Our First 3.5 game session -- First Blush

[A'koss]

It's probably an advantage, actually. Although now 12 instead of 8 Medium-sized creatures can theoretically gang up on him, that's hardly a disadvantage in practical terms (when was the last time in any game you ran that there wasn't enough room around the Ogre for the entire party?), and the change also increases his threatened area from 24 to 32 squares, makes it harder for people to tumble around him, and makes far fewer ogres fit into any given AOE. It does slow him down in a 5' wide passage, but speed was hardly ever one of the Ogre's major advantages...

When I say "more people can gang up on him", I mean that more people can attack his nearest face without having to go around side of him (4 vs 3). And when an ogre approaches or tries to move through a party, his larger face means that he'll take more AoO and make it easier for enemies to get at him (line of sight for missile fire becomes easier as well).

His enlarged threatened area does help him with an increased area in which to make AoO but other than that it does him no real practical good with just one attack per round. It would only help if he had increased reach as well.

It would be a slightly harder tumble to get by him only if you have to tumble straight through all his occupied/threatened squares, otherwise no. Smart rogues position themselves so that they only have to tumble through as few squares as possible.

And finally, as far as AoE are concerned, 3e's ogres could space themselves out as needbe to avoid AoE spells *or* close in to concentrate their attacks on a single target (like the lead fighter).

Again, I believe it hinders far more than it helps.


A'koss

 

[Celtavian]

re

The diagonal movement doesn't bother me in the slightest. Our gaming group has been using diagonal movement for nearly as long as we have been playing 3rd edition.

 

[Voadam]

Interestingly enough, I've read one of the designers of 3E noting that possibility of an undead creature being turned wasn't considered at all in the calculation of the Challenge Rating.

I wonder who that was? I read so much, I lose track.




Cheers!

Monte Cook in one of his AU diaries, I belive.