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Blog Post by Robert J. Schwalb
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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 6329923" data-attributes="member: 42582"><p>PHB2 formalises the notion of "secondary role". But it is clearly present in the PHB. For instance, paladins are secondary leaders (having healing and buffing). Fighters can be secondary strikers (having access to high-damage weapons and powers plus many ways to get extra attacks) and also can be built as martial controllers (especially with Polearm Gamble). Warlocks are secondary controllers. Etc.</p><p></p><p>The absence of the label doesn't entail the absence of the phenomenon.</p><p></p><p>As I said in the "weak saving throw" thread, it depends. What are the consequences of being hit? Damage, obviously, but damage is not the issue. It's about effects. 4e is relatively light on save-or-suck (some well know exceptions apply, of course, like the MM dracolich) and has a range of ways to grant a free off-turn save.</p><p></p><p>It puzzles me why the "how" would be irrelevant. It seems to me that, given that it is a good chunk of the play experience, it's actually quite crucial. I mean, in AD&D both a specialist fighter's attacks and a thief's backstab do damage (and nothing but damage), but I've never seen anyone assert that this makes them functional equivalents in combat.</p><p></p><p>By "fair encounter" do you mean "moderately easy encounter"? If so, nothing in 4e suggests that all encounters should be fair either. (Others can, and have, commented on 3E.)</p><p></p><p>In classic D&D (especially Moldvay, but also Gygax), the main point of balance that they emphasise is risk/reward - ie how much treasure the monsters are guarding. That is a big deal in XP-for-gold systems. In 4e, where treasure (by default, at least) is handled in a completely different way, that sort of balance is almost irrelevant.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 6329923, member: 42582"] PHB2 formalises the notion of "secondary role". But it is clearly present in the PHB. For instance, paladins are secondary leaders (having healing and buffing). Fighters can be secondary strikers (having access to high-damage weapons and powers plus many ways to get extra attacks) and also can be built as martial controllers (especially with Polearm Gamble). Warlocks are secondary controllers. Etc. The absence of the label doesn't entail the absence of the phenomenon. As I said in the "weak saving throw" thread, it depends. What are the consequences of being hit? Damage, obviously, but damage is not the issue. It's about effects. 4e is relatively light on save-or-suck (some well know exceptions apply, of course, like the MM dracolich) and has a range of ways to grant a free off-turn save. It puzzles me why the "how" would be irrelevant. It seems to me that, given that it is a good chunk of the play experience, it's actually quite crucial. I mean, in AD&D both a specialist fighter's attacks and a thief's backstab do damage (and nothing but damage), but I've never seen anyone assert that this makes them functional equivalents in combat. By "fair encounter" do you mean "moderately easy encounter"? If so, nothing in 4e suggests that all encounters should be fair either. (Others can, and have, commented on 3E.) In classic D&D (especially Moldvay, but also Gygax), the main point of balance that they emphasise is risk/reward - ie how much treasure the monsters are guarding. That is a big deal in XP-for-gold systems. In 4e, where treasure (by default, at least) is handled in a completely different way, that sort of balance is almost irrelevant. [/QUOTE]
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