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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 6178736" data-attributes="member: 6696971">@<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/member.php?6668292-JamesonCourage" target="_blank">JamesonCourage  </a>Its very heady and responsible GMing that you're playtesting 4e combat as much as you are.  That would be one thing that I would very much advise burgeoning 4e GMs to do (as a service to themselves, their players, and their game).  Regardless of how long you've been GMing and how good you are it, the 4e tactical interface has considerable nuance that requires thoughtful, attentive care and the more you practice, the more you will have eureka moments.  I suspect most 4e GMs can probably point to several eureka moments where they went from utter "Durrrr" to "got it!"  I know I've had plenty.I can't recall if you run dungeon crawls as not (I seem to think that perhaps you do not?).  If you do, I posted something earlier in the 4e what modules have you run? thread that runs down some keys for translating old school D&D dungeon crawling to 4e.  You may want to give that a look if you do run dungeon crawls.  The primary take-home there is "put pressure on their healing surges and make extended rests difficult to come by."Do you have an idea, generally, of what types of non-combat challenges (genre-wise) that you're planning on putting before your players and how it fits in with their deployable resources (skills and other)?  The reason I ask is because your group setup may be perfect for a particularly fun Skill Challenge layered in a Skill Challenge (each success or failure in the micro challenge acrues success/failure in the macro skill challenge) adventure that I did with my PCs in low-mid Paragon Tier (that could easily be done for early heroic by just switching out goblins for giants).  It involved the PCs being hired on as protection and functional mountaineers by an Earnest Hemmingway type for an Alpine Style climb (that he had failed at a few times before - and lost his few climbing buddies both times) of the tallest, and most dangerous, mountain of the known world.  It inspired by "Touching the Void" if you're familiar with the content.  It was basically a vertical/outdoors dungeon crawl on the side of a sheer, frozen mountain, with glacial ravines, precarious snowdrifts, avalanches, digging shelter into the snow of the sheer mountain face, dealing with horrible environmental conditions (and a Disease/Condition Track), fighting off ice creatures/predators and finally reaching the top where he placed his banner.  Getting down from such a climb (the Alpine Way) would basically be impossible, so they took the "easier" way out...one which led them getting lost in a series of caves that turned out to be an ancient, lost to time, Frost Giant stronghold.Your 3 PCs are built for something like that.  They all likely have Athletics.  The Monk surely has Acrobatics (or a high, passive check).  They likely most have Perception.  Maybe Endurance.  If you can get Nature and Dungeoneering amidst the group then a challenge such as that could be rewarding.  Even if that isn't to your genre tastes (or your players), I still recommend checking out "Touching the Void".  Its an extraordinary, riveting documentary with particularly keen insight into the human condition.<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/member.php?6668292-JamesonCourage" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/member.php?6668292-JamesonCourage" target="_blank"></a></blockquote>

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