Discussing 4e Subsystems: Conditions

[Remathilis]

My general complaint with conditions comes off bi-polar.

3e had too many of them to keep track off. Quick, what's the difference between nauseated and sickened? Frightened and panicked?

4e consolidated them to 16 conditions, but by doing so, made them boring.

Got a power that locks a creature's brain in a psychic demiplane and causes them to stand idle awaiting the command prompt? 1d6 + Cha and STUN!

Got a power that clubs a guy in the head and caused massive concussions, knocking them loopy? 1[w] + Str and STUN!

At the end of the day, you're doing the same thing to him; damage + STUN.

Sure its easier to remember, but the conditions mix eventually begins to feel the same...

 

[Agamon]

My general complaint with conditions comes off bi-polar.

3e had too many of them to keep track off. Quick, what's the difference between nauseated and sickened? Frightened and panicked?

4e consolidated them to 16 conditions, but by doing so, made them boring.

Got a power that locks a creature's brain in a psychic demiplane and causes them to stand idle awaiting the command prompt? 1d6 + Cha and STUN!

Got a power that clubs a guy in the head and caused massive concussions, knocking them loopy? 1[w] + Str and STUN!

At the end of the day, you're doing the same thing to him; damage + STUN.

Sure its easier to remember, but the conditions mix eventually begins to feel the same...

I see this as the middle ground, actually. 'Boring' (so to speak) would be hit; do damage, rinse, repeat.

4e makes it easy for those that want easy, but the simple, open-endedness of each condition allows for variation, flavor-wise. I think that's a great compromise. I guess it might be boring from another point of view, but the other option is the complexity of 3e.

 

[yesnomu]

I think that some people raise the complaint that in the process of democratising access to condition-causing powers, 4e has made the various caster classes less special, and there may be something in that. It might have been nice to have seen perhaps one or two conditions which remained unique to casters.

Cheers

Well, you don't see a lot of martial powers causing domination, for one. (Of course, right now I think only the bard and Minotaur Kinspeaker get powers that dominate, so it's rare all around.)

Casters also get the fun ones that aren't on the list, like banishing to another dimension/freezing in ice.

Not that I disagree with your basic point, though. It would be nice if casters got more special tricks, without making them necessarily superior to the noncasters.