Look I made a post!
So we still on for July 6th at noon or what?
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Classes in 4E
Hey guys... you guys can create your own posts, if you ever want. /shrug
So here's the rundown of the 8 classes available in core.... keep in mind that they broke it down into a roles-based system now... each class is one of four roles, and they recommend that you have at least one of each of these types of classes (these just give an idea of the general job that the class performs):
Leader classes are a support class that provide healing/buffs/aid to other party members - while they can generally hold their own in battle, their main strength is improving the effectiveness of other allies and provide overarching tactical leadership in battle.
Defenders are tanks; they absorb hits and serve to shield the more fleshy "glass-cannon" allies in the party. High hit points, high defenses, powers that draw aggro with generally give out moderate single-target damage.
Strikers are the spec ops of the party - they deal high amounts of damage, usually to a single target, and generally concentrate on taking out enemies one at a time. They rely on mobility on the battlefield to seek advantage and deal high damage where it counts. Coupled with a defender for protection and a leader to increase mobility, strikers end up being the decisive nuker of the party (if they're played right and not totally cowardly and poorly-used like what's sadly happening with my poor luckless half-retarded Shuggo).
Controllers deal with large numbers of allies at a time. Think area effect, enemy debuffs, sustained damage over time... high offense and low defense means that if you're going to play this glass-cannon role, you're going to be hanging back and waiting for a good time to release a fireball without hurting your allies (well, without hurting them that much).
So here's how those roles are actually mapped to classes... I wish I could say it's an even spread, but it's not. If you want a DoT/AoE character, you're stuck with a wizard.
Cleric: A Leader; buffs allies through spells powered by the Divine and provides improved healing to party (although healing works a little differently now, so the cleric is no longer absolutely required... but since there's only two Leader classes, choice is still limited). Wis, Str, Cha are important to the class and humans, dwarves, elves, half-elves, and dragonborn can all make good clerics.
Fighter: Basic grunt that fills out a Defender role. High AC, high HP, and primarily melee, you'll be getting your hands dirty, up close and personal. It's not just mapping a macro to attack and going to make a sandwich... Fighters now have to actually think about stuff in battle, with how powers work. Str, Con, Dex, Wis are all important, with humans, dragonborn, and dwarves being best suited (although really any race can do a fighter role well.... we're back to 1e!)
Paladin: Another Defender, these elite warriors have devoted themselves to a code, and draw power from the Divine, like a Cleric. There's no alignment restriction or roleplaying constraints in 4E though, so as long as you are devoted to a cause of any moral persuasion, you won't have to worry about me putting you in no-win moral conflicts, trying to make you fall from grace. Doesn't happen anymore; Paladins can't fall from grace in 4E. I can make you fall from great heights, though... although you'll just dust yourself off and Lay Hands on self (you pervert, stop beating off and kill some monsters). Str, Cha, Wis are a big deal. Humans, dwarves, half-elves and dragonborn make the best pallies.
Ranger: A martial Striker class. You either go with a two-weapon build (pretty much the only effective dual-wielders in the game) for massive single target melee damage, or an archer build for high damage from afar. You'll be a skirmisher, playing the hit-and-run game in combat since you're generally limited to light armour (to start). No animal companions in 4e, sorry. And dual-weilding named scimitars is NOT allowed, DM decree. Don't like it, go home and cry yourself to sleep while reading the latest pulp from RA Salvatore, dickwad. :) Str, Dex, Wis are important... elves are your primary ranger race with humans, halflings, dragonborn, and even eldarin making okay rangers too.
Rogue: Another martial Striker class, this one being more mobile and sneaky. Relying more on mobility and sly tricks to gain combat advantage on the field to move in for the deadly backstab, this role takes some brains to play well, in a tactical sense (which is why I'm so useless as one). The non-combat role of the rogue is downplayed and no longer essential, so, like the cleric, it's not that big of a deal if this usually-mandatory class is left out of the party. If you come across locked doors and traps you can usually just smash em up and laugh at how the old schoolers used to be resigned to having a weak little asshole tagging along with his bag of wires and picks, hiding in the back rank and looting the bodies while everyone else is fighting. Dex, Str, Cha are primary stats... elves, tieflings and halflings make the best rogues.
Warlock: a Striker who draws from the Arcane sphere, these guys have made pacts with one of three different-flavoured supernatural entities for their powers. Generally a darker character, you cast curses and consort with demons and Outsiders as part of your daily routine. The entities you can consort with are Fey (dark fairy/woodland-y type), Star (think Cthulhu or the Great Old Ones), or Infernal (classic red goateed guy with pitchfork and contract signed with blood). Each flavour allows different powers and type of play. Cha, Con, Int are key... and tieflings (obv), halflings (lolwut), humans and half-elves making good Warlocks.
