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Message: <blockquote data-quote="NotAYakk" data-source="post: 5318464" data-attributes="member: 72555">Thanks for the feedback!So this is intended to reduce the amount of overhead I, as a player, have to deal with by marking and cursing different critters.My first version involved Marking whenever you curse, and "if you have a class feature that lets you mark a creature, the creature may be considered marked by that class feature".That is, in my opinion, too strong.  Cursing many targets is far easier than marking many targets, especially with some defender class features.A default mark doesn't do much for me.  And having the mark fade seperately from the curse also isn't of much use.Hence, mark->curse, which is reasonable (marks tend to be harder to accumulate than curses), so long as I prevent multiclass defender sub warlocks from exploiting it too easily...I could give up on it, and go with something like EP says.  But for a twist:"When a creature under your curse who is marked makes an attack that does not include the ally who marked it, roll your warlock's curse dice.  Gain that many temporary HP."This is weaker than dealing warlock's curse damage dice in damage (as damage > healing, because a dead monster doesn't do any more), but it avoids having to communicate out-of-turn damage to the DM.This is too weak for a pure warlock (who has shadow walk).This is quite fiddly -- you have to tell the DM "my ally has concealment" etc, or say "everyone is concealed from this monster".So I'm thinking of stealing a page from the Feytouched, and reversing it:Eldritch Elemental Advance (Level 16): Select a damage type from Fire, Cold, Acid, Poison, Necrotic and Radiant.  When you teleport adjacent to a creature, the next time you attack the creature before the end of your next turn you may deal 1/2 your level extra damage of that damage type.Slashing Wake deals int auto-damage to every adjacent creature when you teleport away.  The above doesn't deal auto-damage (so doesn't kill minions), and if you miss on your next attack the effect is wasted.  This gives it about a 50% landing rate, resulting in slightly lower average damage per round than slashing wake (6 to 9 damage per round from slashing wake, untyped -- 2.5 to 7.5 damage per round from the above feature, but it is typed damage as a bonus).However, it is far less annoying to keep track of.  The damage is bundled with the attack, which means that the DM has to be communicated to once, at the same time as the .The "next attack" clause is important to keep this balanced: if it was "every attack", multi-attack techniques could be used to make it extremely powerful.Another idea I was playing around with was a reserve die mechanic.  When a creature under your warlocks curse (does triggering condition), roll a d20 and place it into your Eldritch Prophesy pool.  Until the end of your next turn, when you roll a d20, you may replace it with one of your Eldritch Prophesy dice as a non action.Agreed, encounter-long effects should be avoided.Out of consideration for my DM, I also want to avoid one-turn status effects on monsters.I like the feel of the four winds blade of the wandering swordmage, and the one sword from wizard of the spiral tower.At the same time, I want as much bookkeeping as possible pushed on the player side.Maybe an attack that is against both AC and Will with the same attack roll, deals 1[W] per defence it hits, and if it hits will it grants a power bonus to your next attack against the target?A slightly different one would be one that attacks AC.  If it hits, you then make a secondary attack against Will.Stronger than both those options: make an attack against AC, and a separate attack against Will.The double-tap attacks deal more damage (as you add static bonuses twice).  The single-roll, compare against both defences, attack is the weakest.  All of these powers have the problem that you need to ask the DM for both Will and AC target numbers.The power bonus to attack is supposed to represent setting up a connection to the target's soul-stuff that draws your blade back.  While dazed or the like might model a sword cutting through your soul better, I'm trying to avoid making the DM track more status...Can you think of an alternative game mechanic to generate the "feel" of a blade that is cutting through both flesh and soul?So, a -4 penalty to the attack roll basically means 1/encounter, you get to negate some random attack.  And then you get a bonus against that random monster at that random time.Some alternative mechanics include "force a reroll" (on the upside, this works on an attack of one's choice that hits: on the downside, it has a good chance of doing nothing), with a kicker-clause of "if the attack still hits".A completely different feel would be a power with the same trigger, but gives you temporary HP equal to the damage dealt.Warlocks' Schicks are "temporary HP/life force manipulation", "die roll modifiers/fate", "teleportation", "insanity" and "killing stuff".  My DM would go insane if I teleported more, and he's already been driven insane -- so what remains is "killing stuff", "fate" and "life force".Ideally I want at least one toy of each of those 3 in the paragon path.I want this to be a paragon path that encourages defender/warlock mixing (so interacts in some fun way with marks), and also encourages the warlock to "get in close" and use melee weapons.This one is crap, now that I have spent more time thinking about it.Too many strange exceptions.  It was my original attempt to introduce "life stealing" to the paragon path, plus an incentive to get in close.I want a stance or an encounter-long polymorph type effect.[sblock="Sample Stances"]<a href="http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/power.aspx?id=9365" target="_blank">Dancing Defence</a>Bonus melee attack.  (I think this one might be too strong)<a href="http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/power.aspx?id=1436" target="_blank">Rain of Steel</a>Auto-damage aura (downside: out of turn damage, annoys DM)<a href="http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/power.aspx?id=1103" target="_blank">Unyielding Avalanche</a>This is a level 15 upgrade to the level 1 Rain of Steel stance.Here is an offensive stance that isn't an extra attack/autodamage:<a href="http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/power.aspx?id=10538" target="_blank">Persistence of Blades</a>Directly comparable:<a href="http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/power.aspx?id=6585" target="_blank">Dance of Blood</a>, which is a level 20 paragon path attack stance.  At the start of your turn you slide an adjacent enemy one square, then make a melee basic attack.<a href="http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/power.aspx?id=10569" target="_blank">Modment of Triumph</a> is a fighter paragon path stance.  You get a static bonus to attack rolls, and your mark punishment is improved.<a href="http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/power.aspx?id=7718" target="_blank">Slayer's Ascendancy</a> is another basic-attack granting level 20 stance.  It is a basic attack 1/round as a minor action.<a href="http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/power.aspx?id=1856" target="_blank">Heritage of Blades</a> is a modest ally defence boost, with a minor action auto-damage attack 1/round.<a href="http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/power.aspx?id=3153" target="_blank">Crag of Steel</a> is yet another [W]+static autodamage aura with a pile of bonus riders.For "top balancing", here we have some level 22/25 stances.<a href="http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/power.aspx?id=10341" target="_blank">Martial Supremacy</a> is an encounter utility stance that grants attack rerolls (and goes away when you spend a healing surge).<a href="http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/power.aspx?id=1104" target="_blank">Reaper's Stance</a> is a top-end auto-damage aura.  19-20 crit range, dex bonus to damage, 1[W]+static auto damage, 10 ongoing auto damage.  A level 25 fighter stance.The ranger version is:<a href="http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/power.aspx?id=11579" target="_blank">Vengeful Fangs Stance</a> which gives you an OA against creatures attacking you (via your pet), 18-20 crit range and damage boost on your pet.Tiger’s Reflex is simpler (but an immediate interrupt, not an OA, and your attacks not your beasts). Aid the Beast is a ranged basic as a minor (against targets adjacent to your beast), plus an initial attack.The Rogue Reaching Blade is a free attack triggered by an enemy making an OA near the Rogue.Quicksilver Blade swordmage 25 stance is a minor action basic melee attack.Precision Stance is a warlord 25 stance that gives an ally a reroll per round.Skirmisher's Command grants 10 vuln to anyone you hit.Level 29 stances are so far beyond a level 20 stance power that they aren't that useful.  Force the Battle is 3[W]+Stat+Static at-will attack as a free action against each adjacent enemy, Warlord 29 Perfect Front turns you and everyone adjacent to you into avengers, etc.[/sblock]A Fate stance would roll a d20 at the start of your turn, and could use it on the turn to replace an attack roll, or something like that -- pedestrian.  I sort of like the "triggered" pool ideas above more.A Life draining stance would get temporary HP off of some trigger.Life Drinking Blade + Arcane, Weapon, Stance: your attacks against adjacent opponents gains a power bonus to your attack roll equal to your proficiency bonus of your weapon, and deals an extra [W] necrotic damage.  Whenever you deal necrotic damage to an adjacent opponent, you gain an equal amount of temporary HP.A raw damage stance ... Soulblade Echo -- Whenever you miss an adjacent target, you may make a basic melee attack against the target as a free action.  This basic melee attack targets the lower of AC or Will, and deals psychic damage.</blockquote>

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