D&D 5E (2014) For the Record: Mearls on Warlords (ca. 2013)

[mellored]

i'd be fine with mitigation. though i think boosting hit dice is a better option.

 

[Mistwell]

In which case I would counter with the fact that warlord inspiring healing is nothing like that trope. At all. Did you link the wrong one? Because what is repeatedly being proposed is instead akin to a non-magical cure wounds spell. I recommend those assuming the trope linked is related to please go read it. It has nothing to do with what is being requested as a class feature for warlords.

I didn't say it did, and you're responding to a strawman. The argument was made that words can be used to communicate with someone who is unconscious. You said that's not logical. I cited the trope, where words are used to communicate with someone who is unconscious, and said that makes it "logical enough". All the rest is just you reading more into what I said than what was presented.

 

[Bawylie]

i'd be fine with mitigation. though i think boosting hit dice is a better option.

Doesn't have to be mutually exclusive. Might be nice to have both.

Add 1 HP per hit die spent bc the warlord is adept at keeping the unit in fighting condition. He binds wounds quickly and efficiently.

Mitigation during fights bc nobody can read a field better.

Flexible enough to shore up the front line on offense or pull some artillery or back up and run defense.

 

[Guest 6801328]

So would it be reasonable for a warlord to have additional bond traits and have there abilities tied to the characters he shares a bond trait with.

In principle I like mechanics like that, but I don't think it's a good one to overlay on top of an existing game. Maybe someone could figure out an elegant way to do it.

Merls discussion is part of the reason why i think we need a broader skill-based support class (noble/tactician/strategist/spell-less bard). With warlord being just one sub-class that gives armor and weapons.

Or maybe Mass Combat expertise. I wouldn't mind "Warlord" as a sub-class name if it were pretty explicitly tied to giving orders to NPCs during mass combat.

 

[Bawylie]

I think it'd have to have utility in a small party as well, though.

 

[ChrisCarlson]

I didn't say it did, and you're responding to a strawman. The argument was made that words can be used to communicate with someone who is unconscious. You said that's not logical. I cited the trope, where words are used to communicate with someone who is unconscious, and said that makes it "logical enough". All the rest is just you reading more into what I said than what was presented.

Oh, I apologize then. I didn't realize your post had veered off into off-topic territory.

 

[mellored]

Doesn't have to be mutually exclusive. Might be nice to have both.

Add 1 HP per hit die spent bc the warlord is adept at keeping the unit in fighting condition. He binds wounds quickly and efficiently.

Mitigation during fights bc nobody can read a field better.

Flexible enough to shore up the front line on offense or pull some artillery or back up and run defense.

right, i ment both. but i think there should be at least a little boost to recovery, possibly a meic sub-class that can take it further.

warning shout: as a reaction, you can reduce damage an ally recives by 1d4/6/8/10/12
first aid: durring a short rest, allies regain an extra 1/2/3 hit points for each hit die spent. or possibly some die trick, like min rolls, or roll twice.

 

[Guest 6801328]

I think it'd have to have utility in a small party as well, though.

Advantage on Intimidate and Persuade?

Or how about something akin to what Hobgoblins have? If the heroes form a "shield wall" with the Warlord, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. "Hmmm..." he says, "now this is something I can work with..." By joining the shield wall (not necessarily literally with shields) the PC is effectively saying, "Ok, I'm going to let Mr. Bossypants call the shots. For now." So he's opting in to the RP.

 

[mellored]

i know...
"when an ally spend a hit die, you can let them reroll it and take the higher result. you can use this ability X times".

that way it doens't scale by party size.
as tempting as it is to let warlords do better in larger parties, i don't think it would be a good idea galance wise.

 

[Imaro]

i know...
"when an ally spend a hit die, you can let them reroll it and take the higher result. you can use this ability X times".

that way it doens't scale by party size.
as tempting as it is to let warlords do better in larger parties, i don't think it would be a good idea galance wise.

I actually think an ability that let warlords allow characters to spend hit die in combat might be a good compromise between outright healing and temporary hit points. It feels (at least to me) like the Warlord is helping the character draw on inner reserves and it could scale by the number of times he could use it and/or the number of HD it allowed to be rolled...