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In 4e, I predict that many DMs will continue to forbid evil PCs in their games. I haven't used alignment for decades and I almost always forbid them. I also do so in many other game systems, such as HERO. How, oh, how will the DMs manage this without mechanical alignment? Easily. By telling...

Without the system in front of us, it is difficult to argue this any further. I believe the system is indeed an attempt to facilitate group play by organizing social encounters in a combat like way to engage the entire group. I find the claim that DMs can somehow be *called out* and forced to...

BTW, since we have been citing Action Points and their possible role in 4e, I should note that I have incorrectly assigned too much power to the Eberron Action Points system. In Eberron, all Action Points allow you to do is to automatically stabilize, not narratively control away your own...

And according to the rules in each edition, was that alignment assigned by the DM according to his own moral vision? No, it was made in accordance to the descriptions of alignment in the edition being used. Thus, alignment rules were just as restrictive to the DM as they were to the players...

None of your examples hold under any scrutiny. Let us examine them one at a time. The alignment system in previous editions does nothing of the sort. The alignment system involves a set of *prewritten* descriptors given in the rules book that describe the qualities for each alignment axis...

If simulationism has as its central conceit using the game rules strictly to model the worlds "physics", then I think that computer aided systems will be increasingly the way to go, where the calculations can be offloaded onto a system that never gets tired, judges constantly and won't allow...

Yes, and I feel sure that when the DMG (or Monster Manual) gives ranges for the various stats that make for an appropriate challenge at a certain level, they will be assuming that the final numbers include all relevant bonuses. I believe that long term buffs will be going the way of the dodo...

Oh, no way! Liquid Metal Slimes = full on attack! Mmmmm, those XPs, so delicious...... I'm more worried about the slime running away before we get lucky with a critical.....

I strongly suspect that Hit Dice are gone because you do not roll for hit points. You assign it based on what you think the creature's design needs. The DMG will likely have ranges for suggested values for a monster of a given level, type (bruiser, leader, skirmisher, et cetera) and role...

It seems there are several possiblities: 1) For DMs that don't want to change the yugoloths, their powers and motivations in any way, simply declare them their own class of fiend, just as in previous editions. 2) For DMs that wish to incorporate them into the 4e cosmology, but don't really...

Could be. It depends on how the various wizard powers depend on class level. If it works like 3e, adding three levels of wizard will only result in a creature with 1st and 2nd level spells as a 3rd level caster. There's the possibility suggested by the Book of Nine Swords where you add half...

I'll note that I do recall a forum post that Mearls noted that you can indeed add class levels onto a monster. Frankly, looking at the Pit Fiend stats, I can't see anything at all to prevent it. Monsters have ability scores, defenses, skills and pretty much everything that a class could add...

I must admit that I am unwilling to disentangle all the various threads and subfragments of arguments that I might reply to in your last post. However, I do think that this very important claim needs to be supported, as I find that it is highly controversial. Please present your argument that...

The section on the Quest cards notes that they are composed and written by the DM when the players receive a in-game game goal. It describes what the goal of the quest it, who gave it and any other details the DM may wish to give. It's primarily note taking tool. And, yes, it does indeed...

Except for the fact that the DM chooses the environment the PCs interact with, the NPCs they encounter, the adventures they go on, the encounters they have, the challenges they must overcome and rules on the options the PCs may choose from when generating their characters and probably a bunch of...

OK, let's try to untangle this: In your first post, you claimed that M_R was making the case for DMs being marginalized in 4e. M_R's post had to do with the amount of time it took to assign abilties to opponents in 3e versus the 4e method. None of this has to do with the quantity of options...

it does remind me of all of the furore when they started first posting 3e stat blocks. "OMG! Look at those stats! They're ridiculously high, what kind of a video game mess are they trying to foist on us?" I definitely remember people claiming that all the various things in 3e that led to hit...

I'll take that to mean that, no, nothing in your argument about DM marginalization had anything to do with what M_R posted. The script in this case is merely the same as the "During Combat" paragraphs and suggested tactics given in many 3e books, adventures and supplements. If those are...

I cannot for the life of me work out how your conclusion about 4e marginalizing DMs is related to anything that Mustrum_Ridcully said. There is nothing in anything he said that involved 4e forcing DMs to follow a script in any way. He was talking about the fact that monster generation no...

The rules in D&D (all editions) have no control over what the DM selects as a monster. Therefore, in all editions, the DM has most of the narrative control, under this argument. With the exception of random encounter tables, can you tell me where the rules control what the DM selects as a...