C.W.Richeson
Explorer
In Short
Offering a wealth of new options, the Player’s Handbook 2 sets out to provide players with good supporting build options and it succeeds wildly at its goal. With old classics reimagined for 4E, such as the Bard, alongside tactically fascinating new options like the Avenger this book provides an incredible amount of mechanical support for any 4E game.
The Good: The sheer amount of options included will please any 4E fan. The new classes are varied and distinct, each with abilities that enable it to have a unique feel in play. This book has already seen heavy use at my table, and will continue to see frequent use.
The Bad: A few build options felt a bit strong in play. Some build options do much better or worse based on the group composition, but that’s hardly unique to the PHB2. Some may view this as the first installment of power creep for 4E, though this reviewer disagrees.
The Physical Thing
With 224 full color pages for $34.99, PHB2 offers excellent production values for the cost. Every major option has an appropriate full color illustration, the formatting is easy to read, and the editing is spot on. Most importantly, this book is easy to navigate and I never had trouble finding what I wanted in play.
Under the Cover
With so many new options the best way to tackle them is chapter by chapter, so sit back and let me tell you about each of these with extra attention paid to those that saw play in my games.
Chapter One Character Races - 24 pages.
Right off the bat the PHB2 offers us five new races, each of which with abilities that make them strong enough to see use in play but not so overwhelming as to completely overshadow existing races. The new options include the Deva, Gnome, Goliath, Half-Orc, and Shift. Let’s take a look at each in turn.
The Deva are purple skinned humanoids whose spirits original in the Astral Sea, where they once served the gods. Bonuses to Intelligence, Wisdom, History, and Religion along with bonus languages and a nice resistance to necrotic and radiant damage result in an excellent choice for a variety of classes, but especially those with more of a scholarly focus. Once per encounter they can add 1d6 to any roll after seeing the result, a strong ability that reflects memories of many past lifetimes.
The Gnome retains its general look and feel from 3rd edition, being presented once more as a wiry 3’6” humanoid with an affinity for trickery. Bonuses to Intelligence, Charisma, Arcana, and Stealth assist with this. Several other abilities are included, but the core bonuses that will draw most readers’ attention are Reactive Stealth (IF cover ] roll Stealth with Initiative) and an encounter-based invisibility power that, as an immediate reaction, enables the Gnome to turn invisible until they attack or until the end of the next turn. This build option is especially strong for Charisma-based Rogues.
If you want to do serious damage in melee then consider the Goliath, originally presented in 3.5’s Races of Stone. A bonus to Strength, Constitution, Athletics, and Nature already make them look quite nice for Fighter and Barbarian builds, but a few additional abilities really help. A natural +1 to Will aids in shoring up what is likely the weakest defense for this race while the Stone’s Endurance power enables a character to shrug off 5/10/15 damage taken until the end of the next turn. For a minor action that’s a nice option to have for a character that strides forth into the thick of the action.
The Half-Orc is a somewhat more appealing build option than it was in 3.X, thanks in part to the much more mechanically balanced approach to racial modifiers. This race receives a bonus to Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, and Intimidate. A +2 bonus to Speed while charging combined with the instant generation of 5/10/15 HP when first bloodied in an encounter are nice options for a more melee inclined character. As a free action in an Encounter the Half Orc may deal an extra 1W damage (or 1d8 for non-weapon attacks) on a successful strike.
The Shifter, last seen in the 3.5 version of Eberron, offers two build options. The Longtooth Shifter grants a bonus to Strength, Wisdom, Acrobatics, and Stealth while enabling the character to use an encounter power that grants +2 to damage rolls for the encounter in addition to regeneration 2/4/6 while bloodied. The Razorclaw Shifter offers a bonus to Dexterity, Wisdom, Acrobatics, and Stealth in addition to an encounter that grants a two point increase to Speed along with a one point bonus to AC and Reflex. Considering that these encounter powers are only a minor action to activate and last the entire fight they’re very strong.
In play I had the opportunity to observe a Longtooth Warden use the shifter power to great effect. The regeneration power was extremely useful, and when teamed with a Cleric the Warden was able to lock down enemies and take a beating forever. The bonus to damage was very nice, especially considering how often the Warden can make attacks thanks to triggering abilities. On the whole I found the Shifter to be a very competitive option for several different character builds.
While the new races are nicely done, those playing in an ongoing game may find the racial Paragon Paths to be more useful. I like how these Paths play up the strengths of each race and manage to be nice options for a variety of different builds.
The Adroit Explorer, a Human option, provides a variety of different bonuses generally geared towards making the character better at whatever their class does. More Action Points, an additional class encounter power, several defensive bonuses, and a nice daily that allows for a counter attack upon being bloodied are all included to make an already well rounded racial option even more so.
Ancestral Incarnate, a Deva option, summons the spirits of past lives to attack enemies. Several powers involve conjuring spirits and allowing them to attack. They may also refuel certain encounter powers when Action Points are spent and better perform Rituals. This is a fine option for spellcasters.
