4e resource determination

[HauntWrigs]

Is it common for DMs to restrict the book resources for the players? I am a new DM and have at my disposal 34 books, including the Essentials line! (Obviously a few of these do not help the players when creating their characters.) My group is made up of new players, too. For creation and development, I've been allowing them to use whatever book I have on my shelf. Is this a wise thing to do?

[dariathalon]

In 4e restrictions are not nearly as common as they were with previous editions. Because of resources like Insider, players can have all the options at their fingertips (if they choose to pay for it). And if they choose to use Insider, it is almost more of a hassle to make sure everything they pick is from the allowed books. The only times I've really seen DMs limit things is either because they don't like them or because they don't fit with the campaign setting. I would highly recommend using the full errata if you are using all books though. I suppose it might not be too bad to restrict a new player a little on their first character just to avoid paralyzing them with an overabundance of options, and then introduce them to more as the game progresses, but it's not something I would call necessary.

[HauntWrigs]

I would highly recommend using the full errata if you are using all books though.

Where would I find the errata? Also, I have two DM screens. One is a "deluxe" version and the other is a flimsy cardboard version. Will either of these be correct? I'm trying to teach myself to rely on them more for things I don't remember rather than search through a book. I don't want to be the one to slow things down!

I suppose it might not be too bad to restrict a new player a little on their first character just to avoid paralyzing them with an overabundance of options, and then introduce them to more as the game progresses, but it's not something I would call necessary.

Thanks for the advice. I wonder now if it's too late. But we may be adding another player soon so I will consider this.

[dariathalon]

Where would I find the errata? Also, I have two DM screens. One is a "deluxe" version and the other is a flimsy cardboard version. Will either of these be correct? I'm trying to teach myself to rely on them more for things I don't remember rather than search through a book. I don't want to be the one to slow things down!

I don't know if either of those is perfectly accurate since I don't remember all of the changes off the top of my head nor what information the screens cover.

Here is the errata. I warn you there is a lot of it. The first link has it all compiled into one big file for easy use though.

Thanks for the advice. I wonder now if it's too late. But we may be adding another player soon so I will consider this.

Like I said, I don't think it's absolutely necessary to do this, but it can help ease newer players into the game. There are several schools of thought on the best way to do that, and it probably varies from individual to individual and group to group what works best. But that's probably a discussion for a whole other thread.

[NecroRebel]

Thanks for the advice. I wonder now if it's too late. But we may be adding another player soon so I will consider this.

Limiting the resources available for a new player more than what existing players had labored under is questionable in terms of fairness. You might simply suggest that they can build viable characters using a limited set of books (which they very much can) and encourage them not to worry about eking out every little point they can (which is also entirely reasonable, even if all resources all available), but actually limiting them more than their fellows might make them angry.

Depending on what level your players have reached, it might not be too much of an issue, either.

Further, note that the generally-accepted 5 most powerful classes (Cleric, Fighter, Ranger, Rogue, Warlord) are all in PHB1, so limiting resources doesn't do that much for power levels, though those classes are as strong as they are mainly due to how much support they've gotten in other books.

[Kurald Galain]

Is it common for DMs to restrict the book resources for the players?

Yes. It is reasonably common to have a game restricted to 4.0 books only, or to 4.4 books only, or only the PHBx and Foo Power line, or anything but Dragon magazine.

That said, the question is what you're trying to accomplish here. For example, if your campaign is in the Forgotten Realms then it may make sense to ban Eberron dragonmarks or the Sorcerer King pact because those just don't exist on Faerun. If you want a more balanced game, there are some options you could consider banning, but removing whole books is probably not the best way of doing that. If you want to reduce "choice paralysis" from your players, then it's actually a very good idea to restrict the books; for example, have them all create characters from the PHB1 only, and after a few sessions allow other books, but only if they ask for them.

[Kimera757]

The obsession with the Character Builder makes restricting sources vastly more difficult. There are players out there who don't know how to build a character without it, and the builder does not make restricting sources easy. (Also, that's not something the DM can easily supervise.)

[BlckDv]

I have restricted sources for all of my 4e Games, based on the theme/feel of each campaign (i.e. my current game in which everyone has to be part of a specific Fey family, making a very limited race selection). My original 4e game did not allow Essentials or Power Point classes, as the campaign was well advanced when they came to exist, and I didn't want to try and learn their proper balance/play at high levels, etc.

