In development

'''This page aims at listing dev words on future updates of the game (as a kind of a WDA replacement). Feel free to contribute by adding your own finds.'''

Module 9

 * Planned around 3rd Anniversary - Kate Paiz, gamebanshee.com
 * for reference, the 2nd Anniversary Release (the Devil invasion in the Marketplace) was Feb 27, 2007.
 * Level cap raised to 20
 * "Players will take the fight to Shavarath to fight the Devils on their home turf. Players will make friends of old enemies once again as they make their way across the battle scared ruins of the Plane of Battle to once again deflect the expansionist tendencies of the Devils." gamebanshee.com

New Races and Classes

 * "Half Orcs are the next race that's currently planned, we expect the first half of '09. The Druid is on our list as the next class." - Eladrin, Stratics dev chat
 * "The Druid class will feature classic abilities, like shape-shifting, and we’re very excited about getting it out to players sometime mid next year. The Half Orc and Half Elf will be coming sooner, probably in Module 10, and will also echo their classic, D&D player handbook selves. Everyone is very excited about the Half-Orc’s +2 strength bonus as well as customizing their tusks. " - Kate Paiz, gamebanshee.com

Spells

 * Mandate of Shavarath and Suggestion
 * "The Mandate of Shavarath currently wards creatures from Charm effects, but the Suggestion spell (and Mass Suggestion) are not tagged as Charm effects in the Player’s Handbook. As a Compulsion that pacifies hostile opponents, however, Suggestion likely should be prevented by the ward." - Silthe, QA Lodge thread

New Spells

 * "Players are going to enjoy some amazing spells from the 9th level list, including Mordenkainen's Disjunction, which will temporarily strip all the magical properties off equipped items. We’ve also got the instant death spells of Weird and Wail of the Banshee, and players will be pleased that they will be able to cast Meteor Swarm (the Pit Fiends can’t have all the fun!) Regretfully, Wish and Time Stop will not be introduced with Module 9, though, as the challenges in bringing them to life in an MMO still require more balance and tuning testing. We will also be filling in some lower level spells, such as the Prismatic spells, so that lower level players get some additional abilities as well." - Kate Paiz, gamebanshee.com

Skills, Feats, and Abilities

 * Combat Expertise
 * "It's not intended that Combat Expertise drop after using potions (or monk finishers). We're looking at various solutions including changing the basic nature of Combat Expertise." - Eladrin, Stratics dev chat
 * Tactical Feats
 * "Prestige enhancements are planned for fighters and paladins. Before that, however, the melee classes (especially fighters) will be glad to see an array of tactical feats made available to them." - Eladrin, Stratics dev chat
 * Monk Wind Stance
 * "Currently wind stance does not stack with haste. It's possible if our evaluations deem wind stance needing a boost that a portion of the haste effect will stack with the haste spell. It's almost certainly not going to fully stack in the way that Tempest does - we've already seen how that played, and would like to see people playing something other than just two weapon fighting dex monks. ;)" - Eladrin, Stratics dev chat
 * Eladrin: In Module 8, Monk Air Stances will partially stack with Enhancement bonuses to attack speed. Lesser Wind Stance: +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, 7.5% Enhancement bonus to Attack Speed, 2.5% Insight bonus to Attack Speed Wind Stance: +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, 10% Enhancement bonus to Attack Speed, 5% Insight bonus to Attack Speed Greater Wind Stance: +3 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, 12.5% Enhancement bonus to Attack Speed, 7.5% Insight bonus to Attack Speed


 * Monk-related Fixes
 * "Some Monk related tidbits on things I've been working on" - Eladrin forums.ddo.com


 * The Monk enhancement "Way of the Tenacious Badger" now functions as expected.
 * The movement speed penalty on Mountain Stance has been reduced.
 * Higher levels of Mountain Stance now grant more Ki when critically hit, and have increased Damage Reduction.
 * Higher levels of Sun Stance now grant more Ki on critical hits.
 * The thrown weapon speed bonus from Ten Thousand Stars has been increased. (Note: The nature of Ten Thousand Stars may change in the future, but it will remain a "more thrown weapons" type of ability.)


