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"Then another two hours in the booth, mostly evangelizing about Fourth Edition again. I came to the realization that perhaps the most significant change in 4e is the one that's going to be the least visible: the math underlying the system. But it's hugely important!

The reason there's a "sweet spot" in the current game is that it's the approximate range of levels where, purely by coincidence, the math of the system actually works. In those levels, PCs don't drop after one hit, and they don't take a dozen hits to wear down. In those levels, characters miss monsters occasionally, but less than half the time, and monsters miss characters only slightly more often. It's pure chance, really, but it means the game is fun. Outside of those levels, the math doesn't work that way, and the game stops being fun.

In Fourth Edition, we've totally revamped the math behind the system, and that's a big part of the way that we've extended the sweet spot across the whole level range. When PCs fight monsters of their level, they'll find that the math of the system is more or less the same at level 30 as it is at level 1. There will always be variation with different PCs and different monsters, but that variation won't be so great that monsters are either too deadly or too weak.

Of course, there's more to the sweet spot problem than just the math. The proliferation of save-or-die effects and adventure-breaking effects like etherealness and scrying also makes high-level adventuring more difficult to pull off, and we've addressed those issues as well.

Fundamentally, this has meant we've had to abandon some things that might have seemed like sacred cows—fireball spells don't do 1d6/level any more, for example—but it's all in the interest of a far superior play experience."

Jump to: Classes | Races | Advancement | Magic | Monsters | Encounters | Skills | Settings

"The way character advancement works now, it takes fewer encounters to gain a level, but it takes roughly the same length of time to reach 30 levels in 4th Edition as it takes to reach 20 levels in 3rd Edition. The rate of level advancement is still being playtested, however, so the jury's still out on whether the final game will work this way.

One of the goals of 4th Edition is to make high-level play as fun, balanced, and manageable as low-level play, and to make high-level characters as easy to create and run as low-level ones. Comparing high-level 4th Edition characters to high-level 3rd Edition characters is not an apples-to-apples comparison because they're built very differently. However, there isn't a startling increase in overall power level from a 20th-level 3rd Edition character to a 20th-level 4th Edition character "

"Anyway, dragons. Ready-to-play dragons, right in the Monster Manual! What a concept! I just pulled the 1977 Monster Manual and the 1993 Monstrous Manual off my shelf and realized that this is, in fact, the first Monster Manual in the history of the D&D game to give you complete, ready-to-play dragons right there in the book! (To be fair, you didn't have to do much for the dragons in the 1977 book, but you did have to contend with a range of possible Hit Dice, hit points per die that depended on the dragon's age, and a fair bit of text at the start of the dragon entry you had to refer back to in play. Plus, there was a random chance that a dragon might use magic, and its spells were determined randomly.

In the 1993 book, you had to consult two different tables, checking the dragon's age against the various columns, to determine its Hit Dice (let's see, page 79 tells me the silver dragon has 15 base Hit Dice, but it's adult, so page 64 tells me to add 2), AC, damage (1-8/1-8/5-30 on page 79, +6 from page 64), and so on. What fun!

And then, of course, there's 3e, with the whole stat block construction process. Choose skills and feats and spells for every dragon, and modify all the stats accordingly. Nuts!

So here we are, neck-deep in writing the 4e Monster Manual, and I have the happy task of filling in a 14-page dragon entry. (A waste of space? In a Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual? I don't think so.) Each dragon has all the information you need to run it, self-contained in its stat block. Each spread gives you tactics, descriptions, encounters, and lore for the dragon at hand. The start of the section talks about the families of dragons, a legend of the birth of dragons, advice for building and running a dragon encounter—lots of great information, but nothing you're going to have to flip back to in the middle of any encounter.

Every attack, every statistic, every magic power each dragon has is contained right there in its stat block. Self-contained. As easy to run as you could ask a solo monster to be. Ready to go. Ready to kill your characters. Awesome."

- Devils are angels who rebelled. They rose up against the deity they served and murdered him. The crime of deicide is unimaginably perverse for angels, and hence devils were cursed and imprisoned in the Nine Hells.

- The Nine Hells are what became of the murdered deity's divine realm after his death. The Hells are the devils' prison, and it is difficult for them to get out without mortal aid.

