Fallcrest. It's not just a city in the Nentir Valley; it is the city of the Nentir Valley. Populated by enough people to fill nearly a dozen of the villages which lie scattered throughout the region, they say that if there's anything you need, it can be found in Fallcrest. Need passage somewhere, near or far? The Swiftwater Clan can get you there by land or water - or, some say, by other means entirely. Need an item of arcane power? 'Tis said that Naerumar's will get you the finest goods, with provenances an arm's length (and if you don't care about the provenance, word has it that Sandercot's is where you can put in an order). Want to make certain that some competitor doesn't cause you any more trouble? Rumor has it that a certain barkeep in the Lucky Gnome Taphouse knows someone who knows someone....
And if you're an adventurer in need of work, or work in need of an adventurer, then the place to go, or so it is said, is the Blue Moon Alehouse, where the two free ends can meet. And that is where our story begins, one cool spring day.
At that corner table is Breelana, an Eladrin of questionable means and even more questionable mores. Expensive habits and expensive tastes require her to make coin by whatever means necessary; and what better way for an adrenaline junkie to do so than with rod in one hand and arcane blade in the other....
Nearby is Leaf, a human who views others of her kind as foreigners. A stranger in a strange land, indeed. But she's been a quick study all her life, and does what she can to get by. Scratching out a living doing jobs for others is what she's learned thus far, it thus far it's worked.
Over there, also by himself, is Vaius Zannifer. Even though tieflings are few and far between in this town, nobody gives him a second glance; between the Azaers and the Naerumar's and the other handful of tiefling families that live in this part of the vale, it's not worth the trouble, even for one that has little to do with the rest of his kind. There is a thin line between the strictest of the good and the wickedest of the evil, and it's a line which the paladin has learned to play upon like dancing across the widest of fields.
Two more walk in, in the company of another. On one side is Anton Bartok, scholar and "hand" of Pelor, who's never known an honest day's work in his life; even the hands of the gods must eventually become callused, in order to become strong. On the other side is Tovar Hammerfall, dwarven priest of Moradin, in search of something new and exciting; and what can be more "new and exciting" than a tavern full of adventurers? In between the two - friend to the latter, associate of the former - is the priest Grundelmar, a dwarf recently arrived from Hammerfast, come to the city to turn around the House of the Sun - the temple dedicated to Pelor (and Kord and Bahamut), a distant third to the city's patron Erathis and the Lord Warden's favored Sehanine.
For Grundlemar, this isn't a chance meeting. Earlier that day, he had met a man in need of assistance, one who could help the the cause of Pelor, financially to a certain degree. In a place where you're lucky to get even ten percent of the gods' ten percent, you aren't opposed to using alternative methods of fund-raising. Knowing that he needed to find something to be of motivation for Bartok, an idea formulated in his mind. Enlisting his old friend Tovar proved to be easier done than said. Which meant going to the Blue Moon, and finding enough souls to finish off the needed numbers....
The seventh and final person of interest this evening at the Alehouse is the dwarf Traevus, a merchant's merchant - someone who buys and sells things between merchants, increasing the supply where there is demand for it. He looks somewhat injured and bruised, recent injuries. His story, as he related to Grundlemar earlier that day, and as he repeats the aforementioned individuals now, is a fairly simple one....
"I was traveling by wagon with several goods from Hammerfast and points in between, on my way to Fallcrest and then on to Winterhaven. Not long before arriving here yesterday evening, we were set upon by goblins. They were lead by a tall man on a black horse, and were intent upon raiding and looting the wagons. Fortunately, my injuries were not life threatening, but I am no fighter, so I feigned death in order to be left alive.
"However, one of the others in the caravan, a man by the name of Dorton, managed to fend them off singlehandedly, and even tracked them to back to their lair. Sadly, he was mortally wounded in the process. Fortunately, he was able to make his way back before he died, to pass along the location. A good man passed on to the other side, last night.
"At any rate, among the stolen items was a locked wooden box, about a foot and a half to each side. Everything else which they made away with was of little value, but that box is a very important commission for me, one that cannot be lost.
"I am not a rich man, and much of my money is tied up in goods which are meant for others. However, I can afford to offer you 30 gold, if you can recover my box for me. Anything else which you may find you should be able to keep, if that will add to your incentive, but it is very important that I get that box back as quickly as you are able.
