I love letting players dig their own graves. It makes it so much more fun for me when they come up with these crazy plots that are nowhere near what is actually happening.
SkyCaptain on
The RPG Bestiary - Dangerous foes and legendary monsters for D&D 4th Edition
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AegeriTiny wee bacteriumsPlateau of LengRegistered Userregular
For Enchantment School, you get:
1: Apprentice - forced movement bonus increase +2
5: Expert - +2 bluff/diplomacy
10: Master +2 bonus to forced attacks (when you dominate someone)
Enchantment uses Charisma
Evocation, you get:
1 Apprentice - reroll all 1s for damage
5 Expert - +2 Endurance/Intimidate
10 Master - ignore type resistance for damage (but not immunities)
Evocation uses Constitution
Illusion, you get
1 Apprentice targets take -2 penalty to next attack against you
5 Expert +2 Bluff/Stealth
10 Master target grants combat advantage
Illusion uses Wisdom
This is pretty great to me and I really like this.
Edit: Apparently heavy blade expertise in essentials gives you a +2 bonus to all defenses while you're wielding the weapon in question. That's ridiculously absurd.
Evokers get to ignore resistances? Surely that isn't a constant effect.
I have no problem believing that. Wizards seem to hate resistances almost as much as I do and don't appear to have problems completely ignoring them. It also means a "blaster" mage, aka an evoker doesn't pay a feat tax effectively to deal with resistances. These powers may have more nuances than given though, which is what is so frustrating when someone gets a new book that has lots of information we're dying to know and "drive by" posts. If I ever got a book before anyone else I wouldn't say anything until I had an afternoon to sit down and answer questions for a while.
I really want an answer to the heavy blade expertise thing, that feat looks completely whacked.
Aegeri your link to Enworld actually links to....this thread, here.
YOU LIE.
*Scratches the air towards you*
Edit: It looks like ritual casting, hybrid rules and multiclassing aren't in the essentials books. This makes sense actually, as none of the essentials classes gets ritual casting for free and its generally deemphasized. The feat I posted about earlier, heavy blade expertise - looks like it only adds the defensive bonus to opportunity attacks (not generally) but I am not 100% sure on that (the feat is in the red box, but the red box is wrong on some feats and abilities sadly).
Unless you are an unusually gifted improviser, your only real options besides railroading are 1) the illusion of choice or 2) real choice that is in some way constrained (you can go here, here, or here. pick one)
I think people are probably using an excessive definition of "railroading."
Railroading is the imposition of choice on player-characters in opposition to a choice they have made.
The classic example is, in a dungeon with two doors, and the players go left instead of right, the DM says "no there is a cave in." The players say, "We'll dig through the cave in." The DM says, "it's too caved in." And the PC's point out they all have Expert level proficiency in cave-in removal, and the DM says there's a magical skill-sapping field that prevents them from digging. All to make them go right instead of left. Note that saying the cave-in was there is not railroading- after all, cave ins occur. Nor is establishing that digging through it would be difficult; it's the manner in which the DM is arbitrarily restricting the choice of the PCs that constitutes railroading.
Railroading is ultimately an expression of the GM trying to control the PCs as they would an NPC or anything else in the world. That's annoying. No one likes that.
It is NOT railroading to simply arrange events around the PCs towards a desired narrative outcome; that's just normal DMing. In the dungeon example, if the DM says: "I want to have a combat encounter before the PCs get to the final boss", then whichever door they pick first has the combat encounter, and whichever door they pick second has the final boss. That's fine, if a bit clumsy.
Professor Phobos on
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AegeriTiny wee bacteriumsPlateau of LengRegistered Userregular
edited September 2010
So new information on stuff!
Firstly, the new essentials builds coming up:
Classes and builds to be included in Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms are the druid (sentinel, a leader), the paladin (cavalier, a defender), two builds of ranger (hunter, a controller and scout, a striker), and warlock (hexblade, a striker).
Martial controller at last hahahaha. The Druid is a leader, so we have a non-divine leader in essentials.