 * Fixed errors in monk character generation advice.

Divine Light

 * Undefined improvements - Eladrin, forums.ddo.com

Great Weapon Aptitude

 * "For this week's enhancement preview, let's go to a new set of racial enhancements available to the Warforged. As revealed in last week's Kensai discussion, the Two Handed Fighting chain of feats now adds a chance of producing magical weapon effects on glancing blows. The Warforged Great Weapon Aptitude enhancement chain enhances that feat chain, and was given to the warforged to reflect their focus on combat abilities and favored class." - Eladrin, ddo.forums.com
 * "All of these stack with the "chance to produce effects" increases granted by the Two Handed Fighting chain, Kensai (specialized in two handed weapons), and Frenzied Berserker."
 * "As usual, since this is a preview, details are still subject to change."
 * Warforged Great Weapon Aptitude I
 * Prereqs: Level 2 Warforged, Two Handed Fighting
 * Cost: 1 AP
 * Benefit: Glancing blows produced by your two handed weapon attacks have an increased chance of producing special weapon effects.
 * Warforged Great Weapon Aptitude II
 * Prereqs: Level 8 Warforged, Improved Two Handed Fighting, Warforged Great Weapon Aptitude I
 * Cost: 2 AP
 * Benefit: Glancing blows produced by your two handed weapon attacks have an increased chance of producing special weapon effects.
 * Warforged Great Weapon Aptitude III
 * Prereqs: Level 14 Warforged, Greater Two Handed Fighting, Warforged Great Weapon Aptitude II
 * Cost: 3 AP
 * Benefit: Glancing blows produced by your two handed weapon attacks have an increased chance of producing special weapon effects.

Tempest

 * "I can now confirm that Tempest is planned to follow [level 6/12/18 prestige enhancement] progression." - Eladrin, ddo.forums.com
 * Tempest is going from 'Untyped Bonus' to 'Competence Bonus'. "Note that there are currently no Competence bonuses to melee attack speed, so Tempest will continue to stack with everything that's in the game. For bookkeeping purposes, it's better for things to be typed, though." - Eladrin, ddo.forums.com

Arcane Archer

 * "We've got an additional sub-enhancement coming that will allow the Arcane Archer to imbue their arrow with a Magic Missile effect, granting additional force damage. More are planned in the future, including things like 'Fireball arrow'." - Eladrin, forums.ddo.com

Paladin Prestige Enhancements

 * "As for plans for the future... I expect to be implementing class specialties for the Paladin in the near future (currently winning but still subject to change: Knight of the Chalice, Defender of Sealtiel, and either the Purple Dragon Knight or an anti-undead one) as well as considering some of the spells and divine feats from various sources. There is likely to also be more poaching of the Marshal's abilities as alternatives to the Paladin's aura, and perhaps some sort of "Divine Challenge" ability to encourage opponents to pay attention to the holy warrior that doesn't have Intimidate as a class skill." - Eladrin, forums.ddo.com
 * UPDATE: "Yes, originally I had PDK listed as a Paladin one, but they went Defender of Siberys (Sealtiel), Knight of the Chalice, Hunter of the Dead. Purple Dragon Knight fit the fighters better as we started working on it." - Eladrin, forums.ddo.com

Defender of Siberys I

 * "Prereqs: Level 6 Paladin, Paladin Bulwark of Good I, Paladin Resistance of Good I, Paladin Courage of Good I, Paladin Focus of Good I, Paladin Paladin Armor Class Boost I, and any one of the following: Diehard, Tower Shield Proficiency, Shield Mastery, or Combat Expertise." - Eladrin, forums.ddo.com

Hunter of the Dead

 * "the Paladin’s Hunter of the Dead, will make Paladin more resistant to the attacks of the undead and gives any attack they make against the undead have a chance of behaving like a Vorpal Strike." - Kate Paiz, gamebanshee.com

Fighter Prestige Enhancements

 * "Currently the plan for Fighters is (Dwarven) Defender, Kensai, and Purple Dragon Knight." - Eladrin, forums.ddo.com
 * "These prestige enhancements are being built on the M9 timeframe." - Eladrin, forums.ddo.com

