D&D Shenanigans

[tacticslion]

Originally Posted by EckScizor

So how many people still play 3E? I've got a friend who's preparing a campaign (with its own mythology, based on selections from the Draconomicon) and we're preparing to get it underway pretty soon. I rolled a pretty decent Elf Duskblade (I have a hard time picking between meatshields and squishy wizards, so I opted for something a little more like FFXIII's Ravager), and the DM is pushing the storytelling aspect (he's a big fan of Final Fantasy-style stories) which is something I'm stoked for. Only problem is we had two people quit the group, and we only have three left, counting the DM (who is playing a majority of the other party members, some of whom aren't PCs). We're still gonna play, but there's no guarantee we'll keep interest long enough to finish.

I'm a little reluctant to touch 4E, so we're gonna stick with 3E.

Whelp. First, I'd suggest this go here, in the general DnD thread, but to answer the question, I play both often, but heavily prefer 3rd. 4th is fantastic at what it does: dungeon crawl, combat, level grind, combat, streamline, and combat. 3rd is more versatile as a system. 4th you can tack anything on you want, any system at all, and it'll generally work fine, so long as it's not combat. 3rd just kind of handles it in-house. 4th has some great concepts for skill challenges, while having a less-involved skill system (static bonus [trained/not] and half your level regardless of class to all skills). I could go on.

The short version: 4th simplifies and streamlines and makes things go faster. It also kills versamilitude and a sense of cohesive reality (ex: monsters behave one way, NPCs another, player characters another). 3rd complicates and slows things down a bit. It also adds versamilitude (everything in the world runs on the same rules) and integrates everything into its own rules (sometimes admittedly clunkily).

So really it comes down to a matter of choice.

As far as DM running characters, I've had to do that a time or two in my campaigns. My advice to him, is to not get too attached. You too. Especially if he plays like me. I generally get it to the point where my actual players (no matter how many or few) can more or less survive on their own, and then proceed to decimate the (n)PCs that are under my governing. In classy, story-building ways, and often not how I expected, but mercilessly killing them nonetheless until only the players are left. I do this regardless of the edition. And sometimes I kill my players on accident. They (usually) get better! ... sorry guys.

[Meister]

I agree completely even though I absolutely prefer 4E, and for the exact reasons you listed too.

But I don't think I can ever go back to 3E now, unless it's an exceptionally good game. No matter what I come up with in 3E these days I never feel like I have enough options. In addition it feels incredibly easy to screw up a character's progression in that system, while in 4E you can just completely wing it from level 1 to 30 and have a perfectly playable character all the time. That said Duskblades are awesome and we had no problems at all playing a whole campaign with only three characters including one. Granted they pretty much do one thing but they're very good at it (hope you don't like utility spells a lot though).

e: also, posts moved.

[DarkDrgon]

no one in any of my groups ever likes to play as a rogue, so If im running an adventure that must have traps I normally send the same NPC with them. Hes a member of the thieves guild that the party is on good terms with, and has orders to do nothing but open doors, disarm traps, and save his own skin

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Rogues can be replaced with a rock, a knife and a 10 ft pole.

[Meister]

Or by someone taking Skill Training (Thievery). In my party the Warlock's the go-to guy for traps.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Eh we don't play 4th ed- in 3rd ed you can get all the skills still, particularly with a bard/the right feats but only if you are a pussy suck up the traps and the enemy will run away. Stab anything you can't bluff out of.

[Meister]

Originally Posted by Smarty McBarrelpants

Stab anything you can't bluff out of.

Sure sounds like our 4E game.

Come to think of it I haven't actually used traps in any noticable capacity yet. Mostly because I have no idea how to build them but it can't be that hard, probably about time to introduce some.

[Magic_Marker]

I had a friend who always ran his adventures the same way. First the players would get to know eachother and have some fun reactions. It was nice, you are always almost lulled into the idea that this adventure is going to be different.

Then GMPC shows up. GMPC can do know wrong, is 7 levels higher than you and needs you help for *some reason* even though you are discouraged from ever leaving the railed off adventure. Really these stories shouldn't be on a table top at all and belong more in Bleach FanFiction. That's not an exaggeration, one of his sessions was ACTUAL BLEACH FAN FICTION.

Me and my friend were playing a 4E version of this and had enough of it. About the time GMPC shows up my Dragonborn and his Eladrin start making racist comments about humans, calling the beer at the local tavern *catpiss,* and generally behaving like a racist motorcycle gang of 2 in west Baltimore. GMPC is disapproving of us, being a Paladin of great honor and all and refrains from talking to us. The Barman eventually has enough of us and tries to get in a fight.

Unfortunate for him, I hit him over the head with a mace. My ally torched the place and we booked it, the Paladin right behind us.

We figured with a running start we would be able to get away but Pally's got a bow and good aim. He begins directing guards to our position. Things get heated and we ask the DM to leave the room for a moment as we formulate a plan. After the plan was made we started the session again, running from the law for the crime of killing a barman and setting his bar on fire. The solution, MOAR FIRE!

We ran until we were on the outskirts of town, pursuit following us at maybe 10 feet away. Up ahead was an orphanage and my friend had burning hands up and ready. After setting the building on fire the Paladin give us a look of rage and hatred. I look him in the eye for a moment then shout. "WELL? ARE YOU GOING TO JUST LET THOSE POOR KIDS DIE!?" Reluctantly he ran to save the kids giving us the time we needed to escape.

[Ryong]

My party found a bunch of demons, who we identified as the children of a demoness we've been hunting for a while. They were doing a ritual, involving sacrifices. We weren't able to stop them, so...

We were sent to the astral plane on a donut-shaped room.

We arrived on a giant cube made of weapons from different time periods. We jumped to another cube as it flew by us. We found some thieves who tried to rob us. We tried to test how gravity worked in this cube thing by pushing one of them off the edge.

He landed head-first on the other side of the cube, taking at least half of his HP in damage.

[stefan]

most of my RP experiences are with Star Wars saga edition. most of the fights end with the remaining one or two enemies fleeing in terror from how insane my group is.

for instance, in our last adventure, our merry band of mercenaries were being led into an ambush. What was supposed to happen was, our contact would come along with our money for our last job, and give us our next. this hilariously obvious thug comes along, claiming that the real contact couldn't make it and that he was going to lead us to a rendezvous, and tries to lead us into an ambush. We agree to come along just for the hell of it. Eventually, the situation is: Thug ringleader has led us into a parking garage, we've got HIM hostage, six mooks have us surrounded, and three more are coming down the elevator.

the situation ended after our resident force user tore a dude in half with his mind, three more guys got crushed under flipped speeders, and the three mooks in the elevator were dispatched when my guy stuck a detpack to the ringleader and kicked him into the elevator before touching it off, killing all four of them so spectacularly that we had to roll reflex to avoid being coated in gore. (The force user failed that roll)

The remaining two mooks threw their guns down and tried to flee, which resulted in them being chased by a blood-glazed dark jedi who kept shouting that he still wanted to play.