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TOPIC: What Changes To Make on Character Cards in 2016?

Re: What Changes To Make on Character Cards in 2016? 9 years 3 months ago #145

Graven wrote: Character Card Wall

  • A bulletin board with the fronts and back of every character card for all players to pre read.
  • Great for new players to figure out what classes they would like.
  • Great place for other players to see the special classes.
  • A good place to post other information useful to new players.
  • Needs a bit of lighting.
  • Yes these are online, but not everyone has access during/at GenCon.
  • Said wall could also have some rouges guild graffiti scrawled on it somewhere.
  • Should be right beside the character sheet creation kiosk if there is one.


Good idea. I'd suggest making this a poster and putting it up Outside in the Hallway as more sinage to advertise the event.
Sweet a combat room, we won't take damage!

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Re: What Changes To Make on Character Cards in 2016? 9 years 3 months ago #146

Character card wall/poster would be amazing! Maybe print a couple of them to eliminate crowding. Great place for other information too like website info and special events.
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Re: What Changes To Make on Character Cards in 2016? 9 years 3 months ago #147

I agree that trying to identify which characters are least played would be a good idea and then trying to make them on par with others. I feel like the Wizards might be the two least used, but I might be wrong. Bard might be low on the totem pole because of the fact you have to actually sing, but as long as you keep that mechanic, there isn't really any balance issue there.

I dislike the idea of a standard magic action that doesn't get marked off on the sheet, as it makes scrolls and wands practically useless, but I do feel Wizards have a tough time keeping up with the rest of the party on Nightmare. I've only run it once, but from what I experienced there and from what I can see looking at BiS builds and stuff, they just feel a little behind everyone else. And they are most likely to die. Maybe if they had more AC or more health or more resistance to elemental (magical) damage, I think any one of those three could really help them live. It's just so annoying being the one in the party that has literally no ability to take risks in puzzle rooms, because just one wrong prediction and I am already one melee swing or missile attack away from death.
I play Wizard.

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Re: What Changes To Make on Character Cards in 2016? 9 years 3 months ago #148

Anthony Barnstable wrote: I agree that trying to identify which characters are least played would be a good idea and then trying to make them on par with others. I feel like the Wizards might be the two least used, but I might be wrong. Bard might be low on the totem pole because of the fact you have to actually sing, but as long as you keep that mechanic, there isn't really any balance issue there.

I dislike the idea of a standard magic action that doesn't get marked off on the sheet, as it makes scrolls and wands practically useless, but I do feel Wizards have a tough time keeping up with the rest of the party on Nightmare. I've only run it once, but from what I experienced there and from what I can see looking at BiS builds and stuff, they just feel a little behind everyone else. And they are most likely to die. Maybe if they had more AC or more health or more resistance to elemental (magical) damage, I think any one of those three could really help them live. It's just so annoying being the one in the party that has literally no ability to take risks in puzzle rooms, because just one wrong prediction and I am already one melee swing or missile attack away from death.


You're the brains of the party. Let the brawn take the damage. Hide behind that Paladin. Let the Barbarian push that button.
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Let them trap us. We have our swords. - Elric of Melnibone.

You try to get them to play the game, but all they want to do is play the rules. - Ardak Kumerian

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Re: What Changes To Make on Character Cards in 2016? 9 years 3 months ago #149

Maybe a an ability that adds to damage with wands or scrolls? It could be something as simple as allowing a planar check for added damage to the wand or scroll.

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Re: What Changes To Make on Character Cards in 2016? 9 years 3 months ago #150

I think some all game protections would be cool for the mage. basically, like in 3.5 when you cast things like bulls strength or mage armor. Just add a few choices to the card and you get those abilities the whole dungeon. Something like -10 damage from chosen energy type, +4 dex, or +10 temporary HP (They can be used up, but not recovered), etc. Why does it have to be damage related balance.

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Re: What Changes To Make on Character Cards in 2016? 9 years 3 months ago #151

Anthony Barnstable wrote: I agree that trying to identify which characters are least played would be a good idea and then trying to make them on par with others. I feel like the Wizards might be the two least used, but I might be wrong. Bard might be low on the totem pole because of the fact you have to actually sing, but as long as you keep that mechanic, there isn't really any balance issue there.


Speaking as a full-time coach who sees a lot of parties flow through the event, I don't actually think that it is a balance issue that drives class selection. At least half of the people seem to come in with a class already in mind, and even those that don't seem to base it on whether it is a memorization class or a sliding class.

Being a statistician, I'd love to have a chance to see the actual numbers and draw some solid conclusions. I will say that it is uncommon for the party not to have at least 1 of the wizards and a bard.

As to which classes are the least utilized: Monk and Druid seem to be the least used. Less D&D savvy players don't always know what these classes represent or what they add. They stick with classes that are more universally known: Fighter, Wizard, Cleric. More D&D savvy players tend to know what they want to play coming into the event.

For players that start to work through Monk, I've seen frustration at not finding many useable tokens. They'll try to find armor and weapons until I explain in more detail what the monk is and why they are token light.

Druid will get overlooked not because they don't have some awesome token selections or abilities, but rather because the person gravitating toward druid will sometimes switch to Cleric if no one is playing that class already.

