Calavingian
Explorer
Summary of First Four Session.
Quick Character Update Post Session 4
As mentioned in my second post, there were a number of changes to the roster (and to the remaning characters) early on.
The players seemed to be enjoying the campaign immensely. They've all been kind enough to email or call me with feedback after almost every session. The Consensus seemed to be that the adventure was engrossing and well written, my home brewed world was rich and detailed and the in-party dynamics and roleplaying were excellent.
However, at first nearly half of the group seemed to be enjoying the campaign DESPITE the 4th edition rules, rather than because of them (but then, we're talking about a group that didn't make the change from AD&D to 3rd ed until about a month before the release of 3.5).
Bearing all this in mind, at the end of session 3 I sat them all down and asked them what it was about the 4th ed rules that they didn't like, and were there any changes that could be made either to the rules or to their characters that would improve their game experience?
Rob found that the Paladin class was not to his liking -mainly because the Paladin character in our 3.5 campaign was a complete melee monster. He couldn't quite come to terms with a 4e Paladin's role as "just another meat shield" rather than a damage-dishing machine. After talking it through, I gave him the option of designing a new character. Rob opted to play a rogue instead. Hence Torthen was written out of the campaign and Mikal introduced as his replacement.
Niall was similarly dissatisfied with the Wizards role as a Controller rather than a damage dealing powerhouse (Niall has never liked the more "subtle" version of wizard, always favouring the fireball over web, and Melfs Acid Arrow over Glitterdust, for example). However he decided Sonea would remain a Wizard rather than taking my offer of switching her over to either Sorcerer, Invoker or Warlock. I did allow him to tweak her powers and stats a little, to make her slightly more effective in her role.
Rhi had a similar problem with Shadowdancer. Shadowdancer is very much Rhi's "iconic" character. He has played the same character, in a number of different incarnations, in many different game systems over the year. Rhi likes to think of Shadowdancer in the same light as Moorcock's "eternal warrior", a hero reincarnated again and again when the world faces terrible peril. The Avenger seemed to come close to his expectations of what Shadowdancer should be able to accomplish, but even then there were a few niggling problems. He toyed with the idea of multi-classing as a warlock for a while, but when D&D Insider published the hybrid rules, I allowed Rhi to redesign Shadowdancer as an Avenger/Warlock hybrid.
I'm very happy to say that since allowing these changes there has been no more talk about converting the campaign back to 3.5 or the Pathfinder setting. It was our first experience of playing 4e and I`m happy to say that the dissatisfaction with the rules clearly stemmed more from conflicts with the players preconceptions about what certain classes should be able to do and less with the rules themselves.
So here is the altered roster for the Party as of the start of session five.
Aramil
Male (race undisclosed) Warlord. lvl 2
By this point in the campaign, Shadowdancer knows Aramil to be an Eladrin. The others only suspect. Aramil has clearly supplanted Torrent in the leadership role, although by now he shares that role with Shadowdancer. Aramil seems to have found his niche as the groups "figurehead" and combat leader. Though the others worry that he is a little too reckless when it comes to deciding when to fight and when to talk.
Bomilcar - NPC
Human (Zaman) Male Defender. L ?
Bomilcar is a giant of man, taciturn and noble. Despite his great size and incredible strength he is no fool, as the Cell has very quickly come to realise.
Boomer. lvl 2
Human Male Swordmage
Boomer has shown himself to be an intelligent combatant and an educated man, though his smart mouth sometimes cause problems for himself and the rest of the Cell. So far he has been open about his service to the city and his status as a senior student at Gabal's Academy of War.
Dara Salix Castanea. lvl 2
Female (race undisclosed) Druid
Dara has increasingly distanced herself from Shadowdancer and Aramil since the revelation that the former is certainly an Eladrin and that the latter is probably Eladrinl. She has shown herself to be a voice for caution and lateral thinking within the groupbut remains on the "periphery" as it were, at least as far as social interaction with the rest of the cell is concerned.
Mikal.
Human Male Rogue. lvl2
Mikal has only just joined the Cell. None of the others have had much opportunity to interact with him outside the boundaries of their mission.
Shadowdancer
Male Eladrin Hyrbid (Avenger/Warlock). lvl2
Shadowdancer has earned a considerable amount of prestige within the cell, so much so that when he speaks, his companions listen. He has frequently voiced contempt for the Resistance and what he percives as its "amatuerish" practices. While Aramil has become the public face of leadership within the Cell, Shadowdancer is very much the power behind the throne. It is he who guides the direction of the cell - and then gets out of the way while the others do their jobs.
Sonea
Female Human Wizard. lvl2
Sonea has been working behind the scenes for much of the mission so far, helping her father prepare rituals and enlisting his aid. Her access to and knowedge of the higher orders of Gate Pass' military and political elite has proven to be of considerable benefit to the cell.
Torthen - NPC
Male Dwarf Paladin. lvl 1
Now little more than a hostage (albiet a willing one), Torthens life is Shiallis's guarantee that the Cell will not betray her. Any harm that befalls Bomilcar will befall Torthen (and vice versa). Given Bomilcars attitude to combat, it is perhaps just as well that, as a Paladin, Torthen has the capacity to heal himself.
Torrent - NPC
Female Human Cleric. lvl 2. NPC
By now, what little respect or credibility Torrent had with the group is long gone. It remains to be seen if she has any future with the Cell.
