Now you can make at-will powers: Sample build...

[breschau]

I solved at-will powers.

If you use this, please give me credit.

The formula is [now] spot on for 22 of the 33 powers. A few are over cost, a few under, and a few are total mysteries. With this you can make all the 1st level at-wills listed in the classes, except the "?"s below. Feel free to check this against the books. If you solve any of the ones I couldn't, or catch a flub, let me know. Have fun, make new powers and please post 'em.

This is a first draft, work in progress. It took me a few hours today and it's late. Thought I'd post and see what people think.

At-Will Powers

Base Power
Pick damage type
Standard Action
Target: One creature
Attack: Stat vs. Defense
Hit: 1d6 and 10 range or 1[w] and no range + attack stat modifier of a given type damage.
Double damage + attack stat modifier at 21st level.

The individual effects and modifications to the above basic power cost points. All powers are build using five (5) points. Point costs of powers are detailed below.

Increasing Range: Weapon power range is zero (0). Die type range starts at 10 and can be moved one step on the chart below for a one (1) point. Increasing range one step costs one (1) point, decreasing range one step grants one (1) point. For example: decreasing range to 5 squares would grant two (2) points.

Range Chart: 0 / 3 / 5 / 10 / 20

Target: Additional attacks are covered elsewhere. Adding an area effect is covered elsewhere.

Attack: You pick the attack stat and the defense targeted. No cost.

Damage: You can increase the die type to d8 for two (2) point, or to d10 for four (4) points. You can also earn back one (1) point be decreasing the die type. Base die type is d6. For example: reducing damage to d4 would give you an additional point. You can drop the +stat mod damage to gain two (2) points. You can drop the die type and only deal stat mod damage to gain four (4) points. You can add an additional damage die for 2 two (2) points.

Effects: There are many effects possible with powers. Consult the chart below for effects and costs.

Effect: Cost:
Area of effect 4
Invisibility (one round) 6
Avoid opportunity attacks 7
Ignore shift / OA prevention 7
Move (1 square) 3
Temporary hit points (by stat mod) 4
Temporary hit points (one-half level) 3
Make saving throw 6
Attack bonus (+1) 3
Attack bonus (+1 per adjacent enemy) 6
Attack bonus (by stat mod) 5
Attack penalty (-1 to target) 3
Shifting (1 square) 4
Additional 1[w] attack (damage, no stat mod) 8
Additonal attack (stat mod) 4
Additional attack (on hit, no new roll, damage by stat mod) 6
Additional dx attack w/ stat mod 7
Damage bonus (second stat mod) 6
Damage on miss (half stat mod) 3
Damage on miss (conditional full stat mod) 3
Push (1 square) 2
Push (by stat mod) 4
Basic attack 2
Duration (until end of next round) 1
AC bonus (+1) 3
Target slowed (until end of next turn) 6
Conditional effect -1
1[w] damage vs Will/Reflexes 6
1[w] damage vs Fortitude 3

Cleric powers: Lance of Faith, 6pts. Priest’s Shield, 6pts. Righteous Brand, 6pts. Sacred Flame, 6pts.

Fighter powers: Cleave, 6pts. Reaping Strike, 6pts. Sure Strike, 6pts. Tide of Iron, 6pts.

Paladin powers: Bolstering Strike, 4pts, Enfeebling Strike, 6pts. Holy Strike, 5pts. Valiant Strike, 6pts.

Ranger powers: Careful Attack, 4pts. Hit and Run, 6pts. Nimble Strike, 4pts. Twin Strike, 6pts.

Rogue powers: Deft Strike, 6pts. Piercing Strike, 6pts. Riposte Strike, 7pts? Sly Flourish, 6pts.

Warlock powers: Dire Radiance, 6pts. Eldritch Blast, 6pts. Eyebite, 6pts. Hellish Rebuke, 6pts.

Warlord powers: Commander’s Strike, ?pts. Furious Smash, 7pts. Viper’s Strike, 6pts. Wolf Pack Tactics, 4pts.

Wizard powers: Cloud of Daggers, 10pts. Magic Missile, 4pts. Ray of Frost, 6pts. Scortching Burst, 4pts. Thunderwave, 6pts.