- We've re-sorted demons and devils a bit, since we want these two categories of monsters to make a little more sense. Devils tend to be more humanoid in form, usually fight with weapons, and often wear armor. Most have horns, wings, and tails. One consequence of this: the erinyes and the succubus were holding down pretty similar territory, so we've decided that they're the same monster, called the succubus, and it's a devil.

- Ice devils don't look like other devils. We've decided that they are actually a demonic/yugoloth race... one that was entrapped by Mephistopheles long ago in an infernal contract. So ice devils hate other devils, retain their insect-like appearance, and have a special loyalty to Mephistopheles. It's one of the reasons why Asmodeus has never chosen to move against Mephistopheles. Asmodeus would of course win if he did, but that would let the ice devils out of their contract.

"We are not going back to a 1st or 2nd edition means of creating monsters. Those editions had no standards for monster design. Everyone just eyeballed it and hoped it was fair and fun (often it wasn't).

Third edition gives the illusion of fairness by giving you formulas to rely on, but you can use all the formulas perfectly and easily end up with an unfair or unfun monster. Advancing monsters by hit dice is a great example. Depending on its type and ability scores, the CR raise you give it according to the formulas might work out okay, but just as often the monster ends up too tough for its CR or too weak.

CR is often just a shot in the dark. We usually get it right, but I'm betting you can think of some critters that are way out of their weight class.

For each level of play we're devising a range of numbers for monsters that provide fairness and fun. Those numbers are based on what the PCs bring to the fight in terms of their potency and defenses, and upon the general role in the fight a monster is likely to be in.

Thus, the ogre, who is most likely to be the tough brute in melee, uses the “brute” range of numbers for its level. The numbers in that range and their distribution are designed to be fair and fun in a fight while at the same time allowing the artillery monster (like maybe a gnoll archer) of the same level to feel different but still be fair and fun. Of course, an ogre can chuck spears and that gnoll archer can charge up and hit you, but the numbers are devised in a fashion to produce great results when the monsters are used how people normally would use them. The ogre that’s in your face has more hit points than the gnoll archer that is using the ogre as a shield.

Changing a monster will be easier and more fair that ever. Rather than jumping through hoops and doing a lot of math with uncertain results, you can just look at the numbers for where you want to be and put the monster there. You might get there by adding a class, by "advancing" a monster, by adding a template, or some combination. The key is that you'll know where you need to get to in order to make the monster work right."

David Noonan's previous favourite thing about 4th Edition ("revisiting adventure pacing...the whole "wizard is done at 9:05 a.m." problem") has been replaced with a new favourite: easy-to-mix monsters.

...in 4e, I find it:

• Easier to assemble those mixed monster groups on the fly.
• Easier to keep those monsters alive long enough to pull off their cool tricks.
• Easier to convince my players that they're a threat (in 3e, the power curve is such that a monster quickly falls from "appropriate challenge" to "speed bump" in the space of only a couple of levels).
• Easier to run those mixed monster groups at the table without my head exploding.

"...And out comes a new iteration of our social challenge rules. We extracted a ton of useful data out of the test, and I'll probably spend the rest of the morning typing that up for my colleagues and messing with some the rules. But I can share some broad outlines with you.

1) I had perfect attendance at my table last night: 7 PCs, plus the dragon, plus the lich. A truly participatory social challenge at a table that big is going to be chaotic no matter how you structure it. Or at least you can't come up with rules that muzzle my players.

2) There was a lot of variety in both the mechanical techniques used (the checks/rolls/etc.) and the actual table dialogue. That's a pretty high priority, so it was good to see it emerge in actual play. But my table is predisposed to show those behaviors, so I can't see anything more definite than "it's a good system for people who throw themselves into that play style wholeheartedly."

3) The system we were testing involves skill checks (big surprise, huh?). One of the things I found fascinating was that some players preferred to deliver their dialogue, then roll the skill check and report the result. Others preferred to roll the skill check first, then deliver dialogue that matched their result (good or bad). The system works either way, so I might just make it explicit that you can "roll, then talk" or "talk, then roll."

4) There is a totally valid D&D playstyle that haaaaates the idea of social interactions being resolved with a die roll. This system should work for that playstyle, too, once you flip a few switches. That just isn't the playstyle we were testing last night.

The upshot? We had about 20 minutes of great dialogue at the table, then the lich was sufficiently convinced that the dragon was dangerously insane that he cautiously aided the PCs in attacking the dragon. Of course the lich turned on the PCs as the dragon fight was winding down. But the social challenge mattered, because the PCs were able to fight the dragon (with a little help), then fight the lich. That sure beats fighting dragon + lich."

