Races & Classes details from the WotC boards

[Mercule]

I always thought that druid magic had a delicious flavor all its own. And do players really choose druid for the wildshape? It's a cool ability, but honestly I wouldn't miss it. It's just as cool to see the druid summon a giant eagle and ride it over the chasm, or summon the wolves to defend her home.

The main reason I still allow druids IMC is because I like having a shape-shifting class. I like the idea of animistic priests, but it really seems like (depending on paradigm) those should be buildable as either clerics or wizards.

 

[Aage]

-The druid could also be the only class with access to spells regarding fey and the Feywild. It seems like a natural fit.

Seems likely to me that the Feral Warlock will also have these kinds of powers. Actually, the feral warlock may actually be the nature spellcaster I'm looking for

 

[Aldarc]

These are the things the wizard can't do in 3E D&D. In the much wider scope of myth, folktale, and fantasy, those things are pretty much the sole domain of wizards.

In myth, folktale, and fantasy there is really no difference between cleric, druid, wizard, or sorcerer; there was merely the mage. One nation's cleric was another nation's sorcerer. Merlin was simultaneously described as a druid, necromancer, and a wizard. The distinction in D&D between these titles is arbitrary and built upon the back of tradition.

In regard to the druid though, I have no problem with the spellcasting being minimized as long as these type of nature spells remain (alter weather, entangle, etc.) which emphasize that the druid's power is tied to nature-caster.

 

[davethegame]

My current campaign has both a Cleric of Obad-Hai and a Druid. I like the idea of Druid being about Wildshaping, and hope that the traditional Druid spells get moved to Cleric. Actually I hope that there are a bunch of different options for Clerics to make each Cleric of a different god feel different in play, not just "Heal/Buff vs. Inflict/Buff"

 

[Bishmon]

My current campaign has both a Cleric of Obad-Hai and a Druid. I like the idea of Druid being about Wildshaping, and hope that the traditional Druid spells get moved to Cleric. Actually I hope that there are a bunch of different options for Clerics to make each Cleric of a different god feel different in play, not just "Heal/Buff vs. Inflict/Buff"

That's kind of what I'm hoping to be my consolation prize at this point. If they're going to move the druid towards wildshaping, I really hope a lot of interesting nature spells make a mass exodus to the cleric's spell list. I don't think it'd be the ideal way I'd like to see it handled, but I'd still probably be pretty happy with it.

 

[Xethreau]

I think I was right on the druid earlier.

The druid had to get cut up a bit. Wildshape is cool enough to support an entire class. Druid spellcasting is cool enough to support an entire class. Giving them both to the same class is too much. So you have to either nerf wildshape and give it to a spellcaster, or you have to nerf spellcasting and give it to a wildshaper, or you have to do both and create two classes.

Didn't you read any of that?

Their spellcasting takes second seat. The primary ability is wildshape, which they can do a lot more often, but only shapes they have picked (like spells). They have some nature related spell to canst when in humanoid form.

Unlike 3e, all classes will have lots of choices. If power selection is anything like Saga Edition's talent selection, then specific powers do not come hardwired into the class (with few exceptions, including Jedi and Lightsabers). If this is the case, then someone could be a druid completely dedicated to wild shapes, or one completely dedicated to nature magic, or one could be both. Balance here will probably lie in opportunity costs.

Besides, having to pick your shapes like spells sure sounds like a nerf to me.

 

[Wormwood]

Besides, having to pick your shapes like spells sure sounds like a nerf to me.

If that nerf looks anything like PHB2 druid shapeshifting, then bring on the nerf.

 

[Xethreau]

Also, people people people, that is NOT a dragonborn on the cover! Besides not fitting the discription of what dragonborn look like at all, it is also almost certainly a tiefling. The female warrior is likely to be a human.

However, I hate that cover, so I hope it changes XD

-edit-

If that nerf looks anything like PHB2 druid shapeshifting, then bring on the nerf.

Possibly. I could see both "Shape of the Preditor" and "Shape of the Cheetah/Wolf/Mountain Goat/etc."

 

[Aldarc]

Barbarians are setting-independent. They're crazy guys that hit things. That's hardly genre-specific. The problem is that they were saddled with some unfortunate baggage. The notion that you need to have an uncivilized culture somewhere on your map in order to spawn barbarians was not well-received. But it wasn't a particular culture, just a generic "barbarians are here" sign.

You never heard "WotC is pushing their setting on my game," but you did hear "Barbarians? More like berzerkers, and why do they have to be illiterate, anyway?"

At least they no longer had to eschew magic and magic-users.

So many problems with the flavor of the Barbarian could be solved by simply renaming them Berserkers.

 

[captaincursor]

So many problems with the flavor of the Barbarian could be solved by simply renaming them Berserkers.

Or Conans.