Roleplaying 4E Skills

Roleplaying skills in D&D 4E can be improved.
DMs promote skill usage for staying in character and telling a good story.

Magic Medieval City using D&D 4E Rituals

Image a city in D&D 4E where rituals are used freely.
A place where casters are leading the city with magic guilds and temples.
Cleric and wizard class abilities are used where necessary.

Discrimination in D&D 4E Writing

I want more diversity in the D&D games I play in, mostly after reading about sexist art in D&D.
Although diversity can fixed by the DM, it's a lot easier if the core books and adventures fully support it, as a good example to new and experienced DMs.

Action Denying Conditions on PCs in D&D 4E

Action denying status effects deny player characters the use of their actions.
I examine stunned, unconscious, dazed, dominated, petrified, etc conditions.

Why action denial is problematic

Action Denial robs players of things to do during their turn.
Combat in D&D 4E at higher levels is often slow.
This means players are waiting a long time to do something.
Players generally get bored quickly this way.

Action Denial is tolerable if other PCs can help the afflicted PC.

Save Ends vs. End of next Turn

At higher levels, end of next turn is stronger than save ends because of many saving possibilities and bonuses. At lower levels, action denying effects that have save ends might take some turns to save against.

Stunned

"Free Falling - Explored" by SodanieChea on Flickr

This is the ultimate action denial, because stunned PCs can't take any actions.
I simply don't use this condition at all.

Dragons use this, I substitute it for a weaker condition like dazed and additional damage.

Unconscious

This is harsh action denial, but in some circumstances PCs can get rid of it by healing, heal checks or taking damage.
If there are no such circumstances I won't use the condition.

A Night Hag uses the unconscious and stunned conditions.

Dying

Dying PCs can't use any actions but other PCs heal them or use the healing skill on them.
So this condition isn't problematic.

Dazed

Dazed is great action denial. Melee characters out of melee range can't move and standard attack, but they can still charge or use a weaker ranged attack.

Swallowed 

Swallowed isn't an official condition but larger creatures like crocodiles or purple worms use it.
Swallowed PCs are restrained, take damage each turn and make a basic attack each turn.
The PCs are released only when the creature dies.

This can be boring because players have no choices, someone could roll for them and they go for a walk.

I solve this by allowing hard Athletics skill checks and successful attacks to escape the beast's stomach and mouth.

Dominated

Dominated is less of an issue as a player gets to do something.
I use it with moderation, it is a charm effect so saving against it is easier.

The PCs are out of action, players are not as they can attack their allies.

Petrified

A character gets Petrified in stages (slowed, immobilized, petrified) and the Remove Afflication ritual is house ruled to be usable in combat.

Cockatrices and Medusa cause this condition.
When these creatures are killed they provide a way to cure recently petrified PCs.
So I see no problem with this condition.


Do you use action denial conditions as written or do you have house rules for them?
If you have house rules, I'd love to hear them.

Mind Flayers are running the Asylum Quest

A mind flayer is feeding of the patients in an asylum.
Will the PCs kill the mind flayer even if all its thralls revert to being insane?

History

Photo provided by State Records NSW

About a hundred years ago, a young half-elf physician named Derrin Urcabae began treating the mentally deficient and insane. As one of the few people in the city who would do so, he soon found himself overwhelmed with patients.

After his death, investigations discovered that Derrin Urcabae used his position and the facilities to perform inhuman experiments on some of the truly mad inmates.
He performed brain surgeries in order to fix the madness and had a special laboratory for this.

Tharaxus, Human Paladin

Tharaxus is a powerful paladin and local leader who is rumored to be invincible.
Will this antagonist end up as friend or foe?

Creating NPCs with class levels in D&D 4E

NPCs with class levels and powers are not common in D&D 4E.
I like NPCs in an adventure that are similar to PCs, and I have a way to create them easily.

Zelenna, Night Hag

Zelenna is a Night Hag that grants people their desires but twists them.
She likes to toy with people and eventually wants to create a coven of hags.

Harvesting Monster Parts

Killed Monsters can be harvested for useful parts.
This turns those monsters into rewards for the PCs.

Steal Cockatrice Food quest

Someone keeps cockatrices in her apartment and has everlasting provisions to feed them. Can the PCs steal the everlasting provisions for the starving people in the city?

Vampire in Wine Cellar Quest

The PCs face a vampire who mixes his blood into wine to weaken his prey.
Can they stop him and his thralls?

5 Minute Workday

The 5 minute workday refers to the PCs having daily powers which recharge after resting.
I discuss how often the PCs can rest.

Rescue Merchant son from Dragon quest

A white dragon kidnapped the son of a wealthy merchant.
It's up to the PCs to track it and rescue the son.
This quest is for level 7 characters.

