Dino Games

Late last year, Walt at the Lost World Safari yahoo group posted this treasure trove of information:


I'm putting together a free supplement for dinosaur/prehistoric gaming, and as part of that I'm complied a list of RPGs and miniature games focused on theme. I thought I'd share it here. I should point out these are games where prehistoric beasts are a major element, just not filler. That means several games that do have dinosaurs, but only as occasional monsters, were left out.


Adventures in Jimland (MINI)
Jim WrightSelf-published /2003

Free miniatures game about 19th century African exploration. Dinosaurs abound, and players can specialize in paleontology. The rules can be downloaded at http://nagssociety.com/resources/Jimland/Jimland.htm

(Note I advertised these rules in a post here: http://pauljamesog.blogspot.com/2007/11/adventures-in-jimland.html)


Animal Archives: Prehistoric Animals (RPG)
Jesse Mohn and Aeryn RudelSkeleton Key Games/Blackdirge Publishing/2004

Short D20 bestiaries focusing on overlooked prehistoric animals.Blackdyrge's Templates: Primordial Beast (RPG)Aeryn RudelBlackdirge Publishing/2007D20 guide for turning ordinary animals into evolutionary throwbacks.

Cadillacs and Dinosaurs: The Roleplaying Game (RPG)
Frank A. Chadwick and Mark SchultzGame Designers Workshop/1991

Based on the comics by Mark Schultz, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs is set in a post-apocalyptic world where jungles grow over the ruins of civilizations and prehistoric animals rule the landscape. The game uses the same rules system as Twilight: 2000 and has interesting ideas for mounting wilderness expeditions.


The Complete Guide to T. rex (RPG)
Joseph GoodmanGoodman Games/2002

D20 supplement for roleplaying T. rexes as intelligent characters.


The Complete Guide to Velociraptors (RPG)
Joseph GoodmanGoodman Games/2002

D20 supplement for roleplaying raptors as intelligent creatures, mostly as Native American-types for the company's Broncosaurus Rex setting.


Dinosaur Planet: Broncosaurus Rex (RPG)
Joseph GoodmanGoodman Games/2002

D20 space western set on a planet populated by dinosaurs, some of which have human-like intelligence.


Dinosaur Planet: Broncosaurus Rex: Cretasus Adventure Guide (RPG)
Fred Bush, Joseph Goodman, and Mike RobertsGoodman Games

Adventures for the company's Broncosaurus rex setting.

Dinosaur Planet: Broncosaurus Rex: Dinosaurs That Never Were (RPG)
Gregory DetwilerGoodman Games

Bestiary of dinosaurs that may have evolved had they not died out 65 million years ago.


Eberron: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (RPG)
Keith BakerWizards of the Coast/2004

Pulp fantasy setting where dinosaurs still roam in many parts of the world.

Forgotten Futures III: George E. Challenger's Mysterious World (RPG)
Marcus L. Rowland/Heliograph, Inc./1994Game setting based on the adventures of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's scientist-hero Professor Challenger, who discovered a lost world of dinosaurs in South America.

GURPS Dinosaurs (RPG)
Stephen DedmanSteve Jackson Games/1996

Perhaps the most comprehensive roleplaying supplement about dinosaurs so far written. Includes much material reprinted from GURPS Ice Age.


GURPS Ice Age (RPG)
Kirk Wilson TateSteve Jackson Games/1989

Guide to playing in caveman settings, from realistic Ice Age adventures to slapstick.


GURPS Lands Out of Time (RPG)
Steve Jackson Games/200

6PDF supplement for playing B-movie "lost world" adventures, complete with cold-blooded, tail-dragging dinosaurs.

Hollow Earth Expedition (RPG)
Jeff Combos et al.Exile Game Studio/2006

Indiana Jones meets Jurassic Park. Guidebook for playing 1930s pulp "lost world" adventures set inside the earth.


