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I like James Wyatt's "Wandering Monsters" column. Or, to be more accurate, I think it's a good idea. I'm never blown away by any of the ideas (after all, the whole point is that they should be familiar), but I like the idea of running through the monsters one-by-one and checking to see what...

One thing that I really like about the new packet (at least on first impression) are the new spell preparation rules. By forcing characters to pick their spells, you get much of the tactical interest of old-school D&D. The number of spells a character gets to prepare is still fairly limited...

Looking at today's L&L, I'm unsure about the story behind the sorcerer. Don't get me wrong... it's cool. I like the idea that there is this magic within the character that is just under control, but begins to transform the sorcerer as willpower is expended. That's badass, and a terrific...

We saw five background in the May playtest, and presumably we’ll see more soon. I think the skills work fine. I mean, backgrounds don’t add a lot to skills (other than some narrative coherence and faster character generation), but skills are known technology. Yes, WotC can improve on 3.x and...

In this week's Rule of Three, Rodney Thompson said that major structural changes like how a class casts spells would likely require a different character class. He lists some good reasons: (1) that a new spell casting mechanic is a big enough "hook" for a class's mechanical identity and (2)...

I thought it would be useful to let everyone know that, once you open the survey, you need to complete it in a single session. The survey tells you that, but only after you begin it. I hope this saves some heart ache for anyone tempted to complete it on an unreliable connection or who want to...

New blog entry on morale checks: http://community.wizards.com/dndnext/blog/2012/04/13/run_away! The entry makes an interesting point. There is real value to the game providing an (optional) objective mechanic to decide whether the monsters should run away or surrender. -KS

Another blog entry up, this one on whether high level play should just involve bigger numbers. More interesting is a discussion of how complicated high level play should be. Personally, I want high level play to be as simple as possible. Of course, some complexity is unavoidable just because...

I'm guessing that I'm in the minority, but I think WotC made a mistake by including epic in the PH1. It required a bunch of pages when you add up the powers of the various classes and -- even with that -- there has never been especially good support. Moreover, having epic as a core part of...

Two of the recurring criticisms of 4e are that (1) the in-game fiction is only loosely tied to the mechanics and (2) all the classes are too similar because powers are insufficiently differentiated and the at-will/encounter/daily/utility power structure is shared by all of the initial classes...

Monte Cook's second Legends & Lore is up: Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (Magic and Mystery) Personally, I really agree with the article. Rather than build in a fixed expectation about what magic items the PCs should get, the rules should provide the GM the...

This week, Mike Mearls discusses skills. Interestingly, he focuses on the tension between providing a consistent mechanical system for resolving actions and requiring the player to describe (or roleplay) what the character does. It's the difference between "I search" and "I look under the...

Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (Wilderlands & Dragons) Stephen Radney-MacFarland provides what looks like a convenient and practical framework for basic wilderness adventures. It looks like a solid article, but it leads to an obvious question: Why wasn't this...

I don't like to be one who harps* on the importance of human editing in a world of spell checkers, but the Demonomicon says the following regarding the witch queen Iggwilv: Eeesh... If the beautiful form has flowing back hair, then what does the crone look like? -KS OK, I admit it. I like...

I'm curious, is anyone aware of someone writing up a Wound/Vitality system for 4e? I really like how healing surges play as a game, but -- like some others -- I sometimes have trouble figuring how what's going on in the game world. Then it occurred to me that - thematically - 4e healing (and...

A request for those who have the books: Would it be possible to take a look at the Keep on the Shadowfell pregen characters and post something a little more effective? It seems like the Paladin, for example, would have benefited from a Wis of 14 and a Cha of 15, but -- without the books --...

In the Angels preview, "Angel of Valor Legionnaires" appears in the suggested encounter for the Angels of Vengeance. Also, both the Pit Fiend and the War Devil write-ups include the very oddly named "legion devil legionnaires." I think that "Legionnaires" is a keyword that allows GMs to re-use...