Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Harder than a Rock: The Fighter's Handbook (By lorduskblade)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Veep" data-source="post: 6707782" data-attributes="member: 6793297"><p><strong><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 18px"><strong>At-Will Powers: Foundation of the Rock</strong></span></p><p></strong></p><p>Fighters have a very tough conundrum to face in that you have a wide breadth of At-Will powers, and they all service different sorts of builds. As such, it's pretty hard to make sweeping generalizations on what At-Will power favors certain builds. That said, there are some trends that emerge across a given build. Shield Fighters without <strong>Tide of Iron </strong>or <strong>Footwork Lure</strong> are rare, as are Brawler Fighters without <strong>Grappling Strike</strong>, Battleragers without <strong>Crushing Surge</strong>, or dual-wielders sans <strong>Dual Strike</strong>. Fighters who like Constitution as their secondary attribute like <strong>Brash Strike</strong>, whereas those who favor Wisdom like <strong>Cleave</strong>. Apart from that, it's likely build-specific.</p><p></p><p>Some Fighter have specific requirements as to what you must be wielding, whether it be a shield, a two-handed weapon, two weapons, or something in your free hand. These will be separated into categories.</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 18px"><strong><strong>Free Hand:</strong></strong></span></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Grappling Strike</span> (MP 2)</strong> - One of the definitive powers for a grappling Fighter, it affords a free and easy methods of At-Will mobility control that goes through most of the restrictions the normal grab action faces. While the duration may be limited, it is still a very powerful tool you can apply in many situations, if you're built with a free hand in mind.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Slash and Pummel</span> (MP 2)</strong> - Don't be fooled by the fact that it's a single-target multiattack: the damage on the second hit is pitiful, so it really averages out to a little extra damage over your basic attack, while requiring another attack roll (and it'll do less damage if you miss the second hit). It gets <strong>better</strong> with investment, but I wouldn't take this power if you didn't plan on investing in making it better.</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 18px"><strong><strong>Shield:</strong></strong></span></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Resolute Shield</span> (D 382)</strong> - While resist all equal to your Constitution modifier sounds powerful at first glance, not all Fighters will have a Constitution modifier that makes this worth spamming. Additionally, only applying against one target makes it pretty marginal. Maybe some niche builds can make use of this, but most Fighters won't.</p><p></p><p><strong>Shield Feint (D 385)</strong> - A very interesting tool for a Shield Fighter looking for some extra offensive firepower, +3 to hit can turn quite a few misses into hits. However, being limited to one attack roll against one target means it has its limitations. Still a decent power, though.</p><p></p><p><strong>Tide of Iron (PHB)</strong> - A very solid power for Fighters, a push away from your allies allows you to redefine the frontline in a more beneficial manner for your party, as well as shove enemies away from adjacent party members in order for them to disengage safely, among other roles. A good solid choice by default, and it gets <span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>better</strong></span> with support. That said, its Shield requirement, the advent of Flail Expertise, and the size limitation on its effect have conspired to undermine its potential a bit.</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 18px"><strong><strong>Two-Handed Weapon: </strong></strong></span></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Wicked Strike</span> (D 379)</strong> - This power is analogous to Power Attack in many ways... then you come to the realization that Power Attack is just not that good overall for Fighters, and the same holds true for this At-Will. The loss to hit really stings, especially when most weapons that like Constitution could just go for Brash Strike instead. A pretty niche At-Will, though it's <strong>better</strong> in the hands of a charging Fighter who can mitigate the accuracy penalty.</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 18px"><strong><strong>Two Weapons:</strong></strong></span></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Dual Strike</span> (MP)</strong> - One of the few ways a Fighter will truly attain At-Will multimarking, this offers a hit against two enemies, which simultaneously offers more chances to get someone locked down and ups your overall damage output. A must if you're handling two weapons.</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 18px"><strong><strong>Any Weapon:</strong></strong></span></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff"></span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff"></span><span style="color: #0000ff">Brash Strike</span> (MP)</strong> - A powerful choice for any Fighter relying on Constitution, it has two major draws in that it buffs the accuracy of weapon groups not known for their precision, and it offers the opportunity to apply two ability score modifiers to your damage roll. One of the good choices for just about everybody who can use it effectively.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Cleave</span> (PHB)</strong> - A basic swing with a bit of extra damage to another adjacent target. This is good for softening up multiple targets simultaneously, as well as making "minion check" swings at enemies around you. It also has some of the best feat support to enhance it among the Fighter At-Wills, which can make it go from good to <span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>great</strong></span>.