NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kae'Yoss" data-source="post: 3437201" data-attributes="member: 4134">"Vancian Magic" needs to stay. It doesn't have to be the only system, but I should not go away, either. It's one of the things that makes D&D magic unique.Maybe they do move to the "per encounter format" completely, but Vancian Magic can work with that, too! Maybe they really will incorporate several concepts right into the core rules, and magic (of sorts) will be indeed for everyone: With concepts like the manoeuvres from the Book of Nine Swords, skill tricks, the Warmage (and similar classes), auras, the Warlock, and other concepts, they could turn D&D into something between D&D 3 and d20 Modern, with different paths you could wander along. There would still be more clearly defined classes than "strong" or "fast", but most, if not all, of them would use the Paths.Feats won't go away, but will take a more supportive role - most abilities will come from class abilities/ paths, feats will only take give purely mechanical bonuses, provide specialization, make special actions easier, or ease some restrictions.Every class has a number of Paths to choose from, some are Martial, some are Magic, and some are... Esoteric. Utilitarian. Some paths would be more widely-spread, some would be exclusive to some classes (unless you invest in feats, and multiclassing would always work, probably somewhat like the way B9S handles multiclassing between its classes). Also, each class would have its schtick. Something that noone else has, something that makes it unique, that lets it use some of the paths like noone else couldWizards: Will be the ultimate magical generalists (the specialist wizard as a wizard sub-class will disappear, specialists coming from somewhere else). They will still be a bit more rigid in their daily (or encounterly) preparations than other classes, but they will have access to most or even all of the magical paths. The preparation will not just be their weakness, but also their strength, since they will be masters of meta-magic, being able to change and enhance the magics they do if they know what they're doing beforehand. It's schtick would be access to many different Magical Paths (and probably the means to run along a lot of those paths) and being able to prepareSorcerers: Will go the way of the dodo, and good riddance. Other classes will take their place.Bards: Will merge with beguilers. They will get get access to the Paths of Knowledge (which includes divination magic, bardic knowledge, the monster knowing parts of the Knowledge skill, others), Enchantment and Illusion, some martial stuff (the swashbucling type), some stealth. Their specialty would, of course, be Artistry - something to boost or hex others, using Enchantment and maybe some auras.Rogues: Masters of skills, including the Path of the Expert (which is something like Skill Tricks, skill-enhancing Feats, stuff like trapfinding, and similar abilities combined under one Path), and martial Paths like Swashbuckling and Archery, and Stealth (which includes sneak attack-like manoeuvres). Specialty would be many many skill points, and maybe the ability to buy into paths normally not open to them (some hedge-wizardry or streetfighting).Monks: Martial Artists that fight either without weapons at all or with a special set of weapons they can treat as unarmed fighting. They'll get the Paths of the Open Hand (subdual techniques, throws, that sort of thing), the Closed Fist (doing damage with your unarmed attacks), and esoteric Paths of the Body, Soul and the Mind. Their schtick would be sheer survivability without being tied to any equipment at all.Clerics: Since they're already a lot like divine warriors, paladins will be rolled into that one. It might be a bit like the B9S crusader. They all have access to the magical Path of Life and Death (heal and deal wounds to both living and undead creatures. Maybe even to objects, which would also be available to Wizards and Artificers), but beyond that, it's dependant on their deities. Also, they'd have some auras (also dependant on their deities and tied to the Paths the walk)Druids: They would get the Paths of Changing, Nature and Creatures, Some Elements, too. If they're in a natural environment, they get some leeway with their powers, depending on the nature (excuse the pun) of the surrounding wildscape. Paladins: Would be turned into Clerics.Fighters: Maybe called Warrior again, they'd get access to all martial stiles, and be more versatile than the others (be able to walk more martial paths than any other class"Wildlanders": This would be something between Ranger and Barbarian. They could choose from Paths like Stealth, Archery, Nature, and martial Stuff. They would either become Berserkers or Hunters: As berserker, they can enter the frenzy (making martial styles more potent but rendering them reckless and vulnerable), and as Hunters they can choose some types of Favoured Prey, which makes their abilities more potent against that sort of critter, but weaker against everyone else.Warmages: They'd be barred from any defensive magical Paths or defensive parts of other magical paths, but everything directly offensive would get a boost.Warlocks: They would get limited access to magical paths, and most of their abilities would not be as potent as others', but they would be able to use it much more often, or even consistently. They'd get one signature attack, like Eldritch Blast, which they can use at will, and enhance according paths they chose (or some abilities to choose from). They would also have to choose the nature of the pact that grants them their power, getting extra goodies accordingly.And it's not new. Psionics have been around for quite some time.It already happened, in the "beta" stages of 3e. They then found out that it isn't such a good idea and brought the old system back - but kept the new system for bards, and cobbled together the sorcerer, which is really nothing but a wizard variant.</blockquote>

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