That said, all of my players have offline Character Builder with CBLoader, so I start each campaign by distributing a Campaign File that does all the restricting for them and makes it effortless for the players. Sadly, getting your hands on offline Character Builder if you are new to 4e is not something I know of any legal straightforward way to do, unless one or more of your players already has it downloaded.

[Tegu8788]

If the goal is to reduce player confusion, having new players play essentials classes will certainly help. They are easier to build, have fewer options to choose from, and while they can't be optimized as well as previous classes, they are also harder to mess up.

[Kimera757]

so I start each campaign by distributing a Campaign File that does all the restricting for them and makes it effortless for the players.

How do you make such a campaign file? I'm really interested. I'm running a game right now, and I think for the next one I'd like such a file.

[BlckDv]

How do you make such a campaign file? I'm really interested. I'm running a game right now, and I think for the next one I'd like such a file.

As noted you have to have the offline Character Builder. As far as I know the online version does not support this (I have been told so, but have not tested it out). You do not have to have CBLoader, but if you do not, your content is limited to what came with the offline builder. With that said...

You pop over to the "Manage" tab at the top of the screen, and one of the menus will show a list of all the rule books and magazines loaded in your Character Builder. They will all be checked by default. You can uncheck a whole book, or click the arrow to expand and select or unselect by whole categories (such as feats or items) or even individual entries. There are a few options to control things like if you uncheck a book that had rules also published in Dragon, should it keep or remove the items from the other source. (Having this set wrong drove me batty when I unchecked the Heroes of... books) Once you have these set as you desire, you click the Save button above the list of books, and give the rules set a name. (Usually you will already see a Living RPGA rules set that comes preloaded as well). Grab that file, and share it with your players, just emailing it to them is fine. When they go to make a PC, have them click the new PC button, then go to Manage and from the same screen where you made your file, and select load your file. The rules will now be filtered to that set for that PC.

Cheers.

[HauntWrigs]

Lots of good information here. Thank you all for helping me out.

My original 4e game did not allow Essentials or Power Point classes, as the campaign was well advanced when they came to exist, and I didn't want to try and learn their proper balance/play at high levels, etc.

Sorry, what are Power Point classes?

[Inevitability]

Sorry, what are Power Point classes?

Battlemind, Psion, and Ardent. Power Points are a mechanic introduced in PHB3, and intended for three of the four psionic classes to use. Some people dislike it for being mechanically more complex than the AEDU (At-will, encounter, daily, utility) mechanics of the standard classes.

[Kimera757]

Battlemind, Psion, and Ardent. Power Points are a mechanic introduced in PHB3, and intended for three of the four psionic classes to use. Some people dislike it for being mechanically more complex than the AEDU (At-will, encounter, daily, utility) mechanics of the standard classes.

I didn't find it more complicated, but I did find it boring.

Barring paragon paths and themes, psionic PCs (except monks) gain 2 or so power points every time another class would gain an encounter power. At a level where you would gain an encounter power (eg 1st, 3rd, 7th) you instead gain an at-will power. You can spend 1 or 2 power points to enhance that power to be the equivalent of an encounter power. This means that instead of using different encounter powers, you could use the same ones. So if one of the "encounter" powers are overpowered in some way, you'll keep using that one. If one of the powers is "boring but practical", you'll probably keep using them. A 7th-level wizard would have three encounter powers (1st, 3rd, 7th). A 7th-level psion would have 3 extra at-will powers and might take the 3rd-level one and use it three times per encounter.

As noted you have to have the offline Character Builder. As far as I know the online version does not support this (I have been told so, but have not tested it out). You do not have to have CBLoader, but if you do not, your content is limited to what came with the offline builder. With that said...

You pop over to the "Manage" tab at the top of the screen, and one of the menus will show a list of all the rule books and magazines loaded in your Character Builder. They will all be checked by default. You can uncheck a whole book, or click the arrow to expand and select or unselect by whole categories (such as feats or items) or even individual entries. There are a few options to control things like if you uncheck a book that had rules also published in Dragon, should it keep or remove the items from the other source. (Having this set wrong drove me batty when I unchecked the Heroes of... books) Once you have these set as you desire, you click the Save button above the list of books, and give the rules set a name. (Usually you will already see a Living RPGA rules set that comes preloaded as well). Grab that file, and share it with your players, just emailing it to them is fine. When they go to make a PC, have them click the new PC button, then go to Manage and from the same screen where you made your file, and select load your file. The rules will now be filtered to that set for that PC.

Cheers.

I'm bookmarking this post.