Longtooth Shifter Regen

[mneme]

4e is, in fact, all about synergistic effects. Monsters with terrain that favors them. PCs who synergize well with other PCs in the party, or between their abilities.

If it weren't for synergistic effects, it would be a nerf to take power swap feats, or go hybrid, etc. The GM's role as gatekeeper and referee is important (particularly for arguable "infinities until the GMs slaps you," like the Arrdent's "wormhole plunge"), but it's also important that players be able to do stuff like lasting frost+wintertouched in order to build effective characters.

D&D4 (all versions of D&D, but 4e moreso) is as much as miniatures combat game as it is a roleplaying game, and both parts of this are important--if you're just interested in the roleplaying and story, you're better off using a system like Prime Time Adventure or FATE or Over the Edge, which are all about the story (and I do--when I don't want to let off steam by hitting things really hard .

 

[Jhaelen]

4e is, in fact, all about synergistic effects.

You're omitting the qualifier that makes all the difference here: 'non-obvious'. Of course, you're supposed to utilize synergistic effects. But all of them are supposed to be obvious.

Eliminating system mastery has been one of the design goals for 4e.

Exploiting loopholes is not utilizing synergy, it's just trying to exploit a bug in the rules, which will only work if the DM feels he has to allow it because it's 'RAW' and then usually only until the next round of errata comes around.

but it's also important that players be able to do stuff like lasting frost+wintertouched in order to build effective characters.

Excellent example, and your choice of words illustrates where I disagree:
Doing stuff like 'lasting frost+wintertouched' is not _required_ for an effective character. It's just an option that people have recognized as being even more effective than other perfectly effective options.

When one option is obviously better than every other option then it's not an option to be recommended for players, it's an option to be recommended for errata!

If an option is so good that no other options are even looked at, it either needs to be nerfed, or other options need to be boosted.

 

[babybacon]

The main problem here seems to be with the in addition part.

here is a encounter ability for the battle mind.

Mind of Endurance Battlemind Utility 16
You tap into your body's natural healin8 abilities and mend your wounds.
Daily. Healing, Psionic
Minor Action Personal

Effect: You spend a healing surge. In addition, until the end
of the encounter, you have regeneration 5 while you're
bloodied.

maybe this will clear some things up. but probably not.

 

[Kingreaper]

Note that there is a definite ending implied to "while it lasted." It did not, however, start and stop repeatedly.

That's because "lasting" is not a state that can start and stop. If something stops, it's done "lasting".

"My solar panels generate 500W while the sun is out" does start and stop; because the sun being out is a state that starts and stops (like being bloodied)

Mind of Endurance Battlemind Utility 16
You tap into your body's natural healin8 abilities and mend your wounds.
Daily. Healing, Psionic
Minor Action Personal

Effect: You spend a healing surge. In addition, until the end
of the encounter, you have regeneration 5 while you're
bloodied.

maybe this will clear some things up. but probably not.

To anyone who was having trouble this should definitely clear things up

While is clearly not a duration. If it was a duration the "until the end of the encounter" would be redundant.