Any Dark Sun info from DDXP yet?

[RodneyThompson]

Personally, I was hoping themes would be a collection of powers not related to ability scores or feat choices that mimicked magic item dailies, as opposed to encounter or daily powers. This seemed the obvious choice to me, as it also allows the game to lose the connection to magic item necessities (there should be less magic items available to DS PCs) and treasure packets, while still keeping DARK SUN PCs on par, power-wise, with their non athasian PC counterparts.

If what you are saying is true, I think you'll be very, very happy. I imagine Rich will be explaining more about themes come tomorrow's seminar. A lot of the assumptions being made are close...but lack the finer points.

 

[Wik]

If what you are saying is true, I think you'll be very, very happy. I imagine Rich will be explaining more about themes come tomorrow's seminar. A lot of the assumptions being made are close...but lack the finer points.

Ha ha, that's a really good sign, coming from you!

I didn't want to jump the gun just from a character sheet, but I really don't like the idea of a character's theme just being another power you add to your PC sheet.

As I've said in earlier posts, I know that 4E Dark Sun is going to have some parts that won't appeal to me that I'll houserule away... but over all, I know it's going to be great. And, just looking over the character sheets gave me the urge to start playing Dark Sun again.

 

[DonAdam]

The Illusionist has Winged Horde as a ranged attack vs. one target.

Errata?

 

[Fifth Element]

No. But I *do* have a problem with a player making a con-based fighter, and then looking at the themes and going "hey, gladiator fits my build better than pit fighter or Urikite Soldier".

That's a player problem, not a system problem though. That is, if you see it as a problem. Some players will do this with anything mechanical in the game.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

And it's confirmed, finally! Half-giants are goliaths!

Ugh. Wished they could have found a way to make them Large, not reskin.

 

[Moon_Goddess]

Ugh. Wished they could have found a way to make them Large, not reskin.

I'm extremely happy to hear they reskinned exisiting material rather than add unneeded material to satisify a broken desire for "Large"

so different strokes for different folks

 

[Phaezen]

THe Darksun seminar is about to start there will be live blogging here and here

 

[Phaezen]

Dark Sun: Themes

Some info on themes:

• Rather than a Gladiator (for example) being a Fighter-type - use the theme to make your Fighter, or Swordmage, or Barbarian, etc into a Gladiatorial figher.
• Get a theme Encounter Power at 1st level.
• Substitute powers for higher levels
• Some restrictions in place to keep characters from underpowering themselves with mis-matched themes that don't fit their Roles.
• Themes are pre-reqs for some feats and paragon paths.
• Rob: If you think of your current character as having two legs "Class" and "Race" - a Theme is a "third leg" that gives you new options - without diminishing your character's other purposes.
• Gladiator gives a "controller theme" so it's a backdoor way to get into a martial controller.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I'm extremely happy to hear they reskinned exisiting material rather than add unneeded material to satisify a broken desire for "Large"

so different strokes for different folks

Call my hope "broken" if it makes you feel better. D20-based Fantasy Craft manages to have Large creatures -- giants, ogres, rootwalkers (ent/treant) -- be balanced with other characters at 1st level. Maybe no one at WotC could find a way with 4e to do it and still have it be 4e.

I would have just rather had half-giants just be NPCs/monsters and be Large than to miniaturize them and call them the same name.

 

[Wik]

That's a player problem, not a system problem though. That is, if you see it as a problem. Some players will do this with anything mechanical in the game.

No, I think it really is a problem. What it means is that players that want to play something cool get stuck suffering a penalty (my str- and dex- based ranger becoming a con-based gladiator, to carry on with this example), while those who don't think about characterization simply add a neat group of theme "powers" to their character to add another layer of optimization.

Most of my group consisted of "let's make cool characters, and hope the system supports them" in earlier editions, but 4e seems to have taken that away when they learned that you really have to make certain decisions in BUILDING a character. And I already have one player who firmly believes in "making all your mechanical choices first, and then create a character personality based off that", which is not something I'm looking forward to if these themes are just power groupings...