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Brendan: Cool analysis. But relying on Paragon Paths to fix Paladins vis-a-vis Fighters only works if Fighter Paragon paths don't contain a similar incremental increase. My suspicion is that the effectiveness of the Fighter tank vs. Paladin shows the curves further diverging with Paragon...

I agree, Bumamgar. Thoughts built on your take-aways: 1. Prioritize the ability to switch from sword-and-board to two-hander and vice versa. It's possible you can do a bait-and-switch once the mob has wasted a swing or two on your two-handing self. This makes Quick Draw and the like a...

I agree. If Combat Challenge can only be used to generate a basic melee attack once per turn, I'm good. Although with the advent of magical weapons (+1d6 per plus? Yowch.) I suspect that the curves will further diverge the higher level one becomes, since Divine Challenge is not (I think?)...

I really like both Firelance's and Drakona's analysis. I disagree with Drakona, still, although I think it's a very smart response. Any party would be less well off without a marginal member. The correct comparison isn't between having a tank and not having a tank, but between having a...

No, I was calculating the higher value of a striker as monster target due to the lower number of blows. At the point where the increased damage due to a hit on a striker overtakes the benefit in dropping a striker fact, the monster is then incented to target the tank. At which point the party...

Ok, the immediate reaction nature of the Combat Challenge actually does a lot to assuage my fears. many thanks, Carpe

Proposed: That the tank is an impossibly paradoxical role. The simplest statement of the problem: The tank will never tank (that is, take a hit) when it is in the best interest of the party to have a hit land on the tank. The problem: Taking into account the reduction in damage output in...

Help me understand the Paladin. After a few sessions playing one, I'm confused as to why one would tank as a Paladin rather than a fighter. The critical difference seems to be that Combat Challenge does not have a green-headed box around it, whereas Divine Challenge does. The consensus...

We're moving into the same territory. I don't know how epic levels will turn out. One thing I've been doing is swiping the stat blocks from the uniques (lords, etc.) in Fiendish Codex I and II. There are a few solid Level 21-27 encounters in there. best, Carpe

Sure, Shapechange is also at issue -- the party wizard, a Wizard / Ur-Priest / Mystic Theurge, will be casting it. But on my reading of the text, Shapechange doesn't let you turn into constructs. Hence, no purpose really in discussing it for purposes of determining whether a golem's immunity...

Ok, then as I understand it: Greater Metamorphosis certainly does grant SR / PR. But, that SR / PR does not apply to self-cast psionic abilities. That's my current understanding. Cool. It actually works pretty well. It just means that Church Inquisitors really finally have a huge role to...

Cool concept; here's a build I used along similar lines. I was more the party healer (and, indeed, nobody died during that campaign) but the clutch component of twin spell, divine metamagic, and then pick your broken spell to twin, worked pretty well. In the game I DM, most Witch-Hunters are...

So, now one of my players is using Greater Metamorphosis to turn into various things, all of which are enormous fun, but the one that gives me true logical headaches is the Prismatic Golem. Here's my question: what happens when you use magic to turn into something with the special ability...

Great thread. A few rules we use: 1. The Camera rule. The camera follows the action, and that means I do not have to give equal time to people who wander off in order to hog the spotlight. I simply gloss over what happened to them, and get back to the party. 2. The Story rule. I tell...

How long has your group been playing together? -We're entering our second year. What are the ages, genders, and professions of the people in your group? -24, Male, Remodeler -29, Male, Software programmer -40, Male, IT Administrator -24, Male, Machinist -34, Male, Lawyer What edition are you...

Recursion is above my pay grade, because that is my only Rule Zero: No recursion. But my sense is that recursion is possible because Celerity gives you a standard action. That standard action can be used to do one thing, and weave another effect in (usually with "link power"-style feats). But...

Amendment taken on the Dex damage for Shivering Touch. I'm a dope. Synchronicity is the psionic equivalent of Celerity. And, there is a feat that lets you ignore the daze effect of Celerity. Finally, remember that Celerity is an immediate action. Do it first thing in combat, and never lose...

A build that has been devastating for us has been: Psion Egoist --> Anarchic Initiate, with Metamorphosis, Metamorphic Transfer. Turn into a Phasm, then into a Pit Fiend using Metamorphic Transfer. Now, feel free to do anything else you want. The Anarchic Initiate abilities overwhelmingly...

1. Divine Metamagic + Twin Spell + Shivering Touch (6d6 Constitution Damage, no save yay!!!) 2. Metamorphosis (Hydra) + Metamorphic Transfer (36d6 fire) 3. Metamorphosis (phasm) + Metamorphic Transfer (Alternate Form --> Pit Fiend). 4. Celerity + anything. 5. Synchronicity + anything. 6...

This strikes me as much like the Vista debate. Vista released. A lot of people complained. Microsoft insisted that Vista was a success because it was the most commonly used operating system.