D&D 3E/3.5 3e beginnings (why first impressions are not always the right ones)

[Stalker0]

As we continuously debate every piece of info we receive about 4e, I am reminded of the first time I cracked open the 3e player's handbook. I and a friend of mine greedily read through its arcane pages. After a very thorough reading, we talked amongst ourselves. Then we talked to a few others. And after this discussion, we all came to the same conclusion.

The Monk is the most powerful class in the game!!

I mean, look at all of those abilities!! He's so fast, and his damage scales up automatically! How could any class compete with this titan of martial power?

Of course as time went on we learned our lesson about the monk

The moral of the story, first impressions aren't always the right ones.

 

[FadedC]

I remember after 3E came out these boards were full of people arguing about how overpowered the monk was. I used to argue left and right that the monk was really not as overpowered as people thought, but still everyone seemed to think they were the most broken thing ever. Then people actually played them.....

 

[Cyronax]

I remember after 3E came out these boards were full of people arguing about how overpowered the monk was. I used to argue left and right that the monk was really not as overpowered as people thought, but still everyone seemed to think they were the most broken thing ever. Then people actually played them.....

I remember thinking that the ranger was underpowered and a far cry from my beloved ranger concept from 2e.

That impression stood up to time.

Conversely, I also thought that the mystic theurge (of 3.5) was the most overpowered, broken, and flavorless PrC I'd ever seen. I turned out to be completely wrong! Now I actively push that PrC with appended flavor and RP requirements as one of a select group of a dozen PrCs IMC.

Prediction on opening 4e PHB -- I still miss gnomes.

C.I.D.

 

[Aloïsius]

The sorcerer looked "meh" from the begining.
Whirlwind attack seemed to be an incredible feat.
Rules transparency between monsters and PC , and the mathematic formulae in the MM seemed a great improvement
Everyone wanted to play a half-celestial or Half-dragon.

 

[Wormwood]

When confronted with message board sturm und drang, I recall the Mystic Theurge---which the sages promised would destroy D&D and life as we know it.

This has all happened before, it will all happen again.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

When confronted with message board sturm und drang, I recall the Mystic Theurge---which the sages promised would destroy D&D and life as we know it.

This has all happened before, it will all happen again.

Since I was also a firm believer that the Mystic Theurge was broken, I say that life as we know it ended: Don't you remember the time when everyone of had an animal spirit representing our soul, and that we had two suns so that the night sky was always bright? All that changed- the spirit is gone, and the second sun blew out and became Jupiter. The terrible thing is that so few seemed to have noticed this change... And what about Bielefeld, that now suddenly appears to exist! kudos to any non-German getting this internet meme

Yeah, a lot of things look differently if you get some experience with it...

 

[Plane Sailing]

And what about Bielefeld, that now suddenly appears to exist!

I don't know anyone from Bielefeld, I've never been to Bielefeld, I don't know anyone who has ever been to Bielefeld...

 

[amethal]

The sorcerer looked "meh" from the begining.

The sorcerer looked fun from the beginning, (and was).

 

[delericho]

The big one for my group was the stat-boosting items. It took my players some months to realise the significance of these items, as opposed to the classic standbys of the "Cloak of Elvenkind", the "Sword +X" (where X is as high as possible, and secondary powers could be ignored), and so on.

 

[Remathilis]

* Fighters will be so much more than hack-and-slash meatshields!
* Dwarves are the uber race. Everyone will want to play one.