D&DNext: Playtest Review

[TheFlatline]

This already sounds like total shit. DR from being drunk? That's fucking stupid.

Please provide more information when you can.

I'm going to have to fully agree here..

"haha! You look puny and have a dagger. I'm drunk. I'm immune to getting stabbed!"

[Voss]

It is not alone:

You can hide behind creatures that are larger than you.

Something must conceal you, perhaps a large object, a piece of terrain, or an immobile creature of an appropriate size, such as a slumbering dragon. Regardless of what obscures you, the thing must cover at least half your body for you to hide.

I think they just plain did not read the hiding rules when they wrote the Rogue. It's like this all the way through. You get the "ability" to hide behind creatures that are larger than you, but the normal rules is that the things you hide behind (creatures or not) have to be at least half your size.

Again, that's not quite the same. You can hide behind an immobile creature that covers half your body, or any creature (possibly mobile) that's larger than you. Those are two overlapping things, but they're not totally redundant.

Yeah, but it is also _stupid_. The hiding rules are apparently a giant pile of exceptions and exemptions based on a wide variety of factors (for a very limited set of playtest rules) and it also plays into crazy shit where being optimal means you are this race (halfling) and this class (rogue) or just fucking invisible, otherwise hiding at all is largely a waste of time.

It isn't 4e's racial abliity scores dictate your choice of character class, but it comes pretty close. If you want to be a mobile stealthy guy, you take a halfling rogue so you can hide behind your party. Or you can be a wizard and just be invisible.

[hogarth]

Yeah, but it is also _stupid_. The hiding rules are apparently a giant pile of exceptions and exemptions based on a wide variety of factors (for a very limited set of playtest rules) and it also plays into crazy shit where being optimal means you are this race (halfling) and this class (rogue) or just fucking invisible, otherwise hiding at all is largely a waste of time.

I've never seen any tabletop RPG system where Stealth hasn't been just a hot mess.

[ishy]

Right, kinda missed that about non-lethal attacks.

Battle Psalm:
Effect: You sing praises to your deity. Each friendly creature that can hear you deals extra holy damage with its melee attacks. The holy damage equals your magic ability modifier. The spell lasts for a minute or until you stop singing, which you must do to cast another spell.

They turned clerics into bards?

[Voss]

A minute, eh? How long are combat rounds this time?
In some ways I suppose it doesn't matter- unless they are 30 seconds or some shit, there is no way that a small bonus is better than not casting other spells for over a minute.


As for the singing. Eh, hymns and holy songs aren't exactly uncommon, and its trivially reflavored into fiery sermons, cruel denunciations, magical blessings or anything else. I'm actually more surprised that they bothered with such a superficial attempt at flavor text.

[virgil]

No, it's a reroll; advantage/disadvantage is simply rolling twice and taking the better/worse of the two. Statistically, it's essentially the same thing as adding or subtracting ~3.3.

That's an odd way to look at it. If you assume that most things have a 50% chance of succeeding, it's much more like adding 5. Even if you wish to take into account tasks where you have a 5% or a 95% chance of succeeding, I think it's unlikely that those will be uniformly distributed (e.g. more tasks will be in the 30%-70% success range than in the 0%-30% and 70%-100% ranges).

At the middle 3 numbers, a reroll is worth ~5, yes. But it drops to +/-1 as the required roll reaches the edges, making the 3 or 4 close enough. The main reason you would have a nonstacking double roll over a capped modifier is for aesthetic purposes.

[ishy]

Combat rounds last 6 seconds.

And sorry I didn't copy all the flavour text, just the more mechanical part.
I'll copy paste the entire text:

Battle Psalm
2nd-level enchantment
Each ringing note of your battle psalm awakens new resolve in those who fight by your side, reminding them of the purpose that drew them to battle and the stakes should they fail. Even those who do not share your devotion feel themselves moved by the song’s magic, as evident in the power behind each strike they make.
Effect: You sing praises to your deity. Each friendly creature that can hear you deals extra holy damage with its melee attacks. The holy damage equals your magic ability modifier. The spell lasts for a minute or until you stop singing, which you must do to cast another spell.

- Edit: Noticed reach weapons only have reach on your turn

And this gem:

Bright light is also called normal light.

[Korwin]

This thread is so hilarious...
http://community.wizards.com/dndnext/go ... IMPORTANT)

[Voss]

I rather think I preferred it without the additional flavour text.

