D&D 4E 4e Lite - a rules-lite fast play version of 4e
- Thread starter SlyFlourish
- Start date
Updated
So based on the game I played with my folks, here's another revision to the rules:
The d20 is the only die needed.
There are no daily powers. All daily powers are encounter powers.
All damage is averaged out for both PCs and monsters. Each die averages to the following: 1d4=3, 1d6=4, 1d8=5, 1d10=6 1d12=7. You do not roll dice for damage.
All crits double damage.
Every character receives one action point per battle and may trigger one magical item daily power per tier in each battle.
There are no healing surges. All characters receive one second wind. Healing surges are not required for any ability that requires one. Any effect that removes a healing surge instead does 5 points of necrotic damage per tier.
Any attack that targets more than one creature rolls a single attack roll. The resulting attack roll is used against all monster defenses.
There are no extended rests. All powers and hitpoints are restored between battles. All effects are removed. All unconscious characters are restored to full hitpoints.
Characters reduced to 0 or less hit points use the standard rules from 4th edition D&D. They can be healed as they would in the full version. (This can be omitted if you've never used a previous version of these rules).
Monster recharge powers use the following conversion: 2+ = 6+ on d20; 3+ = 11+; 4+ = 14+; 5+ = 16+; 6+ = 18+
Quickplay Character Creation:
Use the NPC creation rules on page 187 and 188 of the Dungeon Master's Guide with the following exceptions:
On step 4 determine hitpoints as you would for a PC instead of an NPC.
On step 5 use the following AC bonuses:
Fighter, Paladin: +10 AC
Cleric, Warlord: +9 AC
Ranger, Rogue, Warlock: +2 AC
Wizard, +0 AC
On step 8 choose one magic item's daily power.
Skip step 10.
So based on the game I played with my folks, here's another revision to the rules:
The d20 is the only die needed.
There are no daily powers. All daily powers are encounter powers.
All damage is averaged out for both PCs and monsters. Each die averages to the following: 1d4=3, 1d6=4, 1d8=5, 1d10=6 1d12=7. You do not roll dice for damage.
All crits double damage.
Every character receives one action point per battle and may trigger one magical item daily power per tier in each battle.
There are no healing surges. All characters receive one second wind. Healing surges are not required for any ability that requires one. Any effect that removes a healing surge instead does 5 points of necrotic damage per tier.
Any attack that targets more than one creature rolls a single attack roll. The resulting attack roll is used against all monster defenses.
There are no extended rests. All powers and hitpoints are restored between battles. All effects are removed. All unconscious characters are restored to full hitpoints.
Characters reduced to 0 or less hit points use the standard rules from 4th edition D&D. They can be healed as they would in the full version. (This can be omitted if you've never used a previous version of these rules).
Monster recharge powers use the following conversion: 2+ = 6+ on d20; 3+ = 11+; 4+ = 14+; 5+ = 16+; 6+ = 18+
Quickplay Character Creation:
Use the NPC creation rules on page 187 and 188 of the Dungeon Master's Guide with the following exceptions:
On step 4 determine hitpoints as you would for a PC instead of an NPC.
On step 5 use the following AC bonuses:
Fighter, Paladin: +10 AC
Cleric, Warlord: +9 AC
Ranger, Rogue, Warlock: +2 AC
Wizard, +0 AC
On step 8 choose one magic item's daily power.
Skip step 10.
Foxman
First Post
* All damage is averaged out for both PCs and monsters. Each die averages to the following: 1d4=3, 1d6=4, 1d8=5, 1d10=6 1d12=7. You do not roll dice for damage.
* All crits double damage.
- I think this works out better than max/2x max on crit. Though I think it would still be better as follows:
-- Find the max damage of an attack, this is the damage on a critical. Divide that number in half (round down) and that is the damage an attack does on a normal hit.
* There are no healing surges. All characters receive one second wind. Healing surges are not required for any ability that requires one. Any effect that removes a healing surge instead does 5 points of necrotic damage per tier.
