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Ardent Admiration: An Ardent Handbook (by Dedekine)
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<blockquote data-quote="Nibelung" data-source="post: 6703900" data-attributes="member: 74499"><p><strong>Originally posted by Dedekine:</strong></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800000"><strong>A note on "upgrades"</strong></span>: In describing powers, I will often use the term "upgrade" to compare a higher-level power to a lower-level power. Unless specifically mentioned in the power description, this should not be taken to mean that the higher-level power is automatically better, or that they fill the exact same role. Instead, it means that the powers fill sufficiently similar roles that you should have at most one of them. As an example, while I describe Rewarding Strike as an upgrade on Energizing Strike, Wis ardents will prefer to stick with Energizing Strike. However, even a Con ardent will want to pick one of Rewarding Strike or Energizing Strike, and not have both.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800000"><strong>Non-ardent powers</strong></span>: With the advent of skill powers and themes, classes can now select powers from outside their class list. Skill powers that are reasonable choices -- ratings of a least black, keying off a skill that it is easy for ardents to be trained in -- are listed with the rest of the class power skills. However, theme powers are not rated here, mostly to keep the list manageable. Instead, good choices will be discussed in the individual theme ratings later in the guide.<span style="color: #800000"><strong></strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #800000"><strong></strong></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong>Heroic Tier Ardent Disciplines</strong></span></p><p></p><p><strong>Level 1 At-Will Disciplines</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>Demoralizing Strike</strong></span> (PHB3): The fear keyword is handy, and the unaugmented version is a solid power. However, the Augment 2 version is what really sells this power -- a close burst power that hands out a potentially enormous penalty to all defenses (though be aware that it targets your allies as well as your enemies). Demoralizing Strike is a power you might keep throughout your career.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #33cccc"><strong>Energizing Strike</strong></span> (PHB3): The THP are Cha modifier- <em>and</em> level-based, so this is useful to all ardents and can at higher levels give a massive number of THP. The healing surge from the Augment 2 can be used by any ally, including yourself and dying or unconscious team members, just like Ardent Surge. The Augment 2 is therefore very good at low levels, but at higher levels will find itself displaced by other options. That might mean this gets displaced at higher levels, but alternatively it could be a low-PP-usage (using it unaugmented or Augment 1) option that you'll keep throughout your career. Along with Focusing Strike, this is a great option for racial at-wills. Note that the character builder lists the unaugmented Energizing Strike as having the Healing keyword, but this is an error. That means unaugmented Energizing Strike does <em>not</em> work with the Mark of Healing.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>Focusing Strike</strong></span> (PHB3): The ardent joins the elite ranks of the leaders that can grant saving throws at-will, which previously only the cleric and the shaman could do. This is probably the power that Humans should choose for their racial at-will.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Impetuous Ruin</strong></span> (PsP): Shutting down opportunity attacks is a big mobility increase to your allies. However, the really nice part of this power is the Aug 2, which dazes.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Intent Laid Bare</strong></span> (Dragon 395): Never choose this power just to use as an MBA: unaugmented as an OA it does nothing, so you've given up an augmentable at-will choice to save a feat. However, killing enemy mobility and bumping your defences makes it a solid choice for secondary defenders. The bonus telepathy is largely irrelevant, but is useful for in-combat Intimidate specialists. Note that a clarification in the Rules Compendium means that taking this power as a bonus racial at-will means the power keeps its augmentable keyword, so even though you can't augment it the power counts as "unaugmented."</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Ire Strike</strong></span> (PHB3): The ardent's ability to grant attacks is probably what has earned it the reputation as the "psionic warlord." No bonus to the attack roll, so you need allies with a good MBA, but the vulnerability is nice.</p><p></p><p><strong>Karmic Bond</strong> (PsP): In principle, this gives monsters a choice between not attacking or taking extra damage. In practice, your Con modifier will need to be quite high for this to be a credible threat, and the requirement that somone needs to hit the monster after it hits an ally to trigger the extra damage is another way out.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>Part the Fog</strong></span> (PsP): The unaugmented version is strictly worse than Demoralizing Strike. The Augment 1 can be nice for shutting down some lurkers, but the Augment 2 is disappointing: no increase in range, number of targets, or damage over the unaugmented version, just a reroll on a miss, which means it's not even ideal for crit-fishing.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00ff"><strong>Psionic Shield</strong></span> (PHB3): Boosting one ally's defense just tends to mean someone else will get attacked instead, and the defense bonus isn't even very good. <strong>A little better</strong> if you party has one character that reliably takes the majority of attacks.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Wave of Fatigue</strong></span> (PsP): Unaugmented deals out slow, Augment 1 guts the target's opportunity attacks, and Augment 2 kills enemy damage while adjacent to you, but slows them to make it hard for them to leave.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Level 1 Daily Disciplines</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00ff"><strong>Adrenaline Strike</strong></span> (PHB3): Solo monsters often have powers to punish the party for grouping around them. Unless your DM throws a lot of solo encounters at you, though, you won't see much, if any, use out of this. </p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00ff"><strong>Battle Flow</strong></span> (PsP): Someone gets to shift when the target moves (save ends). That's a pretty weak effect, even for level 1.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>Battleborn Acuity</strong></span> (PHB3): A solid bonus to attack and damage rolls for level 1, and a sustain effect gives you something to do with your minor actions.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Foretaste of Death </strong></span>(PsP): Grants combat advantage, can't gain it, and can't flank. All ended by a save, but then it takes 10 psychic damage. It's a shame that it's only 1[W], but everthing but the damage is part of an Effect line, so the nasty status effects are guaranteed.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>Implanted Suggestion</strong></span> (PHB3): Dazed is a great status effect, and the attacks granted by the suggestion are also extremely nice.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>Lingering Fury</strong></span> (PsP): Even with Wis ardents, you're better off with Battleborn Acuity. While Lingering Fury is centered on the target instead of you, which is slightly more positioning-friendly, Battleborn Acuity will be much easier to sustain.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Mental Turmoil</strong></span> (PHB3): The important thing with this is that you get a save ends penalty to attack rolls whether you hit or miss, which is a great way to shut down a hard-hitting monster. The temporary hit points are a nice bonus.