“The D&D Character Record Sheets package contains not only character sheets, but also perforated cards to write your powers (and magic items) on.”

They’ll likely have printable ones online as well. If not, there will be fan-made ones. And if not, I’ll make my own in Illustrator and post them for you all.

Since the powers depend on your stats for attack and damage, and your weapon and implement for damage and magical enhancements, the cards will likely be blank templates for you to write powers in, rather than pre-written.

I like the blanks better anyways.

Fro everything that has been deduced thus far, all of them.

Example time!

Creature X has three abilities with recharge.
Ability 1 has recharge 4,5,6
Ability 2 has recharge 4,6
Ability 3 has recharge 5,6

Rol a d6. On a roll of 1-3, none recharge. On a 4, 1&2 recharge. On a 5, 1&3 recharge. On a 6, all recharge

This is as far as the folks at ENworld have been able to tell so far.

Note, as well, that the Dungeons of Dread figures are definitely using an older ruleset for their stats, and thus are not quite correct. The just-released Angels preview proves this, when comparing it to the angel from the minis set.

http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?p=4190768&postcount=64

Specifically, there seems to be a bit of a math rebalancing, with higher hit points for monsters and lower damage for those monsters’ area attacks, along with a number of other changes.

The hit points have gone down on monsters… but then again, the iteratives are gone (Phil dances a little jig)

What I like the most now is that everyone can do ‘Move and X’ each turn!

I bet they release Power cards someday, probably as decks for each PHB that comes out. Or as downloads (with subscription?). You can already download cards for the Book of 9 Swords classes. I don’t think a 3rd party could do it, but that’s a GSL arguement that we can’t have until we actually see it.

If the damage is less, recharging 50% of the time is feasible. 3d12+6 is 25.5 average, I have no idea if that is less than a comparable CR 7 dragon because the HP scale is different, healing surges, and all that.

shadow145s last blog post..4E mechanic of the moment: Warlord Powers

Of course I’d much prefer having a dragon recharge it’s breath 50% of the time!

shadow145s last blog post..4E mechanic of the moment: Warlord Powers

Actually, from everything that’s been put out, recharge is on that number only. So a creature with “recharge 4″ recharges only on a 4, while an ability with “recharge 5,6″ recharges on either a 5 or 6.

This hasn’t been confirmed, but is the (IMO reasonable) assumption based on the information we’ve gotten thus far. There’s no other reason that we’d see both “recharge 5″ and “recharge 5,6″

That said, some of the minis stats do seem to be from a prior version of the rules, so they may not all be 100% correct. Similarly, it may be that the dragon should be “recharge 4,5,6″, but how it’s written, it’s only a 4.

I said I’d be back.

Wow, that exploded. For the record, my stance on 4E is “cautiosly optimistic” and “why should I be exclusive to one or the other”. But I am in a unique position where I am going through a major move and will have to find what to play when I move to my new locale. So I don’t have to argue one way or the other (Cop out, I know). But I am a rules junky and enjoy reading about 4E, pathfinder, Monte’s BOXM, etc. Note that all these are examples of professional designers approaching the same question (how do we make the game better) from different angles. It is fun to see the different approaches.

As for mechanics, just commenting on Chatty’s original post:

Iterative Attacks
Monsters seem to get multiple attacks by way of special abilities, specifically followups if they successfully hit (like the mentioned Hooked Horror), or a special standard actions that allow them to take multiple attacks (the Angel of Valor on the WOTC site today gets this with a sword and dagger attack as a standard action). Players I imagine would get similar powers, where they get a power to attack with two weapons as a standard action. But usually the powers grant extra damage instead of an extra attack. And you could always spend an action point to get an extra standard action you could use as an attack. Action points are much more generous in 4E.

One of the biggest changes between 3.5 and 4E is that characters (and monsters for that matter) generally have a default power they use at will as a standard action over and over. The simple attack roll is really only used for Opportunity Attacks and such. Characters have other powers they may use once per encounter or once per day to supplement this default power. Similarly, monsters have some powers that may be used once per encounter, or once until recharged.

Monsters
Monsters are created individually, not off a template. However there are some mechanics in place. Monsters have specific roles, soldier, controller, brute, etc. These may determine certain specific stats like hit points, maybe attack bonuses. They have a level that is also indicative of relative power. So a 5th level Skirmisher no matter what the creature has the same amount of HP. There are also specific templates that add to the monster. Minions, Leader, Elite, Solo, maybe a few others can change the stats, however these should be relatively simple changes (like double HP, att +2 to attacks, AC, and Defenses, etc). Then you have templates like the Lich and Vampire Lord that were shown on the WOTC website. Those seem more like the templates in 3.5, maybe a tad simpler. It also appears that adding a template like this automatically makes the creature elite. Finally, you have class templates, I read somewhere about them, maybe a post on EN World by a developer, and I think they give a few token powers or abilities to a monster to simulate the class powers of a hero.

