Design and Development: The Deva

[ppaladin123]

It does really seem like the Deva should have been +WIS & +CHA. That would have fit in a lot better with the divine classes than WIS & INT.

I'm betting the kalashtar will be in the Eberron Player's Guide and will be +2 Wis, +2 Cha.

 

[Lord Sessadore]

Halflings make... questionable paladins due to their speed being only 4 in heavy armor.

Just a little correction here - halfling base speed is 6, so halflings in heavy armor have speed 5, just like most people. So halflings do make reasonable paladins.

 

[pawsplay]

Every time someone says Avenger, I either picture Captain America saying, "America still needs your help!" or I remember that in the Companion set, Avengers were evil counterparts to the Paladin and to the Knight, i.e. they were blackguards.

 

[ppaladin123]

Just a little correction here - halfling base speed is 6, so halflings in heavy armor have speed 5, just like most people. So halflings do make reasonable paladins.

This is true. However they must wield versatile weapons two-handed (including the longsword, bastard sword, warhammer) and can't wield two-handed weapons at all. That rather limits their weapon choice/damage potential. Still, they make great tanks, what with "lost in the crowd," and the second chance ability.

 

[ppaladin123]

Every time someone says Avenger, I either picture Captain America saying, "America still needs your help!" or I remember that in the Companion set, Avengers were evil counterparts to the Paladin and to the Knight, i.e. they were blackguards.

And then he says, "Thank you quicksilver!," followed by, "OK, GO!!"

 

[Lord Sessadore]

This is true. However they must wield versatile weapons two-handed (including the longsword, bastard sword, warhammer) and can't wield two-handed weapons at all. That rather limits their weapon choice/damage potential. Still, they make great tanks, what with "lost in the crowd," and the second chance ability.

That's true, though I don't think it makes as huge a difference as most people would think. The defender in my campaign is a halfling fighter, and he's one of the more effective characters, especially when Lost in the Crowd comes into effect. In case you're curious, he wields a "brutal axe" with two hands - same stats as a craghammer, but it's an axe (because he wanted an axe, but liked brutal, and he's a halfling, so I obliged).

I have to say he's one of the more entertaining characters I've had so far - the little hobbit (the player insists he's a hobbit, not a halfling ) thinks he's actually a dwarf. Calls every dwarf he meets his brother, is in love with armor and axes and ale, etc etc...

 

[arscott]

Every time someone says Avenger, I either picture Captain America saying, "America still needs your help!" or I remember that in the Companion set, Avengers were evil counterparts to the Paladin and to the Knight, i.e. they were blackguards.

Blackguard? Avengers weren't anti-paladins in the evil sense, they were anti-paladins in the chaotic sense. The 4e avenger is very much a non-evil opposite of the paladin, if not quite the same way as the BD&D version.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Because its not enough for people that a race with a shtick be good at their shtick. The race also has to be bad at things that are not its shtick.

Not the issue at all.

The mismatch issue is when the ability scores support un-mentioned classes better than mentioned classes.

 

[WalterKovacs]

The INT/WIS seems to best match the idea of it constantly reincarnating and thus being an old soul that retains some echoes of it's previous life.

In the PHBII they have one holding an orb in the picture next to the race write up. They also mention that they favor: avenger, cleric, invoker and wizard. They would work well as a swordmage, especially with the paragon path built around wisdom. [The laser cleric with good int could wear hide armor, and have a great religion skill].

 

[CapnZapp]

I think when D&D 4.5 comes out next year, they will increase the number of abilities 50%.

With Strength, Constitution, Agility, Quickness, Intelligence, Learning, Charisma, Wisdom and Appearance; and how all races get one more +2 to a floating ability (so Humans get two, both floating), this should allow the game to support lots more races with individual "shticks" (i.e unique subsets of favored classes)!

Regrettably, we need to buy a new set of PHBs to get the new class write-ups (whose powers are keyed off the nine abilities) but I still think this is better for the game, and so well worth waiting for!