Because you keep missing the point that spending no action is still making a decision.
If and only if you mysteriously assign the same overhead to an option to change things that need not be taken, and a certainty of changing things. This simply isn't so. The default "not change" works.
You havent moved, changed or eliminated a decision point, you've ONLY increased the complexity of that decision. Instead of a player deciding between At-will A and At-will B he is forced to make multiple decisions.
Congratulations. You have just demonstrated that every filing system known to man makes decisions more complicated than not having a filing system. More decision points and fewer options at each decision point is quite simply easier to manage than just laying out as many options as possible all at the top level. This is why we have filing systems. This is why we categorise.
There is a limit to the number of options that the human brain can process at once in the short term memory.
Seven plus or minus two is the normal human rule of thumb. And how people group matters a lot (which is why we use mnemonics to aid memory). There is also research that
one difference between a grandmaster and an unskilled one is that grandmasters don't see the wrong moves. And from my own experience of playing chess this fits (I was far from a grand master but not bad at all).
Now you almost certainly see the right moves. You are a skilled player. It's simple for you. And for me. But in classic AEDU, the at will and the choice of target are made as part of the same action.
Assume a seventh level fighter (i.e. just had the third stance and third encounter attack power) and no daily powers. Assume four possible targets.
Decision tree for e-class goes like this.
1: Which stance do you want? (3 options)
2: Who do you want to attack? (4 options)
3: Do you wish to Power Strike? (2 options)
Yes, there are 24 options there on the table. But at no point does the actual list the PC needs to face exceed four (except on the move action). All three can be done
fast.
Decision tree for non-e class goes more like this.
1: Who do you wish to attack (4 options) and with what (5 options)? These multiply for
twenty different options on the same decision point. Yes, 20 is less than 24. But that's 20 options to sort through at once. That's hideous.
Before you mention breaking out a burst is one option, not four, you are right - but on the other hand a power like Hack and Hew that hits two targets gives six combinations of two targets on its own (and would be 12 if there was a difference between the attacks).
Do I want to change my stance? Pick from up to 7 options.
Name the class with seven stances please. (Unless you've grabbed stances with utility powers). Even thieves only get tricks at levels 1, 1, 4, 7, and 17 for five. That sounds like pedantry until you remember the Seven Plus Or Minus Two rule above.
There is absolutely no basis in fact that "I basic attack" is simpler than "I Hit it with My Sword" assuming HIWMS is mechanically an at-will basic attack with +1ab or "I Hit it Hard with My Sword" assuming HIHWMS is an at-will basic attack with +2 damage.
Until you have the decision point thrown in.
No, its not. If you dont want it dont use it. By definition you are already playing tactically ineffective.
Apparently in your world there is no difference between playing
sub optimally and sticking your underpants on your head, your pencils up your nose and saying "wibble".
Absolutely, you come in a fraction of a percentage point above a base 4e class at-will spamming.
Where a fraction of a percentage point for the Barbarian vs Slayer comparison includes a +1 to hit. Which is about 7% on its own. More at higher levels. (Especially as you are having less trouble with encounter powers as a Slayer due to the changed decision point). A slayer outperform a non-raging Barbarian (and he outperforms th slayer when raging). But at low levels where I made my comparison, you don't do much more than At Will Spamming. At higher levels the gap grows until you take dailies into account (especially with the right bracers being lower level).
Look at what happens when a Knight/Slayer falls unconscious.
Yes. Unconsciousness ends stances and auras. Your point? If knights are attacked while unconscious they don't have stance or aura running. This is about the one time it drops by RAW without basic precautions. ANd honestly, marks and defender auras dropping with unconsciousness is
good thing. Or are you talking about night attacks here and catching the PCs asleep when most warrirors, Fighter or Knight, will be crippled by
having taken their armour off?
Why? You've already seen it. This is just the "Striker" Wizard build. I fully expect to see Sorcerer(Wizard) in Plane Below.
Sorceror is a separate class from wizard. I'm expecting something along the lines of elemental stances and two attacks - single target and burst 1. Not a further build of Mage (which is utterly indistinguishable from an AEDU class for obvious reasons). I want to be able to hand out a blast mage to people who aren't mechanically gifted.
