Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 wafflecop Feb 28, 2009 14:15:17	I mean, looking at how skinny the first DMG was, I really don't see how much more they can put into a second DMG.
#2 LFK Feb 28, 2009 14:29:03	It sounds like it's focusing a lot more on things like skill challenge templates, monster templates, hazards, traps, and the like.
#3 mouthymerc Feb 28, 2009 14:33:34	Plus there is going to be a section on Sigil, if I've heard correctly.
#4 enlightened Feb 28, 2009 14:36:11	They will have the room to put in all the wandering monster charts they left out of the first one. :D :D
#5 LFK Feb 28, 2009 14:46:02	Now I remember, it's focusing more on Paragon Tier content. So it's got Sigil as a Paragon city and it'll have a pre-canned Paragon dungeon crawl at the back, more Artifacts, and what not.
#6 oxybe Feb 28, 2009 14:52:03	wandering monster charts? man i was hoping for a good book.
#7 Seeker95 Feb 28, 2009 15:56:08	Opinions on the DMG2? Not yet. Haven't seen it.
#8 jahatch28 Mar 01, 2009 12:04:40	It does seem like they took a lot of potential DMG2 material and dispersed it among the Chromatic Dragons, open grave, manual of the planes, and adventurer's vault (like all the mound and vehicle rules)... does anyone find that they really are having a hard time making/finding wandering monster charts? And even if they are, shouldn't that be a monster manual 2 item? I can see more on skill challenges and maybe more on making NPCs and templates b/c that seems to be what a lot of questions on the forums are about but I think that there are already too many formulas and #s floating around that might just get more confusing... I was a bit disappointed with the fact that the Forgotten Realms Guide was almost 1/3 devoted to an intro adventure and setting (I liked the idea, but it was a bit too much of the book for me) and I'm not sure how I feel about spending 1/3 of the DMG2 on Sigil... then again... maybe it will make for interesting reading... and for people that don't like designing their own settlements it is a nice plus to have a plug and play city... but maybe not my cup of tea... so yeah, i kinda agree, other than re-hashing a lot of NPCs and template things or spending a lot of the book on Sigil and even errata it's going to be slim volume... - JAH
#9 Seeker95 Mar 01, 2009 14:23:22	does anyone find that they really are having a hard time making/finding wandering monster charts? Hard time? No. I hope WotC never makes a wandering monster chart. It will never fit the encounter requirements for my game My "wandering monster chart" is simple -- it is comprised of the monsters in my adventure that I have already decided might be encountered somewhere other than the room in which I have tentatively described them..
#10 jahatch28 Mar 01, 2009 14:37:17	Exactly... the only thing generic wandering monster charts are good for is reminding me what monsters I haven't used in forever... oh... except this is D&D with miniatures so unless I have miniatures for every monster on the chart, i'm not even going to get a chance to use it... what? I rolled a dire bear? sweet.. oh.. wait... no bear miniatures... hmm... dire wolf?.. dire rat?... owlbear?.. okay... I like the "random encounter" chart from the Spellguarde adventure from forgotten realms where if the PCs are wandering around the location then you can throw stuff at them but each of those "random" encounters actually has something to do with the adventure... so yeah, I concur, let's hope we never see a generic random monster chart... - jah
#11 Rustmonster Mar 01, 2009 15:11:08	the only thing generic wandering monster charts are good for is reminding me what monsters I haven't used in forever... oh... except this is D&D with miniatures so unless I have miniatures for every monster on the chart, i'm not even going to get a chance to use it... what? I rolled a dire bear? sweet.. oh.. wait... no bear miniatures... hmm... dire wolf?.. dire rat?... owlbear?.. okay... Funny, I never read the part of the book that says you can't use a monster unless you have the Official D&D Miniature for it. It's almost as if you don't need the specific mini. Hmm...
#12 Seeker95 Mar 01, 2009 16:33:04	except this is D&D with miniatures so unless I have miniatures for every monster on the chart, i'm not even going to get a chance to use it... If you really think you can't use a monster because you don't have the mini (even if you are playing a miniatures game), then you've got way bigger problems than wandering monster charts.
