I haven't played DnD in a long time. The new edition brought me back into the fold, so to speak. While I am not over-awed, I find the new version to be more polished, more versatile, and more refined than any previous. DnD, by virtue of being DnD, has certain built-in quirks, such as Armor Class, Classes, Alignments, experience and advancement based primarily on bodycount, and so on. But this new version has enough charms that it is easier to forgive its drawbacks.
I don't like the artwork. It's good artwork. But. The new DnD has come with a new "look," a rather unique, comic-book-inspired, artsy-looking style. I definitely prefer the work of Elmore or Royo. The new stuff isn't bad, I just wish the ultra-stylized Elves and overbuffed Orcs and Aeon Flux-reminiscent Monks had left a seat or two for Fighters in chainmail, conjuring Wizards, and Elven Rangers after the classic fashion. It is actually nice to see some new fantasy styles, but I would have preferred a stronger continuity with the old. That said, most of the pieces are nice, some are even intriguing.
The cover and basic layout are attractive, but nothing special. The new philosophy seems to be "more is more," and the book does seem busy sometimes. Still, it's legible and visually interesting, with a wide mix of artwork. Compared to previous DnD products, the new book is sort of give-and-take. It's more professional, but perhaps less quintessentially stylish.
The book features well-divided chapters and a thorough index. It's basically well-organized, and rules are generally easy to find.
The basic DnD game has not changed much. The major changes from previous editions are Feats, new mult-classing rules, greater friendliness to low-level characters, and an attempt to unify the dice-rolling mechanics as much as possible (hence the new D20 branding). Non-weapon Proficiencies and Cyclopedia skills have transformed into a new Skill system. Saving Throws have been consolidated into Will, Reflexes, and Fortitude. The Ability Scores tables have been revised, so that even moderate differences provide meaningful effects, and have been made the same for all Ability Scores (like in the Buck Rogers rpg). This edition assumes a Greyhawk-like world, but offers plenty of options for playing in a very different world.
If you are new to the DnD game, let me present an overview. DnD is a fantasy role-playing game set in a standard fantasy world: in fact, DnD is part of what defined the standard fantasy world. The original edition drew inspiration from Tolkien, Vance, Lieber, Howard, and other high fantasy and sword and sorcery sources, along with classic mythology. Much of the background material is drawn from Medieval and Renaissance Europe, as well as other times and places. DnD settings have incorporated many influences over the years. Characters belong to one or more class, sort of archetypes of fantasy characters (such as Fighter, Wizard, or Rogue), and have Levels, representing experience and power. Natural attributes are represented by Ability Scores (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma). Characters are also defined by Alignment (allegiance to good or evil, chaos or law), Race (human or a fantasy race such as Elf), Skills, and Feats.
The basic combat system is that you roll a d20, add your Attack Bonus (based on Class, Level, and varous modifiers), and compare it to the target's AC (based on armor plus other defensive factors such as Dexterity). Skills and Saving Throws work similarly, except that you have a difficulty number to beat, rather than an AC.
Spell-casting is similar to previous editions. Wizards prepare their spells daily from massive spellbooks. Clerics pray for theirs from an extensive spell list. Wizards risk spell failure if they wear any armor. Druids cast spells identically to Clerics, but from a different list. There is a new spellcaster, the Sorcerer, who casts Wizard spells, but spontaneously rather than preparing them ahead of time. Bards cast spells like Sorcerors (who, with Wizards, make up the arcance spellcasters), while Paladins and Rangers cast them like Clerics (as divine spellcasters). Because divine spellcasters can wear armor without difficulty, Clerics are very powerful in this edition.
Character creation is pretty simple. First, you roll Ability Scores. You roll 4d6, dropping the low die, for six Ability Scores, ans assign them as you will. This is one of the alternate methods suggested by the previous edition's Dungeon Master's Guide, as well as worldbooks such as Oriental Adventures. The old official version made you roll 3d6, in order, for your Ability Scores, which resulted in some mediocre characters. Once you assign them, you pick a Race, which typically modifies several Ability Scores. You pick a Class; in this version, any Race can be any Class, you can play the oddball Dwarven Wizard or Elven Paladin. Each Race also has a favored Class, which comes into play with Multi-classing. You pick an Alignment (influenced, but not dictated by your race, and sometimes restricted by your Class). You get Hit Points based on your Class and Constitution bonus, maximum hit points at first level, a 1st-level friendly suggestion that came from the red box Basic D&D Dungeon Master's Handbook. You pick a Feat, which is a special talent you have, such as an unusual Weapon Profiency for your Class, Alertness, or the ability to Track. You select skills, based on your Class, making each character unique based on his background and focus.
