Wow, I haven't been this stoked about D&D since I discovered Order of the Stick.

It makes sense, doesn't it Drew? Almost everyone from WotC and WW to the Forge would agree with you, too.

I remain unconvinced.

Quote from: WarthurThe Paladin and Ranger are there mainly to fulfil the same function, but also to occasionally tread on the cleric/druid's niche.

That's why they should probably be prestige classes (for Fighter + Cleric and Fighter or Barbarian + Druid).

Quote from: CalithenaIt makes sense, doesn't it Drew? Almost everyone from WotC and WW to the Forge would agree with you, too.

I remain unconvinced.

I agree.  The problem with limiting resources to a single encounter eliminates any need for long term planning and it invites you to always start out using your biggest guns, since you'll get them back for the next encounter, anyway.

Quote from: Kyle AaronI assumed those were features, not bugs. Prep time gives you something to do between sessions, and if you don't like combats why are you playing D&D?

D&D 3.5 has prep time in a bad way.  It's mind-numbingly boring stuff that you have to slog through and prepare because if you don't, then your combats will be slow, also in a bad way (everyone watching the GM look up lots of rules and stats).  If the prep time were drawing dungeons and picking monsters, it would be cool.  It's not.  It's figuring out stat blocks and feats and trying to figure out how they'll interact during an encounter.  If the combats were long because the players were fiddling around with details, it would be cool.  It's not.  It's people flipping through their PHBs trying to figure out how the Grapple or Disarm rules work.  That little history video they made had it pretty dead-on accurate.

Quote from: Kyle AaronAnd if these things are problems, then why have so many people bought the game over these years?

They are annoyances that people can often live with.  But I'd be very reluctant to run a long-term D&D campaign ever again using the 3.5 rules, not because my game wasn't fun but I think I spent more time prepping for some sessions of that game than I spend prepping for entire campaigns that I'd run in other systems.  Not something I'd way to take on again.

I could live without the Monk, they always seemed out of place except in oriental settings. I'd miss the Bard though, they are always fun for me to play and the jack-of-all-trades niche they fill rounds out PC parties nicely.

Quote from: John MorrowI agree.  The problem with limiting resources to a single encounter eliminates any need for long term planning and it invites you to always start out using your biggest guns, since you'll get them back for the next encounter, anyway.

Well, maybe the new system is designed with that in mind and deals with it. I'm not against resource management, but a spell recharge time of one day seems pretty damn arbitrary. How is, say 3 burning hands a combat rather than 3 a day going to rock the world aside from making a mage less useless?

Quote from: RPGPunditUnless they were UNBELIEVABLY more successful than anyone could possibly imagine, neither of these would be even of any statistical significance to Wizards, D&D is just so vastly above anything else in terms of sales that there's no conceivable way any other license or RPG could possibly affect them in such a way that they'd feel the need to release their product earlier than originally planned.

RPGPundit

I think the Pundit is right. D&D is so vastly above the rest that WotC can afford not to care at all.

There were times when some other games were near, but this is not one of them.

Quote from: jrientsAre you seriously suggesting that the game was designed with the idea that the DM do less exacting prepwork than in earlier editions?  The fact that NPCs are built out of the same set of moving parts as PCs surely suggests otherwise.

What the goddamn hell does this have to do with anything?  The previous editions had Monster Manuals right?  I sure as hell recall them having them.

The Monster Manual and the NPC tables exist as tools to allow the absolute minimum of prep work desired by the DM.  You just pick and choose from the book, slap them in your dungeon, and you're good to go.  That's why they're there.  

If the DM decides to ignore those tools and instead do everything from scratch, of course it's going to take a long fucking time.  It'd take a long fucking time in any game if you went and wrote up every last piece of cannon fodder up like a full PC.

I mean seriously, do you really do that?  Because I can't even imagine GMing, like that, I'd never have time to do anything, in D&D or anything else for that matter.

Quote from: J ArcaneWhat the goddamn hell does this have to do with anything?  The previous editions had Monster Manuals right?  I sure as hell recall them having them.

The Monster Manual and the NPC tables exist as tools to allow the absolute minimum of prep work desired by the DM.  You just pick and choose from the book, slap them in your dungeon, and you're good to go.  That's why they're there.  

If the DM decides to ignore those tools and instead do everything from scratch, of course it's going to take a long fucking time.  It'd take a long fucking time in any game if you went and wrote up every last piece of cannon fodder up like a full PC.

I mean seriously, do you really do that?  Because I can't even imagine GMing, like that, I'd never have time to do anything, in D&D or anything else for that matter.

J, do you somehow get off cursing on forums?

Lord Hobie

It's a show of his ire; and perfectly acceptable on this forum.

Quote from: James J SkachIt's a show of his ire; and perfectly acceptable on this forum.

I've read J's posts on several fora, and they usually make a lot of sense, but it's like his keyboard has Tourette's or something.  I've got nothing against cursing, but jeez.

Lord Hobie

For that matter, Pundit's keyboard must have contracted it too.  

Lord Hobie

Quote from: ghost ratWell, maybe the new system is designed with that in mind and deals with it. I'm not against resource management, but a spell recharge time of one day seems pretty damn arbitrary. How is, say 3 burning hands a combat rather than 3 a day going to rock the world aside from making a mage less useless?

Because most combats won't need more than 3 burning hands but most days will have more than 3 encounters, thus making the magic user have to choose when to use their 3 burning hands.  Per combat?  Let's start by using those burning hands.  Per day?  Should I be using those burning hands now or saving them for later?

Perhaps the latter isn't fun for a lot of people, but it's a pretty big difference.

More insight into combat powers/feats for fighters:

Quote"I thought about going high Con and using a hammer, but I wanted to start with the chance to make a couple of attacks, so I'm using rain of blows as my good weapon attack (with a Longsword), and I went with high Wis so that I can switch to the better oppy powers later."

"My elf fighter uses a spear. I like the speed and the option to go past AC."