So, regarding scaling, are the Enchantment bonuses and Inherent bonuses completely out of the system? How will damage scale? Since we're making an addition to 4e I think we should try to make it work with the math already there.
Does making ranged attacks provoke opportunity attacks from adjacent enemies?
Universal Utilities: · Bullrush · Grapple · Throw Grappling Hook · Demand Surrender (I have that one here somewhere) · Long-Jump and High-Jump (giving the formula to the player means less stuff to know for the DM) · Sneak (stealth) · Second Wind · Action Point
Enhancement and Inherent bonuses are completely out of the system in terms of accuracy. Damage is, ideally, ability modifier + 1/2 level.
Ranged Attacks would not provoke opportunities from adjacent enemies, due to the redundancy of the whole thing in the long run (Staff Expertise, shift + attack, etc. etc. etc.). Also, the faster a turn resolves, the faster the round resolves Basically I'm restricting opportunity attacks to a defender thing.
I'm probably going to just add in a section for most of those "utilities", something like:
Improvised Checks In the event of unusual circumstances that normally lack a power card, use this as a guide to help deal with it flawlessly:
Determine if the creature making the action has the capability to do so. For players whose PCs are executing an unusual maneuver, have them explain how their characters would do the action (and from there, determine if it makes sense or if it's even possible).
Based on the narrative description of the action, determine the ability to be used for the action if it's an ability check.
(Skill System Optional Step) Based on the narrative description of the action, determine the skill that could be used for the action.
Based on the narrative description of the action, determine if it is against a difficulty check (DC), a creature's defense, or an opposed check.
Determine the target number (DC/Defense/Opposed check).
(For PCs making the action only) Announce the ability (and skill) that the PC(s) will have to use for the check.
Player/DM rolls the appropriate ability check for their PC/creature.
Add the appropriate modifiers (including skill bonuses, if you use the skill system).
Compare the result to the DC, defense or opposing check. If the result is equal to or greater than the target number, the action happens as planned, determine the effects. Else, the action doesn't happened as planned, determine the effects (usually nothing, although sometimes missing should be fun as well, so feel free to improvise as well ).
Note that you can also use this to allow situations where the player utilizes attack powers in unusual manners.
Examples of improvised actions:
Bull Rush (Strength vs. Fortitude), Hit: Target is pushed 1 square, and you can shift 1 square into the square the target left.
Grapple (Strength or Dexterity (Acrobatics) vs. Reflex), Hit: Target is grabbed until escape. While the target is grappled, it is immobilized, and the appendages you used to initiate the grapple would be unusable until the grapple ends.
Demand surrender (a Bluff, Intimidate or a Diplomacy check [almost any stat, depending on how the demand was executed] vs. Will, with bonuses and penalties depending on the scenario, as well as how the demand was executed). Hit: Target surrenders out of fear (Intimidate or Bluff), trust (Diplomacy or Bluff)
Sneak (Dexterity (Stealth) vs. Wisdom (Perception) of each creature that you have total concealment against). Hit: The target cannot physically perceive you, and are effectively Hidden from them. This does not prevent detection by other means, like magical scrying.
Will definitely have to make those other power cards
The attack bonus is too high. It's supposed to be 2+Level+Weapon Proficiency (if weapon power).
Why too high? 4+level = 5, which is both what you get at level 1 with an 18 + expertise feat, and what Character Companions -- my basic template -- use.
"Leader: You grant one ally who was the target of the attack temporary hit points equal to your primary ability modifier as a swift action." Should be "Leader: You grant one ally within 5 temporary hit points equal to your primary ability modifier as a swift action." So it works with the movement trigger
The Leader line of Controller Zone does not stack with other Role features (CA doesn't stack), but the controller line does stack with defender aura and other penalties. I still think the leader line should be a flat +2 bonus.
