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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elder-Basilisk" data-source="post: 847795" data-attributes="member: 3146">I think that the Haste changes are the worst of the bunch. Haste was such a feature of mid to high level 3e that changing it changes the way everything works.For instance, Haste was:-A balancing factor that allowed melee characters to get full attacks almost as often as ranged fighters. (Thus it was a key component in the balance of combat weapons, feats, prestige classes, and the rules for their stacking as well as some buff spells like GMW and Keen Edge)-The key component of many defensive character builds that enabled characters to get armor classes that melee focussed foes had to roll above a 12 to hit on their primary attacks. (In other words, it made armor class worthwhile; dropping three points off the top of many armor classes will at least double the amount of damage they take in an average round making all of the other choices that increase armor class significantly less valid. (Armor class grants an exponential advantage--the higher your AC is, the more difference a small improvement makes. For example, the difference between AC 2 and AC 10 is insignificant after level 3 or so but the difference between AC 20 and AC 22 is quite significant at level one and level 2).-THE spell that made Quicken a worthwhile feat for PC wizards. (Shield and Magic Missile were also worthwhile to quicken--but not as much so as Haste). Under the new rules, quicken is still highly advantageous for NPCs--since they usually spend all their spells in one encounter, using all their 5th level spells for a pair of double empowered magic missiles and a pair of quickened magic missiles enabling a 10th level evoker to fire them all off in two rounds is an efficient use of spells. Its not as if he was likely to live much longer anyway. PC wizards, OTOH, need to conserve their spell slots. Consequently the double empowered magic missile or empowered fireball (2x magic missile damage or so; 1 5th level slot) is much more advantageous than magic missile or fireball and quickened magic missile. (More or less the same damage but one 5th level and one 1st or 3rd level slot). Contrary to what one of the WotC flaks said and many people have parroted, eliminating the most advantageous spells to quicken will not make quicken spell more attractive to PCs. What the change to Haste will do is make it so that mid to high level NPCs regularly cast 2 spells per round but mid to high level PCs very rarely do so.</blockquote>

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