How do you like your martial characters?

[B.T.]

Fairly self-explanatory, I think. Describe your preferred method of powers/combat maneuvers for martial characters. Some examples might be:

• AEDU, 4e-style.
• At-will combat maneuvers. Characters rely on a basic attack but can try other maneuvers in place of it (trip, disarm, etc.).
• At-will powers that replace/modify the basic attack (4e-style, but not AEDU).
• Encounter powers.
• Special effects that trigger on a critical hit.
• No powers, just a basic attack that does it all.

EDIT: Oops, this should be moved to 5e discussion.

 

[El Mahdi]

How do you like your martial characters?

As a DM, I like them medium-rare to medium...


Seriously though, I want them somewhat like 4E, but only utilizing the At-Will and Encounter uses.

 

[Herschel]

I absolutely LOVE AEDU, the most fun system for martial characters ever.

 

[Daggerswan]

I will go with the second one. Base attack that can be replaced with specific maneuvers. All at will. With bacon.

 

[GX.Sigma]

At-will combat maneuvers that anyone can attempt, but martial characters are best at.

 

[BobTheNob]

Yea, martial characters are like a hamburger to me. Always reliably tasty, but not fancy.

I like simple and potent. My players want the martial characters playable without having to study nuance.

That said, the option to trade in some expanded options sounds really intriguing. Im interested to see what WOTC has in store in this regard.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Fairly self-explanatory, I think. Describe your preferred method of powers/combat maneuvers for martial characters.

Really, I just want a balanced game that handles the genre archetypes, and lets them play together. That means that martial heroes have to be just as awesome as arcane or divine ones. That means that genre conventions have to be compromised on, too. PC-magic can't be impossible to use in combat or exact extreme prices (like sacrficing innocents or selling your soul - that's just not heroic) or obviate what other characters can do.

Some examples might be:

• AEDU, 4e-style.

Fine, If and only if, non-martial classes also use AEDU.

• At-will combat maneuvers. Characters rely on a basic attack but can try other maneuvers in place of it (trip, disarm, etc.).

Fine for a detailed tactical game that only involves martial characters. Would be tough to balance with any sort of magic system, impossible to balance with the extant D&D magic systems I can think of. Maybe if casters are all like the 3.5 warlock?

• At-will powers that replace/modify the basic attack (4e-style, but not AEDU).
• No powers, just a basic attack that does it all.

Pretty worthless if that's all they get. Too limiting to model archetypes of heroic fantasy.

• Encounter powers.

Fine if all PCs get some comparable encounter resource.

• Special effects that trigger on a critical hit.

Fine if everyone makes attacks and gets cool f/x that trigger on crits, like in the latest version of Gamma World.

 

[JRRNeiklot]

Fairly self-explanatory, I think. Describe your preferred method of powers/combat maneuvers for martial characters. Some examples might be:

• AEDU, 4e-style.
• At-will combat maneuvers. Characters rely on a basic attack but can try other maneuvers in place of it (trip, disarm, etc.).
• At-will powers that replace/modify the basic attack (4e-style, but not AEDU).
• Encounter powers.
• Special effects that trigger on a critical hit.
• No powers, just a basic attack that does it all.

EDIT: Oops, this should be moved to 5e discussion.

• No powers, just a basic attack that does it all.

This should cover it, though I dislike the term "martial character." All characters should be ready to defend themselves and get in the thick of it. It's not ideal for a low ac, low hp character, but sooner or later it's gonna happen. Well, unless we get the decidedly un-magical at will spells. :-(

 

[CM]

For me I think the best of both worlds would be some sort of hybrid of 3e and 4e. Certain maneuvers would be at-will and anyone could attempt them: disarms, trips, bull rush, etc--while martial characters should also have some "special effects" things available only to them--like the 4e powers fan of knives, come-and-get-it, disruptive strike, and so on--to give them cool things to do like spellcasters.

 

[Arctic Wolf]

I prefer the essentials martial characters where they focused on the basic attack with at-wills and had encounter powers that did something special when you hit with an at-will. It is just that simple and they could always make the combat manuvers like the encounters in 4e.