Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 fnuffer Nov 15, 2010 11:56:07	DM Encounter Powers As D & D play progresses through the tiers, economy of action shifts steadily towards the players advantage as they gain more immediate or free action based powers.  Additionally, players optimize their characters and gain skill in using these actions.  While this is happening, DMs gain little to present as a challenge to characters and must learn new powers with every encounter.  This can be less than fun! To combat this, my gaming group has developed the concept of DM Encounter Powers.  The DM can use 3 to 5 of these per encounter, depending on the size and power of the party. These are designed to be about as powerful as a racial encounter power that has been enhanced by a feat.  Most are limited to a role and a set of circumstances.  Most are low cost actions such as Immediate Reactions or Non-actions.  This allows the DM to compensate for some the action imbalance, increase the challenge, and personally invest in the combats.  The descriptions are somewhat abbreviated since a DM should not be looking to tweak the maximum benefit from the odd turn of phrase or rule statement. Usage:  The DM can pick three to five of these to use before an encounter.  As with players, a DM may not select duplicates.  A power is only usable by a creature that meets the prerequisite listed.  When he uses them, he acts as any one of the creatures under his control that meet the prerequisite. Example:  The upcoming battle has 10 Beholder Spawn and one Beholder Death Tyrant.  The DM selects Brutal Accuracy, which can be used by the Spawn and by the Death Tyrant, Spear Catcher for the minions and Action Point Flexibility for the solo.  During the battle, any one of the minions can use Spear Catcher, any of the Spawn or the Death Tyrant can make use of the Brutal Accuracy, and the Solo can make use of the Action Point Flexibility.   Artillery Brutal Accuracy:  “Your fear of your master pushes you to a new level of accuracy.” Prerequisite:  Artillery Action: Free Benefit: Reroll an attack roll you just made as part of a ranged or area attack. If the rerolled attack hits, the attack deals extra damage equal to 1d6 + 3 points per tier to that target. Burning Ichor:  “Burning ichor bursts from the wound, partially blinding your assailant and allowing you to escape.” Prerequisite:  Artillery Action: Immediate Reaction Benefit: Until the end of your next turn, you are invisible to the character that just struck you with a melee attack.  In addition, you may shift 2 squares per tier. Thundering Shot:  “You channel your amazing luck into a disabling shot.” Prerequisite:  Artillery Action: None Benefit:  In place of maximizing the critical hit you just scored, you may choose to either knock the target prone or daze it until the end of its next turn.   Brute Stubborn Tenacity:  “You will not be taken down so easily!” Prerequisite:  Brute Action: Immediate Interrupt Benefit:  You gain 10 temporary hit points per tier if you become stunned, dazed or knocked prone. Ponderous Backswing:  “The momentum of your swing carries you all the way around for another strike.” Prerequisite:  Brute Action: Free Action Benefit:  After hitting a player, you make another basic attack any one opponent in reach. If this attack hits, you deal 5 points per tier bonus damage. Kick Up Dust:  “Your powerful strike kicks up a cloud of dust, stinging the eyes of your opponents.” Prerequisite:  Brute Action: Free Benefit:  All characters within your reach take a penalty to their next attack roll equal to -2 per tier after you score a critical hit. Controller Extend Power:  “Force of will causes your attack to linger.” Prerequisite:  Controller Action: Free Action Benefit:  You can extend the duration of an effect created by one of your attacks on a single target for an additional turn.  Alternatively, you can change the duration of the next save-ends effect you apply to a single target to last until the end of your next turn. Spiteful Power:  “The malice of your attack befuddles your opponent.” Prerequisite:  Controller Action: Immediate Interrupt Benefit:  If a player in a zone you created or currently affected by one of your powers attempts an opportunity action you may daze him until the beginning of his next turn. Enervating Critical:  “Your powerful attack drains all hope from your target.” Prerequisite:  Controller Action: None Benefit:  The target you critically hit is unable to heal or gain temporary hit points until end of your next turn. Lurker Shifty Recovery:  “Your turn this missed attack into a chance to reposition safely.” Prerequisite:  Lurker Action: None Benefit:  Upon missing all targets with an attack