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Fantasy The Saga of the Nameless Lands ~ A Dungeons and Dragons 4e Campaign

Discussion in 'Role Playing Forum' started by Ramza, Jul 5, 2009.

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  1. Penguinator

    Penguinator Former Mod star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 23, 2005
    I'm guilty of multitasking while we play...probably should just put on some nice music, get a snack and hunker down for the intense rolling sessions.

    EDIT: Also, Ramza - I think you and I discussed something about a week back related to my character...we must continue the talks!
     
  2. Kev-Mas_Colcha

    Kev-Mas_Colcha Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 15, 2002
    I'm fine with LW giving comments, as long as he agrees to keep it constructive and civil, and remembers that many of the players are newbies to dice rolling games, or at least DnD 4e.

    EDIT:

    Also, about the time constraints, I have a couple of suggestions. They are:

    If we know the session is going to have combat, simply make the session run longer, if possible, or post the combat in this thread, using Invisible Castle links for dice rolls.
     
  3. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    Another thing I'd like to bring up (And then I'm done, promise!:p ): I'm thinking of switching our gears towards more of a social-interaction focused game, since that's rapidly looking like our forte. Not to mention it's easier for me to run that combat...

    This would probably mean fewer fights, more talking, and more unorthodox XP earning methods. We'd basically go from a group of intrepid dungeon crawlers to a group of mystery solvers, conspirators, and what have you. Thoughts?
     
  4. Kev-Mas_Colcha

    Kev-Mas_Colcha Force Ghost star 5

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    Dec 15, 2002
  5. DarthXan318

    DarthXan318 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Sep 12, 2002
    Let me be frank here ... it shouldn't be difficult to complete your actions in combat in under three minutes because combat is really not all that difficult. I multitask too, Peng, and I still have no trouble getting my actions in order before it's my turn.

    I mean, I realise not all of you have played DnD before, but we're first level characters with no cool toys. I have four spells to choose from; I imagine the other spellcasters have a similar number, and the melee people have even less options. So we get into combat, and all you have to do is move into range and start hitting.

    i.e.

    0) figure out what your standard action is going to be
    1) use move action to move into range (if necessary)
    2) use minor action to pull out weapon (if necessary)
    2) use standard action to hit opponent

    Simple.

    Just keep the PHBs and your character sheet open while we're playing for quick reference and abuse CTRL+F to look up stuff you don't know. (For the record, I didn't read a word of 4e until the first session, and still have not read the parts of the handbooks not relevant to filling out my CS. :p)
     
  6. LightWarden

    LightWarden Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 11, 2001
    Ok, let's do this.

    Trimaj: You probably want to write that Spiteful Glamor is from the FRPG, and since you have to pick a stat for your Eldritch Blast at 1st level, you should just have "base charisma attack" written instead of Constitution/Charisma. Also, while Ruthless Hunter is a pretty cool feat, I'm not sure if it will be of much help to you at later levels, since you'd only be able to do ranged basic attacks with it, and though it outranges your Eldritch Blast, money you're spending on improving your crossbow is money you're not spending on improving your main abilities. It's more designed for Drow rangers, rogues, and bards, since they can capitalize on it with ranged-weapon based powers. But right now it'll still perform reasonably well, so you can retrain it later.

    Xan: With the Eladrin racial bonus to Dexterity, it means you stared with a Dex score of 8 and a Str score of 9. Though point buy calculators allow for this sort of thing, the way the point buy system is set up in the PHB implies that they want you to start with 8,10,10,10,10,10 and go up from there, and thus have no more than two scores below 10 before racial modifier. Probably to stop people from dumping too many stats. Also, your

    Kev: Dual Strike isn't an Invigorating power, and Invigorating powers require training in Endurance to use them fully anyways. Your sheet may not have included the weapon proficiency bonuses in your powers, but I recommend you do so, since there are other bonuses like your bonus to hit with off-hand weapons, and your bonus to damage with your primary weapon from Two-Weapon Fighting. Also, I recommend including the two-weapon defense bonuses to AC and Reflex so neither you nor the DM forget. Speaking of AC, yours is very low. In light armor, you add the higher of your Dex or Int scores to your AC, so yours should be at least 14 (15 once you factor in bonus from two-weapon defense). Personally, I'd recommend sticking with chainmail, since your Dexterity won't be able to cover for the gap between hide and chain as you progress, and AC is everything to a defender since defender mechanics boil down to trying to get the opponent to target you, and making it easier only means you'll be bleeding out sooner and letting the monster chew on your squishier friends.

