New playtest package. Refinement to monsters, Refinement of DM table for encounters aaaaand magic items.
They still insist that magic items won't be necessary and there won't be considered that every 10th lvl fighter has a +2 sword.
Which means high level monsters will be from underpowered to extremely underpowered. Because even in low magic campaigns, a 14th lvl fighter WILL have at least a +2 sword and a +3 armor. To consider he won't have that by default is absurd.
Monsters: They seem better, more balanced to me (without testing yet though) and more importantly: More thematic.
For example a zombie now when it would be reduced to 0 hp, it makes a con save and if it succeeds it remains at 1 hp instead.
The only kinda off thing, is that orcs are relentless, ala 4th edition. I.e. instead of a rage attack, they now can stay in the fight for one round even in negative hp unless the attack kills them outright. I take that as "unless they're reduced to -10 hp or killed by a deathspell"
Magic items: We're on the low magic by default now. Markets for magic items are non-existant, although a large city may have an academy that has a small selection of potions for sale, or a wizard may give a scroll to the characters if they complete a quest.
In very rare occasions, the PCs might actually hear about a magic item being auctioned in the underdark or in a big city or something. Such events are considered big news, like the sale of a big factory in modern times.
Selling permanent magic items? Well, no market = as much as the interested party can pay. Which should be below the actual worth of the item. Or an exchange of magic items or a service.
Items come in common, uncommon, rare, very rare, legendary and artifacts. Rare items should be worth about 500-2000 gp and the game suggests that they should be considered for characters over 5th lvl.
A +1 sword is an uncommon item worth 100-500 gp and the game suggests it should be consider for characters over 3rd lvl. Now, don't get me wrong, but I get what they mean by the "sold well below the worth". If your dwarver buyer offers you 150 gold for a +1 axe, you kick him hard, you don't sell it.
Saying that it's hard enough to find a rich patron to buy a sword for the cost of two suits of chain mail is redonkulous.
PS. gauntlets of ogre strength and pearl of power (up to 3rd lvl) are... uncommon. And the gauntlets put your str to 19, as in the old days. Now, tell me who in their right mind believes that such things are not worth a couple of chain mails.
And then... the tables of suggested magic items/encounter are given and the whole talk about rarity of magic items is put aside. In about 1/5 average encounters, you'll get 1 or 2 uncommon items according to the rules. In 100 average encounters you would encounter on average 25 uncommon items. I.e. the party would encounter 2-3 items per lever (assuming 10 average encounters/lvl). Tough encounters (PC lvl+2) award like 50/100 encounters.
If we go by the "common sense" rule that uncommon items appear in the loot after the PCs reach 3rd level and rare items appear after the PCs reach 5th lvl etc...
By the time the PCs are 8th lvl they would have on average 14-15 uncommon items in the party (including some for tough encounters). I.e. 3-4 items each in a party of 4 characters.
Certainly not many, but not few either. With so many items around, there should be markets.
Personally, that's the frequency I like in magic items. like 3/level or 1-2 per adventure.
On rare items: According to the rules, they average on like 4.5/100
average encounters, or 25/100
tough encounters. You won't see your 10th lvl chars hoarding these. If the PCs have 7 average and 2 tough encounters per level (rare should appear over 5th lvl encounters), at 10th lvl the PCs would have on average 4 rare magic items (+special rewards by the DM).
That's 1 rare/character.
That's kinda too low IMO, except from Ravenloft.
On very rare+: Yeah, good luck. Those things are almost never present in random hoards. The PCs will get them when the DM assigns them by hand. No vorpal swords will surface on the average campaign.
PS. Vorpal is legendary and legendaries are supposed to be 1 or 2 of a kind. So probably each one (if there are more than one that is) are named or something.
On rarity itself:
OK, +1 weapons or usual armor+1 are uncommon. Makes sense.
Gauntlets of ogre str and pearl of power also uncommon?
Oil of etherealness (you go to the border ethereal and can choose to move back to the material or deep ethereal) is uncommon but... potion of invisibility is
rare?
We're back at the 2nd edition mummy that wasn't uberstrong (i.e she has just 16 str) but... Ouch. The touch... the curse. Ouch.