Energy Recruitment
First Post
A 4E Fan Playtest Adventure
The Fighter class is the 4E version of Solid Fog. From a battlefield control standpoint, the Fighter far outclassed the Wizard, and I'm not sure this is a bad thing. During the fight with the Kobolds, the Fighter charged in and managed to maneuver himself ajacent to half of the Kobold band(Dragonshield, 3 minions and 1 skirmisher). He was able to lock down more than half of the Kobolds while the Ranger and Warlock blew everything up. The Fighter's class abilities: shifts provoke AoO, +2 attack vs. AoO, and if Fighter hits with AoO it cancels movement combined together just wrecks the Kobolds' ability to maneuver. The Kobold Skirmisher got hit twice with this trying to gain flanking(and failed), and one of the minions died to this as well. The Fighter got pretty beat up, but thanks to the minor action second wind, and one healing word from the Cleric, the Fighter had no trouble withstanding this assault. This is the sort of crowd control you associate with a mid to high level 3.5E Wizard, and is more disruptive than the 1st level 4E Wizard can manage. Looking at the higher level spells presented (lv10-16), the Fighter class just with these abilities may manage to be more disruptive to enemy movement and offensive tactics than the Wizard at higher levels as well. Again, I'm not sure this is a bad thing. It may be weird that playing the Fighter is the best option for a player wanting to focus on tactical control, while the Wizard despite having a lot of abilities along those lines is more defined by having the biggest guns.
2. The Cleric's healing ability at level 1 is more useful in combat than anything the 3.5E Cleric gets. In 3.5E, the Cleric is generally better served by using his offensive arsenal to end the fight sooner. Against the Kobolds, the Cleric raised the Warlock from -9 to 14 HP with a minor action from five squares away using Healing Word. This blew my players away, and the Ranger's player actually commented on how the 4E Cleric rules. In both fights, the Cleric used Sacred Flame to grant players saving throws against the effects of the Kobold Slinger and Black Dragon, managing to end things a lot sooner while still hitting. The Paladin's Lay on Hands ability was just as good, particularly to use it to heal himself as a minor action without using Second Wind. Between Lay on Hands and Healing Word, the Paladin was almost unkillable against the Dragon, despite drawing almost 100% of its attacks for a large portion of the fight.
3. The Dragon got PWND by superior tactics. They managed to arrange themselves where the Dragon couldn't hit many characters with
The Fighter class is the 4E version of Solid Fog. From a battlefield control standpoint, the Fighter far outclassed the Wizard, and I'm not sure this is a bad thing. During the fight with the Kobolds, the Fighter charged in and managed to maneuver himself ajacent to half of the Kobold band(Dragonshield, 3 minions and 1 skirmisher). He was able to lock down more than half of the Kobolds while the Ranger and Warlock blew everything up. The Fighter's class abilities: shifts provoke AoO, +2 attack vs. AoO, and if Fighter hits with AoO it cancels movement combined together just wrecks the Kobolds' ability to maneuver. The Kobold Skirmisher got hit twice with this trying to gain flanking(and failed), and one of the minions died to this as well. The Fighter got pretty beat up, but thanks to the minor action second wind, and one healing word from the Cleric, the Fighter had no trouble withstanding this assault. This is the sort of crowd control you associate with a mid to high level 3.5E Wizard, and is more disruptive than the 1st level 4E Wizard can manage. Looking at the higher level spells presented (lv10-16), the Fighter class just with these abilities may manage to be more disruptive to enemy movement and offensive tactics than the Wizard at higher levels as well. Again, I'm not sure this is a bad thing. It may be weird that playing the Fighter is the best option for a player wanting to focus on tactical control, while the Wizard despite having a lot of abilities along those lines is more defined by having the biggest guns.
2. The Cleric's healing ability at level 1 is more useful in combat than anything the 3.5E Cleric gets. In 3.5E, the Cleric is generally better served by using his offensive arsenal to end the fight sooner. Against the Kobolds, the Cleric raised the Warlock from -9 to 14 HP with a minor action from five squares away using Healing Word. This blew my players away, and the Ranger's player actually commented on how the 4E Cleric rules. In both fights, the Cleric used Sacred Flame to grant players saving throws against the effects of the Kobold Slinger and Black Dragon, managing to end things a lot sooner while still hitting. The Paladin's Lay on Hands ability was just as good, particularly to use it to heal himself as a minor action without using Second Wind. Between Lay on Hands and Healing Word, the Paladin was almost unkillable against the Dragon, despite drawing almost 100% of its attacks for a large portion of the fight.
3. The Dragon got PWND by superior tactics. They managed to arrange themselves where the Dragon couldn't hit many characters with