Warlord: the alternate Leader class, drawing from marital power... very tactical play on the board. You generally allow others to attack out of turn, give attack buffs to allies, move enemies into range of the big damage dealer allies. Although more tactics-based than a healer, nevertheless the morale-boosting and inspiration you provide your party can fill that out in a pinch (i.e. you can heal hit points through encouragment and cheerleading from the sidelines, weird - yes, I know HP is an abstraction, but it still seems weird to me). Str, Int, and Cha... with dragonborn, half-elves, eladrin, tieflings, and humans all able to make the class work in one way or another.
Wizard: the classic bookworm fills out the only choice for the Controller role (until the next "core" PHB is released). You want to do AoE, you generally want a wizard. No more Vancian system (no more memorizing at start of day). You're still weak as shit, but for some reason you can now use Int instead of Dex to calculate unarmoured AC. IMHO that's retarded, there's no way Einstein was AC 20. I could totally pimpsmack Albie with my dick at a -2 improvised weapon penalty, and hit on a 7. Int as affecting AC is just plain dumb. I'm not houseruling it away though, it's a balance thing... they just don't want people dumping a good stat roll into Dex just so you don't die so easy... so whateves. Oh yeah, you get rituals, which take the place of non-combat spells in 4E... think of it as spells that cost money with each casting and take too long to be used effectively in combat. You get spellbooks and all that, but your spellbook isn't as key as it was in older versions. Sounds like a fun class to play, but you'll still need to hang back and let the Fighters do all the heavy lifting. Int, Wis, Dex are the big stats, with eladrin probably being the best wizards out there, followed by humans and half-elves.
.......
So that's that - there's no race/class combo restrictions, but due to abilities and stats some races are just suited for certain classes... but remember that if you want to play tiefling or dragonborn, I want you to own your character by investing a little time and thought into his backstory and run it by me first.... since we're playing in 3E Forgotten Realms timeline and those new-to-core races shouldn't exist yet, if you want a potentially continuity-breaking race you'll need to prove you want it for other reasons than just because they're horribly overpowered (*cough* dragonborn *cough*)...
Oh yeah, you can play a gnome if you want. :D
So here's the rundown of the 8 classes available in core.... keep in mind that they broke it down into a roles-based system now... each class is one of four roles, and they recommend that you have at least one of each of these types of classes (these just give an idea of the general job that the class performs):
Leader classes are a support class that provide healing/buffs/aid to other party members - while they can generally hold their own in battle, their main strength is improving the effectiveness of other allies and provide overarching tactical leadership in battle.
Defenders are tanks; they absorb hits and serve to shield the more fleshy "glass-cannon" allies in the party. High hit points, high defenses, powers that draw aggro with generally give out moderate single-target damage.
Strikers are the spec ops of the party - they deal high amounts of damage, usually to a single target, and generally concentrate on taking out enemies one at a time. They rely on mobility on the battlefield to seek advantage and deal high damage where it counts. Coupled with a defender for protection and a leader to increase mobility, strikers end up being the decisive nuker of the party (if they're played right and not totally cowardly and poorly-used like what's sadly happening with my poor luckless half-retarded Shuggo).
Controllers deal with large numbers of allies at a time. Think area effect, enemy debuffs, sustained damage over time... high offense and low defense means that if you're going to play this glass-cannon role, you're going to be hanging back and waiting for a good time to release a fireball without hurting your allies (well, without hurting them that much).
So here's how those roles are actually mapped to classes... I wish I could say it's an even spread, but it's not. If you want a DoT/AoE character, you're stuck with a wizard.
Cleric: A Leader; buffs allies through spells powered by the Divine and provides improved healing to party (although healing works a little differently now, so the cleric is no longer absolutely required... but since there's only two Leader classes, choice is still limited). Wis, Str, Cha are important to the class and humans, dwarves, elves, half-elves, and dragonborn can all make good clerics.
Fighter: Basic grunt that fills out a Defender role. High AC, high HP, and primarily melee, you'll be getting your hands dirty, up close and personal. It's not just mapping a macro to attack and going to make a sandwich... Fighters now have to actually think about stuff in battle, with how powers work. Str, Con, Dex, Wis are all important, with humans, dragonborn, and dwarves being best suited (although really any race can do a fighter role well.... we're back to 1e!)
