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    • WotC_Rodney

      D&D Next Q&A: How Downtime Interacts with Legacy, Healing & Backgrounds
      You've got questions—we've got answers! Here's how it works—each...
      June 13 at 12:56pm
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      2 / 20
      Criswell
      Criswell
      A tight framework is better still since you know how your changes will affect things!
      1 person likes this discussion post.
      June 15, 2013 8:17 PM PDT
      PCI_StatMonkey
      PCI_StatMonkey
      Oddd.. it would like me respond to crishwell below..
      All it did was "Like" instead of reply.
      Criswell, case in point.
      3.5 was a very tight system which took magic items and stat bumps into account all the way up.
      I played in a home game where the game master was running a magic low world; we had 2 magic items in the group by 7th level (I had warned him about putting us against equal level CR creatures without magic items, advice he ignored; because he was running it “by the...

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      June 16, 2013 9:05 AM PDT
    • WotC_Rodney

      WotC_Rodney is now friends with Ragenarok and 3 other people.

      Ragenarok
      Voldran
      TransplantAsian
      thornis67
      June 13 at 12:25am
    • WotC_Rodney

      D&D Next Q&A: Safe Rest Locations, Regaining Spell Slots and Cantrip Balance
      You've got questions—we've got answers! Here's how it works—each...
      June 6 at 12:02pm
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      2 / 38
      cobaltbluenight
      cobaltbluenight
      My problem with the way the cantrips scale, is that at high level, the Wizard's cantrips are more powerful than their 1st level spells. Or even their 2nd level. True, that does free those slots up for more utilitarian spells, and leave the high level slots for damage dealing ones, but I am just not sure I like the idea of cantrips outdoing any higher level spell.
      June 12, 2013 2:38 PM PDT
      PCI_StatMonkey
      PCI_StatMonkey
      I kind of like it,
      A ray of frost cast my a master magical with years of experience should out damage a magic missile cast by a apprentice.
      The paradigm of how spells interact has changed, good stuff..

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      June 13, 2013 1:54 PM PDT
    • WotC_Rodney

      D&D Next Q&A: Combat Free Options, Spells and Pillars
      You've got questions—we've got answers! Here's how it works—each...
      May 30 at 11:14am
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      2 / 11
      WaltKovacs
      WaltKovacs
      In the case of chases within a small enough area, there should be some abstracted rules for doing it 'on the fly'. For a set piece, you can actually map out the area they'll be in (maybe just a city map that's at a different scale from a normal map. The normal combat rules would cover the speed you can move and things like line of sight and ranges for attacks. In this case you'd be using the mechanics differently (trying to use cover and such to avoid being attacked). This probably works better...

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      May 30, 2013 8:43 PM PDT
      aaronil
      aaronil
      I am really glad you brought up point #3 :)
      That said, I strongly disagree on the design team's approach to point #3. Combat rules cannot handle an exciting urban foot-chase. Exploration rules (as they are in the current April playtest packet) cannot handle a satisfying mystery investigation.

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      1 person likes this discussion post.
      June 1, 2013 11:22 PM PDT
    • WotC_Rodney

      D&D Next Q&A: Monster Entries, Class Focus & Random Tables
      You've got questions—we've got answers! Here's how it works—each...
      May 23 at 11:00am
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      2 / 35
      Cyber-Dave
      Cyber-Dave
      Stinking cloud is a great example. Cloudkill looks like it is a bit much compared to something like Cone of Cold as well. Overlapping Meteor Swarms are awful. Wish producing wealth and magic items creates problems, especially when coupled with trap the soul. In your downtime, you create 1 25,000gp gem per day. Then, you have a virtually infinite supply with which to cast trap the soul, which allows you to save-or-die (or trap in this case) pretty much any foe with ease. Earthquake killing anyone...

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      1 person likes this discussion post.
      May 29, 2013 8:14 PM PDT
      InchLabel
      InchLabel
      Cloudkill is basically Stinking Cloud using d8s instead of d6s and upping light obscurement to heavy. The damage is practically identical unless you cast them using higher level slots, but you'll never need both in your arsenal.
      Overlapping the 4 points/areas of a Meteor Swarm doesn't increase the damage at all by my reading of the spell, but it'll be interesting to see how others interpret it.
      The penalties for casting one Wish per day - not being able to cast any other spells and...

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      May 31, 2013 12:15 AM PDT
    • WotC_Rodney

      D&D Next Q&A: Wound Modules, Uncommon Choices and Humans
      You've got questions—we've got answers! Here's how it works—each...
      May 16 at 11:16am
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      2 / 24
      RadperT
      RadperT
      I never said s/he was, but in fact a Dual-Wielding Small barbarian commits only ½ HP damage less than a dwarf or elf using a greatsword with the Weapon Mastery feat. (d6 + d8 averages 8, while I calculated the maximum of two d12s as 8.486_1, or 1222/144.) I incorrectly ascribed an additional 1 point of bonus damage to the 1 additional Strength point Human characters currently receive. At the time I made these comments, the RAW seem quite well balanced as the two-weapon fighter has a greater...

