D&D 4E 4E updates/errata posted today 1/20/2009

[DracoSuave]

They got rid of the property on the Pact Hammer because the property literally does nothing. It allows you to do something you're already allowed to do, add curse damage. So they removed it because it's a waste of text.

 

[keterys]

Leaving an item even less useful than the revised Veteran's Armor... and one that looks really silly next to the Pact Sword right below it. Exactly

 

[Caliban]

They got rid of the property on the Pact Hammer because the property literally does nothing. It allows you to do something you're already allowed to do, add curse damage. So they removed it because it's a waste of text.

I wouldn't say it did nothing. It seemed to remove the limitation of doing your curse damage once per turn. With some multi-classing and power swap feats you could be doing curse damage multiple times in one round to the same target by using melee powers to attack with.

As it is, a dwarven warlock can still use the all-powerful Dwarven Weapon Training to get proficiency in a hammer and use it as an implement, gaining the +2 feat bonus to damage on all your warlock powers.

 

[keterys]

As it is, a dwarven warlock can still use the all-powerful Dwarven Weapon Training to get proficiency in a hammer and use it as an implement, gaining the +2 feat bonus to damage on all your warlock powers.

Does that actually work? Hmm, guess I'm wrong about the Pact Hammer being pretty useless. Still looks silly next to the Pact Sword, but... interesting.

 

[Caliban]

Does that actually work? Hmm, guess I'm wrong about the Pact Hammer being pretty useless. Still looks silly next to the Pact Sword, but... interesting.

Based on the answer to question # 21 in the FAQ, yes.

Answer

 

[keterys]

Thanks. Wonder if a Wizard can just cut to the chase and get Weapon Focus (Staff) then... but, I don't want to divert this thread. Pact Blade is probably a better solution after heroic tier, though unless you're worried about threatening for OAs with the hammer being slightly better.

 

[MarkB]

BTW, has Veteran's Armor been roundly decried as overpowered? This one (veteran's Armor) was a strange one to be caught in the "over-powered" net. It seems like the "errata elves" don't read ENWorld much. Ah well.

I had seen people discussing exploiting the armour by simply carrying around a +1 set in their pack, then donning it during a rest in order to regain a Daily power.

I play a lot of LFR, and it's quite easy to find yourself breezing through an initial encounter without expending an AP, then maybe facing a skill challenge or two which puts you past a milestone without ever rolling initiative - so you can quite easily find yourself heading into the more difficult second half of a scenario with Action Points to spare.

If that experience is commonplace for you, then the Daily power of Veteran's Armour effectively becomes: "Your favourite Daily Attack power".

I don't even think limiting it by item level would help. My Wizard would be more than satisfied to throw around an extra Flaming Sphere or Stinking Cloud each day - heroic-tier powers just don't build in effectiveness that much by level.

 

[RefinedBean]

My LFR Barbarian would rage over this, but once again he's stuck to 1 rage/day.

No wonder there's so many Veteran's Armors around. They all thought they were in good armor, and then effin' DIED because of it.

 

[DracoSuave]

I wouldn't say it did nothing. It seemed to remove the limitation of doing your curse damage once per turn. With some multi-classing and power swap feats you could be doing curse damage multiple times in one round to the same target by using melee powers to attack with.

Problem is, it doesn't say that it does, it merely says that you may add the extra damage. Warlock's Curse itself prevents that extra damage being used more than once per round. Without something to counteract that restriction, the Pact Hammer would do nothing except permit you to do something you already were allowed to do.

 

[ravenheart]

Not too beat a dead horse, but I could've revisioned the Veteran's Armor with a scaling power, something like this:

Level 12 or 17: Power (Daily): Free Action. Spend an action point. You do not gain the normal extra action. Instead, you regain the use of one expended encounter power.
Level 22 or 27: Power (Daily): Free Action. Spend an action point. You do not gain the normal extra action. Instead, you regain the use of one expended daily power.

That would have at least made stacking up on +1 Veteran's Armor redundant. But maybe it's for the best that it was removed completely.