D&D 4E Running player commentary on PCat's 4E Campaign - Heroic tier (finished)

[Sagiro]

So can Browls turn their head 120 degrees?

Say PCat, this is the second time Bramble has been targeted for death. As the only healer in the party, I have to ask: did you guys hit any walls in terms of the fact that Shamans can barely heal themselves? Aside from the direct target of their Healing Spirit, all of the Shaman's other healing powers says 'Ally", and since the Shaman is not their own Ally...

We ran into that problem.

Over the course of that battle, Bramble:

- used both of her uses of Healing Spirit on herself
- gave herself the 10 HP you get by "burning" your Spirit of the Healing Flood
- healed 10 points from a healing potion
- used her second wind to regain 15 hit points
- was the recipient of Cobalt's Inspiring Word (15 + 2d6 HP healed)
- used Protective Roots to give herself DR 4 for the second half of the battle

...all of which was barely enough to keep her alive, and which burned about half of her surges for the day. Fortunately, with the assassin only targeting her, none of the rest of us needed healing beyond our own second winds, plus Bramble's use of a magic item that gave everyone 9 temporary hit points, plus the regen/healing effects of the Spirit of the Healing Flood.

It was very exciting... though it was maddening (in a good way) to watch the assassin jump around, hide in our shadows, be insubstantial much of the time, and teleport around the battlefield -- all while an owlbear was trying to tear our heads off. Piratecat mentioned his disappointment that the owlbear never landed two melee attacks on the same target, because there was something more it didn't get to do. Given that those single claw hits were already doing 20+ points of damage, and that the PC's have in the 50-60 hp range, it probably could have one-shotted us had it landed the double-attack. Yikes!

Yeah, it didn't occur to any of us to ask the wizard to teleport our friends for us. D'oh! We were too busy role-playing with Dr. Rictus, trying to convince his brawling fighter to join the Grey Guard!

 

[Piratecat]

Given that those single claw hits were already doing 20+ points of damage, and that the PC's have in the 50-60 hp range, it probably could have one-shotted us had it landed the double-attack. Yikes!

It's not unusual for me to raise damage slightly (usually by +5 hp/tier) and reduce hit points. I don't do it with every monster, but customizing monsters to fit certain niches makes fights more interesting. In this case, the owlbear did slightly more damage and the assassin was unchanged.

I will note that I didn't understand the range requirement for one of the assassin's conjuration powers. It didn't make too much difference in the fight, but she conjured a shadowy assistant that should have disappeared the minute someone pushed her more than five squares from her shadowy flanking buddy. I'll know for next time.

 

[Barastrondo]

Piratecat mentioned his disappointment that the owlbear never landed two melee attacks on the same target, because there was something more it didn't get to do. Given that those single claw hits were already doing 20+ points of damage, and that the PC's have in the 50-60 hp range, it probably could have one-shotted us had it landed the double-attack. Yikes!

My brother threw an owlbear at us when our group was level 3. Yeah, we found out what it could do when it landed two hits on the same person. The fact that nobody died in that fight lies entirely at the feet of the fact that wardens are great.

Man, I love owlbears. They get a lot of picking-on among Internet pundits because they can be so silly, but why shouldn't a D&D world have some fauna that can't be found on Earth? The idea of a professional owlbear wrangler is brilliant (especially as a brawler fighter, and especially in conjunction with a professionally groomed owlbear), and I am brazenly stealing that the first time I get an opportunity.

 

[Delgar]

Beware the might of the "HOO-GROWL".

Who doesn't love Owlbears? I mean really?

PC looks like your just going to have to try harder to kill your players; err I mean your players characters

 

[blargney the second]

We started off with the owlbear roaring ("GrrRRAARRRGH-hoo-hoo!")

I love this bit!

 

[Plane Sailing]

but one is in England for the next three months

Anyone I know? Anywhere near me? Always glad to show hospitality to overseas visitors

 

[Piratecat]

I'll get his contact info for you!

I want to mention something from my Merchant Prince game last night. The PCs are fighting dragonborn pirates, and the paladin and fighter are locked in battle with the pirate captain. The captain is low on hit points, but he has a healing potion and his turn is about to come up. He also has an interrupt that allows him to attack an adjacent foe who becomes bloodied.

It went something like this:

Me: The elementalist on the crow's nest casts lightning. 14 pts. Anyone just become bloodied?
Paladin: I am!
Me: Ha ha! Immediate reaction. He attacks you. 17 pts.
Paladin: I use an immediate interrupt to attack him first. 9 dmg.
Me: Oh. okay. He's staggering, but his turn is up next and he reaches for his...
Fighter: He attacked the paladin?
Me: ...yes?
Fighter: I have him marked. Opportunity attack.
Me: Damn it!
Fighter: 18 pts.
Me: ...reaches for his healing potion, then realizes there's an axe through his chest as he crumples to the deck. Drat.
Fighter (bending down and talking loudly): Ha! We're taking your boat!

Ironically, if he hadn't taken the free attack he'd have still be doing just fine. Poor guy died without ever being able to use anything but a basic attack. Karlak the Black, dragonborn scourge of the seas, I barely knew ye. *sniff*

 

[Daern]

At my table we call it the game of "Oh Yeah? Well..." Strings of interrupts and reactions can really wild out a combat round.

 

[blargney the second]

So the party got a free healing potion?

 

[Blood Jester]

So the party got a free healing potion?

Yes, and I hear it is a good one too.