Gah, more mechanical legacy issues- is that a 2nd level spell that you get at 3rd level (like every edition but 4th), or a spell you get at second level?

At 6 second rounds, the fact that you can maintain it forever is a pretty trivial corner case and waste of space, even if it is pretty laughable.

'Duration: 1 minute' would be better, and over however many spells, would save a lot of space. And as written, its pretty ambiguous. You can either cast the spell and get a minute duration, or cast the spell and sing, but if you stop, the spell stops then, even if that is round 2.

[John Magnum]

Dex Bonus | Light Armor | Medium Armor | Heavy Armor

0 | 0 | 1 | 3
1 | 1 | 1 | 3
2 | 2 | 2 | 3
3 | 3 | 2 | 3
4 | 4 | 3 | 3
5 | 5 | 3 | 3

etc.

assuming that 1/2 Dex bonus is rounded down. if you round up, things look slightly better for medium armor, but not enough to ever make it actually better than any other option.

you're correct that nobody ever uses medium armor, but you actually keep using heavy armor at +2 Dex and there's a couple ties. notably, medium is always outright worse at all dex bonuses than either light or heavy, never equal. i guess if your class gets light and medium proficiency but not heavy and you have +2 Dex bonus or lower you wear medium.

the weird thing is that this is the most rudimentary mathematical examination it's possible to subject the system to, and already it turns out they've come up with a useless bullshit class of armor.

[FatR]

Wizards downloading service fucking sucks. After many attempts to download the files honestly, was forced to use /tg/'s generous help.

I see instand kill SoDs are still on the table. Don't quite remember the medusa in the original Caves of Chaos to have anti-petrification oil on herself, though.

I also see that facestabbing still is the only correct approach to orcs and whatever nastybad creatures you meet. Le sigh. I can't say that this was unexpected, but why can't we have a world that's a little less grimdark?

[CapnTthePirateG]

How is the SoD/HP dynamic?

[Username17]

This already sounds like total shit. DR from being drunk? That's fucking stupid.

Please provide more information when you can.

I'm going to have to fully agree here..

"haha! You look puny and have a dagger. I'm drunk. I'm immune to getting stabbed!"

The drawback is that you suffer disadvantage on skill checks and attack rolls. Now, Wizards don't actually make skill checks or attack rolls in combat, because their spells auto-hit and all their skills are non-combat. So Wizards can and should simply go into all battles drunk off their ass.

However, Wizard spells in the book are essentially useless. You start with Burning Hands (which does damage you wouldn't wipe your ass with even at first level) and Sleep (which reduces the movement rate of enemies until they take any damage). As you go up in level, you gain Grease: which is a save vs. DC 13 or fall down, but falling down only costs you one square of movement instead of a move action so no one cares. Charm Person charms people, but all that does is give you advantage on social tests and gives you personal sanctuary against them, and they remember it happened afterward. The spells are just awful.

So the 5e Wizard is, unless and until they get some expansion spells that aren't ass, a write-off.

Magic is on a Vancian schedule, and they talk about spells vanishing from your mind because apparently they are fucking idiots who don't realize that you could just use the analogy of preparation for spell preparation instead of the incoherent spell memorization metaphor and then people wouldn't be constantly insulted and confused.

-Username17

[Voss]

I wonder if the armor thing is a result of the 'smaller numbers are easier' thing that Mearls was spouting about in the kobold interview.

One thing seems clear from that armor table, however: WotC fully supports the rights of nudist wizards and rogues.


Frank, that last bit on memorization may sadly be a result of their stupid fucking polls and taking the shadzar options. Or, more cynically, it is an intentional insertion that they can 'remove from the playtest' based on 'feedback' to show that they care.

[FatR]

How is the SoD/HP dynamic?

Medusa in the module just petrifies you, no HP accounting. Save DC seems to be very low, though, not sure if it actually is such, yet, started with the module.

EDIT: Looking at spells, low-HP targets get no saves or worse effects. No spells failing to work outright if the enemy is too buff.

[ishy]

It looks like the best wizard spell is a cantrip:

Ray of Frost
Minor evocation
You fire a pale beam of blue-white energy to trap a creature in ice.
Effect: You make a ranged attack against one creature within 100 feet of you. On a hit, the target’s speed drops to 0 until your next turn.

