First Impressions from the D&D 4E "Test Drive"

[Shades of Green]

What is this?
I have never read through, let alone play, the 4th edition of D&D. My experience with D&D is limited to BECMI, 2E, and 3.0E. I'm currently using the Basic fantasy RPG retro-clone rules to play D&D-style games.

Wizards of the Coasts have released a free set of Quick Start Rules and a free full-sized adventure available for download by anyone willing to check out the 4th edition of Dungeons and Dragons. I figured that, since these materials are completely free of charge, they deserve, for the very least, a read-through. I have read through both files - the Quick Start Rules and the Keep on the Shadowfell adventure - during the preceding week, and now I will post my first impressions from reading them.

Things I liked
1) The overall Quick Start rules are very clearly written for the most part. I find it very easy to understand the game mechanics. Everything is laid out in simple language and in a very readable format. In the first glance it looks quite easy to learn and play. The rules look quite simple (critical hits, for example, have been simplified to simple maximum damage rather than different damage multipliers and chances per weapon type; bull-rishes and grapples have been similarly clarified and simplified). I hope this also holds true in the actual 4E rules.
2) Attack powers no longer have saving throws; instead, the attacker rolls an attack against a static defense rating (similar to how AC is handled in 3E or 4E); there are four possible defenses - AC, Reflex, Fortitude and Will. I like this as it looks quite logical and streamlines the magic system as well.
3) Skills are simplified. If I understand this correctly, instead of messing around with skill points (which was a bit messy in 3E), your skill modifier simply equals your ability modifier plus half your level (rounded down). There are also less skills than in 3E (which, IMHO, had too many of them) and the skills have been consolidated. Feats seem to have been similarly simplified.
4) There has been a significant effort to cut down on paperwork. Now most of your powers are either At-Will (usable any number of times per day) Encounter (usable once per encounter) or Daily (usable once per day). Similarly, your HP recover completely after an Extended Rest. Therefore things look easier to track than in older editions.
5) It seems as if there was a conscious effort to cut down on the "15-minute adventuring day" phenomenon. Not only are most powers usable once per encounter (rather than a finite number of times per day), and not only is it easy to heal during combat without needing expendable spells, but you actually get benefits (Action Points) from doing multiple encounters per day. I like that.
6) Leveling a character seems quite easy, especially at odd levels. Just add a few bits here and there and you're set, without much page-flipping. Am I correct?
7) Wizards finally can fight with magic and only magic all day long, as some spells are At-Will powers. This means that in 4E the wizard won't have to resort to a crossbow or dagger after casting a few spells (which, in previous editions, could be very few per day).
8) Minions. I love the concept - expendable foot-soldier monsters easy to play and kill without much accounting needed; it also highlights the "boss" monsters and focuses the action on them. These rules also allows the Fighter to shine, with all his At-Will powers that do additional damage to nearby monsters; he'll reap through hordes of minions, which looks cool and heroic!
9) The KotS adventure feels quite cool, and lets the players to do heroic stuff (stopping a death-cult!) at mere level 3.

Things I didn't like
1) Wizard spells have been narrowed down. One of the things I love about BFRPG (or even 3E) Wizards/Magic-Users is their versatility in the hand of creative players; in 4E it seems that most wizard spells are combat-focused and seem to have narrow applications. I'd miss spells such as Pyrotechnics, Obscuring Mist and so on which could be very cool in the hands of crafty players...
2) Some of the monsters presented in Keep on the Shadowfell look quite grindy. A lot of monsters have quite a number of HP that the PCs have to chew through; the worst offender is probably the Gelatinous Cube with its whopping 152 HP that would probably take a very, very long time to kill at level 2-3. I hope 4E monster are not like that in general, as I don't want combat to devolve into a boring series of round-after-round chopping with At-Will powers for a large number of rounds.

