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I have a PHB2 and you don’t!
Yeah, that’s right.
The PHB2, which isn’t being released for 13 more days, is sitting right here on my desk.
…or chair. Whatever. My desk is a mess and can’t hold it.
The point being, I have a PHB2. And you, kind readers, do not.
How did this come to be? Why, through the good Ed Healy, of the Atomic Array podcast, of course. A group of us from the RPG Bloggers network are splitting up some parts of the book and will be posting all about it over the next little while.
By the way, CAB is a member of the RPG Bloggers network.
Actually, I’m a founding member. And the resident tech/server guy. And we’ve been a member since August 2008.
What? I just never got around to talking about it until now. Great place, lots of great bloggers. Lots of great rpg content flows through that site every day.
</shill>
The articles are slated to start going up around March 13th.
Personally, we’ll be tackling the Druid, at first. Specifically from the point of view of our current “Druid” character (and her player, who has a thing for playing elven druids).
But after that, we’ll be doing other stuff, too. I have a couple of article ideas lined up, including some collaborative stuff with Critical Hits, but I’ll also take requests.
Is there something you would like me to talk about/discuss/preview?
Let me know in the comments here. And remember.
I have a PHB2.
And you don’t. 😀
16 Comments
The Chatty DM on March 5th, 2009
I got mine today also! Weee!
» Yet another PHB2 post (Better get used to it) on March 5th, 2009
[…] join my voice to those who already have started bragging posting about having received pre-market copies of the Dungeons and Dragons […]
yesnomu on March 5th, 2009
Augh, I hate you guys. Well, tell me all about the Druid!
Which powers catch your eye the most?
Can druids get at-will flight?
How do the Predator powers stack up to the Guardian ones? The 1-3 powers seemed kinda lopsided.
lookintomyeyes on March 5th, 2009
I’m the “player who supposedly loves elf druids”. To be fair, yes, i play elves. But i also played a human, a half elf, and a dwarf!
And my chars have been a psion and…damn i forget the rest. But they werent all druids.
But to be fair, I am a self-professed tree hugger who considers herself to be “half-tree nymph”, lol, so I’m looking forward to reading the PHB2 druid section this week!
Graham on March 5th, 2009
Hey, yesnomu.
To answer your questions:
– Baleful Polymorph, though mostly because we have a bit of a history with that one in our group
– Not that I can see, but that is really rare in 4e. Dragonborn can, sorta, though it’s more for short jumps. That said, there are a few level 22 daily-use utility powers that grant good flight (with hover) for the encounter.
– Just what do you mean by lopsided? The level 1 powers seem to favour Predator (though the Guardian power is ranged), but level 3 seems to favour Guardian by a fair stretch.
To give the main differences, though:
– Predator tends to be melee, beast form powers. These tend to have better damage.
– Guardian tends to be ranged or burst/blast implement powers. Many are not beast form, and they have added non-damage effects.
Does that help?
I can’t go into all that much detail yet, but I will try my best to answer general questions, including non-Druid ones.
Graham on March 5th, 2009
By the way, I should also note:
The package was delivered by FedEx, took only 2 days to ship, I was charged no extra fees for crossing the border, and there was no trouble at any other time.
I say again: Fuck UPS.
Graham on March 5th, 2009
@lookintomyeyes –
You played a Ranger, Wilder (your Psion, the Wilder is a more wild Psion), Dwarf Cleric (mostly due to my asking for someone to be a cleric, and you deciding to go “against type” as a dwarf 😛 ), and Elf Wizard/Druid.
And heck, your Dwarf Cleric often acted like an Elf Druid anyways. 😀
But really, I mean everything from D&D to your larping. You have a thing for elves and a thing for “natural” classes (ranger/druid/herbalist).
yesnomu on March 6th, 2009
Thanks for the response!
By lopsided, I meant the non-beastform powers seemed to be more “controllerish” and effective than the beastform ones. The non-beast dailies like Faerie Fire and Prison of Winds pretty much outclassed the beast one. Does that improve later on? Would a level 30 Predator druid be about as good a controller as a Guardian? I really hope that both parts are balanced and viable.
Bah about flight only being daily. I would have thought an at-will flight form not overpowered at all at level 22. I guess that’s what Zephyr Boots are for, though.
Does Weapon/Implement Expertise have pre-reqs, by the way?
