How can I quickly teach someone else to effectively play a warlord?

[Black Knight Irios]

If you want some general input on building a warlord I suggest this guide:

Chasing Glory: The Warlord's Handbook (July 2010) - lordduskblade

(1) What powers would you recommend for an inspiring warlord that are not so difficult to manage, as well as providing lots and lots of combat advantage? (I'm playing a rogue, and it's part of our character's backstories that we always help each other in a fight.)

-- Read the guide.

(2) What feats would you recommend for maximum healing? (So far, I have Improved Inspiring Word, Toughness, and Stirring Word.)

-- Toughness does not increase the healing in general only healing on you that is surge based by 1 point. Stirring word and IIS are nice if you want maximum healing. If you can get Mark of Healing (EPG) you have one of the best save granting feats.

(3) How would you give a super crash course on how to play the warlord effectively? Bullet points of salient features, &c &c.

• Make sure she knows that she gets a standard, a move and a minor action per round - she can heal and attack, inspiring word is a minor action
• make sure everyone knows that she grants a bonus to initiative rolls and on action points, the action point feature works only for her allies
• and this is really important: she is a leader and probably wont feal like the star, others will be the stars with her help. If she can't live with that - leader is not the best role for her.

 

[nai_cha]

If you want some general input on building a warlord I suggest this guide:

Chasing Glory: The Warlord's Handbook (July 2010) - lordduskblade

(

Yeah, that was one of the ones that somewhat confused me, because another guide that I looked over was somewhat contradictory. But I'll give it another look. Thanks!

And thanks also for the general bullet points. She's already cool with not being in the spotlight, so that's one down, at least.

 

[Black Knight Irios]

Yeah, that was one of the ones that somewhat confused me, because another guide that I looked over was somewhat contradictory. But I'll give it another look. Thanks!

And thanks also for the general bullet points. She's already cool with not being in the spotlight, so that's one down, at least.

If you read two guides and they contradict each other but one is written by lordduskblade follow that guide. That guy has solid knowledge of what he is doing.

 

[Saeviomagy]

She likes to figure things out on her own, or get someone else to explain/summarise things for her if all else fails. This is great when she's fiddling with her cellphone or helping other people fix their laptop, but not for a game.

Rubbish. It's a game. Mucking about is going to be just fine.

She's given PHB1 and Player's Strategy Guide a few reads but that's about it. She's had experience playing an eladrin swordmage (currently at level 6).

If she's read the PSG and played a character, she understands powers and she's more interested in understanding optimization than the average 4e player. She'll have no issues.

 

[nai_cha]

Rubbish. It's a game. Mucking about is going to be just fine.


If she's read the PSG and played a character, she understands powers and she's more interested in understanding optimization than the average 4e player. She'll have no issues.

Thanks for the reassurance. She played the warlord last night and it went pretty well. Only issues for her were bad rolls every now and then

 

[ourchair]

I think the biggest challenge 'nai_cha's sister faces, and I'm saying this as one of their fellow players at the table, and currently the DM of the game she mentioned, is that in a non-healing capacity, a warlord more than any other player needs to be situationally aware.

That means knowing who needs to be moved for the best formation and determining who needs their defenses buffed. That means a lot of table time double checking to see who needs what.

Honestly, from a play perspective, I think she just needs a decent notecard on her allies -- their AC/NADs and their to-hit rolls and their total hit points and all that, so she'll remember always who may stand to benefit the most from her powers.

 

[igniz13]

If you want her to use a straightfoward Warlord character, Inspiring and sticking to the PHB is actually okay.

1) Pick out powers that mention CHA and gain a benefit from CHA, mentioning inspiring pressence is also good but not essential. Get her to take those powers.

2) Her at-wills are: Furious Smash, WolfPack Tactics and Commander's Strike.

3) All she needs to do is move next to people and use her powers in a sensible fashion, this will not be that hard.

4) The most difficult thing she will have to learn is flanking, that's it, that's all your rogue will need to. Flank with her or other people.

5) She can use Furious smash to improve the chances flanking people will hit, commander's strike to improve the damage of people already flanking an enemy that she can't quite reach herself or Wolf Pack Tactics to help set-up flanking opportunities. This is all quite easy to figure out after a while.

6) When people get bloodied, she uses Inspiring Word on them.

7) Use a reach weapon or a longsword and light shield.

The inspiring warlord is a very simple class to play, she shouldn't have that much trouble really.