- Saying "no healing surges" might confuse some people. For KISS and readability I would state:
-- Do not track healing surges (characters have an unlimited amount). [or words to that effect]
- I still disagree with the necrotic damage label. I think it should be untyped. The reason being is not all effects that strip healing surges are "necrotic" in nature and anything that resists necrotic damage becomes more powerful (especially when dealing with necrotic based creatures, as it weakens them - because they used to do necrotic based damage AND removed healing surges)
- No need to say anything about second wind.
* Monster recharge powers use the following conversion:
2+ = 6+ on d20; 3+ = 11+; 4+ = 14+; 5+ = 16+; 6+ = 18+
- I looked hard at the math on the monster recharge abilities and I think this is much closer to the math on the d6:
2 = 4+ on d20
3 = 8+ on d20
4 = 11+ on d20
5 = 14+ on d20
6 = 18+ on d20
* On step 8 choose one magic item's daily power.
* Every character receives one action point per battle and may trigger one magical item daily power per tier in each battle.
- These two seem to contradict each other.
- I might suggest at step 8 to choose one daily power per tier?
* All crits double damage.
- I think this works out better than max/2x max on crit. Though I think it would still be better as follows:
-- Find the max damage of an attack, this is the damage on a critical. Divide that number in half (round down) and that is the damage an attack does on a normal hit.
* There are no healing surges. All characters receive one second wind. Healing surges are not required for any ability that requires one. Any effect that removes a healing surge instead does 5 points of necrotic damage per tier.
- Saying "no healing surges" might confuse some people. For KISS and readability I would state:
-- Do not track healing surges (characters have an unlimited amount). [or words to that effect]
- I still disagree with the necrotic damage label. I think it should be untyped. The reason being is not all effects that strip healing surges are "necrotic" in nature and anything that resists necrotic damage becomes more powerful (especially when dealing with necrotic based creatures, as it weakens them - because they used to do necrotic based damage AND removed healing surges)
- No need to say anything about second wind.
* Monster recharge powers use the following conversion:
2+ = 6+ on d20; 3+ = 11+; 4+ = 14+; 5+ = 16+; 6+ = 18+
- I looked hard at the math on the monster recharge abilities and I think this is much closer to the math on the d6:
2 = 4+ on d20
3 = 8+ on d20
4 = 11+ on d20
5 = 14+ on d20
6 = 18+ on d20
* On step 8 choose one magic item's daily power.
* Every character receives one action point per battle and may trigger one magical item daily power per tier in each battle.
- These two seem to contradict each other.
- I might suggest at step 8 to choose one daily power per tier?
Last edited:
Good suggestions
Good suggestions as always, Mr. Foxman,
Here are my revisions based on your feedback:
The d20 is the only die needed.
There are no daily powers. All daily powers are encounter powers.
All damage is averaged out for both PCs and monsters. Each die averages to the following: 1d4=3, 1d6=4, 1d8=5, 1d10=6 1d12=7. You do not roll dice for damage.
All crits double damage.
Every character receives one action point per battle and may trigger one magical item daily power per tier in each battle.
Do not track healing surges. All characters are assumed to have unlimited surges. Any effect that removes a healing surge instead does 5 points of damage per tier.
Any attack that targets more than one creature rolls a single attack roll. The resulting attack roll is used against all monster defenses.
There are no extended rests. All powers and hitpoints are restored between battles. All effects are removed. All unconscious characters are restored to full hitpoints.
Monster recharge powers use the following conversion: 2 = 4+ on d20
3 = 8+; 4 = 11+; 5 = 14+; 6 = 18+
Quickplay Character Creation:
Use the NPC creation rules on page 187 and 188 of the Dungeon Master's Guide with the following exceptions:
On step 4 determine hitpoints as you would for a PC instead of an NPC.
On step 5 use the following AC bonuses:
Fighter, Paladin: +10 AC
Cleric, Warlord: +9 AC
Ranger, Rogue, Warlock: +2 AC
Wizard, +0 AC
On step 8 choose one magic item's daily power.
Skip step 10.
--------------
I'm going to stick to the damage breakout I had suggested before because it is easy to calculate on the fly from the monster manual stats alone.