Graham on March 6th, 2009
Ah, I see.
Yeah, the non-beast-form ones are perhaps more controller-ish, partly due to the fact they are easier to add statuses or make area effects. The beast-form powers verge into Striker, largely, though most have their own controller-ish effects as well. From my skimming, the ones without controller-ish effects tend to be more maneuverability-focused (allowing shifts, for instance). Also useful for a controller.
But yes, a level 30 Predator druid could be just as good a controller as a Guardian. If he takes all of the Predator encounter powers, however, he will lean somewhat towards striker, but he’ll still be a pretty good controller, IMO.
re: Flight
Yeah, we were pretty much told that ever since the first 4e preview articles, where they wanted to get rid of a lot of the “yeah, I bypass everything” abilities. But I wouldn’t expect permanent flight to show up as a class ability, anyways. I’d expect a ritual.
And no, that’s not a hint. I haven’t actually read the rituals yet. 😛
re: ___ Expertise
Sorry, man, but we aren’t giving away rules text yet. Suffice it to say it’s a Heroic feat.
EDIT: On the other hand, you could look here.
Berin Kinsman on March 6th, 2009
HAH HAH HAH!!! I have one too! Soon our little insder cabal will RULE the WORLD! BWAH hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah!!!!!!!!!!!
yesnomu on March 7th, 2009
Thanks for the link! I hadn’t seen that one. Agh, oh well.
So, of the level 29 powers, what impresses you the most? Is there anything as absurdly awesome as Legion’s Hold?
Graham on March 7th, 2009
@yesnomu –
Heh. The link actually appeared in my rss feed about 2 minutes after posting my comment, so don’t feel bad. 😛
Level 29s, eh? Everyone wants the big epic stuff.
Lessee… the Avenger Temple of Resolution is sweet. You and enemy are locked into combat. He’s damaged if he leaves, and all other enemies are damaged if they come into the zone. Your allies are free to come in, though.
Solely based on the title, World Serpent Rage is fucking sweet. It’s a pretty good power besides that, too. And it’s a level 29 daily rage that you can use on a charge instead of a basic attack. And since some barbarians charge a real lot…
The Shaman can invoke the power of Death. As in, literally, “Death itself, the ender of all things”. Yeah.
The Bard has Hero’s Beacon, which is freaking sweet and is one of my favourite powers. Weapon power, does some damage, and creates a zone. This zone damages enemies every round, heal allies, and MOVES WITH THE ENEMY YOU HIT (meaning that enemy can not get out of the damaging zone). Fuck yes!
The Sorcerer… oh, the Sorcerer. This class has a lot of awesome powers. The names of the level 29s are Prismatic Storm, Entropic Whirlwind, and Endless Acid, and all are awesome. Prismatic Storm is, as the name indicates, fucking random. Entropic Whirlwind is a fun, havoc-wreaking power. And Endless Acid only does 1d6 damage, as a level 29 daily, yet it’s still my favourite of the bunch. I’ll leave you guessing as to why. ^_^
All the classes have some awesome shit going on, though. There are a three different classes with level 29 dailies that have “Hit: Dominated (save ends)”, with awesome stuff even on a miss.
As good as Legion’s Hold, though?
Little is.
yesnomu on March 8th, 2009
Haha, alright, that stuff sounds sweet. Is Endless Acid a (no save) effect or something? Whatever the case, I’m intrigued.
Alright, flipside time. What’s your favorite at-will in there? I’d be amazed if anything ends up cooler than Pressing Strike, but we’ll see.
Of course, I guess there’re only 3 or 4 at-wills we don’t know by now…
Graham on March 8th, 2009
Heh. No, Endless Acid has saves. It’s just a fun power.
At-Will?
The Bard’s Misdirected Mark and Vicious Mockery are my personal favourites, though the latter mainly for flavour reasons.
Druid’s Chill Wind and Sorcerer’s Chaos Bolt are close seconds.
Pressing Strike is awesome, of course.
Jay on March 10th, 2009
We played a one-shot where I must have tried Chaos Bolt with my sorcerer 20 or so times, and only got it to ricochet once. Just bad luck, I think.
Christine on March 5th, 2009
Heh, you’re a brat. :p
I suppose I’d be annoyed if it weren’t for the fact that I also have a PHB2 by proxy… and they don’t. :whistle: 😀