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Changes from Ref Rules V3 to V4

Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2014 12:19 pm
by waysoftheearth
For those that may be interested, here is a list of all the changes between the DD Ref Rules V3 and the V4 Compendium (page numbers are V4 Compendium page numbers):


General Structure
. Updated credits,
. Update license,
. Content arranged in a single document,
. Referred to "sections" I-III rather than "volumes" I-III,
. Fixed rendering of vertical table borders throughout,
. p112 Fixed row shading in table 3.13 Treasure Types.


Spelling and Grammar
. Ensured "Lizardman" is one word throughout,
. Ensured "trapdoor" is one word throughout,
. Ensured each use of the thief is clearly optional,
. p7 Clarified definition of normal missiles,
. p7 Clarified definition of normal weapons,
. p20 Corrected spelling of "Garlic",
. p55 The paragraph under Parrying clarified to read:
A defender can forgo his attack to parry and cause an opponent to suffer a −4 attack penalty. Should his opponent miss because of this −4 penalty the defender’s weapon will be dashed from his grasp by a heavier weapon. If, on the other hand, his opponent misses regardless of this penalty the defender is allowed a counter-attack if equipped with a lighter weapon.
. p57 The paragraph under Adjustments to Morale Check clarified to read:
Monsters are assumed to have morale adjustments as stated in the explanation of monsters; however, the referee may wish to ascribe a loyalty score to particular individuals. This can be done in the same manner as for hirelings or retainers serving the players (by summing three six-sided dice) or by edict. High or low loyalty would adjust a monster’s morale checks accordingly, overruling the generic morale adjustments given in the explanation of monsters.
. p58, 76 Clarified shooting at mounted heroic-types (by deleting one confusing occurrence of the word "heroic"),
. p88 Corrected "Wolves, dire" to "Wolves, giant",
. p91 Clarified that a Chimera's three attacks per turn apply against heroes,
. p95 Clarified that a Golden Dragon's magic resistance applies against all magical attacks, not just against spells,
. p107 Clarified that Giant Rats can cause disease after a successful hit,
. p111 Clarified that either sub-type of Giant Wolves (Dire Wolves or Wargs) can be ridden by Goblins,
. p119 Changed "Level" to "Levels" in table 3.23 Potion of Heroism (now I'm not so sure this was necessary),
. p123 Corrected name of the "Continuous Light" spell in the Staff of Power description,
. p125 Fixed capitaliztion of entires in table 3.28 Swords,
. p126 Spelt out 1, 2, 3, and 4 in table 3.30 Magic Sword Languages.


Minor Rules Fixes
. p20 Adjusted weight of Holy Water to 2 lb,
. p41 Adjusted table 1.23 Reincarnation Outcome (by replacing all occurrences of "Thief" with "Doppelganger"),
. p50 Adjusted experience levels of non-player characters encountered (by adding 1-3 levels),
. p87 Added missing stat line for Tigers,
. p101 Corrected halfling attack adjustment to +3 with hurled missiles (in alignment with player types),
. p104 Corrected male werewolf reaction to females being attacked; the +4 attack adjustment lasts thereafter, not just the following turn.


Important Changes
. p18 Aligned thief backstab progression with normal-heroic progression,
. p19 Adjusted table 1.13 Thief Progression (by slightly increasing thief hit dice at levels 9-12),
. p55 Corrected Table 2.8 Attack Matrix, and included both coarse and fine advancements,
. Increased the damage caused by some monsters which have either multiple identical attacks, or multiple follow-on attacks in D&D, but which are subsumed into a single attack roll in DD. These include: Bears (p89), Cavebears (p91), Giant Crabs (p91), Lions (p102), Spotted Lions (p103), Sabre Toothed Tigers (p108), and Tigers (p109),
. p111 Amended Wyvern stinger attack selection to be as per Giant Scorpion.

Re: Changes from Ref Rules V3 to V4

Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2014 3:49 pm
by Merctime
(Simon, I hope my post here is OK. Not sure if posts you make like this are intended for comment or banter.)

Thank you very much for this! I'm always interested in point-to-point analysis like this, as eventually when my job slows down a bit, I'm still pretty interested in getting a single copy of DD with my own art choices and house-rules as a personal 'special edition'. Things like this help to make that a reality.

It's also very interesting to get the behind-the-scenes thought processes that you toss in here and there regarding some of the minor, but to my mind, intelligent changes you add into the game. A specific (but not singular) example is the mention of the backstabbing being brought to fit into the normal/heroic/superheroic framework. That's just great stuff!