HUGE SCOOP! Chris Perkins confirms my suspicions on unlimited Rituals

[Xethreau]

I don't mean to derail anything, but I hope a thread pops up with a comprehensive list of what Chris Perkins says here. Other than the ritual tidbit...

I already kind of did that over in the Gleemax forums.


Here are the highlights:

• Sara Girard said "4.0"...
• With rituals being separated from combat powers, no one has to choose between "Water Breathing" and "Fireball" (they can have both)
  [*]Buy/Collect as many rituals as you would like. Using a ritual (which seems to include Water Breathing and Prestidigitation) does not infringe on your combat powers.
• Girard thinks that minis are "not required," and for her RP is easier in 4e
• Detect Magic is now part of the Arcana skill (but it can only be used if Trained in the skill)
• No plans to expand gameplay beyond 30th level (no serious discussion at all, as it takes the game out of the "D&D frame"
• Higher level powers replace older powers, and powers do not get too numerous or sucky
• Multi-Role classes are possible, but none are made yet
• "Multiclassing is still in," and using multiple roles through this is possible
• Monster Role names are only an "overarching guideline;" Creature and encounter customization is awesome in 4e
• No more monster HD or Level Adjustments! Hooray! (We already knew this, but I am so happy!)
• Rules for creating monsters, traps, and races in DMG
• Law and Chaos are in, but "in a different way." No mechanical effects of Alignment, but there are "story benefits."
• "There are rules for organizations, but how we handle that is something we will talk about a little ways down the road."
• Unaligned means you haven't even picked a side. "Neutral" implies being aligned in the middle.
• No detecting alignment through magic (we knew this, though)
• "Paladin Code" is fluff
• The god of cake is a lie
• Divine "Portfolio grouping" allows for Exarch "demigods," living beings with divine dominion over an aspect of a portfolio that players could become or beat up (at high levels)
• Angels are officially "servants of the gods," which could be good or evil, and Archons are now elementals (which we did know, but it is nice to emphasize the point)
• Designers think that most complaints about 4e mechanics are due to misinterpretations or not seeing the full spectrum of the situation
• "Something bad about 4e:" It does not appeal to people who do not have the same "play style" as the creators and people in the office (and the people they are designing with in mind), but D&D is (in the opinion of designers) adaptable for anybody to play their own way.

 

[Sphyre]

• Sara Girard said "4.0"...

She keeps doing that! Is she trying to tell us something... I mean she is the brand manager... she does marketing. This might unsettle people. She's gotta work on her language

 

[PeelSeel2]

howandwhy99, I love your sig.

 

[adamda]

Thanks RyukenAngel! I'm a one forum guy, so I miss things - do appreciate the cross post!

I suppose my example of giving up Light for Fireball wasn't right, good points about the utility and combat split. However, I was rather hoping that at the very least you could keep utility powers throughout the levels. Damage dealing powers are one thing... sure, I can lose my fire spell that burns one person for 1d8 damage and dazes them for one that does 3d8, stuns, and knocks a target prone. But giving up a nifty utilities would be hard, because unless later utility spells become swiss army knives, you're going to have to give up a staple like floating disc for fly. But it's too early to really say, it's just a concern of mine. Four to five combat powers would be fine, but four to five utility powers... well, it's a different breed of wizard. I guess that's evolution.

 

[Falling Icicle]

[*]Angels are officially "servants of the gods," which could be good or evil, and Archons are now elementals (which we did know, but it is nice to emphasize the point)

Evil angels are going to take some getting used to. I'm trying to picture Tiamat sitting in the Abyss surrounded by ... angels with their fluffy white wings playing harps.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Well the Angels don't have to look like classic Angels, hell the Angels we have seen already don't look like classic Angels. I am thinking a good evil Angel would be something like this:

From Hellboy II

I quite like the information given, especially of course the ritual stuff

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Evil angels are going to take some getting used to. I'm trying to picture Tiamat sitting in the Abyss surrounded by ... angels with their fluffy white wings playing harps.

Why would you assume evil angels would behave like terrible Lawful Cheesy cartoon angels? As extensions of her terrible will, I suspect Tiamat's angels wouldn't be strumming any harps that weren't strung with the living flesh of would-be thieves.

 

[ZombieRoboNinja]

If you look at the pregen character sheets, the wizard and the cleric specifically have the ability to cast rituals. This would probably imply that other classes do not.

Pet theory: "Ritual Casting" comes along with picking Arcana as a trained skill.

 

[hong]

Why would you assume evil angels would behave like terrible Lawful Cheesy cartoon angels? As extensions of her terrible will, I suspect Tiamat's angels wouldn't be strumming any harps that weren't strung with the living flesh of would-be thieves.

W&M also goes out of its way to depict angels as faceless, emotionless harbingers of death/glory/doom/vengeance/whatever. Literally. Look at some of the artwork for them.

 

[mach1.9pants]

So Alignments in 4E seem to be:
Unaligned, Neutral, Good, Evil, Chaotic Evil definitely. Then probably: Lawful Good, Chaotic Good, Lawful Evil.
But the chaotic/lawful different from 3E might mean no Lawful (3E LN) or Chaotic (3E CN) maybe?