3.75 ed?

Let me get this straight before I begin: I really enjoy 4th ed. There are a huge amount of improvements that I think they've made successfully and I enjoy that more than I can ever express. The system is clean and fresh, easy to use and fully intuitive, using the same mechanic universally. Adventure creation is easy, monster creation is actually fun, and while making a character is kind of lack-luster and formulaic, playing that same character is fun in all new ways.

But fourth edition lacks some things that I really enjoy about 3rd edition. Not to say that I like the Vancian style of magic - in fact, I've hated it forever now - but there is a certain charm to it. Without vancian magic, the Reserve feats would never work, and spellthieves wouldn't be nearly as neat, nor would the special abilities given to Ultimate Magi. But, really, that's the only thing that I can say that I do like about that magic system - three or four different examples of abilities found in fringe products. If I'd never read Complete Adventurer or Complete Mage, I wouldn't have any appreciation at all for their magic system. Another thing I do like about 3rd ed is the customization. While 4th ed does feel as if you get the same amount of customization, with the different number and style of attacks you can take, that's the only place that you can feel that sort of customization - in combat. Outside of combat, you can't tell any difference between one fighter and another.

Of course - as usual - I'm of two minds about this. I've gotten that previous arguement several times now, mainly from people who have just started trying 4th ed and love 3rd with a passion and don't like the more 'game-y' feel that 4th edition has. My typical arguement against that is one that deals solely with role playing. You don't need to have a character sheet that looks different from everyone else. You don't need to spend points on Craft skills to be able to make things - In fact, on topic of that arguement, Craft is untrained, so anyone with a non-negative wisdom can say that they made their own stuff and take 1/3 the cost on it. Older editions than 3rd didn't have as many options for customization either - 2nd ed did have it's non-weapon proficiencies, and I've been told many a story about 2.5 that has lots of customization, but it seemed to me that you were very limited in what you could and could not do with your nonweapon profs. First edition character sheets didn't even have skills on them. If you wanted to say that you were playing a blacksmith who was going adventuring and take your down time to make stuff, you just did it. You didn't need anything on your sheet to say so, you just told the DM and went with it, and if the DM wasn't okay with it, you didn't go with it.

I guess what it comes down to is I want my players to stop complaining and enjoy 4th ed for what it could be and stop comparing it to 3rd ed. Really, if you want to compare it to anything, compare it to 1st ed. Finally, the game puts the emphasis back onto actual roleplaying, and not just roll playing.

I very much enjoy that 4th ed makes the roles practically equal. You no longer need a cleric to have an effective healer in combat, any leader class will do the job just as well. The cleric can actually DO things other than just heal, as well - their healing and buffing are mutually exclusive, so you don't have to choose like you do in 3rd ed. Sure, the spontaneous transformation of normal cleric spells into healing spells was a far cry better than 2nd ed's clerics, but it still limits the cleric in so many ways that other spellcasters aren't limited. Likewise, every striker has extra damage dealing things they can do, just like every defender can mark targets to keep 'aggro.' The arranging of characters into set roles per class is the best thing that happened to party balance... Ever. You can have the non-typical party of a barbarian, a druid, a ranger and a sorceror - provided that these classes can be approximated - and the party will still be just as balanced and effective as a fighter, a cleric, a rogue and a wizard.

Of course, the other arguement that I keep getting against 4th ed is that there are some concepts from 3rd ed that just cannot translate. Well, I heard the same thing from 2nd to 3rd, too, and it was quite a while before some of that stuff would even work. Heck, 2nd ed didn't even have barbarians, but 3rd ed did. Find me a monk in 2nd ed and I'll find you an alternate rulebook. Yes, there are a lot of things that aren't in the core rulebook in 4th ed. But there are a lot of things that are, and - even though there are more classes in the 3.5 rulebook - I think you have more options in the 4th ed rulebook than you do in 3rd. That, and the addition of the extra books - Forgotten Realms, Adventurer's Vault and Martial Power - give a lot of options, even opening up things that were iconic in 3rd ed that were, when it comes down to it, really broken. The druid, an offensive spellcaster with healing spells that comes with her own tank? All you need is a rogue for trapfinding and you have the entire party right there. At least it takes actions to make your animal do something in 4th ed - something that was always broken in 3rd ed.

The balance of time between party members is about equal now, too. At least, a lot closer than it ever was before. The high level specialized fighter, making six rolls per attack, four attacks per combat, vs the high level wizard making all the enemies make multiple reflex saves against a meteor swarm and then asking around for enough dice to roll 16d6 and add them up, vs the rogue who gets in, makes one attack, does a little extra damage and then gets out, vs the cleric who.. Heals the fighter, vs the druid who summons more elder elementals, orders the old ones to attack, gets her advanced wolf companion to trip the rogue's target, then sends the new elementals to help the cleric. If you didn't make your character 'correctly,' you end up stepping into the room, making one critical miss, and walking back out to go play Fable until it's your turn again half an hour later. 4th ed goes much faster, smoother and crisper, keeping everyone at the table more into the action, and I like that a lot better.

Okay, okay. I've lauded 4th edition enough. What would I want to add to 4th edition from 3rd edition that I keep complaining isn't there? That's really the question. What is there not in 4th ed that there is in 3rd ed that I'd like to be there?
There are a few characters that I can't make easily conceptually in 4th ed. Like Kristi Terrichi. Honestly, it's not the Knight class that's the problem, it's the skills! She was originally a knight, obviously, or at least a knight in training. That's easily enough done with the Fighter class and the marking and such, that's just some role playing along with it (darn!). But she was also an aspiring herbalist.
Then again, why couldn't I do that in 4th edition?
There were some rules on the Wizards website for like starter kits for one of their adventure paths. Apparently I only viewed and didn't download that one, because I don't seem to have a copy. But it had something in it for many different character beginnings, giving them an actual game rule addition, like the blacksmith who could use crafting rituals without needing a book or the feat, just because he's a crafter. He doesn't get gear for a reduced cost, he gets to use a small number of rituals for free. Others gave similar small bonuses, I just don't remember any others because that was the one I was looking at at the time.
Add that to 4th edition to give a character a chance to have some other little boost and there you have it, you're good to go, imo. So, really, no 3.75 edition. Just 4th. And that's how I like it.

Okay, I've finally done it...

I've started a blog. Whoo, go me, I've joined the Blogosphere!

I've actually been putting this off for a long time now, unsure of if I really want to be this trendy and join with the crowd. Also unsure if I really want other people to be able to go and read my thoughts like this. But I thought 'Eh, why not?' and I started it anyway. Besides, I'm getting tired of filling up my Google Docs with random train of thought stuff. So I'll put it here instead!

This is going to be a random spot for all of my random musings. Mainly about game - meaning D&D, Mutants and Masterminds, random d20 systems and other role playing games - but sometimes about other stuff. Probably not very often about other stuff, though.

Whee!