Hollow World: Dungeons & Dragons (RPG)
Aaron AllstonTSR/1990

Campaign setting for the original D&D set inside a hollow world populated with dinosaurs and lost civilizations. Basis for the SEGA Genesis game "Warriors of the Eternal Sun."

Inner-Earth (RPG)
Stephen S. LongHero Games/2000:

Hero System supplement for playing a hollow world adventure.


The Isle of Dread: Dungeons & Dragons (RPG)
David Cook and Tom MoldvayTSR/1981

D&D Adventure set on an island modeled after King Kong's home, Skull Island.


Isle of the Ape: World of Greyhawk (RPG)
Gary GygaxTSR/1985

Yet another Skull Island adventure set in the world of D&D, this one for higher-level adventures than The Isle of Dread.


The Jungles of Chult: Forgotten Realms (RPG)
James Lowder and Jean RabeTSR/1993Short supplement for Forgotten Realms setting describing Chult, a lost world where dinosaurs still roam. The setting is expanded in Lowder's novel, "The Ring of Winter."


Lands of Mystery: Justice, Inc. (RPG)
Aaron AllstonHero Games/1985

Perhaps the most comprehensive supplement ever written about putting together lost world adventures.


Lost Prehistorica (RPG)
Steven Cook and David WoodrumDark Quest Games/2004

D20 supplement for combining traditional D&D gameplay with the prehistoric lost worlds of pulp fiction.


Mammalian Mayhem (MINI)
Chris PeersHLBS Publishing/2000

Miniature safari hunting game with rules for hunting prehistoric mammals.


Primal Codex (RPG)
J.C. AlgerNetherland Games/2001
D20 supplement for playing in primitive settings.


Saurian Safari (MINI)
Chris PeersHLBS Publishing/2002

Rulebook for undertaking dinosaur hunting trips with a Victorian flare.

(Note I advertised these rules in a post here:
http://pauljamesog.blogspot.com/2006/12/lost-world-safari-tours_29.html)


The Savage Empire: Worlds of Ultima (RPG)
Origin Systems/1990Computer

RPG set in the Ultima universe but in a lost valley populated with prehistoric creatures and primitive tribes.


Space: 1889 (RPG) - Naturally!
Frank A. ChadwickGame Designers Workshop/1988

Alternate history game based on the premise that the inner planets of the solar system can all sustain life and are at different stages in biological evolution. Venus is a swamp-covered world filled with dinosaurs while life on Mercury is just starting to make the transition to land.


Sticks & Stones (MINI)
Rob LuskJeff Valent Studios/2008

A miniatures game based on the caveman-and-dinosaur movies of the 1950s and 1960s. Uses the Savage Worlds skirmish rules.


Thrilling Expeditions: Valley of the Thunder Lizard (MINI)
Richard A. Johnson et al.Rattrap Productions/2008

Supplement for .45 Adventure gaming system that allows gamers to play skirmish games in lost world settings. Comes with stat templates for several different prehistoric animals.


Thrilling Places (RPG)
Stephen S. LongHero Games/2006

Supplement for Pulp Hero describing several different locations for adventures to take place, two of them lost worlds.


Thrilling Tales: Dragon Island (RPG)
Walt CeichanowskiAdamant Entertainment/2005

Adventure from the D20 Thrilling Tales system with a giant pterodactyl taking the place of King Kong.


Tooth & Claw (RPG)
JaredSelf-published/2003

Simple rules system that allows players to play as dinosaurs instead of humans encountering dinosaurs.

(Note I advertised these rules in a post here:
http://pauljamesog.blogspot.com/2007/12/tooth-and-clawthe-rpg.html)


Tooth & Claw (MINI)
Chris PeersWargames Illustrated Publishing

A rules system for launching Victorian hunting with prehistoric mammals as the game.

(Note I advertised these rules in a post here:
http://pauljamesog.blogspot.com/2007/11/new-prehistoric-animal-hunting-rules.html)


Torg (RPG)
Greg Gorden and Bill SlavicsekWest End Games/1990

Alternate worlds setting with two worlds based on the lost world genre.


Transdimensional Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (RPG)
Erick WujcikPalladium Books

A roleplaying supplement for the TMNT series focusing on time travel and introducing a variety of prehistoric beasts.


Tusk and Tusk II (MINI)
Matthew HartleyIrregular Miniatures/1994 & 1995

Rules for hunting mammoths and other prehistoric creatures.

(Note I made a post about these rules here:
http://pauljamesog.blogspot.com/2008/11/tusk-pics-posted.html


Voyages Extraordinaire (MINI)
Matthew Hartley, Steve Blease and Mike BaumannWessex Games

Rules for playing pulp skirmish games against dinosaurs and other strange creatures.


Many thanks to Walt for his work in compiling this list and sharing it!

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition

Well, I played 4e quite a lot by now. Most time as Dungeon Master, but also some sessions as PC.
In my opinion the 4th edition is great (not perfect, but an improvement compared to 3.5). I think, there are several people who dislike the 4th edition. Probably the best would be to try the 4e yourself. Everyone has different demands concerning roleplaying games: Some like more the roleplaying parts, others like more the kick-in-the-door style of gaming and want to slay hords of monsters.
Nevertheless, in this post I want to try to state why I like the 4th edition.

One of the biggest changes has been the simplification of the rules, but without making them to simple. Nearly everything which should be covered in the rules seems to be covered to me. The advantages of simpler rules are (IMO):

• New players can faster get to play and do not have to read that much stuff.
• You can memorize the rules easier. That means less time is wasted by looking stuff up.
• Not so many rules in the rulebooks you need once in a year, which prevent you from finding what you are really looking for.

Some were complaining that the rules are too much focused on combat. Anyhow, I think, you just need more rules for combat to balance the game, while needing far less rules for roleplaying.
Another step forward is the power system. This makes classes like the fighter far more interesting, because you do not do the same standard attack each round. Each character class has mostly every round in combat the choice between different powers.
The power system is one enhancement to the fights, but not the only one. Moreover, the terrain, placement and movement has become far more important. There are many situation where you get an advantage if you move (or move your enemy with a power) to the right spot instead of standing the whole fight at the same square.
Another good point is, that you generally won’t fight one single enemy, but multiple enemies at one time. This also makes the combat more exciting. Nevertheless, you can get thrilling boss fight against so callad solo monsters (like – of course – Dragons).
For me as Dungeon Master I can also say, it is much more fun to prepare the session in the 4th edition. With 3.5e I had always to think twice if a encounter is really balanced and after all I had to see during play that it wasn’t. But the XP buy system in the 4th edition works out very well and is very easy to use.
After all, I want to say some words to the rulebooks: These are much better structured than in 3.5e. You find the rules you are looking for much more easier and the monster stat blocks are much better to read. Also I like the concept art in the core rulebooks (not all new rulebooks).
In spite of all these positive points I have to state one negative point: The selection of Magic Items in the Player’s Handbook is far to small and those items are mostly boring. Therefore you should also buy the Adventurer’s Fault, which contains tons of magic items.
I hope this article helps. Probably I could say much more, but this should be the most important and is what came spontaneously to my mind. I recommend to search for other opinions in the web, if you are undecided if you like the 4th edition, or even better, as said before, to play it yourself, if you have the possibility (maybe in a local game store).

Get in the game: Tri-Citians escape reality in role-playing games

By Michelle Dupler, Herald staff writer

RICHLAND -- Here's a secret. For a few hours every Saturday night, I shed my mild-mannered, professional exterior and zip off across the galaxy on a rip-roaring adventure with a rag-tag band of spacefarers.
I'm the tough-talking female mechanic who grew up on the mean streets of planet Coruscant, who takes joy in heckling the overprivileged "rich boy" whose parents paid for our spaceship and hired me to make sure their pride and joy doesn't get into too much trouble. Since we attract trouble like bees to honey, I rarely succeed.
As alter ego Gin Caranthyr, I'm lithe, acrobatic and have mad skills with a wrench, spanner and a roll of space-age duct tape -- things that elude me in my real life.
That's what role-playing gaming offers -- a chance to shake off the mundane and pretend to be anyone or anything, whether it's my tough-as-nails space mechanic in the Star Wars game I play with a group in Richland every Saturday, or an orc-fighting elf in Dungeons & Dragons, the fantasy-based granddaddy of all role-playing games first released back in 1974.
Here's another secret.
While some might picture role-playing gamers as basement-dwelling dorks who never made the leap from adolescence to adulthood, many gamers hold jobs, own houses and have spouses and kids.
"Of the people I know who game, they're from every profession," said Carrie Varley of Richland. "They run the gamut."
Even tough-guy action movie star Vin Diesel has played Dungeons & Dragons for more than 20 years, according to Wikipedia.
"I love hearing about people who made it good as gamers, because growing up it was miserable," she joked. "Gaming folks were generally not the football players or cheerleaders."
While Varley often found herself ostracized while gaming as a teen in late 1970s Oklahoma, gaming has become a popular activity for adults, teens and families. Just ask Logan Kaufman, co-owner of Adventures Underground bookstore in Richland's Uptown Shopping Center.
Games in their many forms -- board games, collectible card games, role-playing games and accessories -- make up about 30 percent to 40 percent of the independent bookstore's sales, he said.
The store stocks about 1,000 varieties of games, including about 50 role-playing game systems, which typically are made up of a basic rules manual and supplements for specific kinds of equipment or adventures, known as campaigns.
Star Wars, for example, has a core book, then books on spaceships, robots and droids, and different campaigns so players can choose to play in the Knights of the Old Republic era, made popular in the video game of the same name, or the Clone Wars, subject of recent animated features, among other pieces of the Star Wars universe and its history. At $40 each, gaming can become an expensive hobby.
"Some have one book, whereas D&D takes up three shelves," Kaufman said. "It just depends on how deep you want to bury yourself in that world."
Many role-playing games are based in science fiction and fantasy worlds -- many based on television series or movies. There are role-playing games based on TV shows Stargate: SG1, Firefly and its movie Serenity, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Kaufman said many games are based on the same sets of rules, making it easier to jump from one to the other.
"You can move from Stargate to Buffy without having to relearn," he said.
Adventures Underground has become a destination for Tri-City gamers, not only because of its selection, but because Kaufman and his wife and co-owner, Amanda Divine, have created a space where anyone can come, set up a game and play.
They sometimes offer themed game nights, but most of the time tables are open to whoever shows up. Kaufman said on Sundays, there often are people waiting to use a table.
And that has shown gamers there are more of them than they might have thought.
"If you're just playing with friends, you don't know a whole city is out there doing the same thing," he said.
For Varley, the appeal of role-playing games is the ability to stretch her imagination by exploring other worlds and other personalities. She also enjoys the challenge of developing her own scenarios for other players.
"I like running games more than playing because I like to put together almost a cinematic experience for players," she said.
That means layering the experience with well-drawn characters, props, maybe even setting the mood with music. But since gaming is all about storytelling, it's also about the words she uses to set a scene.
"If you do it well, you can write a flavor text so if they're on a spaceship or go into a cavern to look for a werewolf, they can feel the dirt under their feet or the coldness of space, or feel the anger of the wizard about to blow their socks off," she said.
* Michelle Dupler: 509-582-1543; mdupler@tricityherald.com

Write & roll: Game inspires man to write fiction

Michael Flanery of Moody holds a dagger while he works on a fantasy novel. The author is inspired by games like Dungeons & Dragons. (Clint Bittenbinder/Telegram)
DID YOU KNOW?
Fifteen percent of all profits from “Dream Paladin,” by M. Dennis (the the pen name of Michael Flanery of Moody) will go to the Texas Gulf Coast Chapter of the National Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in honor of Flanery’s 8-year-old cousin, Cali Brown of Deer Park.
--
Dungeons and Dragons is more than a game.
For people like Michael Flanery of Moody, it is a source of literary inspiration. Celebrating the publication of his first novel, he says the D&D world gave him an appreciation for fantasy and the tools to create believable characters.
“My entire high school career was devoted to the paper-and-pen version of D&D,” Flanery said, grinning. “I don’t remember much about those years other than elves, wizards and orcs.”
He stopped playing D&D when he was 17 because he left home to serve in the military. But he didn’t abstain from the fantasy world for long. His adult years found him an avid fan of online role-playing games.
via TDTNews.com - Temple Daily Telegram.

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Slaying Orcus was never hard!?

An axe chopping wood? That's like slaying Orcus with a toothpick!


I'd like to get straight to the meat as it were and spend my time beheading hydras and slaying Orcus in the scenario as opposed to beating the crap out of wee mephits and smelly gnolls. I want heroic, spell-jamming, my paladin hurls you into the sun action! Really, what better way is there to sell D&D 4th than by banging a honking big Orcus miniature bestride a Giant Hydra down onto the table?


I've seen a graph for the probability of slaying Orcus with the Orcus Slayer build.


Results are pretty damn good. High probability of taking him down in one turn.


The Orcuslayer, or how Cascade of Blades broke 4.0 even 3 days before it was released!

EDIT: I took into account the additional average damage that you'll be doing with Imperiling Strike, Sneak Attack, Backstabber, and Gauntlets of Destruction. Now it only takes an average of 37.01 hits to bring down Orcus with the attacks from Blade Cascade.

It's all in there. A level 30 rogue/ranger/Shadow Assassin/Deadly Trickster can, in fact, brutally murder Orcus all by himself in just one round. And he can do it flawlessly too, because if he doesn't win initiative naturally, he can use his daily Trickster's Disposition to make Orcus' initiative roll a natural 1. I'll repost the statistics over here for convenience:

Imperiling Strike Attack Bonus
+15 half level
+8 Dexterity bonus
+6 Duelist's dagger
+1 Rogue Proficiency
+1 Nimble Blade
+3 proficiency bonus
+2 combat advantage (First Strike, Duelist's dagger, flanking, etc.)
+4 Shadow Assassin
TOTAL: +40 (against 51 Fortitude defense)

Blade Cascade Attack Bonus
+15 half level
+7 Strength bonus
+6 Duelist's dagger
+1 Rogue Proficiency
+1 Nimble Blade
+3 proficiency bonus
+2 combat advantage (First Strike, Duelist's dagger, flanking, etc.)
+4 Shadow Assassin
+7 Imperiling Strike
TOTAL: +46

Imperiling Strike with Sneak Attack and Backstabber Non-Critical Damage
1d4 with Gauntlets of Destruction: 3 average damage
+5d8 Sneak Attack with Backstabber and Gauntlets of Destruction: 25 average damage
+8 Strength modifier
+6 Duelist's silver dagger
+10 Belt of Titan Strength
+3 Weapon Focus
+2 Light Blade Precision
+1 Two-Weapon Fighting
(+1 Two-Weapon Fighting) for main hand
TOTAL: 59 on main hand dagger

Imperiling Strike with Sneak Attack and Backstabber Critical Damage
1d4 maximized: 4 damage
+6d8 crit with combat advantage and Gauntlets of Destruction: 30 average damage
+1d10 crit with Devastating Critical and Gauntlets of Destruction: 6 average damage
+5d8 Sneak Attack with Backstabber and Gauntlets of Destruction: 25 average damage
+8 Strength modifier
+6 Duelist's silver dagger
+10 Belt of Titan Strength
+3 Weapon Focus
+2 Light Blade Precision
+1 Two-Weapon Fighting
(+1 Two-Weapon Fighting) for main hand
TOTAL: 96 on main hand dagger

