So I bought Essentials... - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

So I bought Essentials...

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
armaeus
Aug 07, 2013 20:41:22 So as the title suggests, I purchased some items from the Essentials line of 4e, and now I'm a bit stuck and would love some advice. I've run upon some questions, and it seems I can't even locate the correct place to look for the answers. So here goes. As a quick note, as you read through this please understand that I'm not asking you fine folks to answer all of the questions below. I'm using them to illustrate the things that I'm missing, so that I can move in the correct direction. Of course, I won't yell at you if you do answer some of them, I'm just saying that's not entirely my intention for this post.

What I purchased:
D&D 4E Red Box Starter Kit
D&D 4E Essentials Dungeon Master's Kit
D&D Insider Subscription

What I feel like I'm missing:

About half the game.

I've built a couple of characters and have been playing through the included adventures, kind of in the middle of the first adventure included in the red box starter kit. My characters have abilities, and feats and whatnot, but the only ones I seem to be able to "use" are the powers that are noted on the little cards (Backstab, Bump and Run, etc.). What I don't quite understand, is how to use something like "Heal". I checked the box for "Trained", put down a +6 in the box labeled "check", but the books didn't really provide any instructions beyond that. What do I check it against? How do I use it? Is it a daily? Encounter? At-Will?

That's just one example of some of the gaps I seem to be experiencing. Some of the other ones are:
What do I do when I level up?
     - Can I adjust any of the properties of my character?
     - Are there things that are automatically upgraded with a level? (HP, AC, etc)

Can I add another weapon at will if I just write in a blacksmith shop or something into my adventure?
     -If so, are there any rules to follow for weapons? Or can I just give my self a sword that does 1d20 + 100 damage and ruin the game?

Can I move diagonally on the battle map? Does that count as one block, two, or three? If it counts as one, that seems like I can move faster than I should.

If there's a power/feat that doesn't have a card in the box, how am I supposed to know what to do with that? (I assume I can find a decent amount of this kind of thing in the online Compendium that comes with the D&DI subscription.)

I apologize for the length of this, I just wanted to be thorough. I've been digging around the internet for days and can't seem to come up with any definitive answer to this question:

What do I need to purchase next to fill in these gaps?

I've seen that some suggest the Heroes of the Fallen Lands book, and that seems to be the appropriate thing since all of my other stuff is from the Essentials line, but how can I be certain? I've also seen that some suggest the Players Hand Book, that seems like it could work too, but I'm not entirely sure how well it meshes with the Essentials line. I've also seen some suggestions for the Rules Compendium, but some mention that portions of that would be redundant with my Dungeon Master's Kit.

Am I just completely missing the boat here, or do others have this same issue? I'd really like to have a moderately complete game, and I'd rather not spend even more money. I'm $70 ($20 for the Red Box, $40 for the DM's Kit, and $10 for a second set of dice) in at this point, and as I stated above, I feel like I'm missing about half the game.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'll just be over here at the table trying to beat these wolves and goblins with no way to heal myself.
#2
Mad_Jack
Aug 07, 2013 20:58:20
Pick up one of the Esentials player books, either Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms or Heroes of the Fallen Lands, whichever one has your character's class in it.

This will explain pretty much everything you just asked. They contain all the rules that pertain to character creation and development as well as the rules for combat and skill use, as well as things like gear and magic items. Pretty much all the rules that the players need to be concerned with.
The DM Kit contains the rules that most only the DM needs to be concerned with, such as running a game and monster creation. The Rules Compendium is just a handy reference guide, containing most of the rules in one easy place, but doesn't have the rules for creating characters or anything about monsters or running a game.

The one major flaw of the Red Box set is that it almost never explains WHY you write down all those numbers on your character sheet or HOW they actually work. It's meant strictly as a starter kit - as soon as you finish the solo adventure in the Red Box, you're expected to pick up one of the Heroes of... Player books and begin using that.

#3
armaeus
Aug 07, 2013 21:29:27 Mad_Jack - Thank you, that's an excellent answer. I was hoping I was just missing the Heroes of... book, but was getting a bit frustrated trying to figure out if that's exactly where I needed to go. My wife and I were trying to get our game rolling and kept having questions, and she asked the question "If this is a game where you pretty much make everything up, why do you have to buy so many things?", and I did not have an answer to that. Not that she was nagging or giving me a "Why are we spending money on this" speech, she loves this stuff even more than I do, but she makes a valid point. It seems like things are just a touch more broken up than they should be. I understand the company wanting to make a few bucks, and I fully support that, but c'mon.... let's not get silly with it.

