Lots of little subtle bits and pieces:
* Stats: a 7 now gives 4 spend points (this is one of the few changes I dislike)
* Races: Gnomes get a few small leg-ups (heh); Sylvan for free, and the aforementioned speak with (all) animals and class level cantrips.
* Classes:
- Barbarians get more attractive skills (Acrobatics and Perception)
- Bards have some minor perks (but not enough); slightly better spell progression, Any alignment, non-disruptive shield use.
- Clerics can't harm and heal with Channeling at the same time (I mention this as something sometimes overlooked)
- Druids get scythe proficiency. They can wildshape into small elementals pretty early - 6th - which gives considerable mobility.
- Fighters have no speed loss in heavy armour from 7th (again, sometimes overlooked). Their weapon groups include some esoteric combinations, including Monk weapons
- Monks get significant perks; not only the improved flurry, but a bonus feat, a special improved Stunning Fist, and (less significantly) short sword proficiency
- Paladins and Rangers have an improved casting level (-3); if Pathfinder traits are being used, this can be reduced to CL-1.
- Rangers get medium armour, and the favoured foe bonus applies to attacks and damage
- Rogues can only take each talent once (sometimes overlooked)
- Sorcerers have UMD (and very nice too)
- Wizard specialists can cast opposition school spells at double slot cost
- Multiclassing with divergent levels carries no XP penalty
* Skills: tumbling much harder, tracking somewhat easier, healing possible, identifying magic cheaper. Linguistics gives a language per point plus skill uses. Perception can identify potions (is this new?). Concentration is no longer skill based.
* Feats: gained every odd level. Changes to Cleave, Power Attack, Toughness, and probably all combat maneuver feats. Quicken Spell works normally for spontaneous castings.
* Combat: grappling has changed in all directions. It's now possible to make attacks (including iteratives) with a light or one handed weapon, and to attack targets within reach. It's possible to spellcast, though the check is very difficult. To grapple requires two hands. More generally, CMB and CMD both include lots of rather fiddly little bonusses - appropriate attack bonusses for the former, and touch-AC-type stuff for the latter.
* Mundane Equipment: steps up for medium and heavy armour. Spiked chain nerfed. Blowgun a simple weapon, and poisons much more
interesting. Mithril, as mentioned, acts as alchemical silver, but weapons
are mightily expensive.
* Magical Equipment: Int-boosters have hardwired, non-stacking skills attached. Magic weapons ignore certain DRs from +3 onwards. Amulets
of Mighty Fists can carry special powers without initial +1s. The XP
penalty for magic item creation is gone, and is replaced by a (rather easy)
DC check. Caster level is a prerequisite for magical arms and armour creation.
* Spells: changes to confusion, death, polymorph and summoning spells. Dispel Magic, Ray of Enfeeblement and Web amongst other hard-to-find
changes.
* Conditions: Confusion much nastier. Grappled generally less serious.
Negative levels normally seem to give a new save each day in perpetuity.
- That's all I've got to date. Hope this is useful,
Porp.