Elemental Hero' Handbook

[Aegeri]

Definitely sounds like they will be builds of existing classes and not new ones. At the same time I don't see "Here is YAFW" in there, so I am actually optimistic.

The world of DnD is being turned asunder now!

 

[Destil]

Here's hoping that these aren't builds for the cleric and wizard.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Sha'ir....shugenja....

Y'know, I was wondering how much the recent name-dropping of Kara-Tur and Al'Quadim was them playing funny muffins with folks getting all hungry for those campaign settings.

Now, if only they'd name-drop Maztica....

 

[M.L. Martin]

Here's hoping that these aren't builds for the cleric and wizard.

My bets?

Elementalist: Wizard or Sorcerer
Shugenja: Druid or Shaman
Sha'ir: Wizard or Warlock

And I'd also guess that part of the reason that they're 'builds' instead of stand-alone classes is a combination of the overwhelming mass of feats and the way the demand for 'support' has become a self-sustaining, insatiable appetite that demands more feats, more powers and more options--all specific to a given race and class--almost as an end in itself.

 

[Incenjucar]

They built vampires without feats, so I don't see why they couldn't do the same to elemental classes. The new build design thing largely appears to be so it takes less effort and thus money to create.

 

[Aegeri]

My bets?

Elementalist: Wizard or Sorcerer
Shugenja: Druid or Shaman
Sha'ir: Wizard or Warlock

This would annoy me beyond belief.

From looking them up, sadly it looks like more Cleric and Wizards. Elementalist could be a Mage/Sorcerer. I would hope for a Sorcerer myself.

Shugenja seem to be oriental themed Clerics, so possibly a Warpriest build? It is a divine class, but it doesn't seem to fit remotely with the concept of a Runepriest. Elemental Cleric type class would seem to be the fit here.

Sha'ir: This feels like it will be a Warlock pact for sure (Pact with Dijinn or other genies). Could also be a Wizard looking at the flavor of it from past editions.

Overall, rather disappointing. I feel they might put them into other classes, but it feels like the whole "Square Peg + Round Hole" problem if they do that. Looking at the Shuganja and Sha'ir from past editions, as builds they really only fit with two of the essentials classes: Mage and Warlock. So I would suspect they end up there. Unless Wizards are planning essentials builds of other classes, like the Sorcerer, the Elementalist pretty much has a good chance of ending up a Mage as well.

Until I see more to the contrary (hopefully) there is my enthusiasm gone. I knew I shouldn't have looked them up. I knew it.

 

[Incenjucar]

We can at least hope that the builds are as good as the executioner or blackguard, but it really baffles me how they could do so little with such an open concept. I dearly hope that the Amazon blurb is in error.

 

[Dice4Hire]

That blurb is totally underwhelming. In fact it has mightily .... annoyed me.

Cannot WOTC try to pushthe boundries of the game and add mroe good stuff to it. HoS did not do it, and HotF will probably not do it.

I was hoping the handbook would do it.

New classes are not that bad, WOTC. New builds is annoying.

Boy am I getting close to stopping my 4E collection with Dark SUn.

 

[Aegeri]

I'm trying to figure out why Amazon seems to know so much about a book coming out next year, yet comparatively little about one coming out this year. On thinking about it, I do think that information just seems rather inaccurate. Three builds also isn't a lot of space in the book, even with an essentials style format. I would think there would be other things in the book, hopefully a couple of dedicated classes perhaps.

 

[Incenjucar]

I really think that the Amazon blurb is probably a mistake. I sent WotC an email in hopes of finding out if my hunch is true. I dearly hope it is. It's absolutely fine and expected for the mentioned subclasses to be in as they are, so long as that's not ALL there is.