D&D 4E List of Potential New Martial Practices

[Garthanos]

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

I have ulterior motives in thinking about this ... ie maybe this can give me those flavor numbers for my Marshalling Troop / Oath of Fealty (Warlord Practice)



Old school Knight is a level 1 4e fighter of course but it wasnt a landed one.

I estimate the roundtable knights a bit higher (aside from wierdos like other PCs) in 1e terms most Roundtable knights I believe had their own estates and castles and followers and it took a lot bullying and impressing to get them under the Dragons Banner, I think we can use the Name Level == Paragon.

I think you estimated Arthur Close but I am going a couple levels higher (say early epic) . Epic Destinies on board by the time he was dealing with that many. (100+ roundtable knights)

A fireteam I was thinking were like 4 or 5 sturdy 2 hit minions or the squad as 10 normal minions. And that many can generate 1 success for a challenge of their level. (Heros and heroic effort is pretty awesome) ---> if that works we have our numbers.

Arthur deciding to use his Oaths of Fealty / Marshalling Troops practice in an at level challenge like hunting for the grail - perhaps those 100 knights are 25 fireteam worth of characters which are 10 levels lower than Arthur (and the skill challenge).

Technically one could get fewer of those with their own followers backing them handwave handwave for the war between Mordred and Arthur. Arthur got only part of his round table but this wasnt a holy quest and they pulled in their followers and so over all potency could still be analogous to the Grail Quest forces

I am thinking flavor math here... you complained about the somewhat more rigorous math

All I am shooting for is the "Hey that kind of works feeling"

Yeah, and I think that the way 4e works it makes sense. You just need 'success equivalents' and 'monster equivalents' to mesh in with the encounter/challenge system. This is really one of the best parts about 4e. It is actually pretty easy to make up even some pretty crazy stuff.

 

[Garthanos]

Added in Patrol and Squadron military units also note how the levelling works with the cost system at a 5x rate per 5 levels.

fireteam(4 or 5) at level but 2 hit minions
squad (10) at level normal minions
patrol of 20 to 25 2 hit minions 5 levels lower
platoon (40 or 50) 5 levels lower normal minions
company or centurion 100 10 levels lower 2 hit minions
squadron of (200 or 250) 10 levels lower 1 hit minions
legion.(4000 or 5000) 15 levels lower

 

[Garthanos]

You just need 'success equivalents' and 'monster equivalents' to mesh in with the encounter/challenge system.

Could you elaborate a little... (pretty sure I get monster equivalents though)

 

[Garthanos]

Yeah, and I think that the way 4e works it makes sense.

I think in this instance many things come together to make this work fairly elegantly - skill challenges, minions, practices and this time I am even liking how the economics work out.

To me doing 1e things in a 4e way is kind of badass and demonstrates how robust and flexible 4e is.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Could you elaborate a little... (pretty sure I get monster equivalents though)

Well, when dealing with SCs, then you want to figure out what the resource expended is that equates to a success. I mean, its not really that hard, we normally consider a daily to be worth a success (or in HoML a Vitality Point expenditure). In terms of these minion groups I guess you could say "well, my legion perished holding back the demon lord for 1 hour!" which gives you a success (given some particular fictional position).

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

I think in this instance many things come together to make this work fairly elegantly - skill challenges, minions, practices and this time I am even liking how the economics work out.

To me doing 1e things in a 4e way is kind of badass and demonstrates how robust and flexible 4e is.

Definitely, this goes to things like "I made my way to the location of a teacher." (completed an encounter and got taught a grand master training by the teacher, which is a treasure parcel). That sort of thing. "My business was successful this month and I made 1000gp" (successful SC gives a treasure parcel of 1000gp). You can pretty much recast everything in those terms and it 'just works'.

 

[Garthanos]

In terms of these minion groups I guess you could say "well, my legion perished holding back the demon lord for 1 hour!" which gives you a success (given some particular fictional position).

Sure that result could also be after holding the demonlord off for an hour the legion was routed in disarray and needing money to heal with and the death prices for some to assure you maintain karma and can call on them or even others like them again... A good roll means they gained lots of glory and trust your leadership even more and it costs less karma and fewer died.

You could even use when you are on the edge of no resources and I rolled badly and I don't have any karma or gold to pay for it I cannot use again till I do which symbolically means a loss of reputation people not trusting you a debt of "death prices" for some and so on. Though you can make amends or overcome the reputation fail.

Players and DMs could/should cooperate in describing the results.

 

[Garthanos]

At low level you spent ten gold to have 10 minions to watch the borders of the township, in story maybe 1 total died and the majority of the money went to the family of that individual and the others who only got silvers also got part of the glory of defending the village and will be telling their sons and daughters. The family knows you care and will produce more sons also interested in following you and your lineage etc. instead of wanting your head.

This is compared to improvising the same trick and hiring mercenaries for 36 gold.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Right, maybe as an extreme you can 'temporarily sacrifice' your capability, like your troupe is decimated and must regroup, but you get an automatic success as they put up a stubborn rear-guard action to allow the refugees to escape. Later you can accept some sort of cost to undo that, a treasure parcel, a personal debt, etc.

You could even, in the right situation, make it an 'ultimate sacrifice', the 300 are wiped out to a man, but the great evil army is turned back at the pass! They're gone, you won't get them back, but of course you've created the basis for a new legend.