Chris_Nightwing
First Post
I think that the Fighter's Combat Superiority has been generally accepted as a step in the right direction for the class, indeed it may in fact be exactly what everyone has dreamed of for years. However, I have seen the mechanics in play and given the current iteration a great deal of thought and whilst I agree that we are heading in the right direction, I think it would be a mistake to leave the mechanics in their current state.
First of all, the good things about CS: it gives the Fighter something to do other than basic attacks, it enhances something the Fighter is already supposed to be good at, it's not so complex it couldn't be included in a bare-bones game, and the use of multiple dice provides round-by-round choices.
Now, my main complaint about CS as it stands is that the extra resources it provides are given back on a round-by-round basis. This, in my opinion, gives the illusion of having options other than just doing more damage, where in fact, in any given combat, it is highly likely that there is just one thing you will likely do every round. In this sense, it makes it very difficult to balance the different options available. If you are fighting a big boss, you want to deal as much damage as possible, most of the time. If you are fighting a brute-like damage-dealer, you will likely want to reduce damage taken as much as possible. If you are fighting with a Rogue, you will likely want to knock an opponent down every round. Perhaps this is ok, that what you do each combat changes, but within a combat you pretty much do the same thing. I just fear that it's a little bland for the player.
Mechanically, I take issue that they might extend the mechanic to other classes. If they are trying to model physical combat in a generic system that extends to any class that's not primarily magicking, I fear it is lacking. You basically have 3 degrees of freedom to play with if you were to give the feature to another class: the actual dice you have to play with, the maneuvers available to you and the manner in which you regain dice. The first of these isn't even really that free, the second I hope is somewhat limited, lest we have a list of powers for every class again, but the third has some potential. Still though, if all we get is an encounter-recharge class and a daily-recharge class then the whole thing starts to lose its 'generic system for physical combat' vibe.
I'm going to try to argue that an encounter-based system would provide a more versatile and interesting model of physical combat. The way I see it, someone performing exciting and powerful maneuvers in combat naturally lends itself to recovery of whatever resources were spent, by taking a short rest. Much like the way in which Sorcerer willpower is managed, the Fighter might have a maximum capacity for maneuver points and a maximum number that can be spent on a single maneuver, both of which will increase with level. Basic maneuvers such as 'do more damage' or 'reduce damage taken' can provide a given quantity per point spent, and this could be adjusted by class or by weapon/shield. Certain maneuvers, like knockdown, would no longer be a no-brainer as it would deplete resources that don't necessarily recover next round, and this would make balancing easier. The way in which points are gained could be reflected by your class or indeed your fighting style. A slayer might get a point back for each kill they make, a defender for each attack they successfully block (if they use the guardian-style block rather than just damage reduction). Maybe the Fighter just gets a point back per kill generically. For the Fighter, points would be restored on a short rest, but for a Barbarian they might be reset to zero, until they get hit and accumulate more in combat. The list of maneuvers available to a given class would vary - consider that the Fighter might fit the 'Wizard' model, in that they can learn any maneuver someone is willing to teach them, but they can only practice them according to weapon/shield combination and circumstance. These are all just ideas though.
TLDR
CS is not flexible enough to become a generic physical combat system across multiple classes. An encounter-based system would be better in this regard, with a combined list of maneuvers (much like a spell list). Different classes/styles would have access to different lists and regain dice/points/powers in different ways.
First of all, the good things about CS: it gives the Fighter something to do other than basic attacks, it enhances something the Fighter is already supposed to be good at, it's not so complex it couldn't be included in a bare-bones game, and the use of multiple dice provides round-by-round choices.
Now, my main complaint about CS as it stands is that the extra resources it provides are given back on a round-by-round basis. This, in my opinion, gives the illusion of having options other than just doing more damage, where in fact, in any given combat, it is highly likely that there is just one thing you will likely do every round. In this sense, it makes it very difficult to balance the different options available. If you are fighting a big boss, you want to deal as much damage as possible, most of the time. If you are fighting a brute-like damage-dealer, you will likely want to reduce damage taken as much as possible. If you are fighting with a Rogue, you will likely want to knock an opponent down every round. Perhaps this is ok, that what you do each combat changes, but within a combat you pretty much do the same thing. I just fear that it's a little bland for the player.
Mechanically, I take issue that they might extend the mechanic to other classes. If they are trying to model physical combat in a generic system that extends to any class that's not primarily magicking, I fear it is lacking. You basically have 3 degrees of freedom to play with if you were to give the feature to another class: the actual dice you have to play with, the maneuvers available to you and the manner in which you regain dice. The first of these isn't even really that free, the second I hope is somewhat limited, lest we have a list of powers for every class again, but the third has some potential. Still though, if all we get is an encounter-recharge class and a daily-recharge class then the whole thing starts to lose its 'generic system for physical combat' vibe.
I'm going to try to argue that an encounter-based system would provide a more versatile and interesting model of physical combat. The way I see it, someone performing exciting and powerful maneuvers in combat naturally lends itself to recovery of whatever resources were spent, by taking a short rest. Much like the way in which Sorcerer willpower is managed, the Fighter might have a maximum capacity for maneuver points and a maximum number that can be spent on a single maneuver, both of which will increase with level. Basic maneuvers such as 'do more damage' or 'reduce damage taken' can provide a given quantity per point spent, and this could be adjusted by class or by weapon/shield. Certain maneuvers, like knockdown, would no longer be a no-brainer as it would deplete resources that don't necessarily recover next round, and this would make balancing easier. The way in which points are gained could be reflected by your class or indeed your fighting style. A slayer might get a point back for each kill they make, a defender for each attack they successfully block (if they use the guardian-style block rather than just damage reduction). Maybe the Fighter just gets a point back per kill generically. For the Fighter, points would be restored on a short rest, but for a Barbarian they might be reset to zero, until they get hit and accumulate more in combat. The list of maneuvers available to a given class would vary - consider that the Fighter might fit the 'Wizard' model, in that they can learn any maneuver someone is willing to teach them, but they can only practice them according to weapon/shield combination and circumstance. These are all just ideas though.
TLDR
CS is not flexible enough to become a generic physical combat system across multiple classes. An encounter-based system would be better in this regard, with a combined list of maneuvers (much like a spell list). Different classes/styles would have access to different lists and regain dice/points/powers in different ways.
