Friday, February 27, 2009
DDI character builder
I finally got around to testing the official character builder, available at http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/insider/characterbuilder.
It requires an install on your hard drive. The install was kind of a hassle. It does not require an internet connection to use. It requires a current DDI sub to download the latest materials. I can only hope it will continue to function when my DDI sub runs out.
The program itself is great. It simplifies feat and power selection. The power cards it generates are more complete than our spreadsheet. In theory, in a month if you update it it will contain all PHB2 classes. It is better equipped to handle 'build' selection than our current spreadsheets.
It requires an install on your hard drive. The install was kind of a hassle. It does not require an internet connection to use. It requires a current DDI sub to download the latest materials. I can only hope it will continue to function when my DDI sub runs out.
The program itself is great. It simplifies feat and power selection. The power cards it generates are more complete than our spreadsheet. In theory, in a month if you update it it will contain all PHB2 classes. It is better equipped to handle 'build' selection than our current spreadsheets.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Divine intervention
Feb 24 09
Both halves of the party work together to bring Osalo's mind and body back together, and hand out some beatings along the way. But what is it that he wants them to stay on the other side of the world to accomplish?
Both halves of the party work together to bring Osalo's mind and body back together, and hand out some beatings along the way. But what is it that he wants them to stay on the other side of the world to accomplish?
Labels: session
Friday, February 20, 2009
On the rise
Feb 17 09
Our opponents' machine and machinations are smashed and dashed(respectively). As the lake begins to slowly refill, the less patient half of the party sets out to discover the cause for Osalo's delays.
Our opponents' machine and machinations are smashed and dashed(respectively). As the lake begins to slowly refill, the less patient half of the party sets out to discover the cause for Osalo's delays.
Labels: session
Thursday, February 12, 2009
D&D Insider
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/insider
login spoonicus@hotmail.com
find out the password from me or someone else
I bought 3 months of D&D insider, we may as well all get the benefit we can out of it.
login spoonicus@hotmail.com
find out the password from me or someone else
I bought 3 months of D&D insider, we may as well all get the benefit we can out of it.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Take a dive
Feb 10
Our heroes follow the big O's path of destruction through the bottom of the ex-lake and into the strange technology-users' hideout, whereupon a vicious hurtin' is wrought.
Our heroes follow the big O's path of destruction through the bottom of the ex-lake and into the strange technology-users' hideout, whereupon a vicious hurtin' is wrought.
Labels: session
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Stealth in combat
PHB pp. 117, 188, 281
I had gotten the impression from first reading of the stealth skill that you'd be able to use it in combat to get sneak attacks, but later readings made me change my mind. I've reread the stealth skill and the sneak attack rules for a third and final time. Here's my findings in simple English.
I. Rogues add sneak attack damage on attacks against enemies over whom they have combat advantage.
1: You have combat advantage over any enemy unaware of you. For an enemy to be unaware of you, you must:
a: be hard to see, due to concealment, cover, or broken line-of-sight. Remember that shooting around a corner counts as cover. AND
b: be 'stealthy', by beating the creature in stealth vs. perception. If the observer beats the hider's check by 10 or more it knows exact location till the end of the hider's next turn. You may only initiate this opposed roll when:
i: you have concealment, cover, or broken LOS
2: the 'flat footed' state is gone, but rogues gain comb adv against enemies who have not acted yet this combat
3: creatures gain comb adv against targets they flank
4: stealth aside, if you have Total Concealment (p. 281, heavy fog/smoke nonadjacent; total darkness or invisibility anywhere) you gain combat advantage
5: you gain comb adv if the opponent is: balancing, blinded, climbing, dazed, helpless, prone(melee only), restrained, running, squeezing, or unconscious. (p280 for this list)
Attacking makes all enemies aware of you (after the attack hits and deals sneak bonus, of course.) If at any point you emerge from cover, concealment, or LOS, all enemies are made aware of you. You can try to restealth by gaining cover, concealment, or BLOS and making another opposed check. Does this mean a rogue can stay around a corner, constantly restealthing and shooting, dealing sneak attack damage? Looks like it. Sound crazy? Well, that's what strikers are for, I guess. But also, from p 281: you can make an active perception check against the last stealth check of a hiding character as a minor action. If you win, you know their location.
I had gotten the impression from first reading of the stealth skill that you'd be able to use it in combat to get sneak attacks, but later readings made me change my mind. I've reread the stealth skill and the sneak attack rules for a third and final time. Here's my findings in simple English.
