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<blockquote data-quote="Cadfan" data-source="post: 4548530" data-attributes="member: 40961">My style has changed somewhat, so I voted yes.&nbsp;Mostly its changed in that the game better supports what I tried to do with the end years of 3e- run larger encounters with multiple weaker monsters.&nbsp; I firmly believe that its more fun to beat up 5 monsters than to beat up 1 monster, because you get 5 &quot;rewards&quot; over the course of the fight as each monster dies, instead of just one reward at the end.&nbsp; 4e better facilitates that, I think.&nbsp; Its not something that 3e can't do, its just something that 4e does a little better.&nbsp;But in terms of improvised mechanics?&nbsp; I probably wouldn't do things exactly the way the qutoed text did, but I have changed how I handle that sort of thing.&nbsp;3e's basic way of handling improvised attacks is to make sure they suck.&nbsp; That's a blunt way of putting things, but its basically how things went.&nbsp; If you decided to kick a monster in the groin instead of stab it, you'd probably do 1d3+str damage, gain a very minor bonus like Dazed if your DM is generous, and lose a bunch of attack roll bonus and damage bonus because you're not using your fancy magical weapon.&nbsp; That's how it goes across the board in 3e- fancy stuff that doesn't actually stab the bad guy doesn't use your weapon, your weapon is your source of all goodness, so fancy stuff that doesn't actually stab the bad guy sucks.&nbsp; Its why Improved Trip is so great- it changes the rules and lets you get an attack AND trip someone.&nbsp;4e avoids that problem by letting you attack AND do fancy things, and encouraging the DM to allow both at once when possible.&nbsp; I'd probably use the Improvised Attack charts in the DMG rather than just use your weapon bonus and damage, but the whole point of the Improvised Attack charts is that they should come out relatively close to your weapon bonus and damage anyways, plus whatever effect makes sense based on context.&nbsp;So yes, this breakthrough, the idea that I don't have to strictly wed myself to the &quot;internal physics&quot; of the game when the game is more fun without them, has changed how I DM.&nbsp; Its something I could have done in 3e, I suppose, but the system seems to discourage it, and certainly doesn't do anything to encourage.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Cadfan, post: 4548530, member: 40961"] My style has changed somewhat, so I voted yes. Mostly its changed in that the game better supports what I tried to do with the end years of 3e- run larger encounters with multiple weaker monsters. I firmly believe that its more fun to beat up 5 monsters than to beat up 1 monster, because you get 5 "rewards" over the course of the fight as each monster dies, instead of just one reward at the end. 4e better facilitates that, I think. Its not something that 3e can't do, its just something that 4e does a little better. But in terms of improvised mechanics? I probably wouldn't do things exactly the way the qutoed text did, but I have changed how I handle that sort of thing. 3e's basic way of handling improvised attacks is to make sure they suck. That's a blunt way of putting things, but its basically how things went. If you decided to kick a monster in the groin instead of stab it, you'd probably do 1d3+str damage, gain a very minor bonus like Dazed if your DM is generous, and lose a bunch of attack roll bonus and damage bonus because you're not using your fancy magical weapon. That's how it goes across the board in 3e- fancy stuff that doesn't actually stab the bad guy doesn't use your weapon, your weapon is your source of all goodness, so fancy stuff that doesn't actually stab the bad guy sucks. Its why Improved Trip is so great- it changes the rules and lets you get an attack AND trip someone. 4e avoids that problem by letting you attack AND do fancy things, and encouraging the DM to allow both at once when possible. I'd probably use the Improvised Attack charts in the DMG rather than just use your weapon bonus and damage, but the whole point of the Improvised Attack charts is that they should come out relatively close to your weapon bonus and damage anyways, plus whatever effect makes sense based on context. So yes, this breakthrough, the idea that I don't have to strictly wed myself to the "internal physics" of the game when the game is more fun without them, has changed how I DM. Its something I could have done in 3e, I suppose, but the system seems to discourage it, and certainly doesn't do anything to encourage. [/QUOTE]

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