Epic 4e play: the system makes it too easy for PCs to hit, instead of too hard.

Snoweel

First Post
Edit- in general, it wouldn't surprise me if the game becomes easier for well-built (for combat) characters at higher levels. The difference between well-built and average-built characters keeps getting larger over time, and for the game to present the same difficulty to average-built characters, it probably has to get easier to those at the top.

I think that's why they're releasing this.
 

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Tequila Sunrise

Adventurer
Speaking for my group, which has had similar experiences in PC capability, the group will typically get through 4-5 or so encounters in a day before being at their limit - which usually means one player (often our druid) is tapped out on surges. There of course have been times when the group has gone through more fights, as well as less (though usually for situational reasons - we finish the dungeon - rather than being unable to go any farther.)

Recently the DM has shifted things up, and we have started days where there would be fewer fights, but they would all be in the 'very hard' category.

Three or four, for story reasons. Usually there's still healing surges, action points and daily powers to spare. I very often string two encounters after another without a short rest too (sometimes letting them keep their buffs, sometimes not, that's about 50/50). I think the most the party has done in one day is six, including three encounters in a row without rest.
Interesting. Given the DMG's lack of guidelines about encounters per day, I wonder if higher level PCs are supposed to weather through more encounters between extended rests. It would be very strange for escalating encounters/day to be an intended balancing factor and yet not mention it somewhere, but I think it's odd that there are no encounter/day guidelines to begin with.

Or is that just me?
 

Dice4Hire

First Post
My group now is on the verge of starting Epic (next session!!!!) and thus far we are doing well, but with 3 players, and no one doing much in the way of leader buffing (we need otehr kinds of attacks too much) the monsters re not too easy to hit. At the end of P3, we needed roughly 15-17 to hitthe final dude, and it was a tough fight, which we did not win)

But that is a small group, and we were not really ready for it. If we had been a bit better prepared, it might have gone better.

But then again, we are only about 80% optimized, so we don't get the bonuses people are talking about upthread.
 


Ravellion

serves Gnome Master
I don't think it's been mentioned yet: Certain Justice is too powerful. It's one of the strongest encounter powers in the game. It's going to skew views on the value of Elite/Solo enemies, since it handles them so easily.
I recently flat-out house ruled certain justice to not work on solos. I am working on a more elegant solution. I think Jack99's condition track for Solos might do the trick.

Tequila Sunrise said:
Interesting. Given the DMG's lack of guidelines about encounters per day, I wonder if higher level PCs are supposed to weather through more encounters between extended rests. It would be very strange for escalating encounters/day to be an intended balancing factor and yet not mention it somewhere, but I think it's odd that there are no encounter/day guidelines to begin with.
What I find annoying is that story wise, I have a hard time explaining where multiple epic level fights per day are coming from.
 

SSquirrel

Explorer
You seen the errata lately? Pretty sure they can just make a lot of changes that way.

Even things like "solos have too many hp" and "elite defenses are too high" already got addressed in the MM2, DMG2, and future products, even if older stuff got left alone.

Oh I know they can. They could have kept doing errata for 3E too, but they decided to release 3.5. I just don't want 4.5. That's all :)
 

Tequila Sunrise

Adventurer
What I find annoying is that story wise, I have a hard time explaining where multiple epic level fights per day are coming from.
Oh certainly -- creating excuses as to why the PCs can't simply take an extended rest after the 4th encounter can also be pretty annoying. Especially if you want to create excuses for quest after quest after quest.
 

SSquirrel

Explorer
It has always seemed to me like as you get higher level in D&D there should be fewer things you can fight that are even approaching being a challenge, so there should be less combat.

In 3.x hitting Epic and suddenly finding all these epic adversaries felt very artificial. Why haven't they come across you and squashed you before? Less combat, more working your way toward a few truly titanic villains. I'm sure you can still just keep throwing combats at them then come complain here when people hit 30 "too easily", but that is your own fault :)
 

Ravellion

serves Gnome Master
I needed a 17 to hit its AC. We tried for CA, but it just started stunning and dazing us all so no one could provide flank"
With 4 encounter, 4 daily, and several more utility powers per PC, I really can't see how that would happen. Could you create a plausible sitaution in which such a thing could happen? I think the dwarf barabarian you mentioned earlier is probably the worst hitting build that is not yet completely retarded.
 

Elric

First Post
With 4 encounter, 4 daily, and several more utility powers per PC, I really can't see how that would happen. Could you create a plausible sitaution in which such a thing could happen? I think the dwarf barabarian you mentioned earlier is probably the worst hitting build that is not yet completely retarded.

Runescribed Dracolich (level 29 solo controller, AC 45) versus level 27 party. Said Dwarf Barbarian, with 16-starting Strength and a +6 weapon, would have +13 level + 6 enhancement + 2 proficiency + 6 strength = +27 to hit AC. Assume 18-starting strength or Demigod and it's +28 to hit, enough to hit 45 AC on a 17.

Edit- of course, solo design guidelines have changed so that solos do not have extra defense bonuses. Still, this AC of 16+level is typical for a soldier.
 
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