</p><p></p><p><strong>Crushing Surge (MP)</strong> - A basic attack with the ability to grant you some THP if you have Endurance trained and your Con is worth looking at. As it is, a Constitution-based Fighter can definitely wring some use of this, and it's obviously <span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>very useful</strong></span> if you're a Battlerager.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Footwork Lure</span> (MP)</strong> - This power is a decent repositioning tool, since it can help you yank people where you need to go and gives you some mobility as well. Additionally, it has the benefit of some <span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>sweet support</strong></span> you will be well served by indulging in, particularly if you're a Flail user.</p><p></p><p><strong>Knockdown Assault (PHH 1)</strong> - While knocking prone At-Will and hitting a NAD are certainly nice things, the damage is pitiful, you can achieve At-Will proning without having to resort to not dealing any real damage, and Fortitude tends to be rather high on most people you tangle with (so it's not that huge an advantage). Being charge-friendly makes it tolerable, though.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Reaping Strike</span> (PHB)</strong> - This At-Will essentially boils down to having a little miss damage on your attack. While that is OK for DPR purposes (though it's better to optimize to hit than it is to miss), it's really not all that more powerful than an MBA, especially considering most Fighters are rather accurate. I wouldn't.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Sure Strike</span> (PHB)</strong> - +2 to hit is nice and all, but giving up an ability score's worth of damage for it is a bit much, especially when an MBA can straight-up out-damage it for a rather large period (if not all) of a Fighter's career. That makes it trash for most Fighters, barring feat support.</p><p></p><p><strong>Threatening Rush (MP 2)</strong> - It trades in a cut of your damage for mass marking. While mass marking is a very nice tool in the Fighter's arsenal, this doesn't offer a contingency miss factor like Dual Strike (or its extra damage), and it's not like you can enforce all of these marks simultaneously. Being charge-friendly helps, though.</p><p></p><p><strong>Vicious Offensive (DSCS)</strong> - This is basically an MBA, with the ability to mark two enemies instead of one. As such, it can offer a nice At-Will multimarking tool in the arsenal of a Fighter that should find a need for it. That said, you can't actually enforce both of those marks simultaneously until later in your career, so bear that in mind.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Weapon Master's Strike</span> (D 382)</strong> - While the versatile array of effects is all well and good, the real meat of the power lies in the hands of Polearm and Spear users, because being able to have enemies provoke OA's on shifts can be great for frontloading the punishment of an OA and a CC attack into a single mark violation. That said, additional AC or damage can be useful. This At-will does <strong>lose a bit of steam</strong> later on, because it doesn't scale in damage at Epic like most others do.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Veep, post: 6707782, member: 6793297"] [B][CENTER][SIZE=5][b]At-Will Powers: Foundation of the Rock[/b][/SIZE][/CENTER][/B] Fighters have a very tough conundrum to face in that you have a wide breadth of At-Will powers, and they all service different sorts of builds. As such, it's pretty hard to make sweeping generalizations on what At-Will power favors certain builds. That said, there are some trends that emerge across a given build. Shield Fighters without [b]Tide of Iron [/b]or [b]Footwork Lure[/b] are rare, as are Brawler Fighters without [b]Grappling Strike[/b], Battleragers without [b]Crushing Surge[/b], or dual-wielders sans [b]Dual Strike[/b]. Fighters who like Constitution as their secondary attribute like [b]Brash Strike[/b], whereas those who favor Wisdom like [b]Cleave[/b]. Apart from that, it's likely build-specific. Some Fighter have specific requirements as to what you must be wielding, whether it be a shield, a two-handed weapon, two weapons, or something in your free hand. These will be separated into categories. [Size=5][b][b]Free Hand:[/b][/b][/size] [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Grappling Strike[/COLOR] (MP 2)[/b] - One of the definitive powers for a grappling Fighter, it affords a free and easy methods of At-Will mobility control that goes through most of the restrictions the normal grab action faces. While the duration may be limited, it is still a very powerful tool you can apply in many situations, if you're built with a free hand in mind. [b][COLOR=#800080]Slash and Pummel[/COLOR] (MP 2)[/b] - Don't be fooled by the fact that it's a single-target multiattack: the damage on the second hit is pitiful, so it really averages out to a little extra damage over your basic attack, while requiring another attack roll (and it'll do less damage if you miss the second hit). It gets [b]better[/b] with investment, but I wouldn't take this power if you didn't plan on investing in making it better. [Size=5][b][b]Shield:[/b][/b][/size] [b][COLOR=#800080]Resolute Shield[/COLOR] (D 382)[/b] - While resist all equal to your Constitution modifier sounds powerful at first glance, not all Fighters will have a Constitution modifier that makes this worth spamming. Additionally, only applying against one target makes it pretty marginal. Maybe some niche builds can make use of this, but most