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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MrMyth" data-source="post: 5285768" data-attributes="member: 61155">Well, the reason I don't consider it equivalent to the 3.0 -> 3.5 transition is... it doesn't really replace anything.  When 3.5 came out, if I wanted to have the current versions of the PHB, DMG, MM, I needed to pick up the 3.5 versions. I needed to update existing characters. I needed to eventually upgrade splatbooks to their 3.5 equivalent (Sword and Fist replaced by Complete Warrior, for example.) With Essentials... I'm getting more options, but my PHB isn't becoming out of date. I could play a PHB Wizard specialized in using Wand, or an Essentials Wizard specialized in Illusions - but both are designed to sit at the same table and play alongside each other.  And if I ignore Essentials entirely, almost nothing changes for existing characters. They get more options, yes - but, for the most part, that's no different than any other new release.  The actual changes required for existing characters are pretty small - wizards have some Encounter powers improved (by doing things on a miss). Magic Missile gets updated. One feat we know of receives some pretty small errata (Melee Training). A few other feats or powers may receive slight clarification in how they work. That's... not that much to deal with.  All the other changes are largely additive in nature. PHB races will have more options for their ability score bonuses. Classes have some new builds to choose from. New feats will be available, organized slightly differently than before. DMs have new options for distributing magic items, and new advice for using DCs.  As opposed to having a class suddenly change armor proficiencies, skills, hitpoints, or more fundamental changes to weapon size, damage reduction, monster formulas, magic item levels, or sweeping changes to many key spells.  So... yeah. 3.5 was a much bigger change, and more than that - it was a revision, clearly stated up front, that presented new rules versions of the rules you already have. Essentials provides new options, and a new starting point for incoming players, but isn't overwriting anything that came before it - or if it does, is doing so on a much, much smaller scale.  For me, this is much closer to the 3.5 PHBII, which I seem to recall was a book of new options for races and classes, and some updated guidance on how certain spells (like polymorph spells) worked. Sure, you had Druid builds that worked completely different from the standard PHB Druid... but the existence of the new build didn't invalidate the old.  Same thing we've got here.</blockquote>

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