Recent content by Pseudopsyche

To adapt an encounter designed for 5 players to 4 PCs, you could always just remove a level from every monster. The math should be about right. This approach is particularly useful for combats involving solos or elites, where you can't just remove one standard monsters. I'll second the...

FWIW, I think clerics do have it rough in 4E skill challenges. They typically have armor penalties compounding mediocre Str and Dex scores. The only class skills that build upon their Wis are Heal and Insight, and they don't get Endurance to build upon their Con. Half their class skills...

Sounds like you have a nicely balanced core party: monk, warpriest, knight, sha'ir. Should be fun! I'm looking forward to hearing how it goes.

How about some kind of divine artifact, a sacred relic of Kord, that can summon a fierce warrior some number of times per day? Perhaps some kind of war horn that summons valkyrie-like warrior maidens. The summoned warrior can become more powerful as the PCs level up and their concordance with...

So even after D&D Next launches, should WotC continue releasing adventures in the manner of Murder at Baldur's Gate: system-neutral books with system-specific game material as a free download?

You are thinking of Heart of the Forbidden Forge, Dungeon 155. I am fond of that one too, although I never ran it.

I would be tempted just to use Essentials, assuming none of the players feels a strong need to have psionics. Why not let the mage be arcane and explore the social consequences throughout the campaign? The biggest limitation is that the only leader (healer) class would be the druid, assuming...

Possibly he was referring to this article: His conclusion seems to be that TSR simply did none of the market research that it needed to. But he suggests that perhaps the market didn't want all those settings: Earlier in the article is another reference to the number of settings, when Dancey...

Get MM3. It has much more in the way of lore and fluff to help you transplant the monster to a different system and campaign.

I'm not surprised you decided to cut the hit points. For a party of 2-3 PCs, a standard monster probably has the "grind potential" of an elite monster facing 5 PCs, and presumably an elite monster against 2-3 might invite grind the same way a solo would against 5. I suspect this effect is part...

I agree with most of the advice you've already received, but I'd like to emphasize a few points. DDI is not necessary. As you figured, the Stealth errata is the one most likely to come up. The skill challenge DCs changed too, but HS1 already uses the new numbers. You can pattern your own skill...

I look at it this way: DCs of 5/10/15 assume a baseline of a random character at level 1: with a +0 bonus, you have about a 50-50 shot on a moderate check. The original 15/20/25 DCs assume a baseline of an optimized character: with +4 ability score and +5 training, you have a 50-50 shot on a...

I've toyed with the idea of implementing "diminishing returns" in my skill challenges too, so I would love to hear more of your thoughts on it. Do you think the cumulative +2 increase in DC was about right for this skill challenge? Do you think a single rate of DC increases could be generally...

Did the PCs adjust and focus on eradicating the minions first? Or did all the strikers power through the rotpriests' pseudo-insubstantial protection? I don't think the insubstantial trait is intrinsically bad, but I think it's much more fun when there's a way to disable it (as there was in...

I love the idea of adventure paths, but I quail at the formidable challenge of keeping a group going for all 30 levels. So why don't we see more adventure paths (or plans for such) that span only one or two tiers? The advantages of a shorter path seem considerable: primarily a reduced...