Every magic item in the D&D Essentials starter adventure comes with a power card. Or a magic item card, I guess: none of the magic items (lifedrinker greataxe, darkleaf leather armor, magic staff, chainmail armor, bag of holding, amulet of health, 2 potions) actually have a power. None of the cards are marked Common, Uncommon, or Rare, either.

Would it be convenient to have a card for every magic item? I guess it would be fun to get cards as part of getting treasure. Also, returning cards to the DM is a good way of tracking the use of expendable items. Still, sometimes my party goes into a dungeon loaded for bear: everyone buys, like, 5 potions. Where are we going to get 20 potion cards? (Hmm, 10 Essentials Starter sets, only $130 on Amazon!)

More Red Box thoughts…

I was looking over the Wizard at-wills, and some of them are pretty powerful! Paul already talked about Hypnotism, so I’ll focus on the others:

Wizard!:

• Stone Blood + Freezing Burst: I’m surprised it took so long for the wizard to get one of these. It’s been something WotC has talked about since the release of the PHB II and the invoker power Vanguard’s Lightning, which went a step beyond Scorching Burst by adding a minor effect to an area burst 1 w/in 10 power beyond just a die + ability modifier. Stone Blood and Freezing Burst slow and slide 1 respectively, as well as doing 1d6 + intelligence damage! Both very solid effects that beef up the wizards at-will arsenal.
• Phantasmal Force: I love rogues even while admitting they aren’t the most powerful of the strikers (though making the daggermaster crit only work on rogue powers certainly helps). Phantasmal Force provides a very nice way to give a rogue combat advantage, with a nice side effect (no OAs) AND does a very nice 1d10+ Int damage! And it targets Will (no surprise, considering the name). A very powerful and fun single target at-will.
• Magic Missile: This is no surprise since the errata has been around for a while, and it was mentioned in the preview. The card says it can target 1 or 2 creatures, which is clearly pretty broken and probably a misprint! With a maxed Intelligence level 1 wizard that would be a guaranteed 14 damage a round split between two targets! Making it 1 target cuts the power down a lot, obviously, but it will still have its place for when the DM describes the target as “on its last legs, barely standing” and that sort of thing, something I do as DM quite a bit. Also, savvy players often figure out a monsters rough HP from tracking when it becomes bloodied, which can make this a great choice for dealing the death blow with no fuss. Finally, it never hurts to have a ranged 20 spell to fall back on when your enemy is across a huge chasm or just not in range of your other spells yet!
• Hypnotism: Screw it; I’ll talk about Hypnotism. I like the flavor, but I’m not super impressed with the mechanics. Still, a good slide spell is always nice for when the DM dangles a huge pit in front of the players. Even with the successful attack roll and only 45% chance to slide the monster over, spells like these can be worth it when success means killing a near full HP elite outright! The melee attack is not super impressive on account of the two attack rolls needed to hit, but it never hurts to have it as an option when some crazy elite or solo has some totally badass basic melee attack!

The more I think about it, the more I think that Hypnotism should have been something like “Effect: an enemy makes a melee basic attack” or “Hit: an enemy makes a melee basic attack, which always hits”. That would significantly increase its power, letting the wizard do as much damage as the most powerful enemy, but it would still be situational. Hypnotism is only powerful when the enemy brute is adjacent to allies, and it doesn’t give the wizard as much choice over target as do most attacks. My fix would also eliminate a die roll: over the course of a wizard’s career, trimming a die roll off an at-will attack will save a lot of mileage.

Also, am I wrong, or is a critical hit on Hypnotism’s first attack roll absolutely meaningless? That’s something I’d work hard to avoid.

More Red Box thoughts…

I’ve finished reading the Essentials Player’s Book and DM’s Book. Others have taken pictures of the power cards and tokens, so you can get more complete spoilers there. I do have a couple of power-card powers that I’d like to call out.

Hypnotism is a very flavorful wizard at-will. On a hit, you force the target to make a basic attack against an adjacent creature with a +4 bonus. Even with the bonus, this attack requires two hit rolls before it does any damage, so it may be on the weak side. I think I might play a Hypnotism wizard anyway, because it feels like a different kind of character – like a Commander’s Strike warlord, someone who never personally makes attacks.

Backstab: Once again, the rogue preview differs from the Starter version. The preview version of Backstab gives +3 to an attack and +1d6 to damage. The Starter backstab just gives +3 to attack.

Slimy Transmutation is a hilarious wizard daily power. “A billowing cloud of greenish fog surrounds your foe. When the fog dissipates, your enemy is gone, and an ugly toad stands in its place.” Hit or miss, the “target turns into a Tiny toad.” You’ve been TOADED! It’s Save Ends, not permanent, but never before has Baleful Polymorph been available to a 1st level wizard.

I’d like to see Slimy Transmutation used as a utility spell. There could be occasions where you want to make yourself or an ally Tiny for a few turns.

I’m disappointed that there is no power card for the Prestidigitation cantrip. How will I clean up to 1 cubic foot of materials, WOTC? How will I make a smell? HOW??

