Fighter Slayer preview

[Saeviomagy]

I'm not sure I'm comfortable that they've made a striker with defender hitpoints and surges. It just seems to me that if your choice is between a low-hitpoint, high damage striker and a high hitpoint high damage striker, the second one is the better choice every time...

It also puts the nail in the coffin of that rogue manuever that grants +cha to damage vs targets you don't have CA against: compared with getting double dex and +1 to hit ALL the time, it just pales in comparison.

 

[Danzauker]

Huh. I somehow glossed that.

Well, good. As I said, I like the idea of a steel-wrapped striker.

I'm surprised that they made one class build a different role than the others. I'll need to decide for sure how I feel about that, but my first instinct is that while I wouldn't have suggested it, it doesn't bother me.

I guess that's why they called the new builds "subclasses" instead of just "builds".

They are free to diverge more from the roles and mechanics of the "default" PHB builds while keeping reasonably true to the overall class archetype.

Could work. After all, a heavy warrior hitter (other than barbarians) is a classic fantasy class that was somewhat missing.

 

[Peraion Graufalke]

I don't know if this has been mentioned regarding Dex Melee Training and dumping Str, but you can't afford to dump Str completely if you're going for a Weapon Mastery feat with melee weapons at Epic. A slayer with a fullblade will want to have Str 21 at 21st level for Heavy Blade Mastery.

 

[Baumi]

I'm not sure I'm comfortable that they've made a striker with defender hitpoints and surges. It just seems to me that if your choice is between a low-hitpoint, high damage striker and a high hitpoint high damage striker, the second one is the better choice every time...

It also puts the nail in the coffin of that rogue manuever that grants +cha to damage vs targets you don't have CA against: compared with getting double dex and +1 to hit ALL the time, it just pales in comparison.

The Barbarian already got defender Hitpoints and Surges and that didn't destroy the game balance. The Slayer may be a bit tougher than the other Strikers but he is far less mobile so he cannot get away from the enemies that easily and has to be able to take some beating.

Also the Rogue comparison is bad, this is just ONE of his powers that just helps when he is not able to get CA (which should be rare). All the other ones either give him CA or make it easier to get it and CA does more damage than the Dex-Bonus of the Slayer.

 

[igniz13]

If this Slayer can function as a Ranged striker, what's the essential Ranger going to be like?

 

[Neonchameleon]

More sacred cows on the barbeque! Yum! And I'm glad the game's got the big simple steel-wrapped hitty class even if I have absolutely no desire to play one myself.

They do, however, probably need to errata Melee training.

 

[erf_beto]

Oh my goodness! A Fighter Striker variant! I LOOOVE IT!

I absolutely adore what they are doing with Essentials! It's almost like they are deconstructing 4e, tearing it apart and reassembling it in a new way. Kinda like LEGOs...

I always thought that some classes could be any other role depending on how you approach it, or fluff it, though they chose to build whole new classes (like the Avenger, which is really just an unarmored striker Paladin). But this? So many opportunities here...

Could the Warlord become a new Fighter 4eE build?

If this Slayer can function as a Ranged striker, what's the essential Ranger going to be like?

Maybe more mobile, controllery and possibly "vengeful" (interrupts and reactions, though easier all around - God, I hope so). But hey, what do I know?

 

[Jhaelen]

Well, that's ... unexpected. My first reaction is that I don't like it. Creating class builds with different primary roles is at best confusing and in the worst case broken.

Since you mix and match powers for a class, it opens a big can of worms. You can now create Mary-Sue characters without a clearly defined role by picking powers intended for different roles.

I'm not sure what would be worse:
Mary-Sue characters that actually work and are effective in every role or Mary-Sue characters that are dysfunctional and don't work in any role.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Could the Warlord become a new Fighter 4eE build?

Don´t think so,
but i strongly suspect, that the druid build will be the missing leader of the forgotten kingdom book.

I strongly hope a) weapon finesse does more than just melee training dexterity, and I hope the slayer also has something that makes him want at least medium strength (but maybe weapon specialization feats are sufficient to achieve that)

 

[Malisteen]

I fear melee training will be a casualty of essentials, murdered off because it's 'too good' for the new fighter, but leaving paladins, assassins, avengers, non-Str secondary monks, and any number of other melee classes without functional basic attacks to use. At least sword mages have their own feat.