#13 quickleaf_dup Mar 01, 2009 19:49:15	I'm looking forward to checking it out. While I used to play Planescape, I'm not convinced the treatment of Sigil will be too great, but I imagine it won't occupy too much more space than Fallcrest. I want to see how they develop skill challenges and traps/hazards, especially how to integrate these with combat. I'd also like a few more encounter templates.
#14 moonglum Mar 01, 2009 20:37:39	They definitely need to have some rules on using burst/blast effects in 3d environments.
#15 Nautilus Mar 01, 2009 21:18:27	Ahh, Sigil. Will they put it on the inside surface of a torus encircling an infinitely high spire, like in 2e Planescape? Probably not. I'm interested in seeing what they do with it. Sigil's grimy, dark, rain-sodden atmosphere has been somewhat usurped by Eberron's Sharn. So a substantial makeover could be on the cards.
#16 akumadaimyo Mar 01, 2009 21:20:30	I wouldn't mind more advice on DMing or maybe some more fluff on the PoL setting. BTW does anyone know if the DMing 4th ed for Dummies is any good? Has it helped a lot for any newbie DMs?
#17 matth06 Mar 02, 2009 8:00:48	I've been DMing regularly for 32 years and the DMG has been almost worthless once you own the DM screen. Besides the magic items which are no longer in there you don't even need the book once you are comfortable DMing. Save your money.
#18 Nyarlathotep Mar 02, 2009 9:43:19	Funny, I never read the part of the book that says you can't use a monster unless you have the Official D&D Miniature for it. It's almost as if you don't need the specific mini. Hmm... What's more, I am quite shocked to find that previous editions didn't use miniatures. I must've hallucinated using them for my 1e games.
#19 Steely_Dan Mar 02, 2009 9:52:30	What's more, I am quite shocked to find that previous editions didn't use miniatures. They were an option; that many groups didn't take (like mine until 3rd Ed). But we all know what you're trying to do… And yes, any DM that won't throw a monster at a party unless he has the exact mini has serious, serious problems.
#20 aidan_blackthorn Mar 02, 2009 11:33:44	I'd like to see some rules on houses/manors/strongholds for PC's. I miss that part of the original DMG.
#21 akumadaimyo Mar 02, 2009 13:21:24	I've been DMing regularly for 32 years and the DMG has been almost worthless once you own the DM screen. Besides the magic items which are no longer in there you don't even need the book once you are comfortable DMing. Save your money. I'd disagree that it's useless. Does the screen tell you how to modify encounters up or down? And by which I mean for a bigger or smaller group? I can't imagine that would be on a screen.
#22 dreadarchon Mar 02, 2009 15:48:05	Ahh, Sigil. Will they put it on the inside surface of a torus encircling an infinitely high spire, like in 2e Planescape? Probably not. I'm interested in seeing what they do with it. Sigil's grimy, dark, rain-sodden atmosphere has been somewhat usurped by Eberron's Sharn. So a substantial makeover could be on the cards. We already have a partial Sigil writeup in the Manual of the Planes. (I'm really looking forward to the DMG2's.)
#23 serphet Mar 02, 2009 19:34:08	Ahh, Sigil. Will they put it on the inside surface of a torus encircling an infinitely high spire, like in 2e Planescape? Probably not. I'm interested in seeing what they do with it. Sigil's grimy, dark, rain-sodden atmosphere has been somewhat usurped by Eberron's Sharn. So a substantial makeover could be on the cards. yea... check MoTP my friend.
#24 Nautilus Mar 02, 2009 19:41:07	yea... check MoTP my friend. Until things improve financially for me, I'll be checking out the cover of MoTP, and that's it. To hazard a guess, MotP describes Sigil much as Sigil has always been.
#25 johnthedm7000 Mar 02, 2009 20:04:40	I'd definitely appreciate more information on how to homebrew feats, powers, and builds that are at a comparable level of power to the "core" builds, feats and powers.
#26 tyrandor Mar 02, 2009 20:37:08	I'm really curious to see what will be in the DMG2. While I use the DMG1 all the time while planning games... it's kinda obvious that DMG2 can't just be 'more of the same' like the MM series or the Power series... they have to give us entirely new stuff here. That being said, the DMG2 isn't on my purchase list atm. I'm having a hard time figuring out what I would need from it, and while the write up for sigil is interesting, I don't plan on sending my players there it my current campaign.
