New podcast...
- Thread starter breschau
- Start date
Nahat Anoj
First Post
First segment is a discussion of Gygax's impact on D&D, RPGs, and pop culture.
Second segment is about D&D XP:
MM felt that 4e was very positively received. Upset that his dragon didn't kill anyone (really bad luck with dice). Big thing in 4e is working as a team. People really started getting this on the second day. MM thought it was neat how people started narrating the use of their powers. MM thinks it's really neat how people are already writing adventures.
Third segment is the mailbag:
MM = Mike Mearls
DN = Dave Noonan
Q: With all the new powers, what will keep players from being unstoppable?
MM: The monsters. Because they don't "have" to follow the same rules as PC, this allows monsters to have their own special, powerful abilities. Monsters more dangerous now than in 3e.
Q: Will the drow remain a large and detailed part of 4e?
MM: Monster Manual has creature write-ups for a bunch of humanoid races. Intended for DMs to make NPCs, but DMs can allow players to make PCs with them. Drow among them.
DN: Not a full race write-up, but only a little left out. Doesn't affect character's viability.
Q: Will making 4e easier for DMs to manage mean that players will find it's not challenging?
MM: No. Lots of tactical things, and players will manage their own things. Trying to keep complexities to more manageable chunks.
DN: Emergent complexity. Combinations of the bits make it more complicated.
Q: How will new pantheon/cosmology effect existing settings?
MM: Pantheon has no effect on other settings. It's an example. FR will have it's own pantheon. Not a lot of deity specific material in PHB.
DN: Don't need to make mechanical changes to change your cosmology/pantheon. Just say this is your pantheon and go with it.
MM: All the places/planes in the cosmology of old are still there, but they are connected/arranged differently.
Q: What does it take to bring back old classes/PrCs?
MM: It depends. Use Paragon Paths, Feat chains, Powers, etc. to replicate 3e stuff as closely as possible.
DN: Usually straightforward to come up with 4e parallel. But he says WotC not looking at 3e sourcebooks for 4e material. They want to make new things, not make 4e versions of 3e things.
Q: Will future books have new paths/destinies? Race specific paths?
MM: Yes to both.
DN: He will be working on paths for future books.
Q: What sets humans apart from other races? If other races have all boosts, no penalties won't that give them an advantage over humans?
MM: Humans have all boosts, no penalties like other races. Race power has been recalibrated so that races are a bit stronger than previous. Monsters are also recalibrated higher.
DN: Every race is "above average." Analogous to saying everyone's "LA +1"
Q: Will there be cool holy symbols? Will clerics have implements like wizards?
MM: Holy symbols like a wand or staff now. Gives bonus to attack spells. Will have their own abilities.
Q: Has time be devoted to playtesting 4e without minis?
MM: If you play 3e without minis, you will still play 4e without minis. If you can change squares to feet you will be fine.
DN: Has tried playtesting without minis a little bit in 4e. It worked - he used his own map on scratchpaper. Also, both sides (PCs, monsters) may miss little things like some tactical opportunities that are easier to see with a map.
Q: How many spell levels are there?
MM: 30 levels of spells. Spell level = level you get it. 29 PC gets a 29th level spell. Most encounter spells have brief effects. Longer effect lasts, longer it takes to cast.
DN: Shouldn't assume every integer between 1-30 has been used.
Q: Are their random hitpoints?
MM: No. You can still roll hps, but not the default.
Q: Will each class have their own additions to the base progression? How is this simpler than each class just having their own progression?
MM: Classes do get some small things to add to progression. Ex.: fighters get a small bonus to melee. Not everyone uses same ability score to make attacks. Problem with 3e iterative attack progression is that the gap between classes gets too big. No "math model" behind 3e.
DN: Helped retrofit a math model to 3e monsters. Did this in 2004.
Q: Will there be provisions in 4e rules to edit monsters?
MM: Depends. Monster creation a bit more artistic. Give an explanation of how attacks/damage scales by level. No formula to run the game, DM runs the game.
DN: Probably could take an artillery monster power and swap it out for a soldier monster power. Not "exact" but good enough.
MM: Can still add levels, spells, other abilities. Add it and go.
Q: Will there be a 4.5e?
MM: Is fairly certain "No." Believes that 3.5e's minor changes not a great thing to do.
DN: Really doesn't want to do a 3.5e again.