I completely agree on that being a flaw of the Red Box set, I'm not a huge fan of "Just write this number down, and don't worry about why". If I wanted a game where everything was already decided for me, I'd play some of my video games.

Thanks again Mad_Jack, one more trip to the book store and hopefully I can get this rolling.
#4
Mad_Jack
Aug 07, 2013 21:37:13
Well, the thing about D&D is that, ever since it was created decades ago, the game has pretty much always been just too large to fit into just one book, at least without it being thicker than a city phonebook and costing about $100... Even the original version of the game consisted of three different booklets when it was published.
#5
Neutronium_Dragon
Aug 08, 2013 4:49:26 If you go with Heroes of the Fallen Lands/Forgotten Kingdoms then odds are good that you'll also need the Rules Compendium at some point, since the HotFL/FK books don't directly cover some of the questions you've asked about things like combat rules, while the Rules Compendium does.

If you pick up the Player's Handbook 1, it'll cover everything rules-related, albeit with the caveat that you'll want to get the errata document and check it for updates related to whatever you're reading. This is more cumbersome due to the volume of PHB1 errata, but the upside is that the PHB has more flexible character class design and covers both character-related and rules-related issues in one book.
#6
Litmus
Aug 09, 2013 15:15:42 I'd actually just get a Rules Compendium - you don't need a Heroes of ... or PHB1 book if you have a DDI sub as you get all of the info you need for character creation in the Character Builder + Compendium.
#7
Centauri
Aug 09, 2013 16:33:55
I'd actually just get a Rules Compendium - you don't need a Heroes of ... or PHB1 book if you have a DDI sub as you get all of the info you need for character creation in the Character Builder + Compendium.

I ran into someone who actually did this. He apparently didn't have any of the books or anything. He was telling me about his character, a warlock that he'd tricked out to have all kinds of fire abilities. I asked him what kind of warlock it was, and he looked at me blankly. He hadn't bothered to read a single thing about the actual class he'd chosen, and I didn't think he used the character all that well.

So, if you do use DDI as a substitute for the books, don't assume you have the full story just because you have a legal character.
#8
Litmus
Aug 09, 2013 17:30:01
I'd actually just get a Rules Compendium - you don't need a Heroes of ... or PHB1 book if you have a DDI sub as you get all of the info you need for character creation in the Character Builder + Compendium.

I ran into someone who actually did this. He apparently didn't have any of the books or anything. He was telling me about his character, a warlock that he'd tricked out to have all kinds of fire abilities. I asked him what kind of warlock it was, and he looked at me blankly. He hadn't bothered to read a single thing about the actual class he'd chosen, and I didn't think he used the character all that well.

So, if you do use DDI as a substitute for the books, don't assume you have the full story just because you have a legal character.

That's incorrect - the Compendium in DDI has all of the text from the class entry in the rulebook.
#9
Centauri
Aug 09, 2013 17:32:02
I'd actually just get a Rules Compendium - you don't need a Heroes of ... or PHB1 book if you have a DDI sub as you get all of the info you need for character creation in the Character Builder + Compendium.

I ran into someone who actually did this. He apparently didn't have any of the books or anything. He was telling me about his character, a warlock that he'd tricked out to have all kinds of fire abilities. I asked him what kind of warlock it was, and he looked at me blankly. He hadn't bothered to read a single thing about the actual class he'd chosen, and I didn't think he used the character all that well.

So, if you do use DDI as a substitute for the books, don't assume you have the full story just because you have a legal character.

That's incorrect - the Compendium in DDI has all of the text from the class entry in the rulebook.

That's not what I mean. I mean that it's not enough just to slap together a legal character with the character builder. It's important to actually read what's there, and without the books I think there's a strong tendency not to bother, and just search for keywords.
#10
Litmus
Aug 09, 2013 18:02:14
I'd actually just get a Rules Compendium - you don't need a Heroes of ... or PHB1 book if you have a DDI sub as you get all of the info you need for character creation in the Character Builder + Compendium.

I ran into someone who actually did this. He apparently didn't have any of the books or anything. He was telling me about his character, a warlock that he'd tricked out to have all kinds of fire abilities. I asked him what kind of warlock it was, and he looked at me blankly. He hadn't bothered to read a single thing about the actual class he'd chosen, and I didn't think he used the character all that well.