The Bloodfury Savage offers Half Orcs more melee options, with a good mix of offensive, defensive, and mobility powers. If you want to play a Half Orc who is even better at charging in and laying waste to foes then this is a well built option.
The Fey Beguiler is a Rogue/Wizard hybrid, which makes sense since it’s a Gnome option. Extra powers and skills are selected from the Rogue and Wizard lists, and with the ability to reroll Stealth checks, become invisible while tossing a magical orb, and blast enemies while regaining their native invisibility power, this option allows a Gnome to constantly blink into and out of sight while delivering damage.
For a Dwarf being the Firstborn of Moradin sounds like a badass position to hold, and indeed the Path provides a bundle of defensive powers. From gaining a Save when you take a Second Wind to a daily stance that provides a nice AC bonus in addition to immunity against most movement effects this is a good choice for anyone building a dwarven character meant to be able to hold the line against any foes.
For a group desiring a character that can perform a variety of different useful tasks the Halfling Scoundrel can be a wonderful asset. Not only is the character just generally great at doing whatever it does, but with an encounter power that allies an ally to reroll a failed skill roll with a +2 bonus and a daily taunt that can pull a nasty enemy off of a friend and proceed to beat the crap out of it.
The Moonstalker enables a Shifter to become an actual werewolf in many respects. Bonus damage versus prone targets, the ability to polymorph into a gray wolf, and additional mobility all serve to unleash the fury of one of nature’s best predators on an unsuspecting group of foes.
While the Moonstalker brings the werewolf out in a Shifter, the Scion of Arkhosia brings the Dragon out of the Dragonborn. Wings offer an overland flight speed of 12, versatile breath enables the character to vary the damage type of their breath weapon, and better breath weapon attacks all come together to make the character even more representative of dragon kind. If you want to play a Dragonborn slowly becoming more like an actual dragon then this is the perfect option.
Eladrin who want to get in touch with their fey heritage should consider the Shiere Knight. This highly defensive option works well with ranged attackers, thanks several teleportation abilities, a power that prevents an enemy from attacking, and another that weakens a foe. If your Eladrin Wizard keeps getting pinned down in the thick of a nasty combat then consider asking the Summer Court for help.
Stoneblessed offers a Goliath several very nice advantages. A permanent increase of one to melee reach can be a significant advantage in many combats, and when combined with an encounter power that grants threatening reach it results in a melee combatant who is a whirlwind of death for any that dare pass. If you want to hit hard as a two handed weapon fighter or a barbarian then this is an excellent choice.
The Turathi Highborn enables a Tiefling to deal extra fire damage with attacks, dominate foes, and much more easily slay those who are injured. This Path works well with any class, though it’s probably intended more for spellcasters than melee. For Tiefling players that want a more demonic feel for their characters this Path does a good job of delivering.
With so many new races and Path options, PHB2 is already off to a good start. Let’s shift gears and look at the new Class options presented here.
Chapter Two Character Classes - 146 pages.
The Avenger, Barbarian, Bard, Druid, Invoker, Shaman, Sorcerer, and Warden all receive the same degree of attention here as the core Class options do in the PHB. Four Paragon Paths are included for each new class, but for the sake of space I’ll be leaving detail of those out. If that’s not enough, six new Epic Destinies are also included. Each of these classes has a unique role and a unique feel in play, so let’s examine them one at a time.
The Avenger is a religious melee striker specializing in isolating a target from friends and foes in order to dispatch the foe in single combat. For those that enjoy playing Paladins and religious warriors but who want a more aggressive option this is a perfect choice. Wisdom, Dexterity, and Intelligence drive class powers, and while the class only uses cloth armor initially it gains a nice inherent bonus to AC to make up for this (not unlike the Swordmage).
As with the Cleric, the Avenger has several anti-undead abilities including the hard hitting Abjure Undead which can deliver 3d10 to 8d10 + Wis damage to an undead depending on level. In play this use of Channel Divinity was extremely effective at putting the hurt on undead. Of course, while the Avenger can Channel Divinity their most frequently used ability is Oath of Enmity.
With Oath the Avenger swears to slay a certain target. As long as the target is isolated the Avenger gets to make two attack rolls and keep the highest. This is really the key to the striker-aspect of this class. The Avenger doesn’t hit as hard as the Rogue or Ranger tend to, though they still do plenty of damage, but they have a much greater consistency to their damage dealing.
The two major build options for the Avenger focus on either pursuing a target around the battlefield or gaining a bonus to damage against non-Oath targets that come after the Avenger. I don’t think these two options produce as distinct of a play style for the Avenger as the build options can for some other classes, since the Oath of Enmity is really what drives the action.
In play the Avenger has been a lot of fun. The class is at its very best when several dangerous foes are presented, a group of Level+1 or +2 foes work very well. The Avenger grabs one, drags it away from everyone else, and duels it. In this way the class also has a significant control element, since many powers allow the Avenger to teleport away with a foe, slide the foe around, and otherwise move the Avenger and its target across the battlefield. The Avenger never had trouble going toe to toe with creatures either, thanks both to a surprisingly high AC (if you build that way with Feats) and plenty of hit points.
