D&D 4E Rambling thoughts about D&D 4th Edition
Mannahnin
Scion of Murgen (He/Him)
Splug got recruited by my players and was a much-loved NPC. My goblin voice has evoked enough laughs and sympathy to keep Splug and occasionally similar goblin sidekicks a recurring feature in my campaigns.
cavalier973
Hero
Splug saved Acq-Inc’s bacon down in the dungeons of the Keep on the Shadowfell. Voiced by DM James Wyatt.
Of course, the world’s greatest goblin is Squeegee.*
well, Squeegee was the world’s greatest goblin, until he was ripped apart by a four-armed baboon in the Halls of Arden Vul.
Joshua Randall
Legend
Yes there are a few milestone related magic items that are very interesting. Like the armor that gets a better bonus the more milestones you reach. So, the dream was always : never rest and have a +infinity bonus to AC!
There is also… one? Two? Magic items powered by healing surges. A design space never further explored.
There is also… one? Two? Magic items powered by healing surges. A design space never further explored.
Tony Vargas
Legend
Right. I remember getting Bloodcut Armor, which used a healing surge but gave you DR, every early on and using it to good effect in KotSf.
That whole daily item limit thing was errata-ed away anyway and replaced with the item rarity rules.
Joshua Randall
Legend
Rarity is also dumb. I don’t use either. DM and players work our what items people get. If something turns out to be abusive we drop it and replace with something else.
cavalier973
Hero
The Bard of Bardic Broadcasts (the “Why Heroquest is so great” guy), finally published—a year later—part two of his review of the Larry Elmore art book.
He reveals the painting that he said in the first video was the best Elmore did (in the Bard’s opinion).
At one point, he starts going through the players handbook for each edition, but purposefully skips 4e. “Fourth Edition is not canonical, and shall not be discussed”.
As I pointed out in a comment, he is reviewing art, not game rules, and by skipping 4e, he is missing a lot of good fantasy art.
One of the nice things about the 4e books is that the artists’ names are put beside each piece, so if you see something you like, you can look up other stuff by the same artist.
Granted, the first PHB cover art is kind of weaksauce, when compared to the covers for other editions. Just a wizard and a dragonborn fighter posing for the camera, but the first multi-page spread in the PHB shows an adventuring party about to enter the ruins of some building. There is a companion piece in the DMG, showing the same scene, but from inside the building. A company of goblins is hiding in the shadows, about to spring an attack. The halfling rogue, who is in front, is holding her hand up; she obviously has a bad feeling about this. Both pieces are done by Ralph Horsley.
I mentioned in another thread that there is a scene (it fronts the PHB chapter on feats) by Raven Mumura, showing three adventurers fighting off an advancing column of tiefling skeletons. I didn’t like it, initially, but it had grown on me over the years. I don’t think I’ve seen artwork before that shows someone wielding a warpick.
In the DMG, fronting the chapter on Fallcrest, there is a very nice cityscape of Fallcrest. The party that was earlier seen about to be attacked by goblins must have survived, and are now looking to spend any loot they acquired. Or, perhaps, this scene depicts them prior to heading to the mysterious ruins. In any case, the party is moving among a crowd of vendors, who are displaying their wares. In the distance, the waterfall can be seen.
He reveals the painting that he said in the first video was the best Elmore did (in the Bard’s opinion).
At one point, he starts going through the players handbook for each edition, but purposefully skips 4e. “Fourth Edition is not canonical, and shall not be discussed”.
As I pointed out in a comment, he is reviewing art, not game rules, and by skipping 4e, he is missing a lot of good fantasy art.
One of the nice things about the 4e books is that the artists’ names are put beside each piece, so if you see something you like, you can look up other stuff by the same artist.
Granted, the first PHB cover art is kind of weaksauce, when compared to the covers for other editions. Just a wizard and a dragonborn fighter posing for the camera, but the first multi-page spread in the PHB shows an adventuring party about to enter the ruins of some building. There is a companion piece in the DMG, showing the same scene, but from inside the building. A company of goblins is hiding in the shadows, about to spring an attack. The halfling rogue, who is in front, is holding her hand up; she obviously has a bad feeling about this. Both pieces are done by Ralph Horsley.
I mentioned in another thread that there is a scene (it fronts the PHB chapter on feats) by Raven Mumura, showing three adventurers fighting off an advancing column of tiefling skeletons. I didn’t like it, initially, but it had grown on me over the years. I don’t think I’ve seen artwork before that shows someone wielding a warpick.
In the DMG, fronting the chapter on Fallcrest, there is a very nice cityscape of Fallcrest. The party that was earlier seen about to be attacked by goblins must have survived, and are now looking to spend any loot they acquired. Or, perhaps, this scene depicts them prior to heading to the mysterious ruins. In any case, the party is moving among a crowd of vendors, who are displaying their wares. In the distance, the waterfall can be seen.
cavalier973
Hero
One of my very favorite 4e-era art pieces is the “Hurley-Burley Brothers” by Vincent Proce, in the “Monster Vault 2”. A pair of trolls arguing over a dead deer. They look very angry.
There is another nice piece, of a cleric of Erathis marching through a bog, torch in one hand and mace in the other. Various hideous monsters are creeping up behind him, but he ain’t skeered. It’s by Zoltan Boros and Gabor Szikszai.
There is another nice piece, of a cleric of Erathis marching through a bog, torch in one hand and mace in the other. Various hideous monsters are creeping up behind him, but he ain’t skeered. It’s by Zoltan Boros and Gabor Szikszai.
cavalier973
Hero
The Essentials player handbooks don’t have as much art as the core PHB.
My favorite William O’Connor piece is in the Rules Compendium, in front of Chapter One. It depicts a party looking at a tower. It looks like a storm is just about to start, or it just ended. There is a bright light shining out the tower door.
It looks like there is a fighter, a possible rogue, and a dwarf with an axe, and behind them is a wizard with a pseudo dragon perched on his shoulder, and a bald cleric with a large hammer.
My favorite William O’Connor piece is in the Rules Compendium, in front of Chapter One. It depicts a party looking at a tower. It looks like a storm is just about to start, or it just ended. There is a bright light shining out the tower door.
It looks like there is a fighter, a possible rogue, and a dwarf with an axe, and behind them is a wizard with a pseudo dragon perched on his shoulder, and a bald cleric with a large hammer.
