Armor & Coins - please, No.

[HukdUnFonx]

No max dex

I'm a little surprised nobody's commented yet on what I think is the coolest thing on this page, and probably the reason there's no Medium category: no max dex anymore! It looks like the difference between Light and Heavy armors is simply that wearing the former allows a dex/int bonus to AC, while the latter doesn't. I think this is a FANTASTIC simplification to the 3.5 system, and I'm glad to see that rule cut.

 

[Just Another User]

But the prizewiiner = ASTRAL DIAMONDS! - WTF? Are you kidding me? I can see it now, perfectly cut diamonds scattered throughout the Astral Plane. How do you mine the Astral Plane, exactly?

To each their own, I guess, but I'm underwhelmed by these changes.

And now we know what you need for the raise dead ritual and similiar.

 

[atom crash]

I'm a bit concerned that adventurers are going to be accumulating so much cash that we need to add something like astral diamonds to the rules. What is so expensive that they'll be buying? It wouldn't be added if it didn't fill some specific need (or perceived need).

In 3E, adventurers accumulated gobs of wealth in order to afford the most expensive magic items. I was hoping that 4E would be moving away from that.

 

[cdrcjsn]

I'm a bit concerned that adventurers are going to be accumulating so much cash that we need to add something like astral diamonds to the rules. What is so expensive that they'll be buying? It wouldn't be added if it didn't fill some specific need (or perceived need).

In 3E, adventurers accumulated gobs of wealth in order to afford the most expensive magic items. I was hoping that 4E would be moving away from that.

The rules now go to epic levels in the core books.

A 25th level character can probably expect to have items/wealth over a million GPs.

Greyhawk City merchants might never see an Astral Diamond, much less use them on a regular basis.

You can't expect the same of the City of Brass or Sigil however.

 

[Just Another User]

Makes sense to me; quick wits rather than quick hands. Judging your opponents attack pattern; thinking through your defense; not doing anything stupid.

Yeah, Einstein was great at dodging. Nobody could lay an hand on him into a fight

(yeah, it could have been Hawking, but I have still some good taste)

 

[snarfoogle]

And intelligence to your AC? Whaaa? Are people dodging swords with their mind now?

Some people think they can outsmart me. Maybe. I've yet to see one that can outsmart BULLET!

 

[Hella_Tellah]

Yeah, Einstein was great at dodging. Nobody could lay an hand on him into a fight

(yeah, it could have been Hawking, but I have still some good taste)

Einstein wasn't an adventurer; he and Hawking would be NPCs. 4e NPCs don't necessarily follow the rules adventurers do, nor gain the same benefits.

 

[Imp]

I don't know that I would use a lot of the schmancy armor types, which seem to have been designed for the wild & crazy epic plane-hopping stage of the game, but this is the sort of thing you can fairly easily change for your own game, so it doesn't upset me or anything.

Maybe I'm just not that particular about armor systems – I thought 3e's armor system was more or less fine and same with this info.

 

[Just Another User]

What bothers me most in this is cosmetic...the names. How many compound pointless words can they make up per page? It seems to me that the old standards of mithril and adamantine have been removed because they aren't copywriteable. WotC has to replace anything that doesn't fall under their IP with something they can hold on to and restrict via the new game license.

this.

I think that most of the fluff changes have in part to do with that, for example the old elves, halflings, etc are under the SRD, that is still and presumebly will be public,and everyone can use them.
But the new elves, dwarves, etc will be under the new license and are WotC IP

The same apply to the planes, and other things
Everybody can do a book about the elemental plane of fire, only wotc or people that follow WotC game license, can do a book on the feywild.
At least for what I know of the licenses.

 

[Li Shenron]

Obviously, the armor of choice for a Warforged Warlord.

Warforged Warlord in Warplate with a Warhammer on a Warhorse... all of it illustrated by Wayne Reynolds (aka "WAR")