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In classic gamer irreverence, I think we need to combine Jason Buhlman's and Monte Cook's names. I am thinking Jasonte.

Alright, I go the 1/2 Orcs are produce of a violent union thing. But what is the other?

Edit: The changing of the Pantheon thing?

What is the practical deference between the Eye of Gruumsh's Death Strike Aura and the Chieftains Inspire Ferocity Power? OK, the Ferocity needs recharging. Why not just give the Chief Death Strike Aura since he is more powerful?

I agree with your sentiments and really don't think WotC is doing a bad job trying to revitalize the game. I just wish WotC had not chose to leave so many of us behind.

I was waiting for your plea to DM's to pick up the torch and teach the next generation 4th Edition D&D. Do it for your children!

I am really tempted by 4th Edition and wish it well. I will probably stay with PRPG. But if I was teaching some kids, I would probably teach them 4th Edition. They would not have the mental and physical investment I have in 3rd Edition.

Balance Alert! I have not idea whether this would work but:
Wand of Magic Missiles
- May cast memorized Magic Missile spell slots as +1 caster level
- May substitite a 1st level memorized spell with Magic Missile (no caster level bonus)
- 1/day may cast Magic Missle at caster level (no caster level bonus)

Fun to use, but should not be crazy unbalanced. Gives a wizard a very limited way of using spell substitution. Why not a rod? Because I watch too much Harry Potter. I guess staves would do the same with more spells.

In defense of ENWorld, didn't the site develop around Eric Noah's passion for tracking the upcoming 3rd Edition D&D? That is when I found it after a hiatus from D&D, so maybe that is Post Facto Logic. But it seems logical for them to talk about the 4th Edition.

The Alpha release got posted this AM. Is it possible that no one notified them about the Alpha 2 release? The community has become pretty divided. In the old days someone would have sent ENWorld an email. I don't think they do as much research as Eric Noah (no insult intended). A lot the Paizo people do not visit ENWorld much anymore.

Anyways, I think we need to acknowledge that in a 'war', people tend to vilify the enemy. Now for the record, I like the PRPG and am buying it all. 4th Edition, I am trying to resist but I really like the promised web support. Also I am a sucker for any new RPG system. Am I the only one who buys new systems just to give them a read?

Note: Did you notice that posters clearly state their side of the war so someone does not call them a name? Or at least they get called the right name.

How about a Force Blast. 1d4 +1 per 2 levels. Range Touch Attack. Similar to Transumtation but it affect ethereal creatures.

Another idea is to make Hand of the Apprentice only affect small weapons. Presumably a daggar. I seem to remember some movie where the wizard attacks with a telekinetic dagger. It also means you will not outshine the fighter. Some powergamer will claim he can put poison on the blade with no chance of poisoning himself, but that is life.

Why is Telekinetic Fist only 1d4 +1 per 2 levels? Just weaker because it makes it the Evocation types more powerful by comparison? Does Telekinetic Fist affect ethereal creatures?

Disclaimer: this is NOT intended to be flamebait! I figure enough time has passed where this can be discussed somewhat rationally.

My reaction to the 4E announcement when I saw it was a mix of shock and disappointment. It's not that I would have always minded a 4th edition, I just felt (and still do; I'm going with Pathfinder) that 3rd edition had a lot more life in it, and I would have liked to have seen WotC "finish" a few of its sub-lines before moving on.

I am assuming you are talking about the 17 April announcement from WotC about the GSL. I felt this was poor damage control on WotC's part. All they really did is release dates for future milestones. They gave nothing really concrete to the 3rd Party Publishers.

I felt the 3.5 line was pretty complete and I did not need more books. I like that 3.5 is ending. This allows me to complete my 3.5 collection since WotC is done. I would not have minded the books Timespike mentioned. However, when I look at my bookshelf I see enough and no gaps in subject matter.

I just want to get PRPG so I can feel my collection is useful, harmonious and evolving. I do not want my collection to get bigger, just better.

