Jason Bulmahn Speaks about DDXP(His take on the system)

[Tharen the Damned]

Honestly, the rules aren't that amazingly different that it is entirely possible for a company to write adventures without any stat blocks in the main part of the adventure and just put the stats/combat tactics of the monsters in the back of the mod, in both formats. By the way 4e looks to be turning out, it would be a simple matter without need of advancing monsters since you can just select from a list of similar ones. Something like, "If using 4e rules, instead of the advanced gibbering monster of legend, use Aberrant Morass, boss monster, page 296 of the 4e MM".

If it was only Monsters it would be cake to convert.
But we have the big Magic Problem.
A lot of spells from 3,5 won't be in 4th and vice versa.
Magic Items work differently and are different.
And encounters work different.

A designer has to take all this into account and the work involved might be too much to try to create an adventure that works with both 3rd and 4th mechanics.

Fluff heavy Stuff like Campaign Settings might be able to accomodate 3rd and 4th rules. Look at GR Freeport Setting. The Book has no rules, only Fluff. But there are Companions available for True20 and D20 that have all the Stats and new Rules for the Setting.
That might be a way to go for some publishers.

 

[fafhrd]

They seem to be suggesting things just as absurd under the per encounter mechanic.

Assuming that you're referring to the trip power, I'm not so certain. It seems that most people aren't objecting to the idea that you can only use a power once, but rather they find it absurd that the result of tripping is constrained to once per combat. Given Massawyrm's statements on the flexibility of the skill system, I'm willing to wait until the rules are published before concluding that it is impossible to trip more than once in an encounter. If you weren't referring to the trip mechanics I apologize. Your comment was a little vague so I took some liberty with it.

 

[cdrcjsn]

If it was only Monsters it would be cake to convert.
But we have the big Magic Problem.
A lot of spells from 3,5 won't be in 4th and vice versa.
Magic Items work differently and are different.
And encounters work different.

How often do you design adventures around specific spells and magic items?
What spells/items don't you expect to see in 4e? Most of what we've seen so far are combat spells, but we've been told that things like phantom steed and non-combat spells have been moved to Rituals.

Sure, the tacticals of a fight might be different.

But if you need a big reptillian brute to hang about the sewers and ambush the PCs, I'm sure there's an equivalent beast in both editions that will suffice. Same thing with NPCs. If the bandit leader is an Arcane Trickster in 3e, why can't he be a Wizard or Rogue in 4e with the appropriate multiclass?

The gist though is that yes, there will be some differences. But if 50% of the stuff between editions is the same (personalities, story, plot) and 45% of the stuff are mechanics that have equivalents in either system, why get hung up on the 5% of the mechanics that doesn't translate?

Choosing to write adventures that translates to both editions is a lot better than simply ignoring one edition and lose half your customer base.

 

[Zinegata]

Because it's absurd to suggest that a wizard can't try to stab someone with a dagger.

Good one.

 

[Ahglock]

Assuming that you're referring to the trip power, I'm not so certain. It seems that most people aren't objecting to the idea that you can only use a power once, but rather they find it absurd that the result of tripping is constrained to once per combat. Given Massawyrm's statements on the flexibility of the skill system, I'm willing to wait until the rules are published before concluding that it is impossible to trip more than once in an encounter. If you weren't referring to the trip mechanics I apologize. Your comment was a little vague so I took some liberty with it.

The trip power might be an example, but since I don't know what the trip power does it very well may be something that works as a per encounter power, with some pail imitation available through the basic mechanics of the game. A rogues twist a knife in the wound power is another example that I find fluff wise just as absurd as saying a mage can't stab someone with a dagger, and it was the one I was thinking of at the time. Maybe its because i like rogues but that one grates me the wrong way.

 

[Filcher]

The comment about it being impossible to die seemed a bit wierd....I know of quite a few characters who died in DDE, including a number of TPKs.

My character died. And the rest of the party got swallowed up by a cube.

 

[Ahglock]

My character died. And the rest of the party got swallowed up by a cube.

The dang Borg are assimilating everything, now it's D&D.

 

[Saishu_Heiki]

"Resistance 15 (fire) is futile?"

 

[Zinegata]

The trip power might be an example, but since I don't know what the trip power does it very well may be something that works as a per encounter power, with some pail imitation available through the basic mechanics of the game. A rogues twist a knife in the wound power is another example that I find fluff wise just as absurd as saying a mage can't stab someone with a dagger, and it was the one I was thinking of at the time. Maybe its because i like rogues but that one grates me the wrong way.

I suspect that the way to justify "Per-Encounter" martial abilities is that they require precise timing or certain favorable conditions before they can be used. Want to twist a knife in the wound? Well, that only works once per encounter before you have to hit a pretty exposed piece of flesh. If you just slip the blade in between several armor plates, there just isn't room to twist it.

It's certainly more abstracted, and somewhat diminishes the fun for players who enjoy setting up a killer blow as much as actually timing the killer blow to land at the right time.

 

[Ahglock]

I suspect that the way to justify "Per-Encounter" martial abilities is that they require precise timing or certain favorable conditions before they can be used. Want to twist a knife in the wound? Well, that only works once per encounter before you have to hit a pretty exposed piece of flesh. If you just slip the blade in between several armor plates, there just isn't room to twist it.

It's certainly more abstracted, and somewhat diminishes the fun for players who enjoy setting up a killer blow as much as actually timing the killer blow to land at the right time.

Yeah I've heard this argument, and it just doesn't work for me. For those who this does work, hey great maybe the 4e per encounter system will be a lot of fun for you. I'll be wincing on the inside every time I use it if I switch.