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Dungeons & Dragons, 4th Edition
D&D 4th Edition Core Rulebook Collection
All three 4th Edition core rulebooks in one handsome slipcase.
The Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game has defined the medieval fantasy genre and the tabletop RPG industry for more than 30 years. In the D&D game, players create characters that band together to explore dungeons, slay monsters, and find treasure. The 4th Edition D&D rules offer the best possible play experience by presenting exciting character options, an elegant and robust rules system, and handy storytelling tools for the Dungeon Master.
This gift set provides all three 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons core rulebooks (Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual) in a handsome slipcase that looks great on any bookshelf.
The Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game has defined the medieval fantasy genre and the tabletop RPG industry for more than 30 years. In the D&D game, players create characters that band together to explore dungeons, slay monsters, and find treasure. The 4th Edition D&D rules offer the best possible play experience by presenting exciting character options, an elegant and robust rules system, and handy storytelling tools for the Dungeon Master.
This gift set provides all three 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons core rulebooks (Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual) in a handsome slipcase that looks great on any bookshelf.
832 pages, Hardcover
First published June 6, 2008
5 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Wizards of the Coast
422 books415 followersWizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC /ˈwɒtˌsiː/ or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games. Originally a basement-run role-playing game publisher, the company popularized the collectible card game genre with Magic: The Gathering in the mid-1990s, acquired the popular Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game by purchasing the failing company TSR, and experienced tremendous success by publishing the licensed Pokémon Trading Card Game. The company's corporate headquarters are located in Renton, Washington in the United States.[1]
Wizards of the Coast publishes role-playing games, board games, and collectible card games. They have received numerous awards, including several Origins Awards. The company has been a subsidiary of Hasbro since 1999. All Wizards of the Coast stores were closed in 2004.
Wizards of the Coast publishes role-playing games, board games, and collectible card games. They have received numerous awards, including several Origins Awards. The company has been a subsidiary of Hasbro since 1999. All Wizards of the Coast stores were closed in 2004.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 5, 2008
sorry, but i was very disappointed with 4th edition.
they tried so hard to make all classes be able to do something that they all ended up being different versions of the same base character. very video game in feel. no depth at all.
everyone can heal themselves. everyone gets a special power usable at will/per encounter/a day. boring.
27 years i've played this game. they've lost me.
pathfinder here i come
they tried so hard to make all classes be able to do something that they all ended up being different versions of the same base character. very video game in feel. no depth at all.
everyone can heal themselves. everyone gets a special power usable at will/per encounter/a day. boring.
27 years i've played this game. they've lost me.
pathfinder here i come
July 28, 2014
Many feel that Fourth Edition took a lot of the "flavor" out of D&D.
At the risk of oversimplifying, here's a comparison. In edition 3.5:
* A fighter was a killing machine, able to pump out huge amounts of damage, but only effective against foes within melee range.
* A wizard was a versatile utility caster, who could create illusions and detect thoughts and fly the party through the air. Until they ran out of spells for the day.
* A cleric could be nearly anything, depending on the god they worship.
* A bard was basically always useless.
In edition 4.0:
* A fighter had an armor class around 18 and could swing his sword for 1d10+5 damage.
* A wizard had an armor class around 15 and could throw a multi-target fireblast for 1d6+5 damage.
* A cleric had an armor class around 17 and could shoot a radiant beam for 1d8+5 damage.
* A bard had armor class around 17 and could mock the target for 1d6+5 damage.
(It's not actually quite that bad, but it's close.)
The designers of 4e were not idiots; they were trying to fix real, serious problems in edition 3.5. In 3.5 it was too easy for new players to show up and say: "Oh, the bard class sounds fun, I'll be a bard!" and then discover their character was useless and not have any fun and quit the game. In 3.5, the wizard player could enter combat, cast the whole day's allotment of spells in a thirty-second span, totally steal the show, and then announce: "Guys, I'm out of spells. We have to rest for the day!" and get their spells back and do the same thing the next day. In 4e, none of that happens.
So, 4e fixes some real problems. But the cost is pretty high.
At the risk of oversimplifying, here's a comparison. In edition 3.5:
* A fighter was a killing machine, able to pump out huge amounts of damage, but only effective against foes within melee range.
* A wizard was a versatile utility caster, who could create illusions and detect thoughts and fly the party through the air. Until they ran out of spells for the day.
* A cleric could be nearly anything, depending on the god they worship.
* A bard was basically always useless.
In edition 4.0:
* A fighter had an armor class around 18 and could swing his sword for 1d10+5 damage.
* A wizard had an armor class around 15 and could throw a multi-target fireblast for 1d6+5 damage.
* A cleric had an armor class around 17 and could shoot a radiant beam for 1d8+5 damage.
