Complete Warrior, anybody got it? What's in it?

[Plane Sailing]

Heh. It sounds like you almost described the way that Master of Arms works (I book I recommend but nobody buys). Most of the class abilities are also presented as feats.

Interesting. I presume you've reviewed it then? I don't remember hearing about it but I'll go and search the reviews database.

Cheers

 

[Felon]

Was anyone else disappointed and confused by the kensai class? It bears absolutely no resemblance to it's 1st edition namesake or the 3rd edition weapon master. Instead, it's a bizarre combo of OA samurai, Master Samurai, and an oathbound from AU with a cleric's BAB and Will as teh only good save.

Makes no sense to me either. Isn't the kensai supposed to be some sort of wandering "sword-saint", a sort of lone knight-errant who seeks ought wrongs to right? Doesn't really mesh with the whole warlord thing.

Heh. It sounds like you almost described the way that Master of Arms works (I book I recommend but nobody buys). Most of the class abilities are also presented as feats.

I bought it, in part due to your review. It's cool.

 

[Arcane Runes Press]

Was anyone else disappointed and confused by the kensai class? It bears absolutely no resemblance to it's 1st edition namesake or the 3rd edition weapon master. Instead, it's a bizarre combo of OA samurai, Master Samurai, and an oathbound from AU with a cleric's BAB and Will as teh only good save.

Yeah. That class sort of boggles the mind. It's a class I can't see EVER taking, and a poor example of its namesake.

Actually, I'm much less than impressed with the book from the reading I've been doing. A real yawner.

Patrick Y.

 

[comrade raoul]

Was anyone else disappointed and confused by the kensai class? It bears absolutely no resemblance to it's 1st edition namesake or the 3rd edition weapon master. Instead, it's a bizarre combo of OA samurai, Master Samurai, and an oathbound from AU with a cleric's BAB and Will as teh only good save.

You may be more interested in my recent treatment of the kensei, available here. It uses a pair of feats from Arcana Unearthed, but is easily adaptable to D&D campaigns.

 

[Hardhead]

If you're talking about taking multiple feinted attacks in a round, then you're viewing the mechanic as far too closely bonded to the explanation of the maneuver - once again we have a master feinter. Is it too much to ask that perhaps he's pulling off a single feint which leaves his opponent so wide open he can take advantage of the opponent's response multiple times?

My objection is based on game balance. Sneak Attack simply isn't balanced if a rogue can do it every attack every time. The damage a character able to do this could dish out boggles the mind.

 

[Hypersmurf]

My objection is based on game balance. Sneak Attack simply isn't balanced if a rogue can do it every attack every time. The damage a character able to do this could dish out boggles the mind.

Hasn't Monte Cook been quoted as saying that the Rogue class was balanced under the assumption that he would be Sneak Attacking every time?

Apart from that - with the BAB added to the Sense Motive check, he's unlikely to be successful on every feint...

-Hyp.

 

[comrade raoul]

Hasn't Monte Cook been quoted as saying that the Rogue class was balanced under the assumption that he would be Sneak Attacking every time?

Apart from that - with the BAB added to the Sense Motive check, he's unlikely to be successful on every feint...

-Hyp.

I think he was quoted as saying that the rogue was balanced under the assumption that he would sneak attack once or twice every encounter.

 

[Aaron L]

That can't be right considering the fact that simply FLANKING an opponent lets you sneak attack.

 

[Hardhead]

If the bad guy is moving smart, flanking can be hard with a four-person party (especially if one or two of them are hanging back casting spells).

 

[Felon]

By high-level I meant between 10th and 20th. Oh well, maybe there'll be another book with enough high-level feats taking up something more than 25% of the book.

Now that I have a copy of the book, Psi, it may comfort (or at least interest) you to know that most of the Weapon Style feats require a pretty stringent chain of prerequisite feats. By the CW's definition, only a few characters manage to learn them.

The same can be said of many of the Tactical feats...and they look like just plain fun. For instance, one of the Raptor School tactics is to jump down on top of your foe, and you decide before hand what the DC of the jump check is. DC15 = +2 damage, DC25 = +4. If you fail the check--whoops! Thud!

And Giantbane has a tactic called "climb aboard". You make a Climb check to scramble up a larger opponent's back, and it takes a -4 to attack you while you're up there. It can shake you off by making a grapple check opposed by your Climb check.

Of course, against some monsters this stuff has to adjudicated properly...but that's what a DM's there for. Neat stuff.