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

[Villanelle]

But back on topic, I love the idea of the Paladin getting to smite evil once per encounter. That's a great way for this mechanic to improve the game.

 

[psionotic]

But back on topic, I love the idea of the Paladin getting to smite evil once per encounter. That's a great way for this mechanic to improve the game.

Totally agree. 'Per day' is just as arbitrary as 'per encounter', and certainly no more realistic; in many cases much less so.

 

[Sun Knight]

I asked for specifics, you became obtuse.

Got it. I know when you're outmatched.

All right, specifics.

Great Wyrm Read Dragon 20th level Wizard with 200,000 gold pieces of personal gear, including various protective magices, a magical spiked tail mace, mithril wing armor, with various magic items, including a ring of vampiric regeneration and a ring of spell storing, fully buffed by spell and potion due to the fact that it also has a crystal ball, scrying the approach of the PCs.

Inside his leair he has his minions, a half red dragon lizard man, Barbarian 15, with his own gear, along with lizard man fodder (Barbarian 5).

That battle took a long time in and out of character.

 

[Mouseferatu]

I have no problem with per encounter abilities, if they're defined properly.

If you use the SWSE model, you need a minute of meditation to recharge your Force abilities (this is without using talents, burning a Force point to instantly recharge, or whatever).

It's not "once per encounter", it's "once, and then you have to recharge"... with a recharge time long enough that PCs won't be able to do it in the middle of most combats.

As Sukael said. "Per encounter" is a shorthand term for this, because that's what it essentially boils down to, but there's a specific mechanic for it. It's how SWSE did it. It's how Bo9S did it. I see no reason to assume it, or something like it, won't be in 4E.

 

[argo]

Three words.

Proper. Resource. Management.

Resource management still exists in a per-encounter structure. It just changes to occur within the contex of a combat. Now the most precious resource is the "action". Do you use your standard action to make an attack or activate a defensive power? Do you use your 1/encounter ability to put down this mook you are fighting right now so you can rush over and engage the BBEG or do you spend three rounds figthing the mook and save the 1/encounter ability to use on the BBEG?

The difference is that now everybody gets to play the resource-management minigame, instead of just the cleric and wizard.

 

[Sun Knight]

The problem is that there is no set timeframe for how long an encounter is. It could be 10 seconds, it could be 10 minutes. That is the problem here. Just saying "per encounter" is an abstraction without substance.

 

[Piratecat]

Your example of the red dragon and his lair is pretty easy to break up. Think of it this (simplified) way; every time you roll initiative, it's a new encounter.

If you fight the minions and the lizardman, but the dragon doesn't attack immediately, it's a new encounter when he does. If you fight the minions, the lizardman, and the dragon all at once (good luck, heroes!) and the dragon doesn't retreat, it's the same encounter.

 

[Piratecat]

I asked for specifics, you became obtuse.

Got it. I know when you're outmatched.

You are soon going to qualify for the Deceased Equine Slayer prestige class like the rest.

This thread was doing really well until this point. See you in three days. When you're back, please note that it *is* possible to disagree with someone without becoming insulting.

 

[Dalamar]

So the fact that it says "x times per encounter" instead of "x times before you can rest for 1 minute" is what you are against?

 

[Treebore]

I can't believe defining "encounter" is difficult.