Essentials Rules Compendium preview copy in hand

[TirionAnthion]

What does it say about skill challenges?

I like the skill challenge section. It does a good job of deconstructing a skill challenge. It breaks a skill challenge down into several parts:
1. The Goal
2. Level and DCs
3. Complexity
4. Primary and Secondary skills
5. Consequences

Each section takes a good look under the hood of a skill challenge. It talks about group checks. It also has a chart that lists Complexity -> Number of successes -> Advantages -> Typical DCs.

For example, a Complexity 1 challenge has 4 successes, no advantages, and 4 moderate DCs.

As the Complexity changes, so does the number of successes, advantages and ratio of moderate to hard DCs. A sidebar explains advantages and how they are used in a skill challenge. All in all, I think this section is very good. The section concludes with an example of play involving a skill challenge.

I hope this info helps clarify the issue.

 

[TirionAnthion]

Rules Compendium

I run a game at my local store after hours. The game is limited to my friends and I. We used the RC book at the table tonight and I really liked it. It is a nice design that is easy to reference on the table. I found it to be thoroughly useful.

Just my thoughts after a night of actual play using the book.

 

[Argyle King]

Thanks for taking the time to answer all these questions.

I have a few myself.

What's broken and how long before we get the first errata?

Now that Magic Missile is officially deemed an attack (since there was no roll, there was some debate about whether it was prior to this book,) I can think of a few ways to abuse an auto hit attack.

In particular, a multiclass fighter/wizard can now have an ability which marks from range and does damage without fail. It's not something which is insanely broken, but there are quite a few possible ways to make the auto damage from this hurt more even before having some of the fighter feats being available. Marked Scourge + Magic Missile is a nice combo

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I like the skill challenge section. It does a good job of deconstructing a skill challenge. It breaks a skill challenge down into several parts:
1. The Goal
2. Level and DCs
3. Complexity
4. Primary and Secondary skills
5. Consequences

Each section takes a good look under the hood of a skill challenge. It talks about group checks. It also has a chart that lists Complexity -> Number of successes -> Advantages -> Typical DCs.

For example, a Complexity 1 challenge has 4 successes, no advantages, and 4 moderate DCs.

As the Complexity changes, so does the number of successes, advantages and ratio of moderate to hard DCs. A sidebar explains advantages and how they are used in a skill challenge. All in all, I think this section is very good. The section concludes with an example of play involving a skill challenge.

I hope this info helps clarify the issue.

Are there new DCs, by the way?

 

[Perun]

Eh, forget it...

(tried to make an argument while missing the important bit which completely made it just wrong)

 

[Psikerlord#]

Have they by chance incorporated the expertise feats into some kind of automatic to-hit bonus in the level progression chart? Thanks for sharing dude

 

[TarionzCousin]

I run a game at my local store after hours. The game is limited to my friends and I. We used the RC book at the table tonight and I really liked it. It is a nice design that is easy to reference on the table. I found it to be thoroughly useful.

Just my thoughts after a night of actual play using the book.

Thanks for chiming in!

Would you (or Thalmin, or whomever else has the book already) need this book at the table for your next game? What if you left it at home and it was a 30-minute drive round-trip to get it? Would you delay the game to fetch this book?

 

[fuzzlewump]

Now that Magic Missile is officially deemed an attack (since there was no roll, there was some debate about whether it was prior to this book,) I can think of a few ways to abuse an auto hit attack.

In particular, a multiclass fighter/wizard can now have an ability which marks from range and does damage without fail. It's not something which is insanely broken, but there are quite a few possible ways to make the auto damage from this hurt more even before having some of the fighter feats being available. Marked Scourge + Magic Missile is a nice combo

I'm doubting the usefulness to your standard optimized Kensei or pit fighter. The fighter has to jump through a few hoops to get such an ability more than once per encounter and the damage will be pitiful with no intelligence mod and no implement. And if the fighter invests in those I'm tossing more vote in the not broken category.

 

[thalmin]

Thanks for chiming in!

Would you (or Thalmin, or whomever else has the book already) need this book at the table for your next game? What if you left it at home and it was a 30-minute drive round-trip to get it? Would you delay the game to fetch this book?

Would you delay the game if you left your PHB and DMG behind? This book consolidates the updated rules into one volume. It is not required if you have your PHB and DMG at the table, but it is handier.
For those starting out with the Essentials line, it is a must. For those of us with the PHB and DMG, as DM I would rather leave the earlier books behind and just bring the Compendium.

 

[MrMyth]

Ugh. Is is just me, or does this quote-unquote definition simply add to the confusion?

An attack is:
* an attack roll and its effects including damage
* short for an attack power
* somehow has something to do with multiple attacks
* some powers are attack even though they don't feature a roll but they do have a target

So when my PC targets another PC with healing word, is that an attack? Obviously not, but you wouldn't know it from this "definition".

Healing word doesn't count, by this definition, because it isn't "designated as an attack". Magic Missile is - it is a "Wizard Attack 1".

I'm not seeing any confusion. If it is an attack power that targets an enemy without making an attack roll, it still counts as making an attack. (Which, I'm pretty sure, is the common sense definition most have been using all along.)