Things I'm not so Sure About
1) I'm not sure how heavily the 4E rules are tied to their fluff. Some of the fluff - such as the planar cosmology and some of the races - is quite different from the assumptions of previous editions and would be quite difficult to fit into existing settings or campaigns (such as my Wounded Gaia setting). Could 4E be easily played with different fluff, different races and/or different planar cosmologies?
2) Healing Surges. They are a cute little game mechanic which I like from a mechanical POV, but I'm not sure how I'd explain them in-game; how are these wounds healed instantly without rest or magic? Do all PCs regenerate? Could all PCs cast the equivalent of Cure Light Wounds a number of times per day?
3) Combat is designed for miniatures and a grid. A grid has the advantage of being easy to convert between mini scales (I like 15mm personally rather than the standard 28mm scale), but it means that you need to organize a grid in order to play (rather than play off-the-cuff).
4) Characters apparently start the game with a lot more HP on level 1 than in any previous edition. On one hand, this makes them more fit for heroic adventuring (and reduces their chances of being killed by weak opponents), but on the other hand it might greatly affect the feel of a low-level game.
5) What is "Passive Perception"? The quick-start rules refer to it, but it is not explained. Is that simply a Perception skill roll made by the DM, or something else?
6) Monster stat-blocks, while very readable in their format, are quite long. I like the BFRPG stat-blocks which fill one or two rows of text; the 4E stat-blocks are quite hefty, and seem quite a chore to write during prep.
7) The quick-start rules say that they are best suited for a party of 5 players. This might be a problem for me, as I usually can arrange for about 2 players in an average game. Is the game playable with smaller parties, such as 1-3 PCs?

The Bottom Line
I think that the 4E rules, as presented in the Quick-Start Rules, are quite well-written and well-designed. However, I do have my reservations about them, especially in regard to the required party size, the limits placed in wizards and the potential for grind.

 

[S'mon]

Note that if you want to give 4e a try, the first several issues of the new Dragon and Dungeon magazines are free on WotC's site. I think it's Dungeon 155-158; these have several adventures like Rescue at Rivenroar which you could use along with the free Keep on the Shadowfell, all without spending any money. Likewise the free version of the character builder software lets you create a wide variety of level 1-3 PCs. Siege of Bordrin's Watch is a free adventure that is widely regarded as among the best WotC have produced, better than most paid-for modules.

 

[S'mon]

Re smaller parties - the game is playable with fewer than 4 PCs but can take some work to adapt. It may also be worth including a DMPC with the group.

The standard approach is to deduct monsters until you have the right "XP budget" - eg a standard encounter for 5 level 1 PCs is 500 XP, which could be 5 level 1 standard monsters. A standard encounter for 2 level 1 PCs is 200 XP, which could be 2 level 1 monsters, but could also be 1 level 1 standard monster (100 XP) and 4 level 1 minions (25 XP), possibly a more interesting fight. It could even be 1 level 3 standard monster (150 XP) and 2 level 1 minions (25 XP) - an Orc Raider plus two goblin minions, say.

Edit: If you were going to run Keep on the Shadowfell for 2 players I'd recommend either reducing monster numbers to 2/5, or to 3/5 and include a DMPC. As well as reducing numbers, with a bit of work Elites can be turned into standard monsters (1/2 XP) if necessary, and Standards into minions (1/4 XP).

Edit 2: So eg a typical 5 standard monster fight for 5 PCs can be turned into 1 standard monster (the 'leader'), & 4 minions, which has 2/5 the XP and is suitable for 2 PCs. And it'll be a quicker fight too!

 

[Nahat Anoj]

Things I'm not so Sure About
1) I'm not sure how heavily the 4E rules are tied to their fluff. Some of the fluff - such as the planar cosmology and some of the races - is quite different from the assumptions of previous editions and would be quite difficult to fit into existing settings or campaigns (such as my Wounded Gaia setting). Could 4E be easily played with different fluff, different races and/or different planar cosmologies?

While I have yet to do it, it seems to me that fitting a "nonstandard" cosmology (that is, something that's not 4e's World Axis model) to 4e would be about as hard as hard as fitting a nonstandard cosmology to 3e (that is, something that doesn't use the Great Wheel). For me, the "worst" thing is that, right now, there is no real way to create or import custom elements into the Character Builder, which is what my group and I use to create characters.

2) Healing Surges. They are a cute little game mechanic which I like from a mechanical POV, but I'm not sure how I'd explain them in-game; how are these wounds healed instantly without rest or magic? Do all PCs regenerate? Could all PCs cast the equivalent of Cure Light Wounds a number of times per day?

