I've figured out what 4th edition will be!

[ken-do-nim]

In 4th edition, the Player's Handbook (always shrinkwrapped at the store so you can't browse through it) will be ... randomized! You won't know what classes are in each book, so you may have to buy many handbooks to get the class you want to play. Something like:

Fighter ... common
Barbarian ... common
Rogue ... common
Sorcerer ... uncommon
Paladin ... uncommon
Cleric ... rare
Druid ... rare
Wizard ... rare

See? Class balance is achieved because the full memorization casters are rares. See???

Also the spells are randomized too. Polymorph is now fixed (!), because it's ... rare.

Maybe they'll even go the extra mile, and at 1st level and every time you level up you have 200 character points to spend. Maybe the rare classes cost more points to take. Maybe the really good feats are rares too and also cost more.

I can't wait to order a case of 4th edition Player's Handbooks. I just hope one of the books in the case has a warlock. Been looking forward to playing one.

[puppyavenger]

LOL



this is a joke right?

[Indon]

This is the aftermath of two WotC planning executives, arms full of papers, colliding in an intersection and then scrambling to pick up just any armful of papers, isn't it?

(Also, the next edition of Magic: The Gathering will feature a new mechanic - Experience Points!)

[Emperor Tippy]

Well since I download all my books thsi won't bother me at all.

Spoiler

Show

yes I know its satire.

[Roderick_BR]

Will there be booster Player Handbooks? Maybe they'll bring the PrCs, with new PrCs in every booster edition.

[ocato]

Bards and Monks will not only be very rare, but foiled!

Those that get the monk will be sorely disappointed.

[Theodoxus]

While I like this, I hope there's a bit more 'generalization' going with the core classes...

Fighter
Magic User
Rogue
Priest

Gish, Arcane
Gish, Divine

Trickster, Arcane
Trickster, Divine

Rogue Warrior

Then the different books could have various talent trees, some rare, most common... so only the very lucky might have the Transmutation talent tree for their Magic User or Arcane X character.

[MaxKaladin]

In 4th edition, the Player's Handbook (always shrinkwrapped at the store so you can't browse through it) will be ... randomized! You won't know what classes are in each book, so you may have to buy many handbooks to get the class you want to play. Something like:

I remember making this prediction about 3e back in the 90s when WotC bought TSR.

Maybe they'll even go the extra mile, and at 1st level and every time you level up you have 200 character points to spend. Maybe the rare classes cost more points to take. Maybe the really good feats are rares too and also cost more.

It would be almost like balancing the classes by having a seperate experience table for each that was set up to have some classes take more more experience to level up than others -- but where would they get a crazy idea like that?

[Piccamo]

Bards and Monks will not only be very rare, but foiled!

Those that get the monk will be sorely disappointed.

And unless they drastically change the bard, so would any people who got a foil

[TSGames]

In 4th edition, the Player's Handbook (always shrinkwrapped at the store so you can't browse through it) will be ... randomized! You won't know what classes are in each book, so you may have to buy many handbooks to get the class you want to play. Something like:

Fighter ... common
Barbarian ... common
Rogue ... common
Sorcerer ... uncommon
Paladin ... uncommon
Cleric ... rare
Druid ... rare
Wizard ... rare

See? Class balance is achieved because the full memorization casters are rares. See???

Also the spells are randomized too. Polymorph is now fixed (!), because it's ... rare.

Maybe they'll even go the extra mile, and at 1st level and every time you level up you have 200 character points to spend. Maybe the rare classes cost more points to take. Maybe the really good feats are rares too and also cost more.

I can't wait to order a case of 4th edition Player's Handbooks. I just hope one of the books in the case has a warlock. Been looking forward to playing one.

Please delete this before someone at WotC sees it. It's only a matter of time.
Don't give them ideas.

[ken-do-nim]

I remember making this prediction about 3e back in the 90s when WotC bought TSR.

You da man. To think, that was before randomized minis too.

It would be almost like balancing the classes by having a seperate experience table for each that was set up to have some classes take more more experience to level up than others -- but where would they get a crazy idea like that?

Oh, I can see it now. 4th Edition is released, and lo and behold, they just decide to reprint the 2E books and call them 4E (but with the armor classes going up, weapon proficiencies renamed to feats, and non-weapon proficiencies renamed to skills). Then they'll start putting out new adventures like "Return of the Speaker In Dreams" and "Expedition to Heartfang's Spire" where they've translated those old 3E modules back/forward into 2E/4E lingo.