Epic Destinies... Really? That's all of 'em?

[Yaezakura]

So. I have to ask.

Is anyone else severely disappointed that we only get 4 epic destinies to choose from? To make matters worse, one is restricted to Wizards, and one may as well have the requirement "21st level Rogue". For the other six classes, you're basically stuck picking between two options--one of which simply lets you cherry pick a few abilities from other classes.

I love what I've seen so far... except for this. I was expecting at least a few more options. Whatever happened to things like the Eternal Warrior that were talked about? I suppose that was held over for Martial Power... but it would have been nice if the PHB Epic Destinies has included at least ONE really attractive option for warriors.

And why the heck is a whole epic destiny reserved just for Wizards? If the Eternal Warrior has to wait for Martial Power, couldn't the Archmage have waited for Arcane Power, and a more general destiny put in its place? I mean, a quarter of the available epic destinies are completely off limits to 7/8ths of the characters in the game!

Okay, I better stop ranting now...

 

[hong]

You have 1 year to grind your way up to 21st level, before the PHB2 comes out. That should be plenty.

 

[Jer]

You have 1 year to grind your way up to 21st level, before the PHB2 comes out. That should be plenty.

Eh. "Buy the next book" isn't always a great answer. I can understand why WotC would want us to have that as our default answer, but it isn't a great one.

However - before I complain about it I want to see the books. I want to see how much space Epic Destinies consume and how much space other things consume in the book. Optimally I would have liked to see one appropriate Epic Destiny for each base class - that doesn't mean 8 of them, as some classes could probably share them, but at least one for each possible character type. That would make it really feel like I could go from 1st to 30th level with the book, and not just if I pick the "right" class.

Having said that - I know the realities of publishing require a limit on page count, and once I see the book I'm betting it'll be tough for me to figure out what I would have wanted them to cut. On average, if past editions are any indication, the book is going to get used for campaigns in the level 1-10 range far, far more frequently than campaigns in the higher levels. So I can understand the attitude of making sure that the book is broadly useful for levels 1-10, slightly less coverage for levels 11-20, and a more limited taste of levels 21-30. It might make for a less "complete" feeling sourcebook, but on average it probably makes for a more useful one.

 

[Piratecat]

I have no doubt they ran out of space. Take a look at that 3e article on epic destinies WotC posted last month. I bet that was the original 4e list, and they couldn't shoehorn it all in.

 

[Holy Bovine]

So. I have to ask.

Is anyone else severely disappointed that we only get 4 epic destinies to choose from? To make matters worse, one is restricted to Wizards, and one may as well have the requirement "21st level Rogue". For the other six classes, you're basically stuck picking between two options--one of which simply lets you cherry pick a few abilities from other classes.

I love what I've seen so far... except for this. I was expecting at least a few more options. Whatever happened to things like the Eternal Warrior that were talked about? I suppose that was held over for Martial Power... but it would have been nice if the PHB Epic Destinies has included at least ONE really attractive option for warriors.

And why the heck is a whole epic destiny reserved just for Wizards? If the Eternal Warrior has to wait for Martial Power, couldn't the Archmage have waited for Arcane Power, and a more general destiny put in its place? I mean, a quarter of the available epic destinies are completely off limits to 7/8ths of the characters in the game!

Okay, I better stop ranting now...

Disappointed? Not really. Epic level play is not my favourite level of play so i doubt I will even use them. I much prefer the focus to be on the heroic & paragon tiers as, imo, this is where 90% of campaigns will begin and end. I have no doubt that an 4E Epic Level Handbook is in the works even as we speak. I do not see any problem with this as this is exactly the way 3E did it. I only hope the 4E version has a lot less suck than the 3E ELH had.

 

[Mort_Q]

They're going to have web enhancements as well as other books. YMMV.

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

The Epic Destiny section is certainly lacking. Thank goodness for all the Paragon Paths we get. They offer a few abilities and a power each, but they really seem like just a plot device to call it quits after level 30. Which I'm ok with, but others might not be.

 

[TwoSix]

[cough]DDI[/cough]

 

[Ruined]

It's not that bad of a deal for me. There will be enough epic destiny rules for me to work with, and from what I've seen, they should really be tailored to the characters and campaign.

Plus, I have these really great books from 4e by Fantasy Flight Games. Path of the Sword, Path of Faith, etc. They had Legendary Classes that seemed too powerful for normal (3.x) 1-20 play, but are perfect fits for epic destinies.

 

[vagabundo]

I'm glad they used the space for Paragon Paths instead. They are going to get more play in my games. We may never get to epic!!