Limiting magic item use per day and "Milestones" = very bad

[Nifft]

Every even encounter of the day is a milestone. You gain an action point and another daily magic item usage each milestone (probably something else too, but I don't remember it offhand).

Also, some magic items have an enhanced effect if you've hit a Milestone before using their power.

I like 'em. It's a nice balance between rewarding resource management and rewarding bloody-minded determination, both of which are to be encouraged.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Scribble]

Personally I see the whole "gammist" "simmulationist" thing silly. Seems like they're just words people use to either bash another group, or choose sides... D&D is a game where you pretend to be a fantasy character.

If I don't have an issue pretending to be an elf, I don't have an issue pretending to be an elf with a piece of magic equipment that drawls energy fro me, and therefore just takes too much out of my personal being to use more then once. There are LOADS of stories with this concept in them.

Personally I think it's cool... It leaves room for house rules like you can use it more then once, but if you do, bad things happen...

Action points don't bother me either, in the same vein hitpoints and Armor class and stat numbers and movement rates and all don't.

 

[sjmiller]

RAW does say that encounters must be legitimate threats to count. Sack of rats, vicious bunnies, etc don't count. And if the party is picking a slightly easier encounter, well, that's reasonable. "I'm slightly winded after that last fight, lets avoid that dragon till I'm feeling up to it."

Actually, that is not true. According to the PH an encounter can be a combat encounter or a noncombat encounter. A combat encounter is a battle against nefarious foes. A noncombat encounter is just about anything else, including dealing with traps, solving puzzles, talking to NPCs, and the like. So dealing with a couple of sets of NPCs, talking with them, maybe trading with them, technically count as two encounters and would be a milestone. It does not say that a combat encounter must be against a legitimate threat.

 

[malraux]

Actually, that is not true. According to the PH an encounter can be a combat encounter or a noncombat encounter. A combat encounter is a battle against nefarious foes. A noncombat encounter is just about anything else, including dealing with traps, solving puzzles, talking to NPCs, and the like. So dealing with a couple of sets of NPCs, talking with them, maybe trading with them, technically count as two encounters and would be a milestone. It does not say that a combat encounter must be against a legitimate threat.

And according to the DMG, an encounter of party level - 2 or lower does not count toward milestones. So unless the negotiations are tough, requiring a skill challenge at around the party's level, no it doesn't.

 

[Victim]

Increased item use seems like a valuable incentive to keep pressing on.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I've seen zero problems with this. We've gone through almost all of KotS and tracking milestones and all that is simple and straightforward (especially since I tend to use Action Points a lot, so I want to make sure I get them back when I've earned them).

And I don't see how it would break the fourth wall anymore than hit points would.

I'm not saying that it wouldn't be simple to track, it's just that it seems arbitrary and out of place. Hit points don't break the fourth wall because they've become a genre convention, and are just a handy method of keeping track of damage or whatever.

Milestones don't seem to have any logical place in the world. Encounter is fine, Daily is fine, milestone? It just seems like an arbitrary mechanic.

For me, arbitrary mechanics break the fourth wall. Mechanics which are obviously supporting the genre don't.

Regards,

 

[fuzzlewump]

a) Magic is not like pulling a trigger on a gun, or pressing a button and monsters go bye bye. Magic is draining, and adventurers regain this power by either resting for 6 hours or by being successful in their exploits. With success comes the will to push ever forward, and that will is why drives the power of magic.

b) Magic is unexplainable, working in mysterious ways. Some scholars believe to be about the conservation of energy, though it is energy unseen. As the story of one creature ends, the energy of the being is given to the victors, and with enough energy comes the ability to unlock the magic within the relics and artifacts used by the adventurers.

 

[Scribble]

I'm not saying that it wouldn't be simple to track, it's just that it seems arbitrary and out of place. Hit points don't break the fourth wall because they've become a genre convention, and are just a handy method of keeping track of damage or whatever.

Milestones don't seem to have any logical place in the world. Encounter is fine, Daily is fine, milestone? It just seems like an arbitrary mechanic.

For me, arbitrary mechanics break the fourth wall. Mechanics which are obviously supporting the genre don't.

Regards,

Yeah but is that simply because it's a new idea?

I mean when people first saw Hit Points, I wonder if people thought the idea that you could take multiple "hits" broke the 4th wall...

 

[Nifft]

I'm not saying that it wouldn't be simple to track, it's just that it seems arbitrary and out of place. Hit points don't break the fourth wall because they've become a genre convention, and are just a handy method of keeping track of damage or whatever.

So have Milestones. You're just used to only having one type, and calling them Days or Levels.

Don't be all scared because it's new. You'll get used to this, too.

Ciao, -- N

 

[Andor]

I see the daily powers of magic items as pushing them beyond their limits instead of an ability that is usable all the time. Sort of a magical turbo boost. OK that is not a good example

Milestones are a mechanical benefit for characters driving the story forward, I see it as a feature for creating good adventure pacing.

Nnno. Not unless they have been misrepresented. They are an award for picking a fight, right? If the story has them going to the ball to charm the baroness, but they need to pick a fight with a streetgang first to work up the mojo to use the widget of charm then the milestone mechanic is visibly detracting from the progress of the adventure.