IMO, players and DMs should take care to not oversell hit point damage. Generally speaking, only that hit that takes you to 0 hp or less is a solid blow, and even then some kind of healing can quickly bring you back to consciousness. So I think it's best to describe hp damage as a bunch of near misses, bruises, scratches, and a general loss of energy.

Also, at least the way I run it, healing doesn't automatically "clean you up." That is, if you are near 0 hp, you probably have a few cuts, scrapes, and bruises. If, say, a warlord heals you to above bloodied, you still look beat up, but you are able to ignore your hurts.

I generally think of healing surges as like adrenaline bursts, allowing you to fight on through pain and fatigue, re-energizing your fighting spirit. I tend to describe characters who are low on healing surges but full hp as still ready to fight, but they are weary and would welcome a rest.

3) Combat is designed for miniatures and a grid. A grid has the advantage of being easy to convert between mini scales (I like 15mm personally rather than the standard 28mm scale), but it means that you need to organize a grid in order to play (rather than play off-the-cuff).

While I think 4e could be played "off the grid" so to speak, I wouldn't want to, because 1) I've come to enjoy that aspect of the game and 2) it makes it easier to keep track of things. I haven't found it too hard to whip up an encounter on the fly, but then again I've around two years' worth of experience playing 4e (if you include the pre-release stuff).

4) Characters apparently start the game with a lot more HP on level 1 than in any previous edition. On one hand, this makes them more fit for heroic adventuring (and reduces their chances of being killed by weak opponents), but on the other hand it might greatly affect the feel of a low-level game.

I've found that level 1 in 4e feels like starting at level 3-5 in previous editions, in terms of character survivability and combat prowess. If you enjoyed the power level of low level characters in early editions, then I can see why this would be missed.

5) What is "Passive Perception"? The quick-start rules refer to it, but it is not explained. Is that simply a Perception skill roll made by the DM, or something else?

It's essentially "taking 10" on your Perception rolls. It's an "always on" Perception that DMs can compare various DCs to without tipping off players that something is afoot.

6) Monster stat-blocks, while very readable in their format, are quite long. I like the BFRPG stat-blocks which fill one or two rows of text; the 4E stat-blocks are quite hefty, and seem quite a chore to write during prep.

Unfortunately, I can't comment on either of these. I'm not familiar with BFRPG, nor do I write out monster stats anymore - I use the Monster Builder to create and print out monster stats.

7) The quick-start rules say that they are best suited for a party of 5 players. This might be a problem for me, as I usually can arrange for about 2 players in an average game. Is the game playable with smaller parties, such as 1-3 PCs?

It is. I'm in a low level game where for the longest time there were 3 PCs (a bard, paladin, and ranger), and it went well. However, to make this happen you will need to change the composition of published encounters significantly (published adventures usually assume 5 PCs). If you're new to 4e, I'd recommend against trying this, because IMO it takes a fair amount of system mastery to make entertaining encounters with so few PCs. Conversely, I've found that it's extremely easy to make entertaining encounters when using standard assumption.

One thing you might try is allowing players to play an extra character (that's not too hard at lower levels IMO) or to have an NPC companion character (essentially an NPC made as a monster) come along.

 

[Garmorn]

Things I'm not so Sure About
1) I'm not sure how heavily the 4E rules are tied to their fluff. Some of the fluff - such as the planar cosmology and some of the races - is quite different from the assumptions of previous editions and would be quite difficult to fit into existing settings or campaigns (such as my Wounded Gaia setting). Could 4E be easily played with different fluff, different races and/or different planar cosmologies?

4e Fluff is not connected to the crunch at all. Re skinning is recommended several places and as no affect on the actual play. I highly recommend it.

2) Healing Surges. They are a cute little game mechanic which I like from a mechanical POV, but I'm not sure how I'd explain them in-game; how are these wounds healed instantly without rest or magic? Do all PCs regenerate? Could all PCs cast the equivalent of Cure Light Wounds a number of times per day?

How you explain it in game is just fluff. I have yet to have a player ask but my explanation is divine healing. The PC 's are special because they (one way or another) are a champion of some power or another. This power is what allows them to develop they skills, and allows them to invoke their powers healing one per encounter.

