Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Character Sheet and Play Thoughts

This video, over a nice cuppa, looks at the 4e character sheet, and considers some of the similarities and differences between 4e and other editions of the game. Also talk about 'The Grid' and complexity.
Play some 4e at Con4eR: warhorn.net/ev...
And yeah, equal to or greater than DCs obviously...!

[@Nominrath]

“Quintessentially D&D while being different.” Brilliant. My sentiments exactly. It’s my opinion that 4e is probably the most D&D of all D&Ds.

Something I love in the 4th edition is the access to magic items. You don't need to wait until a higher level to find your first one.

[@pdunwin]

Good point. 4th Edition really gets a lot out on the table quickly. Dragons, eight o'clock, day one, if you want. Eladrin and warlocks kick off with teleportation, rangers have a dual attack and maybe an animal companion. You get the good stuff right away.

[@craigjohnston3701]

Thank you for this. Very helpful. I’ll have to track down this offline character builder. Great that it prints the power cards.

[@pdunwin]

Good stuff! I thought it was worth mentioning that, while any character /does/ have those default attacks, they're not useful for everyone. It would be out of sheer desperation that that sorcerer would bull rush or grab someone. I say this in case anyone thinks those are weird things for a sorcerer to be good at; they're not good at them. (Edited to add: as I mention below, some sorcerers want high Strength, so it's possible they could be halfway decent at bull rushing or grabbing. But there are other reasons for a sorcerer not to engage in such attacks.) Worth mentioning about basic melee and ranged attacks: some characters have powers that can stand in for basic attacks, either in every case, or perhaps only when charging, or only when making an opportunity attack (two of the main times /only/ a basic attack is allowed). So, a character with low numbers on the stock choices might still have a way to make equivalent attacks. You may have figured this out, but if the sorcerer's damage seemed high it might be due to sorcerers adding the bonus from another stat (Strength or I believe for chaos sorcerers, Dexterity) to their arcane attacks. Infernal wrath is the tiefling racial power. The reason it's a burst is a bit subtle. It's because ranged powers provoke opportunity attacks and close powers (close bursts or close blasts) do not. So, even though only one target is affected, the power makes it clear without having to call out specifically that the tiefling can use the power free from concern over opportunity attacks. Some other powers are similar, most notably the leader core healing ability.

[@carlwoods4564]

4e is the only D&D system that actually makes combat interesting. Ive been running it solo and its cracking. I love the tactical combat on a battle matt. Makes it more visceral and entertaning.

Excellent video. I'm truly happy that the 4E renaissance/revival is still going strong and so many folks are finding out how cool 4E is and how ahead of its time it was. I wanted to ask if you could share a link to the horizontal fillable character sheet you use in the video, or a similar version? Cheers and all the best

[@GrahamSpearing]

Hi there. The Offline Character Builder has a landscape option for print and I find it comes out better, so use that.

[@joshjerez3347]

Love your videos! Looking forward to more 4e vids!!

[@tbb4023]

Fighters are defenders (the stereotypical meat shield) and rangers are the martial strikers.

[@mordrene]

Great Video! I was wondering where you got the google doc character sheet?

[@GrahamSpearing]

Thanks! The Google Doc is just a container for a snapshot export image of a character sheet generated by the Character Builder. Overall I export the character sheet in the Builder app to One Note that converts to images. Then I copy and pace them to Google Docs to make them easy to share.

[@skyfirezn]

what that is a lot that is a really big tax form and what you can only do 1 thing a turn other than move is there a way to get more?

[@GrahamSpearing]

The cheet is a bit taxy, you're not wrong. I think there are more approachable versions out there. I nly have the offline character builder and this is what it churns out, the standard sheet. The 4e action economy gives you oe standard action, a move action and a minor action. You also have opportunity actions and powers can trigger whole zones for attacks, attacks that bundle in movement too, and attacks that allow repeat attacks. When you add in Free actions, it is fair to say that a character in one turn can do rather a lot!

[@mortdigo]

If you want a crunchy rulesystem like DnD 4e, just give Pathfinder 2e a go.

[@GrahamSpearing]

I run both, and both fine games. They play out somewhat differently thanks to their respective design. I enjoy the differences between them. :-)

[@krelraz5486]

13th Age is the spiritual successor. A lot of the designers from 4th went over there. But yes, PF2 looks amazing for crunch.

[@WayneBraack]

Holy Mary Sue gaming. Are we Super Saiyan power building becase we leveled "it's over 9000!" or what? Does that go for opponents to? A 20 str giant gets +10 to hit/damage or are players special snowflakes needing the safe space of extra abilities rather than wits and cunning to get through? Powers and Abilities. ie: not mere mortals but demi-gods wielding godlike powers not available to mortals, or opponents in game. Cuz reasons. Plus 8? plus 11!! .. so plus 40% and 55% because tension of failing and epic wins when you roll well with slim chances is less heroic and less satisfying than simply easily winning at almost everything.

[@GrahamSpearing]

That's not my play experience of the game at all. It's a well balanced game that take our heroes through a journey from local heroes, world changers, to shaking the firmaments. Yes, there are real dangers throughout, and no certainties. The great thing about 4e encounter design, one of its many strengths, is that as a DM you can get a strong flavour as to just how dangerous an encounter will be. There is always something out there to challenge, and particular foes are not rooted to particular levels. Monster powers are another great feature that provide immense danger and unique takes from opponents. The game has a particular style, which won't be to everyone's taste, but nothing is 'easy' for the heroes and so, once again, it is like many of the D&Ds.

[@michaellinke6448]

+11 isn't +55%. That +11 is offset by the difficulty classes that a character might be rolling against at that level. An Elder Black Dragon, for example has an AC of 35. Whether your attack bonus is +1, +8, or +11, you're not hitting it (unless through some combination of ingenuity and tactical play, you're able to get enough bonuses to get up to a +15 or better on an attack).

[@BlackDragonRPGReviews]

I’ve ran played D&D for 30 years (been a DM for 23) and I’ve killed more players in 4E than any other Edition besides B/X. Your little “Mary Sue/ snowflake” comments don’t hold water. If you think this game seems too easy then it’s because you’ve never played it for yourself, like most people who crap all over 4E.