So, if you do use DDI as a substitute for the books, don't assume you have the full story just because you have a legal character.

That's incorrect - the Compendium in DDI has all of the text from the class entry in the rulebook.

That's not what I mean. I mean that it's not enough just to slap together a legal character with the character builder. It's important to actually read what's there, and without the books I think there's a strong tendency not to bother, and just search for keywords.

I'd be loathe to recommend that the OP spend money on content that he already has access to. Probably just a case of being aware that the info is there: www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/da... (for the OP). You can also click on the class name in the character builder and it will launch the relevant entry. Ditto for race details.
#11
Centauri
Aug 09, 2013 20:30:20
I'd be loathe to recommend that the OP spend money on content that he already has access to.

Content is important, but the format of that content matters.
#12
cheesyhero9
Aug 09, 2013 20:37:24 In terms of skill checks, yes the Heroes of the Fallen Lands book does indeed go over them and what they actually do. Be aware that the amount of character options in character builder vastly outnumber those in Heroes of the Falen Lands. You're at abit of an impasse, becuase the essentials books definitely go over the roleplaying aspects much more flavorfully (what it means to be a human mage, or an Eladrin Ranger for example, how you may have come about your path etc) but the way characters are handled are abit different from usual, different things happen when you level up an essentials character than in all the other books. Since you have the suscription, I would say any of the core player's handbooks "mesh" with it much better.

For example, in the essentials book you may just gain one attack at level three, rather than an encounter power. It can get kind of confusing when the majority of your characters level up in a certain fashion.

The standard ruling is being able to go back and change an at will and/or a feat each time you level up. It depends on your DM however, if you're new (or if you're the DM) i'd give yourself much more leeway to experiment with different character options.

The only thing that is gauranteed to increase at every level is HP, which is set to a specific number by your class. Everything else is specific to that level. (The builder highlights these changes you have to make changes to, but it does auto upgrade your HP)

The tricky thing is a few things are affected by HALF of your level. That is, all of your ability MODIFIERS are increased by half of your level rounded down.
IE, even if your DEX is 10, if your level is either 4 or 5, the modifier is increased by 2. Again, the builder does this automatically and scales everything.

For the Record, this is what Heal does~
As a standard action you can attempt three different tasks to an adjacent ally.

Grant Second Wind(DC10)
They'll use a healing surge (if available) without taking an action.

Grant a saving throw (DC15)
They can either make a saving throw or gain a +2 to their next one

Stabilize the dying (DC15)
They stop making death saving throws. Current HP does not change. They wont DIE die, but they're not getting any better either.

In general your heal skill determines how good you are with humanoid anatomy, wether or not a creature is dead (or in a suspended state of undeath) what kind of weapon was used in an injury, what disease is afflicting someone etc. The dm sets the DC to what he deems fit.

#13
cheesyhero9
Aug 09, 2013 20:41:04
I'd be loathe to recommend that the OP spend money on content that he already has access to.

Content is important, but the format of that content matters.

I downloaded all the books way before buying them. it didn't really make sense until I bought them and read/re-read them a few times in physical format. I'd say the core rule books are abit more reference friendly than the essentials line.
#14
Onikani
Aug 10, 2013 13:03:09
I'd actually just get a Rules Compendium - you don't need a Heroes of ... or PHB1 book if you have a DDI sub as you get all of the info you need for character creation in the Character Builder + Compendium.

I ran into someone who actually did this. He apparently didn't have any of the books or anything. He was telling me about his character, a warlock that he'd tricked out to have all kinds of fire abilities. I asked him what kind of warlock it was, and he looked at me blankly. He hadn't bothered to read a single thing about the actual class he'd chosen, and I didn't think he used the character all that well.

So, if you do use DDI as a substitute for the books, don't assume you have the full story just because you have a legal character.

I own the RC, a ddi sub, and the monster vault (which i bought soley for the tokens).
And nothing else from 4e.

And i contribute as much (if not more) rules-based advice than anyone on the dm forums, and often find myself teaching the forum regulars about pretty basic rules that are very clearly outlined in the RC.

The "heroes of" books" will not teach you how to make an effective or even decent character, they just present lists of powers and feats like all of the other supplements do. Knowing how to put those pieces together is an entirely different thing (and there are forums specifically for that too).

