Complete Adventurer, Spells and Special Abilities

[MerricB]

G'day!

I've just been writing a review of Complete Adventurer, and it became very apparent to me how great the options in that book were for multi-classing. Far more than any previous D&D release.

I'm not just talking about prestige classes (since they've always been that way to some extent), or feats (another new use), but the spells. There are a bunch of spells in CV that just help multi-classed characters.

Need to sneak attack a construct? Fine, cast this wizard spell and away you go.

It's not just multiclassing, either, there's also spells to aid regular abilities. Arrow storm comes to mind. Enhancing existing abilities, adding new ones, and basically just opening up the boundaries.

More than anything, I look at things in CV and think, "that looks fun!", and I know I can't use it all... arrggghhh!!!

I like this. I enjoy it when D&D gets better. I like it when mechanics from previous books (swift and immediate) come into their own.

Does anyone else feel that way?

Cheers!

 

[Crothian]

It seems obvious that this book was about the multi classing making it nice that it supports those combos but making many of the items in there worthless since most people aren't playing thse combinations.

 

[MerricB]

It seems obvious that this book was about the multi classing making it nice that it supports those combos but making many of the items in there worthless since most people aren't playing thse combinations.

By that logic, the Ninja class is worthless because before CV came out, no-one was using it...

 

[Crothian]

By that logic, the Ninja class is worthless because before CV came out, no-one was using it...

Not true, there were other ninja classes.

My point is that when I got Compolete Warrior, there were options I could easily add on to my fighter. It was easy to use and didn't reuquire to much more from my character. With CV, so much of it requires two classes that it would require more changes to characters to fit them. Sure, I could start over and create a character from scratch to use this book, but I can't do that for each new book. I want soptions that are easy to use in the character I have now. Not some character I might have later.

 

[MerricB]

My point is that when I got Compolete Warrior, there were options I could easily add on to my fighter. It was easy to use and didn't reuquire to much more from my character. With CV, so much of it requires two classes that it would require more changes to characters to fit them. Sure, I could start over and create a character from scratch to use this book, but I can't do that for each new book. I want soptions that are easy to use in the character I have now. Not some character I might have later.

You know, I really don't know why you'd find Complete Warrior better for your fighter than Complete Adventuerer. Maybe it has something to do with CW being focused on... say... fighting, and CV on... skill use?

 

[Crothian]

You know, I really don't know why you'd find Complete Warrior better for your fighter than Complete Adventuerer. Maybe it has something to do with CW being focused on... say... fighting, and CV on... skill use?

okay, then what class is better for CV? And I was talking in general really not fighter specific. CV is better for odd multi class combos like the Paladin Ranger that there is a feat for. I imagine there wern't a lot of people playing that class combo who opened that books and said "Finally!". CV was not focused on skill use, it had new skill uses and some skill classes, but for the most it seemed filled with hodge podge material.

 

[MerricB]

okay, then what class is better for CV? And I was talking in general really not fighter specific. CV is better for odd multi class combos like the Paladin Ranger that there is a feat for. I imagine there wern't a lot of people playing that class combo who opened that books and said "Finally!". CV was not focused on skill use, it had new skill uses and some skill classes, but for the most it seemed filled with hodge podge material.

Bards and Rogues, primarily. Rangers, Druids and Barbarians also do pretty well out of CV.

Bards get a lot of new spells, 2 or 3 new PrC, and a bunch of feats.
Rogues get several PrC, improved skill use descriptions, and a bunch of feats.

Pretty similar for Ranger, Druids and Barbarians (the latter least of all, but Brutal Throw and Leap Attack are so much for barbarians!)

I'd be surprised if an existing Ranger character couldn't get a lot of use out of the new ranger spells.

Cheers!

 

[Crothian]

each of those classes gets a smattering of help, but not like clerics, wizards, and fighters do from each of the other books. And better Ranger spells was not hard considering the lack of them in the PHB. I'm not saying it is a bad book, I'm just saying it is one less likely to be useful to existing characters then the other three books in the series.

 

[Len]

I agree with Crothian. I found little of real use for my existing rogue/Shadowdancer. I've already got a PrC, my feats are heavily over-subscribed and I can't cast any of those nifty Range: Personal spells. There's lots of stuff that could have been useful if I'd had the book a year ago when I was starting my character.

I found some potentially useful skill uses (fewer than I hoped for) and some equipment worth getting.

A pretty interesting book but not terribly useful to me in my current game.

But hey, I play the rogue so it was my turn to buy the splatbook.

 

[MerricB]

Really, you'd be lucky with most 9th+ level characters that aren't fighters to find anything of use in any of the Complete series.

You just don't have the feats left at that point.