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

[Tharkun]

Ya know what? Everyone should go and buy the books if you can afford it regardless if you like it or not. Why? Because if you want the game to keep going (improving, whatever) then you need to show your support for WoTC.

And if you do not like the 3.5 books you know what you can do? GIVE them to someone who is just starting out in gaming or give them to an organization like Goodwill or something like that. We want to make the hobby grow (and D&D in particular). Don't we?

 

[Knight Otu]

So, if halfling, half-orc and half-elf don't get weapon familiarity, what about HUMANS?

 

[Kae'Yoss]

So, if halfling, half-orc and half-elf don't get weapon familiarity, what about HUMANS?

And elves, too.

I don't think humans get some. But halflings could gain the skiprock or the warsling, and half-orcs have the double axe, why don't they gain familiarity with them?

 

[Knight Otu]

and half-orcs have the double axe, why don't they gain familiarity with them?

I suppose it is a cultural thing... the half-races apparently are not as familiar with the racial weapons as their parents are (the halflings thus were caught by error ). That of course would require that the orc would gain weapon familiarity.

 

[Schmoe]

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.

How many barbarians do you see that focus on ranged combat?
How many paladins do you see that focus on sneaking?
How many sorcerers do you see that focus on melee?

My point is, just because they've limited the most effective use of a ranger to two different styles of combat, doesn't mean that they've shoe-horned the ranger any more than they've shoe-horned any other class.

The ranger can focus on either melee or ranged combat and still be effective. If he chooses melee, he has some advantages when fighting with two-weapon style. That hardly begins to define the class.

I think you are overreacting in this case.

 

[Li Shenron]

What strikes me most is that all the changes are, as you say, "boosts". Is it really going to be a more balanced game, or is it only going to the have the effect of appealing powergamers? What about the poor losers who chose to play a class which is not going to be "boosted"?

I thing changing classes to make them more unique in style, or to remove restrictions for more flexibility was a good idea, but more skill points or bonus feats is not helping much, IMHO.

Anyway, let's wait and see how it works

 

[Galfridus]

Magic Missile rant on.

Staple or not, Magic Missile is too powerful as is.

1) It has excellent range, never misses and has no saving throw. This makes it hard for the DM to include low HP foes, as they will always (unless they have Shield) get zapped. Oh yeah, and cover/concealment doesn't matter either -- if you can see it, you can zap it.

2) It's a force effect, so it hits incorporeal creatures automatically and has no resistance built in. This means that right from level 1, incorporeal creatures lose a lot of their "mystique". Oooh, a ghost -- BZZZT.

3) And of course, it scales very well, retaining it's usefulness for a long time.

It's so good that any character who can take it would be foolish not to take it. It's far, far better than any other 1st level attack spell -- so taking any other 1st level attack spell is just a bad call.

I'm rather dismayed that all they could think to try for 3.5 was the same failed idea as they tried in the 3e playtest. Some ideas I have toyed with:

-- Does 1d4 damage instead of 1d4+1. Probably not enough.

-- Does elemental damage (fire, probably) instead of force. At least then an Endure Elements will render you immune.

-- Ranged touch attack.

Personally, I wouldn't start another campaign without changing it, just to provide some variety in low level attack spells.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

Ya know what? Everyone should go and buy the books if you can afford it regardless if you like it or not. Why? Because if you want the game to keep going (improving, whatever) then you need to show your support for WoTC.

And if you do not like the 3.5 books you know what you can do? GIVE them to someone who is just starting out in gaming or give them to an organization like Goodwill or something like that. We want to make the hobby grow (and D&D in particular). Don't we?

Or I can show WotC that I do not like what they are doing and that I don't aprove of the way they are doing it and I will not give them money so that they think it is OK. Instead I will spend my money on d20 publishers who care about the hobby rather than milking the customer out of as much money as possible. D&D will not die, the SRD can't be revoked, so I will spend my money with companies who do care.

 

[Skaros]

Re: Re

This is pretty annoying. Kind of hamstrings sorcerers considering they already receive less feats than a wizard and really don't have the extra feat to spend on Arcane Preparation to take advantage of quicken spell. This will make the sorcerer a much less attractive class, IMO.

I could have accepted the Haste change if they had integrated a means for the sorcerer to use the Quicken feat without Arcane Preparation. Now, I feel like my blaster sorcerer has been completely hamstringed.

I'm not sure...quicken spell would be much more useful to sorcerers than wizards, as sorcerers can more easily afford to sacrifice higher level spell slots. Even with arcane preparation required, it might just be worth the price of admission.

-Skaros

 

[Lord Rasputin]

Magic Missile rant on.

Staple or not, Magic Missile is too powerful as is.

[snip]

I'm rather dismayed that all they could think to try for 3.5 was the same failed idea as they tried in the 3e playtest. Some ideas I have toyed with:

-- Does 1d4 damage instead of 1d4+1. Probably not enough.

-- Does elemental damage (fire, probably) instead of force. At least then an Endure Elements will render you immune.

-- Ranged touch attack.

Personally, I wouldn't start another campaign without changing it, just to provide some variety in low level attack spells.

Ideas one and two sound pretty good to me, in combination. I always thought it should deal 1d3 damage, which would still make it better, since it never misses and has no save. Plus, you wouldn't need to roll the caltrops. There's a value in having an attack that never misses, even from the game-system standpoint, but Magic Missile is too much.