Second segment is about D&D XP:
MM felt that 4e was very positively received. Upset that his dragon didn't kill anyone (really bad luck with dice). Big thing in 4e is working as a team. People really started getting this on the second day. MM thought it was neat how people started narrating the use of their powers. MM thinks it's really neat how people are already writing adventures.
Third segment is the mailbag:
MM = Mike Mearls
DN = Dave Noonan
Q: With all the new powers, what will keep players from being unstoppable?
MM: The monsters. Because they don't "have" to follow the same rules as PC, this allows monsters to have their own special, powerful abilities. Monsters more dangerous now than in 3e.
Q: Will the drow remain a large and detailed part of 4e?
MM: Monster Manual has creature write-ups for a bunch of humanoid races. Intended for DMs to make NPCs, but DMs can allow players to make PCs with them. Drow among them.
DN: Not a full race write-up, but only a little left out. Doesn't affect character's viability.
Q: Will making 4e easier for DMs to manage mean that players will find it's not challenging?
MM: No. Lots of tactical things, and players will manage their own things. Trying to keep complexities to more manageable chunks.
DN: Emergent complexity. Combinations of the bits make it more complicated.
Q: How will new pantheon/cosmology effect existing settings?
MM: Pantheon has no effect on other settings. It's an example. FR will have it's own pantheon. Not a lot of deity specific material in PHB.
DN: Don't need to make mechanical changes to change your cosmology/pantheon. Just say this is your pantheon and go with it.
MM: All the places/planes in the cosmology of old are still there, but they are connected/arranged differently.
Q: What does it take to bring back old classes/PrCs?
MM: It depends. Use Paragon Paths, Feat chains, Powers, etc. to replicate 3e stuff as closely as possible.
DN: Usually straightforward to come up with 4e parallel. But he says WotC not looking at 3e sourcebooks for 4e material. They want to make new things, not make 4e versions of 3e things.
Q: Will future books have new paths/destinies? Race specific paths?
MM: Yes to both.
DN: He will be working on paths for future books.
Q: What sets humans apart from other races? If other races have all boosts, no penalties won't that give them an advantage over humans?
MM: Humans have all boosts, no penalties like other races. Race power has been recalibrated so that races are a bit stronger than previous. Monsters are also recalibrated higher.
DN: Every race is "above average." Analogous to saying everyone's "LA +1"
Q: Will there be cool holy symbols? Will clerics have implements like wizards?
MM: Holy symbols like a wand or staff now. Gives bonus to attack spells. Will have their own abilities.
Q: Has time be devoted to playtesting 4e without minis?
MM: If you play 3e without minis, you will still play 4e without minis. If you can change squares to feet you will be fine.
DN: Has tried playtesting without minis a little bit in 4e. It worked - he used his own map on scratchpaper. Also, both sides (PCs, monsters) may miss little things like some tactical opportunities that are easier to see with a map.
Q: How many spell levels are there?
MM: 30 levels of spells. Spell level = level you get it. 29 PC gets a 29th level spell. Most encounter spells have brief effects. Longer effect lasts, longer it takes to cast.
DN: Shouldn't assume every integer between 1-30 has been used.
Q: Are their random hitpoints?
MM: No. You can still roll hps, but not the default.
Q: Will each class have their own additions to the base progression? How is this simpler than each class just having their own progression?
MM: Classes do get some small things to add to progression. Ex.: fighters get a small bonus to melee. Not everyone uses same ability score to make attacks. Problem with 3e iterative attack progression is that the gap between classes gets too big. No "math model" behind 3e.
DN: Helped retrofit a math model to 3e monsters. Did this in 2004.
Q: Will there be provisions in 4e rules to edit monsters?
MM: Depends. Monster creation a bit more artistic. Give an explanation of how attacks/damage scales by level. No formula to run the game, DM runs the game.
DN: Probably could take an artillery monster power and swap it out for a soldier monster power. Not "exact" but good enough.
MM: Can still add levels, spells, other abilities. Add it and go.
Q: Will there be a 4.5e?
MM: Is fairly certain "No." Believes that 3.5e's minor changes not a great thing to do.
DN: Really doesn't want to do a 3.5e again.
Last edited:
small pumpkin man
Explorer
grr, I don't really want itunes on my computer.
-edit, I guess reading that would work
-edit, I guess reading that would work
Keefe the Thief
Hero
Strange that it doesn´t work - Media Monkey downloaded the podcast yesterday without problem.
Snarls-at-Fleas
First Post
For those of you who don't have iTunes - here is the link - http://webcast2.wizards.com/podcasts_dandd/DnD_Episode21.m4a