    Khan: With three 13s, a 14 and two 15s in your ability scores, that's a total of 30 if you're doing point buy under 4e, instead of the usual 22. Furthermore, I suspect your character is probably going to miss a fair deal, since you only have a +2 Wis modifier and a +1 Strength modifier, with a +2 weapon proficiency bonus on top of the latter. In D&D, the game is balanced around the assumption that your character has at least a 16 in his or her primary attack stat (which is why it's usually a bad idea to go for powers that require two separate stats for the primary attack, such as Con and Cha for a warlock, Str and Cha for a paladin, Str and Dex for a ranger or Str and Wis for a cleric). While both Con and Cha are useful for a cleric, I recommend that you dial them down after you wrangle your stats, and then boost either your Strength or your Wisdom depending on if you want to wade in there and smack faces or hang back and hit them with lasers. Since most of the powers you selected involve Wisdom, you might wan to go with that, replacing Healing Strike with something else (yes, the sample cleric in Keep on the Shadowfell went for both, but his attack bonus suffered because of it).

    Penguinator: Remember what I said about having at least a 16 in your primary stat? Well, since Deva have +2 to Int and Wis, it seems as though you started with a 12 in your primary stat. Even with the reroll from the Oath and a weapon with a +3 proficiency, you probably are going to have a lot of trouble hitting your target (which is very bad for a striker). I'd recommend getting a 16 so your racial bonuses push it up to 18.

    Chukles: Like the previous two, you suffer from having a low primary attack stat. Unlike the previous two, y
     
  7. DarthXan318

    DarthXan318 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 12, 2002
    Eh. The way it's written is up for interpretation, then, because the impression I got is that you're allowed to knock a point off to get an extra (i.e. begin with 8,9,10,10,10,10 and 23 points to buy more).

    So ... yes... but to me the negative sign implies that you can turn a 10 into a 9 too.

    :confused:
     
  8. Penguinator

    Penguinator Former Mod star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    May 23, 2005
    Light - I'm a total noob when it comes to DnD; I've been seriously considering getting a new character that not only is a bit better-made in terms of stats but is also more fun for me to play as.

    Xan - Multitasking and playing can be done easily, I don't doubt that, but I have a tendency to totally zone out during combat. [face_blush]
     
  9. Kev-Mas_Colcha

    Kev-Mas_Colcha Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 15, 2002
    LW - Thanks tremendously for the tips about the Double Weapon - I was originally going to get the multiclass ranger feat that lets me use any one-handed weapon in my off hand at level 2, but the Double Weapon seems like it works so much better. Also, I actually opted for Leather Armor, due to the fact that I want to be bloodied faster, because then I get Dragonborn Fury faster. However, it seems like from what you are saying, that shouldn't make a big difference.
     
  10. LightWarden

    LightWarden Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 11, 2001
    Xan: That's not actually a negative sign, I'm pretty sure that it's the same "-" that sits under the "range" column of longsword. In other words, it's their "not applicable" sign, since it's saying that normally you can't get that number unless you spend a point to increase it from your 8. Sorry about the abrupt sentence end, I must have gotten distracted or something, but I believe I intended to write something along the lines of "Also, your AC seems a little low given your options." Since you're a Covenent of Wrath individual, your points each level up are probably going to be spent on improving Wisdom and Constitution, while light armor is balanced under the assumption that your Dexterity or Intelligence start high and keep going up each level, because heavy armor starts high and goes up by 3 points each tier in order to provide defense. Your Int is high enough right now that you probably won't get into *too* much trouble, but you might want to at least wear hide armor, since you can use it (the armor check penalty will just shift your chances of success on physical skills from "going to fail" to "failing even harder"). But if you have your reason, then I'm not going to complain much, since you're not too behind the curve if your buddies do things properly and guard you.

    Penguinator: I can help you if you want. What are you interested in? If you're still interested in strikers, we've got melee strikers in the form of the Avenger, Barbarian, Monk, Ranger, Rogue, while on the ranged front there's the Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer and Warlock. If you want to switch to a leader class, there's melee leaders in the form of the Artificer, Bard, Cleric, and Warlord, and ranged leaders in the form of the Artificer, Bard and Cleric. I probably wouldn't go for another defender or controller since 2 and 1 are about the most you need for a party of this size (and controllers benefit from knowing a lot and strategizing). Strikers are probably the most newbie friendly, since you only have to worry about knowing when to hit and knowing when to run, though there can be an art to it.

    Kev: While leather armor will help you get bloodied faster, the problem is that once you're blooded, there's nothing stopping them from continuing along at the same clip and beating you into the ground. Defenders get bloodied often enough as it is, and since they often tend to be the center of the formation, having them drop can lead to things falling apart at a good pace. You want the highest AC possible, since you want to ensure that most of them miss because many of them will get through and you don't want to be overwhelmed. Since fighters can mark every enemy they make an attack roll against (which you should be doing if you don't have other defender buddies on the case), you can have a lot of guys gunning for you. For example: you can also mark everyone in the blast radius of your dragon breath, which can be a bunch. You might want to consider improving your strength score though, since it's always a good thing to hit better and harder when you're any class, and you can hit 18 without as much effort as your friends.
     
  11. Kev-Mas_Colcha

    Kev-Mas_Colcha Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 15, 2002
    I just switched over to chainmail just now, after ditching my longbow and its ammo to get the funds for it. Here is my sheet again.
     
