A new Theme with power-swaps!

[Neverfate]

Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (The Iron Wolf Barbarians)

This is how to write an article. Decent fluff that expands elements of the PoL/core world (if that's your thing) and then a theme with encounter power swaps like the Dark Sun themes. Kudos WotC.

 

[Mummolus]

This is actually really, really awesome.

Showcases how themes can add to any kind of character in a practical way, and gives me some hope for more power-swap themes in future.

Really, really awesome.

 

[Incenjucar]

!

Looks like things really are turning around. The next few books may still have a few bumps in them, since their design began during the... let's call it the 4E Dark Age... but this is a very good sign for 4E going forward.

 

[Destil]

Wow.

Yeah. Now if they just go back and add swap power options to the themes in the last batch (and for the love of Boocob make the power bonuses to skills feat bonuses) they'll actually be something I'd consider using in a game.

 

[On Puget Sound]

All kinds of themes. Some have attack power swaps, some don't. Each has some classes it works well with and others that may not combine effectively. This helps to erode the largely imaginary wall between pre-essentials and post-essentials builds, and its release now proves that there is no plan to abandon pre-e subclasses. I approve.

 

[Prism]

I love the scaling design of the encounter powers. I find that it is often difficult to find a similar 'upgrade' power when training to higher level powers and often a level up retrain means a complete change in your powers effect

 

[TerraDave]

If I had a hat, I might have to chew on it a little bit. Probably better that I don't have one.

Nice article overall, and nice to see the thematic groupings in the theme. Of course, this makes it far more usefull when playing an iron wolf barbarian.

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

Best one yet! Keep 'em coming WotC!

 

[Incenjucar]

I love the scaling design of the encounter powers. I find that it is often difficult to find a similar 'upgrade' power when training to higher level powers and often a level up retrain means a complete change in your powers effect

Yeah, this is one of the major issues I see in 4E power design - you're often forced to give up or significantly alter a schtick instead of simply getting access to an upgrade. I'm hoping that we eventually start getting auto-scaling powers in full classes ALONGSIDE additional options as they progress that wouldn't be reasonable in any form at lower levels, so people have the option of getting better at what they already do instead of only doing better things.

 

[Riastlin]

I really liked the article as well. I'm also digging the idea of themes as the crunch of an article. More feats, more powers, etc. for classes are not nearly so needed (particularly since they would clog up the builder even more), but themes are a nice way of handling it since its something that would be chosen at char gen. and then could be "greyed out" afterward. Plus, the scaling encounter powers was a really nice touch and a great way to keep a character schtick viable throughout the entire campaign.