Quickstart rules from D&DExp

[Masquerade]

What you call "talking down to people" I see as using good introductory language. How would you word a quickstart rules overview differently from this?

No joke! The document was incredibly easy to read and told me exactly what I needed to know.

It's great seeing all the rules summarized in one place like this and seeing a few new details confirmed. This is getting me even more excited than the Rogue preview did~

 

[Just Another User]

mmmh, it is very interesting, apparently every PC will have a "reserve" of easy-to-heal hit points, estimable in about the 200% of his total hit points (some class a little more, some a little less) what I find interesting is that this is (apparently) also the maximuim number of hit points he can heal in a day, once he used all his "healing surges" healing prayers seems have no effect on them. another thing I notice is that no matter how wounded is a character, all he need is six hours of rest and 5 minutes to use his healing surges and he will be in top form. (I wonder if this apply to NPCs, too. That would make a really weird world, healers? doctors? hospitals? what for?)
And they fixed the "15 minute adventuring day" because now you need only 6 hours to fully recover, this way you can still be always at 100% power and health and still have your 4 encounters for day (j/k)

 

[catsclaw227]

Sorry. I didn't realize the entire audience was 12 and completely unfamiliar with RPGs. The egregious use of air quotes and 'let us pause while we explain the obvious to you' is pretty sad.

My wife is 26, and though she is fluent, English is a second language. She is mildly familiar with RPGs. She understood it after a couple of minor clarifications. This is good because she is now interested in how easy 4e seems to be. She might play now.

If you want a college level textbook for a quickstart guide, then rewrite it for your group. No need to insult the people that find it elegantly simple.

- reach makes me cranky. pole arms magically shorten when it isn't their turn.

Its even worse for 'standard' reach creatures like giants. Apparently their arms atrophy when it isn't their turn...

Who says that a pole arm will magically shorten? Using them for an opportunity attack may be more difficult than a standard action on your turn, or more likely, a fighter can get a feat that grants them threatening reach.

And do you know for sure that giant's arms atrophy?

<sigh> I am excited about all the news today, so for me it's all good -- even the meh stuff. If you want to keep looking for things to hate about 4e, go ahead, have fun.

 

[Derren]

I don't like the reach change. It makes no sense. Yeah you can argue that a 10 ft. long spear is not suitable for opportunity attacks but what about large monsters?
To me this is change is dumbing down.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I don't like the reach change. It makes no sense. Yeah you can argue that a 10 ft. long spear is not suitable for opportunity attacks but what about large monsters?
To me this is change is dumbing down.

There was mentioned: threatening reach... i guess that is the monsters version...

 

[Zaruthustran]

Terrific document. The conversational, familiar voice is the perfect choice.

The changes to OAs seem like they'd encourage a more dynamic, fluid battlefield. I like. D&D shouldn't be defensive; I like the direction they're heading. More like Privateer Press's famous "Play Like You Got A Pair" motto.

 

[Phaezen]

Yeah you can argue that a 10 ft. long spear is not suitable for opportunity attacks but what about large monsters?
To me this is change is dumbing down.

I would assume this is where the threatening reach ability will come into play.

Edit: Ninja-ed by the lag

Phaezen

 

[rkanodia]

There was mentioned: threatening reach... i guess that is the monsters version...

I'm hoping that threatening reach is only seen among elite and solo monsters. Those guys are entitled to gum up the battlefield a little bit.

 

[Derren]

I'm hoping that threatening reach is only seen among elite and solo monsters. Those guys are entitled to gum up the battlefield a little bit.

I hope that every large and larger monster has a threatening range.

 

[hafrogman]

Hafrogman- uh. 10' is a pretty reasonable length for a longspear and other pole arms. Even if its short and only 8' or 9' the abstraction of combat pretty much works for this. More significantly, this change entirely alters the nature of these weapons. Before they had a big defensive aspect- you had an attack of opportunity on people charging you (as well as the possibility of set defense). Now they are offensive weapons. Thats... conceptually strange, given their typical use.

Its even worse for 'standard' reach creatures like giants. Apparently their arms atrophy when it isn't their turn...

No, 10' (or 15' or 20') is a pretty reasonable length for a pike or polearm from the real world. A weapon designed for use on a battle field, in formation. It's not a reasonable length for something that you're going to be carting around inside a dungeon. I think they're trying to adapt to what is more realistic for fantasy combat.

You're right that it's now an offensive weapon. Not for human vs. human combat, but when a human has to go up against a troll or the like. Notice the reference to "threatening reach". I expect anything suitably tall and humanoid shaped will have that ability, but not every creature has arms to reach with. No magic shrinking arms or weapons are required to make this reasonable.

If you don't like the change, that's one thing. But it doesn't require an abandonment of logic by any means.