Skills in D&D 4E

Skills are important for role playing in D&D 4E.
Ideally, if a player wants his or her character to do
something the DM should be able to map it to a skill.
Players shouldn't feel bound by their skill list to try
out things.

Dara, Elf Vampire Cleric of Zehir

Eons ago, Dara was born to a noble family in a city.
When she was of marrying age, her parents were looking for a husband for her.
It didn't come to that, as a powerful vampire - some say Kas -
entered their house, slaughtered everyone and turned her into a vampire.

Abstract Mechanics and unexplainable powers

Powers in D&D 4E allow for interesting tactical combat, explaining how they work is often impossible.


Why are Fighters only able to perform some attack once a day?
Why can a cleric only have one divine fortune per encounter?
If a cleric fires a lance of faith, will it reflect in a mirror?
How does one knock prone an ooze?
How does one sneak attack the undead?
etc...

Storytelling in Kobold Hall

Kobold Hall has good encounters but can use more role playing. I try to add a decent story, non-suicidal monsters and player choices.

Protection from Death Knight quest

When the PCs enter the city, the city guards talk to them.
"Excuse, are you adventurers?"
when the PCs say yes:
"Would you please come along?"
The city guards won't give any more information, except that the leader of the city wants to talk to them.

When they arrive at the leader, he starts a monologue:
"Greetings, I'm Tharaxus, the temporary leader of this city.
We have a problem, the last weeks several city guards have been killed.
We know who is doing this but we cannot stop him.

His name is Heskan, a death knight.
He has a grudge against leaders of this city and kills city guards until he gets to me. My predecessor has been kidnapped a couple of months ago by Heskan.

Heskan attacks only in the open, so I'd like to hire you for protection.
There is a reward of 2000 gp for killing Heskan."

Examining the quest

Tharaxus leaves out a lot of details as not to scare the PCs.
An Insight DC 22 reveals this, and if pressed, he'll tell more.
He also doesn't mention his predecessor, who is probably still alive.

History DC 16:
The city was once part of great empire.
The last king of that empire was betrayed by his lieutenant Heskan.
Heskan successfully killed the the king but was killed by the king's
loyal followers when he wanted to usurp the throne.

He didn't stay dead for long as someone wanted him still around.
Heskan, once a Dragonborn Paladin of Bahamut, was transformed in a
death knight.

Religion DC 20:
He spends most of his time in the Shadowfell torturing the last
leader of the city. If a new leader emerges he goes to the city
and kidnaps the new leader to torture him.
He only kills a leader if he has kidnapped a new leader.
This cycle has been going on ever since he became a death knight.

Streetwise DC 16:
He rides a black horse on fire, which the PCs identify as a Nightmare.
People have seen the Nightmare and Heskan appear and disappear,
riding though a blackish portal.
PCs who succeed on a Religion DC 18 know that the portal leads to the Shadowfell.

Stats

Heskan level 13 Soldier
Medium Undead
Initiative +11                     Senses Perception +16; Darkvision
HP 200; Bloodied 100
AC 30, Fortitude 27, Reflex 21, Will 22
Speed 5
Action Points 1
Saving Throws +2
Resist Necrotic 10, Vulnerable Radiant 5
Immune Disease; Poison

Standard Actions

Soulsword,        +19 vs. AC,    1d8 + 17 necrotic damage
Unholy Strike (At-will), +19 vs. AC,    2d8 + 21 necrotic damage
Sword Slash (At-Will; Range 10),
                        +19 vs. AC,   
                        3d8 + 16 necrotic damage, the target is knocked prone

Flame strike (Recharge 5 6 Bloodied; Close Burst 2),
                        +16 vs. Reflex,   
                        5d8 + 12 fire and necrotic damage,
                        undead creatures within burst deal
                        an extra 10 fire damage with attacks until end of next turn

Minor Actions

Dragon Breath (Encounter; Minor; Close Blast 3),
                        +20 vs. Reflex,   
                        2d6 + 7 fire and necrotic damage

Divine Challenge (At-will; minor; Range 5), the target is marked until
                        the death knight uses this power against another target.
                        If the target makes an attack excluding death knight
                        it takes -2 to attack and 14 necrotic damage.

Alignment Chaotic Evil Languages Common, Draconic
Intimidate +20, History +16, Diplomacy +18

Protecting the leader

The leader walks outside with his city guards, with the PCs nearby.
The city guards and leader are Human Guards (see monster manual).
The leader has double hit points compared to Human Guards.

Shortly after entering the streets, Heskan appears riding his Nightmare mount.
He gains fire resistance this way.