Blade Cascade Non-Critical Damage
2d4 with Gauntlets of Destruction: 6 average damage
+8 Strength modifier
+6 Duelist's silver dagger
+10 Belt of Titan Strength
+3 Weapon Focus
+2 Light Blade Precision
(+1 Two-Weapon Fighting) for main hand
TOTAL: 36 on main hand dagger, 35 on off-hand dagger

Blade Cascade Critical Damage
2d4 maximized: 8 damage
+6d8 crit with combat advantage and Gauntlets of Destruction: 30 average damage
+1d10 crit with Devastating Critical and Gauntlets of Destruction: 6 average damage
+8 Strength modifier
+6 Duelist's silver dagger
+10 Belt of Titan Strength
+3 Weapon Focus
+2 Light Blade Precision
(+1 Two-Weapon Fighting) for main hand
TOTAL: 74 on main hand dagger, 73 on off-hand

Final Statistics
Chances of landing crit on hit with Light Blade Mastery: 2/19
Total average damage on Imperiling Strike with main hand including crits: 62.89

Chances of landing crit on hit with Light Blade Mastery: 2/19
Total average damage on Cascade of Blows hit with main hand including crits: 40
Total average damage on Cascade of Blows hit with off-hand including crits: 39
Total average damage on Cascade of Blows hit with both hands: 39.5

Orcus' maximum hp: 1,525
Orcus' bloodied value: 762
Orcus' effective hp once Imperiling Strike hits: 1,462.11

Number of hits required to deal 700.11 damage to bring Orcus to bloodied after Imperiling Strike: 17.72
Number of hits required to deal 1,462 damage to bring Orcus to dead after Imperiling Strike: 37.01
Number of rerolls available: 4

Many thanks to this here CharOp board for pointing out the potential of Blade Cascade, and to the helpful and dedicated posters in the two 4.0 min-maxing threads on /tg/:

Thread 1: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/1874338
Thread 2: http://zip.4chan.org/tg/res/1902297.html

I also have an... I'll call him an "assistant" for now, and he's going to post some more in-depth statistics in this thread, which apparently show that it's very possible to deal enough damage to kill Orcus "twice" by dealing twice his maximum hp in damage.

First of all, Sneak Attack damage is factored in correctly.

THE MATH:

Assuming a maxed +46 attack bonus (after Imperiling Strike), we have a Blade Cascade chain with an average number of hits equal to 19 times the number of rerolls plus one (if somebody bothers to do the math and finds it's wrong, please tell me so and why.) Now, Imperiling Strike, with a +40 attack bonus, has a 50% chance of hitting with a regular attack, so half of the time we will start our Blade Cascade with less than four rerolls. In particular, we should note that our racial reroll has a +2 bonus, so that's the one we'll use first, since any extra bonus on the Cascade are wasted.

Considering all this, we have a 50% chance of having 4 rerolls when starting Blade Cascade, 30% of 3 rerolls, 10% of 2 rerolls, 5% with one, 2.5% with none, and a 2.5% of losing all rerolls and failing to land Imperiling Strike (this, as you already know, means you are already dead). The average damage values of each are 3752.5 (4 rerolls), 3002 (3 rerolls), 2251.5 (2 rerolls), 1501 (1 reroll), 750.5 (no rerolls) and 59.25 with no IS.

With 39.5 average weapon damage, this gives a final average damage of 3097.29 hit points, enough to kill Orcus twice. To that we could add an average 33 damage from Imperiling Strike and a maxed 6d8 from a critical sneak attack done when Orcus is bloodied. If we added Raise the Stakes, these numbers would improve a bit, but the point is already made.

For those of you wonderingabout the calculations, use a negative binomial distribution. The chance to kill Orcus with this build is around 83%. With a Battle Captain friend and some tweaks, you can reach 99% easily, and with some major optimization, 99.9%.