Bonuses to longsword and lance, can use their "good" alignment to justify any action. ("That starving orphan could have been an evil lich lord in disguise, so I had no choice BUT to disembowel him with my Holy Avenger +5! It's the only way to be sure!")
OR: ("He had to have been evil; otherwise I wouldn't have killed him!")
delroland on
EVE: Online - the most fun you will ever have not playing a game.
"Go up, thou bald head." -2 Kings 2:23
By the way, I was only half-joking. This is totally what cavaliers were like in 1st Ed.
Oh, I know. I want to keep my Lawful Dumbness sharp.
Having a cavalier also means you don't need a rogue in the party. Locked door? "I think I hear a baby crying!" Possibly trapped hallway? "I think I hear a baby crying!" Only one giant diamond between the two of you? "I think I hear a baby crying!"
The possibilities are endless.
delroland on
EVE: Online - the most fun you will ever have not playing a game.
"Go up, thou bald head." -2 Kings 2:23
Classes and builds to be included in Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms are the druid (sentinel, a leader), the paladin (cavalier, a defender), two builds of ranger (hunter, a controller and scout, a striker), and warlock (hexblade, a striker).
Martial controller at last hahahaha. The Druid is a leader, so we have a non-divine leader in essentials.
The Ranger in the Ravenloft Box has an ability called "Scout."
Whereas the Fighter has one called "Defender", etc.
I wonder if that's in any way linked with the new Ranger build.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds.2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
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AegeriTiny wee bacteriumsPlateau of LengRegistered Userregular
edited September 2010
I have to reconsider my free expertise house rule, because the new expertise feats are seriously good and worth taking on their own merits - not just as tax feats.
Implement Expertise Category : Each implement expertise feat gives +1 feat bonus to implement attack rolls (increases by 1 at each tier), and when using them with implement power:
Orb Expertise: +1 square to forced movement
Staff Expertise: don't provoke OA when making ranged or area attack
Wand Expertise: ignore partial and superior cover
Weapon Expertise Category: Each weapon expertise feat gives +1 feat bonus to weapon attack rolls (increases by 1 at each tier), and when using them with implement power:
Axe: re-roll 1s for damage
Bludgeon (hammer or mace): +1 to forced movement squares
Bow: +1/tier damage to creatures with nobody adjacent
Crossbow: ignore partial and superior cover
Heavy Blade: +2 defense against OA
Light Blade: +1/tier damage against CA creatures
Sling: don't provoke OA when making ranged attacks
Spear: +1/tier damage when charging
Staff: both Implement and Weapon feat bonus, plus attack reach +1
Master at Arms: Gives generic +1/tier feat bonus to attack rolls with weapon attacks and minor action to sheath and then draw a weapon.
Melee Training: Use ability other than Strength for basic attacks, and use half ability mod instead of Str for damage.
Does "both implement and weapon expertise" mean you get the effects of implement expertise as well? Because adding reach to a staff + negating OAs suddenly made InokeFighter viable again.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds.2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
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AegeriTiny wee bacteriumsPlateau of LengRegistered Userregular
edited September 2010
I'm sure you can't have both staff expertise and implement expertise, as the staff expertise feat is both (Weapon and implement). Then again, without the precise wording and the book it is hard to say.
Everytime I see new stuff from essentials I get more worried. Not because I don't like it, but because there's stuff that's obviously getting left out. Like flails and picks in this case.
I realize it's just a dude with a copy of the book doing the transcription, but I find that omission worrisome.
Everytime I see new stuff from essentials I get more worried. Not because I don't like it, but because there's stuff that's obviously getting left out. Like flails and picks in this case.
I realize it's just a dude with a copy of the book doing the transcription, but I find that omission worrisome.
Maybe someone ought to work on a "forgotten weapons" article for Dragon that gives all the bizarre superior weapons a bit more love, as well as making flails an attractive choice for non-martial classes.
I have to reconsider my free expertise house rule, because the new expertise feats are seriously good and worth taking on their own merits - not just as tax feats.
Implement Expertise Category : Each implement expertise feat gives +1 feat bonus to implement attack rolls (increases by 1 at each tier), and when using them with implement power:
Orb Expertise: +1 square to forced movement
Now I feel even more like I'm not playing my wizard right. He's an orb sorc with no forced movement powers...