Paladin: Another Defender, these elite warriors have devoted themselves to a code, and draw power from the Divine, like a Cleric. There's no alignment restriction or roleplaying constraints in 4E though, so as long as you are devoted to a cause of any moral persuasion, you won't have to worry about me putting you in no-win moral conflicts, trying to make you fall from grace. Doesn't happen anymore; Paladins can't fall from grace in 4E. I can make you fall from great heights, though... although you'll just dust yourself off and Lay Hands on self (you pervert, stop beating off and kill some monsters). Str, Cha, Wis are a big deal. Humans, dwarves, half-elves and dragonborn make the best pallies.
Ranger: A martial Striker class. You either go with a two-weapon build (pretty much the only effective dual-wielders in the game) for massive single target melee damage, or an archer build for high damage from afar. You'll be a skirmisher, playing the hit-and-run game in combat since you're generally limited to light armour (to start). No animal companions in 4e, sorry. And dual-weilding named scimitars is NOT allowed, DM decree. Don't like it, go home and cry yourself to sleep while reading the latest pulp from RA Salvatore, dickwad. :) Str, Dex, Wis are important... elves are your primary ranger race with humans, halflings, dragonborn, and even eldarin making okay rangers too.
Rogue: Another martial Striker class, this one being more mobile and sneaky. Relying more on mobility and sly tricks to gain combat advantage on the field to move in for the deadly backstab, this role takes some brains to play well, in a tactical sense (which is why I'm so useless as one). The non-combat role of the rogue is downplayed and no longer essential, so, like the cleric, it's not that big of a deal if this usually-mandatory class is left out of the party. If you come across locked doors and traps you can usually just smash em up and laugh at how the old schoolers used to be resigned to having a weak little asshole tagging along with his bag of wires and picks, hiding in the back rank and looting the bodies while everyone else is fighting. Dex, Str, Cha are primary stats... elves, tieflings and halflings make the best rogues.
Warlock: a Striker who draws from the Arcane sphere, these guys have made pacts with one of three different-flavoured supernatural entities for their powers. Generally a darker character, you cast curses and consort with demons and Outsiders as part of your daily routine. The entities you can consort with are Fey (dark fairy/woodland-y type), Star (think Cthulhu or the Great Old Ones), or Infernal (classic red goateed guy with pitchfork and contract signed with blood). Each flavour allows different powers and type of play. Cha, Con, Int are key... and tieflings (obv), halflings (lolwut), humans and half-elves making good Warlocks.
Warlord: the alternate Leader class, drawing from marital power... very tactical play on the board. You generally allow others to attack out of turn, give attack buffs to allies, move enemies into range of the big damage dealer allies. Although more tactics-based than a healer, nevertheless the morale-boosting and inspiration you provide your party can fill that out in a pinch (i.e. you can heal hit points through encouragment and cheerleading from the sidelines, weird - yes, I know HP is an abstraction, but it still seems weird to me). Str, Int, and Cha... with dragonborn, half-elves, eladrin, tieflings, and humans all able to make the class work in one way or another.
Wizard: the classic bookworm fills out the only choice for the Controller role (until the next "core" PHB is released). You want to do AoE, you generally want a wizard. No more Vancian system (no more memorizing at start of day). You're still weak as shit, but for some reason you can now use Int instead of Dex to calculate unarmoured AC. IMHO that's retarded, there's no way Einstein was AC 20. I could totally pimpsmack Albie with my dick at a -2 improvised weapon penalty, and hit on a 7. Int as affecting AC is just plain dumb. I'm not houseruling it away though, it's a balance thing... they just don't want people dumping a good stat roll into Dex just so you don't die so easy... so whateves. Oh yeah, you get rituals, which take the place of non-combat spells in 4E... think of it as spells that cost money with each casting and take too long to be used effectively in combat. You get spellbooks and all that, but your spellbook isn't as key as it was in older versions. Sounds like a fun class to play, but you'll still need to hang back and let the Fighters do all the heavy lifting. Int, Wis, Dex are the big stats, with eladrin probably being the best wizards out there, followed by humans and half-elves.
.......
So that's that - there's no race/class combo restrictions, but due to abilities and stats some races are just suited for certain classes... but remember that if you want to play tiefling or dragonborn, I want you to own your character by investing a little time and thought into his backstory and run it by me first.... since we're playing in 3E Forgotten Realms timeline and those new-to-core races shouldn't exist yet, if you want a potentially continuity-breaking race you'll need to prove you want it for other reasons than just because they're horribly overpowered (*cough* dragonborn *cough*)...
