Jack99
Adventurer
Over on the WotC boards LINK HERE , Massawyrm has kindly responded to a few questions from different posters. Some of this may be old news, but I thought I would post them none the less.
A lot of people think multiclass feats will be either so good that they are obligatory or so worthless that no one will touch them. How has multiclassing played out in your games? Do you find more people using it than not? Or is it just one of many options?
Multiclassing appears to have a balance EXACTLY as it should have. Since no one class has better attack bonuses than any other, making martial casters is very simple. All the multiclassing feats do is let you swap one power of your class for a power of the class you are multiclassing into. For example a fighter multiclassing into wizard could trade one of his appropriate encounter powers for Fireball. Each Multiclass feat allows you to do this with different powers - and it gets cooler at paragon levels. I have two multiclassers in my Party, and 4 straight classes. And no one is unhappy.
So it's just an option for someone with a great idea for a character build. I doesn't unduly hinder or break a character. It just makes him...different.
Does the paragon level multiclassing option stack with the feats? IE, can you take the powers of the third class instead of paragon stuff?
Yup. That's the one option that will give people pause. Paragon paths are pretty sweet, their abilities made of pure win. One Paragon ability lets you spend an action point to reroll an attack or damage roll instead of taking an extra standard action. BUT, if you really like playing a multiclass, it is a neat option.
Are there more multiclass feats beyond the ones which have been previewed (Novice Power, Acolyte Power, Adept Power)?
Also, someone elsewhere stated that when you substitute a Paragon Path for multiclassing, you get an At-Will from that class as an At-Will. How does that work? Is that in lieu of the Action Point Feature gained from a Paragon Path, or something else?
Yes. Each class has a class specific multiclass feat that is a requirement for the three you mentioned. It gives you special class perks like specific class At-Will abilities as Encounter powers.
Just like it sounds. You can replace one of your at wills with one from your second class. One of the reasons humans (who get an extra at will ability) make good multiclassers.
1. Yet another multiclassing question We know there is for example:
Which allows you to multiclass into Ranger, however are there other beginning multiclass feats for each class. So could there be... Say one where instead of "Hunter's Quarry" gave you "Fighting Style"?
2. Given that the trap/hazard making rules are out, do you think uses the examples in the DMG it will be hard to make our own?
1) Exactamundo.
2) Sure. But the rules were very nice and on par with the Monster creation rules. But anyone with halfway decent math skills should be able to extrapolate the formulas or at the very least, fudge the attack type.
I meant beyond those three, actually. Are there higher level multiclass feats?
Not as of yet. But once you see the system it is kind of hard to imagine anything short of specific Paragon and Epic tier class specific feats that might rear their ugly heads in the forthcoming splatbooks.
I just read the review (after going through this whole bloody thread). I had a few questions. First of all, I remember the Orcs .pdf having several exact orcs, but no "default" orc. Is this just because the .pdf was less than the information in the MM? I certainly hope so.
Also, I noticed in your review that there were trap/hazard making rules in the playtest rules. If WotC doesn't include these in digital format soon after release, would you be able to share the playtest rules, or would that violate your NDA? I'd rather have rules than just "eyeing" current traps/hazards, since I've been known to make mistakes in the past (turns out 8 shocker lizards aren't a good encounter for a 7th level party).
No, there really isn't such thing as DEFAULT monsters in a race any more. While some monsters just are what they are (The Boneclaw is just called Boneclaw) monsters like Orcs, Drow, Sahuagin and Shadar-Kai don't have a weakling default for you to beef up any more. Each Orc is designed to fit a specific role within its Tier (Orcs are heroic level enemies, while Drow appear in Paragon.) But stating out your own different versions of these monsters is pretty cake with the monster gen rules.
WOTC has been putting a lot of focus on balance. How balanced are the classes really (mainly between the Rogue, Warlock, and Ranger.) Do they all have comparable damage and effects, or does a class stick out?
The level of balance really is what impresses me most. Everyone, and I mean everyone, pulls their own weight in a fight. BUT, there is one class that sticks out. The Ranger. Since he is more about raw, direct damage to a single opponent, he'll chaff the DM a bit when he makes one of his pesky double shots then action points to do a high damage shot. I've lost more elites that way on turn 1.
How is the paladin?
Awesome and full of win. We've only had one in our party for a month - we had a player experimenting to find the right class. But this class puts a smile on his face from ear to ear. And he has become a combat superstar in that month - with a player who is not accustomed to being a superstar. None of his powers are alignment based.
Is their a decent amount of monsters to throw at 1st level parties that are not kobolds?
15 level one monsters, 3 of which are kobolds. 18 lvl 2 monsters, 1 of which is a kobold. Lots of selection.
I noticed that both of the traps in the trap preview article... thing... had "control panels", where they were disabled. Was this just something both traps happened to have, or do all/most of the traps now have this attribute?
The words CONTROL PANEL are all over the trap section. Each trap has a series of listed countermeasures on how the players might try to disable the trap with the respective DCs. The impression I got was control panel would be as simple as the classic "Lever" or "button."
Is there a way for a rogue to sneak attack with weapons heavier then a "light blade"
SHRUG. If there is, I haven't seen it. Although they can use it with slings and crossbows.
and a comment which was not an answer per say
Retraining is very easy. Every level up you can make one change - a swap of a power, skill or feat, with specific rules for each.
But retraining doesn't allow any kind of a class swap, so while you could swap out old feats for new ones presented in PHB 2 (one per level up) you wouldn't be able to take any that had barbarian prereqs. For what it sounds like you'd like to do, you'd have to talk your DM into sprinkling a little Fairy Dust over your fighter so that in the morning he is a barbarian and no one in the campaign seems to notice any difference. As if he always was....