My take on armor is that it's real advantage is against multiple attackers or in a free-for-all. Maybe a Swashbuckler would be similar to an armored fighter in a one-on-one fight. But when getting swarmed by kobolds or there is a clash of two lines of fighters, the heavily armored fighter should have an advantage.

In game rules, I think it would function like Dodge. You designate opponents that you are defending against. As you get better maybe you can defend against multiple opponents. But when the combat gets chaotic, armor should really help. Same with martial arts. It should take a incredible trained artist to really take on multiple warrior opponents.

But maybe that is too complex to make the class enjoyable.

I think most of our MM needs will come through the Pathfinder Adventure Path. I think the stated objectives are to have new monsters in each adventure. But most of us will also want a re-printing of Glorion Monsters in some sort of compendium. Also, since Pathfinder RPG is reverse compatible, we can use our old MM's.

But I would eventually like to see something about 'Forward Compatibility' to 4th Edition. Maybe just a forum discussion as to how to use the 4th Edition Monsters in PRPG. Maybe a side bar in the PRPG. I think some of the work WotC is putting into the 4th Edition MM will be worth using.

WotC has smart designers also. We just like Paizo a little more.

Although, comspiracy theories are always fun, this is probably just not caring about the 3rd Party publishers. They need to have game demonstrations for 4th Edition. It makes sense to have it as near publishing of 4th Edition as possible. I was wondering what they were going to do to kick off 4th Edition since D&D Game Day is in Nov. Now I know.

Edit: That does not make it nice though.

I agree that Cleric with the Fire Domain should still allow access to Fire Spells especially those that standard clerics don't get. But the new Domain Powers are abilities that increase over time as you gain levels. So this list is only those items you can cast 'at will', '3x/day', etc.

I am hoping the final spell list will grant the access to certain spells based on the Spell Descriptor. Maybe that is the fix, all Clerics have access to spells with a descriptor of their domain. But your right they still need to figure out how to give access to spells based on more abstract Domains, like Animal. And you have to decide if Fire Clerics should be able to cast Fireball, or make it a special power for Arcane casters.

I also agree with Praetor' comments about spell selection. To a degree, a Cleric should only be able to cast spells based on their Domains. Only Clerics with Healing and Protection Domains should cast 'Cure' Spells. Clerics of War and the Sun could not. Maybe they still channel positive energy (which now heals I think), but not straight 'Cure' spells. Likewise, the Clerics of Healing and Protection (if you only have those Domains) might not be able to cast Spiritual Weapon. All that said, it probably is not a good idea due to class balancing issues. I personally run my NPC's that way though.

And as long as I am rambling, I think Sorcerer's are similar. I think Sorcerers should cast spells based on some sort of theme. If you have Red Dragon Blood, you should not cast Magic Missile or Lightning Bolts. You should be throwing Lesser Fire Orbs and Fireballs.

Wow. This might be a new thread topic but this discussion has taught me how much I have changed in 30 years of D&D.

I used to play as a kid to pretend I could fight monsters or cast spells. Somewhere along the line I got in the habit of creating character histories and trying to draw (really bad) character portaits. I started to try and envision personalities behind the character sheets. We occasionally used miniatures, but they were more like little portraits. I choose my character based on what it would be fun to be.

Eventually, 3rd Edition brought me back to the game after over 10 years absence. I initially liked the 'boardgame' aspect because it helped resolve movement and the 'who is in the fireball' questions. But it also means I spend more time Min/Maxing my character. I study Message boards about how to create the 'best' character. I started spending less time 'role-playing' and worrying about back story. I choose my character based on what it is 'best' to be (ok, I still like to cast spells). As a DM, I know I spend more time in combat and less on the reasons for the battles.

How will 4th Edition change how we play and, perhaps more importantly, how the next generation will play?

EDIT: I kind of wanted 4th Edition to help get rid of some 3rd Edition baggage. But now I am starting to wonder if it will take away the fun of 'being an Elf Wizard'.