Dragon Mag Trust Issues

[Cadfan]

I just checked the character builder, and that must be the one you're referring to.

If memory serves, though, there WAS a feat that was +1 attack and damage. I'm sure of it.

There are some feats that give +1 attack and damage for specific things, but the damage generally does not grow as you advance in tier. This means that you get the benefits of Expertise and Focus in the heroic tier, but then either take an additional feat when you hit paragon tier, or take Focus eventually, ending up in the same place as someone who spent the same two feats for the same two advantages.

An example would be Hellfire Blood. +1 attack and damage with Fear and Fire powers. But its conditional (fire and fear only), doesn't grow with tier, and doesn't stack with much.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

from my experiance, the WTF moments in my game have come from phb1 ranger powers...the cloak of distortion (adv 1)...Sword mage PP power called 4 winds (FR PG)... and a totaly miss read rule...not once has a WTF moment come from dragon yet...

 

[Inyssius]

I got one outta Eberron, several outta the PHB, and one or two outta Divine Power.

Certainly none out of Dragon.

 

[yesnomu]

Amusingly, Githzerai Blade Master is actually a preview feat from PHB3.

As mentioned before, Dwarves and Eladrin get similar feats. They wrap together proficiency with a free Weapon Focus and a bonus +1 damage to make up for the lack of a racial Strength bonus, in my opinion. On the other hand, it does make Githzerai Avengers severely awesome.

 

[AllisterH]

Hell, the most unbalancing things I've seen come from AV1.

Uncheck that box on the character builder and many an optimizer will cry.

 

[Jack99]

Some of the most unbalanced powers come from the PHB - for example those that give encounter-long penalties to the target, with no possibility of removing the penalty.

While Dragon certainly has a slip-up now and then, there is absolutely no reason to ban them up front, other than a lack of overview.

 

[Khur]

Stuff in Dragon and Dungeon mags goes through the same process that stuff in the books does. Further, before going into the compilation at the end of each month, and then into the CB and Compendium, it gets looked at again after we go over player feedback. If you're disallowing Dragon game elements, you're disallowing elements that get the same or, perhaps, better treatment as the ones you're allowing from the books. I'm not suggesting this is wrong for you to do, because everyone should play how he or she wants to. I'm just informing y'all of what goes on here.

The Githzerai Blademaster feat isn't PH3 debut, it's in the "Playing Githzerai" article (page 85 of Dragon 378). As someone mentioned, significant is the lack of racial Str bonus for githzerai--but not all githzerai use Str for attack and damage. This feat is awesome-sauce for an avenger, a Wis-based striker. That's intentional, because a cloth-wearing avenger is a lot like the githzerai warrior-monk archetype. Also, the feat is thematic, going all the way back to 1e gith-races' sword use (see the Fiend Folio).

To me, though, feats that allow PCs to dish a little more damage, thus speeding monsters to their demise, are rarely bad for the game.

 

[Phaezen]

I only think its fair that my players can use things from the Dragon Magazine, afterall I am stealing large parts of various articles for my new campaign

 

[catsclaw227]

Wow, is this ever a change.

For years, I've seen "No Dragon material" as a fairly common house rule stretching back to 1e days.

Now, it almost appears to be the other way around for Dragon. Quite the change.

Yea, I noticed that too, a few months ago. I realized that even if it was posted in eDragon, eDungeon or in a splat book, I didn't have to vet it first before allowing it in my game.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Wow, is this ever a change.

For years, I've seen "No Dragon material" as a fairly common house rule stretching back to 1e days.

Now, it almost appears to be the other way around for Dragon. Quite the change.

Didn't see that happening, around here. And, when DMing, I've been open to whatever from wherever, but on a case-by-case basis, regardless of a WotC sticker on the front or not (f'rex.)

But I guess the 'shift' (if there is one, in general) would be to do with the DDI (by which, I mean Character Builder, mostly.) Makes sense, on at least one level.