Keep on the Shadowfell preview

[Echoes]

Someone on the Gleemax forums is running a PbP game of Keep on the Shadowfell, and he has posted scans of the pregen characters - with mod approval, it seems. I don't know if it's kosher for me to link them here, though...

 

[keterys]

... how could it be wrong to link to what another website's random user has posted, from a book on display?

That's like six degrees of ass covering.

 

[Echoes]

... how could it be wrong to link to what another website's random user has posted, from a book on display?

That's like six degrees of ass covering.

True enough. And it's on an official Wizards site, sanctioned by a moderator. At any rate if anyone wishes me to remove the link I will, but the thread is here.

 

[FabioMilitoPagliara]

Someone on the Gleemax forums is running a PbP game of Keep on the Shadowfell, and he has posted scans of the pregen characters - with mod approval, it seems. I don't know if it's kosher for me to link them here, though...

link away!

 

[baberg]

Level 2 Utility Powers, defined

Below is the entire text block for each of the level 2 Utility powers, in case the Gleemax link stops working for some reason or you're firewalled.

[sblock]Fighter
Unstoppable
You let your adrenaline surge carry you through battle
Daily, Healing, Martial
Minor Action, Personal
Effect: You gain 2d6+3 temporary hit points

Cleric
Cure Light Wounds
You utter a simple prayer and gain the power to instantly heal wounds, and your touch momentarily suffuses you or a wounded creature with a dim silver light
Daily, Divine, Healing
Standard Action, Melee touch
Target: You or one creature
Effect: The target regains hit points as if it had spent a healing surge

Rogue
Tumble
You tumble out of harm's way, dodging the opportunistic attacks of your enemies
Encounter, Martial
Move Action, Personal
Effect: You can shift 3 squares

Wizard
Expeditious Retreat
Your form blurs as you hastily withdraw from the battlefield
Daily, Arcane
Move Action, Personal
Effect: Shift up to twice your speed

Paladin
Martyr's Blessing
You step into an attack made against an adjacent ally
Daily, Divine
Immediate Interrupt, Close burst 1
Trigger: An adjacent ally is hit by a melee or ranged attack
Effect: You are hit by the attack instead[/sblock]

Level 3 Attacks

[sblock]
Fighter
Crushing Blow
You wind up and deliver a devastating blow with your weapon
Encounter, Martial, Weapon
Standard Action, Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: +7 vs AC
Hit: 4d6+8 damage

Cleric
Daunting Light
A burning column of light engulfs your foe, its brilliance burns an hinders your foe's defense for a short time
Encoutner, Divine, Implement, Radiant
Standard Action, Ranged 10
Target: One creature
Attack: +4 vs Reflex
Hit: 2d10 + 3 radiant damage
Effect: One ally you can see gains combat advantage against the target until the end of your next turn

Rogue
Bait and Switch
You strike and weave, causing your foe to lurch forward so that you can duck around him and slip into his space
Encounter, Martial, Weapon
Standard Action, Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: +9 vs Will
Hit: 2d4 +4 damage. In addition, you switch places with the target and can then shift up to 3 squares

Wizard
Fire Shroud
With a subtle gesture, you wreathe nearby enemies in flames
Encounter, Arcane, Fire, Implement
Standard Action, Close burst 3
Target: Each enemy in burst
Attack: +5 vs Fortitude
Hit: 1d8 + 4 fire damage, and ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends)

Paladin
Staggering Smite
With a mighty swing, you knock your enemy back
Encounter, Divine, Weapon
Standard Action, Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: +8 vs AC
Hit: 2d8 +4 damage, and you can push the target 1 square
[/sblock]

 

[Imaro]

Not sure if this has been posted yet, but here's the skill challenge from H1...it was posted at rpg.net here...
http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=393613&page=2 post#20


[sblock]The PCs can negotiate with this undead guy - I forget his name, he used to be the lord of Shadowfell Keep before he went crazy and killed his family and most everyone inside. The way the challenge is set up, the undead guy asks questions based on what skills the PCs are good at. For example, if one of the PCs has a holy symbol, he'll ask the PC "What god do you worship, and why do you find him worthy?" The player then rolls Religion (I can't remember the DC). There are suggestions for a bunch of skills, such as Diplomacy, Arcana, Percpetion, and so on. I think they need 4 successes before they got 4 failures. If they fail, he attacks. If they succeed, he believes them and gives them a magic item and advice.[/sblock]

 

[heretic888]

True enough. And it's on an official Wizards site, sanctioned by a moderator. At any rate if anyone wishes me to remove the link I will, but the thread is here.

From the Human Wizard sheet:

Human Bonuses: One extra at-will power, feat, trained skill, +1 to Fortitude, Reflex, and Will defenses (already included).​

Wow. Just wow. We already know humans get a +2 bonus to any ability score of their choice, too.

My fist character in 4E is so going to be a Human Rogue.

 

[jeffhartsell]

Looks like the half-elf cleric took Healing Lore instead of Ritual Casting. However, it does look like the half-elf is lacking in what we think are other racial abilities. If all the half-elf gets are the skills & stat bonuses and being able to take half-elf and human racial feats, that is lacking compared to the other races.

Also, the dwarf fighter only has 3 trained skills while the DDXP dwarf fighter had 4 trained skills.

 

[occam]

That's an incredibly lame nerf, and I'm pretty sure I won't be abiding by it.

Dunno I'll make it so that a dominated PC expends their encounter/daily if its used by the dominator, but you can rest assured they'll be able to do it.

Allowing PCs to use their encounter or daily powers against each other while dominated would totally throw off encounter balance in 4e, based on what we've seen, whether they're expended or not. PCs are built to take, and when necessary to give, a lot more than equivalent NPCs/monsters, because they get into a LOT more combat than NPCs. Compare PC dailies to attacks by monsters of the same level; they're way out of line. PCs would get smeared by NPCs with the same complement of powers as they (which is what dominated PCs or PC clones would be if they had no limitations on power use), since NPCs have no game incentive to hold back. Restricting power use to at-wills only seems like a pretty simple solution.

 

[occam]

I suspect that the dominated condition deliberately excludes using up limited resources, because if it doesn't it severely warps character tactics if facing something that has the dominate ability. It would mean you'd always use your most potent abilities as fast as possible, so you couldn't be forced to use them against your allies.

And this.