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<blockquote data-quote="Dias Ex Machina" data-source="post: 4548699" data-attributes="member: 58907">Never before had I ever encounter such bizarre gameplay like these past few weeks playtesting.&nbsp; One aspect of our podcasts I elect not to include involves conversations as we find breaks in our system.&nbsp; Quite often, though, what I discover is that a player had not read a power entirely before using it, often resulting in far-reaching effects that would appear broken.&nbsp; I know they are not cheating because this is not really a game, just a playtest, but every once and a while, I can see players wanting their side to win more than analyzing why they could be losing.&nbsp; It dawns on me that there is much more trust involved in 4th ED than in 3rd ED.&nbsp; You have to trust the players that they have only used their encounter powers once.&nbsp; You have to believe them when they say they have not cooked off their dailies yet.&nbsp; I find it ironic since accusations of deception from players to players resulted in the largest retroactive continuity shift in this game universe in the first place—the signature (and possible notorious) disruption rule.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Last game test, we tackled the Umbra Drake, the final boss in Sellswords of Punjar.&nbsp; It nearly destroyed them.&nbsp; Once the group got out of the tight confines of the dungeon and onto the roofs of the town, everything changed and the group was able to finally take it down…but not before nearly losing two team members.&nbsp; By the end of the evening, I went back and downtuned some of the later powers and rewrote the sniper’s marksman rules.&nbsp; Heavy weapons have been expanded.&nbsp; &nbsp; We have hollered to bleeding ears about how techans require teamwork.&nbsp; They also need room to move.&nbsp; In narrow confines, it’s difficult to bring enough firepower to bear.&nbsp; In the open, a techan group can be a serious threat.&nbsp; As it was, in the single-square wide hallways and 4-square sized rooms of Punjar, it was a constant struggle to survive.&nbsp; By this point, I believe we are 90% from being completely ready on the techan side.&nbsp; It was the biggest job with the highest potential for errors.&nbsp; After we feel the system works, we hope to use that as a road map for other modern and science-fiction-based 4th ED games.&nbsp; The success of Amethyst will help us plot out that path.&nbsp; MARKSMAN TALENT&nbsp; &nbsp; When using powers with the Sniper keyword, you gain the ability to inflict additional effects depending on how much you defeat your enemy’s defense by.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Enemy’s Defense Beaten by&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Additional Effect&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 5&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Target is slowed for one round&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 7&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Target is weakened for one round.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 10&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Target is dazed for one round.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 14&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Target is knocked prone.&nbsp; &nbsp; If the target is already suffering from the same effect when applying this condition, than the target fails its next saving throw against the effect.&nbsp; You only apply one condition listed above per attack and may choose which condition goes into effect you are able to (e.g.:&nbsp; If you beat the enemy’s defense by 7, you may inflict slowed or weakened, but not dazed).&nbsp; If you score a critical hit, you must still determine by how much you bit the enemy’s defense by.&nbsp; &nbsp; You may decide to use Marksman Talent after resolving an attack.&nbsp; You can employ Marksman Talent as many times per an Encounter as your Wisdom modifier.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Dias Ex Machina, post: 4548699, member: 58907"] Never before had I ever encounter such bizarre gameplay like these past few weeks playtesting. One aspect of our podcasts I elect not to include involves conversations as we find breaks in our system. Quite often, though, what I discover is that a player had not read a power entirely before using it, often resulting in far-reaching effects that would appear broken. I know they are not cheating because this is not really a game, just a playtest, but every once and a while, I can see players wanting their side to win more than analyzing why they could be losing. It dawns on me that there is much more trust involved in 4th ED than in 3rd ED. You have to trust the players that they have only used their encounter powers once. You have to believe them when they say they have not cooked off their dailies yet. I find it ironic since accusations of deception from players to players resulted in the largest retroactive continuity shift in this game universe in the first place—the signature (and possible notorious) disruption rule. Last game test, we tackled the Umbra Drake, the final boss in Sellswords of Punjar. It nearly destroyed them. Once the group got out of the tight confines of the dungeon and onto the roofs of the town, everything changed and the group was able to finally take it down…but not before nearly losing two team members. By the end of the evening, I went back and downtuned some of the later powers and rewrote the sniper’s marksman rules. Heavy weapons have been expanded. We have hollered to bleeding ears about how techans require teamwork. They also need room to move. In narrow confines, it’s difficult to bring enough firepower to bear. In the open, a techan group can be a serious threat. As it was, in the single-square wide hallways and 4-square sized rooms of Punjar, it was a constant struggle to survive. By this point, I believe we are 90% from being completely ready on the techan side. It was the biggest job with the highest potential for errors. After we feel the system works, we hope to use that as a road map for other modern and science-fiction-based 4th ED games. The success of Amethyst will help us plot out that path. [B]MARKSMAN TALENT[/B] When using powers with the Sniper keyword, you gain the ability to inflict additional effects depending on how much you defeat your enemy’s defense by. [B][U] Enemy’s Defense Beaten by Additional Effect[/U][/B] 5 Target is slowed for one round 7 Target is weakened for one round. 10 Target is dazed for one round. 14 Target is knocked prone. If the target is already suffering from the same effect when applying this condition, than the target fails its next saving throw against the effect. You only apply one condition listed above per attack and may choose which condition goes into effect you are able to (e.g.: If you beat the enemy’s defense by 7, you may inflict slowed or weakened, but not dazed). If you score a critical hit, you must still determine by how much you bit the enemy’s defense by. You may decide to use Marksman Talent after resolving an attack. You can employ Marksman Talent as many times per an Encounter as your Wisdom modifier. [/QUOTE]

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