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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 6020282" data-attributes="member: 42582"><p>In the session I GMed earlier today, the 18th level fighter went from 105 hp (about one surge value of max) to minus-sixty-something in a couple of rounds: the hydra breathed fire on him, bit him, and then in his end-of-turn phase bit again twice and critted with one of those for 50 points from that bite alone. (There was also about 30 points of damage from environmental effects and ongoing fire damage inflicted by one of the bites.)</p><p></p><p>The fact that the fighter had half-a-dozen surges left with a surge value of 40 or so each didn't help him!</p><p></p><p>What does this even mean until we know what it means to "take hit point damage"? In my own play experience, it means that skilled fighters can win fights - even fights where they get knocked down but get back up - and, after a quick rest, fight again.</p><p></p><p>That's a distinctive feature of 4e as a version of D&D, but I don't think the best way to convey it is by converting healing surges into hit point totals. For a start, that would give a misleading impression of the ability of a skiled fighter to win a fight.</p><p></p><p>Two things.</p><p></p><p>First, I have no idea why you think that 4e is build towards "scripted" play. The most scripted adventures that I'm familiar with are Dead Gods (2nd ed AD&D Planescape) and Expedition to the Demonweb Pits (3E Planescape). The 4e adventures that I know are no more scripted than a 3E adventure like Bastion of Broken Souls. And there is nothing in the mechanics of the system that particularly encourages or pushes towards scripting compared to other editions of D&D.</p><p></p><p>Second, I have no idea why you identify the possiblity of PC death as the only (or principal) means of departing from a script. There are many ways to introduce surprise, complication and spontaneity into an RPG session without having the PCs die!</p><p></p><p>This made me laugh, but I couldn't XP it.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 6020282, member: 42582"] In the session I GMed earlier today, the 18th level fighter went from 105 hp (about one surge value of max) to minus-sixty-something in a couple of rounds: the hydra breathed fire on him, bit him, and then in his end-of-turn phase bit again twice and critted with one of those for 50 points from that bite alone. (There was also about 30 points of damage from environmental effects and ongoing fire damage inflicted by one of the bites.) The fact that the fighter had half-a-dozen surges left with a surge value of 40 or so each didn't help him! What does this even mean until we know what it means to "take hit point damage"? In my own play experience, it means that skilled fighters can win fights - even fights where they get knocked down but get back up - and, after a quick rest, fight again. That's a distinctive feature of 4e as a version of D&D, but I don't think the best way to convey it is by converting healing surges into hit point totals. For a start, that would give a misleading impression of the ability of a skiled fighter to win a fight. Two things. First, I have no idea why you think that 4e is build towards "scripted" play. The most scripted adventures that I'm familiar with are Dead Gods (2nd ed AD&D Planescape) and Expedition to the Demonweb Pits (3E Planescape). The 4e adventures that I know are no more scripted than a 3E adventure like Bastion of Broken Souls. And there is nothing in the mechanics of the system that particularly encourages or pushes towards scripting compared to other editions of D&D. Second, I have no idea why you identify the possiblity of PC death as the only (or principal) means of departing from a script. There are many ways to introduce surprise, complication and spontaneity into an RPG session without having the PCs die! This made me laugh, but I couldn't XP it. [/QUOTE]
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