The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

[GoodKingJayIII]

Example: "Magic cloth armor +6" would grant a total of +6 AC
"Magic Starweave armor +6" would grant a total of +6 AC

You forgot to add the bonus from the base starweave armor.

So if regular cloth is +0 and starweave is +1, +6 magic versions would be +6 and +7, respectively.

It seems incomplete at first, but it's actually quite simple. A specific type of armor provides a specific bonus to AC. Masterwork versions of armor provide a higher bonus than the regular version (typcailly +1 to +4 better) and must also be magical.

Edit: Andur beat me to it.

 

[Sitara]

Lack of options -- The advantage of playing a game with a DM is that the DM can act as an arbitrator of the world. The move from 2e to 3e to 4e seems to be trying to limit the need for the DM to arbitrate. Basically shooting for a CRPG. With no guidance on things like disarming or trying to pin someone, the DM's default ruling would almost have to be "you can't do that".

Wait just a minute: Are you saying they didn't include the rules for disarming and trying to pin someone? Are you serious? Was their solution of 'fixing' overly complicated rules removing them entirely? *shock!*

Disarming should be there as a basic combat option, and THEN specific classes should get powers that improve and build upon itmaking them better than disarming.

If disarming rules are not in I am yoinking the ones in Star Wars SAGA and putting them back in.

Lack of options Part II -- The limited number of power options per level is a bit sad. The blandness of most of the feats are also a bit sad (they got their stuff taken by powers). Wizards and other casters are quite limited compared to previous editions.

Thats very sad if true. One of the mina goals here was that no two fighters of the same level should play the same.

 

[Grazzt]

How do the rules for diseases look like?

Diseases work off of a "condition track". Make a check to move up/down the track (get better/get worse)

Poisons are rarely long-term stuff in real life, are they? I mean, most poisons are there to incapacitate the target now, not for a week. That's because they are usually attack or defense mechanism.

Some are. Depends on the type (snake venom, spider venom, etc.) Some are also fast-acting (take effect almost immediately, like neurotoxic venom from some fixed fang elapids for example) or slow-acting, taking several hours or so to even take effect. Again, that goes to real life which is not D&D (before someone goes and points that out ).

 

[Derren]

Thats very sad if true. One of the mina goals here was that no two fighters of the same level should play the same.

Then you will likely be disappointed by 4E. This edition is centred around balance and to make sure everything is balanced and useful it heavily restricts what people can do and how characters can be build. You have two paths for each class and these paths determine how you play. Sure you can deviate from those paths but it doesn't look like this will be a very wise choice.

One class -> One or two playstyles.

 

[lutecius]

I pretty much agree with every point in the OP, even though I hate hobbits

My major gripe is the per encounter/day and immersion thing. No matter how you try to justify it, it doesn't work for me. Making martial action somewhat "Vancian" completely defeats the point of reducing Vancian spellcasting.

Oh, and I would have added Tieflings, Dragonborn and Halflings in "ugly".
They're minor and easily rectifiable things, but "frowning goat-zilla tieflings" and "tail-less boobed dragons" are really poor aesthetic choices. Taller, braided Halflings with human proportions are just bland.

 

[Aservan]

Feyweave and Starweave are masterwork. They only exist as magic items.
Example: "Magic cloth armor +6" would grant a total of +6 AC
"Magic Starweave armor +6" would grant a total of +6 AC

?! I think you made a typo or a math error or something here.
Regular Cloth +6 has an AC of +6 (0 for cloth +6 for magic)
Starweave has an AC of +8 (2 for the starweave and +6 for the minimum enchantment)

The point of the masterwork materials is that they help your AC keep up with the monsters' ACs at higher levels. For those of you hoping that equipment would not matter as much you are out of luck. Equipment creep has been minimized in that you don't need as many items but the big three are seemingly even more important.

 

[Sitara]

@Darren: But the said they were going to fix the whole 'fighters look alike in 3e" problem. I know there are sourcebooks down the line (i.e. martial power, etc) but still I shouldn't feel I HAVE to buy a sourcebook due to lack of options in the rules.

 

[el-remmen]

It's not any less rational than spell memorization was, IMO.

Except of course, that all rule systems that emulate spell-casting are equally rational/irrational as they are modelling something that does not exist in real life at all.

Convenient/Inconvenient, elegant/inelegant, powerful/less powerful, all of these things apply to spellcasting "Vancian" or otherwise, but rational/irrational do not.

On the other hand, even if the fancy sword trick is not optimal or even self-destructive to attempt in a given situation - it should still be available to the character with whatever consequences follow from it.

 

[Knight Otu]

Thats very sad if true. One of the mina goals here was that no two fighters of the same level should play the same.

As I understand it, there are about 4 at-wills, 4 encounters, and 4 dailies to choose from at 1st level for each class. Choosing 2 at-wills and 1 of the others each, that should work out to 96 different power combinations, right? Less for the warlock, who gets some pre-chosen, or the human, who gets an additional at-will. The big problem becomes that the powers must be distinct enough, then. If they aren't, then even fighters with different powers will play the same.

 

[brehobit]

That's probably intended, I expect.

With a level 5 daily, you can auto-kill a lot of minions no matter how powerful. The most powerful in the MM is a Lich Vestige (Level 26 Minion XP 2,250). That's more than the EXPs for defeating an 18th level "normal" baddy.

That's mighty powerful for a 5th level ability that lasts the whole encounter.

Just saying.