Of gishes and arcane defencers and whatnot: Is 4th ed. language for everyone?

[Grumpy Old Fart]

I'm just a grumpy old fart, trying to wrap my brain around this newfangled "Fourth Edition" game that all the young kids are chattering about these days. They tell me it's supposed to be easier to get into than earlier versions of D&D, but a lot of the terms I see bandied about don't seem to make a lick of sense. They sound kind of trendy and exclusive, and I'm afraid I'll never catch up to the trend. Should I keep trying to understand 4th ed lingo, or just go dig my grave and jump in already?

 

[Rechan]

Gish is like a 1e term, isn't it?

 

[PeterWeller]

Gish is a fighter/mage. I have no idea about the term's origin. Arcane Defender is a combination of power source and combat role. In this case, Arcane means arcane magic (like wizards), and Defender means tough melee fighter (like a fighter), so it's a guy who uses arcane magic to be a tough combatant.

 

[Zelc]

Gish

 

[Tewligan]

Gish is like a 1e term, isn't it?

Grrr...

 

[Nikosandros]

Gish is like a 1e term, isn't it?

it is used in the Fiend Folio as name for Githyanki fighter-magic users, but its generic usage is quite recent... at least in my experience.

 

[Piratecat]

Gish is a fighter/mage. I have no idea about the term's origin.

It was the official name for a githyanki fighter/mage, first used (I believe) in the 1e Fiend Folio.

 

[Doug McCrae]

I think of a gish as a physical fighter who buffs himself with magic. A cleric, for example. But the recent WotC article seems to think self-buffers are not gishes.

 

[PeterWeller]

Hehe, sometimes ENWorld feels like a classroom with a dozen teachers. Thanks fellas.

 

[Nikosandros]

Hehe, sometimes ENWorld feels like a classroom with a dozen teachers. Thanks fellas.

More like a class room with a dozed over eager students all jumping in their seats to give the right answer to the rest of the class...