D&D 4E Raiders of Oakhurst: A 4E Fan Playtest Adventure

[cr0m]

This is one of the few things that concerns me about the new rules. I really do hope there are some buff-only powers for the cleric but I'm not holding my breath. The whole "hit to buff" thing seems to be their way of avoiding the "cleric as walking bandaid" problem.

FWIW, I think what they're trying to avoid is forcing the cleric to chose between fighting and healing/buffing. Now he can be a front-liner without sacrificing his comrades' well-being. That might be what you meant by walking bandaid, but I'm not sure.

Edit: also to avoid the "quick let's fight--my buffs are gonna run out in 8 rounds!" and "let's camp, our buffs are gone."

 

[drjones]

Yeah I think the pregen ranger is cursed. Ours rolled a 1 on his tracking, sneaking into the cave and never made a single save/death save. The only good roll he got the whole session was on his daily against the chokers with a crit. I didn't have the heart to use their Human Shield ability and make him kill the other two characters he was playing.

 

[Nebulous]

-Stuck with 3e. There were some things my players couldn't unlearn. The difference between shifting and moving being the main one. They had it by the end (the dragon encounter), but with the hobgoblins and kobolds I was constantly hearing "ok, so I move 5ft here...that's a 5ft step right, so no AoO?"

Wait, i thought you COULD shift without provoking an OA. That's why a fighter is so good, they get to whack you anyway. Maybe i'm mistaken....

 

[pukunui]

FWIW, I think what they're trying to avoid is forcing the cleric to chose between fighting and healing/buffing. Now he can be a front-liner without sacrificing his comrades' well-being. That might be what you meant by walking bandaid, but I'm not sure.

Yes, that is what I meant. Nobody wants to play the cleric because all they do is buff and heal, buff and heal ... that being said, I'm just not sure that the simultaneous "whack and buff" powers are the right way to go. They're really difficult for me to conceptualize in the context of the game world (and thus difficult to describe during the combat).

Edit: also to avoid the "quick let's fight--my buffs are gonna run out in 8 rounds!" and "let's camp, our buffs are gone."

Yes that too. Although I can't help but notice that while they may have gotten rid of tracking for buffs, they haven't made the game any simpler in that respect because all they've done is replace it with tracking for conditions and marks instead.

Wait, i thought you COULD shift without provoking an OA. That's why a fighter is so good, they get to whack you anyway. Maybe i'm mistaken....

I think he was referring to the terminology rather than the mechanics. I certainly was. My group (myself included) kept saying "5ft step" and "attack of opportunity" during the preview games I ran instead of "shift" and "opportunity attack".

 

[Nebulous]

From the boards today concerning KEEP ON THE SHADOWFELL

\"There will be leveling in the adventure, you just don't have options as you go up. It isn't the best situation, but we had to work with the page count of the adventure.

I'm not sure of the race/class breakdown. I co-wrote the adventure, and then a second team created the characters and the fast play rules.

There are a few ways you can look at it:

1. If your group wants to play 4e but hasn't followed the boards or still has a 3e game to wrap up, this is a fast, easy way to start playing.

2. If you want to get a jump start on learning 4e before the core rulebooks come out, the module is a good "first run" of the game. You play KotS, learn the rules, get everyone up to speed, then start in on the full game.

3. If you just want an adventure and don't care about the fast play stuff, KotS goes from level 1 to 3. The quick start materials will be handy as a reference for players who don't yet have a PH. If you want the full options of the PH, you might want to wait for the PH or let the players re-do their characters.

4. If you're not crazy about published modules and you can wait for the PH, KotS isn't for you.

So, basically, how much do you want an adventure, and how long can you wait to see the 4e rules? Those two questions determine if H1 is going to make you happy."

I just want to say that thanks to Olgar and input for maps here, and the early D&DExp rules, we basically have a full adventure already. Well, not level 1-3, but enough for us to get a good grasp of the rules. Thanks guys! If i knew where you lived i'd buy you a beer.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Yes, that is what I meant. Nobody wants to play the cleric because all they do is buff and heal, buff and heal ... that being said, I'm just not sure that the simultaneous "whack and buff" powers are the right way to go. They're really difficult for me to conceptualize in the context of the game world (and thus difficult to describe during the combat).

I think the key here is that for both the fighter and cleric an attack is as good as a holy symbol.

It's not that the cleric attacks coincedentally as she heals, it's that the attack is part of the prayer for healing.

DnD religion is hard freaking core.

Either that or the deities feel that in urgent situations your fervent desire to perform the deeds of god makes the performance as good a prayer as being able to spend more time on the word of god.

 

[Trolls]

Wait, i thought you COULD shift without provoking an OA. That's why a fighter is so good, they get to whack you anyway. Maybe i'm mistaken....

No, you're right. As pukunui said, it was mostly just a terminology thing, and occasionally the players trying to shift as a free action.

 

[Nebulous]

No, you're right. As pukunui said, it was mostly just a terminology thing, and occasionally the players trying to shift as a free action.

ah yes, that's the main difference, the shift takes up your Move action.

 

[cr0m]

Yes that too. Although I can't help but notice that while they may have gotten rid of tracking for buffs, they haven't made the game any simpler in that respect because all they've done is replace it with tracking for conditions and marks instead.

LOL, QFT.

Speaking of marks, the Hobgoblin Soldier's Flail at-will power mentions that the target of his attack is marked... is there any mechanical effect to being marked by this monster?

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

The final version of Raiders of Oakhurst - Reloaded is now posted.