I'm quite on the fence on this last one really; personally I want none of the bonuses and penalties to stack [save for a bonus to ally attack rolls and penalty to target defenses], but I don't want the defender to be left out of the equation just like that.
I suppose granting tempHP after the enemy finishes his movement would be a VERY unusual defending mechanic, but only if it were at a more defender-y perspective. Adjusting it to:
Leader: One ally within 5 squares of you that is nearest to the triggering enemy gains temporary hit points equal to your primary ability modifier.
That would end up with the enemy having three options: target nearest ally and deal less damage, choose another ally and possibly get the worst options in doing so, and choosing you and getting the worst options in doing so What do you think?
You are both rational and emotional. You value creation and discovery, and feel strongly about what you create. At best, you're innovative and intuitive. At worst, you're scattered and unpredictable.
If you're crossing the street and see a city bus barreling straight toward you with 'GIVE ME YOUR WALLET!' painted across its windshield, you probably won't be reaching for your wallet.
This is what I believe is the spirit of D&D 4E, and my deal breaker for D&D Next: equal opportunities, with distinct specializations, in areas where conflict happens the most often, without having to worry about heavy micromanagement or system mastery.
Attack Bonus You are forgetting the Weapon Proficiency Bonus, my friend.
Foe's Folly I love the thought behind the new Leader rider on Foe's Folly. Use it :D
Controller Zone What are you going to do about it, the fact that one rider stacks and the other doesnt? ...Duh! We'll use "Power Bonus" or even revoke the concept of "Moral Bonus", since you are essentially boosting your ally's spirit and confidence. If we make a typed bonus for all temporary attack/defense changes, we have reduced the stacking! :D
Improvised Checks does not need a 9 step guide xD I'll make the power cards and you can decide whether you use it or not. I like powercards mainly because they answer all the questions a player would normally ask a DM. If you put 5 players into a scenario where they have to think on their feat they will most likely interrogate the DM to make sure that their plan works.
"So, wait, If I grab a creature, is it considered immobalized or having speed=0?" or "What would the situational bonus/penalty be if I tried to intimidate the creature?". All these questions can be answered in a power block. Those who don't use intimidate will simply throw away that powercard.
You should also make an addition to his ruleset. You see, I am visualizing this as a core book, and imagining that there will then be modules which increase the core book's complexity by adding options and allowing replacements of powers etc. I think that with the core book there should be a tiny splatbook called "Little book of Sklls". Which has the rules for most skills, improvised, common and suggested skill uses. I almost only used the Rules Compenium for exactly that purpose. Get your hands on the Rules Compendium and see what I mean.
In my next bosts I will add some "Universal Utilities" and talk about Rituals and what might become our new Ritual Caster feat.
This post will be udpated a lot. I'm going to press post after every power card, just so that if anything goes wrong I won't lose all my work.
Demand Surrender
With your commanding presence or a vivid threat of a worse threat, you demand that your foe yields.
At-WillIntimidate
Standard - Close burst 5
Target:One bloodied creature in burst
Attack: _________ vs. Will
Hit: The target surrenders to you and your allies, it drops any weapons it is holding and takes no hostile actions. If your or any of your allies attack the target, it no longer submits to your will and can act normally.
Special: You can not use this power against the same creature twice in the same encounter. If the target is hostile to you it gains a +5 bonus to its will defense against this power. Some creatures cannot be intimidated (DMs descretion)
I think this is the correct usage of your Skill system. Where the ________ is I would normally type "Intimidate", but I'm pretty sure that this is supposed to work in this manner: 1) Select how you want to intimidate the target, and what ability score you want to use for it. 2) Add your Intimdate bonuses to that ability score. 3) Roll a d20, adding your ability score and intimidate modifiers to the check.
