Essentials Mage: Observations

[jimmifett]

Ok, so just finished reading the new mage.
We get schools again. My thought is that school selected will provide predefined kickers of some sort to powers associated with that school via keyword that school represents.

A regular wizard can take Beguiling Strands, and have the power as written, but a Mage of the Enchantment school taking that power, you get say, a +x to attack or a +x to forced movement, or an additional free action forced upon the target. Something along those lines bc you belong to that school.

Potential Hypnotism controller-ish fun?
Looking at Hypnotism, at first glance, it looks like "I can make the enemy smack his friends or move him where i want."

Target: One Creature

Hello! Controlling your own teammates?

Regdar, I choose you! Give the guy next to you an extra smack!
Lidda, I choose you! Slide 3 squares into a nice tasty flanking position!
Magikarp, Splash Attack! /meme

Would I even have to roll to target a fellow PC to hypnotize them if they are willing?
As a DM, I would rule yes, as you are trying to force your will on them and reduce potential broketastic.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Ok, so just finished reading the new mage.
We get schools again. My thought is that school selected will provide predefined kickers of some sort to powers associated with that school via keyword that school represents.

A regular wizard can take Beguiling Strands, and have the power as written, but a Mage of the Enchantment school taking that power, you get say, a +x to attack or a +x to forced movement, or an additional free action forced upon the target. Something along those lines bc you belong to that school.

Potential Hypnotism controller-ish fun?
Looking at Hypnotism, at first glance, it looks like "I can make the enemy smack his friends or move him where i want."

Target: One Creature

Hello! Controlling your own teammates?

Regdar, I choose you! Give the guy next to you an extra smack!
Lidda, I choose you! Slide 3 squares into a nice tasty flanking position!
Magikarp, Splash Attack! /meme

Would I even have to roll to target a fellow PC to hypnotize them if they are willing?
As a DM, I would rule yes, as you are trying to force your will on them and reduce potential broketastic.

Yup, I think this power was made deliberately this way, so you could target your friends to have them hit enemies, or your enemies to hit other enemies. But in both cases, you still have to make and succeed in the attack roll.

 

[FireLance]

Hello! Controlling your own teammates?

Warlords have been controlling their own teammates since the debut of 4e.

And they don't need to roll to hit, either.

 

[Black Knight Irios]

Ok, so just finished reading the new mage.
We get schools again. My thought is that school selected will provide predefined kickers of some sort to powers associated with that school via keyword that school represents.

A regular wizard can take Beguiling Strands, and have the power as written, but a Mage of the Enchantment school taking that power, you get say, a +x to attack or a +x to forced movement, or an additional free action forced upon the target. Something along those lines bc you belong to that school.

There must be something like that or there won't be a reason for schools.

Potential Hypnotism controller-ish fun?
Looking at Hypnotism, at first glance, it looks like "I can make the enemy smack his friends or move him where i want."

Target: One Creature

Hello! Controlling your own teammates?

Regdar, I choose you! Give the guy next to you an extra smack!
Lidda, I choose you! Slide 3 squares into a nice tasty flanking position!
Magikarp, Splash Attack! /meme

Seems like you indeed like Mudkips...

You could even trigger the punishment from your defender if the target was marked by him.

Would I even have to roll to target a fellow PC to hypnotize them if they are willing?
As a DM, I would rule yes, as you are trying to force your will on them and reduce potential broketastic.

On the WotC boards someone quoted a designer and it seems like the power's target will be changed to "enemy" to avoid confusion and possible abuse.

But if it stays as it is you would have to to hit your ally first.

 

[DEFCON 1]

On the WotC boards someone quoted a designer and it seems like the power's target will be changed to "enemy" to avoid confusion and possible abuse.

But if it stays as it is you would have to to hit your ally first.

I hope they do keep it as One Creature... because I like the idea you can use it on both friends and enemies. As FireLance said, this is what Warlords have done all along... and as there are no Essential Warlords, having the Mage take one of his schticks to use in the Essentials line is not out of the question, nor broken. (Especially since it requires two attack rolls... one for the Mage, and one for the recipient of the Hypnotize against its target.)

 

[Mouseferatu]

It was Mike Mearls. Actually on RPGnet, then quoted on the WotC boards.

He said he's pretty sure it was changed to target enemies only.

 

[Stumblewyk]

Potential Hypnotism controller-ish fun?
Looking at Hypnotism, at first glance, it looks like "I can make the enemy smack his friends or move him where i want."

Target: One Creature

Hello! Controlling your own teammates?

Regdar, I choose you! Give the guy next to you an extra smack!
Lidda, I choose you! Slide 3 squares into a nice tasty flanking position!
Magikarp, Splash Attack! /meme

Would I even have to roll to target a fellow PC to hypnotize them if they are willing?
As a DM, I would rule yes, as you are trying to force your will on them and reduce potential broketastic.

Yeah, I caught that immediately myself, and thought that it could definitely be used to grant allies attacks, movement, etc. But what I really glommed onto was this: the wizard, and the dominating enemy locked in a battle of wills over the party fighter/barbarian/whatever:

-Enemy Dominates party member, and forces that party member to attack an ally.
-Party Mage Hypnotizes Dominated party member, and forces him to attack the enemy.
-The two pitch the Hypnotized PC back and forth between their wills, until the Hypnotized PC can break the enemy's enchantment on them.

Sure, it's a minor application of the power, but I see it being a way to ameliorate (or at least minimize) the effects of Dominate on the party.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I think ally and enemy are mainly interchangeable as targets... it just disclaims, that one is a friendly action and the target must be willing, and one is deliberately hostile.

So you can use it on your friend, but he will feel misused...

 

[jimmifett]

Yeah, I caught that immediately myself, and thought that it could definitely be used to grant allies attacks, movement, etc. But what I really glommed onto was this: the wizard, and the dominating enemy locked in a battle of wills over the party fighter/barbarian/whatever:

-Enemy Dominates party member, and forces that party member to attack an ally.
-Party Mage Hypnotizes Dominated party member, and forces him to attack the enemy.
-The two pitch the Hypnotized PC back and forth between their wills, until the Hypnotized PC can break the enemy's enchantment on them.

Sure, it's a minor application of the power, but I see it being a way to ameliorate (or at least minimize) the effects of Dominate on the party.

Now that is pretty damn awesome right there.

As a DM, I would do something slightly different if I knew the Mage had Hypnosis:

BBEG dominates Mage, has mage use hypnosis on the Chaladin to run off a cliff (failed save, poor atheletics, poor acrobatics, buh-bye), or uses on Rogue, to stab said mage

A shame if it's enemy only.

 

[ExploderWizard]

So you can use it on your friend, but he will feel misused...

Look at this model. Show us on what part of your brain did the mage touch you.