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  1. Lord_Blacksteel

    D&d pc roles: From past to present to future

    I've written some stuff about this on my blog recently and roles have changed somewhat over the years. Short version: One of the biggest is that in 1E and 2E there was no Striker/Defender split - Fighters were the combat monsters for both offense and defense and "Tanking" as a concept really...
  2. Lord_Blacksteel

    Essentials and Eberron Campaign Guide

    Um, no. Some of the details have changed but the systems have not. There is nothing systematically different between a PHB1 Fighter and an Essentials Fighter. Combat uses the same rules, they choose skills from the same list, their hit points and healing surges work the same way, and no races or...
  3. Lord_Blacksteel

    I killed a character, twice!

    I've read the whole thread and I've killed plenty of characters over the years in various editions and other RPG's so some quick thoughts: 1) No, you didn't target the player in the first death - she got up during combat and apparently did not try to escape but instead tried to continue the...
  4. Lord_Blacksteel

    Is the Age of Hardcover Gluttony over?

    ...aaand during the 3E era much publishing moved to China for full-color hardbacks that pretty much were the same price as a black & white hardback (or even a softback) 10-20 years ago. Producers faced rising costs, Consumers balked at price increases, the producers found another way ->...
  5. Lord_Blacksteel

    Did magic-users use weapons more often in older editions?

    Yes, M-U's in our 1E parties were expected to be fire support even if it wasn't usig a spell - daggers & darts at low levels and eventually a staff of striking is a pretty effective weapon if you can find one. People may also forget that in Basic D&D everyone had the same to-hit numbers at...
  6. Lord_Blacksteel

    The Core...Forgotten...Eberron?

    If it's your first time to play don't get too wrapped up in researching the setting - you will learn more about it as you play. None of the setting books have any critical mechanical bits so you won't suffer for it. You mentioned core so get a PHB, see if they use the character builder and if...
  7. Lord_Blacksteel

    Birthright??

    Well the production values were amazing for the time - the boxed set came with nice rulebooks, a full color poster map or 3, army cards,, and a nice DM Screen with that full-color painting on the outside - it probably did lose money but it was a very striking set and made a strong impression...
  8. Lord_Blacksteel

    D&D 4E Disarming in 4E

    ""Successfully haggle the weapon away from the monster using a combination of Diplomacy and Monster Knowledge. Essentially, you are buying the weapon from the beast."" -Awesome Given my limited 4E experience (first party is now up to 2nd level) I have been fortunate in that no one has tried to...
  9. Lord_Blacksteel

    3.5 or 4th edition?

    The red box set is not a bad idea if you can wait a bit. There was also an earlier 4E starter set as well here. Besides all of the boxed set talk you might look in a used book store and see if they have a 3rd edition or 4th edition player's handbook. Get that, make some characters, see if you...
  10. Lord_Blacksteel

    Returned Abeir "Continent"

    "Dragonborn Eagle Knights" - now you're trying to get your Warhammer in my D&D!
  11. Lord_Blacksteel

    What Would a 4e Mystara Look Like?

    "Next thing you know, you'll be sitting there with a glass of Mountain Dew in your hand and blubbering about the good old times." My kids hate it when I do this, but they are enjoying their basic Set D&D... After this thread I'm actually thinking Mystara could work - the "Age of Exploration"...
  12. Lord_Blacksteel

    Is Greyhawk Relevant?

    Still seems a little strange that we didn't really get a solid announcement on a campaign setting for 2011. We have the separate Ravenloft game - OK. We have the Nentir Vale book which I guess will still be "generic" as far as not being specifically tied to Eberron or the Realms or Greyhawk. I...
  13. Lord_Blacksteel

    D&D 4E 4e MMs? Which should I get?

    If the OP is using the beasties for Pathfinder, I'm not sure that the mechanical innovations for 4E really matter that much, so I'll say this - most of them have already appeared in one of the 5 3rd edition MM's or the Feind Folio, or Monsters of Faerun, or the Draconomicon/Lords of...
  14. Lord_Blacksteel

    Confusion on Essentials

    It sounds to mel like the Heroes books will look like a Power book - Class, Builds, Powers, Feats, and maybe some magic items or some RP type material. The Rules Compendium will have the rules and that's it. So conceivably new players might end up with a Heroes Book and a Rules compendium and...
  15. Lord_Blacksteel

    D&D 4E 4E Races, Post-Essentials: Flexibility, You Say?

    As far as major changes to stats I think +2 to a fixed stat per race with a floating +2 to any other stat would keep flavor while retaining flexibility. Example: Dwarf = +2 Con then a +2 to anything else, so you can play the Smart Dwarf or the Strong Dwarf or the Graceful Dwarf or the Like-able...
  16. Lord_Blacksteel

    No buzz for the 2011 Campaign Setting?

    Yeah it's kind of strange after going through the news- More Realms and something about Ravenloft. Between that, Essentials, and Gamma World as a kind of side project, it seems like the solid focus of 2008-2009-early 2010 is a lot more scattered now with books in different sizes and formats...
  17. Lord_Blacksteel

    No buzz for the 2011 Campaign Setting?

    One man's musings - I think if you're looking at the older settings, you need to look at what makes them special and how would it be handled for 4th: -Dragonlance - Epic storyline, lots of Dragons, high fantasy + magic weapons at the center of the major story...I see a lot of potential, but...
  18. Lord_Blacksteel

    Is Greyhawk Relevant?

    Couple of points here: "One of the questions I ask is why WotC would ever want to re-release Greyhawk. They might get some sales based on nostalgia, but what really sets it apart enough to draw in a new crowd?" To this I answer "Red Box" as in new 4E Essentials Red Box. Apparently WOTC believes...
  19. Lord_Blacksteel

    scoop: 4e gamma world

    6 months and the rage still boils...
  20. Lord_Blacksteel

    Has lack of an insider account kept you from playing 4E?

    I totally agree with some of the posts above that discuss checking the math on PC's as a DM especially at the first few levels and especially in a new game system. Going back to the OP though, would you go so far as to require the CB to make that easier? I DM far more than I play and I can say...
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