Fighters won't. [b]Shield Feint (D 385)[/b] - A very interesting tool for a Shield Fighter looking for some extra offensive firepower, +3 to hit can turn quite a few misses into hits. However, being limited to one attack roll against one target means it has its limitations. Still a decent power, though. [b]Tide of Iron (PHB)[/b] - A very solid power for Fighters, a push away from your allies allows you to redefine the frontline in a more beneficial manner for your party, as well as shove enemies away from adjacent party members in order for them to disengage safely, among other roles. A good solid choice by default, and it gets [COLOR=#0000ff][b]better[/b][/COLOR] with support. That said, its Shield requirement, the advent of Flail Expertise, and the size limitation on its effect have conspired to undermine its potential a bit. [Size=5][b][b]Two-Handed Weapon: [/b][/b][/size] [b][COLOR=#800080]Wicked Strike[/COLOR] (D 379)[/b] - This power is analogous to Power Attack in many ways... then you come to the realization that Power Attack is just not that good overall for Fighters, and the same holds true for this At-Will. The loss to hit really stings, especially when most weapons that like Constitution could just go for Brash Strike instead. A pretty niche At-Will, though it's [b]better[/b] in the hands of a charging Fighter who can mitigate the accuracy penalty. [Size=5][b][b]Two Weapons:[/b][/b][/size] [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Dual Strike[/COLOR] (MP)[/b] - One of the few ways a Fighter will truly attain At-Will multimarking, this offers a hit against two enemies, which simultaneously offers more chances to get someone locked down and ups your overall damage output. A must if you're handling two weapons. [Size=5][b][b]Any Weapon:[/b][/b][/size] [b][COLOR=#00ccff] [/COLOR][COLOR=#0000ff]Brash Strike[/COLOR] (MP)[/b] - A powerful choice for any Fighter relying on Constitution, it has two major draws in that it buffs the accuracy of weapon groups not known for their precision, and it offers the opportunity to apply two ability score modifiers to your damage roll. One of the good choices for just about everybody who can use it effectively. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Cleave[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b] - A basic swing with a bit of extra damage to another adjacent target. This is good for softening up multiple targets simultaneously, as well as making "minion check" swings at enemies around you. It also has some of the best feat support to enhance it among the Fighter At-Wills, which can make it go from good to [COLOR=#00ccff][b]great[/b][/COLOR]. [b]Crushing Surge (MP)[/b] - A basic attack with the ability to grant you some THP if you have Endurance trained and your Con is worth looking at. As it is, a Constitution-based Fighter can definitely wring some use of this, and it's obviously [COLOR=#00ccff][b]very useful[/b][/COLOR] if you're a Battlerager. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Footwork Lure[/COLOR] (MP)[/b] - This power is a decent repositioning tool, since it can help you yank people where you need to go and gives you some mobility as well. Additionally, it has the benefit of some [COLOR=#00ccff][b]sweet support[/b][/COLOR] you will be well served by indulging in, particularly if you're a Flail user[b][/b]. [b]Knockdown Assault (PHH 1)[/b] - While knocking prone At-Will and hitting a NAD are certainly nice things, the damage is pitiful, you can achieve At-Will proning without having to resort to not dealing any real damage, and Fortitude tends to be rather high on most people you tangle with (so it's not that huge an advantage). Being charge-friendly makes it tolerable, though. [b][COLOR=#800080]Reaping Strike[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b] - This At-Will essentially boils down to having a little miss damage on your attack. While that is OK for DPR purposes (though it's better to optimize to hit than it is to miss), it's really not all that more powerful than an MBA, especially considering most Fighters are rather accurate. I wouldn't. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Sure Strike[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b] - +2 to hit is nice and all, but giving up an ability score's worth of damage for it is a bit much, especially when an MBA can straight-up out-damage it for a rather large period (if not all) of a Fighter's career. That makes it trash for most Fighters, barring feat support. [b]Threatening Rush (MP 2)[/b] - It trades in a cut of your damage for mass marking. While mass marking is a very nice tool in the Fighter's arsenal, this doesn't offer a contingency miss factor like Dual Strike (or its extra damage), and it's not like you can enforce all of these marks simultaneously. Being charge-friendly helps, though. [b]Vicious Offensive (DSCS)[/b] - This is basically an MBA, with the ability to mark two enemies instead of one. As such, it can offer a nice At-Will multimarking tool in the arsenal of a Fighter that should find a need for it. That said, you can't actually enforce both of those marks simultaneously until later in your career, so bear that in mind. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Weapon Master's Strike[/COLOR] (D 382)[/b] - While the versatile array of effects is all well and good, the real meat of the power lies in the hands of Polearm and Spear users, because being able to have enemies provoke OA's on shifts can be great for frontloading the punishment of an OA and a CC attack into a single mark violation. That said, additional AC or damage can be useful. This At-will does [b]lose a bit of steam[/b] later on, because it doesn't scale in damage at Epic like most others do. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Harder than a Rock: The Fighter's Handbook (By lorduskblade)
Top