Space Wasters

[Shade]

I'm really enjoying the PHB II, and I think in addition to taking some creative strides, WotC has begun saving space with concepts like the polymorph subschool. I like the fact that every spell that uses polymorph-like effects now has a clear reference point, and won't need to either reprint the polymorph rules or say "see other spell description".

I also like how in recent books the [General] descriptor has been dropped from feats; it can simply be assumed to be the default unless something else is indicated.

The dropping of scent and telepathy entries from monsters, and simply listing them on the SQ line, has been a great space saver.

I'd like to see more removal of "space wasters" in future releases. For example, why must every feat available to fighters as a bonus feat have a sentence-long special line? Why not just put [Fighter] after the feat name? They did this in one product (Races of Faerun, IIRC), and I really liked it.

I'd like to see more subschools, like a dispel subschool, for example. There's a feat in PHBII that grants a bonus to dispel checks and specifically states dispel magic and greater dispel magic. Unless the designers really intented it to only function on those two spells, and not the numerous other spells that dispel magic, then stating "spells of the dispel subschool" would allow for compatibility with future supplements.

Other things that don't need to be endlessly repeated:

• Sneak attack: Just say "as the rogue class feature" rather than spelling out the ability partially or whole cloth each time it is given to a new class, monster, etc.
• Evasion, Improved Evasion, Uncanny Dodge: As sneak attack.
• Blindsight/Tremorsense: Just state any limitations on the ability in the monster's description, and allow the glossary to handle the rest. Something like "Blindsignt (Ex): Hearing-based" or "Blinsight (Ex): Echolation" or "Tremorsense: Contact with water only".
  [/list}
  
  The saved space would allow for more actual content, which is a good thing.
  
  What other "space wasters" could be eliminated?

 

[JoeGKushner]

Feats that grant +2 bonus to two things should just go under skill focus.

Feats that swap one ability score for another. (Use Con for Will Saves! Use X for Y!) Once the mecahnic is introduced, step back. Provide a few examples under the mechanic and move on. It's no longer innovative.

 

[Shade]

Good points!

Along those same lines, we don't need different feats that grant a +X bonus to casting spells with the X descriptor, or a number of different "bane" feats that give a bonus fighting against X creature type. One feat for each would suffice, stating "choose one".

 

[GuardianLurker]

Playing Devil's Advocate here. One benefit of the multiple instances of a meta-feat (or similiar), like the +2 to 2 skills, is that you can quickly refere to them in prereqs.

So instead of "Prereq: Associated Skills(Spot, Listen)", you can just say "Prereq: Alertness".

Mind you, I personally agree with your points.

 

[Imruphel]

I was glad when they finally started dropping the full description of sneak attack from every single prestige class and stat block. Now, that was a waste of time!

I also find the new stat block itself to be a great space-waster. I preferred the original stat blocks which, while not that user-friendly, didn't take too long to get used to.

 

[Greylock]

Space wasters, undone:

Instances in the Spell Compendium and elsewhere where it says, for instance: "Swift, Fly", "just like 'Fly', except...".

Go ahead and print the whole text. Otherwise, I agree with the OP.

hth

 

[Dirigible]

I'm with the mob on most of these, but I disagree with:

Feats that grant +2 bonus to two things should just go under skill focus.

Feats that swap one ability score for another. (Use Con for Will Saves! Use X for Y!) Once the mecahnic is introduced, step back. Provide a few examples under the mechanic and move on. It's no longer innovative.

...this. I like having these feats and swappy-nibblicks spells out, given a name and flavour. I find it actually helps me bring colour to a character and acts as inspiration.

 

[IceFractal]

While they're removing wasted space in some areas, they're adding it in others.

In the Complete Psionic, for instance, they made the Exotic Mind Blade feat as a bunch of separate feats. Why couldn't it just be a single feat that said "choose a weapon from this list"? This is almost as stupid as if they listed each EWP as a separate feat (Bastard Sword Proficiency, Gnome Hooked-Hammer Proficiency, Orc Double-Axe Proficiency, etc). Also in that book are a number of feats that basically amount to "a racial ability that was previously 1/day is now 2/day", and could have all been compressed into one feat.

And while I'm not against flavor text for PrCs, the new format is just too verbose. Not to mention that when they have the "example NPC" stat-block, they reprint the description for the exact same abilities that were explained on the previous page!

 

[Hussar]

Actually, just to go against the tide here. I don't mind that the sample NPC's in PrC's reprint the abilities. Makes photocopying easier. It also means that when I use that example in a game, I don't have to take the time to rewrite it to use it in game. I undertand the want to save space, but, there can be too much of a good thing.

For example in the World's Largest Dungeon, they reprint the monster stat blocks for every encounter, complete with special abilities. What that means is the book has an awful lot of stat block space, but, it also means that I can run the adventure with only that book. I don't need to cart around my Monster Manual and flip through pages for every encounter. A little wasted space now that results in saved time later is not a bad thing.

 

[Bront]

Feats that grant +2 bonus to two things should just go under skill focus.

Feats that swap one ability score for another. (Use Con for Will Saves! Use X for Y!) Once the mecahnic is introduced, step back. Provide a few examples under the mechanic and move on. It's no longer innovative.

I believe there are only 3 of these, and they are fairly specific (Str for Fort, Int for Ref, and Cha for Wil), so unless they were trying to allow for an infinate amount, having them individualy is intentional. Unlike the +2/+2 skill feats, which I think could have been one skill stating "select 2 related skills, and they each recieve a +2. You may select this feat multiple times, but may not use a skill more than once in any of them"

I don't think the [general] wastes enough space where it would save an appreciable amount of space in a book compared to not having it.

The racial ability one extra time per day has to be balanced or else those fun races that have wish as a racial ability could take it and go nuts.

Personaly, I've never been a big fan of the sample character for each PrC, and think that's a huge waste of space.