* A bard had armor class around 17 and could mock the target for 1d6+5 damage.
(It's not actually quite that bad, but it's close.)
The designers of 4e were not idiots; they were trying to fix real, serious problems in edition 3.5. In 3.5 it was too easy for new players to show up and say: "Oh, the bard class sounds fun, I'll be a bard!" and then discover their character was useless and not have any fun and quit the game. In 3.5, the wizard player could enter combat, cast the whole day's allotment of spells in a thirty-second span, totally steal the show, and then announce: "Guys, I'm out of spells. We have to rest for the day!" and get their spells back and do the same thing the next day. In 4e, none of that happens.
So, 4e fixes some real problems. But the cost is pretty high.
June 13, 2008
This book set is super cheap compared to buying the books seperately. The 4th edition is comprised of some very thoughtful design, and is really geared to be appealing to new gamers. Every illustration is fully colored, the information contained is not erroneous for the most part, and the rules system is far more concise and designed for faster gameplay without as much need for rules memorization as in previous editions.
There is plenty of attrition in the book towards advanced players, power players, and other more experienced gamers, but you have to read between the lines. Early starting characters appear to be more capable than in previous editions of the Dungeon & Dragons series, which provides a more culpable character that stands out from the general populace in any adventuring world.
Each book is dedicated, appropriately, to E. Gary Gygax.
There is plenty of attrition in the book towards advanced players, power players, and other more experienced gamers, but you have to read between the lines. Early starting characters appear to be more capable than in previous editions of the Dungeon & Dragons series, which provides a more culpable character that stands out from the general populace in any adventuring world.
Each book is dedicated, appropriately, to E. Gary Gygax.
August 15, 2013
This was a disappointment, the game was altered to the point that several fans of prior editions jumped ship to other RPGs. In trying to make all the classes operate on the same combat mechanics Wizards made the classes almost inaccessible, there were some good ideas that unfortunately were implemented at the wrong time.
July 11, 2008
More a restaurant guide & menu than 3.5's travel cookbook.
Typos and contradictions make enjoying the writing difficult!
Typos and contradictions make enjoying the writing difficult!
Read
May 27, 20164th edition Dungeons and Dragons. So much potential, but for me, 3.5 Pathfinder is the way to go.
February 15, 2017
It's 4th Edition. The system that tried to make the best ever tabletop role playing game into a memory. It basically killed D&D for me. Thank God for Pathfinder.
March 10, 2021
4e never really got a chance to shine. I really appreciated the design transparency of 4e and the idea that anything written is available for use at the table.
Encounter design is just so much fun with not only the monsters, but all sorts of terrain features and skill checks that you can mix it. My gaming groups already default to minis and grids, so leaning into that is no problem for me.
The reworked cosmology something I actually want to bring to the table. 4e gives us the feywild and shadowfell. We finally have an interesting fey world and underworld that are parallel to the prime world. Exploring the astral sea and elemental chaos sound cool and not immediately lethal. I find low level D&D to often be my favorite, so for the first time I am looking forward to moving into the higher levels and exploring the planes.
Count me among the GMs (and players) that prefers one or two big meaningful encounters than 6-8 fights between rests. It is a paradigm that 4e seems to support much better. And I like the idea of skill challenges and moving certain spells into rituals.
4e, of course, has its faults. The monster math is off, the plethora of powers with status effects results in drawn out combats, and we probably don't need every role and power source permutation covered, and it could have used another 6 months of playtesting and refinement before publishing. But, it's a cool system with a lot of neat design choices.
Encounter design is just so much fun with not only the monsters, but all sorts of terrain features and skill checks that you can mix it. My gaming groups already default to minis and grids, so leaning into that is no problem for me.
The reworked cosmology something I actually want to bring to the table. 4e gives us the feywild and shadowfell. We finally have an interesting fey world and underworld that are parallel to the prime world. Exploring the astral sea and elemental chaos sound cool and not immediately lethal. I find low level D&D to often be my favorite, so for the first time I am looking forward to moving into the higher levels and exploring the planes.
Count me among the GMs (and players) that prefers one or two big meaningful encounters than 6-8 fights between rests. It is a paradigm that 4e seems to support much better. And I like the idea of skill challenges and moving certain spells into rituals.
4e, of course, has its faults. The monster math is off, the plethora of powers with status effects results in drawn out combats, and we probably don't need every role and power source permutation covered, and it could have used another 6 months of playtesting and refinement before publishing. But, it's a cool system with a lot of neat design choices.
September 1, 2011
It is poor compared to the first seven versions of regular and advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Unrealistic things such as feats were added, and important things such as most skills were removed.
December 9, 2011
As my introduction to rpgs I am impressed and use it to hold a club at my school.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews