Homebrew use of powers. - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Homebrew use of powers.

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
jimprofit
Mar 03, 2009 4:40:03 So I wanted to make 4th Edition a tad more gritty. You say it's impossible to make fourth edition gritty? I'll show you!

At-Will Powers. "Struggle"
When you use an at-will power, you must first roll a 2d20 and roll equal to or greater then the power's level. If you fail, the power fails. If a martial power, the power itself fails, but if you were dealing an attack you can still use the generic attack of Strength or Dexterity vs AC and 1[W]+dex or str mod hit.

Per-Encounter Powers. "Sanity Check"
When you use an encounter power, roll 2d20 and roll equal to or greater then the power's level. If you fail, you cannot use that encounter power again for the rest of the day.

Daily Powers. "Taint"
When you use a daily power, roll 2d20 and roll equal to or greater then the power's level. If you fail, you roll a d6 first to see which stat is "tainted".
Strength-1
Dexterity-2
Constitution-3
Intelligence-4
Wisdom-5
Charisma-6

After that, you then roll a number of d6 in damage equal to the power's level as stated below.
Powers level 1 to 10: 2d6
Powers level 11 to 20: 3d6
Powers level 21 to 30: 4d6

If you're dealt taint damage equal to or over that stat. You die. (Or take damage equal to the power's level if straightup death is to extreme for you)
#2
randomredmage
Mar 03, 2009 5:22:34 I would love to be constructive with the critisism of this, but Looking at it... It mechanically makes the game more complicated then it needs to be. Not to mention breaks off from the core mechanics of D20 4e more so than home brew really should.

The games entire mechanic is based around these powers, giving yet another reason for them to fail? Takes away any edge a PC even had to begin with. Especially since 4e was tailor made to the new hackandslash generation of gamers. I've played through a few moduals that if I hadn't had the powers, if have been crushed in the first battle.

If your going to think about using mechanics like this, don't break it so badly against your players. Make it just a stress penalty. If on thier attack roll they do not roll higher than the skills level, then they take half the damage of the attack, (even if their roll was high enough to hit its target) This at the least woul simulate the difficulty in performing "special powers" and their sometimes negative effects on the body.
#3
masteraaron
Mar 03, 2009 11:39:43 This doesn't sound like grit, it sounds like Cthulu mythos-esque "dark powers" mechanics. And not very well-designed ones, either. An at-will power is supposed to be something fairly casual for characters, just a little more than an ordinary person could manage, which a PC can use with impunity by dint of training and skill. Encounter powers are supposed to be fairly impressive, and Daily powers are supposed to be pulling-out-the-stops desperation or power moves. In no case, however, do they represent an overwhelming drain on the character's sanity or endurance unless the power specifies so. This will completely shatter the 4E game system, which relies upon relatively easy access to these powers to function.

If you want to play a game in which people are dealing with forces beyond their control or somesuch, D&D has never been the best choice. From AD&D forward (I've never played 1E), this game has been about heroes overcoming epic challenges. No matter what class or ability set you choose, you're playing a generally tough and capable character. Making the game "gritty" has always been about making it more realistic and difficult, making the characters a bit closer to ordinary people. That means that things are tougher, not that their very sanity and souls are endangered from using basic elements of the system. If you want a game like that, I recommend something like World of Darkness or a Cthulu game. Everything's bigger than the PCs there, and they are struggling to get by in a world that's fundamentally hostile and more powerful than they can handle. Frankly, you're just looking in the wrong place at the moment.
#4
trailfoot
Mar 03, 2009 13:01:56 Among other things, apart from a utility here and there (which, by definition, don't involve attacks), all at-will powers are level 1. You can't roll below a 1 on 2d20.

And epic play would be nigh-impossible with these rules. Paragon play would be a pain in the neck.

No, frankly, these rules are awful and there's no real way to improve them. The best advice I can give you for your game: Don't use them. Period.
#5
johnthedm7000
Mar 06, 2009 0:09:22 Yeah...these rules complicate things considerably and cause numerous mechanical difficulties (the very least of which are that in paragon and epic nobody is really ever able to use encounters or dailies). I'm currently working on building a taint system for 4th edition (along the lines of the 3.5 taint described in heroes of horror) but it's still no where close to balanced. When I do finish it, I'll post it here and see if it's to your liking.
#6
rodolfomaxi
Mar 06, 2009 15:58:04 Yeah..i agree with the people above. Don't use them

If you feel you want to make the game more gritty.
You could choose as a DM when they're desperate enough or in dire circumstances enough to have that inspiration needed to pull of their tricks.

Something like ..
A)They always have only their basic attacks and one at-will (available as a encounter power btw)
B)Just when they start getting bloodied or when they see that they'll meet certain death if they don't manage to hold that horde..you enable all their powers back and the ability to spend surges.

