Let’s Write Some Generic Powers and Power Guidelines

[Tequila Sunrise]

Let’s Write Some Generic Powers and Power Guidelines

The Pitch
There’ve been quite a few complaints that 4e has too many conditions to track, there are too many fiddly bonuses and effects, and that combat takes a long time. I sympathize with these complaints, so I’m writing some generic powers for those players who just want to roll fistfuls of damage dice. Here’s what I’m thinking:
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Encounter 3: +0 dice
Encounter 7: +1 die
Encounter 13: +1 die
Encounter 17: +2 dice
Encounter 23: +2 dice
Encounter 27: +3 dice

Daily 5: +1 die
Daily 9: +2 dice
Daily 15: +3 dice
Daily 19: +4 dice
Daily 25: +5 dice
Daily 29: +6 dice
[/sblock]
Here are some example generic powers:

Generic Fighter Powers
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Hack
Encounter Martial, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength vs. AC
Weapon: If you’re wielding a heavy blade, a light blade, a flail or a spear, you gain a bonus to the attack roll equal to half your Dexterity modifier.
Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage.
Weapon: If you’re wielding an axe, a hammer, a pick, a staff or a mace, the attack deals extra damage equal to your Constitution modifier.
Weapon: If you’re wielding a polearm, you knock the target prone.
Note: You only add one weapon benefit to this power. If you’re wielding a weapon that counts as two weapon types, pick one.

Shield Bash
Encounter Martial
Standard Action Melee 1
Requirement: You must be wielding a shield
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength vs. Reflex
Hit: 2d8 + Strength modifier damage, and you push the target a number of squares equal to your Dexterity modifier.
Weapon: If you’re wielding a spiked shield, the attack deals extra damage equal to your Dexterity modifier.
Special: This power gains an enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls:
Level Enhancement Bonus
1-4 +1
5-10 +2
11-14 +3
15-20 +4
21-24 +5
25-30 +6

Shield Crush
Daily Martial
Standard Action Melee 1
Requirement: You must be wielding a shield
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength vs. Reflex
Hit: 3d8 + Strength modifier damage, and you push the target a number of squares equal to your Dexterity modifier.
Miss: Half damage, and you push the target a number of squares equal to half your Dexterity modifier.
Special: This power gains an enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls:
Level Enhancement Bonus
1-4 +1
5-10 +2
11-14 +3
15-20 +4
21-24 +5
25-30 +6

Slash
Daily Martial, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength vs. AC
Hit: 3[W] + Strength modifier damage.
Miss: Half damage.
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Generic Rogue Powers
[sblock]
Hack
Encounter Martial, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Requirement: You must be wielding a light blade.
Target: One creature
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + Dexterity modifier damage.
Artful Dodger: Slide the target a number of squares equal to your Charisma modifier.
Brutal Scoundrel: This attack deals extra damage equal to your Strength modifier.

Slash
Daily Martial, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Requirement: You must be wielding a light blade.
Target: One creature
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: 3[W] + Dexterity modifier damage.
Miss: Half damage.
[/sblock]
Generic Wizard Powers
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Burn
Encounter Arcane, Implement
Standard Action Area burst 3 within 10 squares
Target: All creatures in burst
Attack: Intelligence vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d8 + Intelligence modifier fire damage.
Wand of Accuracy: One target of your choice takes extra damage equal to your dexterity modifier.

Incinerate
Daily Arcane, Implement
Standard Action Area burst 3 within 10 squares
Target: All creatures in burst
Attack: Intelligence vs. Reflex
Hit: 2d8 + Intelligence modifier fire damage.
Miss: Half damage.
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The idea is to have a bunch of 1st level example powers, and then just be able to tack on damage dice at appropriate levels if that’s what a player wants.

The Hard Part
That’s the easy part. The hard part is guidelines for more complex powers other than “compare to existing powers.” Quite a few DMs have said that they’d like to home brew powers, but aren’t comfortable without a set of guidelines. So it’d be nice to have a chart full of basic stuff like “Slow is worth half a damage die, immoblize is worth one die and restrain is worth two dice.” Or something.

