Sigmund Tjorvason's page

Not sure why native Mac should be a deal breaker (nor am I sure where this post should go).

FantasyGrounds Forum

I use FantasyGrounds for 4E with no problems. The software is very good and very professional (though I do have one or two minor gripes about it).

With all the hype surrounding Pathfinder and the online content, as well as Paizo's embracing of technology so far, surely this is a little short-sighted?

Anyone got any comments?

First up, I'm only a player in 4e but I am a long time DM in other RPGs (D&D amongst them).

We finished up Siege of Bordrin's Watch last night. We did three skill challenges to simulate the actual siege - a tactical one, one in artillery and one in defence of the gates. We had to decide where to place ourselves and some troops. If we failed, we would lose a healing surge and if we ran out of healing surges we were considered 'killed in action'.

A few bad die rolls later (in fact I managed to make only 5 in the entire session: 1 x 5 and 2 x 1s) and three out of the 5 party members were dead (including my own).

Is this what skill challenges are for? It seems highly arbitrary to me.

Comments, anyone?

Okay, I've done this four times now, and I never had this problem with the Core Rulebook PDF.

I add the PDF of the bestiary, then proceed to checkout.
I enter my credit card details.
The first time I already had my address details filled in for me, so I duly click on the 'Use this address' button, only be told I need a local telephone number for non-US orders.
The second time I put in all the same address details, but add my local telephone number but when I click on *that* 'Use this address' button, I'm told the same thing.

I've tried a couple more times and always with the same result. A little bit of digging shows that a 'local telephone number is required for all non-US orders over 4 pounds'. Eh? This is a PDF - it weighs nothing.

As an aside, please can you amend the shipping destinations? Although I am living in Great Britain, those in Northern Ireland are not - and they don't have a 'Northern Ireland' to choose. Of course, if it said 'United Kingdom' they could choose that. :)

Babbage

I've had the Core Rulebook PDF since day one, but managed to get hold of a hard copy when wandering through York. I thought, what the heck - it's bright and shiny and I can always post-it the errata in the book.

So I've got to the point where I hunt down errata and find a 2-page PDF. You're kidding, right? That is seriously impressive, especially for a product of this size.

Congratulations to the whole Paizo staff. This is an excellent product and well worth the plaudits you've received.

There is a problem though...

Now you've raised the standard of quality *this* high, we'll only be disappointed by substandard 99.7% accuracy. :p

Keep up the good work - though you don't seem to need any prompting from us.

Okay, I have a half-orc ranger with, of course, the Furious Assault racial ability. This states that he can do "1[W] extra damage if it's a weapon attack or 1d8 extra damage if it isn't".

As I've chosen the archer fighting style, I'm quite interested to know the answer to this question...

As it says 'weapon' and not 'melee weapon' or 'ranged weapon', can I use it with my bow?

I bought this the other day and I have to say I'm impressed; especially with the combat and the vancian/spell-point magic. I think I'm going to steal them and use it with PFRPG - my RPG of preference.

:)

At least until Advanced HackMaster comes out. :p

I've played 4e several times now and each time I've enjoyed it. This isn't about how 4e plays or whether you or I like it or not. It is about the 4e Players' Handbook and the books in general. Although I am a long-in-the-tooth DM, I'm not DMing 4e (nor do I own anything other than the PH). This is just my (passive) perception.

A lot of comments have been made about the omission of core classes and races, inclusion of magic items and so on. My own personal opinion is that the designers of 4e have done a sterling job - the mechanics work and the game flows freely. They have been done a great disservice by the company they work for though.

The PH feels rushed. Apart from the omissions, there just aren't enough powers. Choose to play a human anything and you end up deciding which encounter power you don't want. Speaking of powers, who's idea was it to exclude some kind of index to them all? If all you have is a name, you end up browsing the whole lot!

It then struck me that Wizards missed a trick. They have already said that the PH will be released in chunks, so why not the most logical chunk? Heroic first, Paragon second and Epic third. You'd have more space to include the classes and races that were omitted, more space for powers and it would feel much more logical.

With the calamity that is D&D Insider, the poor editing of the newly released AP and the lack of attention to detail in the core books themselves it doesn't bode well. It's a great game, but someone somewhere (most likely in an ivory tower wearing a suit and tie) has decreed the products to be released in this manner. It could have been oh so much different.

Of course, YMMV. :)

I'm a long time roleplayer, Basic onwards all through the version and numerous other non-D&D rpgs as well. In D&D i've tended to play paladins and 4e will be no exception - or so I thought!

I always pictured my paladins as knights - riding warhorses, using lances, etc. So that's what I aim for. I sat down today to create my first paladin...

'Mounted Combat' feat? Check.
'Paladin's Mount'? Err, no. No power that does the same? No. A ritual then? No. Grr. At least I can get a real warhorse then. Check.
'Lance'? Err, no. No!? Where is it!?

You know, I like 4e (and will be playing it in addition to Pathfinder) but the deeper I dig, the more I think that the 4e PH1 was rushed out and incomplete. Too much has been left out.