4e May rules update

[SporkMaster5000]

So there's a recent rules update, and I'm curious how the people who follow such things feel about it. They took an axe to the mounted combat and flying rules (but in a good way, IMO) but probably the biggest thing is infernal wrath, the tiefling racial power getting a complete rewrite. I dunno what to think of the new version, but it's certainly less forgettable than the original.  

[NayrVentess]

Could you link the update?  

[SporkMaster5000]

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/updates  

[Rain Yupa]

I kind of miss the old Infernal Wrath, but I can see how the new one is more useful. sad  

[SporkMaster5000]

Rain Yupa

I kind of miss the old Infernal Wrath, but I can see how the new one is more useful. sad

I didn't think the old one was so bad, but when I played a tiefling I forgot it gave a bonus to attacks for half the fight, then when I remembered I was always dissapointed that the damage was garbage since I wasn't using a charisma based build.

Just being damage makes the power a little more boring, but giving it a die roll and keying it off of both racial abilities instead of just one makes it a little more likely to be useful.

I was also looking at the revisions to some of the racial feats and really like the new infernal sneak attack. basically instead of infernal wrathing, you can double your sneak attack with fire. make you really want to get to shanking people.  

[Psychofish]

I even forget to read the errata. >____>

I should probably find a way to edit my PDFs to reflect it, if I can do that on what I think is a free version of Adobe, but... I'unno, I play things right from the print so far. Worth a look at anyway, though.  

[Rain Yupa]

I've gotten to the point of Aid Another. Aiding attack rolls or defenses no longer requires a melee basic attack, its automatic. I think that's kinda cool.  

[Psychofish]

I'm chuckling at what they did to daggermaster. The sorceror users from the Wizards' wiki section of their forums are going to hate that. Take a big chunk out of their character optimization guides. xp  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Natural Disaster and BNW: I won't be taking the aura-damage-now-stacks rule into effect mid-fight.  

[NayrVentess]

Rain Yupa

@ Natural Disaster and BNW: I won't be taking the aura-damage-now-stacks rule into effect mid-fight.

What?! How dare you! razz yeah that's cool, makes sense.

Also, does anyone know if they're going to/have already released an errata'd version of the three main rulebooks. Not that I want it, just wondering if they'll try and sneak a '4.5' under the radar.  

[Psychofish]

I actually suspect there might be no 4.5, or at least not for a while, considering the internet is much more prominent and accessible now. I doubt they ever were this extensive and thorough about their 3.0 and 3.5 information online back in its day.

Practically speaking, it's an alternate version of the book they'd have to get legal protections on and such, and then print and distribute copies of. Players who already own 4.0 books would be much less likely to buy their new 4.5 versions, and I suspect Wizards does count a lot on returning customer base within a specific game. And then even those who would normally buy an update from 4.0 to 4.5 are unlikely to with the updates online. It'd have to be truly extensive changes for that to appeal to them from a business perspective.  

[JinKazamaru]

I see why they changed the climb/swim/jump skills alittle... it lets a Monk use his attack/move powers to climb/swim/jump and attack all in the same movement action seems pretty mean to me if you can knock a guy prone when your having a climb battle... and than switch spots with him... but wouldn't in that case knocking a guy prone cause him to fall?  

[Rain Yupa]

I was highly amused at one clarification:

Quote:

Earth Brute Wizard Attack 13
The ground creaks and moans, and a creature of rock and earth emerges to smash your foes.
Encounter ✦Arcane, Conjuration, Implement
Standard Action Ranged 10
Target: One creature
Attack: Intelligence vs. Reflex
Hit: 2d8 + Intelligence modifier damage, and you slide the target 3 squares. You conjure a Medium earth brute in a square adjacent to the target after this movement. The earth brute occupies 1 square and lasts until the end of your next turn.
Whenever a creature starts its turn in or willingly enters a square adjacent to the earth brute, that creature takes 5 damage, and the earth brute pushes it 1 square.

Quote:

Page 108: In the second paragraph of the Hit entry, replace “enters a square” with “willingly enters a square.” This change prevents a character from bouncing an enemy back and forth between two of these conjurations to deal infinite damage.

And reading that, all I can picture in my mind is two Clay Golems from Diablo II, wondering what is love with some poor monster in the middle.  

[SporkMaster5000]

NayrVentess

Rain Yupa

@ Natural Disaster and BNW: I won't be taking the aura-damage-now-stacks rule into effect mid-fight.

What?! How dare you! razz yeah that's cool, makes sense.

Also, does anyone know if they're going to/have already released an errata'd version of the three main rulebooks. Not that I want it, just wondering if they'll try and sneak a '4.5' under the radar.

the collectors edition or whatever it was called of the htree core took into account some early errata, most notably the revision to the stealth rules, but I don't think they've released a fully errata'd core, no.  

[Rain Yupa]

I'm almost done updating all my books from the Errata, and I stumbled across the picture on page 84 of Martial Power 2.

Dude, that tiefling warlord archer shot that orc IN THE BACK.

FOUR TIMES.

I lol'd. Can't believe I never noticed that before.