• Ad Hominem— Attacking the person's circumstances, not addressing the argument. • Ad Hominem Abusive (Personal Attack)— Insulting the person, not addressing the argument. • Ad Hominem Tu Quoque— Saying the person's inconsistent, not addressing the argument. • Appeal to Authority/Belief/Common Practice/Consequence of a Belief/Emotion/Fear/Flattery/Novelty/Pity/Popularity/Ridicule/Spite/Tradition— Using emotion instead of Fact. • Bandwagon— Use of peer pressure. • Begging the Question— Assuming premises which haven't necessarily been agreed to. • Biased Sample— Using a sampling which may not properly represent the whole. • Burden of Proof— Shifting it to the wrong side. • Circumstantial Ad Hominem— Attacking the person's interests in supporting their argument. • Composition— Assuming that the whole has the same qualities as individual parts. • Confusing Cause & Effect— Assuming that one thing causes another because they appear in conjunction. • Division— Assuming that the individual parts have the same qualities as the whole. • False Dilemma— Assuming that only two options exist. • Gambler's Fallacy— Assuming the odds have changed because of past occurances • Genetic— Assuming a perceived defect in the origin of a claim is proof of a defect in the claim. • Guilt by Association— Attacking others who agree with the claim. • Hasty Generalization— Assuming a quality based on too small a sample size. • Ignoring the Common Cause— Assuming there is no outside cause of two connected things. • Middle Ground— Assuming the midpoint of two extremes must be correct. • Misleading Vividness— Assuming a colorful anecdote outweighs statistical evidence. • Poisoning the Well— Using unprovable claims about the person instead of addressing the argument. • Post Hoc— Assuming that something caused something else simply because it happened first. • Questionable Cause— Assuming that one thing causes another. • Red Herring— Using irrelevant evidence to divert a discussion. • Relativist Fallacy— Asserting that a claim may be true for some but not for the speaker. • Slippery Slope— Assuming the inevitability of one event based on another. • Special Pleading— Claiming exemption without justification. • Spotlight— Assuming individuals that get the most attention to be indicative of the whole. • Straw Man— Misrepresenting the opposing argument. • Two Wrongs Make a Right— Justifying something unethical/immoral as response or pre-emption to something else unethical/immoral.
Response to those who like to compare 4e to a Video GameShow
Also, I find that the "D&D 4e is like an MMO" argument is often a sign of someone who is deliberately being obtuse and/or is potentially ignorant of actual MMO play. As someone who only ended a 6-year World of Warcraft addiction a year ago, I can say that most of your bullet points actually don't match up to the truth of it.
In D&D 4e, you can choose a hybrid, you can choose to play one class as though it were another (people played Warlords as Bards frequently, when the edition first came out, and Rangers were refluffed to Monks), you can focus your class on its secondary role (a Warlock who is more controller than striker, for instance), you can multiclass, and you can create a particular concept (a mounted lancer, a charger, etc.) within the mechanics via feats, choice of powers, and choice of skills. You decide which set of stats you use--are you a Chaladin, Straladin, or Baladin?--and you have ultimate influence on how your character turns out in the end. Yes, powers require you to be using a particular weapon within your class's available selection, but the powers are not themselves tied to the gear. Powers tied to weapons or armor are typically powers that belong to the item, not to the character class that's most likely to use it.
Yes, there are only so many powers available, and these will be what you do in battle; this is all that the designers created. Yes, there is a time-frame in which they can be used; this has always been the case, even in the days of Vancian casting. Yes, there are suggested builds, but you can routinely ignore those if it pleases you; the only parts of a class you have to take are the class features, and even those have options at this point. But the only way that this can be considered at all conflatable with MMO character building/playing is if you are deliberately ignoring all of that.
In WoW, you choose a class and you're done. No multiclassing or hybridization, no way to mimic one class with careful building of a different one. There is a firm dividing line on what is a WoW class. No secondary roles or creative concepts, either; you're going to be what the class sets out to be, and that's it. You'll always have the same stat allocation as another of your class, because you get set numbers as you level up, and you've got at best four options--and that's only the Druid class--to build, and if you plan on running dungeons, particularly heroic level ones, or raiding, you'd better not even think of deviating from the single defined best build on the talent tree for what you want to do. It was only recently, with the complete tear-down and recreation of talent trees for Mists of Pandaria, that there was a concept of there being anything but the one best build that people who calculated such mechanical advantages (the folks on Elitist Jerks, for example), and the people who did things like achieve "World First" at various top-tier raids set precedent for.
