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Playtest Group of the Month
(October)

Playtesters At Work:

In case you were wondering what kind of impact playtesters can have on 3rd Edition, here is an example of playtester feedback and the resulting changes to the rules document. What you're seeing here is the "before" and "after" versions of the rules. Sandwiched in between is the excerpt from the playtesters' report that helped convince us to make the change.

10/29/99 - From the playtest document:

[in the description of the ranger class:]

Weapon and Armor Skills: A ranger is proficient in all weapons. He is skilled with light armor, medium armor, and shields. [No mention of the ranger's ability to fight with two weapons, which is a feature of the class in the 2nd Edition AD&D® rules.]

Observation from Jeremy Cronk's playtest group:

HEY!!! What happened to a ranger's "two-weapon style" ability? It seems to me that he gets the shaft here, especially at low levels. After a careful look at the class (and creating or converting a few rangers), I'd say that the [new benefits the ranger receives] don't even begin to make up for the loss of the ranger's ability to fight with two weapons.

From the revised rules:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A ranger is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields. When wearing light armor, a ranger can fight with two weapons as if he had the feats Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon Fighting.

10/22/99 - From the playtest document:

Chaotic Neutral: Chaotic neutral characters believe that there is no order to anything, including their own actions. With this as a guiding principle, they tend to follow whatever whim strikes them at the moment. Chaotic neutral characters are extremely difficult to deal with. They are almost totally unreliable. In fact, the only relaible thing about them is that they cannot be relied upon!

Observation from Jeremy Cronk's playtest group:

A more "playable" description could be the opposite of a LN character: Freedom and independence are of paramount importance to characters of this alignment. They believe in a society where people govern themselves, free to pursue their own impulses and whims. The benefits of total personal freedom outweigh any moral considerations of the results of this freedom.

From the revised rules:

Chaotic Neutral, "Free Spirit": A chaotic neutral character follows his whims. He is an individualist first and last. He avoids authority, resents restrictions, and challenges traditions. The chaotic neutral character may be unpredictable, but his behavior is not totally random. He is not as likely to jump off a bridge as cross it.

10/15/99 - From the playtest document:

The armor table in the first design draft listed a "Max Dex" statistic of 0 for splint mail, half-plate, and full plate. This means that a character wearing one of those types of heavy armor does not get to use any Dexterity bonus that he or she might otherwise be entitled to. Heavy armor limits the wearer's mobility, making it more difficult for him or her to use Dexterity to dodge an attack. For example, a character with a Dexterity of 16 normally has a +3 bonus to any checks related to Dexterity-but if that character is wearing splint mail, half-plate, or full plate armor, the bonus is negated.

In the "Check Penalty" column of the armor table, splint mail and half-plate had a listed statistic of -7, and full plate had a Check Penalty figure of -8. This means that a character wearing those types of armor applies the listed penalty to certain skill checks (such as those dealing with climbing or swimming).

This is the description of full plate from the first design draft:

Observation from Jeremy Cronk's playtest group:

I remain convinced that full plate armor, being a masterpiece, not to mention crafted specifically for the person who is to wear it (a fact often overlooked in many games), should carry reduced penalties. I quote from page 17 of chapter 7, "such armor hampers movement only slightly." It should be counted as less encumbering, have an increased dexterity bonus cap (I recommend +2), and should not hinder movement very much. This would be more than balanced by its cost and the time required to craft it.

From the revised rules:

The "Max Dex" figure for full plate was changed from 0 to +1, meaning that a character wearing that armor is allowed a +1 Dexterity bonus (if that character had at least a +1 Dexterity bonus to begin with).

The "Check Penalty" figure for full plate was changed from -8 to -6, while the figures for splint mail and half-plate were kept at -7. This means that a character wearing full plate has a better chance of being able to climb or swim (or perform certain other skills) than one wearing splint mail or half-plate.

This is the description of full plate from the revised design draft:

10/7/99 - From the playtest document:

A score of 25 is the mortal maximum for the mental abilities, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. The physical abilities, Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution, are not effectively limited.

Observation from Jeremy Cronk's playtest group:

I find it strange (or "unique," as the case may be) that the mental abilities are limited, but not the physical. In most other game systems the reverse is true. In the Elric! game, for instance, human characters are limited to a score of 21 in all attributes except for INT and POW (the equivalent of Wisdom).

From the revised rules:

A score of 25 is the mortal maximum for the mental abilities, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. The physical abilities, Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution, are not effectively limited.

(The paragraph talking about "mortal maximums" has been eliminated.)