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10 months ago ::
Jun 10, 2009 - 6:35AM
#21
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Same concept...but the ones I'm thinking of were 5 encounter adventures. I was actually able to locate one of them here: http://mikeshea.net/vault_of_kraal.pdf
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10 months ago ::
Jun 10, 2009 - 10:43AM
#22
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Has anyone else been able to get through to customer service? I tried a few days ago, and I had no luck. Of course, my web fu is under 9,000.
4ed Darkhawk
"You've got to kick at the darkness until it bleeds daylight..."
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10 months ago ::
Jun 10, 2009 - 11:27AM
#23
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The main thing I liked about Delve Nights was the chance to test out and play higher level concepts.
I play enough heroic tier stuff in LFR. I don't get to play paragon very often, and this month's delve is the first time since 4e has come out I've had the chance to experience playing an epic level character.
I don't know why people diss playing high level one shots. That's like the best thing about Delve Nights, in my opinion... grr..
QFT: Oct 13, 2009 -- 9:17AM, WotC_Tulach wrote: Sometimes, you just need to think about this from a common sense perspective - is there a good reason why it shouldn't be allowed?
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10 months ago ::
Jun 10, 2009 - 3:45PM
#24
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Has anyone else been able to get through to customer service? I tried a few days ago, and I had no luck. Of course, my web fu is under 9,000.
Go to www.wizards.com/customerservice and click 'Email Us'. If this doesn't work, there is probably a problem with your account - read this thread: http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=1133626 as customer service people are monitoring it to fix the problems when people post there.
Hope that helps!
Trouble accessing the WotC Customer Service system? See this threadCurrently playing RPGA events in Sheffield, UK. Contact me for more details.
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10 months ago ::
Jun 10, 2009 - 7:12PM
#25
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The main thing I liked about Delve Nights was the chance to test out and play higher level concepts.
I play enough heroic tier stuff in LFR. I don't get to play paragon very often, and this month's delve is the first time since 4e has come out I've had the chance to experience playing an epic level character.
I don't know why people diss playing high level one shots. That's like the best thing about Delve Nights, in my opinion... grr..
Well for a lot of people picking up a level 25 character and remembering all the triggers and effects that happen on crits, misses, action points, hits, item powers, reactions, interrupts etc. Well that's a lot of crazy to fit into the short time you have to "learn" the character.
The one shot beyond the door at DNDXP went slow for us because 2 of us had just leveled out our actual characters to 18 in a projected path of what we intend to do and 2 people had brand new 18's in their hands they had never played before. We spent a LOT of time waiting for those guys to read their sheets and figure out what to do on their turns. Not their fault at all either.
Blah blah blah
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10 months ago ::
Jun 11, 2009 - 4:52AM
#26
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The main thing I liked about Delve Nights was the chance to test out and play higher level concepts.
I play enough heroic tier stuff in LFR. I don't get to play paragon very often, and this month's delve is the first time since 4e has come out I've had the chance to experience playing an epic level character.
I don't know why people diss playing high level one shots. That's like the best thing about Delve Nights, in my opinion... grr..
Well, let's see. I ran the second encounter of this month's delve at the LFGS tonight. Two of my players were new to 4th edition, so it took forever, as mentioned by another poster, for them to even decide which attack to use.
To be honest, for a new player, even (or maybe especially) if they are experienced 3.5 players, some of the new concepts can be a pain to deal with even at low heroic tier. Add in Paragon path effects and Epic Destiny options, and, even with a fully kitted pregen, explaining the basics can be a pain.
Things a new player needs to know at any level of play:
Action Points
Healing Surges
Bloodied
Healing Surge Value
Second Wind
At-Will Powers concept
Encounter Powers concept
Daily Powers concept
Utility Powers concept
Item Powers, including limitations on using daily item powers
Charges as a standard, and turn-ending, action
Shifting as a move action
Marking a target, including uniqueness of the mark (only one per creature)
Effects of marking as given by class (Ftr vs Pal vs Bard, etc.)
Quarrying the target (including non-uniqueness)
Applying quarry damage
Cursing the target (including uniqueness and never-ending duration)
Applying curse damage
Applying pact boons
Opportunity Attacks (especially as compared to Attacks of Opportunity)
Milestones (additional APs, DIPs, possible other benefits)
Initial hit point calculation (Con instead of Con mod)
Non-Str/non-Dex damage bonus (for 3.5, all 6 for newbies)
Short rests and extended rests
And that is only off the top of my head, and only a couple of them (DIPs and Utility Powers) don't need to be known by new 1st level PCs.
At 25th level, you get all sorts of powers providing status effects, including bonuses for the party as well as penalties to their opponents, explaining how armor vs neck items work in 4th, and chasing down all the bonuses that a Cleric, as an example, would get to boost the healing of a healing power...