The only downside to the class is that if the DM tends towards fights against just one or two big enemies then it can be difficult to isolate targets and use the full range of Avenger powers. Against just a single big villain the Avenger tends to be far weaker than other strikers, especially the Rogue who will outshine the Avenger with much higher hits when other melee set up flanking situations. That said, I’m impressed with how unique this class feels in play and I’d recommend it to anyone who wants a hard hitting holy warrior capable of dueling a lieutenant off to the side while everyone else focuses on the battle as a whole.
The Barbarian is similar to the Avenger in that it’s a melee striker, but instead of isolating a target and unleashing divine vengeance this class charges in screaming and converts existing powers into very hard hitting weapon swings. Build options encourage high Strength, naturally, and then Constitution or Charisma depending on whether the character has more of a defender or leader secondary roll. The class does high damage across the board, but can also grant some bonuses to allies or generate quite a few temporary hit points for enemy attacks to soak up.
Extra damage for this striker comes in the form of Rampage, which offers a melee basic attack for free when the Barbarian lands a critical hit, and Rage Strike which turns an unused Rage power into a high damage attack. While it can only be used twice a day, Rage Strike is a great ability since it allows for a power with more utility to be traded for the raw damage needed to drop a foe. How much raw damage? A first level daily can be traded in for 3W+Str, with regular increases until it tops out at 9W+Str at 29.
For fans of musically-inclined characters the Bard makes a return here. Taking up a leader roll, this class focuses on Charisma, Intelligence, and Constitution with Intelligence serving a more control-oriented focus and Constitution aiding in providing allies with additional temporary hitpoints. In addition to the standard support abilities one would expect from a leader class, the Bard retains its traditional status as a jack of all trades and master of none. A +1 to untrained skills, the ability to choose multiclass Feats from multiple classes, and Ritual Casting all contribute to this. Bards, as you might expect, use musical instruments as implements for their abilities.
Bards have the option to go with melee attacks (typically using one handed weapons) or ranged attacks (using musical instruments and arcane power), mixing the two at will. As for specific abilities and themes, the Bard’s goal is to offer a large variety of buffs and debuffs to aid friends in combat. One of the things I really like about this class is just how much it has going on, and for tactically inclined players the Bard is going to shine in play.
While the Bard has some control abilities, the Druid is an all out controller. Working from Wisdom, Dexterity, and Constitution, the Druid focuses on shapeshifting and using a combination of animal attacks and nature powers to move and debilitate foes while dealing damage to them. Most builds are going to focus more on playing a shapeshifting beast who leaps about combat striking different foes or a summoner of natural forces who projects control powers from across the battlefield.
The balance between beast form powers and normal powers offers the Druid an interesting feel, and because of this there are a lot of different ways to build this class. Mixing the two types is probably the best bet for most characters, especially considering that each offers a broad variety of control and damage options. This interesting mix is further encouraged by a broader selection of At-Wills and the fact that the Druid gets 3 starting At-Wills so long as they mix beast and non-beast powers from the start. If a controller that’s moving in and out of melee with ease sounds like fun then the Druid will work well for you.
Druid isn’t the only controller presented here, and the Invoker offers religious characters the chance to harass foes with radiant and lightning-focused powers of various sorts. Wisdom is used by both main builds, with Intelligence aiding the Preserving build options which pushes towards being a leader and Constitution aiding the Wrathful build option which pushes towards being a striker. The two options enable the Invoker to either move allies around while using powers or deal more raw damage, respectively.
Burst powers are common with the Invoker, and it tends to do a good job of managing a larger combat overall. Small groups of adversaries are particularly vulnerable to the many burst 1 powers the Invoker brings to the table, and for a part with little AE damage the Invoker can do an excellent job of sweeping away minions while also laying out control on the nastier threats. If you want to play an aggressive divine champion who flings bolts of holy power across the battlefield then go with the Invoker.
With Bard offering a nice mix of leadership powers and a familiar theme, the new Shaman already has its work cut out for it to be as appealing a choice. Fortunately, a new approach here involving a spirit ally results in a class with a very unique feel (something that impresses me about most 4E classes). Wisdom is key, with Constitution and Intelligence being emphasized for more of a defender or striker secondary role. The two primary build paths include Protector and Stalker, with the first offering more healing to those near the Shaman’s spirit companion and the later offering damage boosting powers.
One of the unique aspects of the Shaman is how important positioning of the spirit companion is in battle. The Shaman doesn’t want the companion taking damage, since that damage can return to the Shaman, but having the companion in combat where attacks of opportunity can be triggered around it is key to using several core Shaman abilities. Additionally, many powers and Feats work based off of the companion.
Plenty of non-companion abilities are available as well, though anyone uninterested in managing a vulnerable spirit companion should avoid this class. That said, I really like the strategy involved in using the companion and many of the secondary effects of Shaman powers can provide potent advantages for those rallying around the spirit. To an extent the spirit becomes a spirit of the whole adventuring party, and I can see it working especially well for a group that favors wilderness adventure.
