Character traits sneak peak:
http://www.montecook.com/cgi-bin/page.cgi?mpress_IL_excerpt1
Hunter class sneak peak:
http://www.montecook.com/cgi-bin/page.cgi?mpress_IL_excerpt2
Without getting bogged down in the various arguements going on in the other Iron Lore threads, I wanted to make some observations on these excerpts (and then we get to have all-new arguements wheee!). Heck, maybe Mike will stop by and take some notes.
Child of Faith Trait
I was surprised to see the Child of Faith feat grants abilities that have 1/day uses. The x/day mechanic is one thing I'd like to see gone from d20, if for no other reason is that it perpetuates the notion that such abilities can be accurately gauged and balanced based on the designers' assumptions of how many times characters will be engaged in combat before they rest. I've actually seen 3e designer comments where they'd said "in an average day, a party of X size and Y level can expect to have between 3-5 encounters". I think that's wildly presumptuous.
By way of example, I've been in a campaign where the combined factors of a large group and the DM's predilection for grandiose, skin-of-your-teeth, winner-take-all battles resulted consistently in the party having only one fight a night, so more than 1/day was pointless. OTOH, as a DM I like to have lots of small skirmishes on missions with tight deadlines that force characters to contemplate the depletion of resources carefully. And yet another DM I know lets the party explore at their own pace, so people rest whenever they feel like it and the concept of 4/day vs. 3/day is tough to gauge.
This is why I liked the token idea. It's a superior mechanic because the replenishment of tokens is in the players' hands.
City Rat trait
The City Rat's ability to track down "dealers and informants" seems pretty vaguely described. Moreover, is this intended to compliment or supplant Knowledge (local)?
OTOH, the mechanic for using Survival to track down items has a specific formula that I think is a little unworkable. A 1000 gp item has a reasonable DC of 20, while a 2000 gp item requires a DC 40 check. Now IL may well have a different scheme for pricing than D&D, where the discrepency of 1000 gp is accurately represented by a 20 DC gulf, but it seems dubious. Perhaps characters have significant options for adding on skill enhancers, so a 40 DC check isn't as outrageously high as it is in D&D.
The "Face in the Crowd" ability is interesting. I do hope the Disguise skill is switched to being INT-based (complimented by CHA-based Bluff skill). People notice high CHA characters; it shouldn't aid characters in escaping notice.
Tall trait
Strictly personal opinion here, but allowing a character to threaten one additional square seems cumbersome, and I think it will lead to some awkward situations. D20 combat operates under the notion that during any given round a creature is paying attention to their surroundings from multiple directions at once--this is why we haven't seen mechanics like this before.
Hunter Hit Die
The Hunter hit die/level is listed as 1d4+4. Looks like a good compromise between rolling and taking an average number. 1d4+4 generates an average of 6.5, which is what a d12 generates on average (all of this before CON modifiers). I wonder how that number stacks up to the other classes?
Hunter Defense Bonus
The Hunter receives a defense bonus that tops out at +17, coming very close to his BAB. Others have followed IL more closely than me, so does anybody know if armor still provides any AC benefits, or is entirely DR? One of d20's core concepts is that hits should tend to exceed misses, and as levels progress the ratio increases in favor of hits, thereby making HP even more vital.
EDIT--Feel free to insert your own observations!
http://www.montecook.com/cgi-bin/page.cgi?mpress_IL_excerpt1
Hunter class sneak peak:
http://www.montecook.com/cgi-bin/page.cgi?mpress_IL_excerpt2
Without getting bogged down in the various arguements going on in the other Iron Lore threads, I wanted to make some observations on these excerpts (and then we get to have all-new arguements wheee!). Heck, maybe Mike will stop by and take some notes.

Child of Faith Trait
I was surprised to see the Child of Faith feat grants abilities that have 1/day uses. The x/day mechanic is one thing I'd like to see gone from d20, if for no other reason is that it perpetuates the notion that such abilities can be accurately gauged and balanced based on the designers' assumptions of how many times characters will be engaged in combat before they rest. I've actually seen 3e designer comments where they'd said "in an average day, a party of X size and Y level can expect to have between 3-5 encounters". I think that's wildly presumptuous.
By way of example, I've been in a campaign where the combined factors of a large group and the DM's predilection for grandiose, skin-of-your-teeth, winner-take-all battles resulted consistently in the party having only one fight a night, so more than 1/day was pointless. OTOH, as a DM I like to have lots of small skirmishes on missions with tight deadlines that force characters to contemplate the depletion of resources carefully. And yet another DM I know lets the party explore at their own pace, so people rest whenever they feel like it and the concept of 4/day vs. 3/day is tough to gauge.
This is why I liked the token idea. It's a superior mechanic because the replenishment of tokens is in the players' hands.
City Rat trait
The City Rat's ability to track down "dealers and informants" seems pretty vaguely described. Moreover, is this intended to compliment or supplant Knowledge (local)?
OTOH, the mechanic for using Survival to track down items has a specific formula that I think is a little unworkable. A 1000 gp item has a reasonable DC of 20, while a 2000 gp item requires a DC 40 check. Now IL may well have a different scheme for pricing than D&D, where the discrepency of 1000 gp is accurately represented by a 20 DC gulf, but it seems dubious. Perhaps characters have significant options for adding on skill enhancers, so a 40 DC check isn't as outrageously high as it is in D&D.
The "Face in the Crowd" ability is interesting. I do hope the Disguise skill is switched to being INT-based (complimented by CHA-based Bluff skill). People notice high CHA characters; it shouldn't aid characters in escaping notice.
Tall trait
Strictly personal opinion here, but allowing a character to threaten one additional square seems cumbersome, and I think it will lead to some awkward situations. D20 combat operates under the notion that during any given round a creature is paying attention to their surroundings from multiple directions at once--this is why we haven't seen mechanics like this before.
Hunter Hit Die
The Hunter hit die/level is listed as 1d4+4. Looks like a good compromise between rolling and taking an average number. 1d4+4 generates an average of 6.5, which is what a d12 generates on average (all of this before CON modifiers). I wonder how that number stacks up to the other classes?
Hunter Defense Bonus
The Hunter receives a defense bonus that tops out at +17, coming very close to his BAB. Others have followed IL more closely than me, so does anybody know if armor still provides any AC benefits, or is entirely DR? One of d20's core concepts is that hits should tend to exceed misses, and as levels progress the ratio increases in favor of hits, thereby making HP even more vital.
EDIT--Feel free to insert your own observations!
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