I'm going through the 4th edition PHB now, and I'll post some stuff as it strikes me.

First up: Humans are beefy. Not only do they get an extra skill and feat as in 3.x, they also get an extra at will power and +1 to their Fort, Ref, and Will defenses. Instead of +2 to two abilities like the other races get, humans get +2 to any one of their choice.

The Eladrin teleport requires line of sight but not line of effect. It would be good at getting through a door if there was a window or large keyhole, but it frequently won't not as useful in getting around the battlefield as an elf's ability to ignore difficult terrain when shifting.

If you're in light armor you can add Intelligence to AC instead of Dexterity. Presumably this also applies if you're unarmored, but I've only seen the side note on the character sheet, not the full rules for AC.

Personally, I'm really impressed with how solid & usable the books seem.  It's seriously well-done, and I'm impressed.

-O

You don't have as much freedom in skill choice as 3.x. So far this looks like a good things. For instance, all clerics have Religion as a trained skill, and pick three others.

Build options are given for each class, but they're suggestions only. You can make a character that uses part of them, none of them, or all of them.

Deities don't have domains or spheres as in previous editions. They have areas of influence, but these don't appear to restrict choices of powers.

Clerics don't need holy symbols to use powers, but if they have a magic one they get to add its bonus to their to-hit and damage rolls for the powers.

The powers for each class are listed with that class. It looks like it'll be helpful if you're making a character, because everything is in the same spot. But if you're trying to find the fighter you have to flip forward to pg. 75, past several pages of clerical abilities.

Quote from: obrynPersonally, I'm really impressed with how solid & usable the books seem.  It's seriously well-done, and I'm impressed.

-O

Mine hasn't arrive yet. I'm browsing a pdf.

Quote from: James McMurrayMine hasn't arrive yet. I'm browsing a pdf.

I wonder how widespread that'll be, and if it will hurt sales.  Not such a good thing if people who were on the fence just grab the PDF and forget about the book.

Quote from: James McMurrayBuild options are given for each class, but they're suggestions only. You can make a character that uses part of them, none of them, or all of them.

The powers for each class are listed with that class. It looks like it'll be helpful if you're making a character, because everything is in the same spot. But if you're trying to find the fighter you have to flip forward to pg. 75, past several pages of clerical abilities.

I like the build options. It seems like a nice way to give beginners a few tips on designing a character to fit a certain concept.

The powers listed with classes strikes me as odd. It just doesn't seem right to have the spells listed with the wizard class. Does this mean that spells are truly unique to each class and that there won't be any spells common to more than one class like in 3E, where there was some crossover between various classes spell lists?

Quick sample of high end powers:

Cleric 29: 7[W] + Str damage, half if you miss

Fighter 29: +1[W] damage to fighter at-will attacks, and if an enemy starts its turn adjacent to you, you can use an at-will fighter power against it as a free action at the start of its turn, as long as you are able to make opportunity attacks.

Paladin 29: 7[W] and a secondary attack that can blind any enemy within 10 squares until your next turn.

Ranger 29: Interrupt an opponent's attack to make an attack with your main and off hand. If both hit (3[W] and 1[W]), the opponent's attack misses.

Rogue 29: Cha. vs. Will to interrupt another's attack. If you hit they attack someone else. If you miss they attack you but deal 1/2 damage.

Warlock (Infernal) 29: 7d10 + Con fire damage and opponent is trapped in Hell until your next turn. You can sustain it for up to three rounds with a minor action, which delays their return but adds no damage. When they come back they're prone and stunned.

Warlord 29: Interrupt an attack on your ally to move up to twice your speed and attack for 7[W]. If you hit, the attack misses. If you miss,  you do half damage and their attack deals half damage. Also, as an immediate action, the ally can spend a healing surge.

Wizard 29: Meteor Swarm is a 5 area burst with range 20 using Int vs. Ref. It does 8d6 + Int fire damage, half on a miss. The other Wizard 29s are sexier. They do less damage but can immobilize, stun, or daze.

Quote from: GoOrangeI like the build options. It seems like a nice way to give beginners a few tips on designing a character to fit a certain concept.

The powers listed with classes strikes me as odd. It just doesn't seem right to have the spells listed with the wizard class. Does this mean that spells are truly unique to each class and that there won't be any spells common to more than one class like in 3E, where there was some crossover between various classes spell lists?

Everything I've seen has been unique. There are things that are similar, but AFAICT none that are exactly the same. It looks like they're focusing more on class and race uniqueness, with feats being the common ground. There are some feats that grant other class's abilities, and half-elves can take someone else's at-will power as an encounter power.

Quote from: StuartI wonder how widespread that'll be, and if it will hurt sales.  Not such a good thing if people who were on the fence just grab the PDF and forget about the book.

I can't speak for it on widespread terms, but I ordered my copy months in advance, so it didn't hurt them here.

Quote from: James McMurrayWarlock (Infernal) 29: 7d10 + Con fire damage and opponent is trapped in Hell until your next turn. You can sustain it for up to three rounds with a minor action, which delays their return but adds no damage. When they come back they're prone and stunned.

:haw:

Hear no evil, Don't you
See no evil, Don't you
Lay no evil down on me...

Monster knowledge checks are spelled out:

Monster Knowledge: No action required—either you know the answer or you don’t.
✦ DC: See the table.
✦ Success: You identify a creature as well as its type, typical temperament, and keywords. Higher results give you information about the creature’s powers, resistances, and vulnerabilities.
✦ Failure: You don’t recall any pertinent information. The DM might allow you to make a new check if further information comes to light.

Knowledge  / DC
Name, type, and keywords  / 15
Powers / 20
Resistances and vulnerabilities / 25
Paragon tier creature / +5
Epic tier creature / +10

It may have happened early, (presumably via a leak from WOTC) but it was inevitable that PDFs would hit the filesharing networks pretty quickly. No big deal.

I take back the part about deities not having a mechanical effect. They have detiy specific feats that let the cleric use their Channel Divinity power in new ways. for example, Avandra lets you exchange places with an adjacent ally, and  Correlan's Grace lets you use an immediate action to take a Move action if someone else uses an action point to take an extra action.

That last one sounds convoluted when I write it, but makes a lot more sense in the book.

I like the new rules for identifying magic items. Essentially for most items you just spend a little time with it, playing around, and you figure out what it does.

Here's a huge change I just noticed, and am hoping it's a difference between the printed book and the pdf: magic items are in the PHB. Prices, level restrictions, and abilities are all described to the players. That's a change I'm definitely not happy with. Granted, our group tended to browse the magic items section anyway, but having that be the default for all groups bugs me.