D&D 4E New Information on 4E Classes from Races & Classes Book

[Cadfan]

The Warlord also has an interesting way in which his party is part of his build. A warlord would want to select different powers if his party is primarily ranged attackers than if his party is primarily melee brawlers. And his powers vary in strength depending on that.

If my party is a Warlord, a Rogue, a Wizard, and a Ranger, "Feather Me Yon Oaf" would probably be pretty good. If my party is a Warlord, a sword and shield bearing Fighter, a Paladin, and a Cleric, it probably wouldn't. But I bet a power which enhances group charge attacks would be pretty darn awesome. Fighter, Paladin, Warlord, and Cleric all simultaneously charging with a bonus on the attack? Sweet. Be sure to scream a battle cry at the top of your lungs for extra effect.

 

[Rechan]

My main concern is that the cleric shouldn't all be healers. Certainly even Nerull and his dread
faith might have those who heal and aid others in combat, probably leading Nerull's undead hordes. Of course they'd use negative energy often rather than positive, but I can see that. But what about a cleric who blasts infidels with lightning bolts from the heavens, or another calls upon his deity to create pillars of earth and pools of acid to impede his enemy and tangling plants to stop them from moving or clerics who call upon they're deity to protect them from damage, and have they're opponents attack them rather than his allies? Not all clerics would be Leaders so I think they should have the option to choose other roles.

First, the article said:

Consequently, cleric spells will now mostly involve buffs and combat spells (and a great many brand-new spells have been created for the cleric).

I'm certain that there will be some "Hey, you, take some divine-inspired damage" ala Flamestrike and other "Calling down the might of my God on your ass" spells.

Second, a lot of what you described sounds more like a multi-classed cleric than a straight cleric. Remember that, from what we've seen, multi-classing appears to let you get access to the powers of other classes, so a cleric could pick defender-y abilities, or controller-y abilities, to accomplish this.

Also we're told that some classes will have some abilities which help bridge the roles - the Warlock, a striker, getting some area-effecting controller abilities; the Paladin, a defender getting some Leader-like abilities.

 

[frankthedm]

Warlocks can align themselves with "the stars and the darkness between them" ... I don't know exactly what that could mean, but that sounds so cool.

The Lovecraftian Outer Gods and such. Sadly, it looks like the playtesting of that one got dropped off the warlock recently. It might be for the best since that sort of patron is really ill suited for heroes since those entities tend to drive thier servants insane. Or maybe one has to be insane to want to bargain with something that world obliteratingly dangerous.

[O]utside the ordered universe [is] that amorphous blight of nethermost confusion which blasphemes and bubbles at the center of all infinity—the boundless daemon sultan Azathoth, whose name no lips dare speak aloud, and who gnaws hungrily in inconceivable, unlighted chambers beyond time and space amidst the muffled, maddening beating of vile drums and the thin monotonous whine of accursed flutes.

 

[Rechan]

The Lovecraftian Outer Gods and such. Sadly, it looks like the playtesting of that one got dropped off the warlock recently. It might be for the best since that sort of patron is really ill suited for heroes since those entities tend to drive thier servants insane. Or maybe one has to be insane to want to bargain with something that world obliteratingly dangerous.

Given that there are Alienist PCs in games, I don't think it's that far out there in the realm of possibility.

 

[Blacksmithking]

Not all clerics would be Leaders so I think they should have the option to choose other roles.

I'm hoping the 4e cleric class allows for "cloistered cleric" or "white mage" style characters. I'd like to be able to use the Cleric class to describe followers of a god of Peace, Love, Magic, or Healing, for example.

 

[Rechan]

I'm hoping the 4e cleric class allows for "cloistered cleric" or "white mage" style characters. I'd like to be able to use the Cleric class to describe followers of a god of Peace, Love, Magic, or Healing, for example.

I seem to recall that the playtesters mentioned wanting something for a pacifist cleric, so they put some options in.

 

[Aldarc]

The question though is whether or not the 4E cleric addresses any of the common criticisms of the cleric class as a class whose only function is to act as a walking band-aid. Yeah, classes can now heal themselves and clerics can help them do a better job of it, but from the sound of it thus far why should I select the cleric class over the warlord class?

 

[Merlin the Tuna]

I'm not crazy about the Warlord class in general, but I think it'd be much better if it simply had an ability to grant a certain number of immediate actions to allies a certain number of times per day, to represent leadership and situation awareness - anything from "Behind you!" to "Everyone, take that troll down before it kills Bob!" to "Get him before he can escape!" - extra chances to avoid attacks, concentrate on a specific foe, or cut off someone trying to run for it.

Instead, we get the ability to order the allies to do one specific thing... Even if there are more of these kinds of abilities, having them limited to only one type of action feels very arbitrary and artificial to me. Hit the magic button, all your units do X... it reminds me, if anything, of the way hero abilities sometimes work in RTS games.

Er... that's kind of how Immediate Actions work. They're simple triggers, typically counterattacks. Admittedly this is getting about 45 seconds of thought, but I can't think of a situation where someone says "Now what to do with my immediate action..." Rather, the reason they exist is for the feeling of "Ah ha ha! You've activated my trap card! And now I'll attack your life points directly!"

Okay, so sometimes I like to yell Yu-Gi-Oh quotes. What of it?

 

[Rechan]

Okay, so sometimes I like to yell Yu-Gi-Oh quotes. What of it?

That's so CCG-y.

 

[Fifth Element]

I'm looking forward to reading the warlord ability descriptions in the PHB, in particular how they mesh together with the combat rules in general. For instance, as written in the summary that ability appears to allow characters to draw a missile weapon and fire it, in addition to their normal actions in a round. Perhaps the nature of the combat round and actions therein in changing; otherwise that's quite a lot for a character to do in 6 seconds.

Same thing with the paladin smites discussed earlier. Based purely on the mechanical effects, I can see how they may appear videogamey. I hold out hope that the fluff and description that accompanies the abilities grounds them a little bit, and gives them some solid rationale.