Players Handbook II

[Zappo]

I knew you weren't in this discussion just to spite me.

It's been some confusion and I have been as clear as I can. The suggestion was a Player's Handbook 2. Think of it as a Player's Handbook Rev B . That is the suggestion.

Oky. Now I'm sure I disagree.

But more seriously, why a Player's Handbook? The whole thing sounds like a perfect idea for the ultimate splatbook, it doesn't need to be standalone.

 

[Psychotic Dreamer]

If they were to do this book Frostmarrow is suggesting, PLayer Options might be a good name for it.

 

[Frostmarrow]

Oky. Now I'm sure I disagree.

But more seriously, why a Player's Handbook? The whole thing sounds like a perfect idea for the ultimate splatbook, it doesn't need to be standalone.

I'm glad you disagree Zappo. By the way if it's hardbound it's not a splatbook. The term splatbook comes from "*book". An anything book. Where the * looks like a splat and means "any one of a series of related stuff.". Sort of like the fighter book or the wizard book or the ventrue book or the brujah book. The * is commonly used in computer searches.

Why make it a Player's Handbook and not an Unearthed Arcana?

I want to throw away old stuff and get new stuff. I don't pile up on things. I'm not a collector. I can see why the idea isn't very popular - gamers are collectors. Preferably I don't want to own more than I can carry.

 

[IceBear]

Exactly...it's a Super Splatbook, not PHB2.

Many people don't like the feats, prestiege classes, etc that were added by the splatbooks. They can tell their players that they can only use the PHB for feats and be ok with that. To make this giant splatbook PHB2 wouldn't make those DMs very happy.

As many people have pointed out, this is either a splatbook or a worldbook for a specific campaign idea. If you really have an issue with the core classes in the PHB, roll up your sleeves and start designing your own campaign world with the classes that you like. As it has been pointed out, many of the old classes can be made new with very little work.

IceBear

 

[Frostmarrow]

As many people have pointed out, this is either a splatbook or a worldbook for a specific campaign idea. If you really have an issue with the core classes in the PHB, roll up your sleeves and start designing your own campaign world with the classes that you like. As it has been pointed out, many of the old classes can be made new with very little work.

It's not a splatbook or a worldbook for a specific campaign idea. It's just as generic as the PHB for it is a Players Handbook with different D&D material. It's not WoT or StarWars or Kalamar or what have you.

For the record: I don't have a problem with the existing classes and I do make my own stuff. Usually I discuss such in the House Rules Forum. Here I like to discuss what we expect to see next and sometimes what we wish for.

 

[IceBear]

The only reason for a company to reprint an existing book is to fix errata - which they've done (sorta). A book that's going to compete against their other books doesn't really make sense, but even if one was printed it wouldn't be the PHB2 for 3E. I could see them printing PHB for 3.5E - which would contain rule clarifications and perhaps the most commonly used feats from the splatbooks - but not another one for 3E. I can see more sourcebooks coming later which would have some of the stuff you want, and maybe even a comprehensive index (I mean, WotC needs new products to make money), but it won't be PHB2.

Seriously, the stuff you are looking for (although you seem to have flipflopped on this a couple of times) is either:

1) new core classes, feats, spells, etc which is done all the time in the splatbooks or worldbooks, so it's not something you need a PHB2 for,

or

2) a reprint of the PHB that contains all the information from the current splatbooks in one book - which, from a business perspective - doesn't make a lot of sense. TSR started doing stuff like that towards the end and it REALLY pissed a lot of people off. It also cuts into the sales of their own books at the same time.

IceBear

 

[Frostmarrow]

1) new core classes, feats, spells, etc which is done all the time in the splatbooks or worldbooks, so it's not something you need a PHB2 for,

or

2) a reprint of the PHB that contains all the information from the current splatbooks in one book - which, from a business perspective - doesn't make a lot of sense. TSR started doing stuff like that towards the end and it REALLY pissed a lot of people off. It also cuts into the sales of their own books at the same time.

1) I want generic D&D not a particular world. I don't want splatbooks due to their low quality.

2) I'm not interested in a reprint. I want new crunchy stuff. I like the rules, I just want more of the same.


I came up with another analogy so I need to get it down:

I'm sure we all remeber a computer game called Half-Life. It had a great engine and the game itself was about a scientist called Freeman who discovered weird aliens at a research facility called Black Mesa. Freeman had to singelhandedly kill all the aliens with a selection of weapons.

This would be D&D in this analogy.

The game was so good and the code was open so others created modifications to the game called mods. The mods allowed players to use the existing engine to experience different adventures. One mod was called Counter-Strike, 007 Golden Eye and another was Day of Defeat.

The D&D mods would be Starwars, Call of Cthulhu and Wheel of Time.

Sierra, the owners of the game found this to be good news so they created a computer game called Blue Shift. In Blue Shift the hero was no longer Freeman but a security guard stationed at Black Mesa. In the Blue Shift game the player played the security guard fighting the same aliens in the same facility at the same time as Freeman.

Blue Shift would be the PHB2.

This expanded the universe and I don't think that the security guard stole any of Freeman's thunder.

 

[IceBear]

To me, Blue Shift is a World Book or a splatbook.

It uses the same core rules but is specific to that setting.

Also, despite how you feel about Blue Shift, many gamers got annoyed at Sierra for "milking" it a little too much.

IceBear

 

[tsadkiel]

Shapeshifter might be a bit close to the Druid, but I could see a use.

Druid, Shmuid. I want a Shapeshifter. No spellcasting, just pure shifty goodness. This probably stems from me reading a bit too much Sherri S. Tepper during my teen years, but I still want the class.

 

[ForceUser]

Re: a game with different base classes

Frostmarrow, try playing something else. Like Wheel of Time or EverQuest d20. I don't support rewriting the PHB.

Re: consolodating information

I do support this, but let's be realistic. WotC is a business. A single reference source for all 3E rules would be handy for players, but devestating to their business model. Yes, I hate lugging around a dozen books too. But mark my words, a single reference book with all the information contained within is never going to happen.