Also, just a quickie, generally recharges are the number or higher, so that dragon recharges on a 4,5,6. They want him breathing a lot, he is a dragon!

Grapple
You’re not quite right on that. Remember that monsters work different than heroes. So that “restrained” is the monster’s equivalent of grapple. Grapple for heroes is now “Grab”. From the PHB Lite v2.1 (And admittedly I don’t know where they got this from): “It is a Strength attack versus Reflex to grab someone. Acrobatics vs Reflex or Athletics vs Fortitude can be used to escape. You can attempt a grab check with anything that is within one size category of you. This also doesn’t provoke an Opportunity Attack. If you fail, nothing happens. If you succeed, you cause your target to be “Immobilized” for one round. The target can escape his immobilized condition using an Acrobatics vs Reflex or Athletics check vs Fortitude as a move action. You may move the target 1 square by succeeding on an additional grab check in the following round. Immobilized by a grab attack – Deciding to immobilize a target is essentially like a PC deciding that he would like to spend his combat rounds as a Tanglefoot bag. An immobilized target can still attack normally, but cannot move. Foes around an immobilized target receive Combat Advantage against him.”

I suspect there are other options to do to a grabbed/immobilized opponent from powers or such that simulate grapple options.

I hope you found that interesting, and that I was mostly right in my comments. We’ll find out in june! For now, you can return to your regularly scheduled Bazooka vs Machine gun bloodbath.

shadow145s last blog post..4E mechanic of the moment: Warlord Powers

Good job boys…

It’s all good.

I think the forums would have been a good choice, maybe. But it’s all good. I think I’m basically the VP in charge of shit-disturbing here, anyways.

Shooting?
I didn’t see any shooting, just a polite if spirited conversation.
Did you see any shooting Graham|ve4grm?

Michael Phillipss last blog post..feminist issues

Heh, another alternate route: DC 25 climb check and 200 feet of knotted rope

Michael Phillipss last blog post..feminist issues

True, it would allow them to find out that her flight isn’t natural. But they would have no way of knowing that she could fly from spells before she actually did it. And the flying isn’t a problem anyways, it was just used as an example. The buffs are the problem. And Knowledge Arcana would not be able to say what a specific lamia matriarch’s spells known are.

In any case, it still requires them finding out about her before facing her. This is possible, as we’ve discussed. But as written, the adventure makes it very difficult, if not actively discouraging it. And, unfortunately, without finding out beforehand, we hit the situation where the encounter is essentially not winnable.

I mean, I’m not arguing with a lot of what your saying. Including things like that is definitely a good way to advance plot and make things more interesting. (Though I don’t agree with your assertion that the encounter is fair, that’s another point.) I’m merely saying that the adventure doesn’t include those things, and as such becomes a poorly-written encounter with little option given to come at it differently, and no help for if you try to do so.

It is quite amusing that none of the iconics have ranks, though. Very silly.

The sense motive gap is why the book includes alternate routes to figure out that there is something wrong with him. This isn’t something that the PCs must do to complete the adventure, it is something that makes it easier to do so, and that rewards role playing.

I will note that I find it quite amusing that none of the iconic characters in an investigative campaign have ranks in sense motive.

The 10 day limit assumed they had beaten him unconscious and couldn’t come up with a dispel effect any sooner than that.

Michael Phillipss last blog post..feminist issues

The DC 25 Sense Motive check is useless, unless Dispel Magic is already prepped. Hearing some of the banter can be useful, but is still not enough to indicate a magical charm effect. So they’ll likely end up facing him anyways, and fighting him unless they have Dispel already prepped. They can beat him into unconsciousness instead, so that’s an option. But all of this also relies on someone in the party being trained in Sense Motive. So we’ve moved from requiring “someone has dispel magic” to “someone has dispel magic or sense motive”. Not much better.

As for the 10 day limit? Really? You think that Xanesha wouldn’t refresh her charm effect occasionally? It’s an at-will power for her. She could do it every day if need be.

A DC 25 sense motive check with even minimal conversation with Ironbriar gives the information that he is under some sort of charm effect. He’s not interested in making deals, but engaging in banter? That’s classic fight stuff there. Worst case scenario? His charm can’t last more than 10 days. Page 45 of the adventure gives further pointers on exactly that question.

Michael Phillipss last blog post..feminist issues

And without the casting of Dispel Magic, there is no indication that Ironbriar is willing to talk, as he fights to the death while charmed.

So it basically comes down to casting Dispel Magic on Xanesha spontaneously, or casting it on Ironbriar so that they know to cast it on Xanesha.

(By the way, my biggest issue with uberbuffed monsters is that the PCs have no way to know that they’re uberbuffed, instead of being that tough normally. Unless the mage casts Detect Magic (usually seen as a waste of an action in combat), that creature could fly through magic, or through their own supernatural ability. A beholder, for instance, wouldn’t fall if he had Dispel Magic cast on him. The Lamia Matriarch would. But how would the PCs know that?)

Michael Phillipss last blog post..feminist issues