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<blockquote data-quote="cavalier973" data-source="post: 5391088" data-attributes="member: 91595">Characters from an Essentials handbook should fit in with any 4E core adventure (that's at least what's supposed to happen). An essentials character can take just about any of the core PHB options for his class; for example, an Essentials mage could decide to use the &quot;Archmage&quot; epic destiny rather than the &quot;Indomitable Champion&quot;; an Essentials Knight should be able to take a core fighter power instead of the options given in the Essentials Handbook for that particular level.&nbsp;I like how the Essentials martial characters (fighter and rogue) have been retooled; it does away with the &quot;sameness&quot; feel of the class powers that buddhafrog was talking about. The fighter assumes at-will stances that give him a bonus to hit or to damage, or allow the fighter to slow any creature he hits, or cause damage to an adjacent creature in addition to the one he hit. He can switch his stance as needed. I've read on another thread, however, that the fighter-knight is less able to pin enemies down, which is what the &quot;defender role&quot; is for. &nbsp;The fighter in my game took the &quot;Armor Finesse&quot; feat, being a knight, he automatically got the &quot;Shield Finesse&quot; feat, which means that he can wear plate armor and tote a heavy shield with no armor penalties to skill checks, etc.&nbsp;The rogue uses movement &quot;tricks&quot; instead of powers; the thief in my game has two tricks, one that allows him to move then attack with combat advantage against an enemy that has no adjacent allies (and thus getting sneak attack damage), and the other that allows him to shift two squares, then knock the enemy prone if he hits it. He has bloodied a previously undamaged enemy in one blow on more than one occasion.&nbsp;An advantage of getting the core books is the wide variety of magic items that are listed in the PHB; the essentials handbooks are rather sparse with the loot.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="cavalier973, post: 5391088, member: 91595"] Characters from an Essentials handbook should fit in with any 4E core adventure (that's at least what's supposed to happen). An essentials character can take just about any of the core PHB options for his class; for example, an Essentials mage could decide to use the "Archmage" epic destiny rather than the "Indomitable Champion"; an Essentials Knight should be able to take a core fighter power instead of the options given in the Essentials Handbook for that particular level. I like how the Essentials martial characters (fighter and rogue) have been retooled; it does away with the "sameness" feel of the class powers that buddhafrog was talking about. The fighter assumes at-will stances that give him a bonus to hit or to damage, or allow the fighter to slow any creature he hits, or cause damage to an adjacent creature in addition to the one he hit. He can switch his stance as needed. I've read on another thread, however, that the fighter-knight is less able to pin enemies down, which is what the "defender role" is for. The fighter in my game took the "Armor Finesse" feat, being a knight, he automatically got the "Shield Finesse" feat, which means that he can wear plate armor and tote a heavy shield with no armor penalties to skill checks, etc. The rogue uses movement "tricks" instead of powers; the thief in my game has two tricks, one that allows him to move then attack with combat advantage against an enemy that has no adjacent allies (and thus getting sneak attack damage), and the other that allows him to shift two squares, then knock the enemy prone if he hits it. He has bloodied a previously undamaged enemy in one blow on more than one occasion. An advantage of getting the core books is the wide variety of magic items that are listed in the PHB; the essentials handbooks are rather sparse with the loot. [/QUOTE]

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