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There definitely is a power curve among classes. A recent thread in the WotC Charop forums was all about covering the 'best class for each role'. While there were varying agreements and disagreements, there seemed to be a consensus on this short-list: Best Striker: Ranger Worst Striker: D&Di...

I don't know. People have been clamoring for a 'controller feature', much like each other role has one - defenders mark (well, all except for the knight), leaders have minor action heals, and strikers have extra damage mechanics. Maybe controllers get something akin to 'inevitability': letting...

Ack. I missed the mention of Warforged in the first post. Yeah, the Juggernaut is a very nice PP for a charging barbarian, and Adroit Explorer is a very nice PP period. So yeah, the Spiked Chain is a good option. Spiked Chain Training makes it the main hand stout (so you can use howling...

I reckon Mengu is referring to the Spike Chain Training feat from Dragon, which gives you proficiency and allows you to use it as a double weapon, all in one feat. Note this does occupy your MC slot, though, which IMO makes it far from ideal if you ever plan to go to Paragon level, since most...

Ironically, I can only cheer the lack of Turn Undead. While for some domains such a power would make sense, an unaligned cleric of war, or storm, or whatnot, has ho business turning undead. Worse, turning undead is a very situational ability in the first place, and suffers from the same issues...

While I can't quote the source, word on the WotC boards is that it's coming on the 21st, the same day as the official Essentials release. The reason it doesn't show on the calendar is apparently cause that day is too filled up already. EDIT: Ah, here we go. Apparently, this update will include...

If you use DDI for the character & monster builder, I can heartily recommend RPG.net's Combat Tracker. Tracks initiative, conditions, saving throws, and whatnot, but more importantly, you can copy-paste the stats for the characters and the monsters straight out of the DDI applications. Makes...

Ugh. I'd rather the differences be small but significant, which is pretty close to how things are now. If race made no difference whatsoever, then the racial choice as it is would be purely cosmetical, mere window-dressing. I could see giving more freedom in stat bonuses, and letting racial...

The problem with having leaders who are incapable of restoring HP is that they are at an inherent disadvantage towards those who can do so: reviving downed party members. The ability to use healing word or another healing power on a party member below 0 HP has allowed my cleric to save the day...

I can think of two options off the top of my head, depending on the level of the characters (but still doable in Heroic, either way): They find a way into the Shadowfell to hunt down the fallen spirit of their comrade. They could run into some level-appropriate encounters, find his spirit, and...

I see you also posted on the WotC Charop boards, but let me first of all redirect you to their excellent Warlord Handbook. Main question: why the Battle Captain PP? Battle Captain is horrible for anything but a Tactical Warlord, and you've chosen Bravura. I would recommend either switching to...

My Cleric|Invoker-Divine Oracle is particularly happy with this feat, and I'll be taking it from level 16 onwards. This will take the punch out of Terrifying Insight a bit :). A bit more on-topic: this is an excellent way to provide so-called math fixes with added benefits (which make them...

Here in Belgium, the situation mostly depends on where in the country you live. FLGS's that carry RPG products are actually quite rare, although I am lucky to have one in the neighbourhood (I live near Hasselt, for those that know what's where in Belgium). It carries more or less everything for...

I allow rebuilds after every major power book comes out, and Essentials will be no different. If anything, I may encourage some of our newer players to switch to an Essentials class, since after one and a half year of playtime with on average 1.5 sessions per month, they still don't full grasp...

Eh. More flexibility = good. A race's identity should come from its fluff and feat support, not from the stat arrays it provides. Hell, that was partially true before; look at dwarven fighters: they used to be Con/Wis, which is okay but not great, but their feat support still made them great at...

While this isn't exactly what you're looking for, I was working on possible character ideas for level 11 characters a while back, and made this dwarf Brawler based on a Neverwinter Nights 2 character: ====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ====== Khelgar Ironfist, level...

I've been following the Essentials previews closely since I saw the Knight. I DM for a group of players with several first-time D&D'ers, and while we have been playing bi-monthly for about one and a half year now (for those counting, that is 36 sessions), some of them (primarily the fighter and...

Maybe it's just me, but the program seems to run much more smoothly after this update. Editing a monster, saving it, etc. takes a few seconds rather than half a minute - a big improvement, IMO. The interface update and new monster format are just icing on the cake.

During some experimenting with monster levels, I too have seen some problems with the numbers. I seem to remember getting a couple of monsters with multiple millions of HP after lowering them a few levels (less than 5, if you're wondering). Note that you can check the bonuses/penalties on your...

While Black Night Irios has the basic math down, you can also gain skill bonuses from other feats (that sometimes stack with focus), items, paragon paths, etc. I have had the same problem in my party, where even between characters trained in the skill, there is sometimes a +5 or more...