While the Shaman involves a good amount of tactical awareness for top performance, the Sorcerer is much more direct and just needs a target. Utilizing Charisma, Dexterity (Wild Magic), and Strength (Dragon Magic), this striker seeks to deal a lot of damage while also bringing a few control effects to the battle. Dragon Sorcerers apply their Strength modifier to spell damage and generally have superior defenses. Wild Sorcerers use random dice rolls to determine bonuses and damage types while also dealing more damage based on Dexterity. They’re both strong options, with Dragon Magic generally providing more consistent power while Wild Magic may save the character’s butt or leave them hanging.
Generally speaking, the Sorcerer’s powers work out a lot like the Wizard’s in that there’s a nice mix of potential secondary effects available to work into your sorcerer’s strategy. There’s a lot of synergy with the two main builds as well. Consider Chaos Bolt, an At-Will that hits a single target for 1d10 + Cha but also offers a secondary attack dealing 1d6 if you rolled an even number on the attack roll, repeating indefinitely until you don’t roll an even number or run out of new targets for the power. This could completely clear a room of minions with a single shot, or it could do relatively weak damage with no useful secondary.
I’m a fan of the Sorcerer and believe it offers some very interesting play options, especially for those that loved 2E Wild Mages or those that want to play magic using Dragonborn. While the Sorcerer is somewhat reminiscent of the Wizard, our final class feels entirely unique in play. The Warden occupies the defender role and does a fine job of it. Strength is prioritized, with Constitution and Wisdom as a secondary priority. The way the Warden protects the group is a little different from other defenders, and in play I found it to be extremely effective. In fact, it was so effective that my major NPCs had to abandon attempts at taking down other characters because the Warden had locked them down.
The Warden marks all adjacent enemies each turn as a free action and when they try to attack another target the Warden can smack them, slow them, and slide them all at once. Alternatively, they can do a little more damage and force the target to grant combat advantage to everyone for a turn. The former option can make it almost impossible for a foe to get away from the Warden while the later option sets the target up for a beating from the group, working especially well with additional melee support.
Otherwise the Warden can easily be built to either do good damage as a defender or to take complete control of a group of foes and prevent them from doing anything except directly engaging the Warden. Both are fine options, though in play I saw how devastating the Warden’s control abilities can be. It’s certainly not an overpowered class, and the big disadvantage is that the Warden is very susceptible to control powers. A smart NPC might slow or immobilize the Warden, substantially reducing its effectiveness. Even then, though, the Warden has forced NPCs to deal with it before everyone else and it still fulfilled the role of defender.
Thematically the Warden occupies a role as a tribal warrior, which fits well with the overall theme of the PHB2. Individual powers involve a lot of nature effects, and the Warden gains the ability to polymorph into some very strong forms to further develop certain play styles. If you want to play a towering, strong wilderness champion who steps between friends and danger then this is a great choice.
While these core classes are very enjoyable, they’re not the only wonderful new addition here. New Epic Destinies include the Fatesinger (Bard), Glorious Spirit (any primal), Harbinger of Doom, Lorekeeper, Primal Avatar (any primal), and Revered One (any divine). These are excellent additions that offer more options to both new classes and old.
Chapter Three Character Options - 42 pages.
The final 42 pages of the PHB2 offers a wide variety of support material for the rest of the book. Suggested Backgrounds, not unlike those found in the Forgotten Realms Character Guide, are included as an option for DMs that want to reward character background creation. New magic items focus in on the new classes, such as by providing magical totems for Shaman to use. New Rituals do much the same, with some having been created specifically with the Bard in mind.
However, the largest addition is the new Feats. Many of them focus on offering new options for the new classes presented here, such as by allowing the Avenger’s magical protective aura to protect even better. There are still plenty that work well for any class, and in a few cases that have been included to patch existing issues. For an example of the later consider Implement Expertise which provides a +1/2/3 bonus to attack rolls when attacking with a certain implement. Implement users already have a harder time hitting targets than melee because of the accuracy bonus weapons provide, so this Feat is borderline mandatory for implement users since it assists with one of their biggest problems.
A few other Feats lead to my conclusion that the Feats presented here are very strong, almost too strong at times. Melee Training allows for melee basic attacks to be made with a stat other than Strength, an extremely useful power for a variety of melee classes (the Paladin in my Planescape game immediately took it). Distant Advantage allows the character to gain combat advantage for ranged and area attacks against targets flanked by allies, which is also quite nice. I’m not saying these are game breakingly powerful. They aren’t, though I do think Implement Expertise shouldn’t be as necessary as it is for casting classes. Do expect to make heavy use of the PHB2, though, even for existing classes. The options presented are just that good.
My Take
The Player’s Handbook 2 contains a wealth of useful resources you can expect to make use of in your game again and again. Some of them may be a little high on the power side at times, but I don’t think this product reflects power creep appearing in the line. I love how unique every class feels, and those I’ve had the opportunity to play with have provided notably different results from existing classes. The options are well thought out, they’re fun, and they work well in play. I can’t ask for anything better than that.