I. Rogues add sneak attack damage on attacks against enemies over whom they have combat advantage.
1: You have combat advantage over any enemy unaware of you. For an enemy to be unaware of you, you must:
a: be hard to see, due to concealment, cover, or broken line-of-sight. Remember that shooting around a corner counts as cover. AND
b: be 'stealthy', by beating the creature in stealth vs. perception. If the observer beats the hider's check by 10 or more it knows exact location till the end of the hider's next turn. You may only initiate this opposed roll when:
i: you have concealment, cover, or broken LOS
2: the 'flat footed' state is gone, but rogues gain comb adv against enemies who have not acted yet this combat
3: creatures gain comb adv against targets they flank
4: stealth aside, if you have Total Concealment (p. 281, heavy fog/smoke nonadjacent; total darkness or invisibility anywhere) you gain combat advantage
5: you gain comb adv if the opponent is: balancing, blinded, climbing, dazed, helpless, prone(melee only), restrained, running, squeezing, or unconscious. (p280 for this list)
Attacking makes all enemies aware of you (after the attack hits and deals sneak bonus, of course.) If at any point you emerge from cover, concealment, or LOS, all enemies are made aware of you. You can try to restealth by gaining cover, concealment, or BLOS and making another opposed check. Does this mean a rogue can stay around a corner, constantly restealthing and shooting, dealing sneak attack damage? Looks like it. Sound crazy? Well, that's what strikers are for, I guess. But also, from p 281: you can make an active perception check against the last stealth check of a hiding character as a minor action. If you win, you know their location.
Actions not on your turn
There are 3 types of actions that take place not on your own turn, which must be triggered. p268
Readied Actions p291
You ready an action by setting its trigger on your turn as a standard action. You can ready a minor, move, or standard action, but readying it will cost you a standard regardless. If the trigger is sprung, you perform the action as an immediate reaction. So generally, you cannot say "I'll attack the mage if he starts to cast," like in 3rd. But if you were anticipating for the enemy to move in and attack you, or even to charge, you could say "If the enemy enters an adjacent square to me, I'll attack it," or "If the enemy enters an adjacent square to me, I'll use Positioning Strike" and your attack will happen first since the enemy's move triggered the immediate reaction. In the case of Positioning Strike, you will even thwart his melee attack. In the case of a charge, he will simply lose his action since the attack portion of his action is invalidated. If he was simply moving and using an at-will, he would have the opportunity to use a different (longer-range) power or weapon.
- opportunity action - opportunity attacks. You can make only one on a given opponent's turn. You may, however, make multiple OAs upon multiple invoking targets (no feat required). OAs resolve before the action which invoked(triggered) them - if a bowman attacks while adjacent to a swordsman and the swordsman's resulting OA slays him, the shot is not successfully fired.
- immediate interrupt - Like an OA, it gets resolved before the triggering action. This may thwart the triggering action, if for example the immediate interrupt allows movement the melee attack which triggers it will fail if you use that movement to move out of the attacker's weapon range. The PHB is unclear on if this consumes an encounter/daily power, so I'm going to arbirtarily say it does. Go go shield push (p 200)! Unlike OAs, you only get one immediate action per turn, be it an interrupt or a reaction.
- immediate reaction - gets resolved after its trigger. May thwart an action but is less likely to: let's say you have a power which lets you shift as an immediate reaction. If the trigger is someone attacking you, you don't get to move away until you already take the hit. If the trigger is someone moving next to you, they'd be unable to approach you and hit you without you getting the opportunity to shift away. This goes for combined actions like charge as well.
Readied Actions p291
You ready an action by setting its trigger on your turn as a standard action. You can ready a minor, move, or standard action, but readying it will cost you a standard regardless. If the trigger is sprung, you perform the action as an immediate reaction. So generally, you cannot say "I'll attack the mage if he starts to cast," like in 3rd. But if you were anticipating for the enemy to move in and attack you, or even to charge, you could say "If the enemy enters an adjacent square to me, I'll attack it," or "If the enemy enters an adjacent square to me, I'll use Positioning Strike" and your attack will happen first since the enemy's move triggered the immediate reaction. In the case of Positioning Strike, you will even thwart his melee attack. In the case of a charge, he will simply lose his action since the attack portion of his action is invalidated. If he was simply moving and using an at-will, he would have the opportunity to use a different (longer-range) power or weapon.
Stuff I've gotten wrong
In this exciting new series, I will try to clarify some rules I got wrong or just sort of glazed over during a prior session. It's funny how as much as 4th ed simplified things, it's still left a lot of issues that seem to need some clarification.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
The two kings
Feb 3
Our heroes finally arrive at Yannis to find trouble is brewing. Of course, they also brought some trouble with them, who dashes out into the night with no explanation. Not that god-kings need to explain themselves.
Our heroes finally arrive at Yannis to find trouble is brewing. Of course, they also brought some trouble with them, who dashes out into the night with no explanation. Not that god-kings need to explain themselves.
Labels: session
