Search results

In that case, any encounter powers for the death domain warpriest domain is usable with the PHB line but is not usable with HotFL/HotFK. The only warpriest that can use those powers is the HoS warpriest. Similarly, if what I heard was true, and the binder has encounter powers with levels...

I do agree that the reason to prefer magic items to inherent bonuses is that the "all at once" boost can make certain levels swing a great deal. Also, part of the fun of getting magic items is that your character changes before you level up. So, in practice, the bonus to hit/damage coming in...

For what is in the book: There is a new pact for the hexblade, a new domain for the warpriest, two new schools for the mage. There is also the Executioner assassin, the Blackguard paladin, the Binder Warlock [a controller build], and the Vampire. For the Executioner assassin, it is very...

While the staff is still a weapon, the wording refers to weapon attacks, which specifically means attacks with the weapon keyword. This is why, for example, the light blade expertise feat (which gives a bonus to attack rolls for weapon attacks) would not help out a sorceror using a dagger as an...

The Blackguard is a full blown variant, it's a striker instead of a defender. As for the Warlord, while it may be presented in Essential style formatting, as a martial class that uses at-will/encounter/daily format, it would be very hard to call it an Essential Warlord. From what they've been...

I ran a group all the way up to the end of the 4th module, and for the most part they were running PHB1 classes. [By the time we got to the end, we did have a barbarian in the party, and rogue multiclassed into sorceror, but otherwise we had a fighter, warlord and wizard throughout the life of...

Then again, outside of the newest options (runepriest and seeker), most of the old styles have bloated up so much it will take a very long time for Essentials to catch up. They aren't as good a striker as other strikers, or as good a controller as other controllers, but they are somewhere in...

While it's true that martial classes can't get much support via builds like thief and slayer, it's also true that marital classes were the ones with the most support pre-essentials. They were all there from day 1, and they are the only power source to have received a second book. The Thief...

Also, it does reflect a trope in some fantasy settings, like some rpg video games, where female party members tended to be healers and summoners compared to the males who filled the weapon wielding and direct attack magic roles. Similar to the Arcane/Divine distinction, the other power...

Also, at least in terms of newer stuff, they have given leaders and controllers a bit more wiggle room for their powers, with the encounter powers having effect lines, miss lines, or not attack roll needed effects so that, even if they fail to hit, they are still able to do their job as a...

It was an interesting idea at the time. If they did it again, they would probably wouldn't have made it a frequency, and instead just had an at-will power to spend a surge as a standard action to get back the daily power usage.

I would argue the situational means in terms of their usefulness being dependent on the kind of monsters you are facing. Bypassing insubstantial is only useful in the situations where you are facing monsters with insubstantial, for example. [Ditto with regeneration/leader foes]. They aren't...

Also, a lot of vampires [Dracula and Strahd] are sometimes depicted as having some kind of symbol hanging around their neck. However, I think ki focus might make sense in the context of not wanting to have a class that uses both implement and weapon attacks, but requires you purchase them...

The executioner does have the ki focus, but it didn't seem to have any implement powers [however, ki focus expertise may tie into the fact that it modifies weapons. For example, it may give the bonus to weapons benefiting from the ki focuses enchantment]. If there are implement powers with the...

There is one way to do it at 10. There is no information that says it is the ONLY possible way to do so. Also, before the pyromancer, most fire specialists had to take paragon options (feats, paragon paths) to deal with it. Until you start facing paragon tier enemies, you are looking at about...

I understand the point. I was merely pointing out there are a number of powers designed for a specific build, but are usable by others. That has always been the case. The only difference is that you are making an assumption about the design/development. The distinction is that you...

Of course, it's a bit of an arbitrary distinction. The powers that are for the necromancer are reverse compatible for other schools of mage as much as they are for wizards. The utility powers for the knight are usable by the slayer (ditto the blackguard and the cavalier, the hexblade and the...

The thing is: (A) not all necromacy powers deal necrotic damage [or only necrotic damage in terms of dual damage type powers] these don't require convoluted undead specific riders (B) necromacy powers aren't evocations. Some wizard powers do lots of damage (often spread around), some do no...

The problem is there is no option for "give the product a fair chance in spite of it's name". Just a yes/no/maybe later/I would have if not for the name. I voted yes under the "if they called Essentials 4.5" idea, but there is a good chance that, depending on what it was, I wouldn't by it...

It's not just a matter of taking it later. You get two schools (the second at level 4), but you can only master one, so you have to choose to master necromacy (and therefore lock in your paragon path as well) to get the benefit, while a pyromancer could just set it and forget it. Also, the...