@The OP:
The advice to get an RC is really the best thing for you right now. It contains all the rules for both players and DM's in one cheap little book, and it is formatted to be easily read, straight through, with later chapters building on the earlier ones.
You really do need an RC, get that first and give it a good read, three or four times. If you still want the other books, you can certainly buy them, but you don't need them.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 armaeus Aug 07, 2013 20:41:22	So as the title suggests, I purchased some items from the Essentials line of 4e, and now I'm a bit stuck and would love some advice. I've run upon some questions, and it seems I can't even locate the correct place to look for the answers. So here goes. As a quick note, as you read through this please understand that I'm not asking you fine folks to answer all of the questions below. I'm using them to illustrate the things that I'm missing, so that I can move in the correct direction. Of course, I won't yell at you if you do answer some of them, I'm just saying that's not entirely my intention for this post. What I purchased: D&D 4E Red Box Starter Kit D&D 4E Essentials Dungeon Master's Kit D&D Insider Subscription What I feel like I'm missing: About half the game. I've built a couple of characters and have been playing through the included adventures, kind of in the middle of the first adventure included in the red box starter kit. My characters have abilities, and feats and whatnot, but the only ones I seem to be able to "use" are the powers that are noted on the little cards (Backstab, Bump and Run, etc.). What I don't quite understand, is how to use something like "Heal". I checked the box for "Trained", put down a +6 in the box labeled "check", but the books didn't really provide any instructions beyond that. What do I check it against? How do I use it? Is it a daily? Encounter? At-Will? That's just one example of some of the gaps I seem to be experiencing. Some of the other ones are: What do I do when I level up? - Can I adjust any of the properties of my character? - Are there things that are automatically upgraded with a level? (HP, AC, etc) Can I add another weapon at will if I just write in a blacksmith shop or something into my adventure? -If so, are there any rules to follow for weapons? Or can I just give my self a sword that does 1d20 + 100 damage and ruin the game? Can I move diagonally on the battle map? Does that count as one block, two, or three? If it counts as one, that seems like I can move faster than I should. If there's a power/feat that doesn't have a card in the box, how am I supposed to know what to do with that? (I assume I can find a decent amount of this kind of thing in the online Compendium that comes with the D&DI subscription.) I apologize for the length of this, I just wanted to be thorough. I've been digging around the internet for days and can't seem to come up with any definitive answer to this question: What do I need to purchase next to fill in these gaps? I've seen that some suggest the Heroes of the Fallen Lands book, and that seems to be the appropriate thing since all of my other stuff is from the Essentials line, but how can I be certain? I've also seen that some suggest the Players Hand Book, that seems like it could work too, but I'm not entirely sure how well it meshes with the Essentials line. I've also seen some suggestions for the Rules Compendium, but some mention that portions of that would be redundant with my Dungeon Master's Kit. Am I just completely missing the boat here, or do others have this same issue? I'd really like to have a moderately complete game, and I'd rather not spend even more money. I'm $70 ($20 for the Red Box, $40 for the DM's Kit, and $10 for a second set of dice) in at this point, and as I stated above, I feel like I'm missing about half the game. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'll just be over here at the table trying to beat these wolves and goblins with no way to heal myself.
#2 Mad_Jack Aug 07, 2013 20:58:20	Pick up one of the Esentials player books, either Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms or Heroes of the Fallen Lands, whichever one has your character's class in it. This will explain pretty much everything you just asked. They contain all the rules that pertain to character creation and development as well as the rules for combat and skill use, as well as things like gear and magic items. Pretty much all the rules that the players need to be concerned with. The DM Kit contains the rules that most only the DM needs to be concerned with, such as running a game and monster creation. The Rules Compendium is just a handy reference guide, containing most of the rules in one easy place, but doesn't have the rules for creating characters or anything about monsters or running a game. The one major flaw of the Red Box set is that it almost never explains WHY you write down all those numbers on your character sheet or HOW they actually work. It's meant strictly as a starter kit - as soon as you finish the solo adventure in the Red Box, you're expected to pick up one of the Heroes of... Player books and begin using that.
