Podcast up

[Felon]

So, Bo9S. Warblades. Recovery mechanic way too easy. Broken. Check!

Thanks for the clarification. Lots of folks needed it.

 

[ZombieRoboNinja]

I think making everything more expensive is a mistake. Instead make it not so universally wanted.

For instance, a girdle of giant strength could give you the abilty 3/day to make a str check as if you had a 25 str. That would be very cool & thematic without screwing up your combat balance.

I'm almost 100% sure this isn't what they're talking about. The whole point of getting rid of +str items is that it slows down combat to have to adjust your combat stats for new ability scores - making the ability adjustment a single-round buff rather than a semi-permanent buff would only make that paperwork more common.

You COULD make it easier by saying the item only works on vanilla strength checks, not on attack rolls or anything else - but that seems like a solution that would require a pretty lame in-game justification. ("I can use the belt to push on this door with my hands, but not to smack it with my sledgehammer?")

I'm really hoping that they don't just make every decent magical item (except +x weapons/armor) into daily or per-encounter use items. Having a huge list of miscellaneous magic effects available, like a rogue or wizard with a bag full of scrolls and wands, is at LEAST as annoying as "Christmas tree buffs" IMO. Probably even more so, because rather than magic items being stuff you can just toss on for the stat benefits and then ignore, it becomes a central part of your tactical options.

 

[Traycor]

You COULD make it easier by saying the item only works on vanilla strength checks, not on attack rolls or anything else - but that seems like a solution that would require a pretty lame in-game justification. ("I can use the belt to push on this door with my hands, but not to smack it with my sledgehammer?")

It's seems very reasonable to me. The item is "magical" so, let's say it is capable of performing 'feats of great strength' but will not aid it's wielder in battle.

Mythical items usually have all kinds of restrictions on when they will function. I hate it when magic items are just like technology. "It's a strength item, so it should make me stronger all the time. It doesn't care what I'm doing." Bleh!

 

[Khuxan]

Actually, I'm getting the impression from the Podcast that both Rich Baker's original design was per-encounter, also, but more like one of the three classes (either crusader, warblade, or swordsage), and the 4E design team's per encounter was more like one of the remaining two, so they combined them in the book, to see which one fans through worked better. Based on his comments, I'm getting the feeling like Rich's was like the Warblade/crusader, and "Team Orcus" was more like the Swordsage, but it's all speculation.

Ah, that I understand. I would say, though, that warblade was Rich's, the crusader was Orcus's, and the swordsage was a compromise between the two, or a third left-over idea. The reason I say this is because I think I remember a quote by Mearls talking about card-drawing and a whole new 'mini-game' - and that sounds like the crusader to me.

It's all idle speculation, I guess, unless we were to send Rich a PM.

 

[Henry]

Ah, that I understand. I would say, though, that warblade was Rich's, the crusader was Orcus's, and the swordsage was a compromise between the two, or a third left-over idea.

Sounds more likely. It's always cool to get glimpses of all the oddball changes a rule goes through in development.

 

[Felon]

I'm almost 100% sure this isn't what they're talking about. The whole point of getting rid of +str items is that it slows down combat to have to adjust your combat stats for new ability scores - making the ability adjustment a single-round buff rather than a semi-permanent buff would only make that paperwork more common.

You COULD make it easier by saying the item only works on vanilla strength checks, not on attack rolls or anything else - but that seems like a solution that would require a pretty lame in-game justification. ("I can use the belt to push on this door with my hands, but not to smack it with my sledgehammer?").

Well, that's lame just because people don't want GoOP for Strength checks.

There's all sorts of ways to make'em cool without giving a flat Str bonus. Too many ways to really bother trying to divine what they ultimately did. Any worthwhile idea is likely to become a magic item at some point anyway.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Wow. That would be so boring and lame I would just cry. Items that add + to numbers are the dullest thing ever invented.

Please, please, please let them do something more original than that...

Just an observation.

4e isn't about originality. It's about speeding up game play and keeping it simple.

 

[Gort]

So, Bo9S. Warblades. Recovery mechanic way too easy. Broken. Check!

Thanks for the clarification. Lots of folks needed it.

I don't get what you're trying to say.

 

[Badkarmaboy]

Just an observation.

4e isn't about originality. It's about speeding up game play and keeping it simple.

That's not a very accurate statement. It's akin to saying, "3.x isn't about DM creativity. It's about following all the rules all the time." Neither of those statements are fair or true.

The Devs have stated on a couple occasions that they don't want items that simply enhance a stat, but items that provide an interesting benefit. I cringe when the Bull Strengthed, raging, Barbarian gets nailed by a Ray of Enfeeblement. "Dang man, I gotta recalculate all my power attack bonuses and stuff", and the game grinds to a halt.

If that stops happening in 4E, count me a happy man.

Besides, if the MIC is any indication, I think they'll have some interesting pieces of gear.

 

[JoeGKushner]

That's not a very accurate statement. It's akin to saying, "3.x isn't about DM creativity. It's about following all the rules all the time." Neither of those statements are fair or true.

The Devs have stated on a couple occasions that they don't want items that simply enhance a stat, but items that provide an interesting benefit. I cringe when the Bull Strengthed, raging, Barbarian gets nailed by a Ray of Enfeeblement. "Dang man, I gotta recalculate all my power attack bonuses and stuff", and the game grinds to a halt.

If that stops happening in 4E, count me a happy man.

Besides, if the MIC is any indication, I think they'll have some interesting pieces of gear.

Based on the limited information we have in regards to things like critical hits and the disdain for power attack, I would bet money that in 99.9% of the cases, if two options are providied, one that reeks of 'cool' and another that smells of simplification, they'll go for the latter. (Oddly enough when they could've simplified the stats = bonuses I think they keep the 3-18 for cows sake.)