Character advancement requires XP, which you get basically from killing monsters and bad guys. A certain number raises your Character Level. Every few Character Levels gives you a few Feat, as well as an increase to an Ability Score. But primarily, each Character Level you gain increases your Class Level. You can advance in one Class, such as an elf who is a Level 7 Wizard, or you can Multi-class (becoming say, a 4th level Wizard, 3rd level Fighter). In this edition, characters can multi-class pretty freely, with some exceptions. Some Classes, such as Monk and Paladin, have special rules about quitting the Class. Also, you have to keep your Classes pretty close in level, except for your Race's Favored Class (for humans, this is your highest level Class), or suffer an experience penalty. Each time you gain a Character Level, you can advance one of your existing classes or add 1st level in a new one. This allows a great deal more flexibility in character concept than previous editions. However, the system is still designed to encourage you to fill a niche or niches.
The classes are fairly well-balanced. The Barbarian is a warrior from a savage culture, who uses physical prowess and a bestial rage to defeat enemies. The Barbarian is no match for the Fighter in overall fighting ability. But Rage is a nice ability, and at higher levels, Barbarians get abilities unique to them (like a natural Damage Reduction).
The Bard is a sort of spellcaster rogue with special musical abilities. While less overtly powerful than most other characters in most situations, the Bard is versatile as well as unique. The Bard has access to many skills, although it does not have as many skill ranks as the Rogue. Bard spells tend to be similar to the subtler Wizard spells, with a few Clerical-type spells thrown in. As arcance casters, Bards can wear armor, but at higher levels, are probably impelled to invest in magical defenses rather than worn armor, to prevent spell failure of their increasingly valuable spells. I think for this reason, the Bard loses steam as they reach higher levels. A 9th level Bard is probably not the equal of a 3rd level Rogue/3rd level Cleric/3rd level Sorcerer, despite some nice Bardic songs.
The Cleric is a priest, a divine magician, who is trained as a holy warrior, and can cast spells. Clerics in this version have Krynn-like Domain bonuses, allowing you to mix and match to produce Clerics of specific deities. Because of these bonuses, and the ability to wear armor while casting spells, Clerics are extremely powerful. They can also turn or destroy undead, and have the most extensive healing spells. About their only limitation is that they must carefully observe their Aligmnent and religious code. I think they can be called the most powerful Class in the new edition.
The Druid is sort of a specialty Cleric. They lose the metal armor, wearing hide instead, but pick up natural shapeshifting and a few skills. They also have some powerful nature spells. The Druid is mostly a "color" class; their actual abilities are almost identical to a Cleric specializing in the Plant and Animal Domains.
The Fighter class is the ultimate, well, Figher. Fighters in this version gain bonus Feats related to combat. This means that not only can you customize your Fighter extensively, but that they gain formidable abilities that close the gap with other high level characters. They can also Specialize in a weapon, gaining a damage bonus with this weapon of choice. If you want to build the ultimate fencer, axe-battler, or archer, this is the class. They get very few skil ranks, though, so if you want to play a travelling merchant or a skilled sailor, the Rogue class might be preferable.
The Monk is an unarmed fighter with mystical ki powers. Some have described the Monk as overpowered. It is true that they gain some unique abilities, and can deliver many powerful blows. However, I noticed that at higher levels, they can have some serious problems with very powerful opponents such as Dragons. For instance, a 9th Level Monk does only 1d8 with his fist, while a Young Adult White Dragon as a damage reduction of 5/ 1, meaning it will ignore the first 5 points of damage. Magical monk weapons, like nunchaku, are not all that common, either. At 10th, they gain a ki strike, allowing them to fare better against dragons, and at higher levels, their damage reaches a 1d20 (comparable to some nice magical weapons). So they do hold their own. But they definitely fare worse than Fighters in some situations while better in others. They are good at shrugging off nasty spells, certainly. However, they have a strange Achilles Heel. Even with their Monk AC bonus (based on level and Wisdom), Monks are ridiculously easy to hit. A 10th level Monk with Wis 16 and Dex 18 has an AC of 19, the same as a 1st level Fighter in plate mail with a shield (and no Dex bonus of his own). A young adult White Dragon has an attack bonus of 18, meaning that it can rip Monks apart, which seems sort of wrong, somehow. The one thing Monks are not good at appears to be dodging blows.
The Paladin is a holy warrior. Unlike AD&D, there are no outrageous Ability Score requirements, and unlike basic D&D, this isn't a high level class (equivalent to DnD's prestige classes). It's just a class. However, you need a good Charisma to take advantage of the class's nifter features, and you need a good Wisdom if you want to have an ability as a divine spellcaster, and you need good physical attributes if you want to be a formidable knight. As the book notes, if there is any ability they might not need, it's Intelligence. Paladins are Lawful and Good. They are kind of like Fighters, but without the cool bonus Feats, and at moderate levels, start casting like low-level Clerics. At high levels, they have one or two very cool and powerful spells of their own (Holy Weapon, for instance). While they are not the ultimate knights (Fighters would be), they definitely succeed in being the ultimate holy warriors. They succeed at being uniquely powerful, while not entirely eclipsing Cleric/Fighters (or being eclipsed by them). They are, however, all Lawful Good, which raises some questions about holy warriors of other faiths.
The Ranger is a wilderness warrior and tracker. Basically, a Fighter without the Feats, who gets Druid-like spells at higher levels and can Track. They also get a reduced penalty for fighting with two weapons (does anyone even remember why?). Overall, not that different from a Fighter/Rogue/Cleric (Plant and Animal). Since other Classes can take Track, Rogues can sneak, and Fighters can catch up in the two weapon fighting (and wear heavy armor doing it), their only truly unique trait is their Favored Enemy. Rangers are more flavorful than necessary, in my opinion. They are not,strangely enough, spectacular archers, no better off in that regard than Barbarians or Paladins. I suggest also that most NPC scouts are actually Warriors or Experts. Although Strider is the literary inspiration for the Ranger, this Ranger is a unique fusion of Druid magic, fighting, and stalking. The two weapon thing is just peculier.
The Rogue is the character formerly called the Thief, the Thief-Acrobat, and the Assassin. Basically, he's a sneak with various skills (criminal or otherwise). This Rogue could be a merchant, a pickpocket, scout, spy, or just weaselly swordsman. They get the most skill points of any Class, as befits their role as polymaths of stealth. While not the standup warrior a Fighter or Cleric is, they do have a nice Sneak Attack to compensate.
The Sorcerer is like the Wizard, only not. They cast their magic naturally. They have no spellbooks. Basically, they don't know as many spells or gain new spell levels as quickly, but what they do know, they can cast a lot of times, whenever they want. This makes them kind of "chunky;" Wizards can cast one 4th level spell at 7th level, Sorcerers get none. But one level later, Wizards have two, and Sorcerers three. Their main Ability Score is Charisma rather than Intelligence, because their magic comes from personal force rather than study. An unusual decision, to be sure, but it does help distinguish them from Wizards, opens the possibility for dumb but potent Sorcerers, and helps bolster Charisma's role. The rulebook hints their high Cha may also be the result of Dragon blood, blah blah.
