D&D 4E 4e Special Ability PER Encounter stinks...

[Sun Knight]

A scene (or encounter) lasts as long as you need it to.

Obi-Wan vs. Anakin on the lava? 10 minutes.

Obi-Wan vs. Vader on the Death Star? One minute

That level of difference is just unacceptable and way too open. I guess we have to agree to disagree on this as well.

 

[Wormwood]

Three words.

Proper. Resource. Management.

1. Proper?

2. You realize that you are *still* managing resources under this system, right?

3. At the tabletop, the length of a 'day' is actually more arbitrary than the length of an Encounter.

 

[Sun Knight]

1. Proper?

2. You realize that you are *still* managing resources under this system, right?

3. At the tabletop, the length of a 'day' is actually more arbitrary than the length of an Encounter.

I disagree, sorry.

 

[Malhost Zormaeril]

Again, how long is that exactly. 10 minutes, 1 hour, or what? I like specifc time tables, especially when it comes to character abilities and spells.

There isn't any. If you would, think of them as traps: they don't work every x minutes, but are sprung once and then need to be reset. When the encounter ends, the adrenalin ebbs, and the characters are able to reset those powers. So if the characters fight for two minutes and get a breather, then the abilities can be reset (end of encounter and beginning of another). If they have a long, drawn-out fight during two whole hours, in which they can't catch their breath, then it's a single encounter, and again they can't reset their abilities until it's over.

Does this analogy help?

 

[Wormwood]

That level of difference is just unacceptable and way too open. I guess we have to agree to disagree on this as well.

It's not 'open' at all.

An encounter lasts until a clearly defined set of conditions is met.

 

[Charwoman Gene]

Fighting a Great Wyrm Red Dragon.

This takes minutes in 3e with level appropriiate PCs.

Unless the dragon hides, and comes back, then files away, then comes back.

Please explain how the Great Wyrm Red Dragon with Appropriate PCS takes 2 hours without there being a CLEAR cessation of combat and restart of combat.

 

[Charwoman Gene]

3. At the tabletop, the length of a 'day' is actually more arbitrary than the length of an Encounter.

I like per encounter, and I know it is semi-arbitrary.

Sun Knight. D&D is not a fantasy world physics simulation. It is becoming more cinematic.

 

[Sun Knight]

This takes minutes in 3e with level appropriiate PCs.

Unless the dragon hides, and comes back, then files away, then comes back.

Please explain how the Great Wyrm Red Dragon with Appropriate PCS takes 2 hours without there being a CLEAR cessation of combat and restart of combat.

I guess you never actually been against a proper great wyrm red dragon battle. First off, dragons are allowed to have class levels. Now if you go against a Great Wyrm Red Dragon who just happens to have the spell power of 19th level Sorcerer with the powers, feats, and properly equiped 20th level Wizard you would find that fighting on would definitely take a bit of time.

 

[coyote6]

This takes minutes in 3e with level appropriiate PCs.

Unless the dragon hides, and comes back, then files away, then comes back.

Please explain how the Great Wyrm Red Dragon with Appropriate PCS takes 2 hours without there being a CLEAR cessation of combat and restart of combat.

Maybe he meant two hours of real time, to play out the however-many-rounds of combat?

 

[Sun Knight]

It is becoming more cinematic.

And that is why I am not liking 4e.