Thank god. There's seriously nothing more frustrating than getting splattered by one low roll on a fortitude save.

forgotten_dreamer
Thank god. There's seriously nothing more frustrating than getting splattered by one low roll on a fortitude save.

Yeah, that really sucks.

One reason we aren't allowing it in Trystell…

Apparently in D&D4e they're doing away with challenge ratings. And monsters aren't built and advanced the same way as characters, instead making people buy separate monster books with more advanced versions of common monsters.

Characters are also going to be more powerful. A 1st level D&D4 character is going to be about as powerful as a 4th level D&D3.5 character. However, there won't be as much of a power difference between different levels in D&D4, and characters will raise levels more often. Apparently a 30th level D&D4 character is about equal to a 25th level D&D3.5 character.

They're apparently also making magic more common, with all classes getting magical abilities. Such as fighters getting per encounter abilities to make their swords burst into flame, or electrify their armor, etc. Although character dependency on magic items is decreasing (since characters with be innately getting most of those abilities currently given to them by items.)

beholdsa
Apparently in D&D4e they're doing away with challenge ratings. And monsters aren't built and advanced the same way as characters, instead making people buy separate monster books with more advanced versions of common monsters.

Well, that's a good move for our pockets (if we actually DO anything with it), but it will also make the Bestiary much more boring. Seems like they're doing the kind of Diablo type thing - “This isn't just a skeleton anymore, it's a BURNING skeleton! Now it's a burning skeleton ARCHER! Now it's a burning skeleton archer who also has an aura of lightning!” A lot more like an action/adventure “RPG” game than an actual RPG, as far as monsters go.

beholdsa
Characters are also going to be more powerful. A 1st level D&D4 character is going to be about as powerful as a 4th level D&D3.5 character. However, there won't be as much of a power difference between different levels in D&D4, and characters will raise levels more often. Apparently a 30th level D&D4 character is about equal to a 25th level D&D3.5 character.

This seems… wise? I mean, it's really annoying to start off with a level 1 character just to have him be killed on his first mission. Then that new lvl 1 char is killed on its third mission. Then you finally get a char to level 2 just to have it killed halfway to level 3. But by the time you reach level 10, you're pretty much unstoppable.

So, the problem of superweak beginnings seems to be resolved while also dealing a BIT with power inflation (because you have to gain more levels to get that far).

Of course that's all theory, not practice.

beholdsa
They're apparently also making magic more common, with all classes getting magical abilities. Such as fighters getting per encounter abilities to make their swords burst into flame, or electrify their armor, etc. Although character dependency on magic items is decreasing (since characters with be innately getting most of those abilities currently given to them by items.)

This seems stupid. It'll be near-impossible to do a low-magic setting, then. If you just strip away magic from some of the classes, the monsters will still have the magic, completely messing crap up. Maybe this is one reason they're doing the modulating monsters (modumonsters!) - so you can pick and choose what magic you're going to include.

But electrifying your OWN armor seems like something a fighter with 3 intelligence would do “Me am electrify armor to hurt them when they am hurt me!” *loud sizzling noise as the armor electrifies the fighter* *loud, clanging thud as the dead fighter hits the ground*

Yeah, I'm kind of mixed in my opinion right now as to what I've heard about 4e. Some of the changes they're making sound like things that need fixed and are extremely welcome. Others sound dumb.

If I want an orc monk, I want to take an orc and add monk levels to it, darn it! I don't want to have to purchase Monster Manual IX to get a stat block for the “flaming orc martial artist”.

Hehehehe. Very nice.

Berggeistermeister
But electrifying your OWN armor seems like something a fighter with 3 intelligence would do “Me am electrify armor to hurt them when they am hurt me!” *loud sizzling noise as the armor electrifies the fighter* *loud, clanging thud as the dead fighter hits the ground*

Gell totally would have done it. That's what Fortitude is for.


“No worry! Me am WAY too tough for this to hurt me!”
*ZORT*
*Constitution check, the smell of singed half orc body hair.*


It's amazing what you'll do when you're too stupid to accurately gauge how tough you REALLY are…

And then Gell would have been eaten by Tralif or Krensch (before he was lichified, that is), because why would they let a fresh-cooked half-orc go to waste?

A look at D&D4e stat blocks compared to 3.5 stat blocks: