What's new?

[Sebastian1992]

I've only read through the first core set of 4th edtion books (PHB1, MM1, DMG1), and was wondering, is anything new been added to the system? I essentially switched over to Pathfinder, to give 4th ed a bit of time to mature.
Sorry if this is kind of vague, but I'm just looking for vague answers, unless something has been overhauled completely. Thanks guys.

 

[webrunner]

I've only read through the first core set of 4th edtion books (PHB1, MM1, DMG1), and was wondering, is anything new been added to the system? I essentially switched over to Pathfinder, to give 4th ed a bit of time to mature.
Sorry if this is kind of vague, but I'm just looking for vague answers, unless something has been overhauled completely. Thanks guys.

Other than the standard new classes (there's something like what, 20+ classes now?) new races, etc, and some various minor (and major, in the case of Stealth rules) errata, the biggest new change is Essentials, which is almost a 'relaunch' of 4th edition. The essentials versions of the classes are closer to older editions - fighters and rogue are based on melee basic attacks + modifiers and have no daily powers, and magic missile is now an auto-hit.

There's also some new optional things like backgrounds and themes depending on your setting, etc, but mostly everything's just been 4e but more.

That said, a lot of new stuff is really good, and there's classes (essentials, psionics) which dont' fit the "standard action encounter at-will daily" mold for a lot of difference.

 

[OnlineDM]

New classes and races in PHB2 and PHB3. Updates to various rules (Stealth, certain powers, etc.). New builds in Essentials (Heroes of the Fallen Lands). Better math for monsters in MM3 (earlier monsters weren't challenging enough, especially at higher levels).

Lots of new options, a few rules updates, but the core stuff is the same.

 

[whearp]

Well the original core book as printed have been rather heavily updated over the past few years, but the errata is easy to get and use. Other than a few clarifications on skills and DC, nothing huge has changed mechanically.

Beyond that, there have been lots and lots of supplement books released since the first three. There is a lot of material out there.

If you're looking for a good gateway into 4E, though, I recommend the new Essentials books. They are fully updated and corrected, and are much cheaper. I run a game using just the Essentials books, and it's a blast.

I hope that helped.