D&D 4E Essentials and 4E Classes: Compatible and Comparable?

[the Jester]

I have an Essentials mage and a PH tome wizard in my party, and they play VERY differently... like two different builds should. At first glance, the mage looked a little beefy, but then I realizes he doesn't get free ritual casting; to me, that makes it pretty much a wash.

 

[DMZ2112]

My opinion and the opinion of my players is that the difference in power level between the PHB1-3 and the Heroes books is not nearly as significant as the difference in power level between the PHB1 and Martial Power 2 -- take from that what you will.

Also, holy crap, WizarDru, you're totally from my hometown. That doesn't happen every day.

 

[Dice4Hire]

The main thing that might be different is the feats. Some of those are pretty crazy. Especially the resistance ones.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Yeah, that tends to make them a lot more powerful.

Expertise feats seemed to be pretty good without adding extra bonuses to them.

Expertise feats were pretty good. They were also dull. Which made them a feat tax. The assumption in Essentials is that everyone will want one, so you effectively get it for free with a second feat thrown in.

 

[Obryn]

The main thing that might be different is the feats. Some of those are pretty crazy. Especially the resistance ones.

I think it's awesome that they have Resistance feats which are actually worth consideration. I can only think of a few which were before - genasi Variable Resistance, and that one for the weird dwarf subrace in Dragon a ways back.

-O

 

[Dice4Hire]

I think it's awesome that they have Resistance feats which are actually worth consideration. I can only think of a few which were before - genasi Variable Resistance, and that one for the weird dwarf subrace in Dragon a ways back.

-O

A little 2/4/6 or even 3/5/10 might be fine, but 5/10/15, equal to races and class bonuses, is just too much.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

A little 2/4/6 or even 3/5/10 might be fine, but 5/10/15, equal to races and class bonuses, is just too much.

I don't think anyone chooses their race or class just for the resistances they offer. They're certainly nice, but I know when I look at races it's the stats and feel that are what I go for.

Having the resistances available as feats is fine. It's already available on a lot of gear, so if you're looking for resistances, those are usually easier to get it on, especially if you go for Dawn Warrior armor. Contrarily, many classes and builds are kind of starved for feats, so it doesn't make sense to take the resistance feats if you can avoid it.

Heck, in neither game I'm in has anyone but me taken a resistance feat, and I took Divine Health, not one of the new ones.

Brad

 

[Obryn]

A little 2/4/6 or even 3/5/10 might be fine, but 5/10/15, equal to races and class bonuses, is just too much.

The real question for me is whether or not anyone will take them. I think they are competitive at 5/10/15. They're good feats at that point, but far from a must-have. 5/10/15 is enough that it's worth risking a feat slot on something that probably won't come up every level.

-O