Crothian
First Post
Wizards of the Coast has a new strategy for fourth edition D&D. There are going to be books each year with a similar theme. The first of them produced is Player’s Handbook 2 which give players new options for races and classes but it is otherwise very similar in appearance to the first players handbook. The book offers quite a few additional options to the game. None of them are absolutely needed though all of them can add some fun. The book is really self contained. If one is playing a race and a class that is not in this book then the book really has few options for that character. I like this as it makes it easier to find useful options for the different characters.
The book starts of with five new races. Well, new to this version of the game. Only the Deva is new and that some will say is very much like so past races. In the long history of D&D it is hard to come up with something completely new.
The Deva is an interesting race. I like the idea of allowing players to play an immortal creature and have the rules stay on par for other races. There are a lot of good role playing opportunities that lend itself to this race without other factors really needed. It might be the strongest race in that area so far for 4e.
The Gnome is a race that needed a new edition. The gnome has been many things and in 3e seemed to have lost his identity. The 4e gnome is a trickster and has a tie to the Feywild. This is a nice and simple concept to stick with and without the sub races to cloud the issue these gnomes should once again find a good place in many games.
The Goliath is still the same race that was seen in third edition. It is basically a half giant. They are big and strong and resilient. They do not seem to have the abuse capability they used to have and that is a nice improvement.
The half orc is a race that has been around for a while and then disappeared. It is interesting to see that their history is that of a created race of Kord and not the union of orcs and humans. They are also going to be a tough race that will be good at doing damage and charging. I think it would be a fun race to play for a group that uses minis and lots of terrain and battle maps.
Lastly are the Shifters a race first introduced through Eberron. While still a good class I miss the many mechanical options shifters had in 3e with the many different types of them and the focus on feats for neat new abilities. 4e does not have that focus anymore and at least for this race it will be missed.
The best part though of the new race section is the racial paragon paths. These paragon paths are designed for a specific race and each gets one. It really focuses on what the core concept of the races are and gives abilities and powers that reinforce the concept. I hope that we see more of these in future books and on line.
The character classes are neat in concept and they do perform differently then the classes that were presented in the first player’s handbook. The classes offer some new concepts for players but again nothing here is really needed for the game but it does enhance the game nicely. The powers do start to feel the same though once one starts to read them all in a single sitting so I’m going to suggest people not do that. The importance of creative description at the gaming table will become important as if one does focus on strictly the mechanics of the abilities they do get a little boring and repetitive. I find myself most interested in the utility powers since these are the ones that can have uses out side of combat and I think the game could use more of that.
The Avenger is a divine striker. I like that it can have similar concepts to the Paladin but they would be presented in a very different way. Divine classes I believe have a little stronger concept from the get go with the help of a very strong link to a deity which lends its own concept to the character.
The Barbarian is another striker and it might be the class that has the best damage but at the cost of its own defenses at times. The rages make good stances and there is some nice versatility to how they can be used.
The bard is an arcane leader and while the concept is pretty good just is not what I wanted from the Bard. I felt it needed a little more versatility, more skills, and less focus on one thing. Or it could have gone back to its Celtic and Druidic roots. The Bard class has always been one that different people wanted different things from. With luck WotC will give us other classes that can fit those alternative Bard concepts.
The Druid really looks different. It is a class that uses a lot of changing into animals and almost could have been a striker I imagine. Instead it is a controller giving it a lot of versatility between the human and beast shapes.
The Invoker is another Controller this time a divine one. Like many of the divine classes it has a really strong concept and has a lot of role playing opportunities built right into it.
The Shaman I think is my least favorite of the classes. It is a Primal Leader and has abilities that revolve around summoning spirits. I think it is one that would be better played then it is read.
The Sorcerer is an Arcane Striker and one that I think could get its own book. Sorcerers lend themselves well to have a strong theme and this class could easily have more options dealing with the elements, the different planes of existence, and many creatures. Of all the classes in this book the Sorcerer is the one I most want to play.
Last of the classes is the Warden a Primal Defender. Like the Shaman I was not sure about this class but having seen it played and then going back and rereading the class helped me get a stronger understanding about it. My original fear was that Defenders would play a lot a like since their roles seems to me to be the least versatile. But the options for the class and the different ways the marks work is good for some diversity of classes.
Each class gets paragon paths for them. There are a lot of interest ways to take the classes that these paths present. There are also more Epic Destinies in here. These can help for different concepts once the characters reach that epic tier.
Lastly the book has the usual character options. It presents a more generic version of backgrounds first introduced in the Forgotten Realms Campaign setting,. Backgrounds are a good way to add a little more information about the character I just wish it had a little stronger mechanical value. The book has plenty new feats in it most of them are for a race or class presented in this book. It does introduce the Expertise feats and these have been heatly debated with much math it seems. These feats add a bonus to attack and some people feel that the game needed it for the numbers to work. Personally, I try not to get so concerned with the numbers that it would matter to me. They are useful feats adding a bonus to pretty much everything a character would do with a weapon or implement. But they are also boring as that uis all they do and athey have no flair to them.