Make sure that even with harsh times,they'll win the day though...dying isn't the funniest thing around for pcs.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 jimprofit Mar 03, 2009 4:40:03	So I wanted to make 4th Edition a tad more gritty. You say it's impossible to make fourth edition gritty? I'll show you! At-Will Powers. "Struggle" When you use an at-will power, you must first roll a 2d20 and roll equal to or greater then the power's level. If you fail, the power fails. If a martial power, the power itself fails, but if you were dealing an attack you can still use the generic attack of Strength or Dexterity vs AC and 1[W]+dex or str mod hit. Per-Encounter Powers. "Sanity Check" When you use an encounter power, roll 2d20 and roll equal to or greater then the power's level. If you fail, you cannot use that encounter power again for the rest of the day. Daily Powers. "Taint" When you use a daily power, roll 2d20 and roll equal to or greater then the power's level. If you fail, you roll a d6 first to see which stat is "tainted". Strength-1 Dexterity-2 Constitution-3 Intelligence-4 Wisdom-5 Charisma-6 After that, you then roll a number of d6 in damage equal to the power's level as stated below. Powers level 1 to 10: 2d6 Powers level 11 to 20: 3d6 Powers level 21 to 30: 4d6 If you're dealt taint damage equal to or over that stat. You die. (Or take damage equal to the power's level if straightup death is to extreme for you)
#2 randomredmage Mar 03, 2009 5:22:34	I would love to be constructive with the critisism of this, but Looking at it... It mechanically makes the game more complicated then it needs to be. Not to mention breaks off from the core mechanics of D20 4e more so than home brew really should. The games entire mechanic is based around these powers, giving yet another reason for them to fail? Takes away any edge a PC even had to begin with. Especially since 4e was tailor made to the new hackandslash generation of gamers. I've played through a few moduals that if I hadn't had the powers, if have been crushed in the first battle. If your going to think about using mechanics like this, don't break it so badly against your players. Make it just a stress penalty. If on thier attack roll they do not roll higher than the skills level, then they take half the damage of the attack, (even if their roll was high enough to hit its target) This at the least woul simulate the difficulty in performing "special powers" and their sometimes negative effects on the body.
#3 masteraaron Mar 03, 2009 11:39:43	This doesn't sound like grit, it sounds like Cthulu mythos-esque "dark powers" mechanics. And not very well-designed ones, either. An at-will power is supposed to be something fairly casual for characters, just a little more than an ordinary person could manage, which a PC can use with impunity by dint of training and skill. Encounter powers are supposed to be fairly impressive, and Daily powers are supposed to be pulling-out-the-stops desperation or power moves. In no case, however, do they represent an overwhelming drain on the character's sanity or endurance unless the power specifies so. This will completely shatter the 4E game system, which relies upon relatively easy access to these powers to function. If you want to play a game in which people are dealing with forces beyond their control or somesuch, D&D has never been the best choice. From AD&D forward (I've never played 1E), this game has been about heroes overcoming epic challenges. No matter what class or ability set you choose, you're playing a generally tough and capable character. Making the game "gritty" has always been about making it more realistic and difficult, making the characters a bit closer to ordinary people. That means that things are tougher, not that their very sanity and souls are endangered from using basic elements of the system. If you want a game like that, I recommend something like World of Darkness or a Cthulu game. Everything's bigger than the PCs there, and they are struggling to get by in a world that's fundamentally hostile and more powerful than they can handle. Frankly, you're just looking in the wrong place at the moment.
#4 trailfoot Mar 03, 2009 13:01:56	Among other things, apart from a utility here and there (which, by definition, don't involve attacks), all at-will powers are level 1. You can't roll below a 1 on 2d20. And epic play would be nigh-impossible with these rules. Paragon play would be a pain in the neck. No, frankly, these rules are awful and there's no real way to improve them. The best advice I can give you for your game: Don't use them. Period.
#5 johnthedm7000 Mar 06, 2009 0:09:22	Yeah...these rules complicate things considerably and cause numerous mechanical difficulties (the very least of which are that in paragon and epic nobody is really ever able to use encounters or dailies). I'm currently working on building a taint system for 4th edition (along the lines of the 3.5 taint described in heroes of horror) but it's still no where close to balanced. When I do finish it, I'll post it here and see if it's to your liking.
#6 rodolfomaxi Mar 06, 2009 15:58:04	Yeah..i agree with the people above. Don't use them If you feel you want to make the game more gritty. You could choose as a DM when they're desperate enough or in dire circumstances enough to have that inspiration needed to pull of their tricks. Something like .. A)They always have only their basic attacks and one at-will (available as a encounter power btw) B)Just when they start getting bloodied or when they see that they'll meet certain death if they don't manage to hold that horde..you enable all their powers back and the ability to spend surges. Make sure that even with harsh times,they'll win the day though...dying isn't the funniest thing around for pcs.