Do you take powers without a build specific benefit?

[Jools]

I choose from all the powers on offer, but I've noticed that other players (and by that I mean those of us that don't obsessively read forums) tend to choose powers with class benefits.

 

[Turtlejay]

I choose them based on the "Character's" build, which may or may not reflect the class benefit appended to the bottom of the power.

For example, if I make a Warlock who likes to teleport, I may end up with a lot of Fey pact powers, which fits, but still take a few Star pact powers, even though I do not benefit from the rider. I made such a character, and he did not take the very, very excellent 1st level encounter Witchfire, because his backstory included a fear of fire.

So no, not as the book defines it, but as I define it.

Jay

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

If there's a build specific power, I'll usually choose that one just because I can't be bothered to carefully compare and evaluate all the powers of that level. I figure the build specific one will work well enough, and if I somehow end up unhappy with it I can always retrain it.

 

[Nifft]

My selection process:

1. Eliminate all the hopeless misfits. This is usually the majority of powers. This means getting rid of powers that are just plain poor (quite a few), excessively situational (not my thing), use a wrong attack stat, depend on an implement/weapon I don't have, or depend crucially on a rider I can't use. Sometimes, this reduces the choice down to 1 or even 0 (i.e., pick another level's power or multiclass).
2. If there's a power that's head and shoulders better than the rest, pick that.
3. Otherwise (most normally), pick whatever seems to fit the character. This is usually a power without a build specific rider, though of course I try to include them. I just don't like em that often.
4. As a general rule, I don't like sustain powers (annoying gameplay overhead, and limits your options on subsequent turns...), and daily utility powers, powers that slow the game down with unnecessary mechanics tracking (specifically if it requires constant attention even after your turn), and do like minor actions, immediate actions, and powers that do more than one thing (as long as you can resolve it now), in particular leader-like or controller like powers that give a tactical edge.

Interesting. My process is similar, but I love "sustain Minor" powers. In my experience the good ones are encounter-winners.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Jhaelen]

I tend to look at powers with a build-specific bonus first. But that doesn't mean they end up being the ones I choose. Sometimes, even with the bonus, they're still worse than other choices.

Also, I make sure to pick at least one power that allows me to cover weaknesses of my build. I'm also quite fond of multiclassing for that reason (among others).

 

[Ryujin]

Another case of not choosing the best cheese first just occurred. My DM has been asking us to give him our Epic Destinies so that he can plan ahead for when we hit Epic tier. I had been looking at several with an eye to getting a stat bonus to CHA (to offset my low initial score), but none of them really suited my character concept. I'm thinking Ghaele of Summer, since my Eladrin WArlock uses a Longsword of Summer as his primary implement. Feylord didn't fit. I suggested a reskinning of Prince of Hell so that the summoned creatures weren't devils, but he wouldn't go for it. The most mechanically beneficial paths, Chosen and Demigod, are boring to me.

Then I saw Radiant One. Radiant fire damage bonus when not playing fair. Reborn in a blaze of glory. Occasionally taking shortcuts through time the way that an Eladrin Warlock takes shortcuts through space. PERFECT. No attribute bonus, but I can still boost hits in other ways.... I hope.

Later on I saw the 'extra cheese.' Combined with Shadow Warlock armour to get almost constant combat advantage from Shadow Walk (a blazing blur on the battlefield doing another +7 (INT) radiant fire damage). Add the Heroic tier feat Starfire Womb for an extra saving throw when doing radiant damage. Take Student of Athaneum and Force of Nature (6D10+CHA) and combined with Death Mark (Bard PP benefit to roll twice vs. one opponent each encounter) you've got a walking Fey howitzer.

But Radiant One came first.

 

[eamon]

Interesting. My process is similar, but I love "sustain Minor" powers. In my experience the good ones are encounter-winners.

Oh, I don't dislike em because they're weak, but because I don't like tracking em and don't like reducing my options later on. It's just more fun to me to have a bevy of small stuff to do later .

 

[Holy Bovine]

Those powers that give a build-specific benefit are always the ones I look at first when leveling up. However I, more often than not, choose other powers that, to me, either sound like more fun or fit my character's personality/background better.

The one type of power I almost never take are those that give a benefit to a different build than the one I am going with. Those rarely, if ever, are worth it as I don't usually have the secondary stat at a high enough bonus (ie more than +1)

 

[john112364]

I like to pick powers based on the character concept while still making a good character. In other words, I won't pick a totally lame power just because it fits my concept. But if a power looks cool and fits my concept, I may choose it even if it has a build rider that I can't use. This sometimes means that I get a character that isn't "optimized", but I have never had one that couldn't hold his own in a fight.