How Would you Fix Broken Power: Beguiling Strands

[Garthanos]

The flavor doesnt suck but ... it's insane

Would it work just made as an encounter?

 

[Garthanos]

I admit I prefer fixing things to throwing them out...

A change that would make this more Wizardly would be to remove the affects enemies and change it to effects creatures.

This would massively change its utility would allow it to remain a horrific minion burner... heck for most other situations not being ally friendly you might prefer a smaller area of effect.

 

[The Human Target]

Piddly damage, nice effect, wizard has to be close to use it.

Not broken.

 

[MwaO]

Piddly damage, nice effect, wizard has to be close to use it.

Not broken.

This. At 7th level as an example, you've got 3-4 powers you're burning through first usually. Why do Beguiling Strands when you could do Color Spray...

One of the things I do is give Minions hp = level+5 instead of just making them die when damaged. It has no real change mechanically to most combats. It just means Minions can potentially survive small amounts of damage from things such as these or auto-ping damage usually a maximum of once.

 

[Garthanos]

Piddly damage .

Well unless you are building a striker flavored wizard its probably not the point (though its the easiest to quantify )
And pointedly I actually use a fair number of minions... do you?
If you don't use minions like Mearles then perhaps an area effect able to kill dozens of them won't bother you. The DM shouldnt have to remove an entire class of adversary from the field because of your at-will. (or house rule them)

And as far as range that huge area of effect is range... ie up to 5 squares away does not seem particularly close to me could mow down 5 or 10 minions from well behind your allies and if they do manage to get close it increases.

And that total area of effect is 25 squares...

The moving enemies around is a value harder to quantify but is also the part which is nicely boostable ie when combined with a few bonuses to push distance via enchanter and orbs... you are pushing all melee enemies 6 or 7 squares a round.

I disagree.

 

[ccs]

If this is an example of a "broken" power, then;
A) 4e is just a Poo game to start with,
B) your specific game is poo.
Possibly both, but definitely at least one of those.

I'll assume you think it's broken because of it being a great way to sweep away those 1/low hp minions?
So, if your players are taking powers like this for that reason, then the DM needs to get the message.
And that message is....
Stop wasting your players time with low hp minions. No one feels heroic when all it takes to kill the monsters is a single point or two of damage.
So try improving the game your running instead of nerfing powers like this & making dealing with minions even more of a pointless slog than it already is.

 

[Garthanos]

Why do Beguiling Strands when you could do Color Spray...

Encounter power...and 2 levels higher... is that how you compare things?

In know your context is at level 7 you probably never need to use an at-will anyway.


edit : OK I guess that dazed is the huge kicker and point of it... now that is sapping enemy actions

 

[Garthanos]

So, if your players are taking powers like this for that reason

We don't currently play with Essentials... I want to make essentials on the board and I do not trust the Essentials designers.

 

[Garthanos]

One of the things I do is give Minions hp = level+5 instead of just making them die when damaged. It has no real change mechanically to most combats. It just means Minions can potentially survive small amounts of damage from things such as these or auto-ping damage usually a maximum of once.

Isnt requires tracking damage on minions sort of contrary?

 

[MwaO]

Encounter power...and 2 levels higher... is that how you compare things?

It is a great at-will. Most decent encounters are still better than it because they include a damage roll.

Isnt requires tracking damage on minions sort of contrary?

There's really no tracking. Most of the time, die instantly. Rarely, basically bloodied.