Also, no class will ever not have a specific set of powers; all Priests in WoW have the same baseline, with deviation only based upon their talent tree specialization, where a D&D4e player could take whatever power in their class pleases them. Any Retribution Paladin will be the same as any other in terms of powers, because that is what a RetPally is. Any Assassination Rogue will always have the same powers as another, etc. All powers are always on specific cool-downs, but will always be there when they start a battle, where a 4e PC might enter an encounter with only At-Wills, or without their Daily powers due to what plot has done up until that point. Furthermore, no power that is not already specifically tied to an item will ever "require" you have that item, to my recollection. Classes get all their powers based on class; gear only gives bonuses to stats, possibly cuts down cast times for abilities or cooldowns, grants temporary extra bonuses to stats (the latter two most often on the raid tier equipment), and on rare occassions an extra power that may or may not be valuable, as some are only special effects instead of valuable abilities.
Most honest/open response on why DDN needs to be InclusiveShow
I've always felt it is in the best interests of D&D to be as inclusive across the playerbase as they can be and still have a game. I've never felt though that making a game that was inclusive within a group was very useful or even desirable. DM's and players can decide amongst themselves what options or restrictions they want for their games. I tend to lean to the DM to make most of those decisions but again that is a group specific thing.
Having said that. I get the distinct impression that there are a lot of players on these boards who come from groups that generally ruled against their own desires. It's almost like they are an oppressed minority from a gaming perspective. I also get the impression that they tend to advocate against things that if available their fellow group members might like and vote them down on.
Do a lot of you feel this way?
Just for clarification...here are some examples... 1. Alignment restrictions as an option. 2. Alignment Mechanics 3. Martial healing 4. Races being included or not.
I know my perspective is not that I often play at tables where my likes are not represented. Instead, my perspective comes from the many years I spent being a bad DM. I was a bad DM because my guidance came from the books, and the books gave bad advice. The books told me that alignment was a useful approach to roleplaying, so I went with it even though it felt kind of weird to me. Now I know that, at least in my style of running games, alignment destroys rp. I trusted the books to give good advice, and it messed up my game. Now I'm much more mature as a DM, so I know how to take advice with a grain of salt. And I still learn new stuff every session I run.
I don't want future DMs to go through my problems again. There's a big enough DM shortage as it is. DMing well is hard.
The biggest thing I had to unlearn in my process of becoming a good DM was the idea that the game is a simulation of a world. I understand many DMs prefer a more simulationist approach, although I am always skeptical simply because I would have said the same thing until I learned and grew as a DM. This doesn't mean their approach is completely invalid, but it still gives me a personal twinge when I see a regression back to 3e era sim style gaming.
I also have noticed many groups where one or two old-school players run a whole group's playstyle because the newer players aren't even aware there are other ways of doing things. The newer players tell me stories of things they hated in the session, and I end up explaining to them how those things they hate are very fixable, and in fact are fixed in the newer edition of the game their older players have told them is terrible.
In regard to things like martial healing, I don't think it's necessary for it to be in the game for the game to be fun. However, the attitude that says martial healing is terrible and shouldn't exist is an attitude that, to me, reveals a wrongheaded approach to the game. Therefore, my fight for it to be an option is to help legitimize the more narrative approach that I think is what most players want, but many don't know is possible, because they've never been exposed to it.
Fr. Anton Bartok sniffs and holds a scented handkerchief to his nose as he enters the tavern. The smell of stale alcohol, and its effects, mixes with warm musky odor so people in a most unpleasant manner. "We're just meeting someone here, right Master Grundlemar? I do hope we're not expected to eat anything they prepare here." He mutters softly to himself, "Probably the remains of the loser from last night's brawl..."
Fr. Bartok removes the handkerchief from in front of his nose, carefully folds it and packs it away, and visibly steels himself as he takes a deep breath, forcing himself to allow the dirty air into his lungs.
The Abbot said this was part of my mission: to be among the rabble - the people - in their own setting. I am not to make it my own. I am to experience life as a commoner. I am not to make it my own...I am not to make it my own...I am not to make it my own...
After hearing the small business's man petty problem, Bartok lifts his chin and speaks. "I shall assist you in your little quest thingy!" He speaks softly to Grundlemar beside him, "That's how this goes, right?" Without waiting for an answer he returns to addressing Traevus. "I shall make your problems my own and shall return with your box if it kills every last one of my - what are they called? - not clan mates...not minions...if it kills every last one of these groupies."
