Battle Mage's Arcane Ripose is still useless

[Atlatl Jones]

The recent D&D errata updated the Battle Mage's Arcane Riposte ability to be a intelligence-based attack instead of a dexterity-based attack.

Battle Mage
Page 169: In the second sentence of the Arcane Riposte class feature, replace “Dexterity” with “Intelligence.” The feature’s former text made is useless to a wizard. This change gives the feature a more adequate attack bonus.

Arcane Riposte (11th level): Imbued with magical might, your hands bristle with arcane energy in the heat of battle. When a creature provokes an opportunity attack from you, make an opportunity attack with one of your hands (Intelligence vs. AC). Choose cold, fire, force, or lightning. You deal 1d8 + Intelligence modifier damage of that type with this attack.

Unfortunately, it's still useless. Its attack bonus is extremely low, and will rarely ever hit, for two reasons:

1) It's an attack vs. AC, but it lacks the +3 or +3 bonus that weapons get.
2) It doesn't have any sort of enhancement bonuses.

As a result, it's already 2 to 4 points of attack bonus behind the curve when battle mages first receive it at 11th level, and it just gets worse from there.

What I hope Wizards will do in a future update is to make it an Implement power, targeting Reflex. That will keep it on the same scale as other attacks in the game, so it will actually be useful.

Ideally, they'll write it up as a bonus at-will power with the "opportunity attack" action, so it'll be included in the character builder.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

or just int +6 like comparable powers... (+8 at epic)

edit: or even better: something like inherent enhancement boni for every improvsed attack

 

[DracoSuave]

It's still likely better than the OA you'd have without this feature.


But then, I don't think this is the selling point of the path anyways. Not every PP has to be like Daggermaster, with one great feature and meh powers.

 

[BobTheNob]

I would like to see that
a) You can use your implement for enhancement bonus
b) vs reflex.
Then it would be just fine
(If someone took a battle mage I would probably house rule that way...)

 

[UngeheuerLich]

yes, this would be the best i guess

 

[Nifft]

Unfortunately, it's still useless. Its attack bonus is extremely low, and will rarely ever hit, for two reasons:

1) It's an attack vs. AC, but it lacks the +2 or +3 bonus that weapons get.
2) It doesn't have any sort of enhancement bonuses.

As a result, it's already 2 to 4 points of attack bonus behind the curve when battle mages first receive it at 11th level, and it just gets worse from there.

Yep. Very sad.

When I saw this, I thought "FINALLY!", but upon further reading it turns out to be just a slightly less obvious trap.

The extra-sad part is that a Wizard with a staff and the feat Melee Training already covers the vs-AC niche perfectly well.

A better path ability would be to just give a bonus melee At-Will power which works as a melee basic attack. It's not like being able to deal 1d6+Int to a single adjacent target is going to look like an appealing option often.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Elric]

A better path ability would be to just give a bonus melee At-Will power which works as a melee basic attack. It's not like being able to deal 1d6+Int to a single adjacent target is going to look like an appealing option often.

How about:

Arcane Riposte (Battle Mage class feature): Change to: You gain the following power.

Arcane Riposte,
At-will, Arcane, Implement
Standard Action, Melee,
Target: One creature. Intelligence vs. Reflex
Damage: 1d8 + Intelligence modifier.
Level 21: 2d8 + Intelligence modifier damage
When you use this power, choose cold, fire, force, or lightning. This power deals that type of damage (and has that keyword).
This power can be used as a melee basic attack.

 

[Nifft]

How about:

Arcane Riposte (Battle Mage class feature): Change to: You gain the following power.

Pretty much what I'd have done. Here's my version:

Arcane Riposte •Battle Mage Attack 11
At-will • Arcane, Implement, and Cold, Fire, Force or Lightning (see below)
Standard • Melee
Target: One creature
Attack: Intelligence vs. Reflex
Damage: 1d6 + Int damage.
Level 21: 1d10 + Int damage.

Special: When you use this power, choose cold, fire, force, or lightning. This power deals that type of damage (and has that keyword). This power can be used as a melee basic attack.

- - -

IMHO damage should tend to be lower than what you could get using other Wizard at-will powers. This should be a situational bonus, not a primary staple.

Cheers, -- N

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

It is just going to be a meh feature no matter what. You're average wizard makes how many OAs? You'll be lucky to use it once in a blue moon. Even if you give it an implement bonus and make it vs Reflex it hardly matters. Staff wizards are going to use their staff anyway most likely and other wizards would be better advised not to get that close to the enemy, so when will they use it? Monsters rarely will stand next to a wizard and draw an OA, they'd most often probably just smack him vs going somewhere else.

So, nothing wrong with pumping it up a bit, but its never going to be any kind of selling point for the Battle Mage. It was really barely worth fixing at all.

 

[BobTheNob]

Pretty much what I'd have done. Here's my version:

Arcane Riposte •Battle Mage Attack 11
At-will • Arcane, Implement, and Cold, Fire, Force or Lightning (see below)
Standard • Melee
Target: One creature
Attack: Intelligence vs. Reflex
Damage: 1d6 + Int damage.
Level 21: 1d10 + Int damage.

Special: When you use this power, choose cold, fire, force, or lightning. This power deals that type of damage (and has that keyword). This power can be used as a melee basic attack.

- - -

IMHO damage should tend to be lower than what you could get using other Wizard at-will powers. This should be a situational bonus, not a primary staple.

Cheers, -- N

Bingo. Like that alot.

Powerful enough that it it feasible, not so powerful that it invalidates other options. At the same timeVersatile enough that it will actually see some use rather than just opportunity attacks.

Very nice