Quick Character Update Post Session 4
As mentioned in my second post, there were a number of changes to the roster (and to the remaning characters) early on.
The players seemed to be enjoying the campaign immensely. They've all been kind enough to email or call me with feedback after almost every session. The Consensus seemed to be that the adventure was engrossing and well written, my home brewed world was rich and detailed and the in-party dynamics and roleplaying were excellent.
However, at first nearly half of the group seemed to be enjoying the campaign DESPITE the 4th edition rules, rather than because of them (but then, we're talking about a group that didn't make the change from AD&D to 3rd ed until about a month before the release of 3.5).
Bearing all this in mind, at the end of session 3 I sat them all down and asked them what it was about the 4th ed rules that they didn't like, and were there any changes that could be made either to the rules or to their characters that would improve their game experience?
Rob found that the Paladin class was not to his liking -mainly because the Paladin character in our 3.5 campaign was a complete melee monster. He couldn't quite come to terms with a 4e Paladin's role as "just another meat shield" rather than a damage-dishing machine. After talking it through, I gave him the option of designing a new character. Rob opted to play a rogue instead. Hence Torthen was written out of the campaign and Mikal introduced as his replacement.
Niall was similarly dissatisfied with the Wizards role as a Controller rather than a damage dealing powerhouse (Niall has never liked the more "subtle" version of wizard, always favouring the fireball over web, and Melfs Acid Arrow over Glitterdust, for example). However he decided Sonea would remain a Wizard rather than taking my offer of switching her over to either Sorcerer, Invoker or Warlock. I did allow him to tweak her powers and stats a little, to make her slightly more effective in her role.
Rhi had a similar problem with Shadowdancer. Shadowdancer is very much Rhi's "iconic" character. He has played the same character, in a number of different incarnations, in many different game systems over the year. Rhi likes to think of Shadowdancer in the same light as Moorcock's "eternal warrior", a hero reincarnated again and again when the world faces terrible peril. The Avenger seemed to come close to his expectations of what Shadowdancer should be able to accomplish, but even then there were a few niggling problems. He toyed with the idea of multi-classing as a warlock for a while, but when D&D Insider published the hybrid rules, I allowed Rhi to redesign Shadowdancer as an Avenger/Warlock hybrid.
I'm very happy to say that since allowing these changes there has been no more talk about converting the campaign back to 3.5 or the Pathfinder setting. It was our first experience of playing 4e and I`m happy to say that the dissatisfaction with the rules clearly stemmed more from conflicts with the players preconceptions about what certain classes should be able to do and less with the rules themselves.
So here is the altered roster for the Party as of the start of session five.
Aramil
Male (race undisclosed) Warlord. lvl 2
By this point in the campaign, Shadowdancer knows Aramil to be an Eladrin. The others only suspect. Aramil has clearly supplanted Torrent in the leadership role, although by now he shares that role with Shadowdancer. Aramil seems to have found his niche as the groups "figurehead" and combat leader. Though the others worry that he is a little too reckless when it comes to deciding when to fight and when to talk.
Bomilcar - NPC
Human (Zaman) Male Defender. L ?
Bomilcar is a giant of man, taciturn and noble. Despite his great size and incredible strength he is no fool, as the Cell has very quickly come to realise.
Boomer. lvl 2
Human Male Swordmage
Boomer has shown himself to be an intelligent combatant and an educated man, though his smart mouth sometimes cause problems for himself and the rest of the Cell. So far he has been open about his service to the city and his status as a senior student at Gabal's Academy of War.
Dara Salix Castanea. lvl 2
Female (race undisclosed) Druid
Dara has increasingly distanced herself from Shadowdancer and Aramil since the revelation that the former is certainly an Eladrin and that the latter is probably Eladrinl. She has shown herself to be a voice for caution and lateral thinking within the groupbut remains on the "periphery" as it were, at least as far as social interaction with the rest of the cell is concerned.
Mikal.
Human Male Rogue. lvl2
Mikal has only just joined the Cell. None of the others have had much opportunity to interact with him outside the boundaries of their mission.
Shadowdancer
Male Eladrin Hyrbid (Avenger/Warlock). lvl2
Shadowdancer has earned a considerable amount of prestige within the cell, so much so that when he speaks, his companions listen. He has frequently voiced contempt for the Resistance and what he percives as its "amatuerish" practices. While Aramil has become the public face of leadership within the Cell, Shadowdancer is very much the power behind the throne. It is he who guides the direction of the cell - and then gets out of the way while the others do their jobs.
Sonea
Female Human Wizard. lvl2
Sonea has been working behind the scenes for much of the mission so far, helping her father prepare rituals and enlisting his aid. Her access to and knowedge of the higher orders of Gate Pass' military and political elite has proven to be of considerable benefit to the cell.
Torthen - NPC
Male Dwarf Paladin. lvl 1
Now little more than a hostage (albiet a willing one), Torthens life is Shiallis's guarantee that the Cell will not betray her. Any harm that befalls Bomilcar will befall Torthen (and vice versa). Given Bomilcars attitude to combat, it is perhaps just as well that, as a Paladin, Torthen has the capacity to heal himself.
Torrent - NPC
Female Human Cleric. lvl 2. NPC
By now, what little respect or credibility Torrent had with the group is long gone. It remains to be seen if she has any future with the Cell.
