4e test game - Vital Errata?

[delericho]

My Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay campaign came to its end yesterday, which now clears the way for my group to try 4th Edition.

Despite my misgivings about the system, I am determined that we should give it a genuinely fair trial. After all, we don't actually gain anything if we don't like it.

My intention is to run three adventures initially, one each at 1st, 5th and 11th level, with a view to making a decision then - do we switch to 4e as our "D&D of choice", do we add it as one more option for our list of games (highly unlikely - I don't want to have to maintain system mastery for more than one edition at a time), or do we simply not bother with it again?

My intention is also to run the game completely without House Rules. I also generally ignore and avoid errata and associated rules changes, on the grounds that these are just one more document that we need to keep track of, something I really don't need when trying to run a system I'm not terribly familiar with.

However, my question is this: are there any errata that are truly vital to the running of the game? Is there anything that just doesn't work as-is?

 

[FireLance]

I think the new rules for Stealth and invisibilty work better than the original version.

I think the new rules for skill challenges make them too easy while the original system was too hard. For a quick and dirty fix, I would use the new rules for the number of successes and failures required, and peg Easy skill check DCs at 12 + 1/2 challenge level, Moderate DCs at 16 + 1/2 challenge level, and Hard DCs at 20 + 1/2 challenge level.

I think these two are the critical errata. If you have the time, you should go through the rest of the changes as they do alter the relative power of certain class abilities, powers and feats. As a rule of thumb, if you think something is too weak or too powerful, just check whether there is errata out for it.

 

[fba827]

similar to what firelance said, the stealth and invisibility stuff is really the only errata we go out of our way to reference.

i don't think we've bothered with any of the other errata (not even the updated dmg skill dcs). but our group is not very focused on skill challenges (skill checks yes,skill challenges not so much).

 

[Jack99]

There are a few monsters where playing without the errata makes them quite a bit easier (for example the Ogre and Hill Giant).

Aside from that, I agree that the stealth/invisibility errata is the only thing you have to use.

 

[Treebore]

Just get the new Starter Set and go from there. To do the higher level modules you will need to get a PH. Buy the fancy version since it has the errata in it. Or just subscribe to the DDI when you run those higher level module/adventures.

 

[Derren]

Skill challenges are broken with and without the errata. Either use the fix posted on this board somewhere or use the errata.

Without the errata you will fail most skill challenges, with the errata you will nearly always succeed.

 

[catsclaw227]

I was using the Obsidian Skill Challenge system here on the boards and the players didn't really even know the difference. I also will ad-lib skill challenges for the things that I used to think required more work than a simple, single skill check.

Otherwise, just go try to have fun.

 

[delericho]

I was using the Obsidian Skill Challenge system here on the boards...

Any chance of a link to this? I didn't take note of it at the time, since I wasn't running 4e, and unfortunately don't have the Search feature.

Edit: Oh, also, thanks everyone for the advice.

 

[catsclaw227]

Any chance of a link to this? I didn't take note of it at the time, since I wasn't running 4e, and unfortunately don't have the Search feature.

Here you go!

http://www.enworld.org/forum/4e-fan...skill-challenge-system-new-version-1-2-a.html

 

[buzz]

My intention is to run three adventures initially, one each at 1st, 5th and 11th level, with a view to making a decision then...

I would suggest just running Keep on the Shadowfell. The first few sessions of that were enough to totally sell my group on 4e. If you're dead-set on sampling different levels, you probably ought to do 1st, 11th, and 21st (or thereabouts) so that you're sampling each of the three tiers of play.

As for errata, I'd use all of it, honestly. Download the Updates and discreetly tick off the errata'd parts of your core books with a pencil. If you do KotS, it's so near-zero DM prep that you'll have ample time to do this.