It is kinda sad, that I think this is the most powerful spell a wizard gets compared to other other cantrips / 1st & 2nd lvl spells

Holding Your Breath and Drowning
If a character is swimming underwater intentionally (not as a result of a failed swim check), the character can hold his or her breath for a number of minutes equal to his or her Constitution modifier (minimum 30 seconds).
A character who fails a swim check by 10 or more or who runs out of breath is drowning. While drowning, the character is restrained. As an action, a drowning character can make a Strength check to stop drowning. The DC to do so is the same as the one needed to swim or 12, whichever is higher. The drowning character must breathe before a number of rounds pass equal to his or her Constitution modifier (minimum 1) or fall unconscious. Once unconscious, the drowning character is dying and can be saved from death only by magic or a combination of exposure to air and a resuscitation effort.

Why oh why did they make you restrained while drowning -> strength check.
I just don't see the need for that extra check.

[Wrathzog]

No, it's a reroll; advantage/disadvantage is simply rolling twice and taking the better/worse of the two. Statistically, it's essentially the same thing as adding or subtracting ~3.3.

and also doubling your chances to critically hit or fail. That's kind of important.

* Jumping and climbing is so much simpler, thank god.

* Medium Armor Does suck. Holy crap.

Overall, it's definitely a much lighter game than previous versions. I'll be play testing it with my group this Saturday, so we'll see how that goes.

[hyzmarca]

This already sounds like total shit. DR from being drunk? That's fucking stupid.

Please provide more information when you can.

I'm going to have to fully agree here..

"haha! You look puny and have a dagger. I'm drunk. I'm immune to getting stabbed!"

I think they're doing the HP damage = annoying but non-threatening flesh wounds interpretation, this drug-induced pain resistance would mitigate it.

It's a better interpretation than letting high level characters survive having a swords rammed through their chests multiple times

[ishy]

Can someone explain to me how the Wight turns other creatures into Wights?
I can't figure out anyway that a Wight can get your maximum hit points to drop to 0 without killing you first.

[Voss]

Holding Your Breath and Drowning
If a character is swimming underwater intentionally (not as a result of a failed swim check), the character can hold his or her breath for a number of minutes equal to his or her Constitution modifier (minimum 30 seconds).
A character who fails a swim check by 10 or more or who runs out of breath is drowning. While drowning, the character is restrained. As an action, a drowning character can make a Strength check to stop drowning. The DC to do so is the same as the one needed to swim or 12, whichever is higher. The drowning character must breathe before a number of rounds pass equal to his or her Constitution modifier (minimum 1) or fall unconscious. Once unconscious, the drowning character is dying and can be saved from death only by magic or a combination of exposure to air and a resuscitation effort.

Why oh why did they make you restrained while drowning -> strength check.
I just don't see the need for that extra check.

That... is an incoherent mess. As written, if a drowning character makes a strength check, and so is no longer drowning, so the rest of the rules don't even apply. And if you swim underwater intentionally before you fail a swim check... what even happens?

I'm going to use that the next time I'm at a pool or a beach though. 'If you flex your muscles really hard, the drowning will stop.'

I think they're doing the HP damage = annoying but non-threatening flesh wounds interpretation, this drug-induced pain resistance would mitigate it.

It's a better interpretation than letting high level characters survive having a swords rammed through their chests multiple times

Except... it also does that, even for low level characters. Because they're _drunk_.

[Parthenon]

Some interesting decisions about skills. They've specifically separated picking locks and disarming traps, but removed all other uses of disarm device. They've also gone slightly 3.0 in having greater numbers of limited skills. So Track and Recall Lore are skills whereas before they were class abilities or wrapped inside Survival.

---

In page 13 of How to Play, theres a description of 10 minute rests where if you "spend" Hit Dice you can heal that hit dice plus Con modifier. They also refer to these spendable hit dice when talking about long rests.

I can't see anything else about this, but does that mean you have a pool of healing like Healing Surges but more fiddly?

[Voss]

I can't see anything else about this, but does that mean you have a pool of healing like Healing Surges but more fiddly?

From a Mearls article a bit back, yes. And less reliable. And less accessible to anyone who has ever played D&D before, because they are calling them 'hit dice'. Or other table top games, because they might be used to 'hit dice' as in 'roll to hit with these dice.' Or even newbies, who can easily get them confused with rolling a d20 to hit. Really stupid terminology.

Also, change for the sake of change with '10 minute' rests rather than 'short rests' of 5 minutes. This is arbitrary change that has no meaning or benefit.

