Wizards of the Coast announced today that the first major revision of the 4th edition rules will hit the shelves in May of 2011. D&D 4.5 continues the trend introduced in 4th edition, emphasizing faster game play, offering more new character options, and reducing prep time to play. Intwischa.com will keep you informed throughout the day with exclusive udpates!
D&D 4E introduced more player control into character generation. The game designers at Wizards of the Coast are fond of pointing out that it’s always more fun to get a choice in features. Continuing with this trend, the 4.5 edition will add what WotC calls “sub-versions” of many current character components.
WotC often receives criticism that new editions of D&D have traditionally not built upon innovations of their predecessors. In response, they have borrowed a trick from the “Player’s Option” expansion to AD&D 2nd Edition which allows attributes to be split into two “sub-verisons.” For instance, instead of Dexterity, a character would have Quickness and Agility. Instead of Charisma: Appearance and Magnetism. This not only allows a deeper roleplaying experience, but also opens up dozens of multiclassing options and previously-inaccessible feats to players looking to benefit from only a part of an attribute.
In addition, both Powers and Feats will gain little brothers. A player will have the option to choose two Minor Powers in place of one Power. Similarly, they will be able to pick two Tricks in place of a Feat.
The WotC development team is hard at work playtesting these new features to ensure that they are well-balanced with their predecessors.
Stay tuned to Intwischa.com all day for exclusive D&D 4.5 coverage!
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