More Red Box thoughts…

Of the three kobolds in the Essentials DM’s book, two (kobold tunneler, a level 1 minion and kobold quickblade, a level 1 skirmisher) are new. The Kobold Slinger is updated from the MM1.

The Kobold Slinger’s attacks have been made more accurate, and damage has been slightly fiddled with, but the big change is that Special Shot is now a random effect. Instead of the type being chosen by the DM, Special Shot now requires a d6 roll: on a 1-2 it’s a Stinkpot, 3-4 Firepot, 5-6 Gluepot.

Someone at Wizards is going back through old rules and adding random die rolls!

Do you think his name is Mike Mearls? I do! But maybe I’m wrong!

More Red Box thoughts…

According to the Essentials Red Box rules for leveling up, rogues get the Weapon Finesse class feature at level 2. That gives them +1 to attack and damage with light blades, light crossbows, short bows, and slings.

According to the Thief preview from the WOTC site, Weapon Finesse is granted at level 1. It’s not explained in the preview article. Not sure which source is right.

Also according to that article, a feature called “Improved Weapon Finesse” is granted at level 9. I have a theory about what that feature gives you, and my theory involves the modifier +2.

Go thou and play a level 9 thief!

Interesting! Dagger will probably take a backseat to short sword as the defacto rogue weapon for thieves! Though I suppose trading a range 5/10 weapon for a +1 to weapon damage is a legitimate dilemma.

If Improved Weapon Finesse does give an additional +1 to hit and damage, it will be pretty darn powerful (+2 attack and damage over most other classes!), and I’ll have a lot of respect for the thief class in terms of pure power. Should be interesting to see if that’s the case.

More Red Box thoughts…

In Encounter 6 in the Essentials Red Box adventure, we get the first random treasure generation table that I’ve seen in D&D 4th edition:

Each character who spends time searching through the [crate of] supplies for something useful or valuable can make a DC 12 Perception check. For each character that makes a successful check, roll a d8 to determine what the character found:

1 50 feet of rope
2 3 days of edible trail rations
3 a dozen candles
4 10 feet of chain
5 5 gallons of fresh water
6 3 pints of lamp oil
7 5 silver pieces (sp)
8 1 gold piece (gp)

Not only are these hilarious things to give treasure-hungry PCs, this entire chart could be sung to the tune of “The 12 Days of Christmas” with moderate success.

Also: D&D Essentials: Start to Crate: 67 pages.

More Red Box thoughts…

Encounter 2 of the Essentials Red Box adventure features 8 Kobold Tunnelers and a Fledgling White Dragon, a level 1 solo. As far as I know, Fledgling is a new category: Draconomicon introduces Wyrmlings, which are low-level Elites, but this Fledgling is a solo dragon.

I know this is an unpopular viewpoint, but I’m not a huge fan of killing babies. I don’t feel like a Real Man killing a dragon until it is at least an adult. Still, kudos to WOTC for managing to pack a dragon into the Dungeons and Dragons starter set. It’s in the name. It’s on the cover art. It’s nice to have one in the Red Box.

Dragons weren’t in the Mentzer Red Box solo adventure, but they were in the bestiary, and they were TOUGH. Too tough, I’m sure, for a level-3 party.

This encounter, too, is billed as a difficult one: “By itself, without any help from the kobolds, the dragon would be a tough opponent. […] If there’s any question, feel free to tell the players that their characters should be afraid of this deadly creature.” If the PCs are smart, they’ll talk to the dragon; that will lead to a skill challenge on the next page. Hopefully they’re not smart, because then they’ll get to FIGHT A DRAGON. Badass. If they win, they’ll pick up some money and a set of +1 darkleaf leather armor.

The white dragon fledgling looks like a pretty standard white dragon, except that it has a cool ability, Savage Blood: “While the dragon is bloodied, it scores a critical hit on a roll of 17-20.” The kobold tunnelers are standard kobold minions, with an immediate interrupt that gives them a saving throw to avoid close and area attacks.

On, by the way: best detail that will never make its way into actual play: “Each altar has two magical candles burning atop it, despite the kobolds’ continual efforts to extinguish them.” Hijinx!

More Red Box thoughts…

Encounter 1 in the Essentials Starter adventure (two goblins; one runs away to get help) is reminiscent of an encounter in the Mentzer Red Box solo adventure (two goblins; one runs away to get help), except that the Mentzer goblins are friendlier:

(Essentials Red Box) Two goblins, clutching short spears, glare at you with bloodshot eyes.
“You’re not welcome here,” the nearest one snarls.
“Intruders!” the other screeches.

(Mentzer Red Box) You greet the goblins in your own language, the Common Tongue. They look up, startled, and one growls something in its own language. The other smiles at you, and says “Why, hello there! What can we do for you?”

Of course, the 1983 goblin’s pleasant facade is all a trick to stall while goblin reinforcements arrive. 4e goblins can learn a thing or two from older editions: you catch more adventurers with honey.

That’s it for today! Tomorrow I’ll wrap up my thoughts on the DM’s Book and Red Box.

More Red Box thoughts…