Ghost power and Foresight power

[RangerWickett]

What do you think of these two powers as 1st level encounter abilities?


Three Visions
You share with your allies a glimpse of the motions of the heavens, revealing fortuitous and unfortuitous paths.
Encounter * Primal
Minor Action Close burst 5
Target: One ally in burst

Effect: The target rolls three d20s and notes their results in order.

On the target’s next turn, the first time it would make an attack roll, it instead uses the first d20 as if it had rolled that result on the die. On its next turn thereafter, it uses the second d20 for its first attack roll. On its next turn after that, it uses the third d20 for its first attack roll.



Unfinished Business
With a manipulative whisper, you call up the spirit of a recently slain creature for one last attack.
Encounter * Psionic
Standard Action Close burst 5
Target: One creature in burst. The creature must have been killed since the beginning of your last turn, and must still be dead.

Effect: Choose one of the at-will attacks the target had while it was alive. The creature performs that attack against a target of your choice, acting momentarily as if it were alive and standing in its own space. It gains a +2 bonus to its attack roll.

 

[dangerous jack]

Unfinished business is really evocative, but it's fairly situational. It can't be used in an encounter vs a single enemy, and since the range is only 5 squares you're leaning towards melee foes so you need another enemy to be right beside it. So I probably wouldn't pick it as my only encounter power at level 1. If it was at will, I'd definitely consider it.

Three Visions is likewise a very evocative, interesting idea. But it could take the fun out of my upcoming turn if I know I have a natural 1 coming up. Turns are already too far apart. And on the other hand, the ability to guarantee that your daily power will hit or even crit if you know you have a good roll coming is really powerful. I'd move it to a daily, maybe a level 2 utility? Or instead of using the 3 in order, how about if they roll 1d3 to see which d20 gets used in the first attack, then 1d2 in the second attack? More complicated perhaps, but leaves a little of the mystery.

Overall: very cool, and I'd really like to see more powers along these lines, because I think they push the 4e system.

 

[dangerous jack]

After thinking on it some more, if you allow the ghost to move a few squares before using its power, that might also work.

 

[RangerWickett]

Thanks for the feedback.

My thought was, you can avoid sadness with Three Visions if you use multi-target powers, or if you just take the 'bad roll turn' as an excuse to move or do non-attack stuff.

Another possible version would be:

The ally chooses an attack power he knows, rolls a d20, and marks the result. The next time the ally would make an attack roll for that power this encounter, he must instead use the rolled result.

Is that version better?

And good point about letting the ghost move a bit before the attack.

 

[Morrus]

I love how evocative and out-of-the-box they are. The effects match the descriptions, and they aren't "damage plus a condition". Awesome - I wish all 4E powers were like that!

 

[dangerous jack]

My thought was, you can avoid sadness with Three Visions if you use multi-target powers, or if you just take the 'bad roll turn' as an excuse to move or do non-attack stuff.

Non-attack stuff? That's crazy-talk! I hadn't actually thought of multi-target powers as a work-around.

Another possible version would be:

The ally chooses an attack power he knows, rolls a d20, and marks the result. The next time the ally would make an attack roll for that power this encounter, he must instead use the rolled result.

Is that version better?

That's a very interesting version. Still gives the player a choice to try something else, but he knows part of his fate. Yeah, I think that's an improvement. I still like the idea of 3 rolls but he doesn't know the order, but I'd use this version. Might even try it out with my group, who are travelling with an NPC sage at the moment.

And I fully agree with Morrus that getting away from damage+condition is the way forward. The more I think about it, the more I would take these powers for the variety & wicked flavour. Something about them makes me think of an invoker though, rather than a primal hero.

 

[RangerWickett]

How about these? The first is for a sort of philosopher doomsday cult, the second for an artificer-esque theme.

Icy End of the Earth
The world shall end in ice. As you sense the closeness of your own mortality, this undeniable doomsday manifests in your presence.
Encounter * Psionic, Cold
Standard Action
Prerequisite: You must be bloodied to use this power.

Effect: You create a stationary zone of unnatural winter in close burst 2, including your own space. The zone lasts until you leave its area, until you are unconscious, or until you are not bloodied. Creatures in the zone cannot heal damage or gain temporary hit points.

Creatures that start their turn in the zone take 5 cold damage. You cannot reduce the damage this power does to you in any way. (Other creatures can apply their resistances and immunities as normal.)
Level 11: 10 cold damage.
Level 21: 15 cold damage.



Disposable Simulacrum
You pull out a pre-assembled gadget, tie it to your life force, and animate it so it can recreate one of your fighting techniques.
Encounter * Arcane, Summoning
Minor Action Ranged 1

Effect: Choose an at-will power you know that can be used as a standard, move, or minor action. You place a Small contraption in an unoccupied square within range. It has your defenses, speed 2, and hit points equal to your bloodied value. The contraption cannot move on its own or manipulate items, unless the at-will power you chose lets it do so.

You can give the contraption the following special command as long as it is within 10 squares of you.

Standard Action * At-Will
Effect: The contraption uses the at-will power you chose, using your normal statistics, as if you were in the contraption’s square. If the power is sustainable, you can spend actions to sustain it. You cannot enhance the power with power points.

 

[noodle fish mice]

Icy End of the Earth seems powerful for an encounter power, but the fact that you have to be bloodied and remain in the zone for it to keep going is a great balancing act. I'd have to see it in play to decide whether it were broken, but as is it's very evocative and cool.

Meanwhile, I love Disposable Simulacrum.

 

[dangerous jack]

Icy End of the Earth is a great power to tie together a group of enemies over a campaign. I probably wouldn't take it as a player though. But it definitely will often be an encounter shaping power, since presumably every enemy will be bloodied at some point. A few of these guys in a group could ramp up the excitement at the end of an encounter as the entire battlefield is transformed.

Disposable Simulacrum looks like it has the potential to be a lot of fun. I really like the concept, but I'm not sure how to use it optimally other than as a (significant) hp shield or pillion. I did notice that it has speed 2 but also cannot move on its own.

 

[noodle fish mice]

I noticed the speed thing, too, but then I realized it was probably for the purposes of at-will powers that allow you to move your speed.