Actually, I would see it the other way around. Getting a milestone (ie, taking two encounters back-to-back) gives you one action point (a nice, full rest would
also do this, if you'd spent one already, but a milestone will let you accumulate them), will refresh the daily powers of your items, and will buff up
certain rings until the next time you rest. (or, to put it a bit more accurately, there are a number of rings that aren't up to full power for the first
two encounters in a day.)
Resting, on the other hand, refreshes all daily powers (item and personal), restores all hit points, and gives you back all of your healing surges, along with
restoring that action point. If the first few encounters you run into are on the weak side (you didn't feel the need to use your own daily powers, you
didn't need to use your action points, and no one got seriously hurt) then you get a bit charged up for your next few fights. If they were of medium
difficulty, you get a bit of a charge back. If they were significantly difficult, and involved you throwing around some of your bigger mojo, then hitting that
milestone is more like a tax refund than anything else. In any case, if you've been hitting stuff tough enough to get you low on healing surges, and you
don't have to keep going, milestones probably aren't going to be enough to make you want to.
Yes, it's true, dwarves are nifty, and can use their once-per-fight healing surge as a minor action. Also, you are correct. I had not read closely enough
(and, indeed, we played it wrong on Game Day). Priests (and warlords) get their healing powers twice per encounter as minor actions (and can choose other
encounter powers/daily powers that also enable use of a healing surge). Paladins can use up to the wis modifier every day in their own healing surges on the
behalf of other people as a minor action (if they're close enough to touch). (They get a spare daily healing surge for just this reason) Indeed, the more
haling support you have in a party, the less useful one of these potions is - and if you get *enough*, it's pretty much useless - but wasn't that
always the case? ...and with this system, where you don't actually have to have a cleric, paladin, *or* warlord in the party, there are some groups for
whom that bit of minor-action healing could come in handy in a pinch.
but... honestly, if it bugs you, change it. It wouldn't even be a *big* house rule - though you'd have to be wary of the players walking into the
dungeon wiht a cartfull of healing potions, given that pretty much any caster in the game can make the things now, just by throwing some gold at them.
Personally, even back when I was playing 2nd ed, I was modifying the heck out of it ("so, talk to me about what kind of character you want, and we'll
design his class together.") I don't think that 4th requires nearly as *much* modification, but some of it kinda gets to me. The act that if
you're above average intelligence, it just doesn't *matter* how clumsy you are for getting out of the way of that fireball? That feels just a little
silly. Likewise with str, con, and fort saves. The fact that half-elves have stat bonuses that are entirely disjoint from elves (either kind) is a bit odd, as
is the fact that the race of angsting/bitter, largely distrusted demon-warped folks have a charisma bonus - and that their statline encourages prospective
warlocks of their race to specifically avoid the pact that was crafted specifically for them.
It's one of the things that's very clear to me about this version. The D&D 4th ed rulebooks were written for the people who need them. Have a bunch
of painfully rules-lawyery players? You can run a solid, balanced game off of the core rules, and their ability to abuse is limited. Missing the ability to
play solid chaotic good, lawful evil, or old-school True Neutral? If your tastes are sophisticated enough that you find yourself craving things like that,
you're almost certainly competent to job any necessary house rules together yourself.
---------
Also, none of this matters, because quiches are just plain better than every other food anyway, so anyone who is even thinking about cooking anything that is
not a quiche has already gimped themselves, and isn't worth listening to, unless you want to take pity on them and show them the error of their ways.
also do this, if you'd spent one already, but a milestone will let you accumulate them), will refresh the daily powers of your items, and will buff up
certain rings until the next time you rest. (or, to put it a bit more accurately, there are a number of rings that aren't up to full power for the first
two encounters in a day.)
Resting, on the other hand, refreshes all daily powers (item and personal), restores all hit points, and gives you back all of your healing surges, along with
restoring that action point. If the first few encounters you run into are on the weak side (you didn't feel the need to use your own daily powers, you
didn't need to use your action points, and no one got seriously hurt) then you get a bit charged up for your next few fights. If they were of medium
difficulty, you get a bit of a charge back. If they were significantly difficult, and involved you throwing around some of your bigger mojo, then hitting that
milestone is more like a tax refund than anything else. In any case, if you've been hitting stuff tough enough to get you low on healing surges, and you
don't have to keep going, milestones probably aren't going to be enough to make you want to.
Yes, it's true, dwarves are nifty, and can use their once-per-fight healing surge as a minor action. Also, you are correct. I had not read closely enough
(and, indeed, we played it wrong on Game Day). Priests (and warlords) get their healing powers twice per encounter as minor actions (and can choose other
encounter powers/daily powers that also enable use of a healing surge). Paladins can use up to the wis modifier every day in their own healing surges on the
behalf of other people as a minor action (if they're close enough to touch). (They get a spare daily healing surge for just this reason) Indeed, the more
haling support you have in a party, the less useful one of these potions is - and if you get *enough*, it's pretty much useless - but wasn't that
always the case? ...and with this system, where you don't actually have to have a cleric, paladin, *or* warlord in the party, there are some groups for
whom that bit of minor-action healing could come in handy in a pinch.
but... honestly, if it bugs you, change it. It wouldn't even be a *big* house rule - though you'd have to be wary of the players walking into the
dungeon wiht a cartfull of healing potions, given that pretty much any caster in the game can make the things now, just by throwing some gold at them.
Personally, even back when I was playing 2nd ed, I was modifying the heck out of it ("so, talk to me about what kind of character you want, and we'll
design his class together.") I don't think that 4th requires nearly as *much* modification, but some of it kinda gets to me. The act that if
you're above average intelligence, it just doesn't *matter* how clumsy you are for getting out of the way of that fireball? That feels just a little
silly. Likewise with str, con, and fort saves. The fact that half-elves have stat bonuses that are entirely disjoint from elves (either kind) is a bit odd, as
is the fact that the race of angsting/bitter, largely distrusted demon-warped folks have a charisma bonus - and that their statline encourages prospective
warlocks of their race to specifically avoid the pact that was crafted specifically for them.
It's one of the things that's very clear to me about this version. The D&D 4th ed rulebooks were written for the people who need them. Have a bunch
of painfully rules-lawyery players? You can run a solid, balanced game off of the core rules, and their ability to abuse is limited. Missing the ability to
play solid chaotic good, lawful evil, or old-school True Neutral? If your tastes are sophisticated enough that you find yourself craving things like that,
you're almost certainly competent to job any necessary house rules together yourself.
---------
Also, none of this matters, because quiches are just plain better than every other food anyway, so anyone who is even thinking about cooking anything that is
not a quiche has already gimped themselves, and isn't worth listening to, unless you want to take pity on them and show them the error of their ways.