4e increased my DM prep time...

[JohnSnow]

Well, I don't know if this will help, but I tend to design 4e encounters more closely to the way I designed 1e and 2e encounters.

Rather than putting out 1 monster for PCs to beat up (did anyone actually do that in 3e?), I come up with groups. The DMG encounter templates help, as do the suggested encounters in the MM, and the theme templates in DMG 2 will probably come in handy. However, I mostly just go through something like:

"Okay, the party encounters a goblin raiding party attacking a farmhouse. That means I need a couple different types of goblins and maybe some wolves. I want 1 guy with a ranged weapon, maybe a spellcaster, some close up types, some easy-to-kill ones, and some wolves."

Then, and only then, do I pull out the Monster Manual. I tend to use pre-made monsters, rather than doing a lot of customizing. But the Monster Builder makes it pretty easy to adjust things, so I do that sometimes. For terrain, I just think of movies I've seen and try to sprinkle the area with some cool stuff that PCs and NPCs can interact with.

I admit it's harder to improvise those things truly "on the fly," but I've always found I tend to do "no prep" only when I'm running wilderness adventures (I can't just "wing" a dungeon). For wilderness encounters, I try to keep some "stock encounters" handy, like an ambush that occurs in advantageous terrain. Or a set of ruins the PCs find themselves in. If I know I have a session coming up where the PCs are going into the wilderness, I find it can be helpful to spend a few minutes with my Dungeon Tiles coming up with cool set pieces that I can fall back on (an ambush site, a ruined fort or temple, etc.).

My two cents.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Well, that's part of the problem I'm having, I think. I don't know what roles I want, or what roles I should want, or what monsters might fill those roles, off the top of my head. Though the MM indexes help a bit on this, I end up eating game time flipping between indexes looking for monsters of a given role that make sense in the context of the adventure so I can insert them.

Usually, I don't start with roles, I start with the type of monster I want for the scene/story at hand, and then figure out what the roles are (which might be based on what the MM or the Monster Builder gives me or what my image of the monster gives me.)

For example, for something "Alien/Xenomorph"-like, a Lurker might make the most sense. If it's alone, it can attack, hide and retreat, picking some random bystander everytime it pops out. If we are constrained to just one encounter but with multiples of them, I might end up with Skirmishers, too. There is no real need to retreat, but they shouldn't just stand around - Skirmishers ensure more chaos and confusion.

I wonder if there's a quick "role template" or something I can use to swap out a basic "goblin" for a "goblin soldier/goblin skirmisher/goblin artillery" kind of thing. That'd be crazy useful to me, I think.

Well, with the Monster Builder, you can change the role of a monster, though that probably won't give you everything you want.

*snips lots of stuff*

There was recently a thread about Improvisation. I am not the type of person that can pull great ideas out of his ass on the fly, at least I don't see myself as one.

The trick to improvisation then seems to be to be prepared for the unexpected. Look at the many random tables in previous editions - even if you never roll on them actually, if the PCs suddenly enter a forest, in 3E you could look at the table and have an idea what you can find there.

4E doesn't have random tables, but it still has a lot of information for you:
- There are sections in the DMGs describing (Fantastic) terrain. Don't try to "improvise" some terrain features by creating them on the fly - look at the list (s)and pick what you think makes the most sense.
You don't know how it will be used? Doesn't matter. That can happen during play, too, even if this might mean a slight advantage for the PCs since they know their abilities better and have more brainpower per mini available than you.

My only general advice - however you build your map, the PCs should better be closer to the middle, so that any existing maneuvering space can actually be used. (I fall into this trap way too often, unfortunately).

For monsters, here are some "role" powers (usually pick one or two only)

Brute
Use brutes when you want to emphasize a monsters size and brutality.
- Encounter/Recharge 6 Attack that knocks a target prone.
- At-Will Attack that pushes a target.
- Encounter: Free Attack when bloodied

Soldier
Usesoldiers when enemy is a disciplined warrior, fights in formations.
- At-Will Attack marks or Encounter Power marks one target until it is dead, then recharges
- Immediate Action: Basic Attack when marked target attacks an ally
- Opportunity Attack
- Adjacent allies gain defensive bonus. (If leader, might also be offensive.)

Skirmisher
Use skirmisher when enemy is a kind of scout/saboteur, but works in teams.
- At-Will Attack that allows a shift or 2 squares of movement
- When moving half speed or more, deal +1d6 damage per tie. Works best with ranged weapons.
- +1d6 damage per tier when it has combat advantage (not cumulative with the above, pick one). Works best with melee weapons.