[ishy]

---

In page 13 of How to Play, theres a description of 10 minute rests where if you "spend" Hit Dice you can heal that hit dice plus Con modifier. They also refer to these spendable hit dice when talking about long rests.

I can't see anything else about this, but does that mean you have a pool of healing like Healing Surges but more fiddly?

Yes, but you need to spend 5 gp (a healing kit charge) to regain hit points in this way.


I'm not really sure how hit points work though.
They are confusing me.

Hit Points
You use your Constitution score and modifier to determine your hit points. At 1st level, you begin with a number of hit points equal to your Constitution score plus a die roll determined by your class. The die you roll is called your Hit Die.
Whenever you gain a level, you roll your Hit Die again and add the result to your maximum hit points. However, if your Constitution modifier is higher than the result, add it instead.

Makes sense so far:

Then I read the fighter

CON 14 ( +2 )
lvl 1: Hit points 20
Level 2 (2,000 XP)
Increase your total Hit Dice to 2d12. Increase your maximum hit points to 26. You gain the Fighter’s Surge class feature.
Level 3 (6,000 XP)
Increase your total Hit Dice to 3d12. Increase your maximum hit points to 32.

So I get that you start with 14 + 1d12(min 3) hitpoints.
Then gain 1d12 (minimum 3) per level.
But for some reason they have taken lower than average?
Shouldn't level 2 hitpoints be 27 then?
And isn't the point of the playtest to actually use the hitpoint rules?

[hogarth]

Then I read the fighter

CON 14 ( +2 )
lvl 1: Hit points 20
Level 2 (2,000 XP)
Increase your total Hit Dice to 2d12. Increase your maximum hit points to 26. You gain the Fighter’s Surge class feature.
Level 3 (6,000 XP)
Increase your total Hit Dice to 3d12. Increase your maximum hit points to 32.

So I get that you start with 14 + 1d12(min 3) hitpoints.
Then gain 1d12 (minimum 3) per level.
But for some reason they have taken lower than average?
Shouldn't level 2 hitpoints be 27 then?

I guess they're rounding down 6.5 to 6 for the average hit points. Not really a big deal, is it?

[Lago PARANOIA]

So Lago PARANOIA logs in Gelarshie and...

I agree to be contacted by Wizards of the Coast to receive D&D Next playtesting information materials and surveys provided through a third party.

Unless stated otherwise, Wizards may modify this OPTA at any time and the changes will become effective upon posting to the Wizards website located at www.dndnext.com. If you have participated in the D&D Next playtesting under preexisting OPTAs, this OPTA supersedes those terms and conditions and is effective as of the updated date above. Your continued participation in the D&D Next Playtesting constitutes your acceptance of this updated OPTA.

Yeah, fuck you, harvest moon. Whatever, just gimme the damn playtest document. I don't even get e-mail at that account anymore, I got G-MAIL BIYATCH.
*DOWNLOADIN'*

Let's we, what do we got here.



ROLLED HIT POINTS? This game is shitting me up the ass.

A typical monster has the same six abilities and follows the same rules as a character for the abilities' use, although a monster relies on abilities far less than an adventurer does.

That might be fucking true if the game had an integrated power system that replaced mundane abilities or at least level-based bonuses. But it doesn't.

A score of 10 or 11 is average for a human adult. A score of 18 is the highest that a normal person usually reaches. Adventurers can have scores as high as 20, and monsters and divine beings can have scores as high as 30.

Oh dear. That's some serious 2E D&D bullshit right there. Well, since 1st-level adventurers have scores like 19 and terrasques and ancient red dragons have scores as high as 30, the ability score system must ALSO have exponential ability point scaling like in 2E D&D. But it doesn't. Meaning that 5E D&D is even more mundane than 4E D&D. Fuckers.

Did I tell you about the time that I, a STR 16, +3 commoner, beat an elder titan (STR 28, +9) in a weightlifting competition semi-finals?! Of course then I lost to my STR 3, -4 kitty cat in the actual finals, so I try to surpress that story.

The ability scores are as fucking lopsided as ever. Dexterity and Intelligence are master stats, Charisma and Strength make you suck.

The exploring rules don't have a single fucking thing about actually surviving in the wilderness or even travel times.

The hiding rules are fucking busted. Is that a surprise? Regardless, the sheer amount of FAIL they packed into this section is ridiculous.

