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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MrMyth" data-source="post: 5664418" data-attributes="member: 61155">Not worrying about changing your stance is RAW, rather than requiring a "gentleman's agreement" between the DM and the Player - which can certainly be done, but can also be less convenient (for the half-dozen reasons listed in my last post).  Even if a player is making these 'multiple decision points' - as Firelance has noted, that can be much simpler than making a single decision point that is much more complex.  "Do I stay in Battle Wrath stance or switch to Hammer Hands? I don't need to move the enemy, so I stay with Battle Wrath." "Do I want to Power Strike? Sure, I want more damage, I Power Strike." Compared to:  "Do I use my default Reaping Strike, or do I want to move him with Footwork Lure? I guess I don't need to move him right now. Or do I want to do some more damage with Steel Serpent Strike? I guess I should save that for when the slow would matter. It's early in the fight, should I use Lasting Threat to perma-mark him? I guess I'll save that for when we need the big damage. I guess Reaping Strike it is." One decision point by your measure, but actually more like 3 - since you need to choose whether or not any individual power is worth using at the given time. And that is with a level 1 character with some of the most relatively straightforward Fighter powers.  By the time you get to the end of Heroic, the PHB Fighter has another 4 choices for them to ponder, while the E-Fighter has 1 more stance - and Power Strike has gotten slightly more complex via Weapon Specialization (but also somewhat easier since you've got multiple uses and less need to 'save' it.) Now, I'll still accept that you find your single decision point the easier approach. But for myself - even as a person who likes the AEDU system - it still is far quicker and simpler to make 2 easy decisions than 1 decision involving a half-dozen internal comparisons.   Again, not seeing any heavy increase in number of options. The minor action point is somewhat valid... but those are not heavily in use for E-classes, and - again - the E-player can always just not bother with it and stay in his original stance.   Even for relatively straightforward classes who are just about dealing damage... you will often have Encounter powers that inflict conditions or go beyond just dealing straight damage. The Barbarian probably can line up a basic list of powers that just do variable amounts of damage... I'm not sure anyone else really can. Even then, Dailies are still relevant - they don't get used every round or every combat, but they are still there to be considered. And the players you encourage to not think about them will end up just never using them - unless prompted by you, which again gets into territory where they feel like you are playing their character for them.  Finally, beyond all that, in your ideal situation, you have the following: "Ok, kid, you are playing a Barbarian. Never use these rage powers unless I tell you to. The rest of the time, start combat with Tide of Blood. Next round, use Hammer Fall. Then use Avalanche Strike. After that, every attack is a Howling Strike." vs "Ok, kid, you are playing a Slayer. You are always in Battle Wrath Stance, and every attack you make is this modified basic attack. The first two times you hit an enemy each fight, you can add 1d10 extra damage via Power Strike." Even with as straightforward a build as possible with the Barbarian, you have more for them to keep track of. And even with the simplest options from their encounter power list, you still have conditions and benefits from some of these powers, ignored so they can just go down the list from top to bottom. And you still run into more confusion with OAs and charging. Not to mention raging, critical hits triggering rampage, and tracking the various triggers for Feral Might benefits. (Temps when you kill someone and a free charge, etc.)  Versus... you always use the same exact attack, and a few times per combat can add extra damage.  I can understand if you find that boring, or have complaints about it feeding old prejudices about fighters, or even if you simply believe it is less effective than other builds.  But claiming it is more complicated? I see nothing that supports that, not even remotely.    The scaling PP cost is actually the fundamental flaw in the system. Because it means that instead of actually using those PP in the same distribution of normal resources, they could use them all for low-cost powers - the equivalent of, instead of using a Level 17, 23 and 27 Encounter power each fight, instead using the same Level 1 encounter power ten times. Combined with a handful of low-level encounter powers that remain useful... they break the system.   Earlier you claimed that the Slayer - even a well-built Slayer- was ineffective to the point of uselessness. Now you are saying they have encounters better than standard dailies. Which is it? At level 1-16, Power Strike does 2[W] (1[W] basic + 1[W] PS).Weapon Specialization will let it knock an enemy prone or slide adjacent enemies 1 square. At level 17, it deals 3[W] (1[W] basic + 2[W] PS).At level 20, it also pushes 3 squares if a Mythic Slayer.At level 21, it deals 4[W] (2[W] basic + 2[W] PS).At level 27, it deals 5[W] (2[W] basic + 3[W] PS).  So, at level 27, four times a combat (as a Mythic Slayer), we can deal 5[W] + normal bonus, plus knock an enemy prone and push them 3 squares.  The normal Fighter has level 27 options like Cruel Reaper (two Burst 1 attacks for 2[W] plus bonuses each), plus various 4[W] powers with more significant effects (disarming the enemy, reducing defenses, letting the fighter take half damage for a round, etc).  His level 23 option includes 3[W] and 4[W] options, but again, often with various benefits like leaving enemies restrained, dazed, blinded, or attacking multiple targets or one enemy multiple times, or being made as immediate interrupts or reactions.  Level 17 options are around 2[W] to 3[W] - but again, multiple attacks, multiple targets, interesting effects and conditions.  On these lists there certainly are powers strictly worse than the maxed out Power Strike. But then, that's the benefit of the AEDU system - getting to choose. And there are plenty of options that do compare quite favorable. Not compare in terms of damage - the Slayer is definitely going to be better at dealing the most damage to a single target.  But all those other benefits will often make up for the loss of several [W]. And daily powers - especially those with ongoing effects or impressive conditions - will be even more so.  Overall result: The Slayer is devestating at killing individual foes. The Knight has some very threatening OAs and punishment (enemy violates his aura, he does a pile of damage and knocks them away from whoever they were attacking.) The PHB Fighter, meanwhile, is great at crippling a single enemy with devestating conditions, or drawing in a host of foes and unleashing damage on all of them, or rolling up to a truly powerful foe and using powers to boost his temps/defenses/DR/etc, and weathering the assault.  All of this are effective builds and characters at this point. I don't see any way in which Power Strike breaks the game. Yes, it is potent - making up for the loss of dailies and the loss of the versatility and special benefits of normal encounter powers.   What the Druid has always been (to my mind) is a hybrid - someone able to contribute in various ways. The PHB2 Druid was an interesting take on that - someone who shifts between different forms (caster/melee), and has multiple options within those forms (melee form can focus on dealing damage or trying to protect allies/distract enemies.)  But the Sentinel really fits in the support role I associate with the Druid. I distract enemies with my companion. I can do decent damage beating up enemies with a staff or scythe (classic druid weaponry). I can provide healing and support when needed. And I can unleash devestating nature spells or summon more companions via my daily powers.  I actually tried to make something like this previously (a hybrid Druid|Warden multiclassed into Shaman) - so seeing a similar robust approach for the Sentinel was perfectly welcome to me.</blockquote>

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