3) Combat is designed for miniatures and a grid. A grid has the advantage of being easy to convert between mini scales (I like 15mm personally rather than the standard 28mm scale), but it means that you need to organize a grid in order to play (rather than play off-the-cuff).

Not true. I have ran several battles of the cuff. Picking my monsters and laying out the room with no prep what so ever. Use vocal description that match what you want and just had ad lib most of it.

4) Characters apparently start the game with a lot more HP on level 1 than in any previous edition. On one hand, this makes them more fit for heroic adventuring (and reduces their chances of being killed by weak opponents), but on the other hand it might greatly affect the feel of a low-level game.

This is true only to a limited extent. It feels closer to what 1 and 2e felt like when you started with max hit points, then if you started at 3rd or 5th level. On second though it feels some what in between the two.

5) What is "Passive Perception"? The quick-start rules refer to it, but it is not explained. Is that simply a Perception skill roll made by the DM, or something else?

Passive Perception and Passive Intuition is 10+skill and is used when the players are actively using the skills. (Think prerolled skill checks that are all 10)

6) Monster stat-blocks, while very readable in their format, are quite long. I like the BFRPG stat-blocks which fill one or two rows of text; the 4E stat-blocks are quite hefty, and seem quite a chore to write during prep.

The also include most of the rules to use the powers/skills of the monsters.

#7 I can't answer.

 

[Dannager]

Re: Number of players; If you're only ever able to muster around 2 actual players for your games, consider allowing each player to control 2 PCs, or add some companion characters (rules for companion characters are in the DMG 2; if you don't want to buy that, the first suggestion works better). The game will be a lot harder to create decent encounters for if there are only 2 PCs in the party. 3 is the bare minimum in my book. 4 is perfectly okay, and 5 is ideal.

Re: Healing surges; Damage in 4e (as with some previous editions) doesn't necessarily represent physical wounds. Much of it is fatigue, mental resolve, glancing blows, etc. Spending healing surges simply represents recovering some of your will to fight. Your second wind is a lot like you catching your breath for a few seconds, and a short rest is exactly that - a rest during which you are able to recover from the punishment you took during the previous fight. As a DM, you should avoid describing successful attacks as dealing grievous physical harm, unless the attack in question actually kills a PC.

Re: Grind; I know the 150+ hp gelatinous cube might seem a bit much, but when everyone in the party is pounding on it at the same time, and the party rogue is dishing out around 20 points of damage on an average hit, it goes by a lot faster than you might think.

Re: Passive Perception; This is just 10 + your perception bonus. The idea is that this is information the DM can have on hand for when he wants to know how observant your character is but doesn't want to call your attention to a roll (noticing a trap, for instance, or a hiding foe). Passive Insight works similarly.

Re: Monster stat blocks; While they aren't 1-2 lines in length, they're certainly a welcome reprieve from the multiple-page stat blocks of some 3rd edition monsters. Preparing monsters is much easier if you've got the Monster Builder application from D&D Insider. If you're planning on running a game of 4e, I cannot recommend subscribing (at the very least, for one month so you can get the application downloads) to D&D Insider strongly enough.

Re: Combat grid; Encounters in 4e work best if you've planned them ahead of time. 4e emphasizes dynamic, varied combat encounters that incorporate interesting terrain, traps, and monsters. Throwing encounters together during prep is pretty simple once you've done it a couple times. It only takes a few minutes. Having a map, however, is critical in my opinion.

Also, you were wondering about whether the Quick Start rules were the same as the actual 4e game rules - yes, they are. Some rules aren't fleshed out in full detail because of space constraints, but all the rules there are accurate.

 

[Dykstrav]

2) Healing Surges. They are a cute little game mechanic which I like from a mechanical POV, but I'm not sure how I'd explain them in-game; how are these wounds healed instantly without rest or magic? Do all PCs regenerate? Could all PCs cast the equivalent of Cure Light Wounds a number of times per day?

The entire healing surge thing is something that I both love and hate about 4E. The overall mechanics are solid, I think, but they do require you to phrase your narrative in certain ways.

