D&D 4E Tell us what you like and don't like about 4e

[Turanil]

You guys rock. I fell laughing to the ground almost every post. Obviously, WotC should hire you to design anything from now.

This thread must be archived!!

 

[William Ronald]

I found the scratch and sniff cards for the monsters to be problematic, as one DM ran an encounter involving ghouls, ghasts, and an oytugh. Fortunately, I brought my gas mask with me.

 

[StupidSmurf]

I dunno, the more I see of 4E, the more it seems that the designers just aren't trying anymore. Having a pantheon of gods named "Steve", "Bob", and "Chuck"?? I mean, what's up with that!

I am also not so comfortable with that new wand, the Wand of Destroying Pretty Much Anything I Don't Like, and that new spell "I Kill The Monster and Take Its Treasure".

At first I thought the spell "Give Victim ADD" was something meant to conjure gaming materials to throw at your foe. Instead, it gives them Attention Deficit Disorder (e.g. "Grimzor smash you now...ooooh, Grimzor think this stonework is very very well done! Pretty!").

And changing the attribute names...Geez. Why?

Strength = Buffitude
Dexterity = Movez
Con = Gutz
Intelligence = Brainz
Wisdom = Savvy
Charisma = Smoothness
Comeliness = Hawtness


Are half of these terms even real words?????

On the upside, I'll admit that I like the hardwired rules governing players bribing the DM with food. The chart outlining the different types of food and drink and assigning each one a bribe value is great. And having the Bribe Value measured in Suck Up Points (SUP) is great.

Sample Chart
Item Bribe Value
Broccoli..........................1 SUP*
Tofu..............................1 SUP*
Light Beer.......................1 SUP*
Chips.............................2 SUP
Regular Beer....................3 SUP
Extra Slice of Pizza...........5 SUP
Lindt Chocolate Truffles...10 SUP

Situational Modifiers:
X2 if the DM is really really hungry
X3 if bribe presented by member of opposite gender
X4 if bribe is presented by member of opposite gender, and who in addition is attractive
* this SUP is x10 if the DM is on a diet

 

[Shade]

I'm not so sure about the new campaign setting they're launching, though. I can't really get a grasp on the whole "harlequin romance/chophouse/spaghetti western" ideology it claims to support. Stating that the setting is "On Golden Pond meets Porky's and Sin City" doesn't really tell us a whole lot about it, does it?

The preview of the "swampborn", an LA +0 playable ooze is interesting, but the new "shaped ooze" subtype that essentially downplays its amorphous nature is a bit of a copout.

Of course, the fact that it beat out a proposal by Gary Larson in the setting search finals has me intrigued.

 

[mythusmage]

I thought the detailed rules on the mechanical differences between load bearing and curtain walls a bit much. On the other hand, the explanation of why a wooden frame can be better than an iron (or even a steel) frame in certain circumstances was very helpful.

Making the Ninja/Monk/Sorcerer Prestige Class available at 1st level for kobolds is another thing entirely.

 

[reveal]

I'm still trying to figure out why they included the cheat codes in the PHB to "Kill all Monsters on current level."

 

[Shade]

I'm still trying to figure out why they included the cheat codes in the PHB to "Kill all Monsters in current level."

It is an effort to draw in the highly-coveted young gamers, who were raised with so much technology that their attention spans simply cannot handle an entire dungeon level. This is just one more example of the "videogameyness" of 4E. While I'm a big fan of the new fog of war rules, the fact that character creation now allows you to roll 4d6 six times until you get bored, and to save your best set of rolls in case you can't get something better, hurts the game IMHO. The floating powerups also take some getting used to, until you realize they are nothing more than one-use magic items.

 

[reveal]

It is an effort to draw in the highly-coveted young gamers, who were raised with so much technology that their attention spans simply cannot handle an entire dungeon level. This is just one more example of the "videogameyness" of 4E. While I'm a big fan of the new fog of war rules, the fact that character creation now allows you to roll 4d6 six times until you get bored, and to save your best set of rolls in case you can't get something better, hurts the game IMHO. The floating powerups also take some getting used to, until you realize they are nothing more than one-use magic items.

And this is why I proclaim, yet again, that 3.5E is the one true game. Young punks, ruining it for the rest of us....

 

[StupidSmurf]

I'm not so sure about the new campaign setting they're launching, though. I can't really get a grasp on the whole "harlequin romance/chophouse/spaghetti western" ideology it claims to support. Stating that the setting is "On Golden Pond meets Porky's and Sin City" doesn't really tell us a whole lot about it, does it?

The preview of the "swampborn", an LA +0 playable ooze is interesting, but the new "shaped ooze" subtype that essentially downplays its amorphous nature is a bit of a copout.

Of course, the fact that it beat out a proposal by Gary Larson in the setting search finals has me intrigued.

Wait till you see the boxed set treatment in store for the abovementioned campaign setting! There hasn't been so many blasphemies set down in book form since the Necronomicon. And the setting's name kinda rots too:

The PlaneUnderForgottenDarkGrayBlackShadowRavenDragonHawkMoorLanceLoftSunRealmsScape.....of Doom...of Cthulhu...

...from Hell.

Having a nation occupied by sentient broccoli is just stupid. And watch Rankin-Bass file a lawsuit when they see that the Island of Misfit Toys has been included. Let's not even get into the Empire of Cheese, ruled by the demon lord Demogorgonzola. Although the Valley of Screaming Mimes has potential....

 

[nyrfherdr]

The magic system rocks on toast.

Instead of being based on fiction by Jack Vance, it's based on roles played by Jack Palance.

When you roll up a Wizard character you pick a movie Jack was in. You recite lines of his to cast spells.

Spell effects are assigned based on the movie, the role and the difficulty of the lines. The director (or DM) assigns bonuses or penalties based on how close the player comes to the DVD clip of the same scene.

Clerics are a little different. They have to sing "To ra lu ra lu ra" with an Irish accent.

I agree with everyone else though. Bards still suck.