I'm also going to stick to the daily = encounter thing and the item daily power thing. If I start going back to normal daily powers, I might as well play standard D&D (which is an option).
Anyway, I'll try these out next time I'm playing a quick game. Thanks again for the feedback!
Good suggestions as always, Mr. Foxman,
Here are my revisions based on your feedback:
The d20 is the only die needed.
There are no daily powers. All daily powers are encounter powers.
All damage is averaged out for both PCs and monsters. Each die averages to the following: 1d4=3, 1d6=4, 1d8=5, 1d10=6 1d12=7. You do not roll dice for damage.
All crits double damage.
Every character receives one action point per battle and may trigger one magical item daily power per tier in each battle.
Do not track healing surges. All characters are assumed to have unlimited surges. Any effect that removes a healing surge instead does 5 points of damage per tier.
Any attack that targets more than one creature rolls a single attack roll. The resulting attack roll is used against all monster defenses.
There are no extended rests. All powers and hitpoints are restored between battles. All effects are removed. All unconscious characters are restored to full hitpoints.
Monster recharge powers use the following conversion: 2 = 4+ on d20
3 = 8+; 4 = 11+; 5 = 14+; 6 = 18+
Quickplay Character Creation:
Use the NPC creation rules on page 187 and 188 of the Dungeon Master's Guide with the following exceptions:
On step 4 determine hitpoints as you would for a PC instead of an NPC.
On step 5 use the following AC bonuses:
Fighter, Paladin: +10 AC
Cleric, Warlord: +9 AC
Ranger, Rogue, Warlock: +2 AC
Wizard, +0 AC
On step 8 choose one magic item's daily power.
Skip step 10.
--------------
I'm going to stick to the damage breakout I had suggested before because it is easy to calculate on the fly from the monster manual stats alone.
I'm also going to stick to the daily = encounter thing and the item daily power thing. If I start going back to normal daily powers, I might as well play standard D&D (which is an option).
Anyway, I'll try these out next time I'm playing a quick game. Thanks again for the feedback!
Foxman
First Post
Thank you - glad to help out
This works. A couple of cavets however.
1) Dice numbers.
On a d8 the average is 4.5. You are rounding up to 5. Which is works, but on the other hand the "standard" rounding rule for D&D is to round fractions down.
If you were to do so it might make it easier to say "half of a d8 = 4" for quick running math. This also has an impact on criticals as noted below.
2) Critical Damage
Consider 2d8+5 damage
Under your suggestion it would do 5 + 5 + 5 = 15 damage on a normal hit and 30 damage on a crit.
Just looking at 2d8+5 I know it should do 21 damage on a critical hit. So to figure out the crit I don't just add up the max damage from the hit, I have to calculate what the "normal damage" would be and then double it. Seems like an extra step.
I also realize that this does not include "crit based damage" So an extra step would possible be needed to make max damage work in this case.
Somthing to consider at least
Ok I'm still confused. Do I get to choose 1 power in step 8 and if I'm epic tier I get to use it 3 times in a day?
I would suggest changes as follows.
* Every character receives one action point per battle.
* On step 8 choose one magic item's daily power per tier. Each power may be used once per encounter.
No argument. It is "simplier". (I didnt mention it in my last post
)Cavet is I still like the "get action points = to 1 per tier" "Daily powers (class or magic item) take an action point to use. (get one magic item daily per tier)
So an action point can be used for one of three things (no more than once per round):
1) a class daily power OR
2) a magic item daily power OR
3) an extra action
So at heroic tier, in encounter 1, I might go with my daily power, and in encounter 2 I go with my magic item daily.
At Epic Tier I would have 3 action points.
In encounter 1 I might go Magic Daily, Magic Daily, class Daily
In Encounter 2 I might go Class Daily, Extra action, extra action.
In encounter 3 I might go all 3 magic item daily.
This allows each player to pick and chose between some cool powers. This would give a small amount of choice in using thier characters without overwhelming AND still gives a simulation of the resource using of the regular rules.
Anyways thats the reason behind that suggestion
Looking good
- Fox
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