Fr. Bartok steps back and awaits a suitably awed response from his audience.
Accurate Staff Ranged: 10 Attack: +8 vs Reflex Hit: 1d8+6 Radiant damage and you slide the target 1 square. Special: You can use this power as a ranged basic attack.
Accurate Staff Ranged: 10 Attack: +8 vs Will Hit:1d6+6 Psychic damage and the target takes a -1 penalty to all defenses until the start of your next turn.
Accurate Staff Area Burst: 1 Target: Each enemy in burst Attack: +8 vs Reflex Hit: 1d6+6 Radiant damage. Effect: Each ally in the burst gains a +3 power bonus to AC until the end of your next turn.
Channel Divinity: You can only use one channel divinity power per encounter. Immediate Reaction (personal) Trigger: An enemy within 10 squares of you hits your ally Effect: Before the end of your next turn, you gain a +2 bonus to your next attack roll against the triggering enemy.
Accurate Staff Channel Divinity: You can only use one channel divinity power per encounter. Close Blast: 5 Target: Each undead creature in blast Attack: +8 vs Will Hit: 1d10+6 Radiant damage, you push the creature 2 squares and it is dazed until the end of your next turn. Miss: Half damage.
Accurate Staff Close Blast: 5 Target: Each creature in blast Attack: +8 vs Reflex Hit: 2d6+6 cold and fire damage Effect: The blast creates a zone of flaming hail that lasts until the end of your next turn. Any creature that starts its turn within the zone takes 5 cold and fire damage. Sustain Minor: The zone persists.
+1d6 damage against enemies at full hit points (Challenge Seeking Accurate Staff) You do not provoke OA from making ranged or area attacks with a staff (Staff Expertise Feat)
Breelana gives a very unladylike snort at the Holy Man's proclamation. Groupies? As if! She grins as she gives the priest a once-over. His nose is so high in the air that if it should rain, he would surely drown. This is gonna be fun. I've always wanted to corrupt a priest.
She stretches languidly but doesn't get up from where she is sprawled across the seat like some graceful cat. "Aye, I'm in." She leans forward, props her elbows on the table and asks, "So, what's in the box that's so important?" It'll be a laugh to take out a few goblins, but I'd like to know what I might be dying for anyway. She reconsiders. Eh, maybe not. "Nevermind. I guess we'll see when we get it." Her grin widens, perfect white teeth in a lovely mouth, but somewhat unnerving to those who see the smile.
The day had been long. Leaf had nothing to do, ever since her last employer, a Half-Elf merchant from Hammerfast, had been killed in a Goblin raid several days ago. She had barely escaped with her life, along with a Human hired guard, and made her way to Fallcrest. Sadly the big man had acquired a new job the very same day they arrived, and he had claimed he couldn't convince his new employer to hire Leaf as well. She knew better. The big Human despised her ever since she had laughed at his ridiculous attempts to entice her.
So, she was stuck in this town. She yawned. Even drinking and gambling became boring, after a while, as did flirting with the locals. The pretty maids tried their best to avoid her, they even averted their eyes when she ordered a new drink! The innkeep became nervous every time Leaf approached, fidgeting with the dirty apron hanging over his bulging chest. Even the damned stablehand feigned to be asleep if she walked past! Yeah, Leaf had been spending way too much time here, that much was certain.
It wasn't that she hadn't found the opportunity to escape the alehouse, she just hadn't liked any of the offers. She didn't care for a trip back to Hammerfest, stories of Winterhaven made it seem like an even more dull place than Fallcrest, and more often than not the offers she recieved were simply not large enough. That Halfling yesterday must have been mad! Demanding travel protection for a mere five gold pieces, and making her pay for her own food and lodgings? She'd been very close to snapping the little cretin's neck for the insult!
She only glances upward as the trio enters, too bored to react, but when she does she notices the gleam in the Eladrin's eyes. A sly grin appears on her face. "Now that's interesting. Haven't seen a wicked-minded High Elf, yet. She looks like fun. Nice curves on her, too."
After the last Dwarf enters and finishes his story, however, she is quick to jump to her feet. For thirty gold coins and a chance to exact revenge on those Goblins she is more than happy to join this hunt. "Yeah, old Dwarf. Count me in. How much of that thirty is up front?"