Lurker
Similar to skirmisher, but more with a spy/assassin flair that often has to work alone and is more likely to leave fight than get caught
- Recharge 5-6: Can turn invisible, insubstantial or gains Resist 10 per tier but cannot attack without breaking ability
- When attacking from invisibility/insubstantial, deals +1d8 extra damage per tier or target is weakened/dazed, ends invisibility/insubstantial
- Deals +1d6 damage per tier when has combat advantage

Artillery
If it wears a bow and plans to use it all the time, it is most likely Artillery. Also, most mages.
- Encounter/Recharge 6 Attack: Two attacks instead of one.
- At higher levels: At-Will Attack is an area burst 1


Controller
The biggest difference to the PC role f the name might be that it often not deals with multiple targets and at range. Anything that uses flails, chains, whips or performs mind control. - At-Will Attack slows or slides
- Encounter/Recharge 6 Power that immobilizes, dazes or dominates
- Encounter/Recharge 6 Power that knocks prone and slides/pushes/pulls

Leader
The guy in charge. Who ever is the biggest, oldest, smartest, with the most scars, with the greatest charm. (pick any number of features).
- Standard Action to allow another creature make an attack
- Encounter Power gives every ally in close burst 10 5 temporary hit points per tier
- Standard Action to let all allies in close burst 10 move their speed or shift 2 squares
- At-Will Attack deals lower damage but allies gain attack bonus


Minions
The rank and file soldier, slaves, peasants with pitchforks and torches
- If in doubt, give them a melee and a ranged attack. The melee attack should typically be better than the ranged attack, as minions can focus fire better when fighting at range.

 

[Nightson]

So here's what I do when entirely winging it in fourth edition (as in off the map entirely) which happens with alarming frequency in my game.

First I try to avoid combat, it's the hardest thing to wing. Desriptions of empty rooms, traps, NPC interaction and skill checks I can all handle without breaking a sweat.

But the party wants to stab someone anyway. First I determine if it's really a challenge worthy of getting played out through combat. They want to kill the informer in a small room, okay, I narrate them killing him, they want to pick a fight with the town guards, well I guess we're fighting.

I tell everyone to take five, get up use the bathroom, refill drinks, etc. Just five minutes for prep is a wonder. And given my group at least a five minute break tend to turn into a ten minute one pretty easily.

First I do the monsters. Generally I have the description of the monsters and I just need stats. I have access to the monster builder and the compendium which makes things easier.

First I look to find the actual monsters, I generally search in the monster builder. If I find the right flavor and the right role I need within four or so level of the level I want I just modify it to the right level and save it with a tag, aka "Gragoyle (banana)", this will let me quickly tab between all the monsters in the encounter by putting banana into the search field. After it's over I'll delete the modified creature.

If a standard monster is a fairly simple one I'll be more willing to delevel or uplevel it more significantly.

What roles I want is usually a function of flavor. Do the monsters strike me as more damaging? (Brutes, Artillery, Skirmishers) Tough? (Brutes and Soldiers) Sneaky? (Skirmishers and Lurkers).

So if I didn't find a monster with the right flavor, level and role I go for the reflavor. I sort based on level and role in the character builder. I tab through all the different statblocks, when I find one that seems interesting or synergizes well I tag it, add a quick modification if it needs it (replace a goblin racial power with a centaur one for example). If I don't have time I either just ignore the racial ability or reflavor it as well. Goblin tactics could be skittery nature of the cantaur's horse half and the increased nonbipedal mobility it brings.

So I've got my monsters, generally three or so different types with two or four also occuring. One type I tend to shy away from when doing something on the fly, I like to really think about those to make sure they'll make for a fun and interesting combat. Four different types is already pushing the limit of what my poor brain can handle keeping track of.

So with the monsters in hand I make the map. Generally I've described the area already so I'm constrained by that. If I think of some interesting terrain to stick in that's great, if I can't then oh well.

Then I grab treasure. I actually don't use the parcel system so this is harder for me. If you're using the parcel system I'd decide which each one is ahead of time and be ready to just drop one or two in. I myself just grab a handful of gold, one or two art objects and a magic item.

And now I've got a full combat encounter. If there's some problem that arises from making the encounter real quick I try to handle it on the down low, generally by fudging hp values or pretending something was a recharge power.

 

[Novem5er]

After running 4e pretty regularly for about a year now, I've found that the system really is a paradox...

The rules, presentation, and tools make it tremendously easy to run...

but the intricacies make it difficult to run well.

As my group of players became more comfortable with the system, their tastes matured from straight dungeon crawls to character-driven stories. With a focus on RP and story, I had to create more interesting combat encounters. Since a 4 hours session might feature just 2 combat encounters (45-60 mins each!), these had to be fun!