#27 mplindustries Mar 02, 2009 22:12:41	I'd disagree that it's useless. Does the screen tell you how to modify encounters up or down? And by which I mean for a bigger or smaller group? I can't imagine that would be on a screen. Add or remove enemies? Stuff is virtually one for one now. Its very easy. Of course, what aggravates me is the time required to make a new enemy. In 3.5 it was kind of simple. I know most people would disagree with me, but it took only a knowledge of the rules and fast math skills to do it. Levels of X here, levels of Y there, with this special ability from class Z, ok, now I'm all done. New enemy. Now, its, "Here are all the formula, you can create the numbers for a monster as quickly as it takes you to read a chart. Oh, you need powers for your enemy now, don't you? Yeah, about that...look over there!" There are no guidelines whatsoever for what to use power-wise except to steal powers from pre-existing monsters. I never once used the monster manual in any previous edition of D&D, but in 4th, its a completely critical book. If the DMG 2 doesn't have a system of some kind with guidelines on how to homebrew monster powers, I can't imagine what it will have that is of any value to me. Instead, I'll be left with the fun task of trying to reverse engineer monster powers so I get some idea of whats ok at what level. Yay. And in the meantime, I am left with reflavoring existing monsters. Blah. PS - I do not want an edition war. I love 4e as a whole. This is one of only two things I dislike about it, and I am hoping it will be solved.
#28 clanwolfmech Mar 02, 2009 22:32:37	i would hope they bring back running a business, maybe more town, city, etc development. plus if the format sticks...more artifacts.
#29 -stu Mar 02, 2009 22:50:33	In my opinion, making monsters and powers is rather easy in 4e. There is a chart for damage output on monster powers, depending on level. Each monster should have 3 or so attacks. One very basic attack, and two others with added effects. They might also have an added ability, like an aura or something that is consistently active. Think Phalanx from hobgoblins or shifty from kobolds.
#30 quickleaf_dup Mar 03, 2009 0:35:00	I'd definitely appreciate more information on how to homebrew feats, powers, and builds that are at a comparable level of power to the "core" builds, feats and powers. Quoted for truth! A couple folks over at Enworld have been trying to figure out the math behind powers, and it's been frustrating.
#31 zipperjones Aug 04, 2009 15:00:23	Add or remove enemies? Stuff is virtually one for one now. Its very easy. Of course, what aggravates me is the time required to make a new enemy. In 3.5 it was kind of simple. I know most people would disagree with me, but it took only a knowledge of the rules and fast math skills to do it. Levels of X here, levels of Y there, with this special ability from class Z, ok, now I'm all done. New enemy. Now, its, "Here are all the formula, you can create the numbers for a monster as quickly as it takes you to read a chart. Oh, you need powers for your enemy now, don't you? Yeah, about that...look over there!" There are no guidelines whatsoever for what to use power-wise except to steal powers from pre-existing monsters. I never once used the monster manual in any previous edition of D&D, but in 4th, its a completely critical book. If the DMG 2 doesn't have a system of some kind with guidelines on how to homebrew monster powers, I can't imagine what it will have that is of any value to me. Instead, I'll be left with the fun task of trying to reverse engineer monster powers so I get some idea of whats ok at what level. Yay. And in the meantime, I am left with reflavoring existing monsters. Blah. PS - I do not want an edition war. I love 4e as a whole. This is one of only two things I dislike about it, and I am hoping it will be solved. The information to make custom monster powers are all there - all you need is a little imagination. Take the level, the damage chart by level, add in your damage type, a little flavor text and voila! New Monster Power. I have thoroughly enjoyed making custom monsters, both "from-scratch" and dialing up and down existing monsters using the guidelines in the DMG without problems. The tools are there - you just have to know how to use them.
#32 Black_Knight999 Aug 04, 2009 15:49:20	I'm looking forward to the new terrain powers they mentioned. If anyone has the Iron Heroes rules, this is probably going to be a 4th Edition version of action zones. Mike Mearls also wrote Iron Heroes right before working on 4th Edition, so it looks like he is porting it over now. I thought action zones were awesome, so I can't wait to see what they look like in the DMG II.