My core rulebooks have shown up, and I’ve had a chance to take a peek inside. Changes to the Rogue class are few and far between. The D&D intelligencia at WoTC have clearly certified my three-year-old suspicion that this was the best class in 3rd Edition D&D. Fighters received Greater Weapon Specialization, Barbarians have improvements to their damage reduction class ability. Monks have had unarmed attack bonuses simplified (one BAB to rule them all and in the darkness bind them) and special attack properties for unarmed strikes as they progress. Every spellcasting class sees significant changes to spell lists and spell descriptions.

What did the Rogues get? Pick Pockets became “Sleight of Hand” (which it has been used for by many DMs for decades), and Read Lips was rolled into the Spot skill. Outstanding. Other classes picked up new, improved saving throws, additional skill points, conjured mounts, and several prestige classes (not to leak this into the DMG, but there are a lot of arcane spellcaster prestige classes around in the core rules).

The rogue now has a mere two-point skill edge against the Ranger and Bard classes, poor hit points (Barbarian, Cleric, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, and Ranger all fare better in that department), poor saving throws (Bards, Clerics, Rangers, Paladins, and Monks have multiple “good” saving throw progressions, Rogues get only Reflexes), average attack bonus progression (right there with Monks, Clerics, and such), and neither spellcasting abilities nor bonus feats (one optional bonus feat every third level from 10th on, as in 3rd Edition).

How could this be justified? It’s all about the skill selection options and that nifty little sneak attack ability. Rogues are all about skills, and frankly you could give any other class as many skill points without coming up with as versatile and effective a skill-based character as a Rogue. Let’s see a dusty old bookworm Wizard scale a sheer masonry wall, jimmy the latch on a window, snatch everything that isn’t nailed down in a nobleman’s bedroom without him waking up, then sneak up on the guard on his way out the front door and wax him with a single dagger-stroke. If the wizard’s smart, he’ll just hire a Rogue to do it for him.

With Wizards of the Coast working hard to get us all to pick up three new core rulebooks, they’ve been trickling out details of changes for months now via Dragon Magazine and the official D&D website.

In the past couple of weeks I’ve seen their teasers for the Ranger and Druid classes in specific. These classes, along with the Bard, have been the red-headed stepchildren of the main character classes. Generally speaking, I would consider this to be right and fitting (I still think of Cleric, Fighter, Thief, and Wizard as the proper D&D character archetypes).

However, they’re making a big push to right all the perceived wrongs with the 3.0 d20 system. Rangers will have fewer hit points, more skill points, and a more useful “Favored Enemy” system. Druids will have some serious improvements to the “Wild Shape” class ability, and pick up a spontaneous-casting ability for “Summon Nature’s Ally.” In addition, Wilderness Lore and Intuit Direction have been merged into a single skill “Survival” and “Animal Empathy” has been dropped in favor of a new skill available only to Rangers & Druids that functions much like “diplomacy” but only for creatures of animal intelligence.

I’m not sold on it yet, but amongst my coworkers I’m sure I’ll be able to browse the finished product and see how it all balances out. Supposedly each of the main classes will be more fully balanced and useful, with an eye toward accentuating the distinctions of the mongrel classes of Barbarian, Bard, Druid, Monk, Paladin, and Ranger. Word is that Sorcerers (also a mongrel class IMHO) are practically unchanged apart from some reworded spell rules that also apply to Wizards.

Time will tell.

Ah, the kind of help from TSR that players and DMs alike can benefit from (as opposed to yet another book full of feats and prestige classes). TSR has started posting a series on helping you put bards to good use:

Being second best at everything makes you first best at nothing. In a party with a skull-cracking fighter, a fireball-throwing wizard, and the greatest pickpocketing rogue in three counties, finding your place in the party can be a little intimidating. Don’t let this distress you. There’s quite a few ways a bard can make his or her unique abilities felt.