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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FireLance" data-source="post: 4884683" data-attributes="member: 3424">Heh. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> I just posted <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/blogs/firelance/1848-paladin-guide-1st-level-will-attack-powers.html" target="_blank">something similar</a> on my ENWorld blog, for paladin at-wills only, but with extra commentary.I've reproduced the post below.[SBLOCK=Ardent Strike (Divine Power)]• Strength or Charisma attack• Weapon power• Mark (divine sanction)• Melee basic attack (when charging)While in theory, the combination of divine challenge and ardent strike will allow a paladin to mark two enemies simultaneously, it may not always be feasible to do so in practice, as he will need to hit one enemy with ardent strike and end his turn adjacent to the target of his divine challenge. Still, a paladin who wants to really focus on his defender role might select this power. The ability to use this power in place of a melee basic attack when charging is a bonus, but a Charisma-focused paladin who takes it for this reason may be better off with virtuous strike instead. Domains• Darkness: Defense bonus (self) • Destruction: Damage bonus (self) • Strife: Damage bonus (self) • Torment: Attack bonus (ally)The domains associated with ardent strike are somewhat dark in flavor, perhaps due to the default flavor text of making the target "the focus of your god's anger". The Destruction and Strife domains fit fairly well with this thematically as they grant damage bonuses under certain circumstances (IMO, the Strife domain power may be a little too good when facing large numbers of opponents), as does the Torment domain, which causes the target to grant combat advantage to an ally, presumably from the pain caused by the attack. The Darkness domain seems an odd fit both with the theme and with the mechanical effect of the power as it grants the paladin concealment, which actually offsets part of his marked target's incentive to attack him.[/SBLOCK][SBLOCK=Bolstering Strike (Player's Handbook)]• Charisma attack• Wisdom secondary• Weapon power• Temporary hit points (self)As a defender, a paladin is likely to get targeted by attacks and take damage fairly often. Hence, the steady stream of temporary hit points provided by bolstering strike can significantly increase his durability. Since temporary hit points don't stack, the power becomes less useful if the paladin has access to another source of temporary hit points, e.g. the 2nd-level utility power vigor.Domains• Change: Attack bonus (self) • Creation: Defense bonus (AC, self/ally) • Earth: Condition (slowed) • Life: Temporary hit points (ally) • War: Attack bonus (self) The Life domain is probably the closest fit with the mechanics and flavor of bolstering strike as it basically extends the benefit of the power to an ally. However, most of the other domains associated with it are compatible with the theme of enhancement. The War and Change domains grant a bonus to attack under certain circumstances, and the Creation domain grants an AC bonus to the paladin or an ally. The Earth domain fits the least well with the theme of the power as it slows the target.[/SBLOCK][SBLOCK=Challenging Strike (PH Heroes: Series 1)]• Strength attack• Weapon power• Weapon vs. Non-AC defense (Will, while bloodied)• Mark (basic)Challenging strike allows a paladin to mark two creatures at once, but as previously discussed (see ardent strike), it is not always feasible to do so. Its accuracy also increases when the paladin is bloodied, but this can be a risky tactic as the paladin marks the target if he hits. In addition, it provides mechanical support for the concept of a paladin who fights harder after he is seriously injured. DomainsChallenging strike is not associated with any domains. However, the Life and Justice domains (see valiant strike and virtuous strike respectively) can be linked with the theme of turning the tide, and the Destruction, War and Sea domains (see ardent strike, bolstering strike and virtuous strike respectively) have mechanical effects that relate to that idea. [/SBLOCK][SBLOCK=Enfeebling Strike (Player's Handbook)]• Charisma attack• Weapon power• Debuff (attack)Enfeebling strike fits very well with the defender's role as it reduces the target's attack bonus. When combined with the paladin's mark, it can make it difficult for the target to hit the paladin's allies.Domains• Death: Damage bonus (self) • Madness: Debuff (attack) • Moon: Debuff (AC) • Poison: Poison damage, damage bonus (self) • Trickery: Mobility (self/ally) • Tyranny: Debuff (saving throw) • Undeath: Necrotic damage, damage bonus (self) • Winter: Cold damage, damage bonus (self) Many of the domains associated with enfeebling strike have sinister connotations, in line with the power's weakening effect. Mechanically, most of them either grant damage bonuses or inflict further penalties on the target. The Death domain grants damage bonuses under certain circumstances, and the Poison, Undeath and Winter domains do so in addition to changing the damage type of the power. The Madness and Moon domains inflict a further penalty to attack rolls and a penalty to AC respectively, and the Tyranny domain imposes a penalty on the target's saving throws. The Trickery domain may have the weakest thematic link to enfeebling strike as it allows the paladin or an ally to shift.