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<blockquote data-quote="CardinalXimenes" data-source="post: 4479660" data-attributes="member: 58259">As opposed to earlier editions, which just left the DM to learn by trial and error what to change for oddball parties. I have a hard time reading 'superior support for novice 4e DMs' to be a flaw in a brand-new edition.&nbsp;It was the DM's problem in the sense that he actually cared whether or not the party would get slaughtered by the adventure. I'm sure there are some DMs out there who blithely follow their script with cheerful indifference as to whether or not the party can deal with it, but I think the small legion of players 'encouraged' to play a Cleric in earlier editions gives strong evidence that it wasn't just the players who wanted parties that would have a chance of surviving.&nbsp;You're right. The game does not support choosing to play an intentionally incompetent PC. As you example, there are some players who honestly want to play a cripplingly incapable PC. This edition has lost them. Speaking personally, I'm delighted at the idea that I won't have to put up with them any more. I have met very few, but those I have met have universally confused authenticity of character with how badly they can inconvenience the rest of the party.&nbsp;Two out of three Jack Vance characters agree that spell slots per day are vital to fantasy verisimilitude. Every other magical character not ripped from the pages of a D&amp;D novel disagrees, and half the WotC-published properties wish they could too.&nbsp;Little known fact: the flipside of the tablets of the law that Moses brought down from Sinai? 1E AD&amp;D Paladin class description.&nbsp;And your wife's beautiful and your children are all above average. Unfortunately, not all of us are so richly blessed in virtue, and yet we remain strangely possessed of money that WotC desires.&nbsp;It's love. It's just tough love. And for me, 4e has brought back a joy in the hobby that 3.x tried to kill like a legion of hardbound splatbook ninja assassins.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="CardinalXimenes, post: 4479660, member: 58259"] As opposed to earlier editions, which just left the DM to learn by trial and error what to change for oddball parties. I have a hard time reading 'superior support for novice 4e DMs' to be a flaw in a brand-new edition. It was the DM's problem in the sense that he actually cared whether or not the party would get slaughtered by the adventure. I'm sure there are some DMs out there who blithely follow their script with cheerful indifference as to whether or not the party can deal with it, but I think the small legion of players 'encouraged' to play a Cleric in earlier editions gives strong evidence that it wasn't just the players who wanted parties that would have a chance of surviving. You're right. The game does not support choosing to play an intentionally incompetent PC. As you example, there are some players who honestly want to play a cripplingly incapable PC. This edition has lost them. Speaking personally, I'm delighted at the idea that I won't have to put up with them any more. I have met very few, but those I have met have universally confused authenticity of character with how badly they can inconvenience the rest of the party. Two out of three Jack Vance characters agree that spell slots per day are vital to fantasy verisimilitude. Every other magical character not ripped from the pages of a D&D novel disagrees, and half the WotC-published properties wish they could too. Little known fact: the flipside of the tablets of the law that Moses brought down from Sinai? 1E AD&D Paladin class description. And your wife's beautiful and your children are all above average. Unfortunately, not all of us are so richly blessed in virtue, and yet we remain strangely possessed of money that WotC desires. It's love. It's just [I]tough[/I] love. And for me, 4e has brought back a joy in the hobby that 3.x tried to kill like a legion of hardbound splatbook ninja assassins. [/QUOTE]

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