D&D 4E What is the spirit of 4e?

[Beta]

Yes, I was aware of this balance issue in particular, which is why I mentioned this: "Rigs can be enchanted in the same manner as staffs, but they are not able to use staff Powers."

Since a Rig item wouldn't be found and they're customized to the character anyways the only way to increase the character's power in this respect is pay to have the item upgraded. I don't think this really defeats the non-magic purpose since all classes use magical items, and people can still buy and find magical items regardless of their class.

 

[mach1.9pants]

Caol Isla is the spirit of 4E....










...whaaaaat? It is in our game

 

[Belphanior]

Yes, I was aware of this balance issue in particular, which is why I mentioned this: "Rigs can be enchanted in the same manner as staffs, but they are not able to use staff Powers."

So you did, I missed that.

Well you have several collective answers to your question. It seems to me that you're still intent on making this class work. Best of luck with that. I personally would take a step back and delete everything so far though. Start at the foundations: What role is this class? How will he do that? How is he better than other classes of his kind? How is he worse than other classes of his kind?

I get the feeling you might have started on powers a little too prematurely.

 

[malraux]

Well, aside from using a technology power source (which obviously goes against the fantasy spirit of DnD), there's a bunch of other spirit of the rules that this goes against. First, the ammo tracking bit. I dunno if there's a good reason to track ammo, or if you are doing it because you just want to track ammo. But unless you just want to make all items minor reloads (similar to the hand xbow), I don't see the reason to add an ammo tracking system. I'd let the /encounter and /day limits already in the system function as the ammo tracking.

I'm also not really sure what makes this either a striker or a controller. I can sorta see the controller aspect, as you have listed a few status effects, but this doesn't scream "i own this battlefield" as a combat engineer should. Really, there's just way to much + fire damage there when it should be a lot more varied status attacks.

I'd recommend starting over. Then I'd either decide to go with either striker or controller, as that'll make it easier to just copy the existing classes. I'd drop the ammo bit entirely, as that makes the class too dang complex. Then I'd pick a class as my primary source for copying, then start at the beginning and whatever works naturally I'd just keep and change what doesn't. If you want a striker for example, go with the archery ranger and describe it as a targeting computer. Don't worry about multiple builds for the moment, just work on getting something playable.

Re-skinning is a good first step in learning how to mess with the rules.

 

[Doctor Proctor]

Re-skinning is a good first step in learning how to mess with the rules.

Yeah, that's true. Flavor text doesn't trump mechanics anymore, so it's very easy to just simply reskin an existing class to match your idea. Once you've done that, then you can tinker with minor things to give it a little bit of a different feel without totally breaking it or starting from scratch.

 

[Obryn]

I dunno, as someone who doesn't mind steampunk mixed with his fantasy, it seems like a pretty good idea.

I don't like the implementation and mechanics, though... It's rather more powerful than the PHB classes, even with an ammo restriction... Also rather more complex.

If you're new to 4e, I'd suggest playing a normal class for a while and give it a shot. See how the mechanics work. After about 10 sessions, if you still want to give your class a try, I'd say go for it!

-O

 

[ghearus]

The Spirit of 4e

There are three main things to consider when designing powers:

Role - what is the role of the class, and what should this classes tactics be round-by-round (generally speaking). If you are a controller you should probably be dealing crowd-clearing and status effects, if you are a striking, you should be dropping piles of damage on your target?

Balance - Level-by-Level does your power balance against other classes? Are there any game breaking combos?

Economy - Each round a player should get three actions: standard, move, and minor. If they spend an action point, they may get more, but generally, your minor should provide some small benefit, your standards should be attacks, and your moves should be defensive or movement.

See your other thread for some significant recommendations for overhaul of the concept.

 

[James McMurray]

Next time you ask about the Spirit of 4E in a rules forum, avoid giving people rules to discuss, or your thread will go nowhere.

To me the spirit of 4e is a combination of mechanics and flavor that combine to create ease of use, high fantasy, a heroic journey (near nobody to deity), and a variety in encounters rarely seen in previous editions.

 

[Walknot]

I am new to DnD and RPGs in general, and prior to our game my DM is allowing me to create my own class instead of choosing one of the default ones. I created a build but one of the posters mentioned that the build did not follow the spirit of 4e: http://www.enworld.org/forum/4e-fan...class_idea-combat-engineer-need-feedback.html

So I am asking: What is the spirit of 4e?

So far to me, it is the spirit of: unbreakable gameplay, cohesive flavoring, and faith-based simulation. With all due respect to a timeless brand, 4e is a Tonka Truck.

 

[Cryptos]

There are three main things to consider when designing powers:

Role - what is the role of the class, and what should this classes tactics be round-by-round (generally speaking). If you are a controller you should probably be dealing crowd-clearing and status effects, if you are a striking, you should be dropping piles of damage on your target?

Balance - Level-by-Level does your power balance against other classes? Are there any game breaking combos?

Economy - Each round a player should get three actions: standard, move, and minor. If they spend an action point, they may get more, but generally, your minor should provide some small benefit, your standards should be attacks, and your moves should be defensive or movement.

See your other thread for some significant recommendations for overhaul of the concept.

These elements comprise the definition of "spirit of 4e" that he's looking for, I think. When I saw the topic, these were the first things that popped into my mind.

The Essence of 4e: "A tactical system used to resolve combat in a fantasy roleplaying game, that emphasizes an economy of clear and concise actions, with an eye towards balance and cleared defined but well-rounded roles."

When I saw what was actually being discussed, I thought, "Oh, well, I'm not going to get a chance to say that here. They're talking about grenades and missile launchers."

Next time you ask about the Spirit of 4E in a rules forum, avoid giving people rules to discuss, or your thread will go nowhere.

I agree. It's a bit hard to answer the main question about the spirit of a published game when you've got people talking about rules - let alone rules that don't actually appear in the published game, but are rather ones that you've made up yourself.

It's like starting off by saying, "What is soup?" and then before anyone can answer, you start talking about the merits of serving your guests Liquid Draino. Of course everyone is going to jump up and down and say, "Don't do that!"