Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition: Looks like we're the grognards, now.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition: Looks like we're the grognards, now.

socialsecurity: Aug 30, 2003

The Belgian posted:

Hey guys, first of thanks for all the advice in the end of the last thread. I've settled on the slaying stone for our first game. There'll be 5 players and me. Now for some more silly beginning DM quesrions:

How do I 'give' players items? For example: they can get a pretty neat daggger. But they can't just write down the entere description on their character sheet, that seems like it would fill the sheet up pretty quick. Just writing dwn the name means they would have to look up the properties all the time. Should I write the description on a piece of paper and hand that to them or something?

I shouldn't tell people the stats of an enemy, right? I should just give their name and a description, and then some more info when they pass a monster knowledge check?

Notecards, either write it down on a notecard and just hand it to them or use the character builder to print out sheets of items it's the easiest way.

# ¿ Jan 31, 2014 18:44

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 08:00

socialsecurity: Aug 30, 2003

dwarf74 posted:

That's a really cool idea. I want there to be options for actual firearms specialists, though. There's even a theme - the Gunsmith - which focuses on it...

I have no problems modeling guns differently for different PCs. Your typical flintlocks for a normal character could easily just be encounter-use magic items, say Level+3 vs Reflex (or Level+5 vs AC), dealing 2d6+level damage, for instance. And your idea is easier than what I was considering.

Just steal from the alchemy weapon tables and copy them they work the same way pretty much. Hell you could change the gadgeteer's garb into a gunslinger outfit by just crossing out alchemy and adding "gun" and it would fit pretty thematically.

# ¿ Feb 2, 2014 03:24

socialsecurity: Aug 30, 2003

Pathfinder is when you really want to be super simulationist but still have magic, 4e is more a group of murderous super hero hobos who bend reality by rolling a dice and rollplaying an explanation as to why standing on each other shoulders allow them to suplex the giant.

# ¿ Feb 7, 2014 00:45

socialsecurity: Aug 30, 2003

homullus posted:

If you have a large enough mat or a small enough dungeon, drawing the whole thing and then covering the parts they haven't been to yet saves a lot of time at the table.

I used to draw it all out on a computer then print it at my colleges library/work allows for rapid switching.

# ¿ Feb 10, 2014 21:27

socialsecurity: Aug 30, 2003

Blue Raider posted:

Some friends have been pestering me for forever to play 4e with them, and I did last weekend. It was pretty fun, but I was pretty overwhelmed by the layers upon layers of dice rolls. Also, there's no way I could create a character without someone looking over my shoulder at this point.

It was pretty fun, and we had some laughs. I got my golaith warden killed in the third encounter against some kobolds(?) which is apparently a feat in itself. I think I pissed off the dungeon master by not following his obviously laid path, though, which is why I guess he threw an army at me 200 feet from the town gate.

Anyway, just thought I'd share. I'll probably play again.

That's impressive you really have to try to die in 4e especially in early levels unless your DM was truly just being a dick.

# ¿ Mar 5, 2014 05:40

socialsecurity: Aug 30, 2003

Last thing you want is 15 rounds of "I use my at-will.... miss"

# ¿ Mar 24, 2014 03:29

socialsecurity: Aug 30, 2003

So I've got a campaign going with like 18 players (yes I know) many of them are new so I handle printing their sheet etc. I really like the character builder but printing new cards/sheets everytime they level up is a pain. There's slight editing tools in the character builder but I don't see a way of forcing to leave fields blank, any way I could use the character builder to make the character then print it out in a way we have to write in AC/To-hit etc so we can just write it in/level up easier.

# ¿ Jan 5, 2020 23:06

socialsecurity: Aug 30, 2003

So we had a bunch of people at work who wanted to DnD for the first time. I came up with the idea of a loose drop in/out campaign figuring most people who are interested usually don't last past a few sessions. Turns out everyone loves it and invites their loved ones. I have 2 other people who help dm and we've been splitting th party (except for one fight because everyone kept asking why we did that so they got to experience a like 14 pc battle). Some of them have started doing their own character stuff so that helps I setup an azure vm with the character builder for them. It's been fun I've been trying to utilize the high player count in neat ways, early on I had them take over a Merc compound for their own uses, half the party went frontal assault for a diversion while the other half snuck in to fight from the inside. I had some ballistas inside the building shooting out at the other party giving them a way to help the other party, instead they looted the building and kept it all for themselves almost feels like a mmo guild.

# ¿ Jan 7, 2020 01:51

socialsecurity: Aug 30, 2003

Moriatti posted:

So like... Is everyone there every session or how does that work?

Yes, we play at work so we usually meet in a large conference room layout general rp/story stuff then the groups split into the smaller conference rooms. I text with the other DMs if one party does something that affects the others or if they end up in a situation where they meet.

# ¿ Jan 7, 2020 05:11

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 08:00

socialsecurity: Aug 30, 2003

Keep an eye on Amazon books show up super cheap used there all the time. I got both adventurers vaults for less then 6 shipped.

# ¿ Jan 23, 2020 13:37

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition: Looks like we're the grognards, now.