D&D 4E: News from the Front! Part 2 – 4E Mechanics
Cover via Amazon
Now I'm known as a Mechanics guy. What makes a game tick has always fascinated me; I've studied game design and philosophy for some time now. In the beginning, I was a role play over rules guy; my first few games were more 'rule of cool' than anything else. And they quickly spiralled out of control.
I usually give R.J. credit for making me into the gamer I am today; like me, he loves insane, off-the-wall builds. Unlike me, he seems to really enjoy making a DM's head explode (ok, I do too, but I try to harness my darker nature for good!). This usually involves some crazy half-baked plan that has as much to do with rolling a 20 on your 'Fast Talk DM' check as anything else.
Don't get me wrong though, this is your go-to guy if you ever want to kill your party off; he makes the guys at Flying Buffalo (of Grimtooth's Traps infamy) look like choirboys! In his opinion, S1 and S2 are "tame", and he could dream up better death traps in his sleep. I believe it!
D&D meets Choose Your Own Adventure
Wizards of the Coast is releasing a new product line called Dungeons & Dragons Essentials. These products go back to the basics and are a a great way to introduce new or younger players to the game we all love.
It has a unique method of putting you into the action and is even designed for solo play. Below is an except:
It plays out like a Choose Your Own Adventure type book, which I think is a great way for younger kids to get into fantasy roleplaying games.
I hope that they are able to get these products out to the general public in better places than game shops. Hopefully they can get them into bookstores and maybe even Wal-Mart would be great exposure.
What do you think:
Will this product be good for D&D?
Will it help bring new players?
Are you interested in it as an existing player?
It's time to leap into action, but that can mean different things for different kinds of fantasy heroes. How do you imagine the hero in your mind reacting to this situation?
- Do you imagine pulling a weapon from the back of the wagon and leaping down to fight the goblins? Go to 2.
- Do you imagine casting a magic spell to blast the goblins? Go to 3.
- Do you imagine drawing a dagger, using the wagon for cover, and sneaking around to pick off the goblins without putting yourself in too much danger? Go to 4.
- Do you imagine tending to the merchant's wound, perhaps uttering a divine prayer to restore his health? Go to 5.
- Or do you prefer hiding in the back of the wagon until the fight is over? Go to 6.
- Do you have a different idea about what to do? Go to 42.
New Druid Class Previewed
The new druid class was previewed this morning in the D&D Insider over at WotC. We only get to see levels 1-3 until it is released in the upcoming Player's Handbook 2 this March.
Druids rely on the Primal power source and are able to control the battlefield from a distance in human form and up close in their beast form. Although the druid is classified as a Controller role, depending upon your build, you can add in powers that make you a good leader or striker. These two primal aspects are called Primal Gaurdian and Primal Predator, which gives a bonus to AC and boosts your speed, respectively.
Your class feature at-will power lets you change into beast or human form as a minor action and shift 1 square. You can only do this once per round though (Powergamers, I know what you were thinking 
) It is interesting that all of your equipment becomes part of your beast form when you change and you still gain their benefits, but anything you were holding drops, except your implements. Also anything in a container that is part of your beast form is inaccessible.
In addition, Druids start out with 3 at-will powers, but you must always have 1-2 powers that have the beast form keyword. The beast form powers allow you to slow your enemies, grant combat advantage, and slide them around. Your human form powers usually restrict movement or cause damage via fire and lightning.
All in all, it seems like the druid will be a very popular PC due to it's nice powers that allow you to do so much, it has great roleplaying potential, and who would want to turn into an animal at will!
What do you think? Are you as excited about the PHB2 as I am?
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