She strides forward, openly eyeing the Eladrin as she walks past and winking at the Tiefling. She stops next to the Human, standing close to his body and raising her hand to softly caress his cheek with a slender finger. "Groupies, huh? Well, you do wield a nice long staff." She laughs softly, her breath stirring the soft hairs on his face. Fortunately she has just finished off her plate of sweetened vegetables, so her breath doesn't carry the stink of ale. With her large brown eyes she peers into his, then steps away to extend a hand towards the Dwarven merchant. "Greetings, Dwarf. I am Leaf. Glad to be of your service."
Breelana laughs at the human woman's brazenness and the priest's sputtering reaction. This gal's got moxie! Nice ass too. Yup, this is gonna be fun!
"Careful, girl. I saw him first." She gets to her feet in one fluid motion and walks over to introduce herself. "Breelana, but you can call me Bree." She laughs again at the twitching priest, but doesn't offer a handshake, as she's half afraid he'll have heart failure. "Seems like you might be needing protection from more than goblins."
Breelana scans the room. "Surely this can't be all of us, though that does mean more goblin ass for me to kick."
Bartok squeezes his eyes shut and tries to keep from quaking as he clenches his jaw.
Oh Sweet Pelor it's touching me! It's touching me! I could see the dirt under her fingernail. Surely this is not the demise You have planned for me. I am to be among the rabble in their own setting. I am not to make it my own...I am not to make it my own...I am not to make it my own...
His breathing begins to calm and the priest opens his eyes. They remind of you an untrained horse that has smelled the carnage of recent battle. One that would bolt if not for another's hand on its reins. He subconsciously slides a small step closer to the Eladrin at the mention of protection.
"We walk under Pelor's eye. If it is His will, we alone will be enough. Though I'm sure He wouldn't mind a small army to ensure the safety of those working in His name."
Accurate Staff Ranged: 10 Attack: +8 vs Reflex Hit: 1d8+6 Radiant damage and you slide the target 1 square. Special: You can use this power as a ranged basic attack.
Accurate Staff Ranged: 10 Attack: +8 vs Will Hit:1d6+6 Psychic damage and the target takes a -1 penalty to all defenses until the start of your next turn.
Accurate Staff Area Burst: 1 Target: Each enemy in burst Attack: +8 vs Reflex Hit: 1d6+6 Radiant damage. Effect: Each ally in the burst gains a +3 power bonus to AC until the end of your next turn.
Channel Divinity: You can only use one channel divinity power per encounter. Immediate Reaction (personal) Trigger: An enemy within 10 squares of you hits your ally Effect: Before the end of your next turn, you gain a +2 bonus to your next attack roll against the triggering enemy.
Accurate Staff Channel Divinity: You can only use one channel divinity power per encounter. Close Blast: 5 Target: Each undead creature in blast Attack: +8 vs Will Hit: 1d10+6 Radiant damage, you push the creature 2 squares and it is dazed until the end of your next turn. Miss: Half damage.
Accurate Staff Close Blast: 5 Target: Each creature in blast Attack: +8 vs Reflex Hit: 2d6+6 cold and fire damage Effect: The blast creates a zone of flaming hail that lasts until the end of your next turn. Any creature that starts its turn within the zone takes 5 cold and fire damage. Sustain Minor: The zone persists.
+1d6 damage against enemies at full hit points (Challenge Seeking Accurate Staff) You do not provoke OA from making ranged or area attacks with a staff (Staff Expertise Feat)
Tovar smiles and shakes his head at the scene unfolding in front of him. "Traevus, I be joining the others ta find yer box. I'm sure we'll have no problem findin it." Adressing the group he says, "Me name be Tovar Hamerfall, priest o' Moradin, and no one be dyin on me watch." Turning to Bartok he says, "The word ye be looking for is allies or companions."
Traeus eyes the human woman, and reaches into his belt purse. He pulls out five golden coins. "One for each of you, in advance. As I said, I am sorry I cannot offer more, but times being what they are...." He sighs as he hands over the coins to Leaf.
