New 2009 Products up.

[Zsig]

With any luck PHB II will finish up Arcane, Divine and Primal, leaving PHB III & IV open to all new power sources, probably two per book.
Late 2009 PHB III: Psionics & Shadow
Early 2010 PHB IV: Elemental & Ki
Or any combination thereof.

Then the rest of 2009 should see the Divine Power book, Draconomicon II: Metallic Dragons, the Eberron CS, PG and Adventure, the 2nd and 3rd Epic tier adventures and way too many minis and dungeon tiles.

I don't know... I mean, from a marketing standpoint, think about it.

If a given person doesn't like Psionics nor Shadow (as you pointed for PHB III) why would he buy the book? I think, and might as well be wrong, that they'll keep supporting "old" Power Sources so that there's stuff for everybody's tastes on every new book.

 

[Boarstorm]

I, too, find myself saddened by the lack of psionics in the PHB2.

Which is odd, because I've never really used psionics before, and didn't anticipate using them this time around either.

I guess there's just no pleasing me.

 

[am181d]

I hope they consider changing the name then. "Dungeon Delve" is a serious step down from either Dungeonscape or Dungeoneer's Survival Guide.

On the plus side, Dungeon Delve will be the first version of the book with no fake words in its title...

 

[JDillard]

I, too, find myself saddened by the lack of psionics in the PHB2.

Amazing how many people are sad about this, despite something that's already been mentioned in this thread:

Eberron is the campaign setting in 09. Psionics are highly integrated into Eberron. Thus, Psionics need to be out before Eberron is going to work.

So if Psy is not in the PHB2, then they'll get it out there somehow else.

Also... Primal! Druids! Barbarians!

Don't tell me you're complaining that they chose to put in Druids and Barbarians over Psy...??

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Don't tell me you're complaining that they chose to put in Druids and Barbarians over Psy...??

I will complain...I think PSi and Shadow are 150% more helpful to my gameing style...haveing said that I guess I can live with it as long as we are sure that means Necromancers and Telapaths will be in PHBIII

 

[Boarstorm]

Don't tell me you're complaining that they chose to put in Druids and Barbarians over Psy...??

Not at all, though to be honest the playstyle of my group tends to shy away from both classes ("There's a forest in our way. Break out the alchemist's fire, Bob.").

As I said, I never really used psionics, either. But the idea of a Dal Quor-based Eberron campaign has been kicking around in my head for awhile, so I thought it might be handy to have them.

If I had to name a single preference for the power source I'm most looking forward to, however, it would definitely be shadow.

I want some real necromancers and I love the concept of a necromantic gish defender similar in concept to the swordmage, only using the powers of death and undeath.

 

[Kaffis]

arcane and divine? but I've already got those! screw that I want Ki and Psionics. lame.

meh, I'll probably still buy it though

You've got 4 classes for 2 power sources. Hardly saturated. Compare to 4 classes of martial.

I roughly expect to see 4 primal-sourced classes, one per role, and then 4 split between arcane and divine -- either 2 arcane, 2 divine, or 1 arcane (bard) and 3 divine. If classes introduced in campaign settings get reprinted in PHB's (like Dragon-introduced class/race content will be), I expect the 2/2 split to include the swordmage. If not, then they'll probably duplicate a role on divine.

I've never liked psionics (get your sci-fi out of my D&D! ), and I think that even among those who don't share my distaste outright, there's a significant population who see them as kind of an odd outlying fringe in D&D, so I'm not at all surprised by their decision to introduce primal (what with druid and barbarian, and potentially sorceror) as a more mainstream-demanded source, along with rounding out the two "classic" sources that had to share space in PHBI so they'd have one power source's offerings pretty much complete in order to offer a "X Power" splatbook before the next PHB. Wow, run-on much?

Regardless, I wonder if PHBIII and PHBIV will be 2 power sources apiece, or another 1 power source + 2 half power sources like these first two?

 

[Paradisio]

Unfortunately, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, it'll probably be a long while until we get psionics. If most groups are like both of mine, there probably just isn't demand for it. I love psionics, but all my players have an uncontrollable hatred for them because of broken systems prior to 3.5 and the fact they don't think it 'fits.'

 

[JDillard]

I want some real necromancers and I love the concept of a necromantic gish defender similar in concept to the swordmage, only using the poers of death and undeath.

So do it. Re-skinning powers in 4e is really, really freakin easy. We've already got a pseudo-druid in my current game. Reskinned infernal warlock, change his powers to "eruptions of fire beneath the enemy's feet" and other elemental stuff, and it plays out surprisingly easy.

Once swordmage comes out, reskin the powers to look like undead stuff and you're golden.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

I suspect that the PHB with psionics in it will be much the same stuff for psionics introduced in 3e, as it's likely that Bruce Cordell will be involved. I certainly see there being the Githyanki, Githzerai, and Elan as the races, since they have more traction over the others. Half-giants and Thri-kreen might very well get held off until Dark Sun comes out.

Somehow I suspect the races in each new book will have a bit of a link to the power sources, not always but very likely.

Gnomes which are almost outright confirmed for PHBII are generally tied to the arcane.

Shifters are another good canditate to that book since they sort of go with primal power. But they could be held off until Eberron comes out.

If PHBII is "arcane, divine & primal" than it does lend more weight to their being Inquisitor as a Divine striker and Theurge as a Divine Controller. I think the old class with the biggest question is sorcerers, whether they're yet another arcane controller (making them the 5th arcane class after wizard, warlock, swordmage, bard) or if they're a primal class.