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.

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.

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.

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.

Masterwork Armors

Masterwork Armors

Masterwork armors are introduced in Adventurer's Vault.
They give additional AC bonus and other special properties
like additional defenses or resists.

Armorers

Some masterwork armors in adventurer's vault are related to race:
Cloth: Githzerai
Leather: Drow
Hide: Dwarves
Chain: Eladrin, Genasi, Tieflings
Scale: Yuan-ti, Dwarves
Plate: Humans, Githzerai

This is good opportunity to give PCs or friendly NPCs
a moment to shine with creating masterwork armors.

The list above is just a guideline.
If someone can explain how to make a masterwork armor,
it is possible.
It depends on character background, intelligence, race, Nature skill (skins), Arcana skill (cloth; leather), etc.

Masterwork Rules

Masterwork Armor is made using:

• someone that knows the crafting techniques
• correct materials, total market price is the same as normal item,
  also sells for the same market price.
  For example: a magic armor's market price is 20.000 gp.
  A character that has 5000 gp in components cost needs
  pay up 15.000 gp. The masterwork armor's market price is then 20.000 gp.
• takes time to create in hours equal to the item level,
  which is can be interrupted.

Materials

• Cloth Armor
  Githweave: 5000 gp Alexandrite Crystals
  Mindweave: 6000 gp Sapphire Crystals

• Leather Armor
  Drowmesh: 6000 gp Onyx Crystals
  Snakeskin: 7000 gp Emerald Crystals

• Scale Armor
  Drakescale Armor: 4000 gp Rage Drake Scales
                                  5000 gp Dragon Scales

        Wyvern Scale Armor: 6000 gp Wyvern scales
                                            7000 gp Hydra Scales
        Stormscale Armor: 6000 gp Gorgon Scales

• Goggles of Night: 9000 gp Dark Crystal

Where to find Materials

• Crystals: found in caverns in the Fey wild,
  Nature to navigate and to avoid wildlife,
  Dungeoneering to find and navigate cave,
  History to know about caves

• Dark Crystal: found in darkest caves of the Shadowfell,
  Nature to navigate,
  Religion to stay clear of dangers,
  Stealth to bypass Nightwalkers, they can be distracted,
  Dungeoneering for navigating caves
• Scales: kill rage drakes, dragons, wyverns, etc. 

How to use Masterwork Armor

This all depends on how adventures are played.
If it's a pure dungeon crawl with players focusing on tactical combat,
it's best just hand them Masterwork Armor instead of regular armor.
That way, they don't have the hassle of finding components or caring about the details of crafting Masterwork Armor.

If players focus a on non-combat and crafting the above house rules may help crafting Masterwork Armor.

So it all depends on the play style of the group.

Expertise Feats and Buffing Monsters

Expertise Feats and Buffing Monsters

Player's Handbook 2 gives us the Implement Expertise and Weapon Expertise feats.
They give a +1 to attack at level 5
                   +2 to attack at level 15
                   +3 to attack at level 25

Player's Handbook 3 gives us Versatile Expertise which
works for both implements and weapon groups.

I dislike how the expertise feats are done:

• Characters with different weapon or implement types need to take the feats multiple times.
  For example: Cleric with weapon and implement or rogue with melee weapon and ranged weapon.
• Characters with racial abilities are also at a disadvantage.
  For example a Dragonborn breath attack will not benefit from the bonus.
• Casual players who don't like to take too much time building a character  or like more flavourful feats are also at a disadvantage.

My Solution

In my games I just lower the monster defenses
  by 1 at level 5
  by 2 at level 15
  by 3 at level 25

The levels refer to character levels and assume that everyone in the party
has the same level.
Characters can't take any expertise feats.
Players in my group don't use Essentials expertise feats, which if I'm correct give additional bonuses.
If players want to take those feats, a group discussion about this subject is warranted.

What about the poor monsters

The solution proposed above also makes characters more powerful.
At higher levels the PCs absolutely trash an equal level encounter.
So I make the monsters more threatening.

Depending on the party composition some monsters are easier to defeat.

Divine characters: because most undead are vulnerable to radiant damage
                   I usually give them additional hit points to compensate.

Controllers: are good against minions,
             so I usually add a greater amount of them.

I give all my monsters

• Attack bonuses, usually 1 (heroic tier) to 3 (epic tier)
• Double damage

Some monster abilities may be frightening to PCs:

• draining healing surges
• redirecting attacks
• eating magic items (see Rust monster in Monster Manual 2)
  use this with care
• underwater fights which can be hard on PCs
• transmitting diseases
• create spawn: create a copy of themselves
  whenever they kill a humanoid creature (see wraiths).
• attacking dying PCs - it's best to discuss this beforehand with the players.
  For example: zombies, ghouls, etc may want to eat a fallen PC.

Faster Combat

All these changes make combat more aggressive and faster.
This changes the pace of combat, which is why I allow players
more freedom to change feats or powers.
This is so they can adjust to the different pace.

Rituals in D&D 4E

Rituals in Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition

Problem

Rituals as written were never used in my gaming group.
They had the following problems:

• casting time was too long to be used in an encounter.
• gold cost was either too high at lower levels or too low at higher levels.
• some rituals are broken or unusable.

Suggested Solution

I house-ruled the following changes:

Skill

You need to be trained in the skills listed to be

able to perform the ritual. 

This is to prevent strange combinations: 

Wizards casting Raise Dead or Cure Disease or Clerics casting portal rituals.

They are able to do so but they must be trained

in the skill for that to be possible.

This makes skill training more important, otherwise

everyone would become a ritual caster to spread the

cost of casting rituals.

Casting Time

This is often phrased in standard actions.
That way rituals can be cast during combat.

Cost

This is often in the form of healing surges instead of gold.
This is like rituals in Martial Power 2 and done to balance
some powerful rituals.

Duration

This is often altered to be dependent on skill check results.

Specific Rituals

Enchant Magic Item

I made it so that this ritual is not usable by player characters (PCs).
Only non-player characters (NPCs) are able to use it.
This is because the gaming group usually consists of different type
of players.
Some like to optimize their character, some don't.
In order to keep everyone on the same power level I don't let PCs
use this ritual.
Another problem I have with it is that magic items become
too common. I'd rather surprise the PCs with usable magic items
instead of them shopping around and making combo's out of them.

Linked Portal, Planar Portal

Portals require 13 symbols in a circle to create.
Each symbol must be crafted by someone that knows portal rituals.
The crafting of symbol costs a minor action, the portal itself
costs a standard action to activate.
This way, it is usable in combat.

Raise Dead

I've kept this ritual almost as written.
This should take long as it is intended to be used out of combat.

Secret Chest

As written, this ritual puts no limit on the chest nor if it can
cross planes.
Unless vetoed by the DM, the PCs could obtain a planar-traversing
chest-fortress which would be cool but probably not intended.