Looking at D&D 4E, I once again dive into the covers of my PHB for inspiration for possible talents for use with MyD20 Lite. While there are few fans of 4E in the OSR, I myself am ambivalent toward it. From my gaming experiences with the system, I can say that I'm not a big fan of the system, simply because it doesn't fix the biggest issue I had with 3E (and I ran over 400 sessions of 3E over eight years, so I feel well-grounded in this evaluation): I don't like combats that take most of a 3-4 hour session to resolve. I have a strong need for forward motion with my sessions; I want to feel that I've accomplished something story-wise between the start of the session and the end of the session. One long combat just doesn't do it for me. However, I can easily see its appeal to those that do not share my particular desire. There are elements of 4E I enjoy from a game design perspective. If I could fix the combat duration problem, I'd be more prone to actually trying to play or run a long-term 4E campaign. As it is, though, I have purchased these books a few years back and would like to get some use out of them. Hence, I'm writing this series of "Inspired By 4E" posts...
This time around, I'd like to focus on Warrior talents, so I will be looking at Fighter At-Will and Encounter powers. Bear in mind that what I write here isn't official or anything. It's just a translation of game mechanics, with a little bit of my own tastes mixed in. I really appreciate your comments, and they help me as a game designer and as a Referee. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration in reading these posts and the comments you choose to share.
And now, without any further adieu, here are some new talents for consideration:
Cleaving Blow: As a Standard Action, a Warrior may cleave into a target with a melee attack. If the melee attack successfully delivers damage, the Warrior may then inflict additional damage to an enemy adjacent to both the Warrior and the original target equal to half the damage of the original attack, as the blow cleaves through the first target to strike the second.
Ferocious Flurry: As a Standard Action, a Warrior can launch into a ferocious flurry of attacks, drawing the attention of an enemy as the Warrior presses him with zeal. If the Warrior succeeds with a melee attack, he does double damage against his foe. In addition, he draws enough attention from his enemy that an ally adjacent to the foe can move one square away from the enemy as a Free Action, avoiding any attacks based on disengaging from the enemy as part of the process. This action is exhausting, and once it has been attempted, the Warrior cannot attempt it again until he has rested uninterrupted for ten minutes.
Knockdown Blow: As a Standard Action, a Warrior may attack a foe, and if the attack is successful, knock the foe prone through the force of the blow. This action is exhausting, and once it has been attempted, the Warrior cannot attempt it again until he has rested uninterrupted for ten minutes.
Hindering Blow: As a Standard Action, a Warrior may attack a foe, and if the attack is successful, the attack does double damage and numbs the leg(s) of the target sufficiently that his movement is halved until the end of the Warrior's next turn. This action is exhausting, and once it has been attempted, the Warrior cannot attempt it again until he has rested uninterrupted for ten minutes.
Run-By Attack: As a Standard Action, a Warrior can attack a single foe with a melee attack, and if successful, move one square and attack a second foe with a +2 bonus on the attack roll. The movement between the two attacks does not draw any attacks based on disengaging from the enemy. This action is exhausting, and once it has been attempted, the Warrior cannot attempt it again until he has rested uninterrupted for ten minutes.
Shield Push: As a Standard Action, a Warrior may strike an enemy with a melee attack, and then follow up the attack by pushing the enemy back one square. The Warrior moves into the square vacated by the enemy, in essence following the foe as he pushes forward with his shield. The Warrior, of course, must be using a shield, and the target cannot be bigger than one size larger than the Warrior.
Hope This Helps,
Flynn
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2 comments:
Flynn,
I think that these are nice conversions of 4e powers to your MyD20 Lite System, and that on the whole they are relatively well-balanced. They'd also be neat to play.
That said, I'm not sure they will assist in keeping combat relatively simple or assist in maintaining maximum compatibility with 'old school' materials. THese are two of your 5 stated aims from the MyD20Lite Player's Guide.
Still, as an "optional extra", they'd be great to apease a later edition player who has been pursuaded to try your game system.
Well, technically, my compatibility aim was to be able to use old school materials in a MyD20 Lite campaign. However, I can see your point. Right now, these are nothing more than an experiment, although the better ones may eventually end up as part of some "companion" supplement of optional rules at some point.
First, though, I have to get the Referee's Guide done. :)
More Later,
Flynn
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