D&D 4E Now that people have played it... Is 4e hostile to hex ?

[Aloïsius]

There has been this argument about diagonal squares... I just wonder : what if you use hexes instead of squares ?
If you have played 4e, or if you think you have a good grasp of the new ruleset consequences, do you think it would be awkward to use hexes ? (or, god forbid, a mere graduated wire..)

 

[MarauderX]

In 4E diagonal movement is always a 5' move, even if you move diagonally from one side of a room to another.

IMO, hexes will work just as well.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I can't see any reason it wouldn't work WELL with hexes.

Area of Effect spells work like "Burst 1" which means 1 square in all directions from an origin square" IE a 9-grid. With hexes you'd pick a hex, and all the hexes around it (total of 7).

Everything else is simply counting squares in a line.

Should work well, though AoEs might hit a few less targets if you're fighting a horde (but both sides would be even.)

Fitz

 

[keterys]

No reason hexes couldn't work from what I saw - usual downsides for drawing straight lines and how many people can fit in an area, but should work just fine with area effects, movement, etc.

 

[Aloïsius]

So, maybe I will switch to hexes, if I can't accept the non-euclidean geometry.

 

[lbporter]

Hexes, despite my finding them a huge pain, do make flanking large or larger creatures a bit problematic, it is not as clear as it is with squares. Also it does make the kobold’s "mob tactics" a bit weaker as there are fewer adjacent squares. But this is a game where you can do what you want to have fun, so if you like creepy polygons that you cannot make a perfect polyhedron from, go for it.

Luke
(yes I find hexes creepy, so what?)

 

[dm4hire]

If you want to move away from grids then converting speed so that it means inches on a surface would be simple. In fact I might switch to that, which would give it the old feeling from back in the day before everyone switched to grids and played using miniature standards.

 

[frankthedm]

Hobgoblins also have an ability that hexes will nerf. it lets them attack and then adjust, provided that adjust leaves them adjacent to a hobgoblin.

From what it looks like, the corner cutting of diagonals is going to be a big part of combat strategy. Those diagonal shifts will be a major factor in kobold battles.

And this does not even begin to include the fact that hexes dramatically make defender's lives easier as they will be surrounded by far fewer foes.

 

[Ximenes088]

I'd say the fewer-attackers-on-the-defender is as much a disadvantage as an advantage. You _want_ the monsters on the defender, because there's no kinder, gentler place they can be.

 

[WSmith]

If you want to move away from grids then converting speed so that it means inches on a surface would be simple. In fact I might switch to that, which would give it the old feeling from back in the day before everyone switched to grids and played using miniature standards.

I say forget hexes and squares, get a measuring tape, and do exactly this.