4E: RECOVERING AND RESOURCE EXPENDITURE IN PLAY

I'm interested to know what the experience of others has been on this. I've been running three noobs through some basic 1st and 2nd level stuff. Here's my observations:

1. Second Wind works like its name. PCs find a reserve of strength and energy to overcome their scratches, scrapes and fatigue to get back up to some strength during an encounter. It's only 25% of their hit point total though, so it's not a tremendous boost. The feel of it is good. The PCs don't use it willy nilly either, since it's a standard action (for everyone but dwarves), and since it doesn't give you as good a return for your effort as Healing Word does. But PCs still want healing potions because they want to be able to get themselves back up to some strength if they've already used Second Wind.

#

Players like having their own cushion in combat. Don't forget the defense increase for the round after you use your surge. ---Good point. I left that out and it's a nice feature.

2. The cleric's Healing Word is interesting. It can be used twice per encounter, and it took even me a little while to get out of 3E mode and realize that it's a Minor action (this should have been subcoded, like in alternate font or something, so it stands out), which means the cleric can use it and move and fight all in the same round, which is neat. In a hard fight, the cleric is out of these quickly of course. I did notice that if PCs have the time, and they have a cleric, they shouldn't ever burn healing surges on their own outside a fight, but should instead use Healing Word for the extra hit points. Since Healing Word resets every 5 minutes or so after a rest, you can get back to speed inside an hour easily. The noobs were confused at first because they thought encounter powers could only be used inside an encounter. Easy enough to be confused, with WotC's unclear writing at times.

#

The cleric also has attacks that can grant temp hit points or additional saving throws. ---Yep. A few even grant actual hit point recovery. The Warlord also has many powers that can activate healing surges. One of the more interesting forms of healing is the Paladin, who uses his own surges to heal others. Combat does tend to have healing flying back and forth, which makes for long, complicated, and much more interesting encounters. ---- It sure is complicated. So far it's manageable. I'm wondering how it'll be later though. And I've only been running three players!

3. With so many healing powers (including Healing Word) using surges as the base, the surges go quicker than you'd think. If the fights are at all hard, it pretty well matches the resource expenditure (healing wise at least) rate of 3E, and the need to take an extended rest. Three or four encounters max, and that doesn't even count the PCs' desire to get their daily powers back. After most of the group have used their daily powers, they are really calculating on whether they can afford to stop and take an extended rest, because they really want to at that point, even if their number of healing surges left is still okay.

4. If a PC gets in a pickle and hits 0 hit points or less, and no one can help him or her, things get tense. The death saving throw is essentially a slightly better than 50/50 luck throw, so level doesn't have anything to do with it. It's "three strikes and you're out," so even if you only went to 0 hit points, if you fail three saves, you're dead (could happen in 3 rounds). And even if a character can get to you, if that person is not trained in the Heal skill, and/or has a high WIS, things are grim at low level. At higher levels of course, this will increasingly be a slam dunk regardless, but until then, no so much.

#

The coolest thing about going below 0 is that when the character gets healed he is first brought up to 0 before the healing is counted. This fixes one of the most frustrating things about 3E, that someone dropped down to below 0 can be healed and still be unconscious. Players get to play more, and that's always fun. ---- I was always ambivalent about that. It stunk to be out of the game essentially, but it didn't bruise my suspension of disbelief.

5. The "till bloodied value expressed as a negative number" provision is usually enough of a cushion for a PC to avoid outright death from a blow that sends him or her under. But not always! Feels about right.

6. What still feels artificial is when a PC who has been kicked to crap and maybe even gone way under 0 hit points, gets stabilized, uses healing surges, and is back up to speed in 10 minutes. It also feels artificial when the same thing happens and the PC is out of surges, but then 6 hours later is in perfect health and no drawbacks.

#

Another example of 4E's ethos that players should be allowed to play. ----- A usual good thing, but if suspension of disbelief is impacted too much and too often, the game degenerates, players don't take it seriously and get attached to it, and more and more of the campaign becomes about PCs trying wild crap over and over again because there's no connection.

By James Treu