Offering a wealth of new options, the Player’s Handbook 2 sets out to provide players with good supporting build options and it succeeds wildly at its goal. With old classics reimagined for 4E, such as the Bard, alongside tactically fascinating new options like the Avenger this book provides an incredible amount of mechanical support for any 4E game.
The Good: The sheer amount of options included will please any 4E fan. The new classes are varied and distinct, each with abilities that enable it to have a unique feel in play. This book has already seen heavy use at my table, and will continue to see frequent use.
The Bad: A few build options felt a bit strong in play. Some build options do much better or worse based on the group composition, but that’s hardly unique to the PHB2. Some may view this as the first installment of power creep for 4E, though this reviewer disagrees.
The Physical Thing
With 224 full color pages for $34.99, PHB2 offers excellent production values for the cost. Every major option has an appropriate full color illustration, the formatting is easy to read, and the editing is spot on. Most importantly, this book is easy to navigate and I never had trouble finding what I wanted in play.
Under the Cover
With so many new options the best way to tackle them is chapter by chapter, so sit back and let me tell you about each of these with extra attention paid to those that saw play in my games.
Chapter One Character Races - 24 pages.
Right off the bat the PHB2 offers us five new races, each of which with abilities that make them strong enough to see use in play but not so overwhelming as to completely overshadow existing races. The new options include the Deva, Gnome, Goliath, Half-Orc, and Shift. Let’s take a look at each in turn.
The Deva are purple skinned humanoids whose spirits original in the Astral Sea, where they once served the gods. Bonuses to Intelligence, Wisdom, History, and Religion along with bonus languages and a nice resistance to necrotic and radiant damage result in an excellent choice for a variety of classes, but especially those with more of a scholarly focus. Once per encounter they can add 1d6 to any roll after seeing the result, a strong ability that reflects memories of many past lifetimes.
The Gnome retains its general look and feel from 3rd edition, being presented once more as a wiry 3’6” humanoid with an affinity for trickery. Bonuses to Intelligence, Charisma, Arcana, and Stealth assist with this. Several other abilities are included, but the core bonuses that will draw most readers’ attention are Reactive Stealth (IF cover ] roll Stealth with Initiative) and an encounter-based invisibility power that, as an immediate reaction, enables the Gnome to turn invisible until they attack or until the end of the next turn. This build option is especially strong for Charisma-based Rogues.
If you want to do serious damage in melee then consider the Goliath, originally presented in 3.5’s Races of Stone. A bonus to Strength, Constitution, Athletics, and Nature already make them look quite nice for Fighter and Barbarian builds, but a few additional abilities really help. A natural +1 to Will aids in shoring up what is likely the weakest defense for this race while the Stone’s Endurance power enables a character to shrug off 5/10/15 damage taken until the end of the next turn. For a minor action that’s a nice option to have for a character that strides forth into the thick of the action.
The Half-Orc is a somewhat more appealing build option than it was in 3.X, thanks in part to the much more mechanically balanced approach to racial modifiers. This race receives a bonus to Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, and Intimidate. A +2 bonus to Speed while charging combined with the instant generation of 5/10/15 HP when first bloodied in an encounter are nice options for a more melee inclined character. As a free action in an Encounter the Half Orc may deal an extra 1W damage (or 1d8 for non-weapon attacks) on a successful strike.
The Shifter, last seen in the 3.5 version of Eberron, offers two build options. The Longtooth Shifter grants a bonus to Strength, Wisdom, Acrobatics, and Stealth while enabling the character to use an encounter power that grants +2 to damage rolls for the encounter in addition to regeneration 2/4/6 while bloodied. The Razorclaw Shifter offers a bonus to Dexterity, Wisdom, Acrobatics, and Stealth in addition to an encounter that grants a two point increase to Speed along with a one point bonus to AC and Reflex. Considering that these encounter powers are only a minor action to activate and last the entire fight they’re very strong.
In play I had the opportunity to observe a Longtooth Warden use the shifter power to great effect. The regeneration power was extremely useful, and when teamed with a Cleric the Warden was able to lock down enemies and take a beating forever. The bonus to damage was very nice, especially considering how often the Warden can make attacks thanks to triggering abilities. On the whole I found the Shifter to be a very competitive option for several different character builds.
While the new races are nicely done, those playing in an ongoing game may find the racial Paragon Paths to be more useful. I like how these Paths play up the strengths of each race and manage to be nice options for a variety of different builds.
The Adroit Explorer, a Human option, provides a variety of different bonuses generally geared towards making the character better at whatever their class does. More Action Points, an additional class encounter power, several defensive bonuses, and a nice daily that allows for a counter attack upon being bloodied are all included to make an already well rounded racial option even more so.
Ancestral Incarnate, a Deva option, summons the spirits of past lives to attack enemies. Several powers involve conjuring spirits and allowing them to attack. They may also refuel certain encounter powers when Action Points are spent and better perform Rituals. This is a fine option for spellcasters.
