ValhallaGH
Explorer
Yeah, that's the one page of the .pdf that I always have printed out and handy, even though I have a print copy to flip through!
Re: PC Toughness
Those one-time hp at first level have been a huge difference, leaving the PCs just able to fight through.
The 10 minute rest has been the key to my PCs surviving. Post fight, they really want a rest and when they get it (usually) they spring back as tough and capable as they were going in. This means that each battle is the "first of the day" and I can pretty much go nuts with little fear of killing them accidentally. It also means that our Barbarian(s) can rage almost every encounter, though there have been a few where the player of Dra Dra Smash was freaking out because she couldn't rage and it looked like she really needed to.
I've found that turning critters into elites works wonders. I had a random encounter with a Behir (level 7 party) last session that almost killed two PCs (the rogue went down in surprise and round 1 and the the cleric was on his third death check when he got pulled out of the stomach and stabilized).
The one action point really lets them screw things up and those extra hp really give them time to shine. Just glorious.
In a 3.5 game, it would have been a TPK, with the rogue dead (rakes) in round 1, the cleric swallowed in round 2, the Barbarian chomped bloody and swallowed whole in round 3, and the fighter constricted for rounds 3 to death. Time to roll new characters.
Beautifully balanced, guys. I tip my hat to you.