This text should also go along with this power: Other ways of demanding defeat: Instead of overpowering the enemy, physically or mentally, you can either try to get through to it or make a deal with it. These methods are not based on any skill, but how you roleplay. Try offering the Sorcerer a rare ritual in exchange for his surrender, or try making a deal with a pirate captain; The freedom of you and your teammates in exchange for a treasure map. If you are not fully comfortable with roleplaying your character yet you can use Demand Surrender but use your Diplomacy modifer instead of the Intimidate modifier, but it is not always so that the DM has thought of what your enemy would like in exchange for his surrender, so even if you roll high you might not achieve your initial goal.
There are two types of grab: 1) Hanging on for dear life 2) Stopping somone from moving.
These two actions are exactly the same, except one has an opposing force while the other is based on a DC.
Grab
Universal Utility
Whether you are holding down an enemy or hanging for dear life, you hope your hands wont give out on you.
At-WillMartial
Standard or Triggered Action - Melee Touch
Target: Something to hang on to, or one creature no more than one size category larger than you.
Attack: Strength vs. Reflex or target DC.
Trigger (if Triggered Action): You start falling.
Requirement: You need at least one free hand.
Hit: You grab the target. If the target is an enemy it is considered immobalized until it escapes your grab.
Sustain Minor: You maintiain the grab. If you are hanging on, you can instead start climbing as a move action on your turn.
Effects that end a grab: If you are affected by a condition that prevents you from taking swift actions, such as dazed, stunned or unconscious you immediately lose your grip. If you get forcefully moved out of reach of the target, or if you become bloodied you also cease the grab. You can end the grab at any time as a swift action.
Remember that when you are falling that you can let go of anything you are holding as a swift action and still grab something to hold on to as a triggered action! If you are carefully letting yourself hang, as to reduce the falling damage when climbing down from a rooftop, you succeed the grab automatically. But in a stressfull situation a check is in order. If your DM is giving you a hard time when or when you cannot safely hang, just tell him that "Are we in a stressfull situation? If not; Just take 10 or even take 20".
Whether it be by the hands of a giant or the cuffs of the local law enforcement, you take a deep breath and try to escape your restraints.
At-WillMartial, Thievery, Athletics, Acrobatics
Move Action - Melee Touch
Requirement: You are grabbed or restrained
Attack: Check vs. Fortitude, Reflex.or target DC.
Hit: You escape the grab and shift 1 square.
Special: If you are restrained you can either roll the check after a minute of continuous effort to escape, or as a standard action with a -5 penalty to the check. Some locks require multiple successes to pick, and having your hands tied might affect your Thievery performence, where each attempt requires you to take a standard action.
You take a leap, and hopefully fly through the air. Some however fall short of their intended achievement.
At-WillAthletics
Any action that includes movement. - Personal
Attack:Check
Result: Divide your check by 10 (rounded down). This determines the number of squares cleared with the jump. You land 1 square beyond the number of squares you clear. All squares fo the jump, including the landing square, use squares of movement. If you moves at least 2 squares immediatly before the jump you clear twice the amount of squares you normally would. You jump in an arc, clearing a number of verticaly feet as you move horizontally. The high point of this arc can be at any point during the vertical movement you choose. This number rarely comes in to play, but when it does you divide the check for the long jump by 10 (rounded down) and add two if the result is at least 1. The result is the number of vertical feet you clear. If a creature doesn't jump high enough to clear an obstacle along the way, it hits the obstacle, falls prone, and can't move any farther as a part of this action.
Special: Do you possess any magical abilities? Ask your DM if you can use your magical powers to enhance your jump, effectively giving this power the Arcane, Nature or Religion keywords.
This one was tricky, since I wanted to keep it simple. Do you see any way of simplifying it?
Effect: You aid your ally. Choose one of the following effect:
Aid Check: The target gains a +2 bonus to his next ability or skill check
Aid Attack: The target gains a +1 bonus to his next attack roll.
Aid Defense or Total Defense: The target gains a +2 bonus to all defenses until the end of his next turn. You can target yourself with this effect instead of your ally, effectively taking the Total Defense Action
Special: If you come up with a plausible explanation, your DM might allow you to use this power against an ally within 10 squares instead of an adjacent ally.