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      May 29, 2013 4:24 PM PDT
      Xynthoros
      Xynthoros
      I just have to say, I am playing a halfling barbarian and he is a half-pint cup of whoop arse...
      1 person likes this discussion post.
      May 31, 2013 10:08 AM PDT
    • WotC_Rodney

      D&D Next Q&A: Subclass Basics, Subclass Customizing & Non-Vancian Subclass...
      You've got questions—we've got answers! Here's how it works—each...
      May 9 at 10:43am
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      1 person likes this blog post.
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      2 / 63
      moes1980
      moes1980
      Wow, I really like the part about DMs working with players to create their own subclasses that fit for their campaign and story. I also like the part about subclasses focusing on fluff and background, thus, the are things like Knight and not Defender (defender/slayer can be dealt with through feat and expertise dice maneuver selections). I like where subclasses are going!
      May 17, 2013 6:54 PM PDT
      Killwalla
      Killwalla
      4E edition was very Controller based, like confusing, slowing, stunning, dominating enemies and even going as far as scrambling their positions on the battlefield. The 4E Psion is a perfect example of how they are not the Wizard, even though they are both Controllers, and with augments (similar things already in the packet) I think they could easily stand on their own. Subroles could be Telepath, Kenetic, Shaper and maybe even Psychic Warrior, to roll them into a single class.
      2 people like this discussion post.
      May 18, 2013 6:02 PM PDT
    • WotC_Rodney

      D&D Next Q&A: Skills, Skill Dice and Proficiencies
      You've got questions—we've got answers! Here's how it works—each...
      May 2 at 12:24pm
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      2 / 52
      Sword_of_Spirit
      Sword_of_Spirit
      I'd DM it myself, but I want to "explore" the mines without knowing what is going to happen, and see if I can pull out my dungeon survival skills.
      Of course, it's important for anyone who's looking for this type of game not to have a character concept they get attached to. Those work better in more story-driven scenarios.

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      May 24, 2013 4:17 PM PDT
      moes1980
      moes1980
      Yeah, I agree. They are different types of games so I think if you kind of know what to expect when getting into it then it can be a lot of fun, and people should give it a go if they never played such a game. It seems like with DnDN, it is going in the direction to where a campaign can have this leathality factor dialed up or down. I would really like this to be the case as I also like a mix of this. Sort of a story driven campaign but, a "oh, by the way, the Tomb of Horrors is over here and...

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      May 24, 2013 6:09 PM PDT
    • WotC_Rodney

      D&D Next Q&A: Starting Gold, Paragon Paths/Prestige Classes & Bounded Accuracy
      You've got questions—we've got answers! Here's how it works—each...
      April 25 at 11:08am
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      2 / 26
      abchurch
      abchurch
      Here is a new idea for high level characters because they do not get additional feats--give them feat swapping. That is, at higher levels you gain feats as normal, but for any given adventure/session you can only slot so many feat choices. That way a fighter could really practice his old tricks and start using them again if needed, and the wizard could prepare the ability to perform other, more archaic tricks. This gives the characters additional flexibility and planning possibilities for...

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      May 9, 2013 7:24 AM PDT
      WaltKovacs
      WaltKovacs
      The argument would be that, the assumption of bounded accuracy is that a magic item will help a character, but it should not be necessary to defeat a monster. A +1 to hit and damage will not be the tipping point, nor would a similar bonus to AC, etc. In 4e, at higher levels you need magic items to keep up. The idea is to allow for low to high magic campaigns fit in the same system. Also, having the character be about his race, class, etc first, and his magic items are a nice addition, not a key...

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      May 15, 2013 1:36 AM PDT
    • WotC_Rodney

      D&D Next Q&A: Immunities, Two-Weapon Fighting & Signature Abilties
      You've got questions—we've got answers! Here's how it works—each...
      April 18 at 11:21am
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      2 / 21
      Kalranya
      Kalranya
      And here I was thinking we DIDN'T want the Fighter to sigh, sit down on the steps and break out his whittling block while the Wizard solves the encounter. One step forward, two steps back.
      Whether or not violence is a viable solution to a monster should be a determination the DM makes. It should NOT be something baked into the system.
      Also, I want to be using a character's archetypal, iconic abilities all the time. They're ICONIC. I don't want to have to wait for nineteen levels...

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      1 person likes this discussion post.
      April 23, 2013 2:37 AM PDT
      Kalranya
      Kalranya
      Didn't you hear? "Oldschool" is in this season. And by season I mean edition.
      April 23, 2013 2:39 AM PDT
    • WotC_Rodney

      WotC_Rodney shared an article.

