things i like/dislike about PHB2 - a sort of review

[evilbob]

Fallen Seraph: That's a very good point. That does redeem the Deva slightly.

Obryn: Very true: we'll honestly have to wait and see them in play to be sure.

 

[evilbob]

OH!

I completely forgot: for as bad as the Expertise feats were, I think the +4 bonus to defenses feats are also pretty egregious, and the +2 to all non-AC defenses also seems like a must-take feat to me. Who wouldn't want that one?

 

[CelticMutt]

Barbarian? I hate it. Perhaps if they had called it 'Totem Warrior' or something similar then it would have made a little more sense as the lightning, cold, thunder and fire powers appear around it. I would have greatly preferred a more 'classic' barbarian. You clearly couldn't model Conan on this class!

That's because Conan is a fighter, not barbarian, by trade. He's only a barbarian by culture.

Character Options
Backgrounds - I was hoping this would be good and it was feeble. Basically it gives +2 to a skill or an extra language associated with an aspect of a 'background'.

I was hoping that this would be at least as good as the "Forgotten Realms" background or the "Scales of war" background; perhaps even something for rolling up a nice detailed background for characters as we used to have fun doing in the 80's. it seems that no design work or crunch went into this at all.

Most comments I've seen say the Scales of War backgrounds are overpowered. Looks like WotC agrees.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Just curious... what were you expecting it to be? What should there have been in addition? Take out the combat chapter, and you just described the PHB Uno.

As I mentioned, I had been expecting a much fuller and full-featured 'background' section - I was certainly expecting it to exceed what was in dragon/dungeon.

I would have liked to have seen a Combat chapter which included some additional combat options (naval combat? aerial combat? mass combat?). If the PHB is the book which contains combat information, I expected each PHB to have something about combat, especially since there are loads of bases which haven't been touched yet.

I would have liked to see a Skills chapter with additional things that could be done with skills.

Magic item section could have been much better (at least the size of PHB1, although slanted towards more miscellaneous magic items and less additional armours).

Does that help? I was basically expecting PHB2 to follow the pattern of PHB1 with additional options and expansions to each of its areas.

Cheers

 

[Mouseferatu]

I would have liked to have seen a Combat chapter which included some additional combat options (naval combat? aerial combat? mass combat?). If the PHB is the book which contains combat information, I expected each PHB to have something about combat, especially since there are loads of bases which haven't been touched yet.

Given that rules for mounted, flying, and underwater combat are presented (albeit briefly) in the DMG, I'd expect rules such as these to appear (if/when they appear) in future DMGs, not PHBs.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Given that rules for mounted, flying, and underwater combat are presented (albeit briefly) in the DMG, I'd expect rules such as these to appear (if/when they appear) in future DMGs, not PHBs.

Yeah. I'm not a big fun of rules being dribbled out bit by bit though. I can see how it works for their bottom line, but it doesn't work for mine!


Even so, expanded Grappling rules could have been in PHB2 (for throws, pins, etc).

Expanded weapon rules (such as the additional weapon powers from one of the issues of dragon, or something similar but better) could have been added.

I wanted to see PHB2, not "races and classes 2"

Cheers

 

[knasser]

My feelings on the PHBII? There's very little fluff in it and the artwork is fairly sparse. So I just don't see why I need it over the character builder. I'm therefore glad I only bought the PDF.

Also, the half-orcs seem to be rather than sanitised.

I don't know enough about balance to give an informed opinion on the rules.

 

[Dice4Hire]

Overall, I thin the PHBII is an excellent book, and a great addition to 4E. I do have to admit I am looking forward to #3 also, at least for he classes, if not for the races (as I cannot think of many good races to put in it)

As for races, most are well designed and have good flavor, though I wonder about the Longtooth Shifter's Encounter power. +2 to damage rolls and regeneration every encounter of every day seems like a lot of power for a racial ability. Most racial powers give you an advantage fore one round or a round-and-a-half each encounter. Even being a bit mroe situational, it seems like a lot.

Classes? Well, I like all of them, but I am not sure how they will play. It has been interesting that in the last three pages of this thread, every class has both been lauded and dumped on, which means they are probably all done very well indeed. There are a couple I'll never play, and a couple I'm really looking forward to playing, but that is just about the same as the PHBI.

As for rituals and the like, I like how the bard has been set up as the master of that particular area of magic. Free rituals is a big deal, and while their song ones are not spectacular, nothing stops them form getting any other ritual, and they have every ritual skill as a class skill. They can be very impressive, if the player wants to go that way, and with Arcane and Divine power coming out soon (both of which will probably have lots of rituals) they are set to shine.

 

[avin]

Ok, my true feelings are that I'm almost only DMing these days and should have saved for MM2 and DMG2... not bad for players tho, even lacking fluff... =/

 

[Plane Sailing]

every class has both been lauded and dumped on, which means they are probably all done very well indeed.

I've often seen this thought expressed, and I really don't understand it. Something which is well designed received universal plaudits. Things which are equally lauded and despised don't mean that they are balanced - it just means that opinion is polarised which in itself suggests bad design!

Don't forget, in this thread I'm sure that people are saying "I like this class" or "I don't like it", which is a lot different from "this is a useless class" or "this is a brilliant class". As a 'review' thread, people are expressing their subjective opinions.