Some questions about the character generator:

Q: Will we be able to use it Offline?

A: I can't answer this question in a generic way. There will be some possibilities to use part of the D&DI applications offline. The exact details of that use are not available yet.

Q: Will we be able to save characters on our own computers, or be limited by the character vault?

A: It will be possible to save characters on your own computers. There will be advantages, though, to save your characters on the vaults... Once again, I can't say more at that stage, but answers will come.

Q: Will all other character "creator" software for D&D be illegal now?

A: I am not sure by what you mean exactly by the term "illegal". The only licensed character creator for D&D was the E-Tools, and their license has not been renewed. As you now know, we have been planning to bring these developments in house, and could not talk about this before the Gencon announcement. The D&D character creator software will be a part of the D&DI offerings.

In any case, stay tuned on the dndinsider.com in the next months for more details in that area.

Q: Am I, as an owner of RPG Forge, be allowed to put in information for my own use from other Wizards book?

A: Any ownership is associated to legal agreements and/or copyrights laws. I am not the best placed to answer that question, as this is not my field. I would recommend that you refer to the legal text and copyrights information provided with the books or products you have bought.

Here he answer bits about the map maker.

One of the application in the D&DI offering will be a more advanced version of the basic dungeon tile web utility that is in our web tools archive. This new one will include some basic drawing capabilities.

It will also be possible to hand draw directly within the D&D game table (and snap to grid for those like myself that are not very good line drawers - the cabinet in the secret passage was drawn by me.

Here he addresses comments about "buying miniatures."

I think that you will not find in D&DI anything different than the experience you describe at your game table.

You do not get the miniature out of the Monster Manual book, and if you have some miniatures, you can always use a similar one for a monster you do not have the miniature off.

The V-miniatures are just 3D representation on the D&D game table. They are not always linked to preloaded stats (even if they can have default stats much like the DDM miniature come with a default stat card)

So, when playing through the D&D game table online, you will be able to use your V-mini collection the way you want to. If you decide to not use V-Miniatures, there will be ways to represent the monsters you will be using that will be included in your subscription package.

Here he discusses the game table and the RPGA:

We are looking into providing support for RPGA scenarios and campaigns. This may not something that will be available immediately at launch, but is fairly high in our priority list.

If the RPGA scenarios are developped with the D&DI tools, there is no reason they can't be used and made available for the D&DI subscribers to use on the D&D game table, as well as being available as PDF like they are now.

Q: Will my players need to own the book and activate it to use those options in the character generator?

Answer: We already have mentioned that owning the E-version of a published book will allow to see the details of the book content within the D&DI applications, if you are a D&DI subscriber.

Now you will still be able to build a character using features from a published book even if you do not own the E-Version of that published book. You will not be able to see the detailed descriptions of the resources you have used from that published book, though.

Q: What if I don't want to play online, but want to use the map maker and character generator for my home game?

Answer:  If you are a D&DI subscriber, you will be able to use the various resources for your games, regardless if you are running them at home or through the internet. For example, nothing will prevent you to use some of the D&D game table functionalities on your home game, if you want to, provided you are online and a current subscriber when you do so.

This said the game table is designed to facilitate games between people that will not physically be at the same location, it is not designed to replace your normal home game experience. If you are running the game with all your players already around your table, some of the game table functionalities may become either useless or more complicated to use than simply having your tiles, miniatures, books and character sheets.

In the end though, each DM will be able to decide for themselves how they prefer to run their game. The D&DI applications will simply provide new options...


Q: Will I need internet access to use D&D Insider

Answer:  The D&D game table and the character builder are windows applications driven by a 3D-engine (DirectX based).

The character sheet, dungeon builder and encounter builder will be standard windows application.

You will indeed need to access the internet and be a D&DI subscriber to use these applications to their fullest potential.


Q: Will I need to subscribe to D&D Insider to play on the virtual game table?

Answer 1 & Answer 2:  To be a player in a game hosted through the D&D game table, there will be a possibility to play without having to subscribe. The details about that type of access will be provided in the upcoming months through articles on the dndinsider.com web site.

Starting a game session using the D&D game table will require a DM with a D&DI subscription.

