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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 9204626" data-attributes="member: 27780">Dungeon/Polyhedron Issue 91/150: Mar/Apr 2002part 10/12Skills: While some of the rules are further away from D&D than the final version, the skill list is more similar. They’ve still got Animal Empathy, Appraise, Open Locks, Pick Pockets and Use Magic Device, even though some of these aren’t class skills for any of the basic classes. They have yet to finalise the modern crafts, knowledges and perform lists, or add Gamble, Investigate, Navigate, Research or Sleight of Hand. Computer Use, Drive, Demolitions, Pilot, Repair and Treat Injury are the new ones that are common to both versions and get descriptions here. That leaves me with less to comment on than the previous section, but still gives us a better idea of which changes came earlier and later in the development process. Feats: This is only 4 pages long, so there’s quite a bit missing. Like the final product, (and last issue) a large number of these are ones that give +2 to two related skills, while buying one focussing on one skill gives you a +3 bonus. They’re already fully aware that the 3.0 implementation has turned out underpowered in actual play, so no-one was taking them unless they really needed too for a prestige class. Other new ones that will appear in the final book are the tweaked weapon and armor proficiency categories, Frightful Presence, Heroic Surge and Surgery. Ones that will not appear in the final product are Fame and Infamy, since the reputation system will work differently, the one that grants extra vitality points, (which you still probably wouldn’t take here either because +3 to vitality is worth a lot less than +3 to wound points) Extra Action Points, which is a complete n00b trap of a feat since you’re spending a permanent feat slot for 1d4+1 more non-refreshing ones, leaving you just plain worse off long-term, or the one that lets you see Shadow creatures for what they are and remember them, which is a weird one because you can also get it for free with enough shadow exposure so taking it with one of your feat slots once again seems like a trap. As with the classes there’s some mechanically clunky bits that definitely needed another editing pass and the overall power level is slightly lower. Who wants to have to deal with their characters repeatedly disbelieving or forgetting about the supernatural for a significant part of their low-level play? Sure you need to justify why you can’t just go to NPC’s for solutions, but roleplaying it for the PC’s just gets tedious after the first two or three sessions. I’m definitely glad they decided that was a bad idea and dropped it in the final version.</blockquote>

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