6 players, 5 hours, 4th edition

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I just pray there's still a Power Attack for me to do it with.

Wulf Ratbane: All-Brutal Strikes-All-The-Time.

 

[ZappoHisbane]

Besides combat, there are things like Eladrin armies being able to teleport across (short) rivers and that sort of thing. Certain players can easily reach ledges and other obstacles that they might not have relatively easily.

I think perhaps there is a fluff solution to the mechanical problem here. This ability is basically the Eladrin slipping over to the FeyWild, and then back again, correct? Whose to say that terrain features aren't going to pose the same problem there as they do in the primary/material plane? In fact, if the feywild is a natural realm, the man-made structure that you're fighting in might not even exist over there. Beware fey-stepping in multi-story towers.

Of course, this all depends on the final wording of the ability and the fluff that goes with it.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Actually if that was the case, I would be very tempted to allow my Eladrin player when outside of combat to simply teleport around when walking, especially if he was a cocky-Bard/Rogue type.

Think about, *sees Tiefling girl* "hello, th..." *teleports* "ere" *puts arm around the Tiefling* "How are you?" *teleports away as Tiefling tries to throw her horns in her face* "wow... okay I get the message, sheesh!"

 

[Holy Bovine]

Anyone who further distracts the playtest discussion with measurement debates and/or passive aggressive snarkiness will be beaten to death with a Huey Lewis video.

That is all.

Have I ever told you you are my favourite mod.

Metrically at least

Back to the playtest report I find the OP gives fair shrift to 4E and, given the ton of praise we have heard about the new edition, it is good to read a less than positive review that poitn out some warts and flaws. Thanks for the report!

 

[Holy Bovine]

Actually if that was the case, I would be very tempted to allow my Eladrin player when outside of combat to simply teleport around when walking, especially if he was a cocky-Bard/Rogue type.

Think about, *sees Tiefling girl* "hello, th..." *teleports* "ere" *puts arm around the Tiefling* "How are you?" *teleports away as Tiefling tries to throw her horns in her face* "wow... okay I get the message, sheesh!"

That....would be awesome. Eladrin Bards will be the new black.

 

[GSHamster]

Actually if that was the case, I would be very tempted to allow my Eladrin player when outside of combat to simply teleport around when walking, especially if he was a cocky-Bard/Rogue type.

I actually see this kind of stuff as appropriate to the eldarin. WotC seems to be moving eldarin closer to the aes sídhe (fey elves), rather than Tolkien-style human-ish eleves. This kind of movement seems very in flavour for that archetype.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Hmm... Also to create a new sub-plot, and to be a bastard of a DM. I am tempted to have an Eladrin player once to not come back from his teleport.

This means something happened while travelling through the Feywild, and the players have to go into the Feywild to find him.

I will take the Eladrin player aside tell him what has happened, and allow him to leave clues or markers. Along the way, soo... When the players enter the Feywild, and come near his location he can say a clue, next place, another clue, etc.

 

[TerraDave]

A few quick reactions to Rodrigo's first couple of posts.

Diagnols: 1 for 1 was pretty easy. But one thing they where clearly pushing was terrain (not that there is anything new to that), and 1 for 1 makes it so easy to just run around it.

Speed of play: that much faster then mid level 3E? I think a little. Its not coming from dice rolls, but simpler pc resource managment and the dm being to maintain a fast pace from his side (though as I noted in the other thread, I also found the wizard easier, and hence probably faster, to play then a comporable 3rd or 4th level 3E one). The real test will be at higher levels.

Difficulty of Play: here I probably disagree the most. From what I saw and know, and from talking to Mearls and Heinsoo (we talked quite a bit about this issue) charecter building will have fewer bad choices then 3E (which had so, so many). And we have already seen that they will do some hand holding here. This would certainly make things easier for the casual gamer.

We also know from the play test that their probably won't be as much elaborate pre combat bluffing (in the playtest I know of there was none). Another source of complexity reduced. And finally to get back to RIs point: tactical choice in play. Mearls and Heinsoo want their to be a little more of this. But from what I saw/can guess, most charecters will have a go-to at will power, or combo (everyone there with a minor action that boosted there attack picked up on it very quickly). Of course, you still have to decide when to use per encounter and per day powers...but if most charecters have just a few, I don't think it will be that honorous. Again, the real test will be at higher level

 

[Amphimir Míriel]

edit: I posted before I saw Piratecat's awful threat of using weapons of mass brain destruction

Rodrigo, I would also like to thank you for your comments, especially the later ones where you tell us about the positive aspects of your experience.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Squares in 4E are not "abstract units of measurement." The two-page rules primer that was distributed -- and posted in several places -- states very clearly in the section on movement that a square represents a distance of five feet.