Rules Compendium!

[greywulf]

And I still yearn for a 3.5e version of the Rules Cyclopedia.

:sigh:

 

[Ry]

Note to self: make my own SRD / rulebook.

 

[Greegan75]

This is the same sort of stuff they did before releasing 3E.

 

[Mercule]

My assumption is that I'll what the big three core books to prepare for my game, either as a player or DM. Then, at the game, I'll just need the Rules Compendium. That sounds cool to me.

I'd be happier if I needed the Rules Compendium, plus the three core to plan and run the game and could ignore the Complete series in 90% of cases.

If the RC has any meaningful overlap with the core three, I won't be picking it up. My hope and interest is in it doing for various rules bits what the Spell Compendium and (presumably) Magic Item Compendium have done for their topics. That is, take the good ideas from the expansion books and gather them into an easier to reference and carry format.

 

[Jer]

I'd be happier if I needed the Rules Compendium, plus the three core to plan and run the game and could ignore the Complete series in 90% of cases.

If the RC has any meaningful overlap with the core three, I won't be picking it up. My hope and interest is in it doing for various rules bits what the Spell Compendium and (presumably) Magic Item Compendium have done for their topics. That is, take the good ideas from the expansion books and gather them into an easier to reference and carry format.

I'm really hoping that this is what the Rules Compendium actually is, plus erratta like the changes to Polymorph, the addition of the swift action, and other addendums that have to be repeated in every single book across the line as they come up because they aren't in the core rules.

At this point, though, I'm not sure what that would mean. It isn't marketed as a collection of new classes or new spells, and those are the two areas where new rules are the heaviest and require the most lugging of books (and the Spell Compendium fills that niche for Spells). It may include a Feat Compendium (in fact, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that it started life as a Feat Compendium and turned out to not have enough "meat" to be just a feat compendium). I guess the various Complete books have different little rule ticks that could be included (skill tricks come to mind, I know there are others but I can't recall them offhand), so maybe it'll end up being a collection of Feats and Special Ability rules, mixed with some situational rules and erratta?

I guess we really won't know more until the previews start showing up on the website. I'd be VERY surprised if this could take the place of any of the core books - they just did a new printing of the Player's Handbook according to the scuttlebut at D&D Experience, so they're going to want to sell those off rather than an all-in-one-book I would think.

 

[Nebulous]

It sounds to me like just a collection of myriad rules spread across various books. Sort of like a core-rule Unearthed Arcana instead of house-rules. This may or may not be a good thing. I'm leaning toward not, as there are so many tiny rules housed away any in campaigns. But, i just don't know enough about this product yet, but i am wary of purchasing anything from Wizards nowadays.

 

[JoeGKushner]

It may include a Feat Compendium (in fact, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that it started life as a Feat Compendium and turned out to not have enough "meat" to be just a feat compendium).

The only problem with that is the 1 page per rule.

 

[Ry]

If this means I only need to bring 1 book to a game, then it solves my biggest issue. If not, then it may help a bit, but it's not going to deal with: "Tired of hauling all of your D&D rules supplements to the gaming table?"

 

[ephemeron]

From hanging out here and rarely buying D&D supplements (the newest WotC book on my shelf is Lords of Madness), I get the impression that a lot of rules that probably ought to be in core books have been introduced across supplements. If the Rules Compendium presents the entire "3.75e" system as a coherent whole, I'll probably buy it, if only to be able to follow certain ENWorld threads.

 

[Remathilis]

Well, stop and think about this...

On One Page, you could fit every rule about grappling a creature. A simple chart of modifiers, notes on specific feats that aid this, and a summed-up and Errata'd/Sage Adviced commentary on it. (Ok, maybe a two-page spread).

Now, take every specific action in D&D and give them a page of notes and commentary. You'll see it begins to look very much like its described.

Attacks of Opportunity
Disarm
Sunder
Arcane Spell Prep
Divine Spell Prep
Spontaneous Casters
Metamagic
Grapple
Trip
Overrun
Bull Rush
Spell-like Abilities
Spell Resistance
Sneak Attack
Rage
Bardic Music
Wild Shape
Aquatic Environments
Town Generation
Generating XP/CRs
Exteme Heat/Cold
Status Ailments (Dazed, Blinded, Poisoned, etc)
Blindsight/Blindsense
Turn Undead
Divine Feats
New Skill Uses
etc...