A lot of people think multiclass feats will be either so good that they are obligatory or so worthless that no one will touch them. How has multiclassing played out in your games? Do you find more people using it than not? Or is it just one of many options?
Multiclassing appears to have a balance EXACTLY as it should have. Since no one class has better attack bonuses than any other, making martial casters is very simple. All the multiclassing feats do is let you swap one power of your class for a power of the class you are multiclassing into. For example a fighter multiclassing into wizard could trade one of his appropriate encounter powers for Fireball. Each Multiclass feat allows you to do this with different powers - and it gets cooler at paragon levels. I have two multiclassers in my Party, and 4 straight classes. And no one is unhappy.
So it's just an option for someone with a great idea for a character build. I doesn't unduly hinder or break a character. It just makes him...different.
Does the paragon level multiclassing option stack with the feats? IE, can you take the powers of the third class instead of paragon stuff?
Yup. That's the one option that will give people pause. Paragon paths are pretty sweet, their abilities made of pure win. One Paragon ability lets you spend an action point to reroll an attack or damage roll instead of taking an extra standard action. BUT, if you really like playing a multiclass, it is a neat option.
Are there more multiclass feats beyond the ones which have been previewed (Novice Power, Acolyte Power, Adept Power)?
Also, someone elsewhere stated that when you substitute a Paragon Path for multiclassing, you get an At-Will from that class as an At-Will. How does that work? Is that in lieu of the Action Point Feature gained from a Paragon Path, or something else?
Yes. Each class has a class specific multiclass feat that is a requirement for the three you mentioned. It gives you special class perks like specific class At-Will abilities as Encounter powers.
Just like it sounds. You can replace one of your at wills with one from your second class. One of the reasons humans (who get an extra at will ability) make good multiclassers.
1. Yet another multiclassing question We know there is for example:
Which allows you to multiclass into Ranger, however are there other beginning multiclass feats for each class. So could there be... Say one where instead of "Hunter's Quarry" gave you "Fighting Style"?
2. Given that the trap/hazard making rules are out, do you think uses the examples in the DMG it will be hard to make our own?
1) Exactamundo.
2) Sure. But the rules were very nice and on par with the Monster creation rules. But anyone with halfway decent math skills should be able to extrapolate the formulas or at the very least, fudge the attack type.
I meant beyond those three, actually. Are there higher level multiclass feats?
Not as of yet. But once you see the system it is kind of hard to imagine anything short of specific Paragon and Epic tier class specific feats that might rear their ugly heads in the forthcoming splatbooks.
I just read the review (after going through this whole bloody thread). I had a few questions. First of all, I remember the Orcs .pdf having several exact orcs, but no "default" orc. Is this just because the .pdf was less than the information in the MM? I certainly hope so.
Also, I noticed in your review that there were trap/hazard making rules in the playtest rules. If WotC doesn't include these in digital format soon after release, would you be able to share the playtest rules, or would that violate your NDA? I'd rather have rules than just "eyeing" current traps/hazards, since I've been known to make mistakes in the past (turns out 8 shocker lizards aren't a good encounter for a 7th level party).
No, there really isn't such thing as DEFAULT monsters in a race any more. While some monsters just are what they are (The Boneclaw is just called Boneclaw) monsters like Orcs, Drow, Sahuagin and Shadar-Kai don't have a weakling default for you to beef up any more. Each Orc is designed to fit a specific role within its Tier (Orcs are heroic level enemies, while Drow appear in Paragon.) But stating out your own different versions of these monsters is pretty cake with the monster gen rules.
WOTC has been putting a lot of focus on balance. How balanced are the classes really (mainly between the Rogue, Warlock, and Ranger.) Do they all have comparable damage and effects, or does a class stick out?
The level of balance really is what impresses me most. Everyone, and I mean everyone, pulls their own weight in a fight. BUT, there is one class that sticks out. The Ranger. Since he is more about raw, direct damage to a single opponent, he'll chaff the DM a bit when he makes one of his pesky double shots then action points to do a high damage shot. I've lost more elites that way on turn 1.
How is the paladin?
Awesome and full of win. We've only had one in our party for a month - we had a player experimenting to find the right class. But this class puts a smile on his face from ear to ear. And he has become a combat superstar in that month - with a player who is not accustomed to being a superstar. None of his powers are alignment based.
Is their a decent amount of monsters to throw at 1st level parties that are not kobolds?
15 level one monsters, 3 of which are kobolds. 18 lvl 2 monsters, 1 of which is a kobold. Lots of selection.
I noticed that both of the traps in the trap preview article... thing... had "control panels", where they were disabled. Was this just something both traps happened to have, or do all/most of the traps now have this attribute?
The words CONTROL PANEL are all over the trap section. Each trap has a series of listed countermeasures on how the players might try to disable the trap with the respective DCs. The impression I got was control panel would be as simple as the classic "Lever" or "button."
Is there a way for a rogue to sneak attack with weapons heavier then a "light blade"
SHRUG. If there is, I haven't seen it. Although they can use it with slings and crossbows.
and a comment which was not an answer per say
Retraining is very easy. Every level up you can make one change - a swap of a power, skill or feat, with specific rules for each.
But retraining doesn't allow any kind of a class swap, so while you could swap out old feats for new ones presented in PHB 2 (one per level up) you wouldn't be able to take any that had barbarian prereqs. For what it sounds like you'd like to do, you'd have to talk your DM into sprinkling a little Fairy Dust over your fighter so that in the morning he is a barbarian and no one in the campaign seems to notice any difference. As if he always was....
