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<blockquote data-quote="AllisterH" data-source="post: 4137025" data-attributes="member: 51325">Hmm...but doesn't a -2 to attack basically result in a 4 level drop given the math behind the system? That's not an inconseuqntial penalty. True, in 3.x, a -2 to attack isn't much for front line characters thanks to the effect of str boosting and the BAB scale but a -2 to hit in 4E appears to be significant.I think WOTC decided on marks as a mechanic to represent an archtype (a.k.a, &quot;You will NOT pass&quot;/ &quot;The Bodyguard&quot; ) since OA thensekves gave rise to the cheesiness that was the chain wielding fighter.EDIT: The Aggro mechanicActually, the aggro mechanic is based on the fact that DMs, I hate to say, play monsters stupid. Most monsters with animal intelligence go for the weakest looking creature first (a.k.a, the guy NOT wielding the big pointy sword AND covered in hard to bite through armour) while most monsters with human level intelligence go for either the most dangerous target and or the easiest one to drop (which in both cases, is the mage).If a mage unleashes a fireball on a party of ogres and then the fighter gets in the way, a DM playing the monster intelligently should have the monster sidestep the fighter and attack the mage.That's not fun for the players of either the mage or the fighter and that's what gave birth to the aggro system in the MMORPG. There's a quote somewhere that a WoW designer was asked, &quot;How come you make the monster be subject to aggro&quot; and the designer pointed out, &quot;It would be ridiculously easy to design so that the monster attacks the weakest member/most damaging member first and always, but would that be fun?&quot;.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="AllisterH, post: 4137025, member: 51325"] Hmm...but doesn't a -2 to attack basically result in a 4 level drop given the math behind the system? That's not an inconseuqntial penalty. True, in 3.x, a -2 to attack isn't much for front line characters thanks to the effect of str boosting and the BAB scale but a -2 to hit in 4E appears to be significant. I think WOTC decided on marks as a mechanic to represent an archtype (a.k.a, "You will NOT pass"/ "The Bodyguard" ) since OA thensekves gave rise to the cheesiness that was the chain wielding fighter. EDIT: The Aggro mechanic Actually, the aggro mechanic is based on the fact that DMs, I hate to say, play monsters stupid. Most monsters with animal intelligence go for the weakest looking creature first (a.k.a, the guy NOT wielding the big pointy sword AND covered in hard to bite through armour) while most monsters with human level intelligence go for either the most dangerous target and or the easiest one to drop (which in both cases, is the mage). If a mage unleashes a fireball on a party of ogres and then the fighter gets in the way, a DM playing the monster intelligently should have the monster sidestep the fighter and attack the mage. That's not fun for the players of either the mage or the fighter and that's what gave birth to the aggro system in the MMORPG. There's a quote somewhere that a WoW designer was asked, "How come you make the monster be subject to aggro" and the designer pointed out, "It would be ridiculously easy to design so that the monster attacks the weakest member/most damaging member first and always, but would that be fun?". [/QUOTE]

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