 

[Mentat55]

For damage, I would go higher. Make it 3 dice for level 3 and 7, 4 dice in paragon, 5 dice in epic. Maybe make the progression steeper for strikers. For daily powers, I might start at 3 dice and step it up 1 die each time, so you max out at 9 dice. Perhaps even more -- frankly, a 4 dice damage level 1 daily power with no other effects (except for perhaps half damage on a miss or being reliable) would be just a middle of the road choice, if even that.

For your simpler generic powers, extra damage, forced movement, prone, teleport, and moving/shifting seem like the most straightforward options, since they all happen instantaneously and are not persistent effects that need to be tracked.

For rating conditions for your power creation guidelines, a pretty good starting point may be the Tutorial: Terrain Powers article. That article rates conditions or effects based on tier and the type of action needed to achieve the effect (for terain powers), but a similar ranking could be used. Obviously these terrain powers are missing some conditions and effects, but I figure you can at least use it to get the ball rolling.

 

[the Jester]

I don't know... seems iffy.

The reason I say this is because strikers tend to have higher-damage powers while leaders tend to have lower-damage powers. I don't think one size fits all here, personally.

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

OP edited to be less conservative. Though I'd rather err on the side of middle-of-the-road than suddenly-damage-is-the-best-status-effect.

For rating conditions for your power creation guidelines, a pretty good starting point may be the Tutorial: Terrain Powers article.

Thanks, I'll check that out!

I don't know... seems iffy.

The reason I say this is because strikers tend to have higher-damage powers while leaders tend to have lower-damage powers. I don't think one size fits all here, personally.

No, certainly not. Most generic powers will 'lose' a damage die to some basic role-based rider. Even some striker powers. (Rage dailies, for example.)

EDIT: Er, were you talking about The Hard Part? If so, well, I could be wrong but I don't think striker powers inherently deal more damage than other powers. It's just that other powers tend to deal less damage because they have better extras.

 

[RangerWickett]

I pondered a build-yer-own system for a while. The basic philosophy was this:

At first level, a 'standard action basic attack' does an average of 8 damage, if you don't add any class abilities. Just dice (usually d8 = 4.5 average) and stat mod (16 or 18 = 3.5 average). Figure you hit 60-ish% of the time, and that's an average of 5 damage per round.

5 damage in a turn = 1 point.

However, every turn, a PC generally accomplishes 2 points worth of stuff.

For a slayer, those 2 points are because his at-will does twice as much damage as a basic attack (higher accuracy, extra stat, stance, etc.)

For a knight, those 2 points are because his at-will does slightly more damage, and he tends to negate or punish enemies.

For a mage, he does average damage, but either hits areas or denies enemies their actions.

For a warpriest, he does average damage, but he grants bonuses to allies and by healing or temp HP he negates actions of their enemies.

Older classes weren't so simple to figure out. An avenger, for instance, gets multiple attack rolls, and his powers do more damage inherently.


Encounter powers are 3 points, dailies are 4. This gets a bit higher with higher levels.

So I'd say if you want to simplify stuff, design powers with that logic. All powers default to 1[w]+stat (or 1d8+stat for implements?), and then you have a class ability to give you the extra "1 point." Slayer gets bonus damage. Mage can apply some mild condition. Etc.

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

OP edited to add more stuff!

Encounter powers are 3 points, dailies are 4. This gets a bit higher with higher levels.

So I'd say if you want to simplify stuff, design powers with that logic. All powers default to 1[w]+stat (or 1d8+stat for implements?), and then you have a class ability to give you the extra "1 point." Slayer gets bonus damage. Mage can apply some mild condition. Etc.

Yeah, that's pretty much exactly my way of thinking. Although I'm still working out how to put that into words for the Hard Part.

Looking at Wrecan's terrain conditions, and adding a few that DMs are likely to want to add to class powers, I came up with this very rough chart:

Group 1: Deafen, Slow
Group 2: Prone, Push, Pull, Slide, 5 Ongoing Damage
Group 3: CA, Mark, -2 Defense
Group 4: Blind, Daze, Immobilize, Weaken, -2 Attacks
Group 5: Restrain
Group 6: Dominate, Petrify, Stun

I've been trying to assign damage dice-equivalency guidelines, but it's tough. For example, Restrain is clearly superior to Immobilize, but only because it effectively adds CA and -2 Attacks.