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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mkill" data-source="post: 5806173" data-attributes="member: 55985">The 3.5 Players Handbook II was published in May 2006, 2 years before 4th edition. A quick comparison between this book and 4E PHB I shows the following names in common (designers only): David Noonan, Andy Collins, Jesse Decker, Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, Christopher Perkins. Robert J. Schwalb is only in the 3.5 book, but he did other stuff for 4E.The ClassesPHB II offers 4 new classes:* Beguiler* Dragon Shaman* Duskblade* KnightThe Beguiler is the Controller. He's pretty much a 3.5 Sorcerer with a limited spell list that has mainly Enchantment and Illusion (control spells!), and a few extra class features. Note that he controls by messing with the mind of his enemies directly. He does not have the summoning and terrain effect powers of 4E controllers, and almost no area damage.Interestingly, his "Cloaked Casting" allows him to use something similar to Combat Advantage when casting spells. (Similar to how 4E's Combat Advantage can be used by melee flankers, ranged weapon users and spellcasters).The Dragon Shaman is the Leader. Like 4E leaders, he has healing as a class feature. It's a 6th level ability that works similar to Lay on Hands. He also gets Marshall/Runepriest-like auras. Like 4E chars, he has scaling AC (literally dragon scales). He also gets a breath weapon, which is something between an at-will and an encounter power (it recharges after 1d4 rounds).Sadly, the Dragon Shaman never made it to 4E. There is a Shaman as a leader class in 4E, but it doesn't have the dragon fluff, and it works very different mechanically. From the fluff, the 4E Sorcerer comes closest.The Duskblade is a Striker. It can channel spells into its blade for extra damage, making them into something like daily attack powers. Looking closer at some of the Duskblade spells, like Lesser Deflect, we see another 4E staple: Utility powers. This one is an immediate action (!) that gives a one-time AC bonus against an attack.It doesn't really have a 4E equivalent, but could be described as a Striker version of the Swordmage.Finally, the Knight, the Defender, with a d12 hit die. The Knight doesn't have the iconic "I'll smack you if you attack my friend" mark yet, but look how close he gets.  The class feature is called "Knight's Challenge". You can use this power for different things, but "Test of Mettle", is a pure MMO aggro mechanic - if the opponent fails a will save, he has to attack you.The other interesting Defender ability is level 3 Bulwark of Defense. It's worded a bit differently, but in 4E lingo it prevents adjacent enemies from shifting.From 6th level, the Knight can also absorb half the damage that would be dealt to an adjacent ally as an immediate action (!).All in all his abilities are somewhat fiddly, and lack the streamlined ease of use of the 4E Defenders. The Knight pretty much became the Fighter in 4E. Ah, so much confusion could have been avoided if the 4E PHB Fighter would have been called Knight!Party Building AdviceIt's quite interesting to see how much of 4E is already in this book, halfway into the lifetime of 3.5. The book does not slap the combat roles on each class like a label, but it is very obvious that these are the concepts that the developers were experimenting with at the time.In fact, all you need to do is move forward to page 149, where it defines... Combat Roles (!), in a chapter called "Building the Party".It then goes on to explain party teamwork over the next 10 pages. It names 4 roles: Warrior, Expert, Arcane Spellcaster and Divine Spellcaster.4E changed the rogue to a damage dealer, to strengthen his in-combat role vis a vis the other classes. The role of the fighter was moved from attack/defense balanced to a defense focus, to make space for the rogue. (Rectified later with the Slayer). 4E also severed the tie between leader and divine magic as well as controller and arcane magic.The reasons I'm writing this is to show that like Book of 9 Swords did with martial powers, combat roles were already foreshadowed in a 3.5 book. They are not a pure 4E thing.</blockquote>

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