Search results

  1. A

    Can a pit trap affect multiple PCs?

    This is a case where you ask the party "Okay, what's your marching order?" If they're 2x2, then yes, your pit affects the front two. If they're single file, then the pit only affects the leader.
  2. A

    Bull Rush into an IRON MAIDEN

    I certainly wouldn't want to give the hobgoblin a save against such a maneuver if one of my players did it to the hobgoblin.
  3. A

    Truly Solo Encounter

    Saagael, I love this! I tried to give you XP for it, but I've given you XP too recently. :D I do think you've done a fantastic job of encapsulating "what makes a Solo tick", enough so that this oughta be required reading! Your thought process in developing it may be worth a blog entry...
  4. A

    Length and difficulty of combats

    Right. At 1st level, at At-Will does 1[W] + bonuses At 19th level, an At-Will does 1[W] + Bonuses At 1st level, a level-appropriate Skirmisher has about 30 hit points. At 19th level, a level-appropriate Skirmisher has about 180 hit points. Yes, "Bonuses" is higher at 19th level - but not...
  5. A

    Weapon and Implement Expertise

    I think that's an answer that varies from DM to DM, to be honest. In our group, one DM allows them, while the other DM does not (but reduces monster defenses appropriately.) The best argument against them that I've heard is not that they're so good that they're so obviously better than every...
  6. A

    First Campaign as a DM

    Full agreement here! I hate that style of DM with a passion. So, phrasing it back to the OP: spend the time to design a fun encounter : your prep work will pay off in fun-at-the-table for everybody!!
  7. A

    Re-thinking Brutal Weapons

    Yeah, we've got a player who is infamous for rolling 1's, both with her to-hit die and her damage die. Letting her re-roll 1's makes a huge difference to her enjoyment of the game, much more so than the time spent detracts from mine. That said, the math comes out precisely the same for "1d12...
  8. A

    Encounter Level - realistic maximums

    Fully agreed. The "grind" feel that some people complain about tends to come about in the stage where the big-bad is bloodied, and everybody is down to at-wills unless the big-bad recharges an encounter power. Letting the big-bad "power up" when Bloodied raises the stakes dramatically - and its...
  9. A

    First Campaign as a DM

    This statement, without the reference to player death, is 100% true for both styles of play. However, just like a Skill Challenge, failure can mean many things, not just "character death": in the fatality-free game, failure still needs to be an option, and it needs to have painful consequences...
  10. A

    First Campaign as a DM

    Honestly, this issue is one whose answer varies widely from gaming group to gaming group. I've played in thoroughly enjoyable campaigns where no PC ever died, and even ones in which a PC did die but was brought back with no real consequences to either player or character. I've played in...
  11. A

    Have you had any fun intros to a campaign.

    That's a classic, and it can be pulled with success on the party at any level. For example, our party had been hearing about this other paragon-level adventuring party since Level 1, and finally got to a point (around Level 6 or so) where war was breaking out. We wind up working for the same...
  12. A

    Combat actions before combat?

    Hmm. My aversion to initiative-number collisions came after running a wolf-pack-vs-party combat which almost resulted in a TPK because the wolves, weak by themselves, would all attack on the same initiative; the first attack would knock somebody prone and all the other wolves would savage the...
  13. A

    Encounter Level - realistic maximums

    Nice - you might update your opening post to include a "My Players Stay Out!" tag if any of them like ENWorld. At Level 1, I'd stick with +0 to +2 battles: I find my players walked through +0's, but not without getting into some use of resources (Healing Surges or Dailies). Pitting 4 L2's...
  14. A

    Combat actions before combat?

    Spot on, Kingreaper. That's exactly what I'd do for the situation where two parties seem to be in harmony but somebody wants to begin combat: for example, the classic, "on my signal, everybody at the banquet table draws their swords and attacks" betrayal, or the classic "we sign the peace...
  15. A

    Combat actions before combat?

    Hmm - I don't think Surprise is a red herring. I think the entire line of the conversation hinges around a complete understanding of Surprise. I want to eliminate some of the confounding variables for an example: - Without specifying which side are the PC's - Without worrying about...
  16. A

    Combat actions before combat?

    This may be one of the key points of contention in the discussion. It is my opinion that the current rules have a very explicit explanation of what defines "awareness": Line of sight to. Perception check >= opponent's Stealth check. Passive Perception >= opponent's Stealth check. Full stop...
  17. A

    Combat actions before combat?

    The part, in Bold, seems to me to be precisely the definition of "have surprise". They knew combat was going to start, they were ready, and they all rushed in together, coordinated. That's Surprise, just as it would be for an ambush or any other case. If the defenders in the room are also...
  18. A

    Brainstorm: Daily Exploits & Quests

    Hmm. I think 4e is structured a lot more like an anime than previous versions were. For example, reading a "One Piece" fight as a 4e encounter: Luffy might start out with his Gomo-gomo-no Pistol power, which is clearly an At-Will. He might also try the Gatling fist power, which is also...
  19. A

    Brainstorm: Daily Exploits & Quests

    Yeah, I think it would really help my ability to give you feedback about this idea if I understood better what your goal is. 1. What do you dislike about Daily powers currently? 2. What do you like about Daily powers currently? 3. Do you want to reward your players who adopt quests, or force...
  20. A

    Please help me!!!

    The Rage Drake specifically has a line in its Monster Manual entry: I know, 'cause my character totally wanted one at Level 2 or so. We put a lot of effort into trying to train the older rage drake before our DM let one of us figure that out! Luckily, we'd found two eggs, which we gave to a...
Top