The Bloodfury Savage offers Half Orcs more melee options, with a good mix of offensive, defensive, and mobility powers. If you want to play a Half Orc who is even better at charging in and laying waste to foes then this is a well built option.
The Fey Beguiler is a Rogue/Wizard hybrid, which makes sense since it’s a Gnome option. Extra powers and skills are selected from the Rogue and Wizard lists, and with the ability to reroll Stealth checks, become invisible while tossing a magical orb, and blast enemies while regaining their native invisibility power, this option allows a Gnome to constantly blink into and out of sight while delivering damage.
For a Dwarf being the Firstborn of Moradin sounds like a badass position to hold, and indeed the Path provides a bundle of defensive powers. From gaining a Save when you take a Second Wind to a daily stance that provides a nice AC bonus in addition to immunity against most movement effects this is a good choice for anyone building a dwarven character meant to be able to hold the line against any foes.
For a group desiring a character that can perform a variety of different useful tasks the Halfling Scoundrel can be a wonderful asset. Not only is the character just generally great at doing whatever it does, but with an encounter power that allies an ally to reroll a failed skill roll with a +2 bonus and a daily taunt that can pull a nasty enemy off of a friend and proceed to beat the crap out of it.
The Moonstalker enables a Shifter to become an actual werewolf in many respects. Bonus damage versus prone targets, the ability to polymorph into a gray wolf, and additional mobility all serve to unleash the fury of one of nature’s best predators on an unsuspecting group of foes.
While the Moonstalker brings the werewolf out in a Shifter, the Scion of Arkhosia brings the Dragon out of the Dragonborn. Wings offer an overland flight speed of 12, versatile breath enables the character to vary the damage type of their breath weapon, and better breath weapon attacks all come together to make the character even more representative of dragon kind. If you want to play a Dragonborn slowly becoming more like an actual dragon then this is the perfect option.
Eladrin who want to get in touch with their fey heritage should consider the Shiere Knight. This highly defensive option works well with ranged attackers, thanks several teleportation abilities, a power that prevents an enemy from attacking, and another that weakens a foe. If your Eladrin Wizard keeps getting pinned down in the thick of a nasty combat then consider asking the Summer Court for help.
Stoneblessed offers a Goliath several very nice advantages. A permanent increase of one to melee reach can be a significant advantage in many combats, and when combined with an encounter power that grants threatening reach it results in a melee combatant who is a whirlwind of death for any that dare pass. If you want to hit hard as a two handed weapon fighter or a barbarian then this is an excellent choice.
The Turathi Highborn enables a Tiefling to deal extra fire damage with attacks, dominate foes, and much more easily slay those who are injured. This Path works well with any class, though it’s probably intended more for spellcasters than melee. For Tiefling players that want a more demonic feel for their characters this Path does a good job of delivering.
With so many new races and Path options, PHB2 is already off to a good start. Let’s shift gears and look at the new Class options presented here.
Chapter Two Character Classes - 146 pages.
The Avenger, Barbarian, Bard, Druid, Invoker, Shaman, Sorcerer, and Warden all receive the same degree of attention here as the core Class options do in the PHB. Four Paragon Paths are included for each new class, but for the sake of space I’ll be leaving detail of those out. If that’s not enough, six new Epic Destinies are also included. Each of these classes has a unique role and a unique feel in play, so let’s examine them one at a time.
The Avenger is a religious melee striker specializing in isolating a target from friends and foes in order to dispatch the foe in single combat. For those that enjoy playing Paladins and religious warriors but who want a more aggressive option this is a perfect choice. Wisdom, Dexterity, and Intelligence drive class powers, and while the class only uses cloth armor initially it gains a nice inherent bonus to AC to make up for this (not unlike the Swordmage).
As with the Cleric, the Avenger has several anti-undead abilities including the hard hitting Abjure Undead which can deliver 3d10 to 8d10 + Wis damage to an undead depending on level. In play this use of Channel Divinity was extremely effective at putting the hurt on undead. Of course, while the Avenger can Channel Divinity their most frequently used ability is Oath of Enmity.
With Oath the Avenger swears to slay a certain target. As long as the target is isolated the Avenger gets to make two attack rolls and keep the highest. This is really the key to the striker-aspect of this class. The Avenger doesn’t hit as hard as the Rogue or Ranger tend to, though they still do plenty of damage, but they have a much greater consistency to their damage dealing.
The two major build options for the Avenger focus on either pursuing a target around the battlefield or gaining a bonus to damage against non-Oath targets that come after the Avenger. I don’t think these two options produce as distinct of a play style for the Avenger as the build options can for some other classes, since the Oath of Enmity is really what drives the action.
In play the Avenger has been a lot of fun. The class is at its very best when several dangerous foes are presented, a group of Level+1 or +2 foes work very well. The Avenger grabs one, drags it away from everyone else, and duels it. In this way the class also has a significant control element, since many powers allow the Avenger to teleport away with a foe, slide the foe around, and otherwise move the Avenger and its target across the battlefield. The Avenger never had trouble going toe to toe with creatures either, thanks both to a surprisingly high AC (if you build that way with Feats) and plenty of hit points.
