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I'm taking a short hiatus from building the Shadow's Apex campaign setting today for a mini-rant and to ask some advice.
I don't like game rules that make me think about nit picky mechanics when I should be thinking about the storyline or about my overall strategy in combat. The most glaring example I can think of that bothered me was the "choose an opponent each round" crap that was included in the Dodge feat in 3rd edition. There just wasn't a big enough payoff for the mental energy it took to remember to choose an opponent, not to mention the energy it took for my players to keep reminding me, "My armor class is 19 against that guy, but 18 against everybody else." It didn't take long to houserule the Dodge feat into a static +1 to AC that you lost whenever you lost your Dex bonus.
In 4e, there was a deliberate attempt to remove rules, feats, and powers that were irritating in that regard. However, looking ahead a few levels, I foresee having the same gripe about the restriction on the number of item daily powers you can use (PHB 226). Right now, no PC has more than one or two magic items so this isn't an issue in the least, but I'm dreading having to keep up with (or reminding my players to keep up with) whether or not they can use an item power due to their tier and the number of milestones they have completed.
I'm considering eliminating that rule completely ahead of time just to avoid the irritation. However, since no 4e campaign we have run has reached higher than 4th level (and our current campaign is only at 2nd), I don't have the experience with the system to know whether or not this will seriously unbalance things.
For those of you more experienced with the system, has this rule been beneficial to you at all? Is it as big of a pain to keep up with as I think it will be? Does anyone else ignore it?
I know exactly what you mean. That's what finally turned me off of GURPS--all those situational modifiers and special exceptions that come with the ad/disad system.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like I'll be playing 4e for the first time pretty soon. I'll be interested to see if anyone's addressed this issue, or if it's really an issue at all.
I like where you’re going with this article, but I have to strongly disagree with your suggestion to remove Daily power limitations. A huge improvement in 4e D&D was the attempt to eliminate the “5 minute work day.” Now players are encouraged to keep going beyond one or two encounters. And one of the big rewards that keep things balanced is the ability to use new Daily item powers as you hit milestones.
ReplyDeleteMy gaming group wasn’t using this limitation for the first few levels and we couldn’t believe how tough we got as soon as we acquired a couple of magical items. Then the DM (who was getting really frustrated) reviewed the rules and corrected us. Now we can only use 1 Daily item power until we hit a milestone (much like actions points). It’s made a big difference and it’s helped keep the game balanced.
As for more general arguments about rules, take a look at how my group handles Adjudicating and House Rules and see if any of our suggestions help you.
I agree, those types of bonuses are the definition of "fiddly" to me. I made Dodge a free action in my game, but I can see the appeal of making it even simpler.
ReplyDeleteI actually don't see a huge deal with your magic item fix, and I'm convinced that my players forget about that rule all the time. I'd say just watch carefully to make sure they're not abusing it with "fire off all items, rest" or similar, and I don't think it will be a big deal.
[quote sirlarkins said...]
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean. That's what finally turned me off of GURPS [/quote]
lol.. that's what turned you off from gurps? for me it was the four hours to build a friggin ATV because my GM thought it was better than just buying a stock model.
On the dodge thing... do you read www.goblinscomic.com? check out this one: http://www.goblinscomic.com/d/20060204.html
as for the daily power restriction, I see Ameron's point of overbalance, but can also see your point of it being something else for the players/dm to keep track of (like arrows and rations) that commonly get forgotten.
i would see how it plays when your party is level 4+ for one or two gaming sessions, then maybe try it your way and see if it overbalances or runs smoother. make your determination from there.
Thanks for the feedback, everyone.
ReplyDelete@Ameron: I just skimmed your article. We already use several of your suggestions. I'll return to give it a closer read when I have more time. Thanks for the link!
@Soul Existence: Excellent comic! I'll be checking out the archives in the near future.
I'll test this out and post how it works for us when magic items are more abundant and could be abused. However, my players aren't generally abusive of the rules, so I doubt it will be an issue unless it becomes one without them trying too hard.
I'm with you on not liking such fiddly mechanics. In general, 4e went out of its way to trust the gaming group to regulate its own potential for silly rule abuse, rather than craft rules to cover crazy corner cases, like with past editions. This is one that slipped through the net, I think. The intent is obvious, at the abuse end anyway - players carrying around buckets of magical backup gear to switch out after having used the daily power of one.
ReplyDeleteIt's more practical use is to make the milestone mechanic matter and leave the DM not having to worry about how many powers his group has lurking in their items to unleash on a tough encounter.
If your group doesn't seem the types to abuse the obvious implications of the loss of restrictions on item use, I'd say it won't be a problem. If they are a bunch of power-gaming uber-munchkins, I'd say the rule is required.
In 3.x, I hated Dodge. It was a feat so not everyone has it.
ReplyDeleteIn 4E, I'm going to hate Marks. Every bleeding fighter-type class HAS to have one. Not to mention that every one of them has a different marking scheme