Oh yeah, you can play a gnome if you want. :D
Monday, June 23, 2008
Races in 4E
Hey all, here's a little blurb about what races are available in core 4E, and how it relates to our area of Forgotten Realms (Deepingdale, Dalelands)...
Human: Humans are the dominant race in the Dales. Like all humankind, they are versatile and ambitious, and within the region are generally friendly, hardworking and accepting of most other races. +2 to any one attribute of your choice, extra feat and skill at level one.
Dwarf: Less common in the Dalelands, but won't draw stares. Dour and pragmatic, Dwarves are known to other races to be stubborn and headstrong, but also steadfast and hearty. +2 to Con and Wis, proficient w/hammers, +5 vs. Poison.
Halfling: Resourceful and adaptable, the nomadic halflings in the Dalelands are found in human or diverse settlements, using their quick wits and likability to charm friends... and sometimes swindle easy marks. +2 to Dex and Cha, +5 vs. Fear.
Eladrin (Gold Elf): This haughty elvish race is rarely seen in the Dalelands, as most of the Gold Elves have retreated from Faerun to Evermeet, the mystical undying kingdom. After centuries of dwelling in that high-magic realm, the Eladrin (or Gold Elves as they're known in the Forgotten Realms) have been magically altered and are distinct from their standard Elf brethren. +2 to Dex and Int, proficient w/longsword, +5 save vs. Charm.
The following races are extremely rare in the Dalelands, so if you want to play either of these rare races, you'll need to let me know and come up with a good backstory explaining how they came about to adventure with the other races. When adventuring in the Dales, expect stares and whispers in the least, with occasional blatant racism and hostility.
Dragonborn (Saurial): The mysterious Saurials are rarely seen out of the Lost Vale, an area hidden deep within the less explored areas in the Dales. Looking like a cross between a scaled lizard and a large man, these powerful creatures are known (when they're known of at all) to be extremely strong and dangerous. +2 to Str and Cha, +1 attack when bloodied, breath weapon.
Tiefling: This human-like race has its roots in the outer planes, the home of demons and devils. Usually they appear human with small indications of their evil heritage, such as small horns, fanged teeth, tails, red skin, etc. Whether their unsavory ancestry is obvious or not, most people are nervous and uncomfortable around them, due to their unsettling air. +2 Int and Cha, +1 attack vs. bloodied opponents, +5 vs. Fire.
Human: Humans are the dominant race in the Dales. Like all humankind, they are versatile and ambitious, and within the region are generally friendly, hardworking and accepting of most other races. +2 to any one attribute of your choice, extra feat and skill at level one.
Elf: Most elves found in the Dalelands have ties to the Cormanthor, the now-abandoned ancient forest nation of Elves deep in the heart of the Dalelands. Elves are generally free-spirited and quick to both laughter and anger. +2 Dex and Wis, proficient w/bows.
Dwarf: Less common in the Dalelands, but won't draw stares. Dour and pragmatic, Dwarves are known to other races to be stubborn and headstrong, but also steadfast and hearty. +2 to Con and Wis, proficient w/hammers, +5 vs. Poison.
Halfling: Resourceful and adaptable, the nomadic halflings in the Dalelands are found in human or diverse settlements, using their quick wits and likability to charm friends... and sometimes swindle easy marks. +2 to Dex and Cha, +5 vs. Fear.
Half-Elf: Descended from both elf and human, this enthusiastic race is common throughout the Dales. Representing a physical manifestation of the centuries-old covenant between the two races in the Dales, this charismatic race doesn't suffer the same stigmatism that the they do in other parts of the world. +2 to Con and Cha, one external-class power, Elf/human/half-elf feat list.
Eladrin (Gold Elf): This haughty elvish race is rarely seen in the Dalelands, as most of the Gold Elves have retreated from Faerun to Evermeet, the mystical undying kingdom. After centuries of dwelling in that high-magic realm, the Eladrin (or Gold Elves as they're known in the Forgotten Realms) have been magically altered and are distinct from their standard Elf brethren. +2 to Dex and Int, proficient w/longsword, +5 save vs. Charm.The following races are extremely rare in the Dalelands, so if you want to play either of these rare races, you'll need to let me know and come up with a good backstory explaining how they came about to adventure with the other races. When adventuring in the Dales, expect stares and whispers in the least, with occasional blatant racism and hostility.
