D&D 4E Are powers samey?

[UngeheuerLich]

a trick or exploit that you can really only use once til after you have revealed it (enemy has seen your hand) is too gamey?
where as not being able to do a trick again till after you take a big assed lunch break rest makes sense? sigh they make less sense to me.

No. That is not my point. Not at all.
It is the dynamic of having to use 3 encounter powers or they are wasted.
You can refluff them as you want. In combat every class was "when is the best time to use my three powers..." And most of the time the answer was immediately or you risk to waste them by not using them...

 

[Garthanos]

Compared to 3.5e maybe. Compared to 5e - system mastery in 4e was much more important IMO.

I think we are at subtle distinctions between those too in my opinion. I can dump stat Con in 4e with the right background and it works so yeh that is a bit of system mastery probably showing. Ironically it will hurt my ability in some strange places not just daily healing but in skill challenges where having HS can be pretty important. But I do not see it doable at all in 5e. My system mastery gives me more versatility instead of more power.

 

[Garthanos]

And most of the time the answer was immediately or you risk to waste them by not using them...

wait waste something you get every time there is a conflict??????

 

[Garthanos]

I can see wasting a daily on something that really didnt need it being an issue I am even copacetic with the idea of letting a power where that happens be given an out of cycle recharge.

 

[Garthanos]

in 5e if I misspend a fighter CS on minor minions that seems more of an issue than encounter powers from 4e.

The short rest powers are half as frequent more precious resource it seems to me

 

[FrogReaver]

I think we are at subtle distinctions between those too in my opinion. I can dump stat Con in 4e with the right background and it works so yeh that is a bit of system mastery probably showing. Ironically it will hurt my ability in some strange places not just daily healing but in skill challenges where having HS can be pretty important. But I do not see it doable at all in 5e. My system mastery gives me more versatility instead of my power.

I played an 8 con rogue in 5e. Played fine.

More importantly though - system mastery in 4e did give you sheer power - usually because a few of unique powers could be used in ways to get significant advantages (and in a game as finely tuned as 4e it doesn't take much of an advatnage to become significant). Nearly every optimized build found and utilized such powers to great effect.

 

[Garthanos]

Using all the encounters right away decision seems more an optimization bit to make sure the fight is finished as fast as needed so something else doesn't get spent

 

[Moorcrys]

I loved playing 4e but haven't in years so my memory is rusty, but I recall the classes at the table playing very differently. The issue I always had (some didn't but I did) was that I could never tell how they played differently until I actually got to the table - and then it would be a wow of a difference. However they all read the same the same to me so it took experiencing how they worked in-game to know what the difference was. But I had some very memorable fun with the different classes - my warlock played very differently than my cleric which was different than my warlord or wizard. I had a lot of fun with that edition.

 

[FrogReaver]

Using all the encounters right away decision seems more an optimization bit to make sure the fight is finished as fast as needed so something else doesn't get spent

Yes - because fights were so finely tuned you really had to try and ink out every advantage possible.

 

[FrogReaver]

I loved playing 4e but haven't in years so my memory is rusty, but I recall the classes at the table playing very differently. The issue I always had (some didn't but I did) was that I could never tell how they played differently until I actually got to the table - and then it would be a wow of a difference. However they all read the same the same to me so it took experiencing how they worked in-game to know what the difference was. But I had some very memorable fun with the different classes - my warlock played very differently than my cleric which was different than my warlord or wizard. I had a lot of fun with that edition.

Calling things samey doesn't mean that the classes didn't play differently. I liked 4e too. I've never argued that every class played the same. But for example - I much prefer how 5e classes play differently - and they do so without a lot of the sameyness I find in 4e classes.

I suppose explicitly stating this would help: Classes can play differently and still be samey