1.) You need to be obscured by something that covers at least half of you in order to hide. Because fuck camoflague.

2.) Way to include 'as long as someone is looking in your direction' in a game that doesn't have facing.

3.) Making noise causes you to become unhidden. Fucking wrap your head around that. You might go 'oh, they mean non-detected instead of hidden', well, the being spotted by noise only applies if someone is looking in your direction. Seriously.

If you lose the conditions needed to remain hidden, you are automatically spotted, as long as a creature is looking in your direction. You might hide around a corner, and then creep past a guard who is looking the other way.

3.) So what exactly is the point if you make the noise while someone is looking away from you but you stop making the noise before they look in your direction. Once again, this is in a game that does not have facing. It's also a separate point of failure for stealth, so sneaky people have to make two separate rolls like in the stupid days. No, there isn't a bonus for making noise in a loud place.

4.)

Beacause your search is a mix of looking and listening, you don't normally need to be too specific in your description of where you're searching. A lurking foe might give itself away with a muffled cough, a trail of disturbed dust, or any number of signs.

No, fuck you, you just said that someone needs to be looking in your direction in order to spot someone!

Whatever. Let's move on.

Ooo. High-level fighters can make extra attacks. Great idea, because asymmetric action advantage totally didn't tear apart 4E D&D's (or any traditional or video game, really) flimsy veneer of balance.

Your ability scores allow you to do all kinds of things not covered by the other actions in this section, such as breaking down doors, swinging on chandeliers, sliding down railings, collapsing pillars, intimidating your enemies, sensing weaknesses in magical defenses, or calling for a parley with foe. The only limits to the actions you can take are your imagination and your ability scores.

When you describe an action not detailed elsewhere in the rules, the DM tells you whether that action is possible and what kind of check you need to make, if any, to determine success or failure.

Thanks for dropping a steaming fucking load right in the middle of my book, 5E D&D.

Critical hits now only deal maximum damage on a hit. No extra damage or enhancement dice damage. Just, maximum damage. Thanks, that will really fucking help me on my 1d6 Rapier attack, fuckernauts.

Status Conditions: Wow, they stripped down even the 4E D&D list.

Spells:

Rituals: Jesus, they managed to make rituals even worse than before. Like in 4E D&D, rituals are effects that don't compete with your abilities charges, but require an expenditure of time and money to use. Only there are no unique ritual-only effects. They're packaged with spells that you can choose to prepare.

Command: Why did they bring this back? I mean, I don't mind it on principle, but I remember all of the sperging people out people did over 'OMG you can't command someone to betray or strip or use some complicated foreign language word that means 'slit my own throat'. Of course the DM has final word as always.

Wow, they tied Charm and Sleep to hit points such that people are more likely to be charmed or fall asleep (this is the only way for the sleep spell to ACTUALLY make someone sleep, mind) if you beat on them enough. Hey, Frank, what was that about getting the princess to sleep with you because of uppercuts? They actually went and did it.

The organization for these spells are utter donkey dicks. There's no class or duration or range line or any of that shit. You have to read the effect to learn such basic things.

Also, for a game that's positively buff-phobic they sure printed a lot of 'em. And they're pretty fucking good buffs, too, at the VAH tier you're supposed to be playing at.

Holy shit, this game has way too many 'advantage/disadvantage' modifiers. I take back everything nice I've said about them. I can totally see a fucking attack roll getting bogged down while people try to think really hard of an 'advantage' they might have forgotten about in order to counter the two disadvantages stacked on them.



Argh, I can't take this shit anymore. What does the DM guide say.

Blah de blah, standard DM referee boilerplate. And on to the FIRST PAGE FAIL.

When a player wants to take an action, it's often appropriate to just let the action succeed. A character doesn't normally need to make a Dexterity check to walk across an empty room, or a Charisma check to order a muge of ale in a tavern.

Only call for a roll if you think it's worth taking the time for the rules to come into the flow of the game. (ED: Oh, fucking goody, I always wanted to play MTP with a straight d20 roll that tops out at a +10 modifier FOR GODS.)

Ask yourself two questions to aid your decision.
Is the action being taken so easy, so free of stress or conflict, or so appropriate to the situation that there should be no chance of failure? "So easy" should take into account the ability score associated with the intended action. It's easy for someone with a Strength of 18 to flip over a table, though not easy for someone with a Strength of 9.
Is the action being taken so inappropriate or impossible that it would never work? Hitting the moon with an arrow is, for instance, impossible in most any circumstance. If the answer to both of these questions is no, a check is called for.

