I know it’s the trailer movie but this is awesome and makes me want to run the DC RPG -
The primary conceit of pre-4e material is that the mechanics of the pre-4e game (resource management in particular, i.e. Fighters manage their HP, Wizards manage their spell lists, Thieves manage – nothing except rolling for skill checks, and Clerics manage their primary role as healer) don’t support a continuous mode of adventuring. It resembled a hurky-jerk mode of Fighter fights, Wizard casts spells (until out of magic and resorts to dagger/dart/staff mode), Thief sneaks and Cleric heals until their various resource pools deplete and you have to leave the dungeon.
4e modifes that style of play allowing each role to perform his/her abilities throughout the adventure without necessarily having to be constrained by the old resource issues. Now, 4e implicitly focuses on class resource management. Each class has a set of relatively equal resources (at wills, encounter and daily abilities) allowing him to shine on stage for his particular moment but ultimately work together as a team throughout the adventure.
The focus on teamwork has become paramount. Groups that lack specific roles will not perform as well as groups that satisfy the four major group functions. These functions have been designated as striker (Rogue) , defender (Fighter), leader (Cleric) and controller (Wizard). This is really no different than previous editions. I can’t remember how many times I started off a new 1st or 2nd edition AD&D game and said, “we’re going to need a cleric or we’re going to get creamed”. What this latest incarnation of the rules does is reinforce that unwritten rule by reducing efficiency. Is it a constraint on play? Yes. The constraint is addressed by not relegating a role to a single function though. The cleric, traditionally the medic who may wait for party members to fall and rush up and heal them can still perform that function but in addition can lay some sweet smack-down without reducing her ability to heal.
This shift in character play results in a shift in encounter creation. Pre-4e encounters used to focus on smaller encounters with 1-3 monsters. Note – that wasn’t always the case but it usually worked out that way. 4e focuses on larger encounters relying on a balanced party of four to six players each performing a role in the game. (Seriously read the Dungeon Master’s Guide on encounter creation – in my opinion the 4e DMG does a much better job than any previous edition).
The first key in converting is look at the level guidance of the adventure. Every TSR module used to say something like ”this adventure is designed for 4-6 player between levels 4 and 5 with a total of 30 party levels. By the end of the adventure the group should gain a level”. That guidance can then be used to map an appropriate 4e tier designation of heroic, paragon or epic – the three tiers of adventurers that map to levels 1-10, 11-20 and 21-30 respectively.
The DMG (pg 121) states “The experience point numbers in the game are built so that characters complete eight to ten encounters for every level they gain. In practice, thats six to eight encounters, one major quest, and one minor quest per character in the party”.
Continued next week…
Yes – I like to color. Here’s a quick job I was working on this morning. The original is from the Outland Arts Dungeon Portals 1 Set - a great publisher stock art product.
Original
and my practice attempt at coloring. I was using some tips from an ImagineFX issue. It turned out alright but practice makes perfect!
After playing a few sessions with my friends using the Pathfinder rules I’ve decided to work on some cross compatible products. The tweaks made to the rules are minor but do address some of the lower level grind that 4e managed to streamline or standardize on the at-will, encounter, and daily abilities.
While not old school by any stretch I’m definitely going for the farmboy to hero aspect that I’ve always loved in fiction. The PC’s in the adventures I’m working on are not expected to be the sole center of the universe…at least to begin with.
I will also be incorporating mass battles using scenarios developed using the Warpath supplement (a great product) as I’ve always loved miniature games.
More later…
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List of characters found in the following folder:
Dennis
Brute Stonesmasher, Mountain Dwarf Fighter 1/ Cleric 1
Demolition the Barbarian, Human Barbarian 2
Derik Thornbite, Elf Fighter 5/Magic-User 5/Thief 5
Paul
Perrin, Human Fighter 4
Flint Stoneshaper, Mountain Dwarf Fighter 2/Thief 2
Urth Deepburrow, Halfling Thief 2
Brock, Half Ogre Fighter 7
Matt
Azul FIretongue Moon Elf Fighter 6 (with a magical longsword named “Drowbeater”)
Dan
Erasmus Meadowblade Moon Elf Fighter 4(with a magical bastard sword named “Sky Slicer”)
Humna Burrfoot Hairfoot Halfling Thief 3 (Cutpurse listed so we’re talking 1st Edition – oh and he’s psionic 108/108)
Cedric Stormweaver, Human Wizard 1 (2nd Edition Player’s Option version)
Jim
Psi-force, Gray Elf Magic-User 1/Thief 2 (also a psionic 100/100)
Chad
Petra Logan Human Cleric 1
Barimor, Human Fighter 1
Randy (yes that Randy)
Regnar the Pathfinder, Human Ranger 3
Scott
Red Dog, Halfling Guardian 3
Hans
Calibac the Chaotic, Human Fighter 10 (with a magical blade Tamnarax the Spell Cleaver which I think was a variant from Ed Greenwoods Seven Blades article)
Nicodemus, Human Enchanter 7 (with a drawing that looks very close to Jericho from the Teen Titans)
Crispin Callowtoe, Halfling Thief 3/Jongleur 3
Tobias, Human Thief 1
Brian
Theo, Human Wizard (Conjurer) 3
Jayson
Thuvulf Dengansani, Human Druid 3