#3 armaeus Aug 07, 2013 21:29:27	Mad_Jack - Thank you, that's an excellent answer. I was hoping I was just missing the Heroes of... book, but was getting a bit frustrated trying to figure out if that's exactly where I needed to go. My wife and I were trying to get our game rolling and kept having questions, and she asked the question "If this is a game where you pretty much make everything up, why do you have to buy so many things?", and I did not have an answer to that. Not that she was nagging or giving me a "Why are we spending money on this" speech, she loves this stuff even more than I do, but she makes a valid point. It seems like things are just a touch more broken up than they should be. I understand the company wanting to make a few bucks, and I fully support that, but c'mon.... let's not get silly with it. I completely agree on that being a flaw of the Red Box set, I'm not a huge fan of "Just write this number down, and don't worry about why". If I wanted a game where everything was already decided for me, I'd play some of my video games. Thanks again Mad_Jack, one more trip to the book store and hopefully I can get this rolling.
#4 Mad_Jack Aug 07, 2013 21:37:13	Well, the thing about D&D is that, ever since it was created decades ago, the game has pretty much always been just too large to fit into just one book, at least without it being thicker than a city phonebook and costing about $100... Even the original version of the game consisted of three different booklets when it was published.
#5 Neutronium_Dragon Aug 08, 2013 4:49:26	If you go with Heroes of the Fallen Lands/Forgotten Kingdoms then odds are good that you'll also need the Rules Compendium at some point, since the HotFL/FK books don't directly cover some of the questions you've asked about things like combat rules, while the Rules Compendium does. If you pick up the Player's Handbook 1, it'll cover everything rules-related, albeit with the caveat that you'll want to get the errata document and check it for updates related to whatever you're reading. This is more cumbersome due to the volume of PHB1 errata, but the upside is that the PHB has more flexible character class design and covers both character-related and rules-related issues in one book.
#6 Litmus Aug 09, 2013 15:15:42	I'd actually just get a Rules Compendium - you don't need a Heroes of ... or PHB1 book if you have a DDI sub as you get all of the info you need for character creation in the Character Builder + Compendium.
#7 Centauri Aug 09, 2013 16:33:55	I'd actually just get a Rules Compendium - you don't need a Heroes of ... or PHB1 book if you have a DDI sub as you get all of the info you need for character creation in the Character Builder + Compendium. I ran into someone who actually did this. He apparently didn't have any of the books or anything. He was telling me about his character, a warlock that he'd tricked out to have all kinds of fire abilities. I asked him what kind of warlock it was, and he looked at me blankly. He hadn't bothered to read a single thing about the actual class he'd chosen, and I didn't think he used the character all that well. So, if you do use DDI as a substitute for the books, don't assume you have the full story just because you have a legal character.
#8 Litmus Aug 09, 2013 17:30:01	I'd actually just get a Rules Compendium - you don't need a Heroes of ... or PHB1 book if you have a DDI sub as you get all of the info you need for character creation in the Character Builder + Compendium. I ran into someone who actually did this. He apparently didn't have any of the books or anything. He was telling me about his character, a warlock that he'd tricked out to have all kinds of fire abilities. I asked him what kind of warlock it was, and he looked at me blankly. He hadn't bothered to read a single thing about the actual class he'd chosen, and I didn't think he used the character all that well. So, if you do use DDI as a substitute for the books, don't assume you have the full story just because you have a legal character. That's incorrect - the Compendium in DDI has all of the text from the class entry in the rulebook.
#9 Centauri Aug 09, 2013 17:32:02	I'd actually just get a Rules Compendium - you don't need a Heroes of ... or PHB1 book if you have a DDI sub as you get all of the info you need for character creation in the Character Builder + Compendium. I ran into someone who actually did this. He apparently didn't have any of the books or anything. He was telling me about his character, a warlock that he'd tricked out to have all kinds of fire abilities. I asked him what kind of warlock it was, and he looked at me blankly. He hadn't bothered to read a single thing about the actual class he'd chosen, and I didn't think he used the character all that well. So, if you do use DDI as a substitute for the books, don't assume you have the full story just because you have a legal character. That's incorrect - the Compendium in DDI has all of the text from the class entry in the rulebook. That's not what I mean. I mean that it's not enough just to slap together a legal character with the character builder. It's important to actually read what's there, and without the books I think there's a strong tendency not to bother, and just search for keywords.
#10 Litmus Aug 09, 2013 18:02:14	I'd actually just get a Rules Compendium - you don't need a Heroes of ... or PHB1 book if you have a DDI sub as you get all of the info you need for character creation in the Character Builder + Compendium. I ran into someone who actually did this. He apparently didn't have any of the books or anything. He was telling me about his character, a warlock that he'd tricked out to have all kinds of fire abilities. I asked him what kind of warlock it was, and he looked at me blankly. He hadn't bothered to read a single thing about the actual class he'd chosen, and I didn't think he used the character all that well. So, if you do use DDI as a substitute for the books, don't assume you have the full story just because you have a legal character. That's incorrect - the Compendium in DDI has all of the text from the class entry in the rulebook. That's not what I mean. I mean that it's not enough just to slap together a legal character with the character builder. It's important to actually read what's there, and without the books I think there's a strong tendency not to bother, and just search for keywords. I'd be loathe to recommend that the OP spend money on content that he already has access to. Probably just a case of being aware that the info is there: www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/da... (for the OP). You can also click on the class name in the character builder and it will launch the relevant entry. Ditto for race details.