The only downside to the class is that if the DM tends towards fights against just one or two big enemies then it can be difficult to isolate targets and use the full range of Avenger powers. Against just a single big villain the Avenger tends to be far weaker than other strikers, especially the Rogue who will outshine the Avenger with much higher hits when other melee set up flanking situations. That said, I’m impressed with how unique this class feels in play and I’d recommend it to anyone who wants a hard hitting holy warrior capable of dueling a lieutenant off to the side while everyone else focuses on the battle as a whole.
The Barbarian is similar to the Avenger in that it’s a melee striker, but instead of isolating a target and unleashing divine vengeance this class charges in screaming and converts existing powers into very hard hitting weapon swings. Build options encourage high Strength, naturally, and then Constitution or Charisma depending on whether the character has more of a defender or leader secondary roll. The class does high damage across the board, but can also grant some bonuses to allies or generate quite a few temporary hit points for enemy attacks to soak up.
Extra damage for this striker comes in the form of Rampage, which offers a melee basic attack for free when the Barbarian lands a critical hit, and Rage Strike which turns an unused Rage power into a high damage attack. While it can only be used twice a day, Rage Strike is a great ability since it allows for a power with more utility to be traded for the raw damage needed to drop a foe. How much raw damage? A first level daily can be traded in for 3W+Str, with regular increases until it tops out at 9W+Str at 29.
For fans of musically-inclined characters the Bard makes a return here. Taking up a leader roll, this class focuses on Charisma, Intelligence, and Constitution with Intelligence serving a more control-oriented focus and Constitution aiding in providing allies with additional temporary hitpoints. In addition to the standard support abilities one would expect from a leader class, the Bard retains its traditional status as a jack of all trades and master of none. A +1 to untrained skills, the ability to choose multiclass Feats from multiple classes, and Ritual Casting all contribute to this. Bards, as you might expect, use musical instruments as implements for their abilities.
Bards have the option to go with melee attacks (typically using one handed weapons) or ranged attacks (using musical instruments and arcane power), mixing the two at will. As for specific abilities and themes, the Bard’s goal is to offer a large variety of buffs and debuffs to aid friends in combat. One of the things I really like about this class is just how much it has going on, and for tactically inclined players the Bard is going to shine in play.
While the Bard has some control abilities, the Druid is an all out controller. Working from Wisdom, Dexterity, and Constitution, the Druid focuses on shapeshifting and using a combination of animal attacks and nature powers to move and debilitate foes while dealing damage to them. Most builds are going to focus more on playing a shapeshifting beast who leaps about combat striking different foes or a summoner of natural forces who projects control powers from across the battlefield.
The balance between beast form powers and normal powers offers the Druid an interesting feel, and because of this there are a lot of different ways to build this class. Mixing the two types is probably the best bet for most characters, especially considering that each offers a broad variety of control and damage options. This interesting mix is further encouraged by a broader selection of At-Wills and the fact that the Druid gets 3 starting At-Wills so long as they mix beast and non-beast powers from the start. If a controller that’s moving in and out of melee with ease sounds like fun then the Druid will work well for you.
Druid isn’t the only controller presented here, and the Invoker offers religious characters the chance to harass foes with radiant and lightning-focused powers of various sorts. Wisdom is used by both main builds, with Intelligence aiding the Preserving build options which pushes towards being a leader and Constitution aiding the Wrathful build option which pushes towards being a striker. The two options enable the Invoker to either move allies around while using powers or deal more raw damage, respectively.
Burst powers are common with the Invoker, and it tends to do a good job of managing a larger combat overall. Small groups of adversaries are particularly vulnerable to the many burst 1 powers the Invoker brings to the table, and for a part with little AE damage the Invoker can do an excellent job of sweeping away minions while also laying out control on the nastier threats. If you want to play an aggressive divine champion who flings bolts of holy power across the battlefield then go with the Invoker.
With Bard offering a nice mix of leadership powers and a familiar theme, the new Shaman already has its work cut out for it to be as appealing a choice. Fortunately, a new approach here involving a spirit ally results in a class with a very unique feel (something that impresses me about most 4E classes). Wisdom is key, with Constitution and Intelligence being emphasized for more of a defender or striker secondary role. The two primary build paths include Protector and Stalker, with the first offering more healing to those near the Shaman’s spirit companion and the later offering damage boosting powers.
One of the unique aspects of the Shaman is how important positioning of the spirit companion is in battle. The Shaman doesn’t want the companion taking damage, since that damage can return to the Shaman, but having the companion in combat where attacks of opportunity can be triggered around it is key to using several core Shaman abilities. Additionally, many powers and Feats work based off of the companion.
Plenty of non-companion abilities are available as well, though anyone uninterested in managing a vulnerable spirit companion should avoid this class. That said, I really like the strategy involved in using the companion and many of the secondary effects of Shaman powers can provide potent advantages for those rallying around the spirit. To an extent the spirit becomes a spirit of the whole adventuring party, and I can see it working especially well for a group that favors wilderness adventure.
