So "Not 4.5" (aka DnD "Essentials") is coming out pretty soon. Despite the (official) name, it's completely optional, just like maps & miniatures are. What are people's thoughts on it?
Personally I think getting rid of Daily powers is a great idea, and something they should have done in the first place. So long 5-minute adventuring day. What I hope they don't do is go the route of power points, etc, ala the Psionicist. The thing that could draw me back into DnD would be if they follow the K.I.S.S. school of game design and streamline all these extra fiddly-bits.
I rather like the necessity of husbanding resources, so that you have them available in the day's big fight. There were 'days' in which I never even touched a Daily, because it was tactically sufficient to use Encounter Powers. When I had the potential to spread up to 200 points of damage around everything within 20 squares, by round 3 with an Encounter power, it became viable.
If you're having a lot of '5 minute days', as you put it, then someone is doing something wrong.
- Perhaps the party wants a quick & easy mop-up. If so, then then the DM isn't penalizing you properly in an active dungeon.
- Maybe the DM is tossing too many encounters at you that are Lvl+2 and higher. If so then he's doing you a disservice, and creating the problem.
- Maybe you're playing the Dungeon Magazine adventure path that is heavy on Aberrants? If so then it sucks, and there's no alternative. I think that particular path was poorly levelled, myself, and the creatures in it are an issue. Our group was forced to operate on the "every encounter: a Daily encounter" principle too.
All-in-all, I like that there's a certain amount of strategy involved in power use. My Dailies were typically used when there was a tactical need. We've got a big bugger blocking the bridge that leads to Big Bad himself? No prob. Storm Countess's Kiss; I'll toss him 40 feet into the air and when he saves, I'll try to fling him off the bridge. Doctor Evil is heading for the escape pod? Cool; I'll try to nail him to the ground, for a couple of rounds, with Fury of Gibbeth.
