Do the PCs ever die in these playtest reports?

[Thaumaturge]

Sorry, didn't realize I wasn't allowed to use the phrase twice.

Wow, really? Because everyone knows this hack used repetition, and his writing is universally reviled.

Shame on you.


[/snark]

This "issue" can come up in blog postings, because the writers often view it as an informal method of communication, while some of the viewing public hold the blogs to normal professional (i.e. cool groovy) level of writing. We, the viewing public, should realize the blogs are inherently more casual and unedited pieces of writing and hold them to a more lenient standard.

Thaumaturge.

 

[mearls]

You probably can't answer this, but on the off chance . . .

Are you guys aiming to change the rate of character death in 4E/make it harder to die a pointless death or should I seriously consider laying off the bong?

I suppose the answer could be yes to both.

A pointless death is a little harder, if by pointless you mean random. It's much harder for a monster to simple one shot a PC, unless it is a lot higher level than the PC.

IME, PCs get in trouble or die in 4e when I throw a tough fight at them or when they make really, really bad moves.

In the temple of Vecna fight, the PCs were in way over their heads against a BBEG, the dwarf fighter was stuck asleep for a number of rounds due to some bad luck, and the weird, magical pillars in the place had a random effect that kept hosing the party. The party won because they had good tactics and, in the seventh and eighth rounds, they had some good luck to balance out their poor luck early on.

Other times, like in the paragon tier playtest, the party made some big mistakes. The fight wasn't meant to be a meat grinder, but the PCs (somewhat foolishly) split up in a big, big room with a number of demons with really, really long reach. When the party scattered, the demons were able to pounce on one PC with ease, drop him, then gang up on the next character.

Unless you are a fighter or paladin, it's usually a bad idea to let two or three monsters get clear shots at you. Rogues and rangers need to keep moving or work with the fighter, wizards and warlocks need to keep at the edge of the fight and have an eye toward leaving one escape route open at all times.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

Unless you are a fighter or paladin, it's usually a bad idea to let two or three monsters get clear shots at you. Rogues and rangers need to keep moving or work with the fighter, wizards and warlocks need to keep at the edge of the fight and have an eye toward leaving one escape route open at all times.

Yes! Tradition still lives in 4th Edition.

 

[Ander00]

Even though it's a bit off topic, this little tidbit jumped out at me as i was skimming the blog post again, after having seen the elf entry with its perception aura:

"I tried to negotiate with the dragon, but even with a solid Diplomacy roll and the half-elf's bonus to my check I couldn't talk it down."

Could of course be something like aid another, but I'd suspect this being at least part of the half elf's "inspiring presence".


cheers

 

[Grog]

Quick question - is there a reason we haven't seen any epic-tier playtest reports? It is going on, right? I would hope so, since high levels were the most problematic, balance-wise, in 3E.

 

[ZombieRoboNinja]

From what Mearlsypoo is saying here and what we've heard in other places (like W&M), I wouldn't be surprised if higher levels were actually a bit more lethal than heroic play, since death is actually less of a problem once you get up there and start ressing.

PS: So is there a game mechanic preventing heroic (or lower) characters from being resurrected without DM intervention, or is it mostly economic/social like it was in 3e (a level 1 party can't afford Raise Dead)?

 

[broghammerj]

Weird. I vaguely remember reading that blog post. I've been having a difficult time getting through a lot of what's been posted to the blogs lately. My eyes just start to glaze over and I end up clicking away.

I totally agree. At first it was grasping for straws....reading vague descriptions of game components that might show up in 4E. I have quickly switched to meh! Most playtests don't tell me anything except whether the playtesters DMing style would mesh with mine or make an interesting game to play in.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

This is more just a general comment, but it fits with the subject matter.

What I have felt from alot of these playtests, is that while, yes, there may be a tad fewer deaths then in 3.5e. There is alot more close-calls, though close-calls without that meaning you managed to meek out a save-or-die roll. But more, they spent their resources, were beaten up badly, but managed to snuff out the enemy before they themselves were killed off.

It has alot more of a gritty, life-threatening feel then 3.5 where it felt to me more like, simply chance alot of the time whether or not you lived or died.

 

[A'koss]

Quick question - is there a reason we haven't seen any epic-tier playtest reports? It is going on, right? I would hope so, since high levels were the most problematic, balance-wise, in 3E.

Chalk me up as another who's very interested in seeing some playtest reports on what adventuring is like in the heavyweight division...

 

[broghammerj]

What I have felt from alot of these playtests, is that while, yes, there may be a tad fewer deaths then in 3.5e. There is alot more close-calls, though close-calls without that meaning you managed to meek out a save-or-die roll. But more, they spent their resources, were beaten up badly, but managed to snuff out the enemy before they themselves were killed off.

It has alot more of a gritty, life-threatening feel then 3.5 where it felt to me more like, simply chance alot of the time whether or not you lived or died.

Yes and no. I agree that is how many of the playtests read, but they are meant to be captivating. I am curious how the per encounter mechanic will work in actual play in regards to death and near death. Running away has always been a part of DnD and none of the playtesters really seems to do it.

You can't exactly pick up and run when you are on level three of the dungeon but you can run when you're fighting a thug on a street corner. When do you "recharge" your per encounter abilities to simply run back 5 minutes later to slay the adversary who almost nearly killed you.