D&D 4E 4E Weapon speed is back?

[jdrakeh]

Are we possibly looking at a Shadowrun-style initiative system, where for every x points above a certain initiative value, you get an extra attack?

I could live with that

 

[FireLance]

Well In my mind, mages have always been about resource management. 4e seems to challenge that, but we'll have to actually wait and see. I'm not saying that there isn't a place for the warlock or sorcerer type, nor that I thought the reserve feats were a bad thing. Quite the opposite. It will be interesting to see how they resolve his issue.

I've heard that most classes will have at-will, per encounter, and per day abilities. So, it looks like there will still be resource management, but your at-will abilities will allow you to function at a higher level of effectiveness when out of other resources.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

I would be excited by the return of weapon speed as a meaningful way to balance lighter, lower damage weapons. Sounds too good to be true.

I didn't like speed factors way back when, and I wouldn't like them now, either. Heck, even Gygax said on these very boards he never used them.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'd be on board with some combat maneuvers. Sounds like it could be a fun mechanic. Though I understand that ToB: Bo9S had a bunch of "sword magic" like shooting sword fireballs or something.

Making martial characters sword-mages or wuxia-masters would be an absolute deal-breaker for me. But just having spiffy combat maneuvers ("I'll do a smash this turn" or "I'll try for a hamstring") could be fun if they don't go overboard on the fiddlyness.

I doubt it'll be the wuxia stuff. They sound like they're just going off the mechanical aspect of "hey, I'm a melee type and I'll get to do something FUN without multiclassing."

(And, yes, for the record, this IS like a video game: That's a design decision that the WoW designers explicitly made, since EQ1 warriors could practically hit the Autoattack button and then leave the room during a fight, once upon a time. I hope no one begrudges the players of melee characters in either game a bit more fun.)

 

[ArmoredSaint]

I don't think I'm at all fond of the notion that spears ignore armour, if that's what he's saying in that passage.

 

[Alnag]

I think it might simply mean, he has more attacks... so he is quicker in that sense. Or something. Bonus to initiative is yet another possibility.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

I can only hope that "weapon speed" in 4E has nothing to do with it's function in old editions. It was always a STUPID, senseless rule, badly implemented and died a rightful death with the advent of newer edtions. It MUST be a reference to something like an advantage obtained only with a spear, like the bypassing AC just after that. It CANNOT be a system purporting to assess the accurate, physical speed of attack of ALL weapons - irrespective of who is using them and how - and incorporate that into a second-by-second breakdown of time and action resolution in a round.

 

[RigaMortus2]

So I just read the article about Classes, which by the end of the article had more to do with Figthers and their weapon choices (and weapons having "powers").

So this is my theory...

I am going to assume different weapons, when in the hands of a Fighter, get automatic benefits. For example, in 3E, the Whip (and Spiked Chain) give a bonus for making Trip attacks. In 4E, in the hands of a Fighter, when the Fighter attacks with the Whip, he might get to make a free Trip attack automatically with it. So he'll deal damage, and get to trip for free. So that's one thought... The other thought that goes along with this... If that's the case, then won't the Fighter be making Trip attacks on every swing? Perhaps it only comes into play on the role of a nat 20? (unlikely, but it would give 'critical hits' more meaning than just double damage).

Anyway, I like this prospect. Perhaps a Flail will automatically initiate a Bull Rush when the Fighter swings and hits with it? They already hinted that spears will bypass AC.

My elf fighter uses a spear. I like the speed and the option to go past AC.

Can't wait to hear more!

 

[RigaMortus2]

I can only hope that "weapon speed" in 4E has nothing to do with it's function in old editions.

My guess is this... If they are using Star Wars: Saga as any kind of model, they may remove iterative attacks from the leveling process. To make up for this, they will put in other ways to gain extra attacks. So by attack speed, perhaps weapons like daggers and rapiers, you can make 2 attacks with them right off the bat (perhaps at a penalty to hit, perhaps not).

 

[RigaMortus2]

I don't think I'm at all fond of the notion that spears ignore armour, if that's what he's saying in that passage.

I think that is either (a) only a Fighter thing or (b) an Elf thing, possible only when combined with Fighter... He did go out of his way to say, "Elven Fighter". Even so, we don't know if they can bypass AC all the time, and we also don't know what changes they made to AC.