4e DMG2, anyone else have it?

[SporkMaster5000]

So, i got DMG 2 thursday after it came out, i meant to post about it but i think i wanted to wait and see if anyone more DMly made a thread first, and then i kinda just spaced out about it.

Anyway, i think it's kinda awesome. The info on constructing traps in the original DMG was pretty lacking, this makes up for it. The original had an oddly absent section on making your own minions, this one corrects the issue (though, once it came out that minion was more like solo and elite than soldier or brute it's not rocket science). and it's got some nice stuff about having your players help you tell the story.

However i'll be honest the real reason i bought the book is because of the monster themes. Templates are a nice way to make your usual monsters more interesting, but having elites everywhere is awkward, plus a recent blog post i saw on wizards' community pointed out how most of them don't meet the damage output of two monsters, which is what an elite should do. Yeah, themes are supposed to link together dissimilar monsters, but i intend to use them like template-lite a fair share too. super awesome stuff.  

[Rain Yupa]

I mine came in today, but I didn't get a call about it. I'll swing by after work tomorrow and see if its here. I placed the order for Primal Power last week, when I came to see if it was in yet.

I'm eager to see what kind of templates and monster-building tools are available in this book, more than anything else. 3nodding  

[SporkMaster5000]

Rain Yupa

I'm eager to see what kind of templates and monster-building tools are available in this book, more than anything else. 3nodding

themes are the biggest chunk of the chapter, but there are a few nice templates too. and they tweaked the rules on solos and elites, in addition to codifying how to make minions, but all together that's just one page.

OH! alternate treasure too. divine boons, legendary boons and grandmaster training. for those of you who don't think it's awesome enough to have your players get magical stuff, they can just mainline magic too! or train under a master to learn his secret techniques, if you feel like wuxia-tinted campaigns. i'd really like to have a persistent campaign setting just so that a PC from one game can be the master of a PC in the next, perhaps of the same player just to make it all freudian.  

[NayrVentess]

Yeah I got it a couple of days ago but unfortunately haven't had much chance to read it. When I got the 3e DMG2 I was really happy, it was a good read and I found the advice helpful and interesting, regardless of the actual 'rules' in there, you know the 'physical' stuff. But saying that, I've had a flick through the new one and it seems pretty good. A large section on skill challenges and like you said, templates and stuff. Although they have added Sigil, which sort of annoyed me, as I have Manual of the Planes which has...wait for it...Sigil, the city of doors! So yeah, I don't know why they put it in two books, rather than pile together all the information on it, and decide which book they wanted in it.

A good thing also is some new artefacts, which me likey, since I can use them as they are or use them as insipration. But the best one for me is the Rod of Seven Parts, since mine (and Joe-Dudes) more than two year Faerun campaign a while ago, focused partly around the collection of that artefact. And now, one hundred years down the Faerunian timeline, they're new characters are attempting the same quest. And I have wondered what stats I could use, but now I have the Rod in the book. Although I am going to alter it for sure, but it is nice to have a base to build upon.

As an addition: Spork you have mentioned about a players former PC being the master of their new one down the timeline. One of players played Ganto, a human Paladin in our 1370'sDR Faerun campaign. And now, one hundred years later, Ecko his Dragonborn Paladin has met Ganto and 'trained with him for a while, so thats pretty cool they have rules for it now biggrin  

[Rain Yupa]

Just glancing through it, I'm... displeased, with some of the changes from the first DMG. They promised us they wouldn't do 4.5 >_<

I especially like the tidbit of "yeah, all the previous monsters in the monster manuals might be wrong now. Feel free to change them."

stare

I'll look more later. Though I'm nefarious for not looking more later.  

[SporkMaster5000]

Rain Yupa

Just glancing through it, I'm... displeased, with some of the changes from the first DMG. They promised us they wouldn't do 4.5 >_<

I especially like the tidbit of "yeah, all the previous monsters in the monster manuals might be wrong now. Feel free to change them."

to be fair, it's only the elites and solos, but yeah, that is kinda crap. on the other hand, it's good to know, rather than sending your players up against an elite or solo that's got defenses that just make the fight drag on longer than is fun.  

[Arc Vembris]

Sigil got a sidebar in the DMG and Maybe a page in MoP, doesn't it have more info on a Fallcrest-level in DMG2?  

[SporkMaster5000]

Arc Vembris

Sigil got a sidebar in the DMG and Maybe a page in MoP, doesn't it have more info on a Fallcrest-level in DMG2?

it got 5 pages in MotP, and 18 in DM2. it covers more information overall, but it reiterates most of the section in MotP, except for the part on the faces of sigil. MotP went into greater detail about fewer people, while DMG2 describes more people, while giving less information on the ones it reiterates.  

[Arc Vembris]

So DMG2 has become the definitive source of Sigil Info, but it's not completely for nothin' if you have the MotP book then?  

[Rain Yupa]

Consider the MotP version a Cliffnotes version of the PHB2 information. Probably enough if you had an adventuring party "just passing through". Probably not enough if you plan to spend a signficiant amount of time there, unless you're okay making it up as you go.

Things not included in MotP:

Info on the Lady of Pain
Random pocket dimensions that show up, called The Mazes
The Dabus, which are like custodians of the city
Sigil Advisory Council
The Sons of Mercy, the Prison Guards of the city
The Mutual Trade Association
More info on the various Wards, and what you can find within each.
The Kadyx, om nom nom
Many more named NPCs
Two typical sample Sigil encounters

Then, some rare nigh-inaccessible Gate-Towns you can probably tie in, and a 5-part adventure called A Conspiracy of Doors, intended for 11th level characters.  

[Arc Vembris]

Sounds bangin'. Wishlisted!