack mid-move, like the old spring...

I agree with ainatan here. Monsters should be able to use their healing surges in combat if a specific ability allows them to, but giving all monsters a "second wind" type ability doesn't really appeal to me.

See, aside from the Grick, I see see most of the resculpts as at least equal to the old versions. The Vrock I see as an improvement, since the old Vrock was a mixed-up pile of limbs that would, under no circumstances, ever stand up on its base. The Rakshasa looks as nice as the old one, and I...

I sure don't. The minimum seems to be 10 + 1/2 level + relevant stat mod, like most of the stats, but there's a somewhat unpredictable bonus thrown in. Anybody have any more insight?

Don't worry, that's a hand crossbow. It's at a funny angle in the picture where you can only see the stock and not the bow. Thanks to the OPs for all the info!

I played a few of them at DDXP, and they did mostly feel different. The Ranger was great because he dealt heavy damage at range and rarely missed. The Cleric was good because healing is still vital. He didn't hit nearly as much as the Ranger though, which was a little frustrating. I played a...

There's just no way you should have to encapsulate every monster power into a class or a feat. There are what, 300+ monsters promised for just the first monster manual? How many classes or feats would that translate into? Even if it was only 50 classes, is there any hope of designing 50...

Those are the answers for you, but they're not good answers for everyone. Some people don't want to give their players less experience just because the DM wasn't prepared properly. And some people, including myself, don't want to have to spend time at their game session looking things up on a...

I don't need 6 hours to prep, but I'm also rarely completely satisfied with the adventures I create when I whip them up in the last 2 hours before the game. I run a fairly combat-heavy game, with about 2-4 fights per session, each usually against multiple varied monsters. Once the party hit...

I haven't seen the rules either, but it's my hope that "heal, search, and loot" and "5-minute break" will be effectively equivalent. In other words, I hope that there's not a sense that your characters are sitting around waiting for their powers to reactivate like a light on a waffle iron or...

I was going to say much the same thing, but Merric said it better already. Plus, those names were already the Magic: The Gathering naming style before DDM got hold of them. Phylexuian Bramblebeasts and Hokkarian Night-Samurai, as two totally made-up examples, were the MTG naming team's bread...

Right, but the difference I was trying to highlight is that there's now more difference in the costs you can give these powers. You can make up any power you want, but if the cost is too high, nobody will take it. If the cost is too low, then it will be abused and the game will be less fun...

As I see it, the "design space" for 4e is larger in some very real ways. There is a greater variety of types of actions. There are standard, move, minor, free and immediate actions. Powers can be daily, encounter or at-will. Most of the classes (mainly the martial ones) get more powers with...

The -2 is about equivalent to the old 3.x flanking bonus or the 4e combat advantage bonus except in reverse. Flanking gives a +2 to attack because your opponent has to divide his attention between two or more opponents on opposite sides. Marking gives a -2 because it's been made clear that you...

I've seen TV commercials for Magic the Gathering (link, link) and I wouldn't be surprised to see them for 4th edition. That said, commercials are usually for products that are actually available on the shelves, and not products that are 9 weeks from release. Unless a movie's a...

Situations where I feel as though I have to modify encounters just to short-circuit a player's abusive tactic are already something that makes me unhappy in my D&D games. I don't see why I would want to keep allowing things that "make sense" only to have to just keep shutting them down when...

Listening to the Tome podcast mentioned earlier, confirms my suspicions about why Andy Collins mentioned that you shouldn't tie a TPK type situation to a skill check. In the podcast, Andy says that the general assumption in adventure design is that the PCs are going to win most challenges you...

Hmm, I don't think I agree with that. Plus, it's important to note that this is a whole forum devoted to 4e. People in about half a dozen threads have made this kind of argument before, saying that the designers saying "you can do X now" is disingenuous, only to have the designers themselves...