Elemental Hero' Handbook

[AbdulAlhazred]

I just think that runepriest has the potential to easily be part of almost all the power sources based on the variable nature of its runes, and it has the best potential to be a powerful utility class if you could inscribe runes to give some sort of power boost to your party

Yeah, I don't dislike the Runepriest either, and it certainly hasn't got as much support as it could. It seems like it would work well with a nice elemental theme too. I just suspect it kind of represents the extreme end of a design aesthetic that isn't much in favor right now.

 

[Aegeri]

The Ice Archon player class. Striker role. You start with 12 + con surges. Your surge value is halved! It's dynamic!

You have vulnerable 5 fire. If fire damage reduces you to 0 HP you're immediately destroyed . . . unless you're wearing a heavy cloak!

Your striker mechanic is based around creating a wall/zone one round that does Secondary modifier cold damage. This is a standard. Next round you'll be able to do 1d6+primary that slides 2 into the wall/zone.

One of the designers saw a striker do Nova damage one time with a vampire. Didn't like it. Thought it was overpowered. He wanted to take strikers in a better direction by spreading there damage over rounds.

Plus the class is entirely suboptimal as a striker after level 5 and due to having no choices whatsoever anywhere, can't do jack about that problem unless you decide "Not playing this class" is the better idea.

Also the fire vulnerability won't be countered by a cloak, you need to be entirely encased in plate armor at all times. Chilled plate armor. With a door in the front. As a handy secondary benefit, PCs can store delicious foods and meats in you without them spoiling. So trail rations last twice as long! Huzzah for us!

 

[IanB]

I'd still play it just to use that cool ice archon mini more often.

 

[Aegeri]

They could make Archon a race. It would have half the surge value and be vulnerable to fire. As a standard action (at-will), you can turn into a block of ice that means you get pulled, pushed or slid 1 square less than normal. This will be one of the greatest defensive powers in the entire game as far as the developers are concerned and they will explain its immense roleplaying potential justifies its terrible mechanics. Nobody will understand this answer, but it's not like they care!

 

[Dice4Hire]

I'm looking forward to the Ice ARchon, a class/race/hybrid/Theme/PP and ED that is everything for everyone. Possessing all feats, powers and class abilities, it is everything for everyone.

Drawback: can only spend free actions.

 

[Incenjucar]

So since February is a LONG ways off, I decided to do a little experimenting with elemental mechanics to get people thinking about the possibilities. I'm hoping to make an encounters-ready 1st level character of each role using hypothetical elemental classes. The first one is a defender, the Xaosmith.

Anyone have any other ideas of what an elemental class could look like? Something that would be truly unique instead of just standard class+variable energy damage?

 

[hbnetto]

Make your chaos node difficult terrain. To everyone.

Defend ALONE. Nobody next to you.

Make your chaos node absorve attacks. Like a Blackhole. Make it pull your enemies.

Push your enemies into your chaos node. Make them suffer. Make yor chaos node "grab" them.

Make yor chaos node reflect you. Make him you, at high levels. Make it explode, and reform it.

Principal: don't make it swordmage

 

[Neverfate]

Power source + Dexterity ability score = Striker. At least this is WotC paradigm. Also, it secondaries into Controller. Just like most other Dex based classes.

So What would an Elemental striker be if it were it's own class, or at the very likely slapped into another class as a build? What differentiates it from the Storm Sorcerer or a Monk?

 

[Dice4Hire]

I think a good idea for an elemental striker would be one who deals lots of ongoing damage.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I predict that already the book will be the greatest thing in the world to half the people here, and a piece of crap to the other half. And we'll get 5 times as many threads decrying certain decisions WotC made on it as opposed to the ones that they did right.