• Ad Hominem— Attacking the person's circumstances, not addressing the argument. • Ad Hominem Abusive (Personal Attack)— Insulting the person, not addressing the argument. • Ad Hominem Tu Quoque— Saying the person's inconsistent, not addressing the argument. • Appeal to Authority/Belief/Common Practice/Consequence of a Belief/Emotion/Fear/Flattery/Novelty/Pity/Popularity/Ridicule/Spite/Tradition— Using emotion instead of Fact. • Bandwagon— Use of peer pressure. • Begging the Question— Assuming premises which haven't necessarily been agreed to. • Biased Sample— Using a sampling which may not properly represent the whole. • Burden of Proof— Shifting it to the wrong side. • Circumstantial Ad Hominem— Attacking the person's interests in supporting their argument. • Composition— Assuming that the whole has the same qualities as individual parts. • Confusing Cause & Effect— Assuming that one thing causes another because they appear in conjunction. • Division— Assuming that the individual parts have the same qualities as the whole. • False Dilemma— Assuming that only two options exist. • Gambler's Fallacy— Assuming the odds have changed because of past occurances • Genetic— Assuming a perceived defect in the origin of a claim is proof of a defect in the claim. • Guilt by Association— Attacking others who agree with the claim. • Hasty Generalization— Assuming a quality based on too small a sample size. • Ignoring the Common Cause— Assuming there is no outside cause of two connected things. • Middle Ground— Assuming the midpoint of two extremes must be correct. • Misleading Vividness— Assuming a colorful anecdote outweighs statistical evidence. • Poisoning the Well— Using unprovable claims about the person instead of addressing the argument. • Post Hoc— Assuming that something caused something else simply because it happened first. • Questionable Cause— Assuming that one thing causes another. • Red Herring— Using irrelevant evidence to divert a discussion. • Relativist Fallacy— Asserting that a claim may be true for some but not for the speaker. • Slippery Slope— Assuming the inevitability of one event based on another. • Special Pleading— Claiming exemption without justification. • Spotlight— Assuming individuals that get the most attention to be indicative of the whole. • Straw Man— Misrepresenting the opposing argument. • Two Wrongs Make a Right— Justifying something unethical/immoral as response or pre-emption to something else unethical/immoral.
Response to those who like to compare 4e to a Video GameShow
Also, I find that the "D&D 4e is like an MMO" argument is often a sign of someone who is deliberately being obtuse and/or is potentially ignorant of actual MMO play. As someone who only ended a 6-year World of Warcraft addiction a year ago, I can say that most of your bullet points actually don't match up to the truth of it.
In D&D 4e, you can choose a hybrid, you can choose to play one class as though it were another (people played Warlords as Bards frequently, when the edition first came out, and Rangers were refluffed to Monks), you can focus your class on its secondary role (a Warlock who is more controller than striker, for instance), you can multiclass, and you can create a particular concept (a mounted lancer, a charger, etc.) within the mechanics via feats, choice of powers, and choice of skills. You decide which set of stats you use--are you a Chaladin, Straladin, or Baladin?--and you have ultimate influence on how your character turns out in the end. Yes, powers require you to be using a particular weapon within your class's available selection, but the powers are not themselves tied to the gear. Powers tied to weapons or armor are typically powers that belong to the item, not to the character class that's most likely to use it.
Yes, there are only so many powers available, and these will be what you do in battle; this is all that the designers created. Yes, there is a time-frame in which they can be used; this has always been the case, even in the days of Vancian casting. Yes, there are suggested builds, but you can routinely ignore those if it pleases you; the only parts of a class you have to take are the class features, and even those have options at this point. But the only way that this can be considered at all conflatable with MMO character building/playing is if you are deliberately ignoring all of that.
In WoW, you choose a class and you're done. No multiclassing or hybridization, no way to mimic one class with careful building of a different one. There is a firm dividing line on what is a WoW class. No secondary roles or creative concepts, either; you're going to be what the class sets out to be, and that's it. You'll always have the same stat allocation as another of your class, because you get set numbers as you level up, and you've got at best four options--and that's only the Druid class--to build, and if you plan on running dungeons, particularly heroic level ones, or raiding, you'd better not even think of deviating from the single defined best build on the talent tree for what you want to do. It was only recently, with the complete tear-down and recreation of talent trees for Mists of Pandaria, that there was a concept of there being anything but the one best build that people who calculated such mechanical advantages (the folks on Elitist Jerks, for example), and the people who did things like achieve "World First" at various top-tier raids set precedent for.