#11 Centauri Aug 09, 2013 20:30:20	I'd be loathe to recommend that the OP spend money on content that he already has access to. Content is important, but the format of that content matters.
#12 cheesyhero9 Aug 09, 2013 20:37:24	In terms of skill checks, yes the Heroes of the Fallen Lands book does indeed go over them and what they actually do. Be aware that the amount of character options in character builder vastly outnumber those in Heroes of the Falen Lands. You're at abit of an impasse, becuase the essentials books definitely go over the roleplaying aspects much more flavorfully (what it means to be a human mage, or an Eladrin Ranger for example, how you may have come about your path etc) but the way characters are handled are abit different from usual, different things happen when you level up an essentials character than in all the other books. Since you have the suscription, I would say any of the core player's handbooks "mesh" with it much better. For example, in the essentials book you may just gain one attack at level three, rather than an encounter power. It can get kind of confusing when the majority of your characters level up in a certain fashion. The standard ruling is being able to go back and change an at will and/or a feat each time you level up. It depends on your DM however, if you're new (or if you're the DM) i'd give yourself much more leeway to experiment with different character options. The only thing that is gauranteed to increase at every level is HP, which is set to a specific number by your class. Everything else is specific to that level. (The builder highlights these changes you have to make changes to, but it does auto upgrade your HP) The tricky thing is a few things are affected by HALF of your level. That is, all of your ability MODIFIERS are increased by half of your level rounded down. IE, even if your DEX is 10, if your level is either 4 or 5, the modifier is increased by 2. Again, the builder does this automatically and scales everything. For the Record, this is what Heal does~ As a standard action you can attempt three different tasks to an adjacent ally. Grant Second Wind(DC10) They'll use a healing surge (if available) without taking an action. Grant a saving throw (DC15) They can either make a saving throw or gain a +2 to their next one Stabilize the dying (DC15) They stop making death saving throws. Current HP does not change. They wont DIE die, but they're not getting any better either. In general your heal skill determines how good you are with humanoid anatomy, wether or not a creature is dead (or in a suspended state of undeath) what kind of weapon was used in an injury, what disease is afflicting someone etc. The dm sets the DC to what he deems fit.
#13 cheesyhero9 Aug 09, 2013 20:41:04	I'd be loathe to recommend that the OP spend money on content that he already has access to. Content is important, but the format of that content matters. I downloaded all the books way before buying them. it didn't really make sense until I bought them and read/re-read them a few times in physical format. I'd say the core rule books are abit more reference friendly than the essentials line.
#14 Onikani Aug 10, 2013 13:03:09	I'd actually just get a Rules Compendium - you don't need a Heroes of ... or PHB1 book if you have a DDI sub as you get all of the info you need for character creation in the Character Builder + Compendium. I ran into someone who actually did this. He apparently didn't have any of the books or anything. He was telling me about his character, a warlock that he'd tricked out to have all kinds of fire abilities. I asked him what kind of warlock it was, and he looked at me blankly. He hadn't bothered to read a single thing about the actual class he'd chosen, and I didn't think he used the character all that well. So, if you do use DDI as a substitute for the books, don't assume you have the full story just because you have a legal character. I own the RC, a ddi sub, and the monster vault (which i bought soley for the tokens). And nothing else from 4e. And i contribute as much (if not more) rules-based advice than anyone on the dm forums, and often find myself teaching the forum regulars about pretty basic rules that are very clearly outlined in the RC. The "heroes of" books" will not teach you how to make an effective or even decent character, they just present lists of powers and feats like all of the other supplements do. Knowing how to put those pieces together is an entirely different thing (and there are forums specifically for that too). @The OP: The advice to get an RC is really the best thing for you right now. It contains all the rules for both players and DM's in one cheap little book, and it is formatted to be easily read, straight through, with later chapters building on the earlier ones. You really do need an RC, get that first and give it a good read, three or four times. If you still want the other books, you can certainly buy them, but you don't need them.