[/SBLOCK][SBLOCK=Forbidding Strike (PH Heroes: Series 2)]• Strength attack• Weapon power• Shield requirement• Resist (all, ally)Forbidding strike defends an ally by granting him resistance to all damage. This power is suited to a paladin that is focused mostly on defense since the requirement that he use a shield means that he cannot wield the more damaging two-handed weapons, and the power's damage does not increase at the epic tier. DomainsForbidding strike is not associated with any domains. However, the Life, Protection and Love domains (see bolstering strike, valiant strike and virtuous strike respectively) are in line with the theme of defending an ally, and the Creation and Freedom domains (see bolstering strike and holy strike respectively) have mechanical effects that also grant defensive bonuses.[/SBLOCK][SBLOCK=Holy Strike (Player's Handbook)]• Strength attack• Wisdom secondary• Weapon power• Radiant damage• Damage bonus (self)Holy strike deals the most direct damage of the at-will paladin powers. It also deals radiant damage, so Strength-focused paladins who want to deal more damage or who want to be especially effective against undead might select this power.Domains• Fate: Attack bonus (self) • Freedom: Saving throw bonus (self/ally) • Luck: Critical range increase (self) • Strength: Damage bonus (self) • Vengeance: Action consequence (damage) The domains associated with holy strike are a mixed bag. The Strength domain probably has the strongest thematic link to the power as it provides an additional damage bonus. Similarly, the Vengeance domain effectively provides a damage bonus since most of the time, an enemy will attack on his turn. However, flavor-wise, it does not seem to relate strongly to the power. The Fate and Luck domains both increase the power's effectiveness in combat, with a situational attack bonus and an increase to the critical range respectively. The Freedom domain seems somewhat out of place both mechanically and thematically, as it grants the paladin or an ally a saving throw bonus.[/SBLOCK][SBLOCK=Valiant Strike (Player's Handbook)]• Strength attack• Weapon power• Attack bonus (self)Valiant strike is more accurate than most of the other at-will paladin powers. It also provides mechanical support for the concept of a paladin who fights harder the more he is outnumbered. Domains• Civilization: Damage bonus (self) • Hope: Attack bonus (ally) • Protection: Defense bonus (all, ally) • Skill: Melee basic attack • Storm: Thunder damage, damage bonus (self) • Wilderness: Mobility (you and adjacent allies) Some of the domains associated with valiant strike evoke the image of the paladin inspiring his allies or himself when he fights multiple opponents, even though he does not need to be outnumbered to enjoy the benefits. The Hope domain and the Protection domain grant an ally a bonus to his attack roll and defenses respectively, while the Civilization domain grants the paladin a damage bonus. The Skill domain, which allows the power to be used as a melee basic attack, is likely associated with it because it grants an attack bonus. The power has less obvious ties with the Storm domain, which changes the damage type of the power and grants damage bonuses, and the Wilderness domain, which allows the paladin and adjacent allies to ignore difficult terrain.[/SBLOCK][SBLOCK=Virtuous Strike (Divine Power)]• Charisma attack• Weapon power• Radiant damage• Saving throw bonus (self)• Melee basic attackWhile the saving throw bonus granted by virtuous strike is a nice benefit, the key advantages of this power for Charisma-focused paladins are that it deals radiant damage, which is particularly effective against undead, and that it can be used as a melee basic attack, which can help offset his potential weakness in this area. Domains• Arcana: Attack bonus (self) • Justice: Attack bonus (allies) • Knowledge: Defense bonus (all, self) • Love: Temporary hit points (allies) • Sea: Extra save (self)/Debuff (saving throw) • Sun: Vulnerability (radiant) Apart from being a radiant power that grants the paladin a bonus to his saving throws, the flavor of virtuous strike is not very well-defined. Hence, it is unsurprising that many of the domains associated with the power seem to have very different themes. The Sun domain, which makes the target vulnerable to radiant damage, ties in with the power's mechanical effect, as does the Sea domain, which allows the paladin to either make a saving throw or impose a penalty to the target's saving throws. The Knowledge domain, which grants the paladin a bonus to defenses, and the Arcana domain, which grants a bonus to his attack rolls with arcane powers, can be broadly linked to the power's default flavor text of filling the paladin with resolve. Similarly, the Love domain, which grants temporary hit points to one or two allies, and the Justice domain, which grants bloodied allies a bonus to attack rolls, can be flavored as doing the same for allies.[/SBLOCK]</blockquote>

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