Quote from: Drohem;261936I like the illusion gag!

Me too, I had a gnome Illusionist NPC who would use a dragon illusion to scare his cat out of hiding.  He never found his cat but he scared more than a few groups of PCs through the years.

Yeah, props to RandallS.  Brilliant ruse.  I'm swiping that gag for something I've got cooking....

It's pretty crazy stuff.  I mean, the guy in charge of the new edition doesn't even fully understand the older editions, but made changes all over the place anyway.

I think that was a large part of the frustration over announcements for 4e.  Just baffling what they decided to change, and without really good reasons.

Apparently drinking the kool aid damaged Mearls' recollection of the past.

Quote from: Drohem;261897IMHO, these suggestions by Mearls are just lame.  

Wandering Monsters:  
Adding random wandering monsters while a group is resting to restore Healing Surges, Encounter Powers, and possibly other Powers will more than likely spell doom for that group.  Wandering monster are a random element, and not part of the balance of play concepts outlined in the 4e mechanics.

Powerful monsters on level 1:
Umm, what Stormbringer said.  What asswipe DM would have a party run into Orcus or Tiamat in a level 1 dungeon?  That is just so WTF?

I recall clearly playing in some dudes dungeon and running into Thor around level 3 or 4, I think. It was on an extensive wandering monster table.

Quote from: Abyssal Maw;261993I recall clearly playing in some dudes dungeon and running into Thor around level 3 or 4, I think. It was on an extensive wandering monster table.

Well, that settles it.  It was obviously hard coded into the rules, then.

Most of what he says is pretty basic stuff to anyone who's played a few sessions and started tinkering with the encounter system. The main thing I'd do in his place is simply use wandering monsters in two ways:

1) Wandering monsters are the result of failing a skill check. I wouldn't really use it in the way he says. What I'd do is make the consequences for failing a skill check to do something else result in both failing to accomplish the goal and encountering a wandering monster crew.

2) Simply set aside 1/4 or more of your total daily XP budget and pick some monsters at random to attack whenever the PCs start dicking around or whenever it would be most appropriate.

My Ashlands of Dlak adventure was going to include a couple of pre-designed monster sets that DMs could choose from / roll on a table for and then plunk down wherever they wanted.

Quote from: StormBringer;261994Well, that settles it.  It was obviously hard coded into the rules, then.

Dude, you're never going to stop being retarded. I don't know know why you even still draw breath.

Quote from: Abyssal Maw;261999Dude, you're never going to stop being retarded. I don't know know why you even still draw breath.

Well, did you really think your one example of horrible DMing was going to make a point of some kind?

EDIT:  Aside from once again conflating your experiences with universal experiences?

Fortunately, neither Mike Mearls nor Abyssal Maw made a "universal" claim of any sort.

Quote from: Pseudoephedrine;262006Fortunately, neither Mike Mearls nor Abyssal Maw made a "universal" claim of any sort.

"Powerful monsters on level 1:
Umm, what Stormbringer said. What asswipe DM would have a party run into Orcus or Tiamat in a level 1 dungeon? That is just so WTF?"

"I recall clearly playing in some dudes dungeon and running into Thor around level 3 or 4, I think. It was on an extensive wandering monster table."

Or:

"Powerful monsters on level 1:
 Umm, what Stormbringer said. What asswipe DM would have a party run into Orcus or Tiamat in a level 1 dungeon? That is just so WTF?"

"No shit, dude.  I recall clearly playing in some dudes dungeon and this total cocksmock had us running into Thor around level 3 or 4, I think. It was on an extensive wandering monster table, the remaining contents I don't even want to think about"

Because everyone else in the thread related an anecdote that was clearly intended to show that Orcus on level 1 reached a new level of fucked-up, and claims that it was common in anyway were equally fucked-up.

Now, if you are able to show that, in fact, Orcus on level 1 was pretty common, or that Mearls' was clearly exaggerating (I think) and Thor at level 3 were in any way common, or showed up in a published product, or were advised to appear on a wandering monster list, please, do so.

Until then, you are cordially invited to shut your fucking gob.

Quote from: StormBringer;262019"Powerful monsters on level 1:
Umm, what Stormbringer said. What asswipe DM would have a party run into Orcus or Tiamat in a level 1 dungeon? That is just so WTF?"

"I recall clearly playing in some dudes dungeon and running into Thor around level 3 or 4, I think. It was on an extensive wandering monster table."

Or:

"Powerful monsters on level 1:
 Umm, what Stormbringer said. What asswipe DM would have a party run into Orcus or Tiamat in a level 1 dungeon? That is just so WTF?"

"No shit, dude.  I recall clearly playing in some dudes dungeon and this total cocksmock had us running into Thor around level 3 or 4, I think. It was on an extensive wandering monster table, the remaining contents I don't even want to think about"

Because everyone else in the thread related an anecdote that was clearly intended to show that Orcus on level 1 reached a new level of fucked-up, and claims that it was common in anyway were equally fucked-up.

Now, if you are able to show that, in fact, Orcus on level 1 was pretty common, or that Mearls' was clearly exaggerating (I think) and Thor at level 3 were in any way common, or showed up in a published product, or were advised to appear on a wandering monster list, please, do so.

Until then, you are cordially invited to shut your fucking gob.

I'm still merely giving my recollections from a game I played in around 1979.

You still won't ever fit in here.

I'm sorry about that.

Stormbringer> Your post is so tortuously phrased, probably due to autism or another serious learning disability similar to gleichman's, that it's unclear what exactly you're talking about. You appear to be talking to yourself, inventing quotes, and demonstrating a middling-to-poor ability at interpreting ordinary statements in plain English.

Are you trying to say "I think Mike Mearls is exaggerating. I think his exaggeration is a pernicious representation of the way people used to play D&D,"? If so, please say so instead of spitting out strings of nonsense like the above post.

My question is: are Orcus and Tiamat only "skill challenges" if the DM decides beforehand...or if the PCs are low-level...or can a 20th-level PC access the skill challenge system to deal with them? (And, presumably, have an easier time of it, being 20th level and all...)

(Obviously this isn't a rules question, but a probe into Mearls' baseline DMing philosophy.)

Quote from: Elliot Wilen;262035My question is: are Orcus and Tiamat only "skill challenges" if the DM decides beforehand...or if the PCs are low-level...or can a 20th-level PC access the skill challenge system to deal with them? (And, presumably, have an easier time of it, being 20th level and all...)

(Obviously this isn't a rules question, but a probe into Mearls' baseline DMing philosophy.)

DM decision based on whatever factors he pleases. Skill challenges are a tool to represent the efforts of a group of PCs working together to accomplish a specific goal whose success or failure would affect them all.