New previews!!!

[Pour]

I'm really liking the DC range now. Hard checks needed the boost, since my players at 13 have a few skills with modifiers of +19 to + 22. So now they need to at least roll a 7!

Not to mention what feels like, and again maybe just my perception, more circumstantial increases to DCs listed on the screen. Tracking after a rain storm is now DC 39, requiring players to roll 17 or better. Now that is hard, especially if the enemy made efforts to cover its tracks. Now it becomes DC 44, or hope for that natural 20.

 

[Peraion Graufalke]

There's one case where I don't like the new DCs, starting with level 5 or 6:
Untrained + dump stat + hard DC + no other mods = impossible to succeed. You'd need to roll a 21 or higher.

I wonder if that's intentional. Intended or not, it does increase the importance of skill training feats.

 

[keterys]

That... sounds more like a feature than a bug.

Let's see, looking at 'Easy' instead, a trained person with a good stat automakes, trained person with side-stat needs a 2, trained with dump needs a 4, and untrained with dump stat needs a 9. Adjust as appropriate for assist(s).

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Looks like the numbers are pretty much 3-4 points higher than the current DCs. Since it looks like they're splitting it up by individual levels instead of groups of three that goes up to as much as 6 points for certain levels, but I couldn't make out all the numbers exactly. Shouldn't make a vast difference at the lower levels. Looks like at the highest levels the difference is more significant, 9 points for a difficult check at level 30. THAT I think should be a good thing, the old table seemed to have the wrong rate of advancement for epic tier. It wouldn't surprise me though if the low heroic DCs are only 1-2 points higher than now.

Overall it should be a modest but welcome tweak. The screen looks pretty good overall. Never been too much of a fan of DM screens, but if you have one it might as well be really useful.

 

[mach1.9pants]

Yeah I agree with feature too. When I was on 4E I was going through and adding to all the DCs (and damage and reducing HP, but that is another problem!)

Where/when did "removed From Play" come in?

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Yeah I agree with feature too. When I was on 4E I was going through and adding to all the DCs (and damage and reducing HP, but that is another problem!)

Where/when did "removed From Play" come in?

Yeah, DCs went from much too hard to much too easy for skill checks.

The change in DC we se now was announced a while ago however. Glad to see that it made it into essentials.

removed from play appears in some warlock powers IIRC.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

removed from play appears in some warlock powers IIRC.

Oh, there are a bunch of things that can remove a creature from play, mostly wizard and warlock powers. One or two other things too IIRC. The condition was actually added in PHB3 but it has existed as an effect forever.

 

[mach1.9pants]

Ah yeah I have seen the effect but not the official description, best I read the back of PHB3 then!

 

[TarionzCousin]

If you're the type of person who cracks the spines in paperbacks, be prepared to have your books fall apart.

I was never a Boy Scout.

 

[deadsmurf]

oh I think they said at one of the gencon seminars that the softcovers are supposed to be lay-flat bound.