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Re: What Changes To Make on Character Cards in 2016? 9 years 3 months ago #152

I do think that in the past few years the monk has gotten a bit of token love from the token gods but I'd have to agree that starting fresh with monk it would be challenging to players to find tokens, even though monk can be great without many tokens for new players. I personally started out as a monk as the group I was going with had a lot of the classes filled up and no one played monk. I actually prefer it now, and have found something I'm pretty good at, the FOB slide. But I will say from almost every run I've been on that's a pug, I've only seen one time where someone else wanted monk.
You don't have to outrun the monster, just the guy next to you - The buddy system.

Cranston's Character Generator for iDevices or Character Generator for Android

Amorgen's Excellent Excel Character Generator

Have you checked the Token DataBase ?

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Re: What Changes To Make on Character Cards in 2016? 9 years 3 months ago #153

My issue with the monk is that he is one token slot lighter than all the other characters. If you want AC as a monk you need to use the belt slot for it, which means no ogre strength.
I had actually been thinking about suggesting monk armor that takes the armor slot, but doesn't grant an AC bonus. A +2 strength armor for the monk would let him where a belt for AC and a not lose the token slot. Other armors could include a +2 dex, or +1 saves, or just a +1 to hit or damage. Or they could grant special monk abilities like +2 to hit with stunning fist attacks. Maybe the ultra rare version would let you roll reflex saves on behalf of an ally (with the monk's evasion ability).

As far as the changes to make to character cards, I think if the Monk could get an interrupt ability once per game to become the target of a ranged attack that would make his deflect arrows ability not meta-gamed out of usefulness.

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Re: What Changes To Make on Character Cards in 2016? 9 years 3 months ago #154

So I kept thinking about it a little bit more and I realized something. This may result in a fundamental change in how TD functions but the execution is pretty simple and minor.

One of the features of True Dungeon is a lack of formation. There isn't anywhere to hide in a room so that the monster won't attack you, it's reach is such that anyone is a potential target. I don't object to this premise, it makes the DM's job easy and combat flow quickly.

I would suggest however that the new character cards add a bit more focus on exceptions to this rule. Currently the Paladin can guard and the elf can turn invisible. Otherwise, defensive teamwork in TD doesn't really exist. (Offensive teamwork through slider tapping, yes, but not defensive)

Paladin: Keeps guard ability. Maybe something to block magical/energy attacks once per fight/game?
Elf Wizard: Spells that force the monster to attack a particular target for one round, or invisibility that extends to 2-3 additional characters for a single round.
Fighter: Taunt - after a successful hit, force the monster to attack the fighter.
Dwarf Fighter: Shield Block - Once per combat ally hit by melee attack takes reduced damage equal to shield's AC bonus.
Ranger: Ensnare shot - Monster is -2 attack and -2 AC for a round.
Monk: Become target of ranged attack once per fight.


This would let the party kind of protect each other and to a small extent dictate the terms of combat, letting tanky characters be tanks, and encouraging additional teamwork and planning among the party.

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Re: What Changes To Make on Character Cards in 2016? 9 years 3 months ago #155

Matthew Davidson wrote: My issue with the monk is that he is one token slot lighter than all the other characters. If you want AC as a monk you need to use the belt slot for it, which means no ogre strength.
I had actually been thinking about suggesting monk armor that takes the armor slot, but doesn't grant an AC bonus. A +2 strength armor for the monk would let him where a belt for AC and a not lose the token slot. Other armors could include a +2 dex, or +1 saves, or just a +1 to hit or damage. Or they could grant special monk abilities like +2 to hit with stunning fist attacks. Maybe the ultra rare version would let you roll reflex saves on behalf of an ally (with the monk's evasion ability).

As far as the changes to make to character cards, I think if the Monk could get an interrupt ability once per game to become the target of a ranged attack that would make his deflect arrows ability not meta-gamed out of usefulness.


The idea of chest slot that are non armor types for Druid/Monk and a few other classes have been suggested and I will say I'm in favor of that. Yes it's very hard to get a monk's ac up without trading off a good bit of damage at the same level token for certain levels. But at the same time most of the combats I've been in I don't get targeted as much as the barbarian.... unless it's grind :P Thanks Eric for picking me as the bulette target every round :P
You don't have to outrun the monster, just the guy next to you - The buddy system.

Cranston's Character Generator for iDevices or Character Generator for Android

Amorgen's Excellent Excel Character Generator

Have you checked the Token DataBase ?

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Re: What Changes To Make on Character Cards in 2016? 9 years 3 months ago #156

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Matthew Davidson wrote: My issue with the monk is that he is one token slot lighter than all the other characters. If you want AC as a monk you need to use the belt slot for it

Monks are not the only class who cope with low AC options in the armor slot.

Wizard "Armor"
Mage Robes of the Vale: +2 AC
Robe of the Arch-Mage: +3 AC
Robe of the Mage: +2 AC
Robe of the Vale: +1 AC
Traveler's Robe: +1 AC

Monk "Armor"
Robe of the Vale: +1 AC
Traveler's Robe: +1 AC
Have you looked it up in the TDb ?
Please post TDb corrections in this thread .
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