D&D General D&D Evolutions You Like and Dislike [+]

[Lanefan]

I am suggesting that the Lightningbolt spell wont harm allies.

Why on earth not? You're laying down a blast of raw electricity that in theory shouldn't care what it happens to hit and-or damage.

The player can choose the target upto 300 feet away (the distance of an arrow shot), plus optionally choose a second target nearby the first. The spell cannot affect three targets. It would be a very simple spell, and easy to visualize the electricity arcing around others in the vicinity.

That gives the caster far too much control.

Then again, I'm pretty hard-line on saying casters should have to roll to aim their AoE spells in the first place.

 

[Minigiant]

Not sure what you mean by this - can you elaborate please?

Meaning magic items should be less +X and more turning weapon or spell damage to another damage types or giving new language or some weird alternative feature.

 

[Lanefan]

See, I absolutely hated that. It took the magic away from finding magic items. As DM instead of putting in an item that gave +2 to spot, another item that gave a small bonus to listen, a ring of warning, and a +1 sword, I put in Notify, a +1 short sword that gives a +2 bonus to spot and listen, and allows the wielder to cast the Alarm spell 1x day.

Now instead of a bunch of small common as spit magic, there was 1 really cool, but rare magic item.

There's some significant in-character advantages to it being several minor items rather than one major one:

--- several minor items can be distributed around the party so more characters gain some benefits
--- if it's all in one item, the character who gets that item is suddenly more powerful than everyone else in the party (meaning now you-as-DM probably need to give out several other similarly-powerful items to compensate)
--- (assuming any sort of magic-item economy) minor items thought not worth keeping can be sold for cash, while the useful ones are kept in the party
--- (assuming item destruction is possible) losing one minor item out of several is far less painful than losing the one item that does it all

If you're the character with the do-it-all item it's great, but if you're not, it sometimes isn't.

 

[Parmandur]

I dont see any benefits from using scores 3-18, nor rolling under.

Could you suggest some?

It seems to me, using bonuses +0, +1, +2, ... is most useful, both to quantify any magnitude and for normal gameplay.

It is a limited bell curve spread, without numbers increasing exponentially. Leaves a chance of failure or success when a roll is called for.

 

[MichaelSomething]

4e's own terminology really gets in the way, though, in naming one of the roles "leader". The minute I-as-player see that, I take it to mean that in-character I get to tell the others what to do...or the "leader" in the party gets to tell me what to do, whichever way around it might be...because that's what leaders do. And at most tables, that's just not gonna fly. Cue the arguments.

I was far, FAR, from alone in this interpretation.

Relevant OOTS comic cause that's my thing now...

1054 A Kill By Any Other Name - Giant in the Playground Games

 

[Lanefan]

Meaning magic items should be less +X and more turning weapon or spell damage to another damage types or giving new language or some weird alternative feature.

Ah, got it.

I kinda prefer both at once: that the item (talking mostly about weapons and armour here) has a root '+', including but not limited to +0, and then may also have some other properties or abilities.

So, you might find:

--- a +0 shortsword that when wielded gives the wielder resistance to fire
--- a +2 shield that twice per day can (when laid down as if a shallow bowl) fill itself with clear water for drinking or whatever other use
--- a +1 suit of scale mail with always-on feather fall

That sort of thing.

 

[Zardnaar]

Which of my groups? My main historic 4e group has one member dead and another in another part of the country. My most recent 4e group did well until someone didn't just move over 100 miles away but stopped commuting that far each way every weekend just to play at the end of the campaign (about six months later).

Whatever your current group is.
Main point is recruiting a right player is going to be very hard.

5E you can do it. Eg 2014 you coukd build around the -5/+10 feats. Combos tend to be happenstance most of the time. Newbies will just do whatever.

 

[nevin]

Ah, got it.

I kinda prefer both at once: that the item (talking mostly about weapons and armour here) has a root '+', including but not limited to +0, and then may also have some other properties or abilities.

So, you might find:

--- a +0 shortsword that when wielded gives the wielder resistance to fire
--- a +2 shield that twice per day can (when laid down as if a shallow bowl) fill itself with clear water for drinking or whatever other use
--- a +1 suit of scale mail with always-on feather fall

That sort of thing.

i've even given out weapons with charges like wands. 1d4 rounds of flame tongue or some such ability.

 

[nevin]

Whatever your current group is.
Main point is recruiting a right player is going to be very hard.

5E you can do it. Eg 2014 you coukd build around the -5/+10 feats. Combos tend to be happenstance most of the time. Newbies will just do whatever.

well a lot of older DM's seem to forget what play was like when they were young and react like that angry old man or woman screaming at the kids walking on thier lawn when thier new players do "Things they don't want in thier games". Which are usually all the stuff they did when they were a new player. My fellow ancient D&D players drive me crazy sometimes.

 

[Lanefan]

i've even given out weapons with charges like wands. 1d4 rounds of flame tongue or some such ability.

Same here, but while players are happy enough to track charges in wands they IME don't always think to do so with weapons etc., leading ultimately to a bit of a bookkeeping nightmare.

The Thief I'm playing in a game right now has a track-the-uses weapon: it gives her Detect Magic 3x / day. As it's the only such item she has, tracking its daily use count is simple, but if she had a bunch of items like that the tracking would soon get messy.