Hypothesis about PHBx

[paradox42]

I have to agree with GreatLemur about not seeing so many new power sources introduced with each new PH. They'll want to always keep things in reserve to sell to people who want to stick with the old sources: remember that Bards aren't going to be in PH1, and we've been hearing about this Swordmage class that's supposed to be an Arcane Defender but also isn't in PH1. I'd suggest it's more likely that they'll introduce one new power source with each PH, and use the rest of the space to introduce new classes and races that use the old stuff and thus integrate the whole game more tightly.

My class list prediction for PH2 would be:
Ardent (Psionic Leader)
Bard (Arcane Leader)
Druid (Divine Controller)
Psion (Psionic Controller)
Psychic Warrior (Psionic Defender- or maybe the Soulknife kills it and takes its stuff instead)
Swordmage (Arcane Defender)

Last two slots I'm less certain of this way.
??? (Martial Controller- I've seen nothing about this one so far but have no doubt they're thinking about it)
Monk as Psionic Striker maybe? If not Psionic, then it's a new power source and they're introducing two in PH2 which partly invalidates my list above.

 

[Baby Samurai]

I'm not really expecting the additional core books to be themed at all, really. I think they'll probably be just about analogous to the 3.5 PHB2 and DMG2:

I do think the PHB releases will be quite broad, but at the same time support the featured campaign setting of that year.

Either way it beats 20 splat books a year.

…Anybody want to buy a Complete Gnome Cobbler Handbook?

 

[jodyjohnson]

I don't expect to see PHB 7 or even PHB 5. I suspect we'll be getting I, II, III, and IV and then looking for the next edition. We may get MMI-VI but by the time Year 5 and 6 roll around they'll be heavy enough into 5e development that doing the yearly PHB and semi-yearly DMG will be put on hold.

I think 4e will consist primarily of around 4 PHBs, 5-6 MMs, and 2-3 DMGs. Adventure modules, card props, and mapsets/tiles will fill the other product niches. Each year primarily dedicated to a campaign setting.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

…Anybody want to buy a Complete Gnome Cobbler Handbook?

Is that where gnomes as a PC race will be fully detailed? If so, duh.

 

[Goken100]

If you think about it logically, there is no reason to list the 3 power sources on the PH1 unless its as OPPOSED to a laundry list of other power sources. It's not like it says "Good, Evil, Lawful, and Chaotic Characters". There'd be no point to that - there's no ALTERNATE lists of alignments that will be coming out later.

So even though I hate the idea of other power sources coming out later, it seems inevitable.

 

[Aloïsius]

BTW, we don't really know what will be in the DMG1.

Well, there will be monkeys generating treasures :/

 

[mhensley]

Well, there will be monkeys generating treasures :/

monkey == object

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

monkey == object

But what if it's a brass monkey?

 

[Howndawg]

I'm starting to think, though, that we could look at the new cosmology for hints about where power sources are going. Obviously, since the Astral Sea is where all the godly domains are, we can connect the Divine power source to it. So maybe we could consider Arcane to be linked to the Elemental Tempest? It might work, anyway. And then the Feywild and Shadowfell start looking like really obvious suggestions for new power sources: Fey/Nature, Shadow/Death.

I think this idea was bandied about in one of the druid topics. Sounds like a great idea.

Howndawg

 

[Glyfair]

I don't expect to see PHB 7 or even PHB 5. I suspect we'll be getting I, II, III, and IV and then looking for the next edition.

Scott has said that they decided some time ago that 8-10 years is the appropriate time for a new edition. That means we won't be getting a new edition in 4 or 5 years. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised to see a change of the "1 DMG, PHB, MM per year" plan about that time, or at least consideration of it.

I never bought into the "3 new power sources per PHB" thoughts. I do think we'll see them in the upcoming PHBs, but I doubt it will be more than one or two per book (and sometimes even none).