...



I mean, fucking REALLY? Fucking REALLY REALLY? Fuck, 4E D&D was not this goddamn bad. Ever. They actually had objective DCs in it for some tasks. 4E D&D didn't have the DM arbitrarily decide to cockblock your action. I mean, yes, the results and procedure for actions were sometimes really really stupid. Having to do a skill challenge just to talk to the king was an insult to God and man. A DC 28 Balance check for the exact same task that was a DC 19 Balance because you've gained several levels is worthy of simultaneous punches in the eye, throat, kidney, mouth, balls, taint, and gut to the game designer.

YET AT LEAST 4E D&D ACTUALLY LET YOU MAKE THE CHECK WITHOUT SUCKING THE DM'S COCK FIRST. Why can't we get Matt Ward on this product instead?! Jesus! Or how about Bruce Cord--well, maybe it's not that bad. But for Koresh's sake.

What else? What other hot bullshit are you going to shove down my thro-oh look! I found some on the next page!

Master (DC 23-26): Only especially talented individuals need even try their hand at tasks with DCs of 23 or higher. Examples include identifying especially rare monsters, recalling esoteric information known only to a few, physically powering out of manacles, climbing an oiled rope, or disarming a dwarven trap.
Immortal (DC 27 and Higher): Tasks of immortal difficulty are so challenging that only demigods and their peers can succeed without assistance.

Wasn't snipping the balls of high-level characters and their abilties off like naughty poodles enough for you hacks? Now you have to come back for the dick and taint?! I know that it's harder to balance a game around Magneto and Dark Schneider than it is around King Arthur, but fucking seriously. TRY, Mearls, you fucking hack, you. God.

If you're an experienced gamer, you have seen the following situation happen before. Rachel, playing her halfling cleric, delivers a perfect speech rallying the barbarian tribes to aid a besieged city. when she's done, everyone erupts in spontaneous applause (ED: ) When she rolls her Charisma check, though, the die comes up a natural 1 and points to failure.

As a DM, remember that the dice are like the rules. They're a tool ot help keep the action moving. At any time, you can decide that a player's action is automatically successful, even if the DC would normally be somewhere above 20. By the same time token, a bad plan or unfortunate circumstances can transform even the easiest task into an impossibility. (ED: emphasis mine)

The dice are neutral arbiters. They come into play when success and failure are far from clear. Think of them as impartial judges, ready to dispense a yes or no answer based on a character's bonus and the DC you have selected. The dice don't run the game. You do.

As a DM, you should think about the role of the dice play in your game. Do you prefer the vagaries of fate, or do you prefer to reward a good effort with success and a poor one with failure? Use your style to help guide when you call for rolls and when you simply declare success or failure.

And in one paragraph Mike Mearls has instantly had his name engraved on the platinum slab that is My Shit List. Monte Cook, I know that you're a bit long in the tooth and I disagree with many (most) of your game design decisions, but from a professional (and Not Make TGD Hate You) standpoint leaving this worthless assclown to wallow in his own worm-infested feces was the right call. I mean, honestly, what can you even say to something like that?

I was going to evaluate the rest of this along with bestiary, too, but, enough is enough. I'm not going to waste my time on this any more. 5E D&D sucks, it's going to bring down the hobby, and fucking Pathfinder of all people are going to continue to eat your lunch.

Fucking Pathfinder, people! Jesus tittyfucking Christ, this playtest is worse than the ACTUAL BOXED SET I bought from Pathfinder. It wasn't great or anything, but it was way better than this piece of Chrono Cross. This is hardly even a playtest. No, really, there are hardly any hard numbers anywhere and what are is hidden in the fucking DM guide -- nice Gygaxian touch, by the way, jackass -- and both documents are 40 pages combined. And not even a good 40 pages, it's in that ridiculous oversized font and abuse of whitespace that 4E D&D abused to make me think I was getting my money's worth. This is DriveThruRPG shovelware trash. No, worse than that, there aren't even any fucking pictures! The barbarian and monk playtest for 4E had fucking pictures for it at least! Is this supposed to bring people back to the hobby, Mearls? It's like you combined all of the worst parts of 2E, 3E, 4E, and Iron Heroes and vomited it out between two pieces of cardboard.

5th Edition D&D, boys and girls. Can't wait for the finished product.