The Wizard is the character formerly known as the magic-user. Specialists still exist. The Wizard is kind of a fish out of water in the new edition. Sorcerers are just as potent, but more spontaneous, while Clerics can more easily wade into battle slinging spells. They can learn spells they find, hedging out Sorcerers in one form of versatily. But their offensive powers aren't really any better than a Cleric's, who is not nearly so limited otherwise, and who already have a wide range of spells to pray for. Then there is the necromancer; as has been noted many times, the Wizard (necromancer) is not that great as a master of Undead, the Death Cleric blows him away. This necromancer does have a variety of nifty spells that make him nasty in his own right, but why for goodness sake is his Animate Dead a level 5 spell, while a level 3 for Clerics? The one class of spells that Wizards and Sorcerers don't get is healing magic. Why? Because. Even Bards can Heal. Maybe that's a good idea, but the Cleric gets basically Fireball and Lightning Bolt (under different names), so I don't see that it can be called a matter of game balance. More like, things have always been this way. Nevermind that Wizards can raise zombies, turn people into bears, boost Strength, and various other things that affect living people, they just can't figure out how to heal 1 point of damage. Except by using a Wish, I guess. Since Wizards get only d4 hit points per level, little in the way of fighting ability, and cannot wear armor without messing up their spell-casting, I'd say that under the new edition, Wizards are kind of weak. Previouly, they could say, "Well, at least I can throw Fireballs," but Sorcerers can now do that, with greater frequency. They do get bonus Feats related to spell-casting, but none of them will exactly rock your world. Still Spell is nice, for Fighter/Wizards of high level. It's funny how magic "comes naturally to the Elves," but their favored class is Wizard, not Sorcerer, but at least there's one reason to play Wizard. Not that I would refuse to play Wizard, I just can't help but feel they don't quite get a fair shake. As it is now, their style is about all they have going for them.
On to other matters. The Feats are extensive and cool, everything from Skill Focus (my character's thing is Lockpicking or Ride or whatever) to Iron Will to Martial Weapon Proficiency (my Wizard uses a longsword). Some of them, like Exotic Weapon Profiency, don't seem to quite balance against others (like Combat Casting). It seems kind of punishing to require on Feat for every Exotic weapon. Some Feats are combat-related, like Power Attack and Improved Disarm, and provide some nice combat options. Magic item creation now requires Feats. Weapon Specialization is a Feat unique to Fighters. Nice concept. The execution, well, we are still dealing with DnD, I think they did well this time around. Basically, they supplant Player's Option: Powers & Skills (yeek) and Class Kits.
Skills are cool. The game offers a wide variety, with thoughtful consideration of how they are used in a game. Thief abilities are now Skills.
The equipment section is basically what it always has been. Weapons do one damage roll (like basic DnD) but sometimes do a fair amount (like AD&D). So, for instance, the greatsword now does always, exactly 2d6. The new edition seems to have gotten over the phobia of making weapons do more than one die of damage.
Character creation is facilitated by kits, which cover both creation (a quick pick of Feats, Skills, et cetera) and equipment (a pre-calculated equipment package). They can be used separately and are quite handy.
The new combat system is, well, new. It introduced a new level of sophistication and streamlined many old quirks, while also introducing many new questions and oddities. The map system is improved, the partial action/full action rules are nice (but difficult to learn), and Attacks of Opportunity make the game more tactical. But the result is standard, full, and double moves (you guess which one takes how many actions) and devious attempts to provoke Attacks of Opportunity. I sort of endorse the new game, if you like miniatures. If you don't, you may find the few complications troublesome.
I've played in several games. You still have to pound, pound, pound, on most opponents to put them down (we spent nearly two hours of playing time chipping away at a dragon's hit points). Wizards and high level Bards are often sitting ducks. Clerics are immensely effective. However, we did on a couple of occasions get our fighters dishing out 40 or more points of damage in a round at 6th level. It got really tiresome to look up the details every time a spell was cast. We discovered that dragons always hit. Barbarian/Rangers are nasty with two weapons wearing studded leather. The scroll use rules are complicated. The magic item rules have to be read twice over to understand how different items work. Magic items are easy for PC's to make. No one is ever sure how mounted combat works. Paladins still have trouble fitting into the traditional "xp and loot" scenario. It's much easier to learn new languages than new weapons.
Truly, if you are looking into breaking into gaming, and have your choice of games, I wouldn't go with this one. There are two convincing reasons to buy this book. One, you have been invinted into a DnD game. Two, you just really like DnD and are playing under an older edition currently. That said, this is the best DnD edition ever put out, combining good features of the basic and advanced versions and a lot of thought. It's fun, and you can do a lot with it. For a dungeon crawl, in a world of melodrama, with a good suspension of disbelief, with an appetite for swords and sorcery adventure, you can have a lot of fun with this game. Everything you need is right here.
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