Recent content by Retreater

But since the DMG is a core rulebook, maybe that could've been addressed?

Encounter generation and budgets that work. Magic item economy. More traps and how to create them. Monster creation rules. Class creation rules. Race/ancestry creation rules. Don't care about your high-minded "creating a campaign cosmology" stuff when you can't do the basics.

Honestly, I'm surprised to see the D&D Cartoon characters being used in all this marketing. It ran for like 2 years, was cancelled before it got an ending, and has been basically absent from pop culture for 40 years. Does it have any relevance at all outside of Gen X nostalgia?

Yes. For every character, I use the Character Builder each level-up and refresh their magic items.

Have you seen the Castles & Crusades tribute covers?

I guess if the cover is the lone selling point, print it and make a dust jacket for your 2014 printing. For me (a forever DM), this is the most important release of the trinity because it's the one that needs the most updating from 2014. So far, I need more than what's been previewed.

I'm tired of having the group run away from challenges they think are too hard - it happens about every other combat. So I have to throw out my prep - and everyone's in a bad mood. For example, I was running an adventure for levels 6-8. There is a 10th level encounter early on. One of the...

I was just discussing options with my wife (who plays the hexblade character.) I said "we can try with a defender or I can work on re-writing a big chunk of the adventure." She said "I guess I can play a defender. I'd rather do that than have you complain about running the game." "Forget it...

I know. I've told em. Had a new player join us. He made the barbarian - because "it's the striker that is kinda like a defender" (he said). Also begged a few other players to take one. Just Google "4e database" - it should come up. It's become more clear as we've gone along. They didn't dig...

I just want to add here, despite all my complaining I've been doing, I have long considered myself a 4e apologist. I don't consider it a bad system. I liked it enough to try to sell my group on it six months ago, after all. I'm just running into a brick wall with this group. It's not meshing...

The problem with this approach is that it doesn't tend to "math out" appropriately. Here's what I mean. Orc brute might be level 1, orc artillery might be level 2, orc minion might be 4th level. That orc shaman might be 7th level. So you're designing an encounter for a 1st level party, which in...

No. I was giving that as an example of quick design a lot of people do. I haven't designed encounters like that since I was 12. Let's see. I have the leader of a rival town who has come into their city and declared martial law - who they haven't engaged with. A faction of rebels trying to...