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    D&D 4E How do I create an NPC Locksmith in 4e?

    Ummm... Then you have two routes. The simple route is to grab an appropriate level/role monster from the MM and then "reskin" it. So, take some sort of humanoid and then just give it the great thievery (locks) modifier and move on with your life. The other route is to use the NPC building...
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    D&D 4E How do I create an NPC Locksmith in 4e?

    Just give them a strong modifier in thievery (applicable only to locks), a name, and a personality. Unless you anticipate the character being involved in a combat nothing else is required. This isn't like 3.5 where you need to build the character from the ground up ("Well, they have to be a...
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    Easy (I hope) Stealth Question

    Its legit. A rogue with Chameleon can foil the "monster comes looking around the corner" trick, too.
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    Challenging a large group

    Consider enlisting a party caller/leader. This individual should be in charge of the initiative tracker, status condition monitering, etc. I would also impose a table rule that says that anyone who catches a major error (missed status condition, etc) receives some sort of reward. An extra AP...
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    Magic Item Wish List????

    Fully agreed. If you have five players, trying to select good magic items for all of them -- ones that keep their "big three" (weapon/implement, armor, neck slot) up to snuff as well as complement their desired tactics is pretty time consuming. Fobbing this work off on the players makes your...
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    Shadow Stride vs. Fleeting Ghost vs. Secret Stride

    Note that the feat can be taken by anyone. It is probably more useful for a ranger or other stealthy-type character (even a Wand Wizard with stealth training, for example) than it is for a rogue.
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    The monster 'crit' problem

    Agreed. Normally critical systems punish the players as the DM makes more to-hit rolls than the players usually do. 4E balances this by (A) not giving minions better crits and (B) giving the PCs better crits than the monsters.
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    Making TacLords: Help!

    You will be very happy indeed if you have: (A) A fighter with good STR for CC Strike and freebie attacks. (B) A Brutal Scoundel Rogue for CC Strike and freebie attacks. (C) A Controller or Ranger who makes multiple attack rolls to benefit from crazy-AP bonuses.
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    What do you do about animals and companions?

    1) Treat them like a mage's Summons. I.E., for each encounter the NPC assists in, the PC must expend a Daily Magic Item Usage and a healing surge. The NPC is controlled using the PC's actions. 2) Flesh them out as NPCs per the DMG. Add monsters equal to the XP value of the NPC to each...
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    Stealth 4 Dummies

    Chameleon is an immediate reaction, so it can only be used during other's turns. Its most useful for retaining your Hidden status when a monster comes around a corner. Say you're ducking behind a corner to hide (total cover from the monster) then using Deft Strike to jump out from behind it...
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    Item Creation Rituals - several points

    Adventurer's Vault includes "transfer enchantment," designed to move enchantments from one item to another.
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    Starlock: AC too low to be playable?

    IF you will not be pumping DEX or INT, THEN you must ensure that you get into heavy armor. That is easy for some classes (paladins), but for others it may require an initial investment in STR and CON. Remember the +1 to all stats in Paragon Tier, so I'd start at -1 STR compared to the minimum...
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    Cleric MC

    Agreed. This is a great choice, at least for heroic tier. You may want to switch your MC feat later on depending on PP choice.
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    Acrobatics vs. Athletics

    Just another thought or two... I would not let a player use one skill to do something that is explicitly defined as being the province of another skill. For example, Jumping is explicitly something you do with Athletics. I might occasionally let a player utilize a different skill if there are...
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    Wondering which leader to dabble in

    Here's the good news -- your character Minored in leadership at the Paladin Academy already. A leader MC feat gets you Healing Word 1x/day, of course, and more importantly, you can swap out your atrocious level 2 utility power, but as far as "leaderish" things to do I don't think you'll beat...
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    To split or not to split

    Put me solidly into the camp that would allow the ranger to just target one enemy. This is clearly not within the intent of the "bag o' rats." The bag of rats, IMHO, is meant to prevent abuse of something like a cleric's Sacred Flame -- you can't just attack the ground to trigger a save or...
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    Acrobatics vs. Athletics

    I would advise taking hte training in Acrobatics. I like having one skill I can use very reliably rather than two that are both marginal. With your maxed Acrobatics, you can disregard most level-appropriate falls, pull off some acrobatic stunts. Just avoid Athletics checks as much as possible...
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    When the Unspeakable Happens

    Sure... But he still needs to move there, and talk to the sergeant/low level flunky in charge of the force. And such a leader might indeed need to be persuaded to jump in there. ROUTED MONSTER: "Boss, there's some adventurers in there?" SGT: "Really? Everyone, get up, grab your gear...
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    When the Unspeakable Happens

    It might be reasonable to assume that the reinforcing monsters take 5 minutes to get geared up and ready to move out. After all, the fleeing monster has to: 1) Get back to the lair. 2) Convince the leader that there's a threat. 3) The leader needs to mobilize the Quick Reaction Force, if...
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    Stealth 4 Dummies

    Thanks for picking up the little errors! I found the stealth rules to be quite confusing, given that they are spread across multiple pages (plus errata).
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