Rodney Thompson's Playtest Report on Gleemax

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Putting on my game designer hat for a second, though, I think 4E is going to be SO much easier to design and develop material for. Having already done so a bit, and having seen how the mechanics are put together, it kind of amazes me that it wasn't done this way sooner. I know this is going to frustrate people a lot with its vagueness, but having all the math essentially done for us ahead of time seems to be letting us focus more on the creative side of things than on the balance side of things.

If this translates over onto the DM side of things I'm very happy about this. Though, as a consumer, I don't know why I wouldn't be, presumably this means better balance.

 

[WhatGravitas]

Could you just imagine that? Or worse yet trying to fight that? Sure the teleports might be LOS, but still add in a few warlocks and you'll have characters flashing around like Blink Dogs. Strobe party effect.

Can you imagine what great opponent material this will produce? A group of Eladrin assassins... could be very fearsome - because they're perhaps always flanking.

Cheers, LT.

 

[Merlin the Tuna]

Can you imagine what great opponent material this will produce? A group of Eladrin assassins... could be very fearsome - because they're perhaps always flanking.

With proper use of shadows, terrain, and (potentially) spells, it could be difficult for a group to figure out how many of them there are. Could be fun... or a TPK bloodbath.

 

[Rechan]

Wow... like a planar trip-mine. Cool.

Though I'd say the Eladrin is ethereal on both planes during the move. The trap would have to be pretty sophisticated to affect them.

See, here I was just thinking of a sniper or a creature native to the Feywild in league with the BBEG.

Can you imagine what great opponent material this will produce? A group of Eladrin assassins... could be very fearsome - because they're perhaps always flanking.

Phase Spider Nest.

 

[Plane Sailing]

- has ray of frost (slows enemies down)

I would be very pleased if 4e handles one of my bugbears about all previous editions. i.e. the handling of energy damage.

In all previous editions fire, cold, electricity etc have basically just been a label that tells you what energy resistance will reduce its damage. Various spells which do a particular energy type may or may not have a related side effect.

What I houseruled back in my AD&D days was defined side effects for energy - fire ignited, electricity stunned, cold slowed etc(so WoW and Diablo etc copied it from ME ). I'd love to see that properly integrated into the game, and this titbit about the ray of frost gives me a smidgen of hope that it might yet happen!

Cheers

 

[TerraDave]

And I feel good about 4thed again.

Regarding the teleport: I also think in one of those podcasts that "line of sight teleport" was specifically mentioned.

 

[Rechan]

What I houseruled back in my AD&D days was defined side effects for energy - fire ignited, electricity stunned, cold slowed etc(so WoW and Diablo etc copied it from ME ). I'd love to see that properly integrated into the game, and this titbit about the ray of frost gives me a smidgen of hope that it might yet happen!

Cheers

So basically like the 4th level Orb spells.

 

[Cadfan]

They do in Diablo 2 as well. Oh noes, the Diabloization of D&D!

Ice slows people in Desktop Tower Defense 1.5!!! They're Desktop Tower Defense 1.5ing D&D!

 

[Wormwood]

After slogging through some very long Red Hand of Doom combats, 4e's apparent facility for handling large numbers of combatants is now my favorite feature.

 

[Cadfan]

Am I the only one confused by such an 'iconic' monster as a copper dragon being the DM's invention?

I can speculate here a little bit.

Possibilities:

1: Copper dragons are in, but they aren't appropriate to 2nd level. The DM wanted to use one, so he made one.
2: Copper dragons are in, but not appropriate to 2nd level. We've been told that there are benchmarks for advancing or regressing monsters, and the DM wanted to playtest them by regressing a dragon back to 2nd level.
3: Copper dragons are out, because WOTC thinks that having dozens of dragon types based on multiple color wheels, and the DM wanted them in.