D&D General The 13th Age 2nd Edition Kickstarter Has Launched

13th Age was released 10 years ago as a 'love letter' to D&D. Designed by D&D 3E's Jonathan Tweet and 4E's Rob Heinsoo, it streamlined the game and introduced innovations such as the Escalation Die, and it's One Unique Thing, a trait that every character has which is individual to them.

2nd Edition is now here--streamlined, clarified, backward-compatible, and updated with revised classes, monsters, and more. And, unlike the single book format of the original, this version comes in the form of a 240-page Player's Handbook and a 160-page Gamemaster's Guide.

You can pick up both books for £40 in PDF or £100 in hardcover format, plus dice, a GM screen, and more.

There's a free preview document available (12-page PDF).

Designer Rob Heinsoo spoke to EN Publishing's Jessica Hancock about 13th Age 2E last year on the Not DnD show.

​

 

[Lord Shark]

In the playtest, you now roll your icon dice only once per "arc" (the new term for the three- or four-encounter sequence between full heal-ups), not per session. Which is how I'd been doing it anyway.

There are also a new 20-25 pages on how to use icon relationships in play, with a ton of examples.

 

[Morrus]

Do you really consider 13th Age to be D&D? I've only played it once, but it seemed about as far from D&D mechanically as, say, Mutants & Masterminds.

It's not branded as D&D, but yeah, it's a D&D variant. It's not a 5E variant (it predates 5E), more of a 3E/4E variant. But I'd say it's as much D&D as 5E is--after 4E, 5E took the left fork, and 13th Age took the right fork. Well, 1E did; I haven't seen 2E.

 

[Horwath]

It's closest to 5e of all of the editions of D&D. Or rather, since it came out first, 5e is the edition of D&D closest to it.

+1 to everything per level is closer to 4E. Don't like that number bloat, but it's easily ignorable.

 

[Nebulous]

I had the 1st edition but never played. It looked good. I might give this one a serious look as an alternative to 5e.

 

[Blue]

+1 to everything per level is closer to 4E. Don't like that number bloat, but it's easily ignorable.

So, as a 10 level game, from 1 to 10 is a total of +9. D&D 5e from 1 to 20 is +4 with proficiency. 4e as a 30 level game is +29.

Both by percentages and by absolute numbers, your specific point is closer to 5e than 4e.

 

[Retreater]

4e as a 30 level game is +29.

Isn't 4e +1 every two levels? So that would make it a +15, right?

 

[Bacon Bits]

Isn't 4e +1 every two levels? So that would make it a +15, right?

The base bonus is +1 every two levels, but between magical items and ability score increases, PCs get a total bonus of +27 or +28 over the course of 30 levels. That discrepancy is why the Weapon Focus (Expertise?) feat grants +1/+2/+3 at each tier, and it's why so many people called it a "feat tax" or a "math fix". You had to do all that to stay at the same chance to hit at level 30 that you start the game with at level 1.

Further, monsters are explicitly +1 per level to all attacks and defenses.

 

[jmartkdr2]

The base bonus is +1 every two levels, but between magical items and ability score increases, PCs get a total bonus of +27 or +28 over the course of 30 levels. That discrepancy is why the Weapon Focus feat grants +1/+2/+3 at each tier, and it's why so many people called it a "feat tax" or a "math fix". You had to do all that to stay at the same chance to hit at level 30 that you start the game with at level 1.

Further, monsters are explicitly +1 per level to all attacks and defenses.

Not that is matters, but continuing this line of thinking means going back the drawing board -

Only to get the same conclusion that the math shift form 4e to 5e is greater than the math shift from 4e or 5e to 13A.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Do you really consider 13th Age to be D&D? I've only played it once, but it seemed about as far from D&D mechanically as, say, Mutants & Masterminds.

The phrase I use is its "in the D&D sphere". I mean, its a derivative of 3e and 4e. It used armor class, hit points, levels (and the hit points elevate with level) and classes, and resolves with a D20 with most effects being produced by varied polyhedra. I'm not sure there's a game that includes all of that that I don't consider in the D&D sphere.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Frankly, those changes alone make a big difference.

Edit Especially if it's coupled with some of the other fixes I've seen mentioned around the net, as more than a few folks were of the impression that the existing Paladin genuinely fell behind other classes over time due to not having enough talents (not just having to pick from the same pool). IIRC it was an extra 2 or maybe 3 talents sprinkled across its levels.

I'll be interested in seeing your take on it when you finally see it, as I remember your dissatisfaction with the 1e Paladin specifically.