While the Shaman involves a good amount of tactical awareness for top performance, the Sorcerer is much more direct and just needs a target. Utilizing Charisma, Dexterity (Wild Magic), and Strength (Dragon Magic), this striker seeks to deal a lot of damage while also bringing a few control effects to the battle. Dragon Sorcerers apply their Strength modifier to spell damage and generally have superior defenses. Wild Sorcerers use random dice rolls to determine bonuses and damage types while also dealing more damage based on Dexterity. They’re both strong options, with Dragon Magic generally providing more consistent power while Wild Magic may save the character’s butt or leave them hanging.
Generally speaking, the Sorcerer’s powers work out a lot like the Wizard’s in that there’s a nice mix of potential secondary effects available to work into your sorcerer’s strategy. There’s a lot of synergy with the two main builds as well. Consider Chaos Bolt, an At-Will that hits a single target for 1d10 + Cha but also offers a secondary attack dealing 1d6 if you rolled an even number on the attack roll, repeating indefinitely until you don’t roll an even number or run out of new targets for the power. This could completely clear a room of minions with a single shot, or it could do relatively weak damage with no useful secondary.
I’m a fan of the Sorcerer and believe it offers some very interesting play options, especially for those that loved 2E Wild Mages or those that want to play magic using Dragonborn. While the Sorcerer is somewhat reminiscent of the Wizard, our final class feels entirely unique in play. The Warden occupies the defender role and does a fine job of it. Strength is prioritized, with Constitution and Wisdom as a secondary priority. The way the Warden protects the group is a little different from other defenders, and in play I found it to be extremely effective. In fact, it was so effective that my major NPCs had to abandon attempts at taking down other characters because the Warden had locked them down.
The Warden marks all adjacent enemies each turn as a free action and when they try to attack another target the Warden can smack them, slow them, and slide them all at once. Alternatively, they can do a little more damage and force the target to grant combat advantage to everyone for a turn. The former option can make it almost impossible for a foe to get away from the Warden while the later option sets the target up for a beating from the group, working especially well with additional melee support.
Otherwise the Warden can easily be built to either do good damage as a defender or to take complete control of a group of foes and prevent them from doing anything except directly engaging the Warden. Both are fine options, though in play I saw how devastating the Warden’s control abilities can be. It’s certainly not an overpowered class, and the big disadvantage is that the Warden is very susceptible to control powers. A smart NPC might slow or immobilize the Warden, substantially reducing its effectiveness. Even then, though, the Warden has forced NPCs to deal with it before everyone else and it still fulfilled the role of defender.
Thematically the Warden occupies a role as a tribal warrior, which fits well with the overall theme of the PHB2. Individual powers involve a lot of nature effects, and the Warden gains the ability to polymorph into some very strong forms to further develop certain play styles. If you want to play a towering, strong wilderness champion who steps between friends and danger then this is a great choice.
While these core classes are very enjoyable, they’re not the only wonderful new addition here. New Epic Destinies include the Fatesinger (Bard), Glorious Spirit (any primal), Harbinger of Doom, Lorekeeper, Primal Avatar (any primal), and Revered One (any divine). These are excellent additions that offer more options to both new classes and old.
Chapter Three Character Options - 42 pages.
The final 42 pages of the PHB2 offers a wide variety of support material for the rest of the book. Suggested Backgrounds, not unlike those found in the Forgotten Realms Character Guide, are included as an option for DMs that want to reward character background creation. New magic items focus in on the new classes, such as by providing magical totems for Shaman to use. New Rituals do much the same, with some having been created specifically with the Bard in mind.
However, the largest addition is the new Feats. Many of them focus on offering new options for the new classes presented here, such as by allowing the Avenger’s magical protective aura to protect even better. There are still plenty that work well for any class, and in a few cases that have been included to patch existing issues. For an example of the later consider Implement Expertise which provides a +1/2/3 bonus to attack rolls when attacking with a certain implement. Implement users already have a harder time hitting targets than melee because of the accuracy bonus weapons provide, so this Feat is borderline mandatory for implement users since it assists with one of their biggest problems.
A few other Feats lead to my conclusion that the Feats presented here are very strong, almost too strong at times. Melee Training allows for melee basic attacks to be made with a stat other than Strength, an extremely useful power for a variety of melee classes (the Paladin in my Planescape game immediately took it). Distant Advantage allows the character to gain combat advantage for ranged and area attacks against targets flanked by allies, which is also quite nice. I’m not saying these are game breakingly powerful. They aren’t, though I do think Implement Expertise shouldn’t be as necessary as it is for casting classes. Do expect to make heavy use of the PHB2, though, even for existing classes. The options presented are just that good.
My Take
The Player’s Handbook 2 contains a wealth of useful resources you can expect to make use of in your game again and again. Some of them may be a little high on the power side at times, but I don’t think this product reflects power creep appearing in the line. I love how unique every class feels, and those I’ve had the opportunity to play with have provided notably different results from existing classes. The options are well thought out, they’re fun, and they work well in play. I can’t ask for anything better than that.
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