I'm proud to say that I've turned into a pretty decent 4e DM, but it's been tough, and my prep time is definitely UP. Here's a process for what I go through to run a night's session:

1. Flesh out the story with a Web Chart of possible story paths (while remaining flexible to other options the players may create).
2. Find spots where combat encounters will occur (select enemies, motivation, and the area)
3. Open the Monster Builder and find 2-3 monsters that fit my story need (1 soldier/skirmisher/brute, 1 artillery/controller, and MAYBE 1 leader type)
4. For the first monster, use the builder to adjust the level to match party, reduce HP by 33%, increase each attack power damage by +50% average (I've done this for about 6 months to speed combat up and it works!!!!)
5. Repeat for each of my monsters.
6. TOKENS - Select monsters stat block and "Copy as Image", then paste that image into a Microsoft Word document (landscape w/ 2 columns)
7. Repeat for each of my monsters.
8. Print my Word document with all my collected (and adjusted) monsters stat blocks.
9. Search the Internet for appropriate monster picture; download to PC.
10. Crop photo into square to make a portrait, copy/paste it into another Word document, and then resize image into 1" square. Copy/paste to create duplicate monsters.
11. Repeat for each monster I will use, pasting the cropped pics into the same document.
12. Print document with all my 1" square monster tokens (on cardstock).
13. Use my Martha Stewart 1" circular hole-punch to "punch" my square tokens into neat little circles!
14. Use double-sided tape to stick card tokens to 1" circle wooden disks (bought from local Michael's). I find the wooden disks NECESSARY or else the cards are too thin to easily move on the battlemat.
15. TERRAIN - Make sketch of encounter area, so I can draw on my TACT-TILES later. This takes some creativity to keep things interesting. I try to make the layout encourage movement, as per DMG2 suggestion.
16. Design or copy at least 1 usable terrain feature. This can be a terrain power, a trap, a fantastic feature, or something! I often incorporate a mix of 2 elements.
17. Repeat for each encounter.
18. TREASURE - Assign a treasure parcel for an encounter (from DMG).
19. Use the Character Builder or Adventurer's Vault to look up and choose appropriate Magic Items (more frustrating than it should... WHY NO RANDOM treasure charts for PCs who don't care what they get?).
20. Repeat for each encounter.

Is that all?.... Once all this is done, the sessions are a blast to run and flow very well, but it takes me hours to do all this for a multi-encounter evening. Of course, this is all just the encounters, never mind the actual plot, NPCS, flavor text, etc, etc.

Thankfully, the WOTC provided tools and books make this all possible to do... but I've become a little resentful that it all feels NECESSARY. Seriously, how many pages have been devoted in the DMG and DMG2 to just creating encounters? It's all great advice, too, but I've found that it's not optional if I want my players to stay engaged in the combats!

We played 4e for just about a year before we took a good break. We've been playing Mouse Guard every few weeks since January, and it's been a blast. I think we're going to pick out 4e campaign again, but.... I'm not looking forward to all that busy work!

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

• TREASURE - Assign a treasure parcel for an encounter (from DMG).
• Use the Character Builder or Adventurer's Vault to look up and choose appropriate Magic Items (more frustrating than it should... WHY NO RANDOM treasure charts for PCs who don't care what they get?).
• Repeat for each encounter.

Check out the random treasure generator thread over in the HR forum ...here

It randomizes a levels worth of parcels.. I often click through a bunch of times until I get something that looks cool. Still have to look the items up.. but it works nicely.

 

[Dice4Hire]

I have found that 4E helps my prep a lot, especially making interesting mixes of monsters. I love the monster roles and a good mix of those makes any encounter for dynamic.

I must admit I would like some good random encounter tables to sue on occasion though I can use old 3.x ones pretty well.

 

[catastrophic]

You should experiment with doing a few fights on the fly. Do every second or third fight with minimal prep, and see how you and the group feel about it after the fact.

 

[Gort]

Aside: I thought I would look up the centaur stats, so opened the 4e MM, and ... no centaur. How many (and which) books would it take to get the equivalent of the 3e core trilogy? The 1e?

The 4e books have stuff the 1e books and 3e books didn't. The 1e books and 3e books have stuff the 4e books didn't.

One area where 4e really shines is that instead of just giving you a goblin monster as a level 1 warrior and expecting you to level it up using PC classes (which has the side-effect of the goblin flavour being completely drowned by the PC class flavour), 4e will give you six different types of goblin, all with some kind of unique power. This cuts the prep time of the encounter against the goblin party massively - instead of levelling up four different goblins individually, you just grab four from the MM and go. Perfect.

The downside to putting six types of goblin in your book is that you then don't have as much space for other kinds of monster. However, this is a price worth paying in my opinion, and as 4e carries on the monster diversity will grow. For instance, in the Monster Manual 1, there were about a dozen different types of level 1 monster. Now if you look in the monster builder, there are fifty.

PS: There are five flavours of centaur in the Monster Manual 2 - three fighter-types at differing levels and with different fighting styles, an archer and a mystic.

 

[Garmorn]

I winged my session last night completely. Since it had to be a short session, there was only one battle but it was created as the players set up there figurines on the map. A very large room with one set of 60 wide set of stairs.

For the monsters I simple opened the MM and grabbed the first monsters of the right level and then re fluffed them. Re fluffing is a great way of using 4e monsters. Unlike 3.x where the abilities where more fixed to the actual monster 4e affects are more tied to the monster level, giving more versatility per stat block.

 

[Gort]

Re fluffing is a great way of using 4e monsters. Unlike 3.x where the abilities where more fixed to the actual monster 4e affects are more tied to the monster level, giving more versatility per stat block.

I refluffed some duergar into space fish once. Good times.