D&D 4E When will 4E break?

[Tarek]

4e will break the moment they publish anything that hasn't been tested in play for at least a month. i.e. the first time they publish a rules supplement.

 

[jester47]

Another thing- everyone is looking at bloodied as this point where you get a power boost, but it also seems that it is a point where you become more vulnerable. So when you are bloodied you get a special attack, but someone might have an attack that only works when their opponent (aka you) are bloodied.

So it seems that there are a lot of double edged swords in the rules.

 

[Filcher]

Waldorf has already broken 4E, and molded it back together in his image.

http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?p=3169243&postcount=1

 

[Brown Jenkin]

4E will be shown to be broken as everyone who buys one will notice in the first minute of opening their book that the cheap glue binding, which was made with inferior cheap glue in order to save W0tC an extra couple of pennies per book, immediately falls apart and everyone is left with a loose collection of pages.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

4E will be shown to be broken as everyone who buys one will notice in the first minute of opening their book that the cheap glue binding, which was made with inferior cheap glue in order to save W0tC an extra couple of pennies per book, immediately falls apart and everyone is left with a loose collection of pages.

While that is certainly a legitimate concern, no way that gets past WOTC's QA process.

 

[delericho]

While that is certainly a legitimate concern, no way that gets past WOTC's QA process.

Weren't there a significant number of 3.0e PHBs that had a similar problem with their binding?

 

[Sitara]

One thing that will work in 4th editions favor is that 3rd edition gave the designers a few years of information about what kind of things are likely to result in broken and unbalanced rules. I think most things that evolved directly from 3rd edition are going to be quite solid, so no more things like a Tumble skill with no opposed roll / static DC's. I am pretty sure Save or Screwed spells are going to be largely reworked, as well, having certain limiters on them. So Hold Person / Fear / Hideous Laughter will have a per round mechanic that can allow escape. Spells like Power Word Kill, Finger of Death, and Disintegrate will be more like cloud kill, so that there is a cutoff point on Auto death keeping it from killing players when used at the appropriate levels.

END COMMUNICATION

SAadly, you are going to be very, very disapointed come June. Why?

because Tumble (renamed acrobatics) in SAGA only requires a roll vs static DC 15...at all levels to avoid AoO's. From what we gather this will be ported into 4e, ebcause the deingers want fast/flowing combat, instead of static trading blows combat.

So to ensure pc's move through combat zones, espdcially ranger type pc's, they will have acrobatics/tumble vs static dc's.Avoiding AoO's in SAGA also activates certain feats/powers (such as acrobatic strike)

 

[Sitara]

Furthermore, once to answer the OP, once splats are introduced there will certainly be brokeness and powerKreep. But this will be deliberate, to get people to buy new splatbooks. (hey WOTC designers want to make money, like most of us)

As for the core rules, their may be certain situations which lead to certain types of power/abilities/feats/classes to be superior to others, but otherwise I doubt there will be any brokeness. I do believe that the wizard class will be, at the highest levels, superior to fighters simply because, but that is a foregone conclusion.

 

[Warbringer]

Another thing- everyone is looking at bloodied as this point where you get a power boost, but it also seems that it is a point where you become more vulnerable. So when you are bloodied you get a special attack, but someone might have an attack that only works when their opponent (aka you) are bloodied.

So it seems that there are a lot of double edged swords in the rules.

And there is loop one....I become bloodied, use special action, second wind via self or ally before end of my pahse, no bloodied

 

[Larrin]

Things that could break 4e:

builds that so obviously dominate a combat role that "only an idiot" wouldn't do it:
example:
-a loop hole that lets a striker always do his extra damage with +90% of his attacks (further broken if he can start nailing multiple targets in combat), thus removing any need for him to work for his damage like a good striker should and making him the "no brainer" of striker builds.

-a class that is too usefull in any situation (druids and wizards of 3e) and can do it on his own. it hedges out other classes, and makes them feel sad and lonely (monks and bards of 3e)

-spells and/or rituals: power creep will almost certainly insure this eventually happens, but even the initial product could have a few "Divine 'fight better than everyone'" or "3.0 Time stops" in it.

-a misprint that gives wizards 23 spells per encounter at level 6