Anyone Tried Hexes?

[Grantor]

You can catch those two nearly adjacent targets with a second cone template:

  B
 BB
BBB
 BB
  B

This is still nine squares, but shoots straight out a hexside, rather than from the vertex of the wizard's hex. And still blasting out to range 3.

 

[Nifft]

This is still nine squares, but shoots straight out a hexside, rather than from the vertex of the wizard's hex. And still blasting out to range 3.

Yeah, that's the "diamond" shape someone mentioned way earlier.

Still dunno if I like it.

Cheers, -- N

 

[unobserved]

Zurai, there is a reason why words mean things,

So I'll clarify and say it makes Bursts worthless, blasts are workable.

Since you're on the topic of letting people know when words mean certain things, I believe the term you meant to use there was "worth less" as opposed to worthless.

They are quite obviously not without value, such a thing would only be the case if playing with hexes caused wizards to have 100% spell failure. Worth less (with the space in the middle) means they are not worth as much as they would be if you were using squares.

 

[Contents May Vary]

How can you claim that a hex grid works better than a square grid when you have never played 4E on a square grid?

Ooo he gotcha there, Incendax!

 

[Incendax]

Ooo he gotcha there, Incendax!

Naah. The answer to that sneaky question is twofold.

1) Having played 3rd Edition on both Hex and Grid, (especially with Tome of Battle) you will notice that combat is startlingly similar between editions. Certainly, the rounds are quicker and more To-Hit oriented, but the fundamental ebb and flow of combat remains the same.

2) It's pretty easy to stare at your Hex, and have all your players say "Oh, so in Grid it would look like this... I see the difference!" Especially when all the graphic examples in the book are Grid.

 

[2eBladeSinger]

A) Less monsters can flank you, you have less ability to flank monsters = Wash. Slightly in your favor.

B) Bursts hit less squares. For example, Burst 2 hits 19 squares in Hex and 25 squares in Grid. = Wash, monsters hit less of you as well.

According to WoTC variation is more likely to be disadvantageous to PCs because as the rules are designed the PCs have the advantage. However, I’m not suggesting that the variations you have mentioned render hexes nonviable.

C) Blasts are fine, just make sure the number of squares is equal to the blast rate. For example, Blast 3 is a 3x3 which equals 9 squares, so your blast should equal 9 hexes. Blast 5 is 25 squares, so your blast 5 should equal 25 squares.

Excellent point.

 

[2eBladeSinger]

Double Post... oops

 

[2eBladeSinger]

Double Post... oops

 

[bardolph]

While that's true, notice how moving one square South and firing directly East would get both of them.

I kinda like how cone placement requires tactical movement, in a way square/circular blast placement doesn't.

I generally don't like it when creatures behave as if they know they're on a grid.

But you do have a point: the ability to shift before blasting makes it very difficult to meta-game against the cone. This is a good thing.

 

[Nifft]

I generally don't like it when creatures behave as if they know they're on a grid.

With 4e, all critters have metagame knowledge by default. They know when they're Marked, they know how much damage your Divine Challenge will do if they choose to ignore it, they send minions in front so you can't Hunter's Quarry the boss-monster who uses a Longspear.

Upshot: I'm not particularly concerned about the grid. There are vaster violations of verisimilitude.

But you do have a point: the ability to shift before blasting makes it very difficult to meta-game against the cone. This is a good thing.

Yeah, since there's so much tactical movement in 4e, I dig giving spellcasters a reason to use it Rogues have flanking, Fighters have pushing, Paladins have "end turn adjacent"-ing, Warlords are shoving friends around, Warlocks are either teleporting away or Armor of Agathys-ing towards... Wizards should have better targeting options than "that side of this line".

Cheers, -- N