Also, no class will ever not have a specific set of powers; all Priests in WoW have the same baseline, with deviation only based upon their talent tree specialization, where a D&D4e player could take whatever power in their class pleases them. Any Retribution Paladin will be the same as any other in terms of powers, because that is what a RetPally is. Any Assassination Rogue will always have the same powers as another, etc. All powers are always on specific cool-downs, but will always be there when they start a battle, where a 4e PC might enter an encounter with only At-Wills, or without their Daily powers due to what plot has done up until that point. Furthermore, no power that is not already specifically tied to an item will ever "require" you have that item, to my recollection. Classes get all their powers based on class; gear only gives bonuses to stats, possibly cuts down cast times for abilities or cooldowns, grants temporary extra bonuses to stats (the latter two most often on the raid tier equipment), and on rare occassions an extra power that may or may not be valuable, as some are only special effects instead of valuable abilities.
Most honest/open response on why DDN needs to be InclusiveShow
I've always felt it is in the best interests of D&D to be as inclusive across the playerbase as they can be and still have a game. I've never felt though that making a game that was inclusive within a group was very useful or even desirable. DM's and players can decide amongst themselves what options or restrictions they want for their games. I tend to lean to the DM to make most of those decisions but again that is a group specific thing.
Having said that. I get the distinct impression that there are a lot of players on these boards who come from groups that generally ruled against their own desires. It's almost like they are an oppressed minority from a gaming perspective. I also get the impression that they tend to advocate against things that if available their fellow group members might like and vote them down on.
Do a lot of you feel this way?
Just for clarification...here are some examples... 1. Alignment restrictions as an option. 2. Alignment Mechanics 3. Martial healing 4. Races being included or not.
I know my perspective is not that I often play at tables where my likes are not represented. Instead, my perspective comes from the many years I spent being a bad DM. I was a bad DM because my guidance came from the books, and the books gave bad advice. The books told me that alignment was a useful approach to roleplaying, so I went with it even though it felt kind of weird to me. Now I know that, at least in my style of running games, alignment destroys rp. I trusted the books to give good advice, and it messed up my game. Now I'm much more mature as a DM, so I know how to take advice with a grain of salt. And I still learn new stuff every session I run.
I don't want future DMs to go through my problems again. There's a big enough DM shortage as it is. DMing well is hard.
The biggest thing I had to unlearn in my process of becoming a good DM was the idea that the game is a simulation of a world. I understand many DMs prefer a more simulationist approach, although I am always skeptical simply because I would have said the same thing until I learned and grew as a DM. This doesn't mean their approach is completely invalid, but it still gives me a personal twinge when I see a regression back to 3e era sim style gaming.
I also have noticed many groups where one or two old-school players run a whole group's playstyle because the newer players aren't even aware there are other ways of doing things. The newer players tell me stories of things they hated in the session, and I end up explaining to them how those things they hate are very fixable, and in fact are fixed in the newer edition of the game their older players have told them is terrible.
In regard to things like martial healing, I don't think it's necessary for it to be in the game for the game to be fun. However, the attitude that says martial healing is terrible and shouldn't exist is an attitude that, to me, reveals a wrongheaded approach to the game. Therefore, my fight for it to be an option is to help legitimize the more narrative approach that I think is what most players want, but many don't know is possible, because they've never been exposed to it.
Vaius continues calmly eating his meal while the Dwarf lays out the mission at hand. Raiders, thieves, murderers. None convicted, it sounded like, but criminals just the same. Vaius fingers the red enamel trim of his bracer. Yes, he'd do it.
Noticing the Human girl's wink, but paying no response to it, Vaius stands and addresses Traeus. "I will go. The continued presence of such miscreants only serves to undermine the stability of this city."
Seriously, though, you should check out the PbP Haven. You might also like Real Adventures, IF you're cool.
Knights of W.T.F.- Silver Spur Winner
4enclave, a place where 4e fans can talk 4e in peace.
Breelana nods in greeting to the Dwarf Priest, and then her interest is diverted by the Dwarf merchant handing... Leaf? What an odd name for a human... the gold. Would the little minx take it and run? She'd seen humans do much worse for five gold pieces. Wait. Five gold and one for each. That meant that the Tiefling that she'd seen earlier must be the last in the party. She waited a few minutes and the Tiefling finally spoke. Good. Time to get this show on the road.
The Eladrin noticed that the priest had moved just a hair closer to her. A wide grin crossed her face. She almost gave the uptight Holy Man a firm slap on the backside, but didn't want to spook him anymore...yet. "Shall we be going now, your worshipfulness? You are the...leader...of this expedition, no?"
