Commentary: The 3rd Edition
 
 
by Darragon
8/16/00
       Well here it is, THE most anticipated event in RPG history (sorry for sounding so much like a Wizards promoter). All over the castle, the buzz has risen to a drone. Shouts of "Can I see it?!" and "Where's my dice?!" abound. Meanwhile, I am slogging through the information, tables descriptions and other errata. The only down side to the Third Edition that I can see is all the extra paperwork. As with all transitions, it happens; get over it. I am glad for the rules revamp, and especially glad for...
    Oh heck, I might as well just get into it.
    Now, I'm not going to give away too much, because that would put TSR and out of a lot of money. So I'll tell you some basics. The d20 system is the base of 3rd Edition. Almost all checks take place on a 20 sider. Strength, Dex, etc. checks- they are all pretty much the same. Saves, attack rolls, skill checks - all off of them off a d20. Here's the lowdown: Weapon speeds are gone, but bonuses (such as magical, dexterity, etc.) are still there. Thac0 is gone, replaced by a base attack score determined by your class & level (as in Thac0 - don't worry about it, you'll get it when you get your hands on the PHB) Racial bonuses are essentially the same; grappling for tiny guys is still one heck of a difficult task, elves still have bonuses for searching, and of course, dwarves still hate goblins with a vengeance (bonuses all around). Percentile dice are used just like they used to be - if you have a 25% chance to do something, pull out the trusty double tens (or, for those of you who have those huge d100's, go ahead and use `em.) New to the scene are Difficulty Checks, or DC's. These little things are a certain number, set by circumstances, to determine the difficulty of a situation. As Dragon Magazine says : "Armor class is just a special sort of DC." Now Armor Class, that is a slightly different story from it used to be. AC now starts at 10, and moves up to 20. And for those of you fussing over this, get over it. The decision is final. As for proficiencies, they are 'gone'; in their stead, we have skills and feats. Same idea, better system. you just keep getting better in the skills you chose, and as you increase, these higher-level skills open up more intricate skills for your PC to learn. Feats, such as Beserk are just other little things to add to your character. Initiative now is deternined at the begining of the round, and continues to be used throughout combat. Grouse all you want - if you want to use something else, go for it! D&D is meant to be fun, and if you have a style that works better for you, no one is going to stop you. Attacks of opportunity are the norm now, instead of just an optional rule. As far as magic goes, each class now has their own spell list. Paladins, clerics, mages, etc., all have their lists to chose from.

And one of the best things about 3rd Edition is the ability to act and move in a single round!
    Well, that's about all I can tell you right now. Go out, buy your new PHB, and start making characters!
 

 (BTW: in each PHB, is a free character generator CD-Rom. Now that is a cool bonus.)