D&D 4E Are powers samey?

[BryonD]

You're thinking wrong. You're not using 4E engine to improve 4E, you're using it to build whatever game you like.

Classes, roles, magic items etc can all be stripped out. That's all modular. You don't even need to use 4E classes.

The engine is the round structure, NADs, skill system etc. It just depends on what genre you're doing and how much rewriting you want to do.

I think that is what I said in the last sentence. It is just that I don't want a "math works" system. So I don't want the 4E chassis.

There are lots of things about 4E that don't bother me at all. But the things that make 4E be 4E tend to be going the wrong direction for a game I like.

 

[BryonD]

You can strip them out. Replace them with 3.5 healing (level per day), or even OSR 1-3 hp.

SWSE didn't have a healing surges in sight. You got a single second wind, could get another via a feat iirc and another as a class option. Most characters have 1.

You didn't address the point here. SWSE also didn't have OTHER game mechanics which leaned on the presumption of surges. If I use 3.5 Healing, I've only touched the first use of HS. All the others remain.

 

[Zardnaar]

I think that is what I said in the last sentence. It is just that I don't want a "math works" system. So I don't want the 4E chassis.

There are lots of things about 4E that don't bother me at all. But the things that make 4E be 4E tend to be going the wrong direction for a game I like.

The engine has very little 4E in it if the classes and races are stripped out.

If you have a fundamental dislike of NADs and sure. You could even tweak it.

 

[FrogReaver]

I think that is what I said in the last sentence. It is just that I don't want a "math works" system. So I don't want the 4E chassis.

There are lots of things about 4E that don't bother me at all. But the things that make 4E be 4E tend to be going the wrong direction for a game I like.

You are just talking past him. He is demonstrating you can take the overall structure of 4e and map any game you want into it - well most any game.

 

[Garthanos]

SWSE didn't have a healing surges in sight. You got a single second wind, could get another via a feat iirc and another as a class option. Most characters have 1.

Not as useful I think much narrower a sub function of the HS.

 

[BryonD]

The engine has very little 4E in it if the classes and races are stripped out.

Ok, so without much in it, why would I do this?
I'm not seeing you offer any reason to expect this to be anywhere near as good as just playing another game.
Yes, I could do it. I don't see any reason to want to.

 

[FrogReaver]

Seems like so many things based on advantage that it might be a wash often too however.

Maybe, there aren't that many common ways to grant advantage in 5e though.

 

[BryonD]

You are just talking past him. He is demonstrating you can take the overall structure of 4e and map any game you want into it - well most any game.

Well, sure THAT I agree with. I don't quite think that is what he is saying. But what I think he is saying and what you are saying both don't even begin to appeal.
I'm seeing "you could do THIS!!!" without anything at all to entice me.

 

[FrogReaver]

Well, sure THAT I agree with.

I'll let him say if that's all he's saying or not. But if it is then it explains why he keeps coming back at you in amazement that you can't just simply agree with that assessment.

 

[Garthanos]

Yea 2nd Wind is a good callout - useful encounter power at times. I recall charge being distinct - damage bonus when you ran in a straight line at them or something. I'd count it as a meaningful at-will power.

Fighters having more HS fed into that as well it may not be as efficient as if the Leader prompts it but. And since the conversation is going parallel

The fighter could use that extra ability to dig deep to do better and try harder on in skill use as part of the Skill Challenge guidelines in DMG2 (the best SC presentation IMO)

Heck spend more effort at the library and stay up all night and clear doing so and find the thing because you did so. Even though your history skill is only ok.