Ashdate
2008-08-15, 10:38 PM
(I'm sure there are some other threads similar to this, but I did not find one within the first 5 pages of posts, thus was figuring starting this one was okay)
After a few months of vacations ruining everything, we got underway with our first 4e campaign (1st level). I was playing a Dwarven Fighter, very much set up to tank (Battleaxe and Shield, Tide of Iron, Cleave, Passing Attack, and Comeback Strike, with the Soldier of Faith cross-class ability). We also had a human wizard, a dwarven cleric (battle orientated. He had an 18 str! I dunno if that was worth him having a 10 con...) and an elven ranger. With us was a temporary Warlord PC who was helping us get through some underdark tunnels so we could all escape being executed the next morning :)
I've got to say, I was absolutely love being the fighter. I've been chomping at the bit to play him for months, and in action he's performing almost exactly as I expected him to. The only thing I missed was that to keep a target marked with Divine Challenge, you need to attack it (difficult without pulling out one of my handaxes) or end your turn next to it. Even still, it allows me to mark a target, and as long as I stay near it, which I'm sure will come in handy.
It's also extremely satisfying to ask the DM when he attacks someone else with a creature I've marked. Twice this session it prevented an attack from hitting, which is extremely rad. Otherwise, my high AC (19) and fort (15) has made a few attacks which would surely hit another PC fail.
Finally, on the fighter side, being a Dwarf is awesome. Second Wind as a free action is pretty keen, and the "Stand Your Ground" ability is pretty swell too, preventing 3/4 of the knockdown effects that session from happening.
I've also got to say that what we fought was pretty challenging! First was some Hobgoblin warlock or something, some scorpions, a pair of dire rats, and a goblin sneak (tough fight!). Second was two swarms of lizard things (thank you 19 AC) followed by a skeleton/ mechanical wolf thing (who were pretty easy).The damage and "to hit" the monsters seem to be a little higher than the PC's. I really wasn't expecting to get hit for 20 damage at level one, when I've only got 31 total (thank goodness for Comeback Strike, with some help from the cleric and warlord). Yeah, my damage isn't anything impressive, but I don't mind. My thing is about battlefield control, and so far that's worked pretty well. It went a little slow, but the rules seem a lot simpler than 3.5 so I'm hoping that combat will speed up a little next session, especially once everyone can figure out their attacks without referring to the book.
(Big time ball drop by Wizards: the pre-made character sheets for the Shadowkeep preview were brilliant. Why not create two sheets, one for 'non combat' and one for combat, where one can list their powers out in full like the book does? that would save a lot of time. The current one is adequate but could be so much better like that)
No skill challenges yet. That's fine, since I'm a combat guy anyway :)
- Eddie
After a few months of vacations ruining everything, we got underway with our first 4e campaign (1st level). I was playing a Dwarven Fighter, very much set up to tank (Battleaxe and Shield, Tide of Iron, Cleave, Passing Attack, and Comeback Strike, with the Soldier of Faith cross-class ability). We also had a human wizard, a dwarven cleric (battle orientated. He had an 18 str! I dunno if that was worth him having a 10 con...) and an elven ranger. With us was a temporary Warlord PC who was helping us get through some underdark tunnels so we could all escape being executed the next morning :)
I've got to say, I was absolutely love being the fighter. I've been chomping at the bit to play him for months, and in action he's performing almost exactly as I expected him to. The only thing I missed was that to keep a target marked with Divine Challenge, you need to attack it (difficult without pulling out one of my handaxes) or end your turn next to it. Even still, it allows me to mark a target, and as long as I stay near it, which I'm sure will come in handy.
It's also extremely satisfying to ask the DM when he attacks someone else with a creature I've marked. Twice this session it prevented an attack from hitting, which is extremely rad. Otherwise, my high AC (19) and fort (15) has made a few attacks which would surely hit another PC fail.
Finally, on the fighter side, being a Dwarf is awesome. Second Wind as a free action is pretty keen, and the "Stand Your Ground" ability is pretty swell too, preventing 3/4 of the knockdown effects that session from happening.
I've also got to say that what we fought was pretty challenging! First was some Hobgoblin warlock or something, some scorpions, a pair of dire rats, and a goblin sneak (tough fight!). Second was two swarms of lizard things (thank you 19 AC) followed by a skeleton/ mechanical wolf thing (who were pretty easy).The damage and "to hit" the monsters seem to be a little higher than the PC's. I really wasn't expecting to get hit for 20 damage at level one, when I've only got 31 total (thank goodness for Comeback Strike, with some help from the cleric and warlord). Yeah, my damage isn't anything impressive, but I don't mind. My thing is about battlefield control, and so far that's worked pretty well. It went a little slow, but the rules seem a lot simpler than 3.5 so I'm hoping that combat will speed up a little next session, especially once everyone can figure out their attacks without referring to the book.
(Big time ball drop by Wizards: the pre-made character sheets for the Shadowkeep preview were brilliant. Why not create two sheets, one for 'non combat' and one for combat, where one can list their powers out in full like the book does? that would save a lot of time. The current one is adequate but could be so much better like that)
No skill challenges yet. That's fine, since I'm a combat guy anyway :)
- Eddie