  12. DarthXan318

    DarthXan318 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Sep 12, 2002
    Ah. :oops: Well, I can just switch that point in Cha (back) into Str... and I can't recall why I have leather armour rather than hide, so good point. I'll switch that too; shouldn't make too much of a difference.
     
  13. BartSimpson-SithLord

    BartSimpson-SithLord Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jan 24, 2002
    GM Approved

    Here's my character, as approved. He's on the waiting list and is a cameo player at current. So I figured I should post his sheet. Kohl Todarr, Dragonborn Paladin
     
  14. Kev-Mas_Colcha

    Kev-Mas_Colcha Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 15, 2002
    Oh, and LW, about Dual Strike not being invigorating, that would be the Character Sheet Generator's fault. It should instead say this:

    Dual Strike +3w [base strength attack] vs AC (main weapon and off-hand weapon)

    Also, Bassil, how'd you get such high stats at level 1?
     
  15. BartSimpson-SithLord

    BartSimpson-SithLord Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jan 24, 2002
    I did the roll formula. And had the Dragonborn racial modifiers.
     
  16. LightWarden

    LightWarden Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 11, 2001
    How do you have a 45 point buy? Did you somehow roll for it? You literally are more than twice as powerful as anyone else in the game. You can't add your Dexterity or Intelligence bonus in heavy armor (Chainmail, Scalemail, Platemail) barring a few enhancements or paragon paths. The damage on your attacks is odd, since your unarmed attack has +1 to damage instead of your strength bonus of +4. I'm somewhat confused as to why you're using a morningstar, given the greatsword does the same damage but hits more often, though if it's flavor reasons then don't let me stop you. You probably should be more consistent about putting your [W] damage on your Valiant Strike, Bolstering Strike, and Paladin's Judgment abilities. Your basic melee attack seems inconsistent, since it's got the wrong strength bonus and doesn't seem to have the attack bonus like the others. With a 16 in Wisdom (assuming these impossibly high numbers are somehow allowed), you should have 3 uses of Lay-on-Hands per day, not one.

    Edit: Ah, you rolled for it. Well the problem with this is that there are six players with stats that only use half the number of points, and then there's you. While this may be fun for you, it's not really that much fun for the others, since most of them had to scrimp in areas while you could go flat-out and shoot for the moon. This is a disrepency that makes for an unfair game, but it's up to ramza if he wants to drag everyone else up (by either rolling, giving them the identical 17, 16, 16, 15, 13, 13, or giving them a ridiculously high point buy), or bring you back down. Bringing everyone else up might make normally-designed encounters somewhat less challenging though.
     
  17. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jul 13, 2008
    I thought those numbers looked a bit amazing. Yeah, Bassil, we used the 22 point buy described in the PHB, so if you could redo your stats I'd be much obliged.

    Also, Kev tells me the racial ability score bonuses are automatically added by the generator, as an FYI.
     
  18. BartSimpson-SithLord

    BartSimpson-SithLord Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 24, 2002
    Yeah, sorry. I didn't know about the use of the point system or the generator. So I just did what I do every time I roll up a 3.5 character sheet.

    Here's the adjusted Kohl Todarr.
     
  19. The Great No One

    The Great No One Jedi Grand Master star 8

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 2005
    will do LW. thought i'd specified which it was before, must have fallen through a crack somewhere.

    also agreed on the ruthless hunter, i just thought it would be useful in the short run, and retrain later, as you said.
     
  20. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    If I could have a moment of y'all's time, I'd like to discuss our next session (Update's going to be sooner this time, on a related note. Promise)

    As some of you know, this Sunday I head out to San Diego for some vacation and to attend the San Diego Comic Con. During this time I will definitely have board access, may have AIM access, and will not have access to my rule books. So rather than schedule something and have to call it off, there's no session next week.

    The following week I return to work, which has unfortunately decided to schedule me on Tuesday, my usual day off, in favor of Thursday. So, the following options become available:

    1. Tuesday (7/28), Wednesday (7/29), Friday (7/31), or Saturday (8/1) After 10 PM EST
    2. Thursday (7/30), Any convenient time.

    Thus, we'll be conducting an informal poll: Pick which of the two options best appeals to you, and select specifics. For option 1, I need a date, and for option 2, I need a time. If you feel additional comments are necessary, by all means include them.
     
  21. Chukles38

    Chukles38 Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jun 10, 2005
    Thursdays are never good for me past... oh... 4 EST or so... though probably just best to say not Thursdays for me. The other days, for now, should be fine that late. Just let me know.
     
  22. DarthXan318

    DarthXan318 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Sep 12, 2002
    Tuesday or Wednesday should be okay for me. I'm actually flying home on Thursday night so I won't be able to make that, or Friday or Saturday. :p
     
  23. Penguinator

    Penguinator Former Mod star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    May 23, 2005
    I won't be home until about 10:00 PM Pacific Time on Tuesday...
     
  24. The Great No One

    The Great No One Jedi Grand Master star 8

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 2005
    any of the above should work for me without a huge problem.
     
  25. Kev-Mas_Colcha

    Kev-Mas_Colcha Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 15, 2002
    I'm good with either one, really.
     
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