D&D 4E How would 4E improve my game?

[keterys]

Compare Lance of Faith to Magic Missile or Eldritch Blast... Less Damage (except against undead) and Way Less Range.

So that's on track. I'd really like to see some of the melee centric cleric powers, though. If they're good enough, you could always disallow the ranged damage cleric at-wills.

 

[hong]

Which has absolutely 0 influence in game. Mechanically exploits and spells are exactly the same. Likewise stances and utility spells are also rather similar. Fact is, fighters in 4E get limited powers which work in exactly the same way as spells for the wizard.

Fact is, fighters roll d20, in exactly the same way as the wizard.

 

[hong]

No because in 3E spells were much more than just "You can do X once a day". But in 4E the mechanics for spells and exploits are the same and as the lich shows there isn't a difference between two.

So yes, fighters in 4E do indeed get spells, just with a different name.

No, it means wizards in 4E can use swords, just with a different name.

 

[drjones]

Why didn't I see it before? You are totally right, now EVERYONE is forced to do interesting things!!!

Please Jeebus save us from the fun!

 

[jeffhartsell]

So yes, fighters in 4E do indeed get spells, just with a different name.

Gasp! And Rangers get spells just like a wizard?! Twin-Blade Storm does lightning damage to adjacent targets... oh no's!!

Wizards do have another mechanic that is different in 4e, a spell book and they can swap around dailies. We've not heard that martial powers get that same benefit.

Anyway, Derren's rants are quite humerous. His 4e bashing knows no bounds. I'm guessing he is miffed his 3e PDFs are going to go to waste. But that is just wild speculation. Maybe he's a secret agent from the future trying to save 3rd party publishers from the new GSL.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

Dungeon-bling Well put, sir. I think that pretty much sums up my thoughts on some of the character art (especially the one on the PHB-cover). What happened to drawing characters as they actually would look in a medieval-ish world?

What "happened" is that Dungeons & Dragons has never been a medieval-ish world.

People will talk about Elmore and Caldwell and I will laugh in their faces; all their work was just the fashionable Eighties idealisation of what real armour, weapons, hair, and figures looked like. Now we have the idealisation of the current time. Nothing has changed.

 

[Shades of Green]

What "happened" is that Dungeons & Dragons has never been a medieval-ish world.

People will talk about Elmore and Caldwell and I will laugh in their faces; all their work was just the fashionable Eighties idealisation of what real armour, weapons, hair, and figures looked like. Now we have the idealisation of the current time. Nothing has changed.

The big question is: could you imagine any of the following popular fantasy and mythological heroes drawn using the new ("dungeon punk/bling") style?

Hercules
Achilles
Jason
Samson
King David
Aragorn
Gandalf
Boromir
Bilbo Baggins
Gimli son of Gloin
Nynaeve al'Meara
Rand al'Thor
Conan the Barbarian
King Arthur
Merlin
The Lady of the Lake/Nimoe/Niniane
Morgana la Fey
Odysseus
Sigfried
Baewolf

Would any of these wear "dungeon-bling"?

 

[hong]

The big question is: could you imagine any of the following popular fantasy and mythological heroes drawn using the new ("dungeon punk/bling") style?

They will fit in just like they did they did in 3E.

 

[ve4grm]

They will fit in just like they did they did in 3E.

Very true.

I mean, with D&D's emphasis on magic and magic items, most of those would have a difficult time being done in d20 without turning to Iron Heroes.

Except the Lady of the Lake, who could be easily done, since she's not a PC.

But do Conan in 3e. Let's make him level 10. He has a magic sword and... that's it. The wealth guidelines for 3e say he should have 49,000 gp at that level. D&D 3e is far too rich to model Conan well.

4e will still be too rich for most of these. But with 4e turning more towards the character's abilities being internal, rather than granted from items, it should actually be easier to model these examples than it was in 3e.

 

[Derren]

4e will still be too rich for most of these. But with 4e turning more towards the character's abilities being internal, rather than granted from items, it should actually be easier to model these examples than it was in 3e.

4E still expects you to have +X Magical weapons and armor at certain levels and also expects (but theoretically not requires you to if you trust the Devs on this) to have filled all your magic item slots at the end of the Heroic Tier.