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Message: <blockquote data-quote="WalterKovacs" data-source="post: 5353906" data-attributes="member: 63763">What is known about the Heroes of Shadows, or at least what has been said, is that it doesn't have new classes, but has feats, powers, etc ... to give characters a shadow power twist. I'm guessing, based on what was said, it would comparable to Dark Sun, with new builds/powers for existing classes to make them shadow themed. So divine classes using necrotic themes instead of radiant, a necromacy build of wizard, etc ... Now, some of those may be essential builds (although, admitedly, the essential wizard is not VASTLY different from a normal wizard ... comparable to the difference between say a PHB1 fighter and a Martial Power fighter where you give up some class features for others). Essential has opened up new ways of making characters, like Martial Power gave us the animal companion, they eventually brought back summoning, PHB2 brought the spirit companion, PH3 had psionic power points and full discipline powers. They've constantly made new ways to build classes with each release. The Essential books introduced new ways to build classes. In some cases (the martial), radically different, but in others (wizard) it is simplified mostly in presentation. You still have all the options a normal wizard has in terms of powers, but because they only give you a small number of options within the book, it seems guided. Then again, look at Dark Sun as 'old style' builds for classes, but they present only 1 power per level for those builds (since tons of powers already exist for those classes). In general, introducing EVEN MORE powers for existing classes just means either: reprinting powers, making redundant powers, power creep, useless powers, or making it that every class has similar powers (since they would start giving other classes similar powers). Heck, look at psionic at-wills and there are a number of copies of arcane powers. The Psion basically got eyebite, eldritch blast, Illusory Ambush/Vicious Mockery, etc ... or at least close approximations [i.e. the effect is the same, if not the range/damage die/type of damage/etc] Limiting to the at-will/encounter/daily/utility concept means you are limiting the kind of things that can be done. Heck, even sticking to that idea, there are other ways to do it. You have the "only one encounter power" which you get multiple times (fighter), but there is still a choice as the weapon type will determine the secondary effect when you use that power. With the assassin they have a variation on daily powers that are very interesting. Big picture ... with every new book we've seen new ways to build classes. Some things they have definitely abandoned (the V shaped class design of two different attack stats and a single secondary stat), but the Essential wizard isn't radically different from the original wizard, so they haven't abandoned all the original build concepts. The ideas from PHB2 and 3 are the splat books are showing up in Essentials. The rogue's tricks are sort of like the monk's full discipline. The assassin's daily powers are like the artificer's dailies that buff weapons. The druid takes the beastmaster's lead to some extent. It isn't exactly a step back, although they are presented as less complex (i.e. fewer options) during build and play, but within the Essential books there is a range of complexity just like with older books. I'm not sure how it would be safe to assume that after each new book has shown innovations (while keeping what works) that from now on all books will have the exact same types of builds as the current books. That requires looking back at everything that has happened before and assuming that, despite all the evidence, now they are going to do the exact opposite of everything they've done before. Not to mention, based on the previews so far, while some of the ideas introduced to essentials are in the next essential book, the classes are still implementing those ideas in different ways.</blockquote>

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