Comments on: 4e from Two Months In

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:37:18 +0000

Commander’s Strike isn’t ranged, either, incidentally. It’s a melee weapon attack. You just let someone else make the actual swing.

Strength is definitely a necessity for a warlord. I’m puzzled that a pre-gen would have low strength… was this from a module, or made by the GM?

Pretty much all non-utility powers require an attack, so the warlord isn’t unique in that.

I have a feeling that the bard is going to turn out to be the class you were looking for. Int- and cha-based, probably; ranged, very likely.

By: Tommi

Tommi — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:14:26 +0000

The warlord class description is pretty explicit about strength being the recommended highest stat. They are supposed to be melee fighters. Clerics are more skilled with lasers. Tommi's last blog post: In spite of laser clerics, or not bashing 4e

By: Tezrak

Tezrak — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:35:11 +0000

I just played a pre-generated Warlord in a one-shot game last night, and was a little disappointed at how many of its powers (a) require an attack, (b) are melee only, not ranged, and (c) Strength vs. AC or whatever, as opposed to Int or Cha vs. AC. Commander’s Strike is the only exception to this, and is the closest thing I think of when I think of the battlefield commander exhorting his/her allies. I had to wade into battle right alongside my allies, my Str was not as great as my Int or Cha, and my powers wound up missing quite a bit. I’m hoping that Martial Power will at least add in some powers for the Warlord that will allow it to do more ranged stuff.

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:59:21 +0000

I can only assume that that happened because rituals, unlike powers, aren’t restricted to a certain class… but I might have expected them to show up earlier, somewhere before the equipment chapter, either right before skills or right after feats. They are a class feature for both clerics and wizards, so I’d expect them closer to the chapter on classes.

In fact, when I rolled up my RPGA wizard, I forgot to assign him rituals until someone at my first table reminded me. I just paged straight through from powers to skills to feats to equipment, and stopped there.

A minor annoyance, really, but most of them are. And most of them should’ve been avoidable.

By: jonathan

jonathan — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:17:32 +0000

I second your second! Overall, i think 4E is a plus – especially from the layout/design/printing side of things. Yes, the PHB could have been improved – but I’m thinking they were up against a deadline and had to just cut/chop/edit things at the last minute. Like, whats up with Rituals being tacked on to the very end… tradition?

jonathan’s last blog post: "Tinglefoot, Tinglefoot, Tinglefoot Cube" Rediscovered…

By: greywulf

greywulf — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 23:05:21 +0000

My findings too, exactly. I’d give the DMG 10/10, the MM 8/10 and the PHB a could try harder 6/10.

Overall though, I’d give 4e as a whole 9/10. It’s better than the sum of it’s parts

greywulf’s last blog post: I got an Audrey Hepburn thang going on