Winning Races: Dwarves

[BASHMAN]

Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (Winning Races: Dwarves)

12 new feats that are compatible with the Essentials line
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So hold on a sec- I've never gotten a straight answer on this question and I've asked it about a dozen times across many forums: Can you not use feats from the PH1 with Essentials stuff? If the answer is "no" then how can they say it's all 100% compatable? If the answer is yes, some stuff wlll be broken (Dwarven Weapon Training + STR bonus anyone?)

 

[Jack99]

Actually it's probably worse overall than the essentials axe expertise feat, which gives you the ability to reroll 1 die of damage on any attack (as opposed to just against large and bigger opponents). The feat isn't racially restricted to dwarves in any way though.

Ah. I haven't been paying that much attention to the 4EE - or rather, not to the feat-changes. Didn't realize the expertise feats had changed. In that case, I agree, it doesn't sound as good.

 

[Drakhar]

So hold on a sec- I've never gotten a straight answer on this question and I've asked it about a dozen times across many forums: Can you not use feats from the PH1 with Essentials stuff? If the answer is "no" then how can they say it's all 100% compatable? If the answer is yes, some stuff wlll be broken (Dwarven Weapon Training + STR bonus anyone?)

So you only have a problem with DWT in regards to the Str classes? What about Avengers and Battleminds? Both benefit from either the +2 Con or +2 Wisdom, but oh no, give the dwarves a Str bonus and all of a sudden it's the end of the world. Keep in mind that DWT is a static +2 where as the Githzerai get access to all simple and martial heavy blades as well as the Fullblade and Bastard Sword along with a scaling bonus.

 

[Aegeri]

Grr.

 

[Aegeri]

So hold on a sec- I've never gotten a straight answer on this question and I've asked it about a dozen times across many forums: Can you not use feats from the PH1 with Essentials stuff? If the answer is "no" then how can they say it's all 100% compatable? If the answer is yes, some stuff wlll be broken (Dwarven Weapon Training + STR bonus anyone?)

You can use feats from previous sources.

What they are meaning there is more along the lines that they are built like essentials feats (EG they have fluff in the title) and don't usually have tier prerequisites.

Some essentials classes can't use previous feats because they lack certain class features or at-wills or similar though. But nothing stops your essentials character taking previous feats if they meet the requirements.

 

[vagabundo]

I like the new layout of the feats and the article.

It is a lot more readable, and the feats are beefy and add some nice flavour to a character. Keep it up, WotC.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Resolute Stamina
You possess more fighting spirit than most. With effort, you dig deeper, steeling your resolve and reinvigorating your mind and body.
Prerequisite: Constitution 15
Benefit: You can use your second wind twice per encounter.

FFS. So twice per encounter, dwarves can effectively for free spend a healing surge and gain a defensive buff. While using some of the best weapons in the game. 1/encounter was already more than enough - even without getting onto the subject of Str/Con Dwarf Wardens.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

But dwarf wardens are really really a flavourful choice...

i guess the +1 bonus to damage and attack which don´t scale should have been no feat bonus... looks like a blunder...

Dwarven weapon training is actually worse than greatweapon prowess beginning with paragon. It should really be errated.

 

[Kerranin]

FFS. So twice per encounter, dwarves can effectively for free spend a healing surge and gain a defensive buff. While using some of the best weapons in the game. 1/encounter was already more than enough - even without getting onto the subject of Str/Con Dwarf Wardens.

Seems like it is another set of poorly tested feats again, expect they'll be errata'd soon.

Perhaps it might be something like:

Resolute Stamina
You possess more fighting spirit than most. With effort, you dig deeper, steeling your resolve and reinvigorating your mind and body.
Prerequisite: Constitution 15
Benefit: As a standard action, you may re-use second wind within an encounter.

So the second use would always be a standard action regardless of race. This would give everyone the same advantage from this feat.

 

[Mengu]

Clangeddin's Axe Expertise is typically going to be worse than plain old Axe Expertise. I see it as pretty much unnecessary clutter, since at best, it's a 0.5 difference in damage.

Dwarf Protector I'm almost certain is a mistake, it was probably not meant to be a feat bonus. Oddly, if you have a few dwarves in the party, the feat is better for the non-dwarves.

Giant Killer is strictly worse than Devastating Critical (which wasn't all that great to begin with).

Giantslayer Training seems useless to any Essentials character since they have access to weapon focus and implement focus, and none of them use both. Most anyone will take either weapon focus or implement focu, or their racial feat. This is just clutter.

Quick Steps (as opposed to fox trots or waltzes?) is just Fleet Footed given to dwarves at heroic. It's not doing anything new, and heroic feats are already often cramped so this really doesn't have much added value, since paragon is about when you'll have the space for it. And the fluff text is all lies. Dwarves still can't keep up with any elf.

Resolute Stamina is either good or too good, I can't decide which. Once you get the ability to make a melee basic attack when you second wind, it's pretty powerful for any fighter (or fighter multiclass) or warden. But if you have a leader, and plenty of ways to trigger healing surges already, then it doesn't seem all that overpowered.

Savior's Surge is just a slightly worse Timely Respite. More clutter.

This is a rather disappointing article for me (besides, it's not like Dwarves needed more support). And I hate clutter