Kensai

 * "I'd expect most [TWFers] to go Kensai ... Kensai is likely to be weapon specific" - Eladrin, forums.ddo.com
 * "As usual, they're all still subject to change in playtest, and I ask that people not freak out too much about being "nerfed" or "buffed" if they do" - Eladrin, forums.ddo.com
 * The kensai masters body, mind, weapon, and will. The "ki projection" ability of the prestige class has been changed into a passive ability, and we've given the kensai a number of passive combat bonuses to reflect their mastery of their chosen weapon.  The base prestige class requires a specific weapon, but we've expanded that as well to all longswords instead of just "the one given to me by my lord".
 * We also chose to give it some synergy with the monk class. The base prestige class possesses a strong Eastern warrior-monk philosophy to it, so it seemed natural to make this a potentially desirable multiclass option.
 * Fighter Kensai I
 * Cost: 4 AP
 * Prereqs: Level 6 Fighter, Fighter Attack Boost II, Fighter Critical Accuracy II, any Weapon Specialization feat.
 * Benefit: You are the unrivaled master of your chosen weapon. Your focus and training grant you a +1 bonus to Bluff, Concentration, Diplomacy, and Intimidate skills, Combat Feat DC's, saves against magic, and number of Action Boosts per day. If you possess a Ki bar, you gain 1 additional Ki on criticals and when meditating. You can select a single weapon type as your signature weapon.
 * Kensai  Mastery I
 * Cost: 1 AP
 * Prereqs: Level 6 Fighter, Fighter Kensai I, Weapon Specialization:
 * Benefit (One handed, ranged, or thrown weapons): You gain an additional +1 bonus to hit and damage, and +2 to confirm criticals and critical damage (before multipliers) when using a.
 * Benefit (Two handed weapons): You gain an additional +1 bonus to hit, +2 to damage and to confirm criticals and +4 to critical damage (before multipliers), as well as improved glancing blows that have a chance of applying magical weapon effects when using a.
 * Fighter Kensai II
 * Cost: 2 AP
 * Prereqs: Level 12 Fighter, Fighter Kensai I, Fighter Attack Boost III, Fighter Critical Accuracy III, any Greater Weapon Specialization feat.
 * Benefit: Your focus and training improve, granting an additional +1 bonus to Bluff, Concentration, Diplomacy, and Intimidate skills, Combat Feat DC's, saves against magic, and number of Action Boosts per day. If you possess a Ki bar, you gain 1 additional Ki on criticals and when meditating.
 * Kensai Power Surge
 * Benefit: You may expend a Fighter attack boost to focus your energy and spirit, gaining a +8 Insight bonus to strength for a short period of time. If you possess the ability to generate Ki, you generate an additional 2 ki on successful attacks during your surge.
 * Kensai  Mastery II
 * Cost: 1 AP
 * Prereqs: Level 12 Fighter, Fighter Kensai II, Fighter  Specialization I, Kensai  Mastery I, Greater Weapon Specialization:
 * Benefit (One handed, ranged, or thrown weapons): You gain an additional +1 bonus to hit and damage, and +2 to confirm criticals and critical damage (before multipliers) when using a.
 * Benefit (Two handed weapons): You gain an additional +1 bonus to hit, +2 to damage and to confirm criticals and +4 to critical damage (before multipliers), as well as improved glancing blows that have an increased chance of applying magical weapon effects when using a.
 * Power surge is one of the defining abilities of the kensai.
 * Fighter Kensai III
 * Cost: 2 AP
 * Prereqs: Level 18 Fighter, Fighter Kensai II, Fighter Attack Boost IV, Fighter Critical Accuracy IV, any Superior Weapon Focus.
 * Benefit: Your focus and training are complete, granting an additional +1 bonus to Bluff, Concentration, Diplomacy, and Intimidate skills, Combat Feat DC's, saves against magic, and number of Action Boosts per day. If you possess a Ki bar, you gain 1 additional Ki on criticals and when meditating.
 * Kensai  Mastery III
 * Cost: 1 AP
 * Prereqs: Level 18 Fighter, Fighter Kensai III, Fighter  Specialization II, Kensai  Mastery II, Superior Weapon Focus:
 * Benefit: You gain +1 critical threat range with your signature weapon.
 * Critical threat range increases will be rarer in the future, but we thought it appropriate that the undisputed master of a specific weapon would have access to such a powerful ability. Precision is the mark of a true swordmaster.