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Recursive Emotions</strong></span> (PsP): Ongoing 5 damage (save ends). Everytime target tries to save out of it, one enemy takes Wis or Con modifier damage, and one ally regains the same number of hit points. Damage and healing all in one is very appealing. The rating assumes that you interpret "makes a saving throw" as I've just described. If your DM interprets this as an aftereffect (that is, the additional damage and healing happens only when the target succeeds on the saving throw), then this power loses the potential for massive amounts of damage and healing, and becomes a <span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>bad choice</strong></span>.</p><p></p><p><strong>Wormhole Plunge</strong> (PHB3): You can teleport the enemy up, which means it takes falling damage. If you could sustain the zone, then this would be an excellent power. As it is, the power is just a convoluted way of delivering damage, with some poor battlefield rearrangement.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Level 2 Utility Disciplines</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00ff"><strong>Bend Space</strong></span> (PHB3): The reach extension might have situational use. The range bonus to ranged powers seems impressive, but the problem is that the range on Bend Space is pretty short. For most encounters, if you're in range of the ally to be able to use Bend Space on him, he won't need the range boost.</p><p></p><p><strong>Close Wounds</strong> (PsP): It's a small amount of THP, but the fact that you can deliver it on an encounter instead of daily basis makes it more appealing than Mind Over Matter.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Dimension Swap</strong></span> (PHB3): These sort of position-swapping powers are always solid. Either swap with someone squishier than you if they're getting beat on, or when you get mobbed let them chew on the defender for a while.</p><p></p><p><strong>Dull Pain</strong> (PsP): Damage reduction is good, as is a saving throw bonus. The only problem is that Wis ardents are rarely going to be pushing their Wis modifiers incredibly high. If you can manage to do that, this is <span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>better</strong></span>. Most ardents will find the level 10 utility Reactive Resistance to be the better choice, though, so retrain this out around that point.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Healing Bond</strong></span> (PsP): Out-of-turn healing is always good for economy of action reasons if nothing else, and the fact that it's surgeless is even better. Unfortunately, you can't take immediate actions on your own turn, so this power can't be triggered by ardent surge or Wind of Sympathy.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00ff"><strong>Mind Over Matter</strong></span> (PHB3): This is a respectable amount of temporary hit points. The problem is that a Con ardent will probably get more mileage out of Wellspring of Vigor, and even Wis ardents will probably prefer the encounter power Close Wounds.</p><p></p><p><strong>Psionic Charge</strong> (PsP): You need to hold actions to get the initative order right in order to reliably use this power. It's probably not worth it, <span style="color: #33cccc"><strong>unless you have a barbarian</strong></span> or other charge-optimized character in your party.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00ff"><strong>Psionic Conduit</strong></span> (PHB3): Absolutely useless unless there are other psionic characters in the party. Even then, throwing away your "encounter powers" to let someone else use theirs is a big gamble.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #33cccc"><strong>Sympathetic Agony</strong></span> (Dragon 395): Half damage for an ally, defence bonuses for you and for him, and the ability to take a save-ends effect on to yourself -- which dissipates it entirely if you're already subject to the same effect, or lets the party take advantage of any saving bonuses you might have. All this as encounter, too.</p><p></p><p><strong>Wellspring of Vigor </strong>(PHB3): Regenerating THP first thing on a defender frees up a lot of healing for the rest of the party.</p><p></p><p><strong>Level 2 Skill Powers</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><strong>Inspiring Fortitud</strong>e (Endurance, PHB3): Not fantastic in its own right, this changes completely if you're a non-dwarf Con ardent with <span style="color: #33cccc"><strong>Wind of Sympathy</strong></span>. </p><p>[/sblock]</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Level 3 At-Will Disciplines</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #33cccc"><strong>Cloud Mind</strong></span> (PSP): This power might seem underwhelming, but what it has is utility. Unlike most other ardent at-wills, each of the different augment level fills an appreciably different role. Unaugmented gives an ally a shift, Augment 1 gives one ally combat advantage, and Augment 2 gives allies concealment from the target. Mobility, accuracy, and defence all in one power. This isn't a power that you'll build an ardent around, but it's one of the best choices for filling out your power selection.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>Distracting Strike</strong></span> (PHB3): Don't be tempted to mark things yourself, as you don't have mark punishment (and at level 3, you probably don't have the required durability either). There aren't that many monster that mark, so the Augment 1 is useless. The mark punishment of paladins and swordmages means they don't benefit from this, but if you have fighters, wardens, or battleminds in your party <span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>Distracting Strike comes into its own</strong></span>.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00ff"><strong>Guarded Strike</strong></span> (PsP): In the hands of a defender, this would be a great power for creating stickiness. You're not a defender, though, and by default an ardent can't really exploit the stuck monster. With the right tools -- good defenses, a reach weapon, and/or a good opportunity attack -- you can make something of this.</p><p></p><p><strong>Impatient Strike</strong> (PHB3): The unaugmented power is okay, but outshone by the level 1 at-wills. The augmented 2 version is a much more solid power. As PaulO pointed out, this power is hugely better in the hands of an ardent with a <span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>reach weapon</strong></span>, since then the shift doesn't have to end adjacent to the target so it can be used to disengage from one enemy.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Prescient Strike</strong></span> (PHB3): The attack roll required for the interrupt is unfortunate, but luckily it's against Will, which gives it good odds of connecting. The net result is a very substantial debuff.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Unnerving Shove</strong></span> (PHB3): Especially later in the game, this power can deliver an obscene amount of forced movement. This is a great way to break the enemy's battle line. The Augmented 2 version isn't quite as stellar, as positioning things to get the combat advantage will be tricky.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Unsteadying Rebuke</strong></span> (PsP): An out-of-turn at-will automatically deserves a close look, and this power is a decent one even once you realize that as a reaction this power can't prevent the triggering attack. The meat is in the Augment 2, which gives you an extra attack and some great battlefield rearrangement. Even the Augment 1 and unaugmented versions can be used to set up flanking for allies, and deny other enemies flanking on you. The last bit (and the fact that you don't have much need for immediate actions otherwise) that makes it worth trading your standard for this immediate if you're looking for a battlefield rearrangement power. </p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Withered Technique</strong></span> (PsP): Also known as "How to make your DM hate you." Ignore the Augment 1, because it's useless -- luckily, this means you can ignore the stat rider on the power. Both the unaugmented and Augment 2 powers let you trivialize the most dangerous powers a creature can have, as well as minor or move action attacks. Definitely one of the better anti-elite/solo tools in the ardent repetoire.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Level 5 Daily Disciplines</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Decelerating Slash</strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"></span>(PsP): Slowed (save ends), and on a hit that can upgrade to immobilized. In addition, whenever the target fails a saving throw, one ally can shift. Even if the enemy makes a saving throw right away, this power has the saving grace of being one of the most damaging ardent powers at this level.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #33cccc"><strong> </strong></span><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Empowered Arsenal</span></strong> (PHB3): The damage bonus is substantial, and the effect can be sustained with a minor. You might not encounter many insubstantial enemies, but they are really aggravating when they do show up.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>Enlightening Pulse</strong></span> (PHB3): Whenever an ally damages an enemy within the zone, somebody gets to make a saving throw with a Wis modifier bonus. This can utterly negate enemy controllers.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Fate Exchange</strong></span> (PHB3): Battlefield rearrangement, granted attacks, healing, and saving throws -- everything a leader can do in a single power. If you have a good melee basic attack, <span style="color: #33cccc"><strong>there is no reason at all to take anything else</strong>.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #33cccc"><strong>Invitation to Defeat</strong></span> (PsP): A huge radius pull, weakening enemy you can pull all the way to adjacent. On top of that, you get a sustainable weakening and extra damage zone. This is a great power, but make sure you combine it with an action point to use one of your close burst powers like Augment 2 Demoralizing Strike.</p><p></p><p><strong>Meteoric Charge</strong> (PsP): This power begs to be used as a fight-opener: you charge in using this power, and all your allies charge in behind you with massive bonuses. Unfortunately, they need to start within five squares of you to get the bonuses, which means if they can get them, you don't really need to charge in. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff"> </span></strong><strong>Persistent Veil</strong> (PHB3): One enemy gets -5 to hit (save ends on hit, or til end of your next turn), followed by -2 to hit (save ends), all makes for a reliable way to make one enemy a non-factor in a battle. The penalty to Perception checks makes this power better if you have a character in the party who relies on Stealth in battle.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #33cccc"><strong>Spectre of Doubt</strong></span> (PsP): Ongoing damage, and whenever the target fails to save out of it, you get a chance to daze (save ends) another enemy. With a few poor rolls on the DM's part, this power can quickly shut down an entire encounter.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Level 6 Utility Disciplines</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00ff"><strong>Battle Link</strong></span> (PHB3): Making two allies effectively immune to flanking isn't bad, but it's not anywhere near as handy as other utility disciplines at this level.</p><p></p><p><strong>Body Adjustment</strong> (PHB3): On one hand, it will usually grant less THP than Mind Over Matter; on the other hand, it's an ecounter power. The randomness makes it a bit unreliable.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Escalating Fury</span></strong> (PsP): This power continues with the theme of "hit the ardent, the rest of the party grows stronger). </p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>Evade Attack</strong></span> (PHB3): The interrupt happens before the damage, so basically this means once per encounter you can save an ally from being hit by an opportunity attack. This in turn means that until an opportunity attack connects, no one in your party has to worry about them, which means a major mobility boost for everyone. While it is still good for <span style="color: #0000ff">a Wis ardent with Mantle of Clarity</span>, it duplicates your mantle effect somewhat.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Mend Wounds</strong></span> (PHB3): Surgeless healing is always popular, even if not on par with what the cleric can deliver. Still, why heal more once per day when you can prevent damage outright once an encounter?</p><p></p><p><strong>Opportunity Seized</strong> (PsP): Rerolling an opportunity attack is all right. Where <span style="color: #33cccc"><strong>this power stands out</strong></span> is if you have the Mantle of Elation, or if the person re-rolling is a fighter, or ideally both.</p><p></p><p><strong>Painful Revelations</strong> (Dragon 395): For an encounter, take damage to force enemies to grant combat advantage (save ends). The problem is that parties that can most benefit from CA probably already have lots of (non-damaging) ways to obtain it.</p><p></p><p><strong>Rapid Calculation</strong> (PsP): The ardent version of the warlord's Reorient the Axis, but not quite as impressive. Less of a shift, and though you give +2 to all defenses until the first action, this power is a daily.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Shared Momentum</strong></span> (PsP): One ally moves or shifts, another ally gets to shift. Flanking ahoy!</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff00ff">Thought Shield</span></strong> (PHB3): A little bit of resistance and a saving throw bonus would be great if it wasn't for the tiny range of this power. To get good mileage out of it, you'll basically be begging for the party to pounded by close or area attacks.</p><p></p><p><strong>Level 6 Skill Powers</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Swift Recovery</strong></span> (Heal; PHB3): Unless you're in a party full of dwarves, taking second winds is always inconvenient. This helps the party tap that resource, and is a nice complement to Ardent Surge.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Level 7 At-Will Disciplines</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Accelerated Maneuvers</strong></span> (PsP): A straightforward mobility-granting power.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00ff"><strong>Clarifying Impact</strong></span> (Dragon 395): This is just too situational a power to see much use. If your DM loves giving his enemies cover or having low-light encounters, then you might see a need for this, but losing a power to cover what will usually be a corner case is just hard to swallow. Much as with Intent Laid Bare, don't choose this power just because it counts as an MBA: it offers no real augmentation to an OA, and if you don't need everything else the power has to offer, you're better off sticking with Melee Training.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>Courageous Strike</strong></span> (PHB3): An upgrade on Psionic Shield. Most of the time a +2 to AC is better than +1 to all defenses, and the Augment 1 is strictly better. The complexity in comparison comes from the fact that Psionic Shield benefits one ally, while Courageous Strike debuffs one enemy, which is the difference between figuring out which ally is going to take the brunt of enemy attacks, and which enemy is going to do the most damage. However, the Augment 2 is what really makes this power, providing a huge bonus to AC within a burst 1 zone, as well as damaging and granting ally attacks.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00ff"><strong>Fatal Attraction</strong></span> (PsP): Both the unaugmented and Augment 2 versions of this power are inferior versions of other powers you'd have access to by this point. However, the point of this power is the Augment 1, which gives the ardent a mark and mark punishment. If you're intent on making a <span style="color: #0000ff">secondary-defender ardent</span>, this power is a must-have.</p><p></p><p><strong>Forward-Thinking Cut</strong> (PHB3): The unaugmented and Augment 1 versions of this power are sub-par considered alone, but Augment 2 is the huge part of this power, as it lets two other allies make charges, with a Con bonus to damage rolls. Where Forward-Thinking Cut really shines is as a fight-opener: if the enemy is out of melee range, Augment 2 lets you charge in and let two allies charge in as well. The black rating reflects the fact that the unaugmented and Augment 1 are poor, but if you're okay with only using this as an Augment 2 encounter power, it's <strong><span style="color: #33cccc">fantastic.</span></strong></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Mindlink Strike</strong></span> (PHB3): An upgrade on Ire Strike. The unaugmented version is usually weaker, since a shift isn't likely to be as useful as the vulnerability. However, the Augment 1 will come up much more often and is a substantial damage bonus for your defender. The Augment 2 is nice, but remember that you can only take one opportunity action per turn, so no giving fighters multiple attacks with this power.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Rewarding Strike</strong></span> (PHB3): An upgrade on Energizing Strike. The unaugmented version gives a small amount of surgeless healing instead of THP (and saving throws with the Mark of Healing), but the healing on the Augment 2 version is vastly superior -- theoretically, every person in the party could heal off a single use of Rewarding Strike. You lose the ability to heal allies who cannot attack, but for that you can always fall back on Ardent Surge. The only downside is that the unaugmented version's rider depends on Con instead of Cha, so this is a <strong>weaker choice for Wis Ardents</strong>.</p><p></p><p><strong>Stolen Strength</strong> (PsP): With the new enhanced monster damage guidelines of MM3, damage reduction is much more appealing. Still, you're probably better off boosting the defences of your ally (so they take no damage at all) -- especially since this power doesn't help with status effects.</p><p></p><p><strong>Trailblazing Assault</strong> (PsP): Another charge-oriented power. The unaugmented version is even less inspiring than FTC, but the Augment 1 combines healing with the charge, and the Augment 2 throws some attack enabling into the mix. Despite the name, it's not a great fight-opener, as you rarely need healing at the beginning of a fight. While I can't recommend it as a primary power, the fact that the higher augments combine some leader functions means it can be a decent third at-will to round out your power selection.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00ff"><strong>Unhinging Strike</strong></span> (PHB3): Poor damage, and odds are that most of the time you'd be better off giving attacks to your own party members. The real use of this power is in forcing a monster to disrespect its mark.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Level 9 Daily Disciplines</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><strong>Agony Field</strong> (PHB3): The porcupine approach to personal defense: hit me, and suffer. However, it does abysmal damage, and doesn't fill any real leader function.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Cerebral Worm</strong></span> (PsP): On a hit, the targets a choice: take damage or lose accuracy. That's solid, but if you miss the power isn't very impressive.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>Dulled Reflexes</strong></span> (PHB3): Assuming a base move of 5-6, the enemy is going to get two to three attacks before the real penalties hit. By that point, the encounter should be mostly over. The slowing effects are the main thing that will show up in the fight, but it's not a ranged party, and you're not the sort of character who should be off by himself, which means the slowing won't do much of anything.</p><p></p><p><strong>Emotional Wellspring</strong> (PsP): Allies get THP or a saving throw with bonus every time they hit the target. Once the enemy saves out of the ongoing damage you lose the effect, though, so make sure the initiative order is in your favour.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Feast of Despair</strong></span> (PHB3): A permanent lowering of defenses, and even if you're the only psionic character in the party, the extra power points are fantastic.</p><p></p><p><strong>Feast of Plenty</strong> (PHB3): No debuff on the enemy, and positioning yourself so that more than you and one other get the THP is going to be tricky. In the end, this is mostly a defensive power for yourself.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>Passage of Swords</strong></span> (PHB3): Attacks Fort, dazed (save ends) on hit, forced movement, and you grant a number of attacks, each with a hefty damage bonus. This is a top-class choice.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Spatial Anomaly</strong></span> (PsP): Teleport the enemy, two granted attacks, and possibly THP to your allies. It's okay, but Passage of Sword is tough competition.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>Spur the Battle</strong></span> (PsP): Allies adjacent to you can shift or move. That's not going to be many people, and it's a weak benefit regardless.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Level 10 Utility Disciplines</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Force of Will</strong></span> (PsP): +2 to all defences for a turn to everyone in burst 3 is a great encounter power. The need to make a saving throw to trigger this power is a little irritating, but pair this with Mantle of Understanding to make your DM regret putting you in a situtation where you need to make saving throws.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00ff"><strong>Fostered Talent</strong></span> (PsP): Someone succeeds on a skill check, and everyone gets bonuses to skill checks. How useful this is depends entirely on how skill checks are used in your campaign.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #33cccc"><strong>From the Brink</strong></span> (PHB3): Surgeless recovery from dying, including getting over the irritating prone status. If your defender goes down, this is the best way to bring him back up again. And it's a minor!</p><p></p><p><strong>Incite Bravery</strong> (PHB3)<strong>:</strong> Sadly, you can only incite bravery in people very close to you. The bonuses aren't huge, and you're just not going to help that many of your allies. If your initiative is high, you might reliably be able to use this in the first turn, which makes it <span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>a little better</strong></span>.</p><p></p><p><strong>Reactive Resistance</strong> (PHB3): Decent damage reduction against any attack is always going to be appreciated. </p><p></p><p><strong>Psychic Boon</strong> (PsP): At level 10, this power essentially does the same thing as Energizing Strike, and Energizing Strike will pass it up from this point forward. The good news is that this doesn't require that you hit, but you've got better choices at this level.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>Tower of Iron Will</strong></span> (PHB3): A minor action gets you a burst 3 zone, in which allies get resist to a common attack type, a bonus to all defenses, and saving throws at the beginning of their turn against dominating and stunning effects, plus you can sustain it as a minor. This is a fantastic power.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>Unshakeable Bond</strong></span> (Dragon 395): Once per day, one single enemy can't get cover or concealment from you and you alone. There are too many better options at this level to even think about this.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00ff"><strong>Vital Summons</strong></span> (PsP): When an ally is bloodied or dying, you can teleport another ally adjacent to the one in trouble. The question really boils down to: is there anything really productive they can do?</p><p></p><p><strong>Level 10 Skill Powers</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Noble Sacrifice </strong></span>(Diplomacy, PHB3): Prevent a bloodied ally from getting killed before you have a chance to heal him. </p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00ff"><strong>Prescient Defense</strong></span> (Insight, PHB3): Someone hits you, so you raise your defenses. If your DM gives the information you need to judge whether the +2 will keep the attack from hitting you, this becomes <span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>very good.</strong></span></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Time Out</strong></span> (Heal, PHB3): Give an ally their second wind back. This gets much more mileage out of the party's healing.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p>[/sblock]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nibelung, post: 6703900, member: 74499"] [b]Originally posted by Dedekine:[/b] [COLOR=#800000][b]A note on "upgrades"[/b][/COLOR]: In describing powers, I will often use the term "upgrade" to compare a higher-level power to a lower-level power. Unless specifically mentioned in the power description, this should not be taken to mean that the higher-level power is automatically better, or that they fill the exact same role. Instead, it means that the powers fill sufficiently similar roles that you should have at most one of them. As an example, while I describe Rewarding Strike as an upgrade on Energizing Strike, Wis ardents will prefer to stick with Energizing Strike. However, even a Con ardent will want to pick one of Rewarding Strike or Energizing Strike, and not have both. [COLOR=#800000][b]Non-ardent powers[/b][/COLOR]: With the advent of skill powers and themes, classes can now select powers from outside their class list. Skill powers that are reasonable choices -- ratings of a least black, keying off a skill that it is easy for ardents to be trained in -- are listed with the rest of the class power skills. However, theme powers are not rated here, mostly to keep the list manageable. Instead, good choices will be discussed in the individual theme ratings later in the guide.[COLOR=#800000][b] [/b][/COLOR] [Size=4][b]Heroic Tier Ardent Disciplines[/b][/size] [b]Level 1 At-Will Disciplines[/b] [sblock] [COLOR=#00ccff][b]Demoralizing Strike[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): The fear keyword is handy, and the unaugmented version is a solid power. However, the Augment 2 version is what really sells this power -- a close burst power that hands out a potentially enormous penalty to all defenses (though be aware that it targets your allies as well as your enemies). Demoralizing Strike is a power you might keep throughout your career. [COLOR=#33cccc][b]Energizing Strike[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): The THP are Cha modifier- [i]and[/i] level-based, so this is useful to all ardents and can at higher levels give a massive number of THP. The healing surge from the Augment 2 can be used by any ally, including yourself and dying or unconscious team members, just like Ardent Surge. The Augment 2 is therefore very good at low levels, but at higher levels will find itself displaced by other options. That might mean this gets displaced at higher levels, but alternatively it could be a low-PP-usage (using it unaugmented or Augment 1) option that you'll keep throughout your career. Along with Focusing Strike, this is a great option for racial at-wills. Note that the character builder lists the unaugmented Energizing Strike as having the Healing keyword, but this is an error. That means unaugmented Energizing Strike does [i]not[/i] work with the Mark of Healing. [COLOR=#00ccff][b]Focusing Strike[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): The ardent joins the elite ranks of the leaders that can grant saving throws at-will, which previously only the cleric and the shaman could do. This is probably the power that Humans should choose for their racial at-will. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Impetuous Ruin[/b][/COLOR] (PsP): Shutting down opportunity attacks is a big mobility increase to your allies. However, the really nice part of this power is the Aug 2, which dazes. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Intent Laid Bare[/b][/COLOR] (Dragon 395): Never choose this power just to use as an MBA: unaugmented as an OA it does nothing, so you've given up an augmentable at-will choice to save a feat. However, killing enemy mobility and bumping your defences makes it a solid choice for secondary defenders. The bonus telepathy is largely irrelevant, but is useful for in-combat Intimidate specialists. Note that a clarification in the Rules Compendium means that taking this power as a bonus racial at-will means the power keeps its augmentable keyword, so even though you can't augment it the power counts as "unaugmented." [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Ire Strike[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): The ardent's ability to grant attacks is probably what has earned it the reputation as the "psionic warlord." No bonus to the attack roll, so you need allies with a good MBA, but the vulnerability is nice. [b]Karmic Bond[/b] (PsP): In principle, this gives monsters a choice between not attacking or taking extra damage. In practice, your Con modifier will need to be quite high for this to be a credible threat, and the requirement that somone needs to hit the monster after it hits an ally to trigger the extra damage is another way out. [COLOR=#ff0000][b]Part the Fog[/b][/COLOR] (PsP): The unaugmented version is strictly worse than Demoralizing Strike. The Augment 1 can be nice for shutting down some lurkers, but the Augment 2 is disappointing: no increase in range, number of targets, or damage over the unaugmented version, just a reroll on a miss, which means it's not even ideal for crit-fishing. [COLOR=#ff00ff][b]Psionic Shield[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): Boosting one ally's defense just tends to mean someone else will get attacked instead, and the defense bonus isn't even very good. [b]A little better[/b] if you party has one character that reliably takes the majority of attacks. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Wave of Fatigue[/b][/COLOR] (PsP): Unaugmented deals out slow, Augment 1 guts the target's opportunity attacks, and Augment 2 kills enemy damage while adjacent to you, but slows them to make it hard for them to leave. [/sblock] [b]Level 1 Daily Disciplines[/b] [sblock] [COLOR=#ff00ff][b]Adrenaline Strike[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): Solo monsters often have powers to punish the party for grouping around them. Unless your DM throws a lot of solo encounters at you, though, you won't see much, if any, use out of this. [COLOR=#ff00ff][b]Battle Flow[/b][/COLOR] (PsP): Someone gets to shift when the target moves (save ends). That's a pretty weak effect, even for level 1. [COLOR=#00ccff][b]Battleborn Acuity[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): A solid bonus to attack and damage rolls for level 1, and a sustain effect gives you something to do with your minor actions. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Foretaste of Death [/b][/COLOR](PsP): Grants combat advantage, can't gain it, and can't flank. All ended by a save, but then it takes 10 psychic damage. It's a shame that it's only 1[W], but everthing but the damage is part of an Effect line, so the nasty status effects are guaranteed. [COLOR=#00ccff][b]Implanted Suggestion[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): Dazed is a great status effect, and the attacks granted by the suggestion are also extremely nice. [COLOR=#ff0000][b]Lingering Fury[/b][/COLOR] (PsP): Even with Wis ardents, you're better off with Battleborn Acuity. While Lingering Fury is centered on the target instead of you, which is slightly more positioning-friendly, Battleborn Acuity will be much easier to sustain. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Mental Turmoil[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): The important thing with this is that you get a save ends penalty to attack rolls whether you hit or miss, which is a great way to shut down a hard-hitting monster. The temporary hit points are a nice bonus. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Recursive Emotions[/b][/COLOR] (PsP): Ongoing 5 damage (save ends). Everytime target tries to save out of it, one enemy takes Wis or Con modifier damage, and one ally regains the same number of hit points. Damage and healing all in one is very appealing. The rating assumes that you interpret "makes a saving throw" as I've just described. If your DM interprets this as an aftereffect (that is, the additional damage and healing happens only when the target succeeds on the saving throw), then this power loses the potential for massive amounts of damage and healing, and becomes a [COLOR=#ff0000][b]bad choice[/b][/COLOR]. [b]Wormhole Plunge[/b] (PHB3): You can teleport the enemy up, which means it takes falling damage. If you could sustain the zone, then this would be an excellent power. As it is, the power is just a convoluted way of delivering damage, with some poor battlefield rearrangement. [/sblock] [b]Level 2 Utility Disciplines[/b] [sblock] [COLOR=#ff00ff][b]Bend Space[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): The reach extension might have situational use. The range bonus to ranged powers seems impressive, but the problem is that the range on Bend Space is pretty short. For most encounters, if you're in range of the ally to be able to use Bend Space on him, he won't need the range boost. [b]Close Wounds[/b] (PsP): It's a small amount of THP, but the fact that you can deliver it on an encounter instead of daily basis makes it more appealing than Mind Over Matter. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Dimension Swap[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): These sort of position-swapping powers are always solid. Either swap with someone squishier than you if they're getting beat on, or when you get mobbed let them chew on the defender for a while. [b]Dull Pain[/b] (PsP): Damage reduction is good, as is a saving throw bonus. The only problem is that Wis ardents are rarely going to be pushing their Wis modifiers incredibly high. If you can manage to do that, this is [COLOR=#0000ff][b]better[/b][/COLOR]. Most ardents will find the level 10 utility Reactive Resistance to be the better choice, though, so retrain this out around that point. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Healing Bond[/b][/COLOR] (PsP): Out-of-turn healing is always good for economy of action reasons if nothing else, and the fact that it's surgeless is even better. Unfortunately, you can't take immediate actions on your own turn, so this power can't be triggered by ardent surge or Wind of Sympathy. [COLOR=#ff00ff][b]Mind Over Matter[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): This is a respectable amount of temporary hit points. The problem is that a Con ardent will probably get more mileage out of Wellspring of Vigor, and even Wis ardents will probably prefer the encounter power Close Wounds. [b]Psionic Charge[/b] (PsP): You need to hold actions to get the initative order right in order to reliably use this power. It's probably not worth it, [COLOR=#33cccc][b]unless you have a barbarian[/b][/COLOR] or other charge-optimized character in your party. [COLOR=#ff00ff][b]Psionic Conduit[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): Absolutely useless unless there are other psionic characters in the party. Even then, throwing away your "encounter powers" to let someone else use theirs is a big gamble. [COLOR=#33cccc][b]Sympathetic Agony[/b][/COLOR] (Dragon 395): Half damage for an ally, defence bonuses for you and for him, and the ability to take a save-ends effect on to yourself -- which dissipates it entirely if you're already subject to the same effect, or lets the party take advantage of any saving bonuses you might have. All this as encounter, too. [b]Wellspring of Vigor [/b](PHB3): Regenerating THP first thing on a defender frees up a lot of healing for the rest of the party. [b]Level 2 Skill Powers[/b] [sblock] [b]Inspiring Fortitud[/b]e (Endurance, PHB3): Not fantastic in its own right, this changes completely if you're a non-dwarf Con ardent with [COLOR=#33cccc][b]Wind of Sympathy[/b][/COLOR]. [/sblock] [/sblock] [b]Level 3 At-Will Disciplines[/b] [sblock] [COLOR=#33cccc][b]Cloud Mind[/b][/COLOR] (PSP): This power might seem underwhelming, but what it has is utility. Unlike most other ardent at-wills, each of the different augment level fills an appreciably different role. Unaugmented gives an ally a shift, Augment 1 gives one ally combat advantage, and Augment 2 gives allies concealment from the target. Mobility, accuracy, and defence all in one power. This isn't a power that you'll build an ardent around, but it's one of the best choices for filling out your power selection. [COLOR=#ff0000][b]Distracting Strike[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): Don't be tempted to mark things yourself, as you don't have mark punishment (and at level 3, you probably don't have the required durability either). There aren't that many monster that mark, so the Augment 1 is useless. The mark punishment of paladins and swordmages means they don't benefit from this, but if you have fighters, wardens, or battleminds in your party [COLOR=#00ccff][b]Distracting Strike comes into its own[/b][/COLOR]. [COLOR=#ff00ff][b]Guarded Strike[/b][/COLOR] (PsP): In the hands of a defender, this would be a great power for creating stickiness. You're not a defender, though, and by default an ardent can't really exploit the stuck monster. With the right tools -- good defenses, a reach weapon, and/or a good opportunity attack -- you can make something of this. [b]Impatient Strike[/b] (PHB3): The unaugmented power is okay, but outshone by the level 1 at-wills. The augmented 2 version is a much more solid power. As PaulO pointed out, this power is hugely better in the hands of an ardent with a [COLOR=#0000ff][b]reach weapon[/b][/COLOR], since then the shift doesn't have to end adjacent to the target so it can be used to disengage from one enemy. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Prescient Strike[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): The attack roll required for the interrupt is unfortunate, but luckily it's against Will, which gives it good odds of connecting. The net result is a very substantial debuff. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Unnerving Shove[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): Especially later in the game, this power can deliver an obscene amount of forced movement. This is a great way to break the enemy's battle line. The Augmented 2 version isn't quite as stellar, as positioning things to get the combat advantage will be tricky. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Unsteadying Rebuke[/b][/COLOR] (PsP): An out-of-turn at-will automatically deserves a close look, and this power is a decent one even once you realize that as a reaction this power can't prevent the triggering attack. The meat is in the Augment 2, which gives you an extra attack and some great battlefield rearrangement. Even the Augment 1 and unaugmented versions can be used to set up flanking for allies, and deny other enemies flanking on you. The last bit (and the fact that you don't have much need for immediate actions otherwise) that makes it worth trading your standard for this immediate if you're looking for a battlefield rearrangement power. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Withered Technique[/b][/COLOR] (PsP): Also known as "How to make your DM hate you." Ignore the Augment 1, because it's useless -- luckily, this means you can ignore the stat rider on the power. Both the unaugmented and Augment 2 powers let you trivialize the most dangerous powers a creature can have, as well as minor or move action attacks. Definitely one of the better anti-elite/solo tools in the ardent repetoire. [/sblock] [b]Level 5 Daily Disciplines[/b] [sblock] [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Decelerating Slash[/b] [/COLOR](PsP): Slowed (save ends), and on a hit that can upgrade to immobilized. In addition, whenever the target fails a saving throw, one ally can shift. Even if the enemy makes a saving throw right away, this power has the saving grace of being one of the most damaging ardent powers at this level. [COLOR=#33cccc][b] [/b][/COLOR][b][COLOR=#0000ff]Empowered Arsenal[/COLOR][/b] (PHB3): The damage bonus is substantial, and the effect can be sustained with a minor. You might not encounter many insubstantial enemies, but they are really aggravating when they do show up. [COLOR=#00ccff][b]Enlightening Pulse[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): Whenever an ally damages an enemy within the zone, somebody gets to make a saving throw with a Wis modifier bonus. This can utterly negate enemy controllers. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Fate Exchange[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): Battlefield rearrangement, granted attacks, healing, and saving throws -- everything a leader can do in a single power. If you have a good melee basic attack, [COLOR=#33cccc][b]there is no reason at all to take anything else[/b].[/COLOR] [COLOR=#33cccc][b]Invitation to Defeat[/b][/COLOR] (PsP): A huge radius pull, weakening enemy you can pull all the way to adjacent. On top of that, you get a sustainable weakening and extra damage zone. This is a great power, but make sure you combine it with an action point to use one of your close burst powers like Augment 2 Demoralizing Strike. [b]Meteoric Charge[/b] (PsP): This power begs to be used as a fight-opener: you charge in using this power, and all your allies charge in behind you with massive bonuses. Unfortunately, they need to start within five squares of you to get the bonuses, which means if they can get them, you don't really need to charge in. [b][COLOR=#0000ff] [/COLOR][/b][b]Persistent Veil[/b] (PHB3): One enemy gets -5 to hit (save ends on hit, or til end of your next turn), followed by -2 to hit (save ends), all makes for a reliable way to make one enemy a non-factor in a battle. The penalty to Perception checks makes this power better if you have a character in the party who relies on Stealth in battle. [COLOR=#33cccc][b]Spectre of Doubt[/b][/COLOR] (PsP): Ongoing damage, and whenever the target fails to save out of it, you get a chance to daze (save ends) another enemy. With a few poor rolls on the DM's part, this power can quickly shut down an entire encounter. [/sblock] [b]Level 6 Utility Disciplines[/b] [sblock] [COLOR=#ff00ff][b]Battle Link[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): Making two allies effectively immune to flanking isn't bad, but it's not anywhere near as handy as other utility disciplines at this level. [b]Body Adjustment[/b] (PHB3): On one hand, it will usually grant less THP than Mind Over Matter; on the other hand, it's an ecounter power. The randomness makes it a bit unreliable. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Escalating Fury[/COLOR][/b] (PsP): This power continues with the theme of "hit the ardent, the rest of the party grows stronger). [COLOR=#00ccff][b]Evade Attack[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): The interrupt happens before the damage, so basically this means once per encounter you can save an ally from being hit by an opportunity attack. This in turn means that until an opportunity attack connects, no one in your party has to worry about them, which means a major mobility boost for everyone. While it is still good for [COLOR=#0000ff]a Wis ardent with Mantle of Clarity[/COLOR], it duplicates your mantle effect somewhat. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Mend Wounds[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): Surgeless healing is always popular, even if not on par with what the cleric can deliver. Still, why heal more once per day when you can prevent damage outright once an encounter? [b]Opportunity Seized[/b] (PsP): Rerolling an opportunity attack is all right. Where [COLOR=#33cccc][b]this power stands out[/b][/COLOR] is if you have the Mantle of Elation, or if the person re-rolling is a fighter, or ideally both. [b]Painful Revelations[/b] (Dragon 395): For an encounter, take damage to force enemies to grant combat advantage (save ends). The problem is that parties that can most benefit from CA probably already have lots of (non-damaging) ways to obtain it. [b]Rapid Calculation[/b] (PsP): The ardent version of the warlord's Reorient the Axis, but not quite as impressive. Less of a shift, and though you give +2 to all defenses until the first action, this power is a daily. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Shared Momentum[/b][/COLOR] (PsP): One ally moves or shifts, another ally gets to shift. Flanking ahoy! [b][COLOR=#ff00ff]Thought Shield[/COLOR][/b] (PHB3): A little bit of resistance and a saving throw bonus would be great if it wasn't for the tiny range of this power. To get good mileage out of it, you'll basically be begging for the party to pounded by close or area attacks. [b]Level 6 Skill Powers[/b] [sblock] [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Swift Recovery[/b][/COLOR] (Heal; PHB3): Unless you're in a party full of dwarves, taking second winds is always inconvenient. This helps the party tap that resource, and is a nice complement to Ardent Surge. [/sblock] [/sblock] [b]Level 7 At-Will Disciplines[/b] [sblock] [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Accelerated Maneuvers[/b][/COLOR] (PsP): A straightforward mobility-granting power. [COLOR=#ff00ff][b]Clarifying Impact[/b][/COLOR] (Dragon 395): This is just too situational a power to see much use. If your DM loves giving his enemies cover or having low-light encounters, then you might see a need for this, but losing a power to cover what will usually be a corner case is just hard to swallow. Much as with Intent Laid Bare, don't choose this power just because it counts as an MBA: it offers no real augmentation to an OA, and if you don't need everything else the power has to offer, you're better off sticking with Melee Training. [COLOR=#00ccff][b]Courageous Strike[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): An upgrade on Psionic Shield. Most of the time a +2 to AC is better than +1 to all defenses, and the Augment 1 is strictly better. The complexity in comparison comes from the fact that Psionic Shield benefits one ally, while Courageous Strike debuffs one enemy, which is the difference between figuring out which ally is going to take the brunt of enemy attacks, and which enemy is going to do the most damage. However, the Augment 2 is what really makes this power, providing a huge bonus to AC within a burst 1 zone, as well as damaging and granting ally attacks. [COLOR=#ff00ff][b]Fatal Attraction[/b][/COLOR] (PsP): Both the unaugmented and Augment 2 versions of this power are inferior versions of other powers you'd have access to by this point. However, the point of this power is the Augment 1, which gives the ardent a mark and mark punishment. If you're intent on making a [COLOR=#0000ff]secondary-defender ardent[/COLOR], this power is a must-have. [b]Forward-Thinking Cut[/b] (PHB3): The unaugmented and Augment 1 versions of this power are sub-par considered alone, but Augment 2 is the huge part of this power, as it lets two other allies make charges, with a Con bonus to damage rolls. Where Forward-Thinking Cut really shines is as a fight-opener: if the enemy is out of melee range, Augment 2 lets you charge in and let two allies charge in as well. The black rating reflects the fact that the unaugmented and Augment 1 are poor, but if you're okay with only using this as an Augment 2 encounter power, it's [b][COLOR=#33cccc]fantastic.[/COLOR][/b] [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Mindlink Strike[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): An upgrade on Ire Strike. The unaugmented version is usually weaker, since a shift isn't likely to be as useful as the vulnerability. However, the Augment 1 will come up much more often and is a substantial damage bonus for your defender. The Augment 2 is nice, but remember that you can only take one opportunity action per turn, so no giving fighters multiple attacks with this power. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Rewarding Strike[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): An upgrade on Energizing Strike. The unaugmented version gives a small amount of surgeless healing instead of THP (and saving throws with the Mark of Healing), but the healing on the Augment 2 version is vastly superior -- theoretically, every person in the party could heal off a single use of Rewarding Strike. You lose the ability to heal allies who cannot attack, but for that you can always fall back on Ardent Surge. The only downside is that the unaugmented version's rider depends on Con instead of Cha, so this is a [b]weaker choice for Wis Ardents[/b]. [b]Stolen Strength[/b] (PsP): With the new enhanced monster damage guidelines of MM3, damage reduction is much more appealing. Still, you're probably better off boosting the defences of your ally (so they take no damage at all) -- especially since this power doesn't help with status effects. [b]Trailblazing Assault[/b] (PsP): Another charge-oriented power. The unaugmented version is even less inspiring than FTC, but the Augment 1 combines healing with the charge, and the Augment 2 throws some attack enabling into the mix. Despite the name, it's not a great fight-opener, as you rarely need healing at the beginning of a fight. While I can't recommend it as a primary power, the fact that the higher augments combine some leader functions means it can be a decent third at-will to round out your power selection. [COLOR=#ff00ff][b]Unhinging Strike[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): Poor damage, and odds are that most of the time you'd be better off giving attacks to your own party members. The real use of this power is in forcing a monster to disrespect its mark. [/sblock] [b]Level 9 Daily Disciplines[/b] [sblock] [b]Agony Field[/b] (PHB3): The porcupine approach to personal defense: hit me, and suffer. However, it does abysmal damage, and doesn't fill any real leader function. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Cerebral Worm[/b][/COLOR] (PsP): On a hit, the targets a choice: take damage or lose accuracy. That's solid, but if you miss the power isn't very impressive. [COLOR=#ff0000][b]Dulled Reflexes[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): Assuming a base move of 5-6, the enemy is going to get two to three attacks before the real penalties hit. By that point, the encounter should be mostly over. The slowing effects are the main thing that will show up in the fight, but it's not a ranged party, and you're not the sort of character who should be off by himself, which means the slowing won't do much of anything. [b]Emotional Wellspring[/b] (PsP): Allies get THP or a saving throw with bonus every time they hit the target. Once the enemy saves out of the ongoing damage you lose the effect, though, so make sure the initiative order is in your favour. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Feast of Despair[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): A permanent lowering of defenses, and even if you're the only psionic character in the party, the extra power points are fantastic. [b]Feast of Plenty[/b] (PHB3): No debuff on the enemy, and positioning yourself so that more than you and one other get the THP is going to be tricky. In the end, this is mostly a defensive power for yourself. [COLOR=#00ccff][b]Passage of Swords[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): Attacks Fort, dazed (save ends) on hit, forced movement, and you grant a number of attacks, each with a hefty damage bonus. This is a top-class choice. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Spatial Anomaly[/b][/COLOR] (PsP): Teleport the enemy, two granted attacks, and possibly THP to your allies. It's okay, but Passage of Sword is tough competition. [COLOR=#ff0000][b]Spur the Battle[/b][/COLOR] (PsP): Allies adjacent to you can shift or move. That's not going to be many people, and it's a weak benefit regardless. [/sblock] [b]Level 10 Utility Disciplines[/b] [sblock] [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Force of Will[/b][/COLOR] (PsP): +2 to all defences for a turn to everyone in burst 3 is a great encounter power. The need to make a saving throw to trigger this power is a little irritating, but pair this with Mantle of Understanding to make your DM regret putting you in a situtation where you need to make saving throws. [COLOR=#ff00ff][b]Fostered Talent[/b][/COLOR] (PsP): Someone succeeds on a skill check, and everyone gets bonuses to skill checks. How useful this is depends entirely on how skill checks are used in your campaign. [COLOR=#33cccc][b]From the Brink[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): Surgeless recovery from dying, including getting over the irritating prone status. If your defender goes down, this is the best way to bring him back up again. And it's a minor! [b]Incite Bravery[/b] (PHB3)[b]:[/b] Sadly, you can only incite bravery in people very close to you. The bonuses aren't huge, and you're just not going to help that many of your allies. If your initiative is high, you might reliably be able to use this in the first turn, which makes it [COLOR=#0000ff][b]a little better[/b][/COLOR]. [b]Reactive Resistance[/b] (PHB3): Decent damage reduction against any attack is always going to be appreciated. [b]Psychic Boon[/b] (PsP): At level 10, this power essentially does the same thing as Energizing Strike, and Energizing Strike will pass it up from this point forward. The good news is that this doesn't require that you hit, but you've got better choices at this level. [COLOR=#00ccff][b]Tower of Iron Will[/b][/COLOR] (PHB3): A minor action gets you a burst 3 zone, in which allies get resist to a common attack type, a bonus to all defenses, and saving throws at the beginning of their turn against dominating and stunning effects, plus you can sustain it as a minor. This is a fantastic power. [COLOR=#ff0000][b]Unshakeable Bond[/b][/COLOR] (Dragon 395): Once per day, one single enemy can't get cover or concealment from you and you alone. There are too many better options at this level to even think about this. [COLOR=#ff00ff][b]Vital Summons[/b][/COLOR] (PsP): When an ally is bloodied or dying, you can teleport another ally adjacent to the one in trouble. The question really boils down to: is there anything really productive they can do? [b]Level 10 Skill Powers[/b] [sblock] [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Noble Sacrifice [/b][/COLOR](Diplomacy, PHB3): Prevent a bloodied ally from getting killed before you have a chance to heal him. [COLOR=#ff00ff][b]Prescient Defense[/b][/COLOR] (Insight, PHB3): Someone hits you, so you raise your defenses. If your DM gives the information you need to judge whether the +2 will keep the attack from hitting you, this becomes [COLOR=#00ccff][b]very good.[/b][/COLOR] [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Time Out[/b][/COLOR] (Heal, PHB3): Give an ally their second wind back. This gets much more mileage out of the party's healing. [/sblock] [/sblock] [/QUOTE]
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Ardent Admiration: An Ardent Handbook (by Dedekine)
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