D&D 4th Edition

[Mathias]

Get a preview of the new Dungeons and Dragons 4th edition.

http://dnd4.com/phb

Get all of your D&D 4 rumors at http://dnd4.com/.

[Strider Hiryu]

Good lord are they changing things. My friend told me rumors yesterday about 4th edition but I wasn't thinking anything like this.

Can't wait till 4th comes out now after seeing some of the changes listed there.

[HKofsesshoumaru]

*drools* can't wait!!!!

[Mathias]

D&D 4 is more like an MMORPG. Fighters will have more options than just swinging their swords and Wizards can cast spells every round now. Yeah, all classes are useful along with each level up. Yeah!

[Naruto Uzumaki]

Never Heard of it can u tell me about it?

[Mathias]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_&_Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a tabletop fantasy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasy) role-playing game (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing_game) (RPG) originally designed by E. Gary Gygax (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Gygax) and Dave Arneson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Arneson), and first published in 1974 by the Gygax-owned company Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TSR%2C_Inc.) (TSR). The game is currently published by Wizards of the Coast (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizards_of_the_Coast), a division of Hasbro (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasbro). It was derived from miniature wargames (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniature_wargaming), with a variation of the Chainmail (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chainmail_%28game%29) game serving as the initial rule system.[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_&_Dragons#cite_note-Banshee_Gygax-1) D&D's publication is widely regarded as the beginning of modern role-playing games and, by extension, the entire role-playing game industry.[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_&_Dragons#cite_note-culture-2) Players of D&D create characters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Player_character) that embark upon imaginary adventures within a fantasy setting (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setting_%28literature%29). A Dungeon Master (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeon_Master) (DM) serves as the game's referee and storyteller, while also maintaining the setting in which the adventures occur. During each game session, the players listen to descriptions of their character's surroundings, as well as additional information and potential choices from the DM, then describe their actions in response. The characters form a party that interacts with the setting's inhabitants (and each other). Together they solve dilemmas, engage in battles and gather treasure and knowledge.[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_&_Dragons#cite_note-culture-2) In the process the characters earn experience points (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experience_points) to become increasingly powerful over a series of sessions. D&D departs from traditional wargaming and assigns each player a specific character (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fictional_character) to play instead of a military formation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_formation). Miniature figures or markers, placed on a grid, are sometimes used to represent these characters.

The early success of Dungeons & Dragons led to a proliferation of similar game systems, such as Tunnels and Trolls (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnels_and_Trolls),[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_&_Dragons#cite_note-hist2-3) Traveller (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traveller_%28role-playing_game%29) and RuneQuest (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RuneQuest).[5] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_&_Dragons#cite_note-hist_schick-4) Despite this competition, D&D dominates the role-playing game industry, enjoying a nearly unassailable market position.[6] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_&_Dragons#cite_note-5) In 1977, the game was split into two versions: the simpler Dungeons & Dragons and the more complex Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editions_of_Dungeons_%26_Dragons#Advanced_Dungeons _.26_Dragons) (abbreviated as AD&D or ADnD).[7] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_&_Dragons#cite_note-6) In 2000, the simpler version of the game was discontinued and the complex version was renamed simply Dungeons & Dragons with the release of its 3rd Edition.[8] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_&_Dragons#cite_note-WTNI-7) The current version of the game, released in July 2003, is Dungeons & Dragons v.3.5 (also known as the Revised 3rd Edition or D&D3.5). Wizards of the Coast has announced that the fourth edition of the game will be released in June 2008.[9] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_&_Dragons#cite_note-excitingnews-8)

As of 2006, Dungeons & Dragons remains the best-known[10] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_&_Dragons#cite_note-9) and best-selling[11] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_&_Dragons#cite_note-10) role-playing game, with an estimated 20 million people having played the game and more than US$ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_dollar)1 billion in book and equipment sales.[12] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_&_Dragons#cite_note-11) There are an estimated 5.5 million regular players of all editions of D&D, with the majority of those players (roughly 4 million) playing the most recent edition.[citation needed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)] Dungeons & Dragons is known beyond the game for other D&D-branded products (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons_related_products), references in popular culture and some of the controversies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons_controversies) that have surrounded it, particularly a moral panic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_panic) in the 1980s falsely linking it to Satanism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanism) and suicide (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide).[13] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_&_Dragons#cite_note-Moral_Panic-12)

The first, original, and undisputed champion of roleplaying! It's a pen and paper game. Many video games are based upon the system or at least the concepts derived thereof.

[Gundam-Ranger-X]

Hmmmm, kind of have mixed feelings about 4th ed now. The last thing I was hoping for was another WoW clone. Might be cool though. Either way, I'm going to keep my trusty 3.5 edition books handy... just in case.

[Mathias]

The whole WoW clone concept has thrown panic in many hard-core players who love the complexity within 3.5. I stopped playing D&D due to this complexity. Mainly, the players were never prepared, the feats and spells required constant revision and DM rulings, causing a single combat to last about two hours on average out of the three to four we scheduled. Don't get me started on my frustration with rules lawyers. Check out the foreword (http://inkjar.net/Stories/Fantasy/Legend_of_the_Orbs/Foreword) and afterword (http://inkjar.net/Stories/Fantasy/Legend_of_the_Orbs/Afterword) of my novel Legend of the Orbs (http://inkjar.net/Stories/Fantasy/Legend_of_the_Orbs/) for further insight.

The new edition seems to more or less stream line the combat rules and actually provide rules for non-combat related encounters. The painful grapple rules are rumored to be no where near as complicated. The attacks of opportunitys (AoO) have been reduced, so creature's with reach only get AoOs with their full reach during their turn. That means you can rush a troll without provoking AoOs. One of the coolest notes is the new shifting and move concepts.

Almost every other feat allows your character, an ally, or forces an opponent to move from one square to another. This makes bridges, ice walks, cliffs, and other dangerous precipices more dangerous and exciting. They've added some cool new features. I just hope the new features don't make the game more complicated defeating a huge benefit of the revision.