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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Neonchameleon" data-source="post: 6061260" data-attributes="member: 87792">Sounds like you've an excellent grasp of what 4e does - other than missing the impact of rituals (don't worry - you aren't the only one) and utility powers.As for what to buy, do not buy the Monster Manual 1.  It's very flawed (literally none of the solos are worth using and higher level monsters don't keep up), and has more or less been replaced by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Vault-Essential-Dungeons-Dragons/dp/0786956313" target="_blank">Monster Vault</a> which IMO is the best monster manual for any edition - good fluff full of hooks for using the monster and absolutely superb crunch most of the time.  With the higher damage there's a lot less grind (although not none).As for the PHB, six of the eight classes in there are online (<a href="http://wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/dra/201104fighter" target="_blank">fighter</a>, <a href="http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/dra/201103warlord" target="_blank">warlord</a>, <a href="http://wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/dra/201105templar" target="_blank">cleric</a>, <a href="https://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/dra/201107wizard" target="_blank">wizard</a>, <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/dra/201106rogue" target="_blank">rogue</a>, <a href="https://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/warlock/201107" target="_blank">warlock</a>) - only ranger and paladin are missing.  Which means that you'd be better off buying <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heroes-Fallen-Lands-Essential-Supplement/dp/0786956208" target="_blank">Heroes of the Fallen Lands</a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heroes-Forgotten-Kingdoms-Essential-Supplement/dp/0786956194/ref=pd_sim_b_1" target="_blank">Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms</a> in place of the PHB as they were designed to be alternatives to the PHB (the two combined come to little more than the cost of the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Players-Handbook-Heinsoo/dp/0786948671/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1355621991&sr=1-1&keywords=player%27s+handbook+4" target="_blank">4E PHB</a>).  The Heroes books contain classes designed slightly differently to the orthodox pre-essentials PHB classes; of the HoFL classes, the thief is an absolute gem, the two fighter classes are simple to play (and don't have dailies), and everyone except the wizard has far fewer options to build.  The wizard in HoFL is tweaked - fluffier than the PHB one (and can at last be an illusionist).  As for HoFK, you have Rangers (archery or two weapon), Paladins, Hexblades, and the underpowered druids.  All simple to build but with options in play.  And there are a lot more obvious non-combat options in the Heroes... classes than in the PHB takes on those classes.  (The rangers and druids get Wilderness Knacks, the thief can get a climb speed, the clerics come with domain based utility powers).As for the DMG, it depends what you want from a DMG - but the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rules-Compendium-Essential-Dungeons-Dragons/dp/0786956216/ref=pd_sim_b_5" target="_blank">Rules Compendium</a> is significantly cheaper and more useful at the table (and has the corrected Skill Challenge rules).  Or if you want maps, an adventure and a screen thrown in rather than a standalone book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Masters-Kit-Essential-Dungeons/dp/0786956305/ref=pd_sim_b_4" target="_blank">the DM's Kit</a> is about the same price as the DMG 1 - and probably more useful.  I'd recommend saving the $10 or so and just going for the Rules Compendium unless you're the normal DM (and if you want an adventure, I recommend Zeitgeist from here).A lot of the built time is familiarity - from a standing start in a class I don't know I could build a character in 5 minutes (I timed it from double clicking the character builder to printing out).  @<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/member.php?u=17543" target="_blank">Alarion</a> , 10 minute turns will kill 4e stone cold dead and it has definitely improved as a game sice it first came out.  If everyone's having fun it's an improvement whatever the rules say <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":-)" title="Smile    :-)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":-)" /></blockquote>

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