Comments on: Dungeons and Dragons 4e: Hard Mode

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 18:59:43 +0000

By 1w I meant one extra die of damage so 4d10 turns into 5d10.

By: Dean

Dean — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 18:57:58 +0000

@Mario: Grind isn’t just the length of time to kill the monster. It’s the point where the monster is no longer going to be a threat to the PCs. So by upping damage when it’s bloodied, you make it a greater threat for a longer period of time.

One thing I’m confused though, is what Sly means by +1W. For instance, if the basic attack does 2d6+5, is that 1W another 2d6? Or is it 1d6?

What about an encounter power that does 4d10 damage…is +1W then 8d10? or another 1d10?

By: Mario Podeschi

Mario Podeschi — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 12:06:48 +0000

As a DM, I respectfully disagree with much of Hard Mode.

Adding damage, i.e. +1W while bloodied or +1/2 level, does not solve the Grind issue, as PCs will take just as long to kill the monster.

Resisting dazes and stuns is already built into the mechanics of solo monsters–they get a +5 saves, after all.

In both cases, my biggest reason for not using these mechanics in my game would be that they would arbitrarily reward and punish certain builds. In a world where bloodied monsters often hit for an extra 1[W] damage, a tiefling with the paragon feat Bloodthirsty is going to become a far tastier build. On the other hand, daze and stun are powerful effects, often requiring a character to “trade down” on damage, dealing only 1[W] instead of 2[W] or 3[W] in the hopes that an enemy can be stalled for a round.

Though I agree that the Grind should be addressed, I think these house rules have a negative impact on PC balance.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:39:09 +0000

I have also been DMing “Hard & Fast” for over a year now: Monsters all have 1/3 less hit points; they always do an extra 1W damage; powers recharge on an extra step (i.e. a power that recharges on a 6, now recharges on a 5 or 6); and monsters only regen HALF of whatever amount it says in the MM. We have played over 150 games at all Tiers using this method. It’s tough – but it gets the blood boiling (and rarely have our battles lasted more than 30-40 minutes – even with Brutes or Solos). Out of 150 games, there have only been two PC deaths (who were later resurrected).

By: Glenn

Glenn — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:25:00 +0000

I like your suggestions, although tracking the extra math is a step I try to avoid. My method is to cut monster hit points in half (to cut down the grind) but double the hit point damage monsters cause (to increase the threat).

By: Dean

Dean — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:28:56 +0000

Another option is to make your monsters Brutal1 or Brutal 2.

By: Donny_the_DM

Donny_the_DM — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:44:25 +0000

And this is why I keep coming back here. This is great stuff

By: John Glass

John Glass — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:21:11 +0000

I have been using “hard mode” for a while now– my formula is monster attacks do extra damage equal to (level – 4) / 2 since the lower levels of play are hard enough for even experienced players. I also subtract 1 hp per level from monsters (2hp level/elites, 4hp/level solos) to avoid the grind.

By: Rob Bodine

Rob Bodine — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:10:49 +0000

Damn, Mike. I ‘m glad I subscribe to your RSS feed. These are some good articles.