Changes Coming in Essentials, Part 2

[Shin Okada]

Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (Changes Coming in Essentials, Part 2)

Let's discuss about this article (update).

Ability score changes for races in HotFK as expected.

Some more nerfing on certain powers such as Wrath of Gods.

The most interesting ones are changes to Brew Potion, Disenchant Magic Item, & Enchant Magic Item.

Now with Brew Potion, you can only brew common potion or elixir. So at this moment can only brew 4 potions (Potion of Healing, Potion of Life, Potion of Recovery, Potion of Vitality)?

Disenchant Magic Item gained level cap (up to PC's level). But items turns into different amount of residuum based on the item’s rarity. Reasonable change, I think.

Then, it seems that Enchant Magic Item don't gain rarity restriction like Brew Potion. And can upgrade even uncommon and rare items.

This is somewhat a surprise for me. I mean. Didn't they introduced item rarity rule to eliminate "Christmas Tree Effect" and "Item Cherry Picking"?

It seems that, Higher level PCs will continue to have a lot of low-level rare items which has good property or power. And, a party with Disenchant Magic Item and Enchant Magic Item will continue to upgrade their favorable Uncommon/Rare Items instead of embracing Rare items which DMs gave to them.

Indeed, now selling or disenchanting unfavorable uncommon/rare item is a better option than before (results in more money or residium). As a result, higher level PCs tend to cherry pick (create) magic items they want, more so than they did pre-essentials.

Am I missing something?

 

[Mr. Wilson]

I won't comment on the Rarity issue because I don't use it (and I'm holding my tongue about the rarity system in general).

I'm more surprised they decided Tieflings were Cha + Con/Int and Half-Orcs were Dex + Con/Str as oppossed to the widely believed Int + CHa/Con and Str + Dex/Con respectively.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I guess the cherrypicking of rare items is a none issue.

You can´t create them. If you chose to sell or destroy them they are gone. You can´t chose what you get.

But maybe you got a rare item at low level that you are really fond of. Many heroes in books have such an item. Now you can at least use that item all the way up to level 30, even if you got it at level 1. But there are times where it is less useful than the newly found bland +5 sword as you can upgrade it only up to your level.

Seems like a good change.

I like the new divine challenge. Normal and hybrid one. Combining a paladin with a fighter was impossible before. Now it could be a good idea.

Hal orc stat bonuses are strange, tieflings are as i expected. Maybe Str/Wis would have been my favourite for the half orc. I guess the stats we see now supports the theory that half-orcs are half-elf - half orcs in reality

edit: is there a class where +dex +con is more useful than +str +dex?

 

[Peraion Graufalke]

edit: is there a class where +dex +con is more useful than +str +dex?

Assassin (Bleak Disciple build). Half-orcs were good (or even iconic) assassins in AD&D 1e.

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

It seems that, Higher level PCs will continue to have a lot of low-level rare items which has good property or power. And, a party with Disenchant Magic Item and Enchant Magic Item will continue to upgrade their favorable Uncommon/Rare Items instead of embracing Rare items which DMs gave to them.

Am I missing something?

I think the point is that all rare items the PCs get will be given to them by the DM. So, even if the PC decides to upgrade the magic item they got at level 5, they are still only using items you control.

The goal of rare magic items is to make them important. If a PC ends up using the same rare item you give them at level 5 for their entire career, then it's done its job.

It also prevents PCs from taking The Sword of Super Fire, the Shield of More Fire, the Armor of Even More Fire, and the Boots of Fire Power all to stack together modifiers.

 

[Shin Okada]

I think the point is that all rare items the PCs get will be given to them by the DM. So, even if the PC decides to upgrade the magic item they got at level 5, they are still only using items you control.

I have been thinking that would be the original intention of the item rarity rule. But now not so sure reading that article.

Brew Potion's update clearly states that now only common potion or elixir can be made.

But WotC did not added such an update onto Enchant Magic Item ritual.

Is this just that WotC staffs forget to add that to Enchant Magic Item? Or does that mean PCs with Enchant Magic Item can still make uncommon or rare magic items they want (provided the item's level is appropriate)?

 

[DracoSuave]

II like the new divine challenge. Normal and hybrid one. Combining a paladin with a fighter was impossible before. Now it could be a good idea.

Um... the only difference is that it doesn't prevent its use the turn after it goes away from 'engage-neglect'.

Other than that, it's exactly the same, and 'engage-neglect' was never any issue with paladin/fighters.

 

[Shin Okada]

Onto other updates,

Wild Shape is updated. Now a Druid in beast form can use OA, Bull-Rush & Grab even if his DM is strict Rule-Lawer.

Also, now only Implement or Weapon attack powers do matter. So most of the racial powers are usable without problem in beast form.

Hybrid Paladin's Divine Challenge (Hybrid) revision is subtle but may effect much on such a hybrid PC. Now inflicting radiant damage is not an immediate action. That can be a great improvement for some builds.

 

[Shin Okada]

Um... the only difference is that it doesn't prevent its use the turn after it goes away from 'engage-neglect'.

Other than that, it's exactly the same, and 'engage-neglect' was never any issue with paladin/fighters.

Before this update, Divine Challenge (Hybrid) needed an immediate reaction to inflict Radiant Damage.

Now it is not an immediate action. So, a Fighter/Paladin can use his immediate interrupt MBA granted by his Combat Challenge (hybrid) and auto-damage from his Divine Challenge in the same round.

 

[TerraDave]

Upgrading: its a very intentional update to allow PCs to keep using key uncommon and rare items, ie there signiture items. By letting you drain down (or just sale for components) other items, it helps fight the christmass tree effect.