The "Brandon Don't Read This" Update Series, Part 4
I'm presently partway through Chapter Four. Here are my thoughts on 3 and 4 thus far:
The races are races. Entries are shorter than the old layout but just as informative. I like that there aren't any weaknesses to the races; some will still be better than others, but none are given a disadvantage when it comes to classes (so you could play dwarf sorcerers...if they had kept sorcerers...without worrying about too low of a charisma). The balance seems fairly good, and I like the bonuses they gave races; many have an ability they can activate once per encounter that will add more flair to the race. However, when reading the halfling entry, I reached my first really discouraging bit of news; they've done away with weapon sizes. In my opinion, that was one of the greatest implemented rules in 3.5; you could have a weapon of any size, and damage scales with the size, so you didn't have to worry about "can a small character wield a greatsword" issues. It looks like we'll be going back to a "halfing approved" list to reference when determining weapons.
But honestly, races aren't that significant in the overall scope of DnD. Sure, they distinguish some things, but the heart of it has always lied with the classes. Chapter 4. The introduction of Chapter 4 goes through the set up, similar to eh beginning of the Spells section in 3.5 that explains how everything is set up. Except here they do it more, with examples, and lengthy explanations. By the time I reached the end of the eight page introduction to classes, I felt like I had a pretty firm grasp on exactly how the mechanics worked in terms of when powers could be used, how frequently, what modifiers went with them, etc. The layout is, overall, very simple, and the powers themselves all follow a very similar format, which I think makes the game a lot more streamlined. This is good in my opinion, as it allows more roleplaying and less explanation. Others may feel it has become oversimplified, though, so if you like large, complex systems to work in, 4th Ed. probably isn't for you.
A quick summary of how things work: each power tells you how frequently it can be used, what's required to use it, what keywords it falls under (for instance, a lot of cleric powers are of the Healing keyword, so if something boosts healing powers, it will apply to those), what the targets are, what the roll is, what happens if it hits, what happens if it misses, and any other miscellaneous effects that accompany it. It's a very condensed, easy-to-read format that's consistent over all classes, potentially making it a lot easier to go from one class to another than it would be in 3.5, where power descriptions (being any extraordinary, supernatural, or spell-like ability) were rather lengthy and unparalleled in their writing. I do think that some powers may have lost a bit of their uniqueness (polymorph, for instance, doesn't fit well with that format), but I haven't gotten through a lot of powers yet, so we'll see in time.
If classes lost some uniqueness in switching to the same format for all powers, I think they made it up with "at will" powers. All characters will have several attacks to choose from to define their character's main actions, and they're rather versed from what I've read so far (which, admittedly, is only that for clerics). It allowed for a few ranged spells and a few melee attacks that could be useful for a front-line or back-row cleric, depending on your preference, and they did more than just damage (I think this plays heavily with the cleric as a leader type). For instance, a lot of cleric powers gave one-turn bonuses to allies to hit the cleric's target. There's a lot of versatility with powers, and players will find themselves with several choices as to when to implement some powers over others.
This chapter will take some time to get through, as it's rather long, and most of it probably wont' need commented on because it'll be specific powers, but I'm sure that impressions of class roles and paragon paths will provide for some interesting updates. Also, I can confirm multiclassing still exists in some form or another; I was worried that had gotten rid of that. The particulars seem tied to feats, so it will be a while before I reach that.
Two final remarks on Chapter Four: AoEs have been simplified to square attacks or "walls" (lines that can bend at 90% angles but may not clump together). This makes them easier to target (no obnoxious cone effects) but may take away some of the versatility. Also, there are a lot of terms used that aren't explained yet (marked, vulnerability, dazed, etc.). They are, however, conveniently lumped together on pages 276-277. Yes, I have it memorized.
The races are races. Entries are shorter than the old layout but just as informative. I like that there aren't any weaknesses to the races; some will still be better than others, but none are given a disadvantage when it comes to classes (so you could play dwarf sorcerers...if they had kept sorcerers...without worrying about too low of a charisma). The balance seems fairly good, and I like the bonuses they gave races; many have an ability they can activate once per encounter that will add more flair to the race. However, when reading the halfling entry, I reached my first really discouraging bit of news; they've done away with weapon sizes. In my opinion, that was one of the greatest implemented rules in 3.5; you could have a weapon of any size, and damage scales with the size, so you didn't have to worry about "can a small character wield a greatsword" issues. It looks like we'll be going back to a "halfing approved" list to reference when determining weapons.
But honestly, races aren't that significant in the overall scope of DnD. Sure, they distinguish some things, but the heart of it has always lied with the classes. Chapter 4. The introduction of Chapter 4 goes through the set up, similar to eh beginning of the Spells section in 3.5 that explains how everything is set up. Except here they do it more, with examples, and lengthy explanations. By the time I reached the end of the eight page introduction to classes, I felt like I had a pretty firm grasp on exactly how the mechanics worked in terms of when powers could be used, how frequently, what modifiers went with them, etc. The layout is, overall, very simple, and the powers themselves all follow a very similar format, which I think makes the game a lot more streamlined. This is good in my opinion, as it allows more roleplaying and less explanation. Others may feel it has become oversimplified, though, so if you like large, complex systems to work in, 4th Ed. probably isn't for you.
A quick summary of how things work: each power tells you how frequently it can be used, what's required to use it, what keywords it falls under (for instance, a lot of cleric powers are of the Healing keyword, so if something boosts healing powers, it will apply to those), what the targets are, what the roll is, what happens if it hits, what happens if it misses, and any other miscellaneous effects that accompany it. It's a very condensed, easy-to-read format that's consistent over all classes, potentially making it a lot easier to go from one class to another than it would be in 3.5, where power descriptions (being any extraordinary, supernatural, or spell-like ability) were rather lengthy and unparalleled in their writing. I do think that some powers may have lost a bit of their uniqueness (polymorph, for instance, doesn't fit well with that format), but I haven't gotten through a lot of powers yet, so we'll see in time.
If classes lost some uniqueness in switching to the same format for all powers, I think they made it up with "at will" powers. All characters will have several attacks to choose from to define their character's main actions, and they're rather versed from what I've read so far (which, admittedly, is only that for clerics). It allowed for a few ranged spells and a few melee attacks that could be useful for a front-line or back-row cleric, depending on your preference, and they did more than just damage (I think this plays heavily with the cleric as a leader type). For instance, a lot of cleric powers gave one-turn bonuses to allies to hit the cleric's target. There's a lot of versatility with powers, and players will find themselves with several choices as to when to implement some powers over others.
This chapter will take some time to get through, as it's rather long, and most of it probably wont' need commented on because it'll be specific powers, but I'm sure that impressions of class roles and paragon paths will provide for some interesting updates. Also, I can confirm multiclassing still exists in some form or another; I was worried that had gotten rid of that. The particulars seem tied to feats, so it will be a while before I reach that.
Two final remarks on Chapter Four: AoEs have been simplified to square attacks or "walls" (lines that can bend at 90% angles but may not clump together). This makes them easier to target (no obnoxious cone effects) but may take away some of the versatility. Also, there are a lot of terms used that aren't explained yet (marked, vulnerability, dazed, etc.). They are, however, conveniently lumped together on pages 276-277. Yes, I have it memorized.