D&D 4E Some thoughts on 4e magic from a designer

[WayneLigon]

I'll see how it works. I don't much like the idea of more classes that are really specialists of an existing class, but on the other hand it could really drop the number of semi-useless spells from the PHB and move them to a supplement or PHB 2 or whatever.

I'll be interested to see if the various healing spells remain 'necromancy' or if they're going to break those and a few others off into another type and leave 'necromancy' to those vaguely and not-so-vaguely evil spells. I'd like that, since it re-inforces the dark nature of what we normally think of when we say 'necromancer'.

 

[Imaro]

The more I think about this...the more I don't like it. I see no reason for both numerous "base classes" and numerous talent trees within those base classes. What is so hard about accomplishing what essentially boils down to a tweaked archetype of the general four classes (fighter, wizard, rogue and cleric) with talent trees.

IMHO using the talent trees in this way helps to rectify the..."I'm 8th level and the class I really wanted to play just came out" problem. I also think with the Talent Trees used to differentiate "classes" it becomes easier for a DM to build classes by just selecting certain talents and creating his own trees, rather than all the intricacies involved in designing a total class. I just don't look forward to the various classes having to be selected and then a specialty(if this is what talents are for) having to be determined within numerous classes. I understand it is good from a busines perspective to have numerous classes, talents, Prestige Classes, etc. But it seems superfluous and confusing if these things basically accomplish the same goal in different ways.

 

[Nebulous]

I think it makes sense actually...

If you spend your life focused on one thing you should be better at it then someone who dabbled in it, plus a few other things.

HOW they make them stand out is important. Casting a handful of questionably useful spells at +1 level is not interesting or fun. Nor is having a lack of flavor for a class. A mostly unique spell list, where an illusionist can really cast invisibility spells far better than a wizard, would be a very, very cool thing.

Which makes me wonder now how they're going to implement metamagic in 4e. It certainly needs some changes from 3.x

 

[FabioMilitoPagliara]

this is very good news