The New and the New

Obsidian has clearly been very busy with the first expansion pack to NWN2, the Mask of the Betrayer. The game seems to be on course for a september-ish release. If you're here reading this than you probably already know all this info but the game takes place in Thay/Rashemen. This is extremely exciting to me. The Sword Coast is a classic region and I don't think we'll ever run out of fun to have there, but these two regions have never had a game set in them. This is some fresh territory. The Red Wizard prestige class is being added, which is great because I intend for Red Wizards to factor into my game later on. I'm just happy to see Thay explored. So frequently we encounter Red Wizards so very very far from their homeland of Thay. It will be interesting to be a hero in their home territory.

We're also getting the "Favored Soul" basic class...

Let me just put this out there. I don't like new basic classes. When I pick up a copy of "Complete X" nowadays and look at all the new classes they add I retch a bit in my mouth. I do not think that there has ever been a need for new base classes. Ever. No Favored Soul, no Dragon Shaman, no Duskblade, no Hexblade, no Warmage... none of them! All of these things can be accomplished with multiclassing. People just don't like to multiclass because it is frequently weaker than this new classes. Most of the new classes are redundant or don't make sense anyway. Like Samurai. Seriously, a Samurai is just a fighter from Japan. Not a whole new class.

I guess it is becoming a sign of my "age" that I despise these things. I remember a more pure D&D. A time before I had to contend as a DM with 30 different "Complete" and "Races of" books and a whole Player's Handbook 2, all of which are official content so cannot rightfully be turned down.

Regardless of what is coming in the expansion I am thrilled it is coming so soon. There will never be enough content for us builders to mess with and I am salivating with anticipation over the Mask of the Betrayer.

-Inder