      The Fine Art of the DM www.wizards.com
      April 17 at 12:49pm
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      2 / 6
      Prom
      Prom
      I've really enjoyed the Mines of Madness podcast, it sounds like a great adventure. If D&D Next can deliver what Chris talked about with a character and monster builder online, I'd think of changing.
      April 17, 2013 1:45 PM PDT
      G_X
      G_X
      I like your style.
      April 17, 2013 2:03 PM PDT
    • WotC_Rodney

      D&D Next Q&A: Caster Level, Multiclassing & The Apprentice Tier
      You've got questions—we've got answers! Here's how it works—each...
      April 11 at 10:59am
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      2 / 41
      EpiclvlFighter
      EpiclvlFighter
      That sounds like a you/them problem to me, not trying to be mean. The developers want to incorporate a certain power scale with its levels and they can't skew the scale just to give people unhappy with their scale more dings, that's how you get things like 3e. You can make all of the people happy some of the time et cetera. If you HAVE to have a larger power scale so you can be a bad ass at the start then play for 3 years and still get a sense of growth to the point where you win a fight against...

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      May 31, 2013 10:07 PM PDT
      EpiclvlFighter
      EpiclvlFighter
      By the way, where are these mythical multiclassing rules I keep hearing about. I can not find them. I haven't gotten through everything yet, but I've been through the logical places.
      May 31, 2013 10:21 PM PDT
    • WotC_Rodney

      D&D Next Q&A: Sub-classes, Spells and the Bard
      You've got questions—we've got answers! Here's how it works—each...
      April 4 at 11:24am
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      2 / 23
      LordOfTheFlies87
      LordOfTheFlies87
      Word. They're far too derivative on their own. They're awesome as subclasses/paragon paths/etc. Same goes for Seeker (should be incorporated into Ranger), Warlord (should be under Fighter), and Assassin (should go into Rogue).
      April 8, 2013 2:19 PM PDT
      RadperT
      RadperT
      I like playing jesters and minstrels. I don't see them being necessary as backgrounds, but there needs to be room for a tricksy tumbling bard with magic to impress, as well as excise wounds.
      April 13, 2013 3:58 PM PDT
    • WotC_Rodney

      D&D Next Q&A: Martial Healing, Fighter Utility, and Ranger Challenges
      You've got questions—we've got answers! Here's how it works—each...
      March 14 at 11:29am
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      2 / 83
      Enigmatical
      Enigmatical
      I just realised I may not have been clear in my short reply. What I meant was that I understand D&D is not all simulation, and that it is a game, but it has always held a level of believability, regardless of whether the topic was magic or fantasy. The mechanics are all designed to in some way mimic or emulate life in some way (or a specific concept of life), but whenever abstraction is used, it is always done to turn something that is purely a game mechanic into something we should...

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      March 24, 2013 1:18 PM PDT
      AbdulAlhazred
      AbdulAlhazred
      So? You have leveled this like it is some sort of problem. Its actually a FEATURE.
      1 person likes this discussion post.
      March 24, 2013 2:58 PM PDT
    • WotC_Rodney

      WotC_Rodney added a comment to his blog post on the DnD Next group.

      D&D Next Q&A: Healing, NPCs and Retraining
      You've got questions—we've got answers! Here's how it works—each...
      March 7 at 11:18am
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      2 / 66
      Enigmatical
      Enigmatical
      Not sure where "ability to avoid harm" comes into it... wouldn't that mean that being held down should reduce your hit points simply because you are reducing this ability?
      Sadly I think that as much as they keep saying it is an abstraction, the reality is that ALL mechanics treat it purely as physical harm only and that somehow certain people have a lot more "life" than others purely because of the class they have chosen.
      Personally I think its time to put the abstraction to rest and...

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      March 28, 2013 4:02 AM PDT
      Enigmatical
      Enigmatical
      This is where I see the age old saying of "not enough time in the day" coming into effect. In a realistic sense, we learn things that we invest time into, and the more time we put into it, the more we can learn. People can only learn so much at any given time (just ask any uni student), so it all comes down to how you portion out your free time.
      Now think of the fighter. They are more capable with a weapon because they invest a lot of their time into training and "maintaining" these skills,...

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      April 4, 2013 2:14 AM PDT
    • WotC_Rodney

      D&D Next Q&A: Wizard Options, Monstrous Races & Power Creep
      You've got questions—we've got answers! Here's how it works—each...
      February 28 at 11:28am
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      2 / 34
      Ed_Warlord
      Ed_Warlord
      How is not having light or magic missile, but still having Meteor Swarm, "low magic?"
      March 6, 2013 10:17 AM PST
      Marandahir
      Marandahir
      Did not say no-magic, but low-magic.
      Usually, in low-magic, what magic there is, is difficult to use, but very powerful.