you may become invisible and shift 2 squares per tier. Piercing Attack:  “You focus on your target, intent on making this attack count.” Prerequisite:  Lurker Action: Minor Benefit: You ignore all resistances, immunities, concealment and cover for the next attack that hits before the end of your next turn. Wrathful Critical:  “Your lucky hit prompts you to try again.” Prerequisite:  Lurker Action: None Benefit:  Make a basic attack as a free action following a critical hit. Skirmisher Rebounding Critical:  “You use your powerful strike as a chance to get out melee.” Prerequisite:  Skirmisher Action: None Benefit:  Instead of maximizing your damage, you may take an additional move action. Shield of Pain:  “You prepare yourself to punish anyone who interferes with your in the next few moments.” Prerequisite:  Skirmisher Action: Minor Benefit:  Any character who takes an opportunity attack against you before the end of your next turn takes 5 points of damage per tier. Tricky Positioning:  “As your opponents move to box you in you feel a moment of relief that you aren’t there. Prerequisite:  Skirmisher Action: Immediate Interrupt Benefit:  When you become flanked or marked you may teleport 3 squares plus 1 per tier.   Soldier Threatening Stance:  “You stand ready to punish any who defy your control of the line of battle.” Prerequisite:  Soldier Action: Move Benefit:  Until you willingly move or make an opportunity attack with a +4 bonus to attack and damage you gain threatening reach and your reach increases by 1. Mortal Strike:  “Your strike cuts to the soul of your victim.” Prerequisite:  Soldier Action: Minor Benefit:  Until the end of your next turn, each target you hit takes a penalty to healing received of 5 points per tier. Horrifying Critical:  “You hit with such force that your enemies quake in their boots.” Prerequisite:  Soldier Action: None Benefit:  All enemies in a close burst 2 are marked and take a penalty to damage of four points per tier until the end of your next turn. Leader Paint the Target:  “You direct your allies to focus their attacks on your victim.” Prerequisite:  Leader Action:   None Benefit:  Until the end of your next turn, any ally who hits the victim of your last attack gains 5 temporary hit points per tier. Everyone Move:  “You snap an order out, repositioning your forces” Prerequisite:  Leader Action: Standard Benefit:  All allies that can see or hear you shift one square or move one half their speed as a free action. Theft of Vitality:  “You reach out and mystically steal some of your enemies healing energy.” Prerequisite:  Leader Action: Immediate Interrupt Benefit:  You direct half of the healing done by an enemy’s healing power to the target of your choice.   Elite/Solo Recharge Bonus:  “You WILL get to do that again!” Prerequisite:  Elite or Solo Action:   None Benefit:  You gain a +2 bonus to your next recharge roll. Action Point Flexibility:  “You determine your own fate.” Prerequisite:  Elite or Solo Action: None Benefit:  You can spend an action point to reroll a missed attack, reroll a failed saving throw, or spend a healing surge. Retreat:  “Discretion is the better part of valor.” Prerequisite:  Elite or Solo Action: Immediate Reaction Benefit:  Upon becoming bloodied you may take a move action as a free action to get away from your enemies.  This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks. Minion  Already Dead:  “It’s a great day for someone else to die.” Prerequisite:  Minion Action: Immediate Interrupt Benefit:  You make a basic attack before dying. Twitching Corpse:  “Your flailing corpse tangles the legs of your enemies.” Prerequisite:  Minion Action: None Benefit:  Your square or one square adjacent to you become difficult terrain until the end of combat. Spear Catcher:  “Loyalty is its own reward!” Prerequisite:  Minion Action: Immediate Interrupt Benefit:  You take the attack that just hit an ally.  All effects of the power apply to you.
#2 FaustianPenguin Nov 15, 2010 12:01:52	I like these.
#3 fnuffer Nov 16, 2010 9:28:52	Bump! Thanks to FaustianPenguin.  Any more input or ideas?
#4 johnnii Nov 16, 2010 16:34:27	Really, really interesting. I have had similiar ideas that I've wanted to implement in my games, although as a pool of action points/recharge points. I wanted to use it to "reverse-penalise" ie reward myself as a DM whenever the players got too metagamey or too disruptive/distracted from the combat (being upfront from the beginning and after several warnings of course). To balance this on the flip side, the players got AP rewards for engaging in the play/action (either through roleplaying and/or creative ideas). What stopped me from implementing this though was the new damage expressions.