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Listi af slæmum nýjungum:


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# Changes in spells and other per-encounter resourcing, giving all classes a similar number of at-will, per-encounter and per-day power types. (This applies to all classes, in contrast to previous editions where each spell was cast on a daily basis while noncasters were more likely to receive combat and noncombat bonuses than any specific powers.) Some Fighter-class powers also receive bonuses for certain types of weapons. Characters of 11th through 20h level also choose a “paragon path,” a specialty within their class that defines some of their new powers.


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# Casters no longer prepare their spells at the start of the day, except that Wizards know extra daily and utility spells and choose which to have available in a given day.
# Revision of saving throws and defense values. Fortitude, Reflex and Will are now static defense values which the attacker rolls against like Armor Class. “Saving throws” now refer to rolls made at the end of one's turn in order to end certain ongoing detrimental effects, saving throw rolls generally have no bonus and a DC of 10, so you are rolling a d20 with no modifiers and trying to beat 10. Some feats can give bonuses to saving throws, though, and some effects have penalties to the throw.

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# Standardized level-based bonus increases. Attack rolls, skill checks and defense values all get a bonus equal to 1/2 level, rounded down, rather than increasing at different rates depending on class or skill point investment. This bonus also applies to ability-score checks (such as Strength rolls).
# Revision of the healing system. In addition to the healing powers available to some classes, each character has a number of daily healing surges based on their class and Constitution score. Spending a healing surge usually heals a character for 1/4 of a character's maximum hit points. Generally, characters can only spend one healing surge per encounter, however certain powers allow additional surges to be spent, and characters can spend any number of their healing surges outside of combat. Finally, players recover full hit points after a (once daily) 6 hour ‘extended rest’.

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# Revision of feats, generally making feats more varied but less powerful in combat. Characters also gain more feats as they advance, although Fighters no longer receive bonus feats.
# Elimination of skill points. Each skill is either trained (providing a fixed bonus on skill checks, and sometimes allowing more exotic uses for the skills) or untrained, but in either case all characters also receive a bonus to all skill rolls based on level.

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# All playable races have positive ability score bonuses and a racial power.

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# Gnomes have been removed from the core race selection, but have been included as a playable race in the Monster Manual, much like goblins in the previous edition.
# Half-Orcs have also been removed as a core race. [11]

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# Magic items have been redesigned, sharply reducing their power and limiting many effects to daily use plus additionally limiting the number of daily-item powers characters can activate.

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# Revision of the critical hit system. Confirmation roll to critical hits has been done away with;[15] instead a natural 20 automatically does maximum damage (rather than x2) and may cause further damage or effects with certain bonuses (or if a natural still 20 misses, it instead is an automatic ordinary hit).[16]

Alignments are now limited to Lawful Good, Good, Evil, Chaotic Evil, and Unaligned. The impact of alignment on actual game mechanics has been essentially eliminated.

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# In addition to level, each monster has a power tier. Minions are the weakest tier, they are considered equivalent to roughly 1/4 of a standard monster of the same level, and are designed to be simple to run in large numbers, minions die in one hit, have fixed damage and have few if any special abilities. Elite monsters are considered roughly equivalent to 2 standard monsters of the same level, while Solo monsters are considered roughly equivalent to 5 standard monsters of the same level. Elite and solo monsters generally have more hit points, higher defenses and more powerful and numerous attacks and special abilities than standard monsters of the same level. They also generally have action points and a bonus to saving throws.

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# Characters (and some monsters) gain “action points”, which can be spent to take an extra action in combat, or to perform some other special tasks granted by certain classes or feats.