11 Reasons Why I Prefer D&D 4E

[Fenes]

We don't have much buffs in our game. The odd Eagle's splendor for some critical performance, mage armor, inspire courage if we have a bard. That's about it.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

We don't have much buffs in our game. The odd Eagle's splendor for some critical performance, mage armor, inspire courage if we have a bard. That's about it.

Well, I suppose it depends on how combat intensive your campaign is (yours isn't IIRC ), and how much experience you have made using these buffs effectively, and how deadly the encounters you face usually are. The Dungeon Adventure Path are combat intensive, filled with lots of dangerous encounters, and we were often "understaffed" in the first place (We have ~4 PCs, and some of the adventure paths were planned for 6 PCs originally...)

 

[Fenes]

Well, I suppose it depends on how combat intensive your campaign is (yours isn't IIRC ), and how much experience you have made using these buffs effectively, and how deadly the encounters you face usually are. The Dungeon Adventure Path are combat intensive, filled with lots of dangerous encounters, and we were often "understaffed" in the first place (We have ~4 PCs, and some of the adventure paths were planned for 6 PCs originally...)

I haven't found any adventure, much less an adventure path, that had not much too much combat scenes in it. The last time a player DMed a bought adventure in our group he said he had to cut out 90% of the combat scenes, and it still ended up a combat-heavy adventure.

 

[Ginnel]

I've also been toying with the idea of a once per encounter recharge mechanism, and I think I might tie it instead to second wind (which characters also normally can use only once per encounter). Basically, you spend a healing surge, but instead of regaining hit points, you get back an expended encounter power instead. This rewards players who were clever or lucky enough not to be hit.

Heh you say Clever or Lucky I say cowards, in my opinion all characters should soak up a percentage of their hits in an adventure, especially if they consistently have temporary hit points.

I find nothing Clever about the Infernal Warlock in our group who walks about avoiding hits round corners so enemys can concentrate more fire on the defenders/other party members.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I haven't found any adventure, much less an adventure path, that had not much too much combat scenes in it. The last time a player DMed a bought adventure in our group he said he had to cut out 90% of the combat scenes, and it still ended up a combat-heavy adventure.

I like combat.
But I still feel interested in what you might be playing. Am I missing something out? (Probably, but is this a matter of "opportunity cost" or would it appeal so much more to me? I'll never know...)

 

[Hussar]

Reynard - the problem is, by the time you say, "Oh crap a Bodak", you're already making saving throws. Unless you somehow knew that the bodak was there before you met it, you are going to be making saving throws immedietely.

Which means a large chunk of the party dies.

Now, 5 orcs is not EL 5 actually. That's fair, you were working from memory. It's actually EL 3. But, a 3rd level party should have about 2000 gp each (IIRC, now I'm working from memory) in equipment. That means heavy armor. Full plate easily, or at least breastplate plus a Dex bonus. AC 20 for front line characters is certainly not out of line without any buffs.

Our orcs BEST chances of hitting are only 25%. That's with flanking. So, one orc per round gets to hit (plus a bit). He's doing d8+3 damage or so. So, about 7 points /round. That's not even close to a threat to a 3rd level fighter. But, if it swings the other way and 4 of those orcs hit, your fighter dies in one round.

That's the problem.

 

[Reynard]

Reynard - the problem is, by the time you say, "Oh crap a Bodak", you're already making saving throws. Unless you somehow knew that the bodak was there before you met it, you are going to be making saving throws immedietely.

Which means a large chunk of the party dies.

Only if the party is in the habit of stumbling blindly from one encounter to the next, without concern as to what's around the corner. in which case a few surprise rounds with Bodaks would probably do them good.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Only if the party is in the habit of stumbling blindly from one encounter to the next, without concern as to what's around the corner. in which case a few surprise rounds with Bodaks would probably do them good.

That kind of stance can have its own downsides, however. While I want my players to be paranoid, I want them to be paranoid about plot developments and twists, not about dangers to their lives at every second of their existence. Taken too far, this could lead to the famous case of the party rogue testing every 10x10 square of every corridor the party passes through for traps just so that they are not taken unawares.

Surprising the party with an unexpected fight now and then is fine, but while I'm all for giving them a bloody nose, using instant-killer monsters for this is just too extreme for my tastes.

 

[Fenes]

I like combat.
But I still feel interested in what you might be playing. Am I missing something out? (Probably, but is this a matter of "opportunity cost" or would it appeal so much more to me? I'll never know...)

The party's currently (since the start of the year or so) in the City of Brass, serching for a relic stolen from their church.

Last session the knight in the party made a deal with the envoy of a prince to prevent the princess (and heir to the throne of some country on a prime) from returning to her home. He also promised the princess, who wants the enovy killed for high treason, to protect her. He had the envoy followed by street urchins he hired, and found out about the envoy meeting with a devil before meeting with him.
While he was investigating where that devil may be staying in the city, someone looking like him went to the priestess of the party. As it turned out this was the devil in disguise, trying to get the priestess to transfer the debt an adventurer owed her to him so he could force the friend of the adventurer to get him a sword the two had just recovered and have to return to their country to save the original thief, a friend of theirs, from getting executed.
The knight went back to the inn the party is staying in during this, and hired some lady of the evening, which turned out to be the disguised half-sister and mortal enemy of the half-dragon the priestess saved from slavery two sessions ago.
The barbarian, which had been instrumental in getting the notes of a dead mage to the rebel faction, which needs them to restore the body and memories of the heir of the dead sultan, was getting ready to knock the "possessed" knight unconscious when the knight arrived at the scene in the company of the disguised "lady". The priestess managed to avoid bloodshed, much to the barbarian's chagrin, but the devil is staying nearby, waiting for the moment the adventuerer's debt is paid and she leaves the party's protection. He passes the time ramping the barbarian's paranoia up by making him think he could be anyone in disguise. The barbarian meanwhile is planning to "save" the efreeti prince the rebels want to restore from becoming an evil firedevil again, and may rat them out to the usurper on the sultan's throne, which the party strongly suspects of having stolen the relic.
Meanwhile, the founder of the city of brass, which the party freed, needs his powers back, which the vizier may have taken, which may or may not want to topple the current sultan, and may or may not make a deal with the party. The priestess, fueled both by vanity as well as the idea this might lead to the relic, also prepares for a big dance competition at the Sultan's palace, the first prize of which is a place in his harem - where a jinni princess is waiting who has made the priestess promise to get her out.

There are a few more subplots, but that's the gist of the main plot. I think they will finish this arc aroudn the end of this year, playing weekly.

 

[Fenes]

So, the focus really is not on combat, or ungeon crawling.