(Dwarven) Defender

 * "Like Arcane Archer, the Defender will not be restricted to one race (nor will they be alignment restricted). Dwarves are likely to be able to take it regardless of class, however, if they meet the other prerequisites." - Eladrin, forums.ddo.com

Capstones

 * "The next module brings a selection of new Prestige Enhancements to some classes and expands some existing lines for others, but every class will gain a Capstone Enhancement to celebrate reaching 20 levels in the class. A character may only possess a single Capstone Enhancement at a time. (At this moment it's academic as there will be one for each class, but other choices will likely be added in the future.)" - Eladrin, ddo.forums.com
 * "As normal with previews, duration, cooldown, and effects are still subject to change." - Eladrin, forums.ddo.com

Monk

 * Serenity
 * Prereq: Level 20 Monk, 74 Action points spent
 * Cost: 2 Action Points
 * Benefit: You are a paragon of understanding and serenity. Your Concentration is increased by 10 and your centered ki generation is increased by 1.
 * Serenity is subtle, yet in the hands of a master, potentially very powerful. Ki retention is heavily governed by one's Concentration score, and while this is a hefty bonus; the second bonus is what I find much more interesting... With Serenity, a monk's ki not only decays at a slower rate and stabilizes at a higher "Concentration band", but it will actually regenerate over time if their accumulated ki is low.

Cleric

 * Divine Intervention
 * Prereq: Level 20 Cleric, 74 Action points spent
 * Cost: 2 AP
 * Benefit: You are a strong conduit of positive energy, and can expend a turn attempt to ward your target for five minutes against mortal damage - hit point damage will not lower their hit point total below -9. If the target is knocked unconscious, this effect will heal the target after a few seconds and then fade.
 * Players that have gone through the Korthos Island experience may remember Cellimas' Protection from Death effect - this is an altered version of that tutorial spell. Essentially, while this effect is on your target, they cannot die from hit point damage. Instant death effects like Implosion or Finger of Death bypass this protection, however, so keep those Deathblock items on, and it fades a few seconds after being forced to activate. Still, that's one less dead person!

Items

 * "Module 9 will definitely include a fantastic raid (hope you like a whole lot of Pit Fiends and Horned Devils) and we’ve got some great raid loot to go with it. These raid items will not leverage the crafting system – that is something for M8, but in M9 we are focusing on more traditional named raid items that instead combine to greater heights. Some of the high-level Enhancements players can get at level 20 will also stack with the raid set bonuses to give even greater benefits." - Kate Paiz, gamebanshee.com
 * Holy Avenger
 * "Oh, and Tharagrim's working on the Holy Avenger." - Eladrin, forums.ddo.com
 * "A Holy Avenger's a special thing. You can't just hand them out to everyone. ;) I expect that a certain level of dedication will be required, and perhaps a task or two to prove your worth. Not the pirate quest." - Eladrin, Stratics dev chat

Crafting

 * Full Crafting System
 * "Implementation of a full crafting system is underway. We don't have a release date yet, but we are working hard on it." "High level powerful items will certainly be one of the material goals of crafting, but characters will also be able to make all sorts of items that can be used by characters of all levels." "To begin with, the crafting system will focus on the making of equippable items like weapons, shields, armor, and accessories. Magic arrows and potions certainly may come later." - Piloto, Stratics dev chat
 * Armor Dyeing
 * "... we will continue to monitor the demand. Once the crafting system goes live, you will be able to dye parts of your armor and monk outfits pink to your heart's content." - Piloto, Stratics dev chat

Monsters
Succubus in Mod9 - Kate Paiz, Massively Podcast (20:18)

Other Changes

 * Guild Housing
 * "I'm sorry to say that we won't have any guild housing features for mod 8." - Zyrca, forums.ddo.com