Third Edition Woes...
Monday, July 14, 2008 at 06:11PM The verdant reclaimer I posted this morning took me a long time to create, but most of the "work" went quickly.
Concept and design was easy. Putting together the statistics block and deciding how the special attacks were going to interact with the special qualities was easy. Picking feats and working out skills and figuring saving throws and damage; all easy. Since I'm so familiar with 3.5e the math of a critter, which is traditionally the driest part of any game, has become intuitive. I hate to say it (again), but it's all that stuff I think 4e lacks out-of-the-box that had me scrambling around this morning to get my reclaimer posted before noon.
Well, that and unexpected visits from two sets of parental units over the weekend, but I digress.
As a result, the next critter in the crate will be 4e from start to finish, and I have just the idea percolating nicely... or maybe that's just my guts dealing with too much junk food. We played our d20 modern Cthulhu game yesterday, and despite my best efforts, pizza was ordered and consumed. We're approaching the end of the first season of 'the' Shadow Chasers campaign, and then it's my turn to sit behind the screen once again for my tropical D&D Shroud Isle game (which took a forced hiatus via TPK a few months ago).
My point? I like to write detailed session synopses to keep my players interested, or at least informed. Failing those (a near-certainty) I intend to post those synopses here at U20 with an eye towards exploring the combat in each session. What went wrong? What went right? What worked? What didn't? Chiefly, what was fun, and why? Consider the upcoming Shroud Isle Theatre your front-row seat to playtesting those tactics you've always wanted to try, or maybe those that should never see the light. Besides all that, it'll probably be pretty entertaining. *I* like reading that kind of thing anyway...
And if you're one of my players, for the love of Pelor will you read the damned things? ;)
3E, Monster Design 
Reader Comments (1)
I just realized that I completely forgot the creation rules for my verdant reclaimer. Gah! I love you, 3.5e, but why you gotz to make me hitz you?
Seriously, I already have the design down for next Monday's 4e critter, and I expect it'll take me all of an hour to make up the statistics and write the 200-or-so words of flavour text. This means creating a critter for 4e takes me on average less than half as long as it would for 3.5e.
I just wish I could embrace that 4e hook horrors can only attack with both hooks on average every six rounds (because of a single-number recharge rate on a d6 for that particular special ability). That's just stupid. Anyone feeling me?