Encounter:

• Heskan
• Nightmare (see monster manual)
• Sword Wraith (see monster manual)

Heskan's background:
Shortly after adventuring in the Shadowfell, he gained companions:

• Nightmare mount, which allowed him to travel quickly from the natural world to the Shadowfell

• Sword Wraith, which he wears as a cape

Heskan won't say much, he'll charge straight for the leader.
Being mounted on the Nightmare gives him a speed 10.
If he notices the PCs he'll let the Sword wraith kill the city guards to create more Sword Wraith (Spawn ability).
The PCs recognize the Nightmare and may recognize and Sword wraith (Religion DC 19)

An important point to make is whether the PCs keep the Nightmare alive
so they can tame it for just one trip.
Taming the Nightmare means defeating it in combat, keeping it alive and make an Intimidate DC 18 to make it choose between service and death.
That way they can save the previous leader from the Shadowfell.
An alternative is to use the Shadow Passage ritual.

If Heskan is killed while Sword Wraiths are still alive, they will try to go into nearby houses and start killing commoners (or leader and city guards first if they are still alive).
If Heskan is killed while the Nightmare is alive it will try to escape and eventually go to the Shadowfell.

Also, who made Heskan a death knight and wants no leadership in the city?
This fact may lead to an antagonist.

Encounter Management: combat and role playing

Running encounters is at the heart of D&D.
Whether these are combat encounters or role playing,
the balance between those gives an adventure more depth.
They aren't mutually exclusive, as an encounter may start as a combat and end in a diplomacy session or vice versa.
Besides, combat encounters show many details about NPC opponents and the world.

Combat Encounters

I think combat is one of the most discussed topics of D&D 4E.
Other people have compiled a list of combat accelerators.

I like the tactical combat of D&D 4E and the combination of powers.
Each class is equal in number of daily resources which I find great.
But as our group levels up, combat starts to slow down.
Which isn't a surprise considering the number of powers each player has.

I have an encounter manager for managing initiative, monster attacks, monster health and skill checks.
That way the DMs turn is finished quite fast.
Having a laptop or PC is essential for this.

I increase monster attack and damage while reducing defense,
somewhat similar to monster manual 3. I end pointless combats early.
I avoid effects that prolong combat like stun, blind, unconscious, etc.
So combat encounters are very offensive, a lot of damage gets tossed
around in a short time.

Role playing

The most important thing I did was having less combats but making them count more.
If PCs would have 8 combat encounter per character level like the Dungeon Master's Guide recommends we would barely get 2 encounters done per session.

Many encounters are role playing, information gathering, exploration, etc.
A sort of informal skill challenges (no number of successes or misses).
I think there are about 4 combat encounters per character levels.

This also prevents repetition, something I noticed in published adventures like Kobold Hall, Keep on the Shadowfell, etc.
Some encounters feel like filler to get to the 8 combat encounters.

Maps and tracking status

Maps are created in Gimp and projected by an overhead projector on the table.
Miniatures are from HeroQuest, although we sometimes use coins, bottle caps, etc.
That way a combat starts very fast, keeping the momentum of the game.

We mark only the bloodied status, other statuses are remembered by the players.
There is a public initiative list with defenses of all the monsters and PCs.
This speeds up combat and makes it easier for players to plan their strategy.

5 Lesser known undead

Most people know iconic undead monsters like zombies, skeletons, liches, vampires, etc.
In this post we're going to examine some lesser known undead monsters and look at story telling possibilities.

All of the undead here are from Open Grave.

1. Unrisen
   Unrisen are people brought back from the dead by the raise dead ritual.
   Something went wrong, so they look the same but are undead monstrosities at  heart.
   I find them creepy as they are one of the few undead that can easily pass of as normal humanoids. I wrote a quest about them.
   Maybe there exists a way to sabotage the raise dead ritual so that a healer can corrupt an organization or city.
   Or an unrisen healer sabotages the raise dead ritual to create a family.
2. Caller In Darkness
   This ghost is a group of spirits that died in terror.
   It wants to draw others into the group.
   As a ghost it can be defeated but will return until the reason that caused the deaths is solved.
   Also, how large can it become? How many souls can it draw in before it gets huge or gargantuan?
3. Forsaken Shell
   These are undead skins that want to envelop living creatures.
   When these living creatures die, their skins become new Forsaken shells.
   An interesting way to use them is in an encounter with low-level NPCs or even commoners. This forces the PCs to focus on more than just destroying the enemies.
   Only the skin becomes an undead creature, the rest of the body can be used to create or feed other undead.
4. Wraith
   These undead are fantastic. Their phasing and spawn ability (any living humanoid killed by them becomes a wraith) can lead to an wraith apocalypse.
   An intelligent antagonist may keep them and threaten to set them loose in a populated area. Or an insane antagonist may just set them loose anyway.
   Players can then fight against swarms of wraiths or a huge amount of minions.
5. Nighthaunt
   Nighthaunts are shadows that prey on the innocents.
   The cool thing about them is their ability to create corpse grass.
   Anyone that eats even a little of it becomes a nighthaunt at death.
   So it can be put in food, the water supply, beer, wine, etc.
   Once the first infected person dies the fun starts.