New "Red Box" Starter Set hands-on preview

• Healing Word: as 4e

• Blessing of Wrath: Melee, vs AC, d8+WIS, Effect: one ally within 5 gains (CON) bonus to damage against target.
• Blessing of Battle: Melee, vs AC, d8+WIS, Effect: you or 1 ally in 5 gains resist (CON) to all damage
• Storm Hammer: Melee, vs FORT, d8+WIS, Special: When charging can be used in plaace of melee basic attack.
• Brand of the Sun: Melee, vs AC, d8+WIS, Effect: You and each ally in 5 gain 2 temp HP

• Echoes of Thunder: Melee, vs AC, 2d8+WIS, Effect: Whenever you or ally hits target in next turn attack deals 3 extra damage
• Sun Burst: Close burst 1, Target enemies, vs WILL, d8, Effect: you and allies in burst gain 5 temp HP and can make saves

• Storm Surge: Minor, Close burst 2, you or ally in burst, first hit within turn does 4 extra damage
• Soothing Light: minor, close burst 2, you or ally, target makes save with +2

• Nimbus of Holy Shielding: Close burst 2, Target each enemy, vs WILL, d10+WIS, Effect: Allies in 2 gain +2 to all defenses encounter
• Lesser Aspect of Wrath: Melee, vs AC, d8+WIS, Effect: you gain 10 temp HP, +1 to attacks, all enemies that end adjacent take (CON) damage for encounter
• Levy of Judgement: Melee, vs AC, 2d8+WIS, Miss 1/2, Effect: once during encounter one ally missing target, you can use free action to allow ally to reroll.

• Bless: minor, close burst 20, you and allies, Effect: +1 to attacks for encounter.
• Shield of Faith: minor, close burst 5, you and allies, Effect: +2 to AC for encounter
• Resurgent Strength: minor, close burst 3, you or one ally, target spends healing surge and target gains +4 to damage for turn.

thalmin said:

• Slimy Transmutation: range 10, vs FORT, Target turns into tiny toad (save ends), Miss: target is toad 1 turn, Effect: target dazed can only move or shift, damage ends.

Click to expand...

Mike Mearls wrote:
Human characters get the option to choose from either selecting an at-will attack power from their class (if the class and the type they choose have them) or taking a new power called heroic effort.

Click to expand...

Finally, as you’ve seen in earlier previews, many classes in the Essentials products rely on basic attacks. The Melee Training feat allows a character to use any ability to modify such attacks. That feat has been updated so that it provides the new ability’s full bonus to attack rolls but only half to damage rolls. Melee Training offers its intended flexibility in creating characters without becoming a default choice.

For instance, a slayer who uses Melee Training to attack with Dexterity matches a Strength-based slayer in damage while gaining superior mobility by relying on light armor. A knight who opts to attack with Constitution gives up some damage but has more hit points and healing surges. Such characters are viable without becoming clearly better than ones without Melee Training, at the expense of using up a feat slot.

Click to expand...

YRUSirius said:

Sorry if the following has already been answered, but do the players get to chose their powers (sun or storm, evocation or illusion etc) or their "build" and effectively getting their pre-build set of powers?

Click to expand...

Mouseferatu said:

Yeah, I've been thinking about this. So far, I haven't shared the concerns of the people shouting about how Essentials characters with "classic" feats are going to be broken. But the dwarf may change that. A lot of the dwarven fighter feats made them fighters on par with the +Str races; now added on top of a +2 Str, dwarves may become the no-brainer choice for Strength-based melee characters.

But I trust the designers to take something like that into account. I'm interested in seeing the specifics of what they've done.

Click to expand...

AbdulAlhazred said:

The nerfing of Melee Training is another one. What was a perfectly good feat is now practically worthless for existing 4e classes (in most cases) due to the mismatch in mechanics with Essentials classes.

Click to expand...