I figured I'd sleep on it before posting this, but I'm dumbfounded by the new playtest packet. Normally I can figure out what designers were trying for even if I don't agree, but now I'm at a loss. (Parenthetically, I'm not a 4e fan, this is not a reaction to that side of things)
In no particular order:
1) Fighters. We have bonus feats (because that worked so well in 3rd), no improvement to out-of-combat abilities and dead levels. The "big" fighter-only mechanic are expertise dice. These are Encounter-type abilities because the recharge mechanic is so dreadful it should be used a handful of times over a full 20 level career, BUT the abilities granted are weak and flavorless. It is the worst of all worlds: fiddly, tedious (careful use of small dice) and flavorless while also annoying people who don't like encounter-abilities for fighters. The recharge mechanic makes the design look even shoddier because it is so bad. This is at the bad-3e-3rd-party design level.
2) Rogues. They stripped the Rogues of most of their out-of-combat abilities. Yes, they get more bonus feats now, but those are spent trying to rebuy lost skills (they lost 2 skills), lost skill effects (Open Locks, Pick Pocket?!) or the Skill Tricks, and don't come anywhere close to covering the losses. The nerf to Skill Mastery is just added pain. They appear to be attempting to remove any hint of a skill system (maybe harkening back to 1e pre-WSG...). But even 1e, pre-WSG (I think that book), had a skill system, which was Thief only.
3) Scaling. I've been waiting for the designers to unveil their scaling system, in vain. Right now, Next has *1* form of scaling. HP/Damage. Anything that doesn't interact with that does not scale. This includes Skill checks (1st level, 20th level, barely makes a difference, expect your 20th level character to lose opposed skill checks to 1st level opponents even in areas he focusses on). It includes Saving Throws (20th level characters NEED to gank 1st level spell casters, because their Save-or-Suck abilities are just as hard to avoid at level 20 as at level 1). It includes Grapple (because a lvl 1 Fighter being helpless against a level 20 Fighter, UNLESS he uses Grapple, in which case he is fully effective is just peachy-keen). This is an under-discussed disaster in the making.
3.5) On a side note, no level scaling to Saving Throws, but level scaling to Save DCs?! Words fail me.
4) D6s. Oh the d6s, or rerolls, or roll twice/take the best. Every modifier is a die roll, and most are situational. They are omnipresent and tedious. While *1* bonus die roll might be reasonable, multiple extra rolls is not. One of the big advantages of static modifiers, for always-on effects, is that they can be computed once, which means that stacking modifiers doesn't pose a work-load problem. Instead, Next seems to be going for the "lots of tedious, middling sized circumstantial modifiers, which are dice rolls to take up extra time". Ugly design.
In no particular order:
1) Fighters. We have bonus feats (because that worked so well in 3rd), no improvement to out-of-combat abilities and dead levels. The "big" fighter-only mechanic are expertise dice. These are Encounter-type abilities because the recharge mechanic is so dreadful it should be used a handful of times over a full 20 level career, BUT the abilities granted are weak and flavorless. It is the worst of all worlds: fiddly, tedious (careful use of small dice) and flavorless while also annoying people who don't like encounter-abilities for fighters. The recharge mechanic makes the design look even shoddier because it is so bad. This is at the bad-3e-3rd-party design level.
2) Rogues. They stripped the Rogues of most of their out-of-combat abilities. Yes, they get more bonus feats now, but those are spent trying to rebuy lost skills (they lost 2 skills), lost skill effects (Open Locks, Pick Pocket?!) or the Skill Tricks, and don't come anywhere close to covering the losses. The nerf to Skill Mastery is just added pain. They appear to be attempting to remove any hint of a skill system (maybe harkening back to 1e pre-WSG...). But even 1e, pre-WSG (I think that book), had a skill system, which was Thief only.
3) Scaling. I've been waiting for the designers to unveil their scaling system, in vain. Right now, Next has *1* form of scaling. HP/Damage. Anything that doesn't interact with that does not scale. This includes Skill checks (1st level, 20th level, barely makes a difference, expect your 20th level character to lose opposed skill checks to 1st level opponents even in areas he focusses on). It includes Saving Throws (20th level characters NEED to gank 1st level spell casters, because their Save-or-Suck abilities are just as hard to avoid at level 20 as at level 1). It includes Grapple (because a lvl 1 Fighter being helpless against a level 20 Fighter, UNLESS he uses Grapple, in which case he is fully effective is just peachy-keen). This is an under-discussed disaster in the making.
3.5) On a side note, no level scaling to Saving Throws, but level scaling to Save DCs?! Words fail me.
4) D6s. Oh the d6s, or rerolls, or roll twice/take the best. Every modifier is a die roll, and most are situational. They are omnipresent and tedious. While *1* bonus die roll might be reasonable, multiple extra rolls is not. One of the big advantages of static modifiers, for always-on effects, is that they can be computed once, which means that stacking modifiers doesn't pose a work-load problem. Instead, Next seems to be going for the "lots of tedious, middling sized circumstantial modifiers, which are dice rolls to take up extra time". Ugly design.
