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Does 4e limit the scope of campaigns?
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<blockquote data-quote="Lizard" data-source="post: 4672646" data-attributes="member: 1054"><p>There's really two debates here: Whether skill granularity is good and whether 3e had balanced DCs for skill checks. I think it's worth noting, though, that 4e also has some balance issues with skill checks, though tilting the other way -- the DCs are set so that every shmuck has a chance, and thus, the specialists don't even need to roll.</p><p></p><p>At first level, the difference between an expert and a non-expert can be immense: +5 trained, +3 focus, +1 from background (if being used), +4 from stat (minimum +2), and +2 from race (often). This can be a +15 bonus at first level, enough to make a "hard" skill check (using errata'ed DCs) 100% of the time. An untrained person with an average attribute is at +0. Since skill bonus magic items are still pretty common, this difference will only grow with level, even assuming no more feats which can raise skill checks (but we now have Tribal feats for an additional +2 to +5, kicking the bonus up even more). In order to keep the "Everyone gets to play!" feature, the DCs have to be low enough that 1/2 level alone has around a 25% chance of success. </p><p></p><p>Maybe this is deliberate design, 4e's version of "system mastery" -- the munchkin who pours everything into being an expert at a skill will not gain a meaningful mechanical advantage since the DCs are scaled back; he'd be just as well off taking fewer skill bonus feats and tricks since, if a DC is 25, the difference between a +26 bonus and a +30 bonus is meaningless, success is success.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lizard, post: 4672646, member: 1054"] There's really two debates here: Whether skill granularity is good and whether 3e had balanced DCs for skill checks. I think it's worth noting, though, that 4e also has some balance issues with skill checks, though tilting the other way -- the DCs are set so that every shmuck has a chance, and thus, the specialists don't even need to roll. At first level, the difference between an expert and a non-expert can be immense: +5 trained, +3 focus, +1 from background (if being used), +4 from stat (minimum +2), and +2 from race (often). This can be a +15 bonus at first level, enough to make a "hard" skill check (using errata'ed DCs) 100% of the time. An untrained person with an average attribute is at +0. Since skill bonus magic items are still pretty common, this difference will only grow with level, even assuming no more feats which can raise skill checks (but we now have Tribal feats for an additional +2 to +5, kicking the bonus up even more). In order to keep the "Everyone gets to play!" feature, the DCs have to be low enough that 1/2 level alone has around a 25% chance of success. Maybe this is deliberate design, 4e's version of "system mastery" -- the munchkin who pours everything into being an expert at a skill will not gain a meaningful mechanical advantage since the DCs are scaled back; he'd be just as well off taking fewer skill bonus feats and tricks since, if a DC is 25, the difference between a +26 bonus and a +30 bonus is meaningless, success is success. [/QUOTE]
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