Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="chaotix42" data-source="post: 4418725" data-attributes="member: 40530">So we just had our first death in 4th Edition last night! A sad day indeed.Party (2nd level)- Dwarf Fighter- Dragonborn Paladin- Human Warlord- Half-elf Cleric- Halfling Rogue- Elf RangerThis was the only encounter of the day, in essence a "random" encounter during their travels. They had plenty of hints that indicated this, so action points and daily powers were in full effect. Encounter (5th level - 1225 XP)- 1 Orc Eye of Gruumsh (level 5 controller [leader])- 2 Orc Berserkers (level 4 brute)- 1 Orc Raider (level 3 skirmisher)- 12 Orc Drudges (level 4 minion)The PCs encountered the band of orcs while scaling a treacherous mountain - the orcs arrived on a cliff above the party a good distance away, forcing the savages to weather a hail of shots as they charged in. Most of the minions were already dead once the melee started to really heat up, brought down by arrows, hand crossbow bolts, and a well-timed breath weapon.The Rogue and Ranger were using a large boulder as cover for most of the fight, and the main battle raged in front of their cover between the Eye of Gruumsh, a Berserker, and most of the party - the Fighter and Warlord engaged them early on, while the Paladin and Cleric directed their attention where needed. The strikers received some attention from the other Berserker and the Raider as they charged around the far side of the boulder. Instead of sticking around to aid the Ranger the Rogue took off and moved toward the relative safety of the rest of the PCs! The Cleric moved close enough to heal the Ranger but he was still face to face with two angry Orcs, all alone...The Ranger, wounded but not bloodied, struck out with his daily exploit, knocking the Raider down to bloodied in a single hit as well as slowing him and inflicting ongoing damage to boot. He then moved away, hoping to weather the OAs, leave the slowed Raider behind, and then deal with the Berserker who was likely to chase him. As he stepped away the Berserker swung and missed, but the Raider rolled a natural 20! High-crit with a greataxe left the Ranger at -3 HP. Everyone watched in horror as the Raider then took his turn, dealing a coup de grace to the fallen PC. That was all she wrote for the poor elf.This death was mostly due to the PCs not fulfilling their roles. The defenders weren't defending, instead playing with the mindset of a striker, concerning themselves with finishing off orcs instead of taking the heat off of the softer PCs. It also didn't help that the Ranger was essentially abandoned in his time of need by the Rogue, who at that point was unwounded and could have afforded to stand his ground for a round or two. So, hopefully my PCs learn from this and improve their strategy and tactics in future encounters. How about everyone else? What have your deaths been like, and what do you think was the catalyst?</blockquote>

Verification