Dragon 372 - Ampersand: Summoning, Arcane Power Preview, and Mordain the Fleshweaver

[Kobold Avenger]

Yeah, he would need to be hit by a power that does both. I can't think of any off the top of my head, but there's probably some out there (or will be at some point).

Cold and radiant damage, along with fear are a thing for Starpact Warlocks. I'm sure they have some powers that do both.

And Mordain is a unique villain, I'm sure he's meant to not have many things to be weak against.

 

[RefinedBean]

Even if there are at least 3 powers that do it, I think that's too few a power to build a monster to be weak against it. It's like building a monster that's weak against left-handed clerics named Fred.

Unless your PCs have the exact appropriate combo, they're not going to beat him.

Well, it's an encounter power, so he's doing it once. I suppose he could then flee after that.

 

[Rechan]

Well, it's an encounter power, so he's doing it once. I suppose he could then flee after that.

But the regeneration. My god, the regeneration!

 

[Rechan]

And Mordain is a unique villain, I'm sure he's meant to not have many things to be weak against.

I do like the idea of the PCs needing to find something to put him down properly.

 

[RefinedBean]

But the regeneration. My god, the regeneration!

Oh.

Ohhh.

Well, then, they'll just have to get him to negative bloodied, which is dead-dead, if I remember correctly.

OR have that one weakness be part of the lore that the party is gathering to kill this guy, who I've never heard of until tonight. It'd be cool for two party members to be thinking up a way to make sure they can kill him when they get to him, and developing their characters together appropriately.

Anyway, this guy looks pretty awesome and definitely capable of "reopening the gates to Xoriat." That sounds fairly epic.

 

[Rechan]

who I've never heard of until tonight.

Really? He even had his own article in DDI a little while ago.

Mordain is actually one of my favorite NPCs from Eberron (scooching juuust above Erandis). Mainly because he's so freakish, yet purely due to his own designs. But, I have a deep love of transmuters and fleshcrafters, so I'm biased.

Back when I was running an Eberron game, I was actually going to get my party to seek out his help.

 

[Rechan]

Incidentally, I really like the summoning. I am not sure how well it measures up as a daily, and I am sort've concerned that a summoned creature could easily get wasted (it has a wizard's defenses and very little HP) and then that Daily is gone.

It's interesting that familiars will be available to all Arcane PCs. I wonder how they'll emulate them. Multi-class?

 

[arscott]

Just a series of feats is my guess. And I think familiars are going to end up a much more out-of-combat helper this time around--Quite possibly granting bonuses to ritual use, among other things.

 

[BarkingDeathSquirrel]

Hrm... is it just me or is "Summon Fire Warrior" just not worth it?

Only lasts a single encounter, Takes a standard action to deal 1d8+Int damage to a single target with no special effect, and you have a chance of losing a healing surge if you don't get the chance to dismiss it before it is defeated (more part of the summoning rules than the Fire Warrior itself, though)... sure, it can make opportunity attacks, but so can the Angel of Fire summon of the Invoker...

The other summons look decent enough, though. Also: I am correct in thinking that you can dismiss a summon before it is defeated to avoid the Healing Surge loss, yes?

 

[Jack99]

The other summons look decent enough, though. Also: I am correct in thinking that you can dismiss a summon before it is defeated to avoid the Healing Surge loss, yes?

That's how I read it too. The loss of a surge is keyed to the summon being destroyed, not dismissed.