D&D 4e = Earthdawn, Take 2
Mar. 28th, 2008 08:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stevekensonSo my gaming group is actually talking about starting up a new game of Earthdawn. This led me to look over my old books once again and, unbidden, my earlier D&D 4e = Earthdawn? post came to mind, as I noticed yet more similarities:
• The heroes are all “adepts” so everyone has powers (known as “talents”) based on their discipline (class) and circle (level). Check. (As an aside, I love how Earthdawn worked the game terminology so you actually could refer to someone in-character as an “Nth Circle (whatever)” because circles were like martial arts belts and people in the world really did use them.)
• Characters have a number of Recovery Tests per day for damage; the healing mechanics, including talent- and magic-based healing, build on this. D&D 4e has “healing surges” which seem to work similarly.
• The astral plane in Earthdawn is a source of magic, but also of monsters and danger. One wonders about the similarity of “places” like the Shadowfell and the Feywild in 4e.
Interesting, no?
On a related note, the Thief discipline in Earthdawn kinda sucks. I had an idea for a Theif character (never played one before in ED) but the discipline is lame. So it’s probably going to be an Air Sailor or Scout for me. Maybe Swordmaster. We’ll see.
• The heroes are all “adepts” so everyone has powers (known as “talents”) based on their discipline (class) and circle (level). Check. (As an aside, I love how Earthdawn worked the game terminology so you actually could refer to someone in-character as an “Nth Circle (whatever)” because circles were like martial arts belts and people in the world really did use them.)
• Characters have a number of Recovery Tests per day for damage; the healing mechanics, including talent- and magic-based healing, build on this. D&D 4e has “healing surges” which seem to work similarly.
• The astral plane in Earthdawn is a source of magic, but also of monsters and danger. One wonders about the similarity of “places” like the Shadowfell and the Feywild in 4e.
Interesting, no?
On a related note, the Thief discipline in Earthdawn kinda sucks. I had an idea for a Theif character (never played one before in ED) but the discipline is lame. So it’s probably going to be an Air Sailor or Scout for me. Maybe Swordmaster. We’ll see.
