D&D 4E D&D 4E Homebrew Rules & Changes - Looking for feedback

[MwaO]

Warlords hybrid quite sweetly too and with most classes ... depending on what you want to emphasize, i think but quite well anyway.

Warlords lose their full-blown AP feature and even if they invest Hybrid Talent into it, they can only use it once per encounter. If the goal is to be a Warlord, you lose stuff. With Swordmages, they just lose their AC feature really. Wizards lose the one class feature+ritual caster and can get both back.

i.e. you can be Warlord|Swordmage and now you have a way to boost Init for a usually challenged class at the cost of a feat. Or you can be an Artificer|Wizard with a 20 Int/14 Wis, spend a hybrid talent feat on your Orb feat, then spend another feat for Ritual Caster via Divine Secretkeeper for an extra skill too.

But you can't actually boost everyone's AP as a Warlord unless you get it from one of the A+ Leader paragon paths.

 

[Garthanos]

Warlords lose their full-blown AP feature and even if they invest Hybrid Talent into it, they can only use it once per encounter.

Ah that has a lower impact with you have two or three players and they do not necessarly push on hard to pick up the action points.

 

[MwaO]

Ah that has a lower impact with you have two or three players and they do not necessarly push on hard to pick up the action points.

Right. But the Swordmage or Wizard doesn't care about optimization or party size. You literally lose almost nothing at all from being a Swordmage|Battlemind. In fact, your mark improves. You usually want a good Constitution. Just need one feat to make AC defender class.

 

[Garthanos]

Right. But the Swordmage or Wizard doesn't care about optimization or party size. You literally lose almost nothing at all from being a Swordmage|Battlemind. In fact, your mark improves. You usually want a good Constitution. Just need one feat to make AC defender class.

Nods Warlords being interactive with the party size and optimization/composition is arguably a standard feature of the class

Hmmm I have a character for which that hybrid combo might represent rather well especially with some of the custom Battlemind spells I have been working up.

Swordmage/Wizard is one of the Gandalf combos I have seen.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Warlords hybrid quite sweetly too and with most classes ... depending on what you want to emphasize, i think but quite well anyway.

Warlord has the virtue of having a wide variety of secondary stats, which obviously helps. You're likely to be able to find some variation that will synergize with another class. Most leaders are CHA, so they all tend to cross well with each other. Then you've got some CHA Arcane classes that can mix in control/striker options, etc. Bard, and Cleric tend to be pretty easy to mix and match as well, though I think personally that cleric is less rewarding than some.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Right. But the Swordmage or Wizard doesn't care about optimization or party size. You literally lose almost nothing at all from being a Swordmage|Battlemind. In fact, your mark improves. You usually want a good Constitution. Just need one feat to make AC defender class.

Yup, that's for sure. ALMOST any straight single-classed melee-oriented character will add value by hybrid Swordmage, unless you have very specific build plans and you get squeezed for power slots or something. And ironically you can be a better swordmage by picking up some kind of hybrid as well. Wizard likewise works for anyone that has high INT anyway.

 

[Garthanos]

Wizard likewise works for anyone that has high INT anyway.

Which ironically might be seen as one reason to not worry (balance wise) about adding controller style effects for usable by tactical warlords (and it already has a number)

 

[Cyvris]

Just chiming in that I love your tweak to Healing Surges. So nabbing that for the Dark Sun game I'm going to run. Might change it a bit (let players make an Endurance check to gain more), but the idea is fantastic and fixes some of 4e's "super hero" feel.

 

[MwaO]

Which ironically might be seen as one reason to not worry (balance wise) about adding controller style effects for usable by tactical warlords (and it already has a number)

Int-Warlord is about the closest thing 4e has to a super-class. It doesn't need more options without losing others.

 

[Animakuro]

Just chiming in that I love your tweak to Healing Surges. So nabbing that for the Dark Sun game I'm going to run. Might change it a bit (let players make an Endurance check to gain more), but the idea is fantastic and fixes some of 4e's "super hero" feel.

I'm glad to hear it

If you're still around to let me know how the rule worked out in play and what the players thought of it I'd really appreciate it