Dragonborn (Saurial): The mysterious Saurials are rarely seen out of the Lost Vale, an area hidden deep within the less explored areas in the Dales. Looking like a cross between a scaled lizard and a large man, these powerful creatures are known (when they're known of at all) to be extremely strong and dangerous. +2 to Str and Cha, +1 attack when bloodied, breath weapon.
Tiefling: This human-like race has its roots in the outer planes, the home of demons and devils. Usually they appear human with small indications of their evil heritage, such as small horns, fanged teeth, tails, red skin, etc. Whether their unsavory ancestry is obvious or not, most people are nervous and uncomfortable around them, due to their unsettling air. +2 Int and Cha, +1 attack vs. bloodied opponents, +5 vs. Fire.Friday, June 20, 2008
You're authors now!
So startsa postin', if you have anything to say. A brief intro for those that haven't met you, what race/class you think you'll play, whether you like cheetos or funions, what editions of D&D you've played, favorite settings, or whatever else, etc. Not saying you have to, just saying the option is there if you have Writer's Diarrhea like I do; I love the sound of my own keyboard.
Weekend, wootsauce!
Weekend, wootsauce!
Monday, June 16, 2008
This way to adventurrrreee!
Hey all, so the game is going to start in a few weeks (Sunday, July 6th), so I figured I'd start up a blog for us to keep track of everything, meta- or otherwise.
I'm planning on starting around noon on the day, and it will consist of character generation, a rundown of the 4E crunch, the choosing of your wee mini, then a quick roundtable intro of PCs and starter encounter... if we have time, we'll get into the game proper. Since it's a worknight for some of us, the game will end around 8pm, so come on time to avoid holding the game back for the rest of the adventurers. I'm guessing we'll be pitching in for some delivery and snacks/drinks, but that's stuff we can work out later.
I'm leaving out some first-time players who expressed interest in order to keep the group size manageable and quickly moving... most are familiar with general concepts and have played D&D before in various iterations... so once we go through what's changed in 4E, I'm guessing play will be fairly smooth (i.e. no one asking what a d4 looks like).
We have six players, the most I think I can handle without it descending into bedlam and chaos:
Kevin - friend from work, PLP, coming up from Burlington, gaming guru
Peter - friend from the internet rave, Nintendo fanboy, plays WoW way too much
Brandur - met through Peter, DMming a homebrew 4E game I'm in, 'nother WoW player
John - met through Peter, in Brandur's homebrew and building his own, likes magicky characters
Craig - TR.commer, former industrial goth turned into geeky glasses-wearing IBM drone
Jesse - TR.commer, film geek, bearded and short... likes playing Dwarves, go figure
So comment this post with your email address and I'll add you to be an author and once everyone responds I'll lock out the commenting to outsiders... and then we'll move ahead with some starting fluff and I'll upload some basic 4E concepts for those who want a headstart on mechanics (don't worry though - the game seems very streamlined and easy)...
Now watch this if you haven't seen it yet (or watch it for the billionth time):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmgLOKRl5J0
I'm planning on starting around noon on the day, and it will consist of character generation, a rundown of the 4E crunch, the choosing of your wee mini, then a quick roundtable intro of PCs and starter encounter... if we have time, we'll get into the game proper. Since it's a worknight for some of us, the game will end around 8pm, so come on time to avoid holding the game back for the rest of the adventurers. I'm guessing we'll be pitching in for some delivery and snacks/drinks, but that's stuff we can work out later.
I'm leaving out some first-time players who expressed interest in order to keep the group size manageable and quickly moving... most are familiar with general concepts and have played D&D before in various iterations... so once we go through what's changed in 4E, I'm guessing play will be fairly smooth (i.e. no one asking what a d4 looks like).
We have six players, the most I think I can handle without it descending into bedlam and chaos:
Kevin - friend from work, PLP, coming up from Burlington, gaming guru
Peter - friend from the internet rave, Nintendo fanboy, plays WoW way too much
Brandur - met through Peter, DMming a homebrew 4E game I'm in, 'nother WoW player
John - met through Peter, in Brandur's homebrew and building his own, likes magicky characters
Craig - TR.commer, former industrial goth turned into geeky glasses-wearing IBM drone
Jesse - TR.commer, film geek, bearded and short... likes playing Dwarves, go figure
So comment this post with your email address and I'll add you to be an author and once everyone responds I'll lock out the commenting to outsiders... and then we'll move ahead with some starting fluff and I'll upload some basic 4E concepts for those who want a headstart on mechanics (don't worry though - the game seems very streamlined and easy)...
Now watch this if you haven't seen it yet (or watch it for the billionth time):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmgLOKRl5J0
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
