Is DnD well-balanced?

[Imaro]

I would answer... Not as well as some people try to pretend it is. A few things that I find unbalanced in 4e...

1.) The disparity between someone who specializes in a skill (+4 attribute, +2 background, +3 skill focus, +2 racial, +5 Trained) vs. someone who doesn't (let's say a +2/+3 attribute and Trained +5)... That's alot of disparity.

2.) The way non-combat abilities are assigned out. Fighter with 3 trained skills vs. classes like the Ranger and Rogue with a ton of skills or the Wizard and Cleric with a medium amount of skills + free rituals.

3.) By Paragon tier... an equal level challenge (or even a few levels higher) by the book doesn't seem to really be a "challenge" it's more of a cakewalk for the PC's... this doesn't seem particularly balanced at all.

4.)Some classes are just better in their primary role vs. other classes in the same role. If you want to put out major damage as a striker... you don't go with warlock... you go with Rogue or Ranger. The Knight is a way better defender than the cavalier... etc.

There's more but these are just a few examples of some of the issues I've seen concerning balance in 4e. I guess if you clarify whether you are talking about the game in general or a particular aspect being balanced it might be easier to answer.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I believe 4e is more balanced than previous editions of DnD.

Powers are not always balanced. The psion power Dishearten is flat-out better than the bard power Vicious Mockery, for instance (they do the same thing, but Dishearten is an AoE). Controllers also tend to be weak, mainly because so many powers insist on loading damage on top of effects (which requires keeping effects weak).

AC vs defenses is not balanced. It's a lot easier to raise AC. A cleric, as an example, could spend four feats on boosting AC (scale armor, full plate, light shield, heavy shield). Although maybe clerics get light or even heavy shields for free, I'm not sure. Boosting NADs by more than two is difficult, and you can only boost one at a time. Apparently this becomes a bigger problem at epic tier, if reports of PCs having gaps between AC and NADs as large as seven is true. As a result, monsters that can target NADs are far more powerful than monsters that target AC.

I've not played or DM'd epic, but apparently PCs get ridiculous stun-lock abilities at said level. I'm not sure how they can pull that off though.

 

[FireLance]

4E is balanced enough for me, not balanced enough for some, and too balanced for those who complain that every class plays exactly the same.

Fascinating, isn't it?

 

[Skyscraper]

Dungeonneering skill check: 25.

"I know this creature: it's the regenerative kind. Use fire to kill it."

 

[CancR]

I hate to say it but it's the honest truth, but at the end of the day there are loop holes in the rules that are exploited that makes a few players that want to to this hold all the power though this method. These players wait to urn the action point on a boss to 2 hit and kill them no matter how many months of planning and forethought went into it.

Also, there is a strange meta that is going on in how the skills and other things work which is often translated into 'A paper thin excuse for my character to know everything I know'.

Does it mean that this edition or any other edition or any other game can be fun? No. Does it mean we cant make these valid points? Also no.

---Rusty

 

[Dannager]

I hate to say it but it's the honest truth, but at the end of the day there are loop holes in the rules that are exploited that makes a few players that want to to this hold all the power though this method. These players wait to urn the action point on a boss to 2 hit and kill them no matter how many months of planning and forethought went into it.

Do you have any specific examples of this being the case?

 

[CancR]

Not off hand but I don't subscribe to the idea of because I cant see it doesn't mean its not there. As sure as rules are printed on a page, some one found some silly loop hole. This has been the case starting as far back as I know, of first edition AD&D.

---Rusty

 

[Dannager]

Not off hand but I don't subscribe to the idea of because I cant see it doesn't mean its not there.

It also doesn't mean that it is.

 

[CancR]

It's been argued that the Essentials lines way out powers the regular series of 4th. The Redbox thief and the Slayer are often cited as the worst offenders.

 

[Dannager]

It's been argued that the Essentials lines way out powers the regular series of 4th. The Redbox thief and the Slayer are often cited as the worst offenders.

Do you have examples of specific powers or abilities tied to a class that are out of line with other comparable powers or abilities?

Or do you have examples of powers that could reliably be used to "2-hit-kill" a boss (presumably a solo or elite), as you originally mentioned?