Rules Compendium excerpt

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

So, seriously, then, are they good? They work for my group and get the job done. I have no problems and answer the questions players and I have when using them. They probebally could be improved, but that's my whole irrational beef reinvention to begin with. it's not broken ior even bothersoem in my game, so why fiddle?

If you can commit to buying 51 percent of all of WotC's 4E core books, I think you can make this happen. If not, they need to design for everyone, especially those who find the current version troublesome, since they're the most likely to benefit from upgrading to a new version of the rules.

 

[CaptainChaos]

The RC, for me, is 3.75e. It's 3.5e updated with all the tweaks, improvements, and changes (see polymorph) that have been made since the core books came out. It's a summary of the peak of the 3.5e rules evolution. It's what I will use as the core book for my future 3.5e campaigns.

That's what make this book's existence strange. Here we have WotC bloggers telling us daily how they've fixed this and that thing that sucks in 3.X, but at the same time they are about to publish a book that may give lots of folks no incentive to switch to the new edition. Weird.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

We never had a problem with the Grapple rules, and used them a lot (my last Fighter even had Improved Grapple and used it offensively).

But I still think the rules are lacking. They might be a bit too complicated, but my biggest beef is that larger creatures are just too good at it. Any creature with Improved Grab is a hated foe and will be target by us with our full arsenal (unless maybe everybody has a Dimension Door handy).

 

[Aus_Snow]

Here we have WotC bloggers telling us daily how they've fixed this and that thing that sucks in 3.X, but at the same time they are about to publish a book that may give lots of folks no incentive to switch to the new edition. Weird.

Heh. And check out the sections they've selected for previews. So much "suckage"! What are they trying to do, emphasise how "bad" 3e is, even in the actual marketing of a 3e book?!

Wow, that's commitment.

 

[chriton227]

Good lord. The grappling rules still don't make any sense.

I like that they included the part about monsters with a BAB high enough to qualify for multiple attacks can make a grapple attempt for each attack its BAB would allow, but there is no mention of any penalty for the iterative attacks (the normal -5 on the second attack, -10 on the third, etc.). I'm not sure if that is assumed in the grapple check calculation, or if all grapple checks are to be made at the grapple check as calculated with the creatures full BAB.

There is also the oddity that a giant octopus can make a full attack (8 tenticles + 1 bite), if the first tenticle hits and successfully grapples (improved grab), it can use its remaining 8 attacks. But then on round 2, if it wants to make multiple attacks it is restricted to two attacks by its BAB of +6 and is limited to only using it's primary natural weapon (does this mean iterative attacks with a natural weapon?). I would have liked to see the Improved Grab rules incorporated into the base Grapple rules to that I wouldn't have to flip around as much, especially since Improved Grab is so common among monsters and opens up other options when grappling (take a -20 on the grapple check and you aren't considered grappled, pull target into your space instead of entering the target's space).

 

[Asmor]

I think they just need to make it so that in 4th edition, everyone (including tentacle monsters) are claustrophobic. That way, you don't need any rules for grappling because no one wants to!

 

[werk]

That's what make this book's existence strange. Here we have WotC bloggers telling us daily how they've fixed this and that thing that sucks in 3.X, but at the same time they are about to publish a book that may give lots of folks no incentive to switch to the new edition. Weird.

I don't think the RC fixes much, it's just a collection...a reprinting under one cover. It would be a VERY worthwhile investment for someone that doesn't have ENWorld, but we all do.

I do plan to play 3.5 for probably at least another year, but I don't plan on getting the RC. Too little, too late.

 

[Jhaelen]

I would have liked to see the Improved Grab rules incorporated into the base Grapple rules to that I wouldn't have to flip around as much, especially since Improved Grab is so common among monsters and opens up other options when grappling (take a -20 on the grapple check and you aren't considered grappled, pull target into your space instead of entering the target's space).

Absolutely! As mentioned above, in my game grappling only happens when I use critters having Improved Grab.

When reading the RC excerpt I thought:
"Huh? You have to enter the enemy's square? I've always ruled that the victim was drawn into the attacker's square..." I'm glad, I didn't do it wrong all the time

All in all, I haven't been overly impressed by the excerpts. Somehow, I don't see how it will help me to reduce the number of books I'm carrying to a game session. I really need to look at the whole thing before I can decide if I want it.

 

[HellHound]

So, sort of like the grappling rules debate, then?

Seems to be. I have no problems with them changing the grappling rules because I've seen that a lot of other people have had problems with them.

I also have no problems with PDF files directly linked. But have seen first hand as an early adopter of the format that they cause problems in that method.

My personal anecdotes and abilities have little to do with actual statistics. I know the D&D3.x rules incredibly well because I wrote material for them for quite some time and ran a lot of games - this makes my experiences with D&D atypical (just like the fact that I've been playing without minis almost the entire time and had no problems adjudicating Attacks of Opportunity).

The market however shows that there are problems with both the grappling rules and direct-linking to PDFs.

 

[Dragonhelm]

When I first heard of this book, I thought it would be something like the Spell and Magic Item Compendiums. I envisioned a compilation of new races, classes, PrCs, feats, and so on. Maybe not a full compilation, but at least a "best of the best."

I didn't see a thing like that. Really, I'm not sure what this book can offer me.

I have to say that I'm disappointed.