Divine Power Excerpt: Malediction Invoker

[Piratecat]

I don't think a foe automatically knows you're vulnerable; they automatically know any effect that's on themselves, but not that's on you. Obryn, why do you think they'd know until you got hit?

This class is really appealing to me. I like the knife's edge of doing a lot of damage, but knowing that you might get splatted at any minute. This is a class that'll need as many healing surges as they can muster, and I might make one a deva so he could get reincarnated every time he gets scragged. I'm picturing the celestial gatekeepers now... "What? You're reincarnating AGAIN?"

Actually, I think my PC would be an bad-tempered, elderly human crone with a gnarled staff who happens to know words of unspeakable power, and who lives alone in a witch's hut out in the woods when she isn't adventuring. How the PC learned the ancient words would make for an interesting plot hook.

EDIT: Do you get to save against ongoing damage at the end of the same turn in which you used the power that gave it to you?

 

[ShadoWWW]

Two new excerpts:

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[Leatherhead]

I like the fluff on this one. Not only are you smiting enemies, you are smiting them with Dread Words of Power used by the gods to smite primordials. And they are too powerful for you to handle safely, which is what I imagine some people were looking for in the chaos sorcerer. Too bad the picture dosn't invoke the idea of overwhelming power.

The Covenant Manifestation is rather nice, a controllerish class feature. Don't care much for the level 1 power (mostly cause angel summoning sounds cooler). The level 9 power looks good though. The level 25 power sounds incredibly fun, in the way that you get to light a red dragon on fire and watch them burn to death in agony.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

EDIT: Do you get to save against ongoing damage at the end of the same turn in which you used the power that gave it to you?

Normally you would, wouldn't you? So if you know a way to boost your currents turn save, you might be able to avoid all damage.

 

[Obryn]

I don't think a foe automatically knows you're vulnerable; they automatically know any effect that's on themselves, but not that's on you. Obryn, why do you think they'd know until you got hit?

You know, with vulnerability it's less clear, but my usual stance is that everyone has at least a vague idea of what's going on with everyone else, mechanically. At least, for stuff they didn't start with.

I'd figure there's got to be a change that's somehow detectable with the Invoker once he becomes Vulnerable 20. With a Barbarian using Avalance Strike it's along the lines of "Oh wow - that big tough guy just made an insane swing and now he's pretty defenseless! Get him!" With an Invoker, I'd think there'd be something else noticeable - at least for farily intelligent foes.

-O

 

[Nymrohd]

That miracle worker is sick. Even more healing power for lazer clerics (and I am not even considering the mark of healing here).

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Making yourself vulnerable 20, for 1 round might also be used as a gambit to cause monsters to attack you so that the party's defenders can do nasty things in turn to them.

 

[Shroomy]

I've liked the invoker when it was released in the PHB2, and based on the handful of powers in this excerpt, the malediction invoker seems really cool (I wonder if we'll see stuff like magical hairshirts); as someone mentioned before, its almost like the anti-dark pact warlock. WoTC seems to have created something a lot of people have been asking for, a high damage controller, but I do wonder if the self-inflicted damage and conditions that are its price will make it an attractive option to a wider audience.

 

[Piratecat]

Classes like this are driving me nuts that I'm DMing instead of playing. I keep seeing race/class combos I want to play. :shakes fist:

 

[Rechan]

Classes like this are driving me nuts that I'm DMing instead of playing. I keep seeing race/class combos I want to play. :shakes fist:

DMPCs?