Now we are planning to allow players to join a game session without necessarily being a D&DI subscriber. I am not saying it will be free, but it will not require a D&DI subscription to participate to a game. The details about this type of access for players will be unveiled in the upcoming month from the dndinsider.com web site. Stay tuned!

Q: Do you really expect everyone to bring their laptops to the gaming table?

Answer:  Please remember that the key goal of D&DI is not to bring laptops to the game table. It is to allow players that are not able to get together around the same gaming table to still play D&D, using the internet as their gaming table with the D&D game table application...

Having more laptops on your home game table is certainly a possible consequence of that D&DI initiative, but it is not our core drive for the D&DI project.


Q: Do you realize your data on Macs is inaccurate?

Answer 1 & Answer 2:  We are aware of the trends in this area, and as I mentioned earlier we are looking if some of our D&DI applications can be used with the more recent intel based mac systems, while keeping in mind our delivery goals and timeline. We also have made our decisions regarding serving the PC platform first based on factual market research data, not estimated data. A lot of our future steps will depend on the success of the first steps.


Hey, I did not say we were using generic Market Research data... We have our own market research department at Wizards...


Q: How will additional miniatures be available on the virtual game table?

Answer:  We are still looking and defining the exact details of how digital miniatures will be available for the game table, and we will provide the relevant information in due time through the dndinsider.com articles.

Getting miniatures for the online game table from randomized boosters is certainly envisioned, even if that may not be the only way to get them.


Q: Why will we be limited to 3 games a month with the D&D Game Table?

Answer:  I do not know where this 3 time a month comes from, but it is simply a rumor, and, as far as I know, does not come from any official statement.

I'll be happy to check on your source if you can provide some link of where you have heard about these limitations.

Q: Will the Character Visualizer be updated with new expansions?

Answer: The visualizer will be expanded over time, indeed. We may not have new weapons or armors for the character visualizer with every single new published product, but we will have regular updates during the year, and certainly some updates when significant core books are released.
New stuff added over time will increase the choices for all subscribers. We may, in the future, do a few special items as rewards for various things.

It is not likely that you can identify an item clearly just by seeing it. The visualizer just propose various shapes of weapons, and the users chose what they are supposed to represent... So a vorpal weapon can be represented in many different ways according to the players' taste, and we want to preserve that aspect which is part of the RPGer's imagination.

We may have some iconic material though that can be easily recognizable, but not necessarily associated to specific powers.

Q: Will we be able to make our own custom scripts for the Game Table?

Answer: The extent of the possible customization is not yet fully defined, so do not read too far into it... I was mainly meaning that in the future, there will always be room for making new developments to help facilitating playing D&D 4th Edition...

Q: Will there be a free trial period?

Answer: There are plans for having free trials, but all these details are still very far away and will be announced fully in due time through dndinsider.com.

Q: Which D&D Insider elements require Direct X?

Answer: The only two Direct X based applications are the D&D game table and the Character visualizer.

The other D&DI applications (dungeon builder, Character sheet, Encounter builder) will be windows based, but not using DirectX.

Q: What use are the Dungeon Builder, Character Sheet and Encounter Builder if you can't use the Game Table and Character Visualizer?

Answer:  This is a good question. In fact the reason we are not doing all these applications in one integrated software is to allow various degrees of accessibility and usefulness.

The character sheet application for example will allow you to print your character sheet, and this does not require having a machine supporting DirectX9 to that effect, like the game table application will require.

We are still working on the details of the functionalities specific to each of those, stay tuned on dndinsider.com for more information in the upcoming months.

Q: Will we be able to use the game table without being online?

Answer: The game table will require being connected to use. This said, nothing will prevent you from using it on your home game with all the players around the table, if you want, provided you are connected while doing so.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, some of the functionalities may not be as practical than if all your players were online, but we do not have any plan to prevent Dungeon Masters to use the game table without having any players connected.

Q: If I subscribe to D&D Insider and own a particular book, will I be able to use those materials in creating my character?

Answer:  You will be able to use the published material to create your character from the character sheet application regardless of your ownership of any particular E-Book.

If you are a D&DI subscriber, the ownership of an E-book allows you to consult the details of a feat (for example) from your computer screen. Without this E-Book, you will simply know the name of the feat and will have to use the physical book to see what this feat does. You can use this feat when creating your character from the character sheet application, even if you do not own the E-book where that feat was published.


