Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kraydak" data-source="post: 4017104" data-attributes="member: 12306">I agree with robertliguori that 4e's monster design paradigm (cool, short combat encounter) prioritizes design concepts that causes problems in any other situation.  This isn't unique to 4e, of course, but that doesn't make it good.  On the other hand, I feel that there is a related, bigger issue.  The space of available PC powers and NPC powers are related: if you want cool, potentially game breaking in PC hands NPC powers, you need to keep them out of PC hands.  This means you need to restrict PCs' abilities to get them.  In DnD, this means nerfing Charm/Polymorph/Summons (social interactions are also effected, but as they don't really have rules in 3e/prior, this means it will come pre-nerfed in 4e).This sound familiar?  Are you not happy with nuker-only wizard?  Blame monster design (at least in part).  Monster coolness (in quick skirmishes) comes at the cost of PC coolness (and monster coolness outside of quick skirmishes as that isn't a design focus).  I don't feel that 3e monsters were adequately uncool that it was worth trading off PC coolness for monster coolness in 4e's design space (noting all the while that 3e's design space was much more loosely defined than 4e's).</blockquote>