D&D 4E Dragon 423: Alternate 4e Playstyles, New Poisons, Gargoyles, and more!

[Klaus]

http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/dragon/2013May

Editorial: Dungeon Allure, by Steve Winter
Rare Underdark Poisons, by Aeryn "Blackdirge" Rudel
Bestiary: Ecology of the Gargoyle, by Jeff LaSala
Tavern Profile: The Inn of the Welcome Wench, by Shawn Merwin
Unearthed Arcana: Alternative Playing Styles, by Robert J. Schwalb and Matt Sernett
Eye on the Realms: Masters of the Alluring Dungeons, by Ed Greenwood

Many great articles this month.

Of special note is the Unearthed Arcana, which effectively brings the "modular" approach to 4E. Gritty play, enforcing alignment, low-powered characters, respawning dead characters and more!

 

[Balesir]

Of special note is the Unearthed Arcana, which effectively brings the "modular" approach to 4E. Gritty play, enforcing alignment, low-powered characters, respawning dead characters and more!

Yeah, one or two of the choices for inclusion/exclusion seemed odd, though. The "gritty" section mentioned limiting short rests, for example, whereas it has always seemed to me that extended rest control/modification was the thing most likely to affect the "feel" and play strategies in this regard.

It would have been useful to either see what was expected, there, or see some comments about why the focus was where it was.

 

[Klaus]

With little or no short rests, you get a clear sense of your resources dwindling over the course of the adventuring day. Every "encounter" resource (including Second Wind) suddenly becomes a "daily" resource.

 

[keterys]

Yep, you can get a much grittier game by requiring a (normally) extended rest in order to take a short rest, and requiring that the PCs level and take, say, a week off to get an actually extended rest.