Smuggled photos

I actually liked the 3rd edition art and design. I liked the cover looking like an old tome. I liked the drawings in the background and i liked the old looking pages... but layout was a PITA. Searching 5 min to find a rule is as bad as having no rule at all. 1st monsterous compendium was the one of the most badly edited rulebooks i have used...

3.5 did a lot better job. Still you had to search for some tables and i still do...

I don´t like the white pages and colourful art that much, but:
Those colourful pictures use color quite well (IMHO) and white space makes sure no text is broken up in parts... so i can forgive it... ;)
 

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I liked the lined, weathered, pages for the first month, but I found there was something that bothered me; now in my 40's with bifocals, I know what that was.... it's bloody hard to read for extended periods of time.

The white space is perfect, for older eyes as well as for notes. Mostly it's just good aesthetically.

The page and cover "look" is very professional and in keeping with reference books.

The art is good, at least it isn't Yu-Gi-O. Wizards brought great art to gaming (how many of us were excited about "Magic" for the art). I'm not worried and the previews are awesome so far (breasted/nonbreasted dragonborn aside).
 

Hmmm,

Not really thrilled with the artwork. It's good but it just seems to lack character. Say what you want about Todd Lockwood's art it definitely gave 3rd Ed. a distinct look and feel. These three panels seem so.... average. My first impression was, "Wow, this looks just 2nd Edition."

JoS
 

Knight Otu said:
Well, of those three pictures, two are chapter openers, and one is the end of a subchapter, beginning of another. There are worse places to put whitespace, and from what I recall, the PHB spreads from XP that weren't chapter openers weren't that filled with whitespace. Perhaps we should dig them out for reference...

Edit - Tiefling pages
Armor and Shields pages
Wizard spell pages

Assuming cuts as seen in the photos above, there still seems to be more whitespace than I recalled, and it might be more than in a 3.X rulebook, but I'm not fully certain.

See, those pages aren't too bad -- the art there is functional as well as aesthetic. (Any 1e player who ever wondered what the frak a glaive-guisarme looked like will understand.) I still think they suffer from over-wide margins (which to me always scream 'bloated page count').
 

Jack of Shadows said:
Hmmm,

Not really thrilled with the artwork. It's good but it just seems to lack character. Say what you want about Todd Lockwood's art it definitely gave 3rd Ed. a distinct look and feel. These three panels seem so.... average. My first impression was, "Wow, this looks just 2nd Edition."

JoS

I dunno, I think they'd have to really work hard to match the overall soullessness of the 2e era (the Planescape art by DiTer...Deter...you know, that guy!...not counting).
 

A transcript of page 102 for our convenience:

Healing Font
Hospitaler Utility 12
A short prayer bestows your weapon with Healing power, so that whenever it strikes an enemy it heals an ally.
Daily ✦ Divine, Healing
Minor Action
Personal
Effect: Until the end of this encounter, when you attack on your turn and hit at least one enemy, you heal an ally. Choose one ally within 10 squares of you. That ally regains a number of hit points equal to 1d6 [?] your Wisdom modifier.

Life-Giving Smite
Hospitaler Attack 20
You imbue your weapon with radiant power, and as you strike at a foe the power of the attack heals an ally.
Daily ✦ Divine, Healing, Radiant, Weapon
Standard Action
Melee Weapon
Target: One Creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Fortitude
Effect: Choose one ally within 10 squares of you. The ally can spend a healing surge. Add your Charisma modifier to the hit points regained.

JUSTICIAR
“I fight for justice, my faith and my strong arm defending those in need.”

Prerequisite: Paladin class

You become the embodiment of justice, a champion of righteousness and fairness—at least as viewed from the perspective of your particular faith. You are granted the ability to shelter and protect your allies and others in need, while also receiving powers that help you do the right thing according to the faith you have embraced.

Justiciar Path Features

Just Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to take an extra action, each enemy adjacent to you is weakened until the end of its next turn.

Just Spirit (11th level): Each ally adjacent to you can reroll one saving throw at the end of his or her turn.

Just Shelter (16th level): Allies adjacent to you are immune to fear and charm effects and receive a +1 bonus to saving throws.

JUSTICIAR PRAYERS

Just Radiance
Justiciar Attack 11
A burst of light, like purity and justice, explodes from your holy symbol, sending searing pain through enemies you have challenged.
Encounter ✦ Divine, Implement, Radiant
Standard Action
Close burst 5
Target: Each enemy marked by you in burst
Attack: Charisma vs. Will
Hit: 2d8 + Charisma modifier radiant damage, and until the end of your next turn, the target cannot make an attack that does not include you.

Strike Me Instead
Justiciar Utility 12
You call upon your innate sense of justice and honor, whisper a short prayer, and redirect an attack so that you take the ? those you would protect.
Daily ✦ Divine
Immediate Interrupt
Personal
Trigger: An ally within 5 squares of you is attacked.
Effect: The attack misses all of you allies it targets, but automatically hits you even if you weren't a target of the attack.