 

[Leatherhead]

I believe that attacking ref/fort/will VS attacking AC is factored in somehow, at least for abilities that use weapons. This may also imply that using an implement has a negative modifier(due to lack of prof. bonuses) in order to balance this out: Note how all of the attacks that require implements target something other than AC, giving the attack a better chance of landing.

Also of note is that some at wills are classified as requiring a Melee or Ranged weapon. This may also have some significance, due to the attack having a variable range.

There may be some significance if the attack is limited by requirements like "must be using a light blade/shield", as such a restriction effectively caps what kind of 1[W] damage the attack can do. This may be a function of class/role however.

Edit: clarity.

 

[Revinor]

Careful attack should be 4 points (you drop stat damage).

I don't see it in you table, but generally attacking something else than AC (at least with weapon attacks) is for sure worth some points - Piercing Strike from rogue is based on that.

BTW, if you require table of 25 modifiers to get 17 powers spot on, something is wrong. Theory should explain more effects than it has variables inside.


From what I have observed, rules for the at-will powers might be a lot easier. You start with base of stat versus AC, dealing 1[W]+stat for weapons, and stat versus anything, dealing 1d6+stat for 'spells'. Then, you add one extra thing to the power, with 'extra' being:

- attack other defense than AC with weapon
- increase spell damage for 1d10/2d4
- add another stat of damage, either to primary target or adjacent target
- burst 1
- push target by few squares
- apply effect till end of your next turn
- retribution effect (make another attack if you get attacked before next round, or target gets close)
- move few squares/shift 1 square before or after attack
- get +2 to hit at the cost of stat damage bonus
- get 2[W] instead of 1[W] + stat
- generate temporary hp equal to stat
- give or take 2 to/from hit for ally or enemy for next attack
- deal half stat dmg on miss


Obviously, this way is also fully based on exceptions, but at least there is no need for overcomplicated point system, plus it fits existing powers quite well (from the very definition). There are few powers which are very specific and I would not try to make out system out of them (Valiant strike, Thunderwave).

You have to be quite creative with this rules - for example Commander's Strike is an example of "add another stat of damage, either to primary target or adjacent target". You deal 1[W]+stat (actually, it is your friend who deals it, but it is the same thing) + extra Int. Fact that it is somebody else dealing the damage is just a fluff for warlord - at it's root, power is just 1[W]+Str+Int.

 

[Quickleaf]

Nice work! By the looks of it, you're onto something.

Quick question about "Eye Bite" and valuing invisibility at 3 pts... What about powers that grant you some feature like invisibility which only applies to one target?

 

[WhatGravitas]

This may also imply that using an implement has a negative modifier(due to lack of prof. bonuses) in order to balance this out: Note how all of the attacks that require implements target something other than AC, giving the attack a better chance of landing.

Yeah, this: According to the statistics thread, monster AC is on average three points higher than Reflex. And proficiency gives you about that (+2 - +3).

Cheers, LT.

 

[Blackbrrd]

Attacking something else but AC with a weapon is a big advantage, about +1 for fortitude and +3 for reflex/will.

 

[breschau]

25 variables with 17 spot on?
Many powers grant multiple effects from the list above. The powers that are over in cost have more effects than normal.

Piercing Strike?
All the 1[w] damage powers target AC except Piercing Strike. That could cost a full 6 points.

Maybe
1[w] damage vs Will/Reflexes +6 pts
1[w] damage vs Fortitude +3 pts

None of the die type damage powers target AC.

Good catch, thank you.

Points or exceptions?
I would rather have a build system so that players and DMs know what to expect with homemade at-wills. If it's all exception based then you will easily have players coming up with utterly broken at-wills. This way, the math is there from the start.

 

[Revinor]

I would rather have a build system so that players and DMs know what to expect with homemade at-wills. If it's all exception based then you will easily have players coming up with utterly broken at-wills. This way, the math is there from the start.

At some point they can coverge - if you list all my exceptions and assign their cost to 6 points each, there is no much difference

 

[cdrcjsn]

Huh. I thought they used a chart similar to the chart at DMG pg185.

Power can then be differentiated according to class role (i.e. different weights given for area effects depending on if the power is coming from a Controller or a Striker).

 

[breschau]

I reworked the points and structure a little and bumped up the spot ons to 22 of 33. I edited my original post rather than put the entire thing again here.