First of all, hit points are an abstraction. Hit points don't necessarily represent literal wounds. After all, if you hit a 1st-level fighter for 10 points of damage, it's not the same thing as hitting a 10th-level fighter for 10 points of damage. For the 1st-level fighter, that 10 hit points are far more important--you might describe it as a severe, bleeding wound that needs immediate attention. For the 10th-level fighter, it's an injury, but not a life-threatening one. You might describe such a wound as one that rattles you for a moment, then leaves the area numb and sore. This is the sort of thing that every version of the game requires you to decide for yourself, to phrase in your own unique narrative style.

Healing surges aren't the equivalent of spells. When you spend a surge through your second wind (which any character can do now), you're basically taking a moment to catch your breath and gather your wits, drawing on an inner reserve of strength to keep fighting. It's your "fighting spirit," if you will. Your wounds don't literally stop bleeding and heal. Rather, you grit your teeth, suck up the pain like a man, and keep fighting.

You might describe the cleric's healing word power as a wash of divine light that mends flesh, but you certainly wouldn't describe the warlord's inspiring word that way. They represent two entirely different effects within the context of the setting. The results (and the mechanics) are just similar.

 

[Voadam]

Skills are 1/2 level + ability mod. Each class gets between three and six skills from their class skill list to be trained in and get a +5 bonus on the roll. Humans get one more and no bonus for int.

Leveling is pretty quick, even levels a lot goes up +1 and you get a feat, odd levels only things like hp and healing surge value go up plus there are new powers that can get added or swapped. At levels 11 and 21 you get a sort of prestige class thing as well which adds stuff over the next 10 levels on top of class stuff. It is a manageable amount of stuff to change IMO based on reading through the PH.

Non attack spells have been either turned into utility powers, rituals, or eliminated. You don't get that many utility powers, anybody can take a feat to cast rituals but wizards do so as a class feature and get some rituals for free at various levels. Rituals take at least 5 minutes to cast and cost gp to learn and scribe into a ritual book and to cast them each time.

4e combats are designed to last more rounds than in 3e but to go quicker. Monsters generally have con+ (level+1 x a number based on monster role) hp with elites who count as two monsters for encounters getting x2 hp and solos getting x a lot. Brute ones are designed to have lots of hp but be easy to hit and smash into. It goes pretty quick in practice with five PCs as a default all pouring in attacks each round.

Fluff is relatively unimportant to 4e and easy to change up. Different race options and cosmologies would be easy to accomplish.

Healing surges you have to abstract out hp a little more from wounds to life force/resolve/luck/ability to avoid damage. At low hp you don't have broken ribs but you are closer to being at serious risk from attacks. Warlords heal people by yelling at them to suck it up while barbarians give themselves temp hp by psyching themselves up into adrenaline rushes.

4e Combat has more forced movement and positioning powers so it can be more tricky to do without minis but it can still be done.

Characters do start with more hp as do monsters (except minions) so there is a lot less one-shotting of pcs or non-minion monsters. This gives low level combat in 4e more of a medium level feel for older editions.

Passive perception is taking 10 on perception and happens all the time, the DM doesn't have to call for a roll when there is an ambusher or a hidden trap.
Same thing for insight vs. bluff.

Monster stat blocks are complete for combat, I haven't seen basic/AD&D style one line short stat blocks.

It is designed for 5 the way 3e is designed for four and older editions are designed for a little bigger parties in general. It can handle fewer but gets swingier the more you go away from 5, just adjust accordingly by either reducing the number of opposition in encounters or using lower level encounters.

 

[mach1.9pants]

For the healing surge, watch the Troy move fight between Achilles and Hector... Only one bit of blood drawn before the final spear stab. But hector is obviously losing HP (running out of stamina and luck) through out. Even Achilles loses a bit when Hector scratches his breastplate. That is how I imagine HP and the loss. Only the final blow draws blood and then may not be fatal.

 

[Insight]

Re-skinning the setting in 4E is so easy, you almost have to do it. In fact, the "implied" setting in 4E is intentionally weak and nondescript. We've been playing 4E since before it was officially released and never used a whit of the "official" stuff. Hasn't stopped us in the least.