Pre-art draft feedback

[kosmit]

Please add info that Weaponsmith's ability can be used on Forging because also for me it wasn't that obvious

[kosmit]

Sorry for double-post but I would like to say that even if my tone is not always polite and it may seem offensive it is not my intent.
You guys did great job with changes done in this edition and finally somebody is listening to what we are saying. Panda you're doing great answering for all our concerns. Thank you for that.

In my opinion despite lack of some common ground (like with Direction Arrow name) we really don't have many things to argue about and this is something to be happy about. I hope we will find something we can all agree about.
Also I think that everybody agree that all we want is a great new edition worth ED legend so spending more time working on it will be acceptable.

After saying all this I would like to ask about layout changes you want to make if any. Are you planning to format spells in the way talents and skills are (to save space). And are you planning to change layout to make it less ascetic (layout in 3rd edition was very, very good and if you plan to stay with what's in the draft I am a bit sad - I would like to see chapter names on margins.)

[sirserafin]

Panda, please don't feel bad because of so many questions. You guys made great job with 4ed. Earthdawn will be really epic now as adepts received great oportunities to be awesome, not just better than normal people. I never really felt that my adepts were created to be epic heroes, limits on their powers were too big. Now it seems it's gonna change. Thanks to you.

Kosmit is right - if you need few more days or weeks to make some clarifications in rules - just take it. Releasing unfinished book is never good idea.

[Sundahk]

I concur with Kosmit. Happy with the changes, just raising questions now so I don't have to scramble for answers when my players want to [s]exploit[/s] be creative with the rules

Discipline abilities like Size Up and Create Projectile – do they take an Free, Simple or Standard actions?

First Impression – The talent starts with “The adept favorably impresses a gamemaster character he has met for the first time”. However you have added the extra line “The adept may not use this talent again on a given target until the effects of a prior use have faded”. If you have to wait for the effects of a previous First Impression to fade on a target, doesn’t that mean you have already met the NPC? If you’ve already met the character, how can you then use First Impression? Am I missing something?

Flame Arrow – Can Flame Arrow be used on projectiles an Archer makes with his Create Projectile ability?

Great Leap Skill – Third edition had details about the skill version of Great Leap, with the distance being in Rank feet instead of yards. The way it is written in Fourth Edition, a Dwarf with the Great Leap Skill has the potential to leap 10 yards vertically without the aid of magic! Is this right?

Shield Bash – Can a Warrior take this as a Talent Option and use it in conjunction with Waterfall Slam?

Thanks.

[Gkeckley]

I had another question in regards to talents like frighten. It specifically states that the penalty applies to action tests. Are effect tests like damage, initiative, and healing considered action tests and therefore receive this penalty as well?

[Dougansf]

[Mataxes]

I appreciate all the feedback and work that people have put into getting it to us, and I'm also reassured that most of the feedback has been positive.

Size up should have the same action type as Creature Analysis (since it is basically the same ability, just a different class of target), so Simple.

My gut says Create Projectile should be a Simple action (so you can create an arrow/dagger/what have you and fire it the same round).

Shield Bash does stack with Waterfall Slam.

FIrst Impression -- the original draft kept the "one use only" rule which is pretty limiting, so now it can be used multiple times. That was a late change. It needs to have the first part of the description fixed.

Yes, the difference in scale between Great Leap talent and skill has been removed. (This is also the case with several other talent/skill differences. Having those in there adds a layer of complexity that I've never been fond of, and I think is unnecessary.)

Talents like Frighten that give a penalty to Action tests I've always run as penalties across the board (so Effect tests, Damage tests, and the like). Given that these abilities generally only last a few rounds, they won't typically still be in effect when the time comes to make a Recovery test (though I think abilities like Fire Blood that allow these tests in combat should still be penalized).

[sirserafin]

Great Leap as skill is overpowered. It shouldn't be available as skill, don't you think? It's impossible for normal people to perform such action.

[Mataxes]

Create Projectile -- rereading the description, it should be a Standard action (given they last for minutes).

[Mogre]

As a consumer/customer I'll add to previous statements. I'd rather have a good product that is late than a shoddy product that is early or on time. A little off topic, I know. I like what I see so far and I'm looking forward to seeing the new edition and playing the game.