That's all for now. I'll read more about rituals and post my Ritual Caster Feat update tomorrow. Have fun going through these 1000 posts deciding what you want to use and what not XD
I really liked the Google Document you had going on, and I'd love to see that continued, since I'm more likely to use that than actual 4th edition xD
Attack Bonus You are forgetting the Weapon Proficiency Bonus, my friend.
Foe's Folly I love the thought behind the new Leader rider on Foe's Folly. Use it :D
Controller Zone What are you going to do about it, the fact that one rider stacks and the other doesnt? ...Duh! We'll use "Power Bonus" or even revoke the concept of "Moral Bonus", since you are essentially boosting your ally's spirit and confidence. If we make a typed bonus for all temporary attack/defense changes, we have reduced the stacking! :D
Fair enough Power bonus it is Although I have taken Weapon Proficiency into account -- same as the devs -- because when you compare
+5 vs. Fortitude
and
+7 vs. AC
Players would have a 50% chance to hit with AC attacks (lighter weapons would have a 55% chance to be hit), with combat advantage and other bonuses bringing it up to 75%, which should still be within acceptable range
Improvised Checks does not need a 9 step guide xD I'll make the power cards and you can decide whether you use it or not. I like powercards mainly because they answer all the questions a player would normally ask a DM. If you put 5 players into a scenario where they have to think on their feat they will most likely interrogate the DM to make sure that their plan works.
"So, wait, If I grab a creature, is it considered immobalized or having speed=0?" or "What would the situational bonus/penalty be if I tried to intimidate the creature?". All these questions can be answered in a power block. Those who don't use intimidate will simply throw away that powercard.
You should also make an addition to his ruleset. You see, I am visualizing this as a core book, and imagining that there will then be modules which increase the core book's complexity by adding options and allowing replacements of powers etc. I think that with the core book there should be a tiny splatbook called "Little book of Sklls". Which has the rules for most skills, improvised, common and suggested skill uses. I almost only used the Rules Compenium for exactly that purpose. Get your hands on the Rules Compendium and see what I mean.
In my next bosts I will add some "Universal Utilities" and talk about Rituals and what might become our new Ritual Caster feat.
Well, my only problem is that not everything will have power cards for them, and I still want DMs to have the ability to determine effects depending on the story as well.
I could probably accept cards for Grab/grapple, at the very least. The problem with making power cards that incorporate "situational bonus/penalty" is that it is situational, and dictated mostly by the story. The problem with the concept of over-clarification is that players could easily take advantage of those situational modifiers, or find the whole power card useless if those situational bonuses never come up.
I too, see this as a core book, so I'm not going to go beyond a few powers here and there, and mostly delineating the basic concepts and rules. While I concur that skills would be an optional mechanic, having improvised checks as an optional mechanic is, in my opinion, not D&D at all, since improvisation is, if I'm not mistaken, the heart and soul of D&D. So giving the rules on how to resolve improvised checks would help the DM resolve things like "what if I set up a winch, rope and tackle across the corridor, then pull the rope right when the enemy gets close?" or "if I cast Cone of Cold on the lake, what happens?", without having to break story and versimilitude by saying "no, the power doesn't say that."
You are both rational and emotional. You value creation and discovery, and feel strongly about what you create. At best, you're innovative and intuitive. At worst, you're scattered and unpredictable.
If you're crossing the street and see a city bus barreling straight toward you with 'GIVE ME YOUR WALLET!' painted across its windshield, you probably won't be reaching for your wallet.
This is what I believe is the spirit of D&D 4E, and my deal breaker for D&D Next: equal opportunities, with distinct specializations, in areas where conflict happens the most often, without having to worry about heavy micromanagement or system mastery.
Basically I'm restricting opportunity attacks to a defender thing.
