Imaro said:
Well one thing splatbooks do (that's not necessarily good for the game) with all those options and features is...create combinations that can't be tested thoroughly as far as game balance with all previous and future sourcebooks. That's just off the top of my head, but with WotC new emphasis on even more abilities, racial traits, class powers, etc. I see this as a very real possibility.
I don't think the major beef that the designers have is with this:
"With these four feat, that magical item, this spell, and this class, I can
rule the world!"
It would appear the real meat of their addressing is:
1) Faster play overall. Grappling rules, turning rules, multiple attacks seeming to not be the norm, etc. All to make a combat round go faster.
2) A CR/EL system that works more like a science than an art.
3) Classes balanced against one another, in combat, and classes balanced within their roles.
4) Easier prep-time for DMs.
5) Reduction on the dependency of magical items. The argument is that the 3e system assumes a character has the big six: AC boosting items (Amulets of Nat Armor), stat boosting items, save boosters, and magical arms and armor. This is because BAB and To Hit rise much faster than AC, monster saves rise much faster than spell DCs, monster abilities rise faster than saves, et al. Solution: reduce the
need for these items to compete at higher levels.
Others are welcome to argue these points, and there are some minor goals I believe that they had (like making monsters still threatening over more levels, make classes have stronger niched abilities, make first level PCs tougher and higher level characters weaker, etc), but I think the above 5 are more important than those, to the designers.
