Player's Handbook Chapters 9 & 10

So the next two chapters are really short in comparison, so I'm going to cover them both in today's post. I'm running out of August, and there are still a few things to post about other than the PH, so I want to get through this a bit faster.

Chapter 9 covers the basics of Adventuring, starting with carrying capacity (aka encumbrance for the old-school players). The new system is pretty straightforward; everything you carry or wear has a weight value, so you simply add them all up and compare the total to your Strength score on the Carrying Capacity table. For example, if your total weight carried is 46 pounds, and you've got a Strength of 14, that would qualify as a 'light load', meaning you can move at your full movement rate in a round. That same 46-pound load on a Strength of 10 would be a 'medium load', which not only slows you down a bit, but like armor, can affect your maximum Dex bonus and your penalty to certain skills. So, this system is definitely better worked out than the original, which felt very tacked on (and in the 1e DMG was actually in an appendix).

Movement is next, and it covers not only dungeon movement, but overland as well. The speed numbers are...well, let's just say this isn't simulating reality. All humans, elves, half-elves and half-orcs can move at a speed of 30 ft./round, which doesn't seem that fast. But all characters can run at up to four times their walking speed, which is 120 feet per round. Note that a round is 6 seconds, which means any character can run at a speed of 20 feet per second. I did a quick math check on that, and that means that everyone in the campaign (except dwarves and short characters) can run over 13 miles per hour, which is nearly a four-minute mile. Now, that's even with a light load; imagine running cross-country while wearing leather armor and carrying a backpack. Once again, not simulating reality.

Overland movement is pretty similar to what it was in earlier editions; characters can cover up to 24 miles in a day if they are unencumbered. Rates for different animals and vehicles are also given, so the essentials are all covered. One thing I have to admit; this game is much more thorough than even 2nd edition was. Of course, they had twenty-five years of experience to help them figure out what they needed to figure out.

Exploration is a brief section that includes light sources and their radius and duration; nothing unusual here. A brief explanation of XP and leveling up comes next, along with describing exactly what changes in a character when they do level up; multiclassing becomes available; base attack bonus, saving throws, hit points, skill points, and possibly a new feat or an ability increase, or a new class feature. Details on how to level up will be in the DMG next month, of course. But the results of it are listed here, which is great for players.

Finally, a brief section on treasure and other possible rewards, such as land, followers, or reputation. Players are responsible for figuring out how to divide treasure; my groups pretty much always just split the coins evenly between the characters and gave magic items out based on who could use them, or who needed them the most. But not all groups will play that way.

Alright, that covers Chapter 9. I told you it was short. Next, though...Magic.

So, the chapter begins with a dissertation on how spellcasting works in the game. Some examples are given (charm person, summon monster I, burning hands); the summoning spell doesn't require any sort of save, while the charm person requires a Will save and burning hands a Reflex save. Of course, there are spells that don't allow saving throws, or spells that use attack rolls. Then there are the defensive spells, as well as the miscellaneous category of spells (for things like information-gathering or healing).

Next we get the details of how spells are defined in the game. Casting time, Range, Aiming the Spell, Saving Throws, Spell Resistance, Duration, Components, and of course the spell's description listing its effects. Most of these have subcategories which are all defined, such as the different ranges. Unlike in earlier editions, where ranges were expressed in distances (20'/caster level, etc.), in 3e this is simplified to Close, Medium, and Long ranges. There are exceptions, but these are pretty standard. Of course, some spells affect the caster only (Personal), some are Touch spells, and some are even Unlimited (anywhere on the same plane of existence). I doubt there are going to be a ton of those last ones.

Components have expanded in this edition; earlier it was just Verbal, Somatic, and Material. The latter category was a pain because it wasn't always clear if a material component was used up or not in the casting. Now, there is more clarity; any spell that has a material component means that the component is used up in the casting. Components that are not used up are now called 'focuses', and include things like a cleric's holy symbol. And here's a new one: Some spells are so powerful and difficult to cast that they actually take a bit of the caster with them, in the form of an XP cost. Yes, you can lose XP by casting a spell. You can't get them back through any means, either, other than earning new XP to replace them. And you can't spend more XP than it would take to drop your level, so you might not be able to cast the spell at all if you can't spare the XP. This is, I think, an excellent limit on powerful spellcasting. It used to be that spells like haste and wish would age the caster 1-5 years, which is definitely a cost, but one that many players and DMs would handwave away. God knows I saw enough haste spells cast to reduce a young elven mage to a doddering, decrepit cadaver, but somehow the aging effects were never applied. Now, that changes significantly in a way that I heartily approve of.

Spells are divided into arcane and divine spells. Arcane spells are for wizards, sorcerers, and bards. Only the wizard uses a spellbook; the others just learn the spells they can cast internally and always have access to any of their spells. Scrolls now only work if the spell in question appears on your spell list. So, if a bard finds a fireball scroll, he can't use it. A sorcerer can, even if he doesn't know the fireball spell. And of course, a wizard can use it as well, either to cast it or to add it to his spellbook.

Divine spellcasters include clerics, druids, and higher-level paladins and rangers. Scrolls work the same way; if the spell isn't on your spell list, you can't use it. Note that a cleric can't use an arcane scroll even if the spell is on his list; an arcane detect magic scroll is useless to a cleric or druid. Likewise, a divine cure light wounds scroll is useless for a bard. The big difference between sorcerers and clerics is that while sorcerers are restricted to a small selection of spells, clerics (and other divine casters) can choose to prepare any spell on their list; they don't have spellbooks to worry about.

Then we get a discussion of the various magic schools, including their subschools. They are: Abjuration, Conjuration (with the subschools of Calling, Creation, Healing, and Summoning), Divination, Enchantment (Charm, Compulsion), Evocation, Illusion (Figment, Glamer, Pattern, Phantasm, Shadow), Necromancy, and Transmutation. These are very brief overviews of the different schools, so there's not much info here.

Finally, there's a brief explanation of the different kinds of special abilities for various monsters: Spell-like abilities, supernatural, extraordinary, and natural. These will be detailed more in the Monster Manual, but there's a bit of information given here to cover the essentials until that book arrives.

And that's it; that's two more chapters done. Next up...spells.