Mortality Radio # 30: Ed Stark interview available...

[A'koss]

Originally posted by Remathilis

Haste is a mass spell? what happens to its bigger brother? Extra move action? No extra attack? Maybe a higher level version might, or its a typo.

That extra "move" action can be turned into an extra attack. No mention though of what happens to Mass Haste. I suspect that it has either been dropped or replaced with some kind of "Improved" Haste.

Vecenoctum, this chat gave virtually no new information on the Druid other than it's seeing some changes...

Bret, nothing on scribing spells either. I don't see the Rogue affected much by the changes, even if Ed liked to describe the new Ranger as a "Wilderness Rogue". The Rogue still has evasion, sneak attack and some decent abilities to pick up after 10th level...


A'koss.

 

[Green Knight]

Bards don't suffer penalties spellcasting in armor.

Ok, I just want this clarified for the sake of my sanity.

Say I'm a multi-classed Bard/Paladin. I'm wearing a suit of Full Plate and holding a large shield. So I have 0 chance of suffering Arcane spell failure?

If so, WHOO HOO! My Bard/Paladin idea suddenly seems more appealing! Hmm. I wonder if I can convince my DM to integrate the Bard improvements which we KNOW about for a fact? Specifically no Arcane Spell Failure and 6 skill points. I can always rewrite my character when 3.5 comes out, later, to add in the other new stuff but I could sure use this stuff right away when my DM gets around to starting up a new Forgotten Realms game. Now the only question is: Would I rather be a 3rd-level Bard, or a 4th-level Bard?

 

[Spatula]

Re: Re: Re: 3.5e tidbits from the Ed Stark chat.

FWIW, please don't. I like Perform the way it is now.

Perform as-is involves less bookeeping, but is rather silly. Now that bards are getting more skill points, I don't see any reason not to break up the skill as they did in d20 Modern.

(And, while I'm at the counter-request, let me just hope again that Jump isn't changed to match d20 Modern. )

It actually works out the same (without needing a calculator!), or very nearly so, when you've got a character with a speed of 30. The current D&D Jump skill takes longer to resolve (for no benefit) if your move is 30, and takes forever if it's not. If they use the simpler d20 Modern mechanism and can turn faster/slower movement rates into plusses/minuses to the skill, then they'd have a Jump skill that might actually be usable in the middle of a game.

 

[A'koss]

I just picked up a new 3.5e tidbit from over on r.g.f.d. - Ambidexterity is being dropped.

The Two-Weapon Fighting feat now grants the same bonus as having both. You'll still require the additional TW Fighting feats in order to gain the 2nd, 3rd and 4th extra off-hand attacks however.


Cheers,

A'koss.

 

[Green Knight]

Did they mention the prerequisites? Do you need a Dex of 15+ like for Ambidexterity?

Whatever the case, I'm glad it's gone. Two Feats for that? No thanks. Plus it made it a bear to recreate a character I had in 2E who fought two-weapon style, bastard sword in one hand and shield bashing with the other. Now it might be worthwhile to remake that character, after all.

 

[Selvarin]

Hmm...

Sp Ambidexterity's gone for good or...?...I can still see where people may be ambidextrous without favoring TWF. but whataver works.

Hmm, no changes for the paladin? No improvements in order to bring about a better progression? Tsk.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Re: 3.5e tidbits from the Ed Stark chat.

26. Weapon familiarity: Halfling, Half-Orc and Half-Elf don't get any familiar weapons. Familiarity only useful if class gets martial weapon proficiencies.

Does that mean that Elves get weapon familarity? For what weapons? Is the Thinblade in?

 

[Plane Sailing]

Say I'm a multi-classed Bard/Paladin. I'm wearing a suit of Full Plate and holding a large shield. So I have 0 chance of suffering Arcane spell failure?

Of course, you might have a question of how your bard alignment (any non-Lawful) and Paladin alignment (Lawful Good) stack up... Are you going to be an ex-Paladin, or an ex-Bard, and which abilities are lost from which class

(OTOH, I'd love to play a Paladin with the "inspire courage" ability - inspiring my mates as I charge into battle!)

 

[Plane Sailing]

4. The ranger gets improved species enemy abilities (starting at 1st level), more skill points, track while running, "wild empathy" ability (again at 1st level)... and at 2nd level gets to choose his "combat style" (two-weapon and archery only).

I've heard enough.

This change has made up my mind. Instead of being shoehorned into two weapon fighting, the ranger gets shoe horned into either two weapon fighting OR archery style. -snip-

Doesn't it seem exciting that the ranger is getting some interesting unique abilities? It sound to me as though the ranger is now going to be defined more by his wider range of skills, wild empathy, track while running and improved species enemy...

fighting styles is something at 2nd level that could encourage someone to stick with the class for another level and looks like a nicely extensible option (I'm very likely to create an appropriate mounted fighting style for the Dukan Nomads in my campaign, for instance).

Sounds all good to me.

 

[Plane Sailing]

The changes to Bard and Ranger make me wonder how many rogues we will see.

Both the Ranger and Bard have a good selection of skills available. They both have spells. The ranger gets full BAB. Now they are going to get almost as many skill points as a rogue, certainly more than a Rogue/Fighter multiclass would average.

Well, since the Rogue still gets unique skills, sneak attack, unique ability to disarm traps, uncanny dodge & evasion, plus a range of other interesting abilities from 10th level... I'd imagine that we would see pretty much as many rogues as we do now.

This skill point fix for the Bard and Ranger is long overdue IMO - it was one of the early house rules in my campaign and I don't think it downplays the rogue one iota.