What is missing from 4E

[thecasualoblivion]

Among my group, I have one player who isn't 100% sold on 4E. Something is missing from 4E in his eyes, and what is missing is power. Raw, earthshaking power. In 3E, there were many ways to get raw, earthshaking power. Spells are one. Wildshaping into huge creatures was another. Others included piling up sneak attack damage combined with multiple attacks, power attacking insanity, and magic items that gave abilities beyond what your character class can off like Wings of Flying and the Ring of Invisibility.

The power to win or change the world in one action has been removed. This is what my player misses.

 

[BlackMoria]

Then he is not likely to enjoy 4e, regardless of the number of supplements that will come over the lifetime of 4e.

But then, noone should be forcing him to play 4e so he should be able to enjoy playing in a 3.x game. I have players who like 4e and I have players who loath it. I have several players whose complaint with 4e is exactly what your one player states is his issue with 4e.

So, we play two campaigns - a 3.5e campaign and a 4e campaign. Everyone gets to play what they enjoy. Win/win for us.

 

[DandD]

So your player is complaining that 4th edition seems to be more balanced (for now - let's see how balancing still does when all the additional rulebooks will come out)?

And here I thought people already found out how to make powerful builds that surpass that of other players.

 

[thecasualoblivion]

So your player is complaining that 4th edition seems to be more balanced (for now - let's see how balancing still does when all the additional rulebooks will come out)?

And here I thought people already found out how to make powerful builds that surpass that of other players.

It isn't really about being more powerful than other players, or balance for that matter. Balance can be achieved by both positive(giving superpowers to everybody) and negative(removing superpowers from the entire game. With 4E, its about this level of power being removed from the game entirely.

 

[Hjorimir]

We have 12 players (not in any one game, but in our collection of friends).
Of those 12, 2 prefer 3.x over 4.
Of the 12, 3 are DMs.
Of the 3, none are willing to run a 3.x campaign.

The 2 that prefer 3.x miss that same thing: phenominal cosmic power. The DMs, however, cannot justify the work that a 3.x game requires from a DM to run that system into the higher levels.

 

[avin]

I miss monster fluff... not powah...

 

[thecasualoblivion]

I miss monster fluff... not powah...

Monster fluff is simply not present. Books like the Draconomicon and Open Grave can and likely will put it back, not to mention possible GSL products. Powah has been removed, and isn't likely to reappear.

 

[Crothian]

What power? There are powerful things in 4e.

 

[Shroomy]

What power? There are powerful things in 4e.

I think the player is referring to the ability to snuff out an "fearsome" opponent in 1-2 rounds.

 

[Crothian]

If I can kill something in a round or two or wasn't that fearsome to begin with