Player’s Handbook 2 is a good addition to the D&D game. It has some good race and class options in it and presents a few nice options for most characters. But it is a book that is mainly self contained so will not be as useful to players not creating a character with one of these races or classes. The magical items and rituals would be the most useful I imagine to other characters. For example my own 4e character for instance, a Changeling Rogue, only one feat out of the whole book was something that might interest the character.
The book starts of with five new races. Well, new to this version of the game. Only the Deva is new and that some will say is very much like so past races. In the long history of D&D it is hard to come up with something completely new.
The Deva is an interesting race. I like the idea of allowing players to play an immortal creature and have the rules stay on par for other races. There are a lot of good role playing opportunities that lend itself to this race without other factors really needed. It might be the strongest race in that area so far for 4e.
The Gnome is a race that needed a new edition. The gnome has been many things and in 3e seemed to have lost his identity. The 4e gnome is a trickster and has a tie to the Feywild. This is a nice and simple concept to stick with and without the sub races to cloud the issue these gnomes should once again find a good place in many games.
The Goliath is still the same race that was seen in third edition. It is basically a half giant. They are big and strong and resilient. They do not seem to have the abuse capability they used to have and that is a nice improvement.
The half orc is a race that has been around for a while and then disappeared. It is interesting to see that their history is that of a created race of Kord and not the union of orcs and humans. They are also going to be a tough race that will be good at doing damage and charging. I think it would be a fun race to play for a group that uses minis and lots of terrain and battle maps.
Lastly are the Shifters a race first introduced through Eberron. While still a good class I miss the many mechanical options shifters had in 3e with the many different types of them and the focus on feats for neat new abilities. 4e does not have that focus anymore and at least for this race it will be missed.
The best part though of the new race section is the racial paragon paths. These paragon paths are designed for a specific race and each gets one. It really focuses on what the core concept of the races are and gives abilities and powers that reinforce the concept. I hope that we see more of these in future books and on line.
The character classes are neat in concept and they do perform differently then the classes that were presented in the first player’s handbook. The classes offer some new concepts for players but again nothing here is really needed for the game but it does enhance the game nicely. The powers do start to feel the same though once one starts to read them all in a single sitting so I’m going to suggest people not do that. The importance of creative description at the gaming table will become important as if one does focus on strictly the mechanics of the abilities they do get a little boring and repetitive. I find myself most interested in the utility powers since these are the ones that can have uses out side of combat and I think the game could use more of that.
The Avenger is a divine striker. I like that it can have similar concepts to the Paladin but they would be presented in a very different way. Divine classes I believe have a little stronger concept from the get go with the help of a very strong link to a deity which lends its own concept to the character.
The Barbarian is another striker and it might be the class that has the best damage but at the cost of its own defenses at times. The rages make good stances and there is some nice versatility to how they can be used.
The bard is an arcane leader and while the concept is pretty good just is not what I wanted from the Bard. I felt it needed a little more versatility, more skills, and less focus on one thing. Or it could have gone back to its Celtic and Druidic roots. The Bard class has always been one that different people wanted different things from. With luck WotC will give us other classes that can fit those alternative Bard concepts.
The Druid really looks different. It is a class that uses a lot of changing into animals and almost could have been a striker I imagine. Instead it is a controller giving it a lot of versatility between the human and beast shapes.
The Invoker is another Controller this time a divine one. Like many of the divine classes it has a really strong concept and has a lot of role playing opportunities built right into it.
The Shaman I think is my least favorite of the classes. It is a Primal Leader and has abilities that revolve around summoning spirits. I think it is one that would be better played then it is read.
The Sorcerer is an Arcane Striker and one that I think could get its own book. Sorcerers lend themselves well to have a strong theme and this class could easily have more options dealing with the elements, the different planes of existence, and many creatures. Of all the classes in this book the Sorcerer is the one I most want to play.
Last of the classes is the Warden a Primal Defender. Like the Shaman I was not sure about this class but having seen it played and then going back and rereading the class helped me get a stronger understanding about it. My original fear was that Defenders would play a lot a like since their roles seems to me to be the least versatile. But the options for the class and the different ways the marks work is good for some diversity of classes.
Each class gets paragon paths for them. There are a lot of interest ways to take the classes that these paths present. There are also more Epic Destinies in here. These can help for different concepts once the characters reach that epic tier.
Lastly the book has the usual character options. It presents a more generic version of backgrounds first introduced in the Forgotten Realms Campaign setting,. Backgrounds are a good way to add a little more information about the character I just wish it had a little stronger mechanical value. The book has plenty new feats in it most of them are for a race or class presented in this book. It does introduce the Expertise feats and these have been heatly debated with much math it seems. These feats add a bonus to attack and some people feel that the game needed it for the numbers to work. Personally, I try not to get so concerned with the numbers that it would matter to me. They are useful feats adding a bonus to pretty much everything a character would do with a weapon or implement. But they are also boring as that uis all they do and athey have no flair to them.
Player’s Handbook 2 is a good addition to the D&D game. It has some good race and class options in it and presents a few nice options for most characters. But it is a book that is mainly self contained so will not be as useful to players not creating a character with one of these races or classes. The magical items and rituals would be the most useful I imagine to other characters. For example my own 4e character for instance, a Changeling Rogue, only one feat out of the whole book was something that might interest the character.
