D&D 4E messy's 4e newbie questions thread

[sabrinathecat]

... it's not uncommon for a player to hang onto a lower-level power right up into Epic simply because it synergises better with his character than the higher-level alternatives.

Indeed. I've seen a warlock hold onto lvl1 daily Crown of Stars all the way to lvl30, and my dwarf fighter didn't like the options for lvl27 powers, so took a second lvl23 instead.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Yeah, honestly I have to say that high level powers are really not that much better than low level ones. Sometimes they have some more debilitating effects, and there are a few standouts at most levels of most classes but to a large extent the lower level powers aren't that much weaker, and many of the best ones are worth keeping. Damage output is rarely much higher for the high level powers either. You do get some high damage dailies, but they don't really account for the vast majority of high damage character's output.

I think WotC missed the boat when they decided to have new powers that swap in at higher levels instead of doing some basic scaling of lower level powers. It would have reduced the amount of cruft in the game a LOT.

 

[The Human Target]

Yeah, honestly I have to say that high level powers are really not that much better than low level ones. Sometimes they have some more debilitating effects, and there are a few standouts at most levels of most classes but to a large extent the lower level powers aren't that much weaker, and many of the best ones are worth keeping. Damage output is rarely much higher for the high level powers either. You do get some high damage dailies, but they don't really account for the vast majority of high damage character's output.

I think WotC missed the boat when they decided to have new powers that swap in at higher levels instead of doing some basic scaling of lower level powers. It would have reduced the amount of cruft in the game a LOT.

Yup, its probably 4es biggest mistake.

Cut way down on powers and probably drop epic from the basic rules would have saved a huuuuuge amount of space.

That could have been used for flavor text and roleplaying suggestions.

Probably would have helped the game a lot with a large segment of the D&D audience.

 

[sabrinathecat]

Well, that does open up a whole different can-o-worms
I like the idea of a heroic power that dazes, step up to a Paragon power that Stuns, then to an Epic power that Dominates. To me, the problem was that the game wasn't consistently doing that sort of thing.
Most later feat benefits scaled, where other original ones didn't. And some of the glitches read like they never play-tested the power/rule at all. (Radiant Servant power "Solar Wrath" was a close burst 7 in the printed PHB!!! Way more powerful than any other power of that level)
The lack of direction, combined with the back-pedaling because one vocal group or another was bitching about not liking the rules, and WotC trying to please everyone, turned a well designed game into a mess.

 

[Jhaelen]

65. following up #42, is changing powers that do radiant damage to necrotic damage when used by evil creatures a reasonable houserule?

No. Damage types are usually picked for a reason and they're _not_ all created equal. Radiant is one of the most powerful damage types while necrotic is one of the weakest. The reason for the difference in power is the availabilty of resistances against damage types. I wouldn't change damage types around for no good reason.

66. following up #56, since pcs and npcs are created differently, if an npc becomes an ally (or even a pc), would that character's stats need to be changed?

Depends, but usually no.
If you design an npc that has the potential of becoming an ally, you'll probably already have designed her in a way that allows her to be used as a companion character. NPCs that don't have that potential are simply monsters. You could still easily allow them to be played by players, unless they're Elite or Solo.

 

[Storminator]

65. following up #42, is changing powers that do radiant damage to necrotic damage when used by evil creatures a reasonable houserule?

Radiant damage is from powers granted by the gods. And the Astral Sea book says souls power the Astral realms, but they fade away over time.

Radiant damage is people! It's people!



PS

 

[messy]

69. following up #62, if the movement associated with deft strike provokes opportunity attacks then why is it mentioned in the power description?

70. can conjurations be involved in flanking?

71. it seems that knowledge skills have been combined: arcana now includes arcana and the planes (with regard to the elemental chaos, the feywild, and the shadowfell); history now includes geography, history, local, and nobility; and religion now includes religion and the planes (with regard to the astral sea); but what happened to engineering?

72. where can i find rules and prices for barding?

much gratitude for all replies.

 

[The Human Target]

69. I don't entirely get what the question is. But deft strike allows you to move 2 squares, not shift two squares. And moves always provoke, unless a power explicitly says it doesn't.

70. Nope, because only creatures can flank with each other and conjurations aren't creatures.

71. It wasn't considered useful enough to be a discrete skill so anything that would fall under the umbrella of engineering would be an ability check. Usually Intelligence.

72. Off the top of my head magic barding is in the Adventurers Vault. Not sure regular barring is ever priced.

 

[MarkB]

69. following up #62, if the movement associated with deft strike provokes opportunity attacks then why is it mentioned in the power description?

Because it's movement you can take as part of the standard action taken to use that power, separate from any other movement you might use that turn. That has several effects:

It means you can move further on your turn than you normally could when making an attack, by using both the movement associated with the power and the normal movement allowed by a Move action.

It means you could move as part of the attack, then use your Move action for some other purpose.

It means you'd still be able to both move and attack if you were Dazed and limited to a single action.

If you're a rogue who is currently Hidden, it means you can use that power to move into plain sight without provoking Opportunity Attacks and then still attack with Combat Advantage, because you retain the advantages of being Hidden until the end of the action that causes you to lose your Hidden status.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

69. following up #62, if the movement associated with deft strike provokes opportunity attacks then why is it mentioned in the power description?

In case someone forgets, I assume. But I don't recall any such text in the power. It just lets you move 2 squares. Moving provokes unless specifically stated otherwise.

70. can conjurations be involved in flanking?

No, but summons can. Note that conjurations do not technically get opportunity attacks, but many shaman conjurations allow the shaman to get an OA when an opponent would have provoked an OA from a conjuration.

Conjurations are more like objects than creatures. Flaming Sphere is a good example; it has no mind of its own, cannot flank, does not give the wizard opportunity options, etc.

71. it seems that knowledge skills have been combined: arcana now includes arcana and the planes (with regard to the elemental chaos, the feywild, and the shadowfell); history now includes geography, history, local, and nobility; and religion now includes religion and the planes (with regard to the astral sea). but what happened to engineering?

Dungeoneering.

72. where can i find rules and prices for barding?

The Adventurer's Vault.