D&D 4E 4E Pre-Release Compilation Questions

[Lindorie]

First, a huge "thank you" to Verys Arkon for the Pre-Release Compilation . This has turned me from being mildly interested in 4E to starting a campaign with my kids and their friends (they kept asking). Apparently others agree, since this has now become a sticky
thread (WooHoo!).

We had our first session this weekend. One player has roots in a monty-haul, over-the-top 3.5 game and is strongly against 4E. He pushed what started as a Challenge into a combat instead. When I later asked why he did that, his response was that D&D is all about combat (which is a topic for another thread).

From that combat experience, we have a few rules questions for those using the compilation:

Skills:
Can all skills can be used untrained? Has there been any consensus on this yet?

Heal Skill:
If a player is negative hit points, and someone comes to their aid, what does a successful Heal skill check do for that character?
p24 and p34 says "stabilize a dying character". p34 also states "If anything heals you, you return to 0 HP before the healing is applied" and "Any healing restores you to at least 1hp." The players interpreted that to mean a successful heal check restores you to 1hp. Although I disagreed, we played it their way. I think we validated my view, as the end of combat had characters popping up and down like a whack-a-mole game.

Ranger's Hunter Quarry:
+1d6 per round, no matter what? Or is this like the Paladin's reworked Divine Challenge that the ranger has to keep attacking the quarry? The player was using this to mark one enemy his quarry, then attacking another, thus causing damage to two enemy's each round. Most of the rules I can work out a simulationist scenario (if I'm using that right); this one I can't.

 

[Mentat55]

Re: Hunter's Quarry -- It is +1d6 damage, emphasis on the "+", so the ranger does additional damage to his quarry if he hits. It is not automatic damage.

 

[Lurker59]

From my understanding a successful healing check will stabilize a character at their current negative hitpoint total. It also allows them to use a second wind if they still have it, putting them at 1/4 HP in most cases. If they can't use a second wind for some reason (having already used it, etc) they remain unconscious unless another ability allows them to use a surge.

 

[Lindorie]

Re: Hunter's Quarry -- It is +1d6 damage, emphasis on the "+", so the ranger does additional damage to his quarry if he hits. It is not automatic damage.

Ah, of course. We all focused on the "per round", not the "+". That makes *SO* much more sense.

It also allows them to use a second wind if they still have it.

I read somewhere that this may be true if the healing check rolls a 20, based on DDM rules. Have you heard something concrete that any successful heal check triggers the second wind? I'm thinking I like that idea, as there were a couple of times someone went down forgetting to use their second wind. If a heal check could trigger it, it would alleviate player frustration of "if only I had remembered to use my second wind!".