Unless you are an unusually gifted improviser, your only real options besides railroading are 1) the illusion of choice or 2) real choice that is in some way constrained (you can go here, here, or here. pick one)
I think people are probably using an excessive definition of "railroading."
Railroading is the imposition of choice on player-characters in opposition to a choice they have made.
,,,
Railroading is ultimately an expression of the GM trying to control the PCs as they would an NPC or anything else in the world. That's annoying. No one likes that.
It is NOT railroading to simply arrange events around the PCs towards a desired narrative outcome; that's just normal DMing. In the dungeon example, if the DM says: "I want to have a combat encounter before the PCs get to the final boss", then whichever door they pick first has the combat encounter, and whichever door they pick second has the final boss. That's fine, if a bit clumsy.
And that is exactly what Hatch is referring to when he talks about the illusion of choice.
Kistra on
Animal Crossing: City Folk Lissa in Filmore 3179-9580-0076
Everytime I see new stuff from essentials I get more worried. Not because I don't like it, but because there's stuff that's obviously getting left out. Like flails and picks in this case.
I realize it's just a dude with a copy of the book doing the transcription, but I find that omission worrisome.
Maybe someone ought to work on a "forgotten weapons" article for Dragon that gives all the bizarre superior weapons a bit more love, as well as making flails an attractive choice for non-martial classes.
I'm relatively Ok with flails being martially oriented, since they're a difficult weapon type to really master.
I just wish they'd get some more love in general. This essentials thing is another in a long line of snubs when compared to heavy blades and axes.
If anybody could take a quick look over this Halfling Monk and let me know if I did anything stupidly wrong.
Well, aside from the whole idea. I know I'm not geared very heavily in the deal damage department but I think a character that can go happily in the enemies backfield and look for squishes could be valuable. I know the AC is good but the NADs could land me in trouble I think.
Edit: Oh, and how widespread is the use of backgrounds? I've kind of ignored them, do most people actually use them?
AegeriTiny wee bacteriumsPlateau of LengRegistered Userregular
edited September 2010
Yeah, I find they provide a small but not terribly significant benefit. I haven't really noticed any real problem with them, excepting the FR and Scales of War backgrounds. These can be pretty out of whack with the more general ones released later on I'm afraid to say.
Edit: Also there are 14 weapon expertise feats apparently. So it's likely a few are missing from the list on the previous page.
KayWhat we need...Is a little bit of PANIC.Registered Userregular
edited September 2010
Why are Flails seen as martial weapons? The only characters I've ever built or played with flails have both been martial. (Warden with a whip or triple-headed-flail, Seeker with a Bola.)
Why are Flails seen as martial weapons? The only characters I've ever built or played with flails have both been martial. (Warden with a whip or triple-headed-flail, Seeker with a Bola.)
Because there isn't a lot of support for them outside of martial classes. And there isn't even much there except for some Fighter powers. There are a few feats, but not many.
Non-martial classes also don't tend to go Str/Dex very often, so qualifying for the feats associated with the weapon type is harder. Unlike hammers and axes, for example.
Posts
oh my god
that is the best campaign ever
I told you, I have a penchant for epic campaigns.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
This is pretty great to me and I really like this.
Edit: Apparently heavy blade expertise in essentials gives you a +2 bonus to all defenses while you're wielding the weapon in question. That's ridiculously absurd.
I have no problem believing that. Wizards seem to hate resistances almost as much as I do and don't appear to have problems completely ignoring them. It also means a "blaster" mage, aka an evoker doesn't pay a feat tax effectively to deal with resistances. These powers may have more nuances than given though, which is what is so frustrating when someone gets a new book that has lots of information we're dying to know and "drive by" posts. If I ever got a book before anyone else I wouldn't say anything until I had an afternoon to sit down and answer questions for a while.
I really want an answer to the heavy blade expertise thing, that feat looks completely whacked.
YOU LIE.