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      March 13, 2013 3:19 PM PDT
    • WotC_Rodney

      D&D Next Q&A: System Mastery, Unbound Accuracy & Terminology
      You've got questions—we've got answers! Here's how it works—each...
      February 21 at 9:58am
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      2 / 25
      MacLar
      MacLar
      bounded accuracy still confuses me
      4e is being prematurely burried like a character out of Poe for the unforgivable crimeof 'not being D&D' enough yet every version of D&D has always had attacks get better with level.
      how does bounded accuracy not make Next even more "not D&D" than 4e?

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      March 1, 2013 2:06 PM PST
      mbeacom
      mbeacom
      I think part of the reason you are confused is because you perhaps think bounded accuracy means that attacks rolls do NOT improve with levels. They do. Just much slower. This is actually a lesson learned FROM 4E, not a regression. This is moving the ball forward into a better game (hopefully). The problem with 4E (as some saw it, and this apparently includes the 5E designers) was that the numbers scaled up too fast. This made for very high numbers as you went up in levels. It made mental math...

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      March 7, 2013 9:48 AM PST
    • WotC_Rodney

      D&D Next Q&A: Lines, Finding Spells & Fighter Identity
      You've got questions—we've got answers! Here's how it works—each...
      February 14 at 9:31am
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      2 / 72
      Silentwind6
      Silentwind6
      I replied above of the comment list. ;-)
      March 7, 2013 12:11 AM PST
      Silentwind6
      Silentwind6
      @Shamanstarr:
      No, no.. ^ ^
      What you have already described is Strategy:
      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategy
      Tactic consists in reasoned actions useful to defeat one opponent. This reasoned actions can be part of a strategy plan, yes, or can simply be the reasoned use of weapons, manouvers and other pratical knowledge in battle.
      Let make an example of the fight with a stick or a...

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      March 7, 2013 12:40 AM PST
    • WotC_Rodney

      D&D Next Q&A: Rage, Transitioning Character & Weapon Dice
      You've got questions—we've got answers! Here's how it works—each...
      February 7 at 10:18am
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      2 / 16
      nukunuku
      nukunuku
      >2 / day is already at-will, effectively. The barbarian as-written is pretty much 100% uptime raging, especially past the first couple levels. This is yet another mechanic for which "per day" really doesn't work well. Maybe a recharge mechanic, or Pathfinder's "rounds / day," or some kind of build up/charge up, or something else is called for...
      February 12, 2013 6:02 AM PST
      Bennedict
      Bennedict
      Instead of a /day or /encounter, I would rather see maybe an attribute check with modifiers based on things like damage taken, fear check result, intimidation or taunt from monster. The roll would be a reactive roll when the triggering action happens. If you want to try without triggers, make a roll with no modifiers. Make it so that it is hard to do unless provoked. Maybe give bonus modifiers based on level or something to simulate more control over rage.
      February 12, 2013 1:59 PM PST
    • WotC_Rodney

      D&D Next Q&A: Standard/Basic Characters, Ease of DMing & Multi-classing
      You've got questions—we've got answers! Here's how it works—each...
      January 31 at 10:06am
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      2 / 32
      TRBand
      TRBand
      "Hmm... shameful that third answer is."
      ~Yoda

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      February 15, 2013 4:44 PM PST
      dragonshaman
      dragonshaman
      I played with someone who really like the scout class, and I know that ninjas a somewhat popular. I know Knights as class will most likely not make a return because of the Knight background. What I'm trying to get out is that I would like to know what classes are planned for a return, which former ones are now going to be delegated to background or specialty. Here's a character concept to try out, a fighter type character that is only proficient in the use of shields as both offensive and...

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      March 23, 2013 11:24 AM PDT

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    About Me

      About Me: I'm a designer and a developer for Wizards of the Coast. I work on Dungeons & Dragons and the Star Wars Roleplaying Game. I've won both ENnie and Origins Awards for my work, and I'm originally from Tennessee.
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    Geeking Out: I'm finally getting to run Dawn of Defiance. Finally! And, I gotta say as the GM, I am loving the layout. I'll easily adjust for when (not if) the players go off the beaten path. Thanks, man!

    peteyrock
    May 6, 2011
    12:48 PM
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    So how 'bout that remaining SWSE errata? Will it ever see the light of day or have you given up on it?

    pukunui
    August 28, 2010
    8:45 AM
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    Love the idea of the deck. Looking forward to reading it. Now how about that wand of wonder?

    darjr
    April 21, 2010
    9:20 PM
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    Whats up Rodney, hope all is well w/you and yours man!

    AKBrowncoat
    August 27, 2009
    9:44 PM
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