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D&D Speculation |  |
I’ve been reading up on what some people have had to say about the Races and Classes 4th Edition preview book (those that got their copies early, at least) over on EN World, and such readings have sparked a lot of speculation in my mind.
First, allow me to share those things that have been revealed over on EN World. Speculation for these items is in (parentheses).
1. All classes will follow the same attack bonus/AC/save progression, netting a +5 bonus every 10 levels. (Presumably this would be to streamline multiclassing somewhat. If things like saves, AC, and attack bonus are all tied to character level rather than class level, then that means that the only things tied to your class would be class skills, hit dice, and specific powers.)
2. There are feats, such as Fighter Training or Wizard Training, that allow you to pick up some class-themed abilities if you are not a member of said class. (To me, this seems like the replacement for multiclassing. Here’s how I’d do it, assuming item 1 is also true. Virtually everything is tied to character level rather than class level. attack bonus/AC/save progression is as above, and all classes get the same hit die (more on this later). This means that specific powers and class skills are really the only thing you get from your class, aside from some 1st-level benefits (more on this later, too). Every level, you can choose either a power from your class list or a feat. If you choose as your feat say, Fighter Training if you are a wizard, you get to choose a fighter power as if you were a 1st-level fighter. Every time thereafter that you choose Fighter Training, your effective ‘fighter level’ goes up and you get to choose a new fighter power. Multiclassing doesn’t really exist, per se; if you start as a wizard, you’re a wizard until you hit level 30, but you might pick up some abilities from other classes along the way. Now, I mentioned that I’d give all classes the same hit die, right? It’s a d4. Yes, you heard me right. But here’s the thing: feats and powers grant additional hit points. Most wizard and rogue powers would grant +2 hp, most cleric powers would grant +4, and most fighter powers would grant +6. Feats would run the gamut, with feats like Endurance granting a larger boon while others like Alertness don’t grant quite so many. Each class would also get certain first-level benefits, such as starting feats (armor and weapon proficiencies for the fighter, maybe some skill-boosting feats for the rogue, etc.). Assuming class skills work the way they do in Star Wars Saga Edition, skill points would be a non-issue; instead, you’d choose your trained skills at first level based on your class, and then your list of class skills would cease to matter. Taking the Skill Training feat would simply grant you a new trained skill from the full list, and maybe 2 hit points.)
3. Prestige classes have been replaced by paragon paths (levels 11-20) and epic destinies (levels 21-30). (My assumption is that these prestige class replacements are simply collections of new powers that you can choose from, provided you meet the prerequisites for entry into the path/destiny. Again, if you decide that your fighter is going to become a weapon master, he’s still really a fighter. Once he meets the prerequisites for that entry-level power, though, a whole new collection of weapon master powers opens up to him.)
4. Most short-term buffs will last for the whole encounter. (Awesome. I’m guessing that most ongoing effects are going to follow this model. It allows for a lot less bookkeeping, which is nice. I like the idea of something like barbarian rage or bless simply being cast and then become part of the encounter until it ends, rather than having to track several ongoing effects started at different times. Not only will this minimize deliberation over which spell to cast first, it’s also going to speed up play at higher levels, when more ongoing effects are available.)
5. Most non-combat spells have become rituals. (I’d imagine rituals take longer to cast and/or involve some sort of cost to enact above and beyond what combat-oriented spells require. It’s easy to envision something like comprehend languages being a ritual that takes 10 minutes to cast and requires that each language to be comprehended be spoken by at least one willing participant. Thus, it becomes a sort of ‘opening ceremony’ for diplomatic meetings and business transactions when language is an issue, and doesn’t use up potential combat resources. I always thought it was kind of hinky that a spell like comprehend languages, which is really useful but only in specific situations, took up a spell slot that could be devoted to a spell with more immediate utility.)
Ok, I think that’s enough for now. I’ll mention again that this post is mostly speculation, and that I have no inside information about 4th Edition.