*Scratches the air towards you*
Edit: It looks like ritual casting, hybrid rules and multiclassing aren't in the essentials books. This makes sense actually, as none of the essentials classes gets ritual casting for free and its generally deemphasized. The feat I posted about earlier, heavy blade expertise - looks like it only adds the defensive bonus to opportunity attacks (not generally) but I am not 100% sure on that (the feat is in the red box, but the red box is wrong on some feats and abilities sadly).
I think people are probably using an excessive definition of "railroading."
Railroading is the imposition of choice on player-characters in opposition to a choice they have made.
The classic example is, in a dungeon with two doors, and the players go left instead of right, the DM says "no there is a cave in." The players say, "We'll dig through the cave in." The DM says, "it's too caved in." And the PC's point out they all have Expert level proficiency in cave-in removal, and the DM says there's a magical skill-sapping field that prevents them from digging. All to make them go right instead of left. Note that saying the cave-in was there is not railroading- after all, cave ins occur. Nor is establishing that digging through it would be difficult; it's the manner in which the DM is arbitrarily restricting the choice of the PCs that constitutes railroading.
Railroading is ultimately an expression of the GM trying to control the PCs as they would an NPC or anything else in the world. That's annoying. No one likes that.
It is NOT railroading to simply arrange events around the PCs towards a desired narrative outcome; that's just normal DMing. In the dungeon example, if the DM says: "I want to have a combat encounter before the PCs get to the final boss", then whichever door they pick first has the combat encounter, and whichever door they pick second has the final boss. That's fine, if a bit clumsy.
Firstly, the new essentials builds coming up:
Martial controller at last hahahaha. The Druid is a leader, so we have a non-divine leader in essentials.
Bonuses to longsword and lance, can use their "good" alignment to justify any action. ("That starving orphan could have been an evil lich lord in disguise, so I had no choice BUT to disembowel him with my Holy Avenger +5! It's the only way to be sure!")
OR: ("He had to have been evil; otherwise I wouldn't have killed him!")
"Go up, thou bald head." -2 Kings 2:23
"Go up, thou bald head." -2 Kings 2:23
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Go up, thou bald head." -2 Kings 2:23
oh yes
unearthed arcana
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showpost.php?p=8915744&postcount=26
Having a cavalier also means you don't need a rogue in the party. Locked door? "I think I hear a baby crying!" Possibly trapped hallway? "I think I hear a baby crying!" Only one giant diamond between the two of you? "I think I hear a baby crying!"
The possibilities are endless.
"Go up, thou bald head." -2 Kings 2:23
Whereas the Fighter has one called "Defender", etc.
I wonder if that's in any way linked with the new Ranger build.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
Excellent information.
And now it's available at first level, and you can wear another type of armor. Wow.
At least Staff Wizards are going to be getting some love. I love me some close-combat badass wizardry.
Edit: Picks and flails are conspicuously absent from that list.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
I realize it's just a dude with a copy of the book doing the transcription, but I find that omission worrisome.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
Nintendo Network ID: AzraelRose
DropBox invite link - get 500MB extra free.
And that is exactly what Hatch is referring to when he talks about the illusion of choice.
Those feats are looking mighty nice.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
I just wish they'd get some more love in general. This essentials thing is another in a long line of snubs when compared to heavy blades and axes.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
Well, aside from the whole idea. I know I'm not geared very heavily in the deal damage department but I think a character that can go happily in the enemies backfield and look for squishes could be valuable. I know the AC is good but the NADs could land me in trouble I think.
Edit: Oh, and how widespread is the use of backgrounds? I've kind of ignored them, do most people actually use them?
Edit: Also there are 14 weapon expertise feats apparently. So it's likely a few are missing from the list on the previous page.
3DS FCode: 1993-7512-8991
Non-martial classes also don't tend to go Str/Dex very often, so qualifying for the feats associated with the weapon type is harder. Unlike hammers and axes, for example.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
I wandered through a used book store today (as I occasionally do) and found a 1979 monster manual.
I bought it, of course. Oh how far we've come.
On the inside, the publisher information, it has a small inscription that says "4th Edition, August, 1979."
It's a conspiracy. Gygax has been in on it all along.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.