Challenge the Unjust
Justiciar Attack 20
Your enemies surround you, and the purity within you cries out for justice. You focus a powerful prayer through your holy symbol, sending forth a radiant burst or punishing force that no enemy can ignore.
Daily ✦ Divine, Implement, Radiant
Standard Action
Close burst 10
Target: Each enemy in burst
Attack: Charisma vs. Will
Hit: 3d8 + Charisma modifier radiant damage, and the target is marked until the end of your next turn.
Miss: Half damage, and the target is marked until the end of your next turn.

And page 103:

* RANGER *
"I'll get the one in the back. That's one hobgoblin who'll regret ever lifting a bow."

CLASS TRAITS
Role: Striker. You concentrate on either ranged attacks or two-weapon melee fighting to deal a lot of damage to one enemy at a atime. Your attacks rely on speed and mobility, since you prefer to use hit and run tactics whenever possible.
Power Source: Martial. You ralents depend on extensive training and practice, inner confidence, and natural proficiency.
Key Abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Wisdom

Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, leather, hide
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee, military melee, simple ranged, military ranged
Bonus to Defense: +1 Fortitude, +1 Reflex

Hit Points at 1st level: 12 + Constitution score
Hit Points per Level Gained: 5
Healing Surges per Day: 6 + Constitution modifier

Trained Skills: Dungeoneering or Nature (your choice). From the class skills list below, choose four more trained skills at 1st level.
Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex), Athletics (Str), Dungeoneering (Wis), Endurance (Con), Heal (Wis), Nature (Int), Perception (Wis), Stealth (Dex).

Build Options: Archer ranger, two-blade ranger
Class Features: Fighting Style, Hunter's Quarry, Prime Shot

Rangers are watchful warriors who roam past the horizon to safeguard a region, a principle, or a way of life. Masters of bow and blade, rangers excel at hit-and-run assaults and can quickly and silently eliminate foes. Rangers lay superb ambushes and excel at avoiding danger.

As a ranger, you possess almost supernaturally keen senses and a deep appreciation for untamed wilderness. With your knowledge of the natural world, you are able to track enemies through nearly any landscape, using the smallest clue to set your course, even sometimes the calls and songs of beasts an birds. Your severe demeanor promises a deadly conclusion to any enemy you hunt.

When you catch sight of your quarry, will the transgressor perish by swift bow shots from a distance, or by the twofold blades that glint and glitter in each of your battle-scarred hands?

Pg.50

CHAPTER 4: CHARACTER CLASSES

Your class is the primary definition of what your character can do in the extraordinary magical landscape of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS world.

A class is more than a profession: it is your character's calling. Your class choice shapes every action you take as you adventure across a spell-tangled, monster-ridden, battle-torn fantasy world.

Will you be a gutsy, youthful sword fighter? A pact-sworn warlock with questionable ties? A gods-worshipping cleric who knows too much? A flamboyant rogue with a dagger up your sleeve? A tatooed wizard with a crystal staff? The choice is yours.

This chapter includes the following material:

* Introducing the Classes: Discussion of the details that make up each class, and your first look at paragon paths and epic destinies.
* How to Read a Power: The specifics on how to understand your class's powers and each power's format and effects.
* The Classes: Class features and complete power descriptions for the cleric, the fighter, the paladin, the ranger, the rogue, the warlock, the warlord, and the wizard, as well as their paragon paths.
* Epic Destinies: A selection of epic destinies that your character can achieve.

Pg.190

CHAPTER 6: FEATS

As you advance in level, you gain a number of benefits that improve your capabilities. These benefits are called feats. Typically, a feat doesn't give you a new ability, but instead improves something you're already able to do. A feat might provide a bonus to a skill check, grant a bonus to one of your defense scores, or allow you to ignore a particular restriction or penalty in certain situations. Some feats also allow you to use skills in different ways, alter the effects of your powers, improve your racial traits, or even grant you capabilities from another class.

This chapter discusses all aspects of feats:

* Choosing Feats: How you gain feats and how they work.
* Feat Descriptions: Full explanation of each feat and what it does.
* Multiclass Feats: Discussion of the multiclassing rules and the feats involved.
 
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Lizard said:
This is kind of amusing. When 3x came out, the big complaint was that it was all "dungeonpunk", unrealistic anime/cartoon art which didn't look ANYTHING like Elmore! Now it's "grey and bland".

The bar's certainly been raised or lowered...

Me, I think the 4e art, other than dragonborn boobies, is fine. I don't think it's very different in style from 3e art. Maybe a bit spikier, but not much.
I think 1e, 2e and 4e have better art than 3e. All the straps, space suit armour and body builder muscles made 3e art almost unbearable to me.

I don't agree with the poster you quoted that said that everyone looked normal in 3e; everyone looked over the top in a boring way, a bit paradoxical but still what I think.
 



I'd feel much better about that dragon picture if someone could tell me where the hell those red streaks of magic came from. As drawn, they don't appear to have come from any of the characters or creatures in the picture. They are jsut there.

In general though I love most of the new art (except dragonboobies).
 

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