Q: Will the Character Sheet run on my computer while I'm not online?

Answer:  Most of the functionalities of the D&DI applications will require that you are logged in and a current D&DI subscriber.


Q: Will D&D Insider have regular downtimes due to maintainance like the forums?

Answer:  I would assume that there will always be time where the servers have to be down for maintenance purpose. I have no idea today how often this will have to occur, but obviously we will do our best to keep the required maintenance time to a minimum.


Q: Will the RPG designers build their rules keeping the D&D Insider applications in mind?

Answer:  With 4th Edition, there is a huge effort from R&D to work in a more structured and "data-friendly" way. This of course is not affecting the game design itself. The designers/developers do not have any mandate to create rules and systems that match a specific data structure. It is the data structure that needs to follow where they lead. This said, there are ongoing discussions both ways that helps shape the whole thing, but in case of a doubt, the D&D game always win over any data structure.

We are using versioning tools as well as Filemaker Pro databases to provide the best flexibility and adaptability to this ongoing process, as we also have to account to the natural evolutions that happen from one play test phase to another, until the game rules are fully consolidated.


Q: Will there be strong Quality Assurance testing of the D&D Insider applications?

Answer:  Our Q/A department will be involved, and we have a process in place that is incorporating testing as part of the deliverable we expect. We are using the Agile (or Scrumm) methodology, and are going through developments in sprints of a few weeks. At the end of each sprint, as per the Scrumm methodolody, we take delivery of an application that is tested and could theorically be shipped as is. This is the nature of the Scrumm process, and a big change of methods that the new Digital Gaming department at Wizards of the Coast has been spear-heading. Radiant Machine is also very involved in that process as in fact, they are the ones that introduced us to this methodology.

We do plan to have alpha, closed beta and open beta tests for the D&DI applications suite when the time is right.

Last, know that I'd prefer to produce a quality product that is not full of bugs.


Q: Are we subscribing to the online magazines or renting?

Answer: For the online magazines, the model we are planning for is a subscription (i.e. even if you are not a subscriber anymore, you can still read the articles that were published while you were a subscriber). So we are not planning for a rented access in that area. The exact details are still being worked on, and will be communicated on dndinsider.com.


Q: Will we get to use the game table for free if we buy the books and will the map be able to be used for outdoor areas?

Answer:  To be able to create a game with the D&D game table, you will have to be a D&DI subscriber. The ownership of the E-books is not directly related to your use of the D&D game table.

Regarding your other question, the movie prototype was done within a dungeon to demonstrate the lighting effect, but nothing will prevent the DM to use it for outdoor, or city maps type. As a DM you are free to make your grid represent what you want, much like your battlemap on your gaming table...

The list of playtesters selected through the RPGA was finalized today. All of the RPGA playtesters should now be aware that they are playtesting 4th Edition.If you didn't get contacted, the D&D Insider selections are still being made. Sign up for a forum account and that will automatically enter you into the pool. 

The RPGA has selected many groups of external playtesters(around 50) from their ranks. All of these groups should have received notification by now as well as a Non-Disclosure Agreement that they need to sign and return.

Additionally, we'll be selecting another couple dozen groups randomly from all the folks who signed up for D&D Insider. We'll announce when those groups have been selected and provide further details.

Just as a reminder, if you have a Wizard's forum account, you've been automatically signed up for D&D Insider.

I'll need to double check on the details, but here is how I believe it will go:

- We will contact those who are randomly selected and provide them with some sort of list questions/qualifications to see if they reply and if they meet the qualifications to be a playtester.

- We'll pull more random D&Di folks and repeat the process until we meet our goal for numbers.

- I don't currently know what the qualifications will be for the D&Di playtesters.

I'll give you more info when I can.

Playtesting: We're sending out emails to DDI/message board members today asking whether they'd like to participate in a playtest wave that starts this week. If you get one, I hope you can do it. This game lives or dies at the table, and more insight into more tables equals a better game.

There will be a closed beta, and an open beta for the D&DI insider tools.

These beta tests are separate from the playtests occuring for the 4th Edition rules. 

So being selected as a 4th Edition rule playtester will not mean you will automatically participate to the D&DI beta tests. The exact details of the beta testers selection are not fully defined yet.

At that time, we do not have any time frame to provide for the beta tests. Stay tuned on dndinsider.com to learn more about those...