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I have Heroes of Shadows

WalterKovacs

First Post
Hooray for Premiere Store release!

Anyway, I've always enjoyed these threads in the past, so this is my chance to give back.

First thing I want to throw out is some Vampire "facts", and other people can throw out their questions.

Vampires can use ki focus or holy symbol. They have a mix of melee, close and ranged attacks, all implement based targeting NADs. They get 3 at-wills, each targetting a different NAD (a will based 'pull closer' power, a fort based melee temp hitpoint gain, and a reflex based basic melee attack that pushes the enemy away).

The have the ability to spend surges at parts of powers to improve them (deal more damage, attack a second enemy, etc). They have some survivability boons as they