He used Healing Torch, a 23rd level Encounter power. Healiong keyword, and an immense area (Burst 5). Along with the normal Healer's Lore and neck item bonus, it adds an additional Cha mod bonus to the healing done. So, it took a few minutes to make sure he didn't miss any additional bonuses to the healing provided, and it was 7 (Wis mod) + 6 (Cha mod) + 5 (Healer's Brooch +5) for a total of +18. Not mention any of the other characters who might have been wearing their own items that give additional healing benefits (Collar of Recovery, for example) or a feat that increases surge value...
And I probably missed one or more other items that could have had a beneficial effect on the Cleric's healing, as well, while I was building it.
Heck, a monster with 1200 hit points is a bit ... excessive. I modified it with the mentioned DMG2 change to solos, -20% hit points, -2 to all defenses, but increase damage by 50% when bloodied, and the 960 hit points still took forever for them to bloody it, and that was with multiple attacks for the two rangers, and proper use (for once) of both hunter's quarries. And the sneak attack from the Sneak of Shadows MC...
Gargantuan creatures with threatening reach 4 are not newbie-friendly creatures...
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10 months ago ::
Jun 11, 2009 - 5:27AM
#27
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I used the published Dungeon Delves for my friends and I to get familiarized with the 4e ruleset. I think it was a great tool, and a way for me to get more comfortable as a DM since I haven't played since 2001.
My first expansion was a secondary delve in the third level set that led players into a sealed tomb under the stairs on the first floor (opened by a gem in the throne on the 3rd floor).
It led into a tomb whose first room was sarcophagi with zombies and zombie rotters, followed by a second room that was guarded by undead hounds (both from MM and OG), and finally some blazing skeletons, decrepit skeletons, and a "level 5 lich" who I made as a level 5 undead invoker. It was the kicker to start off a home campaign to stop a cult of Nerull.
Yes, I know Nerull has been killed off by the Raven Queen in 4e, but this cult was trying to resurrect him. The three legs of the adventure would take them through three discrete areas, first of which has assassins, shades, and dark creepers. Next is the necromancer's caves/tower that have fleshwalkers, creepy-crawlie hands, a brain in a jar, zombies, and a necromancer who would summon 1d4 minions as a minor (just for more fodder). Finally, the main cult arm with clerics of Nerull, fanatics, zealots, and slavers (gathering townsfolk for a mass sacrifice). Each area has a boss with a manifestation of Nerull, which will be fun to play.
What can I say, I love undead!
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10 months ago ::
Jun 13, 2009 - 2:28PM
#28
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For those people that are going to miss Dungeon Delves as a tool to introduce new players I would suggest maybe trying Living Forgotten Realms with the new My Realms adventures.
The My Realms option allows a DM to create their own adventure and run it as a LFR adventure. A DM could easily put together a 4 encounter dungeon delve and use it for this purpose. I am sure one could even use the existing low-level delves that have happened or out of the Dungeon Delve book as inspiration.
The nice thing about this is that if a player wants to continue using their character, they can bring the same one out to your next Dungeon Delve(I mean LFR My Realms) adventure. And if they'd rather treat it as a one-off they can throw the character away at the end of the session.
It might be a little extra work for a DM, but it seems to me that it allows for a lot more options for the players.
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10 months ago ::
Jun 14, 2009 - 5:21AM
#29
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- Senior Volunteer Community Lead
- Dragon Slayer
- D&DI News Guide
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For those people that are going to miss Dungeon Delves as a tool to introduce new players I would suggest maybe trying Living Forgotten Realms with the new My Realms adventures.
The My Realms option allows a DM to create their own adventure and run it as a LFR adventure. A DM could easily put together a 4 encounter dungeon delve and use it for this purpose. I am sure one could even use the existing low-level delves that have happened or out of the Dungeon Delve book as inspiration.
The nice thing about this is that if a player wants to continue using their character, they can bring the same one out to your next Dungeon Delve(I mean LFR My Realms) adventure. And if they'd rather treat it as a one-off they can throw the character away at the end of the session.
It might be a little extra work for a DM, but it seems to me that it allows for a lot more options for the players.
GREAT idea, Zach!
Also, as a tool for introducing new players to D&D - don't forget the Dungeon Delve book. It only features 3 encounters per level, but one more encounter shouldn't be hard for most DMs to add if desired.
Those events could then be reported as "Home Campaign (Other)" in the WPN member site so that everyone gets credit (and DM points!). 
Wolf Star76 Community Advocate (SVCL) for D&D Organized Play, Avalon Hill, and the DCI/WPN DDi Guide Interested in judging D&D at PAX EAST? Fill out this PDF [Link fixed - 2/8/10].
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5 months ago ::
Nov 01, 2009 - 11:11AM
#30
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Are Delves still unsupported? I saw someone at a game store out of town running delves a couple months ago. I thought it was a DCI Sanctioned thing... if it's not, is there any reason my local game store should run these at all? Or try to? Sounds like there's no support from Wizards on it, so I'm not sure what the point of my local game store doing it would be.
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