Players Handbook II

[Morrus]

Calm it down, folks. Put on your happy hats and smile!

 

[Frostmarrow]

Reprinting is overrated. ^_^

What *I* would like to see in a PHB2 would be (all supplemental):

Chapter 1: New Races that would fit into Generic D&D Fantasy (perhaps some "official" Kobold/templated/etc. PC races)

Chapter 2: New Classes that would fit into Generic D&D Fantasy, but were markedly different from the classes already implemented. Stuff like....I dunno....a class that gradually transforms into a fiend, but wants to remain "heroic", or a class that gains the abilities of monsters by absorbing their essences, or a class that gives off auras of different types, a spellcaster who sells his soul for energy, or other types of things that toy with new mechanics or new takes on old things that can't be done with the original classes, PrC's, or feats.

Chapter 3: New Prestige Classes that would fit into Generic D&D Fantasy, but are markedly different from the PrC's so far made. Also, they have to be balanced by playtesting. Stuff like a PrC for commoners or something that brings them in line with current PC classes, a PrC or two that would relate to a class or race within the book, maybe a few for example generic organizations, like a Schooled Wizard, or the Goblins of Pelor or something. Added bonus: a section on designing PrC's.

Chapter 4: New Feats. Feats that are markedly different, and perhaps even guidelines for making new feats. Yahoooo!

Chapter 5: New Flavor: Descriptions of characters, beliefs, gods, things that could make heroes unique. Maybe here include things that would apply to even non-PHB2 characters, like archetypes of a sort, or new domains and stuff. A beleif-composition-lite could be useful.

Chapter 6: New Gear: New weapons, armor, items, and even magical thingies (Yay! +2 Vorpal Backpack!). Especially would dig new alchemichal mixtures and stuff.

Chapter 7: New Spells: JAKCPOT!
*******************************

I could see a DMG2, too, with stuff like settings, making things flavorful, weird adventures and stuff to do.

Why stop at more monsters?

As far as campaign settings go -- a lot of them are cool, but they require a bit of adaptation for use in a Generic D&D Campaign. Not all DM's (and fewer players) would be willing to buy an entire campaign setting that they would only use parts of. I mean, *I* do, but I seem to have this problem holding on to money.

By all rights, this should be done. Fudge your pre-packaged DMing dreams of publishing a setting you made. Just make new crunchy bits and shove it out!

I suppose something like this could *theoretically* replace the PHB, but I don't think it should. The PHB is a core rulebook, and I don't think anything other than the PH, DMG, and MM should be core rulebooks (with the possible exception of a Book of Homebrewing so us creative DM's could make our own shtick and have it be fairly evenly balanced)

YES! This is almost exactly what I mean. Thanks Kamikaze for being who you are. For races I was thinking Mule (half-dwarf) and Kender for starters. For classes I was imagining Warlock, Myrmidon and Blade!

 

[Al]

I can think of quite a few reasons why this product would be a bad idea.

Firstly, marketing sense. Now, a few people here may shell out for a second PHB, but then being part of a messageboard community dedicated to DnD, we're probably at the more hardcore end of the market. And even here a lot of people are saying that they would not. I cannot possibly envisage a mass market for a second PHB.

Secondly, it would drift to the fringes. 11 new core classes. That's incredible. At the moment, the 11 core classes we have cover pretty much anything and everything. I even feel that some classes (ranger, paladin) are too narrow or too similar (sorceror) to existing classes. And you wish to be in another 11? What could they possibly be? A core class has to be broad, not like a narrow prestige class.

Feats we have tons of anyway. Simply compiling the splatbook feats makes it a compilation, not a second PHB, and is marketing suicide- it would leech sales from the splatbooks.

More skills unbalances the skill points per class as they will need to acquire more different skills. A huge overhaul of the entire system balance would be required.

More spells are always welcome in my book, but why not simply release a Tome of Magic type book rather than a second PHB.

All in all, a second PHB seems superfluous.

 

[Eternalknight]

Fosters, Vic Bitter, XXXX and Carlton are all great Aussie beers... however, I still like me Guiness!!!


Frostmarrow: instead of inventing 11 new classes, why not just change your perceptions of them? For instance, the fighter: put a high dex in, limit his bonus feats to archery feats and call him "Archer". Cleric: reduce his hit die to d6, allow him to take a third domain and choose two domain spells per day and call him "Priest". With just a little inventiveness, you can change whole classes around. How about ranger? Get rid of his spells, change favoured enemy to favoured terrain and add some bonus feats and call him "Woodsman" (Oh, they already did this....)

One last thing....

Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!

 

[Black Omega]

Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!

Oi! Oi! Oi!

Sorry, could not resist.

 

[Eternalknight]

Oi! Oi! Oi!
Sorry, could not resist.

 

[tsadkiel]

And you wish to be in another 11? What could they possibly be? A core class has to be broad, not like a narrow prestige class.

Well, I'm continually lamenting the lack of a dedicated social munchkin character class that doesn't revolve around performance or have magical powers. (I know that Sovereign Stone, Wheel of Time, and the Rokugan book all have versions of this, but I'm not buying a big hardcover setting book just so I can use one class.) An adventuring scholar would be nifty. (Indiana Jones doesn't have Sneak Attack!) While many people would vehemently disagree, I'd like a Steampunk machinist-type class. And a Core-class version of the shapeshifting PrC from Masters of the Wild. That's four off the top of my head.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Yeah, there's actually quite a few possibilities. And these don't really *have* to be as wide in possibility as the core classes.

Basically I agree, we don't *need* any more classes...and we might not go with 11 (that is a lot, remember), but at least a handful. But there's nothing wrong with it, if it'sjust an add-on.

And I'd like to see things that are radically different. Almost anybody by this point could homebrew a "Scholar-Knight" who gets advancement like a paladin/ranger, but gets wizard spells, or one who gets a bit more physical abilities instead of rogue abilities for a bard and call him a "Mage Knight"

What I'd like to see are things that are radically different, but still fairly well usable. I wouldn't mind a "mechanist" class that gets, say, a constructed familiar and uses items to dispense magical abilties.

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

Maybe a class that takes the schools of magic and actually *specializes*. Not just gets a few bonus spells, but actualy casts spells of that school to the exclusion of all others, and gets other similar bonuses as they up in level (like AC bonuses for an abjurer or Knowledge bonuses for a Diviner).....

I'd like things that are different and bursting with uniqueness, myself. Stuff that is hard or next-to-impossible to do with the default classes. Stuff like a Final Fantasy Blue Mage, or a Chef class that can eat even poison without a penalty. YEAH!

 

[Frostmarrow]

I can think of quite a few reasons why this product would be a bad idea.

Firstly, marketing sense. Now, a few people here may shell out for a second PHB, but then being part of a messageboard community dedicated to DnD, we're probably at the more hardcore end of the market. And even here a lot of people are saying that they would not. I cannot possibly envisage a mass market for a second PHB.

Secondly, it would drift to the fringes. 11 new core classes. That's incredible. At the moment, the 11 core classes we have cover pretty much anything and everything. I even feel that some classes (ranger, paladin) are too narrow or too similar (sorceror) to existing classes. And you wish to be in another 11? What could they possibly be? A core class has to be broad, not like a narrow prestige class.

Feats we have tons of anyway. Simply compiling the splatbook feats makes it a compilation, not a second PHB, and is marketing suicide- it would leech sales from the splatbooks.

More skills unbalances the skill points per class as they will need to acquire more different skills. A huge overhaul of the entire system balance would be required.

More spells are always welcome in my book, but why not simply release a Tome of Magic type book rather than a second PHB.

All in all, a second PHB seems superfluous.

Marketing sense

I agree that this make some people uncomfortable. I'm not really in to marketing but I once bought canned porridge so someone must have persuaded me it was a good idea.

11 Classes

Yes, we couldn't possibly have invented everything already. The possibilities are endless. In any event, let the authors worry about that. Monte Cook for example seem to release a new core class every odd hour. (Huge exaggeration).

But you mentioned paladin and ranger being a bit narrow. I agree but there it is. An arcane warrior is the next logical step. However, if there were only four classes; mage, thief, priest and warrior I'd agree even more.

Feats

We are not talking about compiling old stuff. We are talking about adding what ever needs to be added. Some will be new and some we will have seen before. I guess that the Lightning Reflexes feat for example could be reprinted as it's pretty basic. However, we wouldn't have to see a reprint of Cleave for example.

Skills

No new skills. Perhaps new ways to use old skills but I don't want any new skills. I'd like new example DCs though. Such as Pick Pocket - Check if a dude wears a hair-piece - DC 30.

Spells

The book would feature the spells that appear on a spellcasting class' spell list. For example the real PHB has a spell called Holy Sword just because it appears on the paladin spell list not because it's a cool spell. Which it is...

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[Zappo]

Why on Earth should this hypothetical book be called PHB2 or anyway be assimilated to a core book in any way? Or even worse be presented as something that could substitute the PHB? That would be sooooooo wrong and useless, I just can't understand!

Good ol Ellie is getting... well - something He long Deserved.

A horrible and hopefully permanent death?