D&D 3E/3.5 3.5 DM Considering 4E

[Traveon Wyvernspur]

Ok, so I've been DMing for awhile and I keep getting tired of seeing great ideas and campaigns..... only for 4E. I am a 3.5 DM by nature and im very familiar with it.
-BUT-
I want to know some of the big differences between 3.5 and 4E, good things bad things, things to really consider, and major changes.
Now, i perused a 4E book once and after noticing that apparently that some alignments were missing and the whole planar system was rebuilt using some kind of "Primordial Chaos" crap i closed the book and said no way.
It has been a year i think since then and Im willing to give this a serious look but I really am afraid to do this alone.

Thanks in advance.

I'm actually a fan of all editions of D&D, so to answer your question. I feel that I'd just rehash what a lot of the others have already said and said very well I might add.

From my personal experience/opinions with 4E:

• The combats take longer unless you house rule some stuff (i.e. 1/2 the NPC hit points and 50% more damage output), there are a lot more conditions to keep track of as well that add up the time that a round takes, especially at higher levels (especially epic tier).
• It is more streamlined from the DM's perspective with easier to use/build creatures.
• It is supported of course and DDI is very useful.
• It is more balanced between the classes with everyone having powers; the at-wills, dailies, encounters, and utilities.
• Healing surges are a great addition to the game.
• Minions are a great addition to the game.

So there are my thoughts on the edition just off the top of my head.

P.S. A question I pose to the other posters: Why can't we just have an edition question discussion and discuss it like adults w/o warring and telling someone to not play a certain edition because YOU hate it?

I just get tired of the childish behavior on these threads and a serious question like this asking for some clarification always seems to have people start to flame each other for their choice in editions in a hobby we all love.

 

[Skyscraper]

Does anyone actually believe that this was a legitimate question by the OP? "Scared to do this alone", he says? Sounds kinda trollsome to me.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

I'll admit, I'd like some sort of "Okay, seriously, you're really hurt" mechanic. But even that would need a way to be recovered from, which would be either magic or time, so we kind of end up back at the same place.

Check out the disease mechanic. It does exactly this. It can be cured for free over time, helped by someone performing a heal check, or even gotten rid of in 10 minutes with a ritual...players choice.

You could have a pile of "Lasting Injury" cards premade and whenever someone is seriously injured (by whatever you decide makes one so) you can pull out a card and see what they got.

DS

 

[Rune]

The biggest problem with healing surges is the name. They should have been called something like "Reserves," instead.

 

[Hussar]

The biggest problem with healing surges is the name. They should have been called something like "Reserves," instead.

Y'know, I think this is one of the biggest issues with 4e that I see people have. The naming conventions really seem to trip a lot of people up.

 

[Fishbone]

Pshh... Dude that totally happened to me on the way to work this morning... twice (and I work from home.)

Oh, this makes good sense with another thing I don't like about 4E and preferred to its spiritual and mechanical predecessor, Star Wars SAGA edition. They had the healing surge mechanic. 1. And it healed a big amount of points, but that was it.

They also had something that applied a consistent amount of penalties for taking damage over a threshold. This was called the Condition Track. It might have had weakness and resulted in an occasional abusiveness or death spiral, but it works better than...

"ooh, that fight was a rough one! You had to surge 4 times!" The surge has become a nonsensical resource that replaces hit points and doesn't deal with the full effectiveness problem that is an issue for some people.

Dungeons and Dragons seems like a middling mish mash of 3.5 and SAGA and I don't like the vibe.

 

[NewJeffCT]

Would it be any less realistic than taking 7 swords in the gut and half a dozen arrows in the chest and still being on your feet and at full fighting effectiveness, able to wait calmly until the battle is over and the cleric can healstick you?

well, in previous editions, you could just have a cleric cast "Heal" in combat, and, voila, you go from 1 hit point left to having over 100.

Heck, in the climactic combat of our last campaign (3.5E), I allowed an in combat True Resurrection when the party cleric spent the 5,000XP cost to get a super Miracle from her deity. (yes, it's normally a 10 minute casting to get True Res, but with the 5,000XP cost, one of the first lines did say something about "raising fallen allies to allow them to continue the combat")

 

[Pentius]

"ooh, that fight was a rough one! You had to surge 4 times!" The surge has become a nonsensical resource that replaces hit points and doesn't deal with the full effectiveness problem that is an issue for some people.

Replace "surge" with "Cast a cure spell" and that could be any edition of D&D. Really, D&D has always had non-sensical resources that restore hit points without dealing with whether a low HP character is effective or not. The difference in 4e is that the devs said, "You know, HP has been abstract in D&D for decades, why don't we just stop beating around the bush about it?"

 

[billd91]

Replace "surge" with "Cast a cure spell" and that could be any edition of D&D. Really, D&D has always had non-sensical resources that restore hit points without dealing with whether a low HP character is effective or not. The difference in 4e is that the devs said, "You know, HP has been abstract in D&D for decades, why don't we just stop beating around the bush about it?"

Of course hit points have been abstract for decades, that's well known from back in 1e days.

But for me, there's still a big difference between using healing spells/potions in previous editions the equivalent in 4e. As of the materials in 4e that I have, the ability to receive healing is mainly driven by internal resources that are hard to increase. Keoghtum's Ointment may give you an additional healing surge, but a potion uses one of the inherent ones you've got rather than represent healing in its own package. By contrast, previous edition healing is via external resources. That changes how characters can plan to manage their own resources. And it's a change I don't really appreciate. It makes it hard for PCs to pool their resources to support the character whose bad luck is really getting him pulverized.

For the OP, if you like the changes, by all means play 4e. If the changes rub you the wrong way, then don't.

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

That changes how characters can plan to manage their own resources. And it's a change I don't really appreciate. It makes it hard for PCs to pool their resources to support the character whose bad luck is really getting him pulverized.

This hasn't been my experience with it at all - there are still plenty of ways to pool resources, or provide external healing.

There are a number of powers, including at least one Cleric at-will that heals surgelessly. The healing potions presented in the recently released Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium heal you whether you have surges or not. And finally, there is a level-1 ritual that allows you to pool surges from willing participants and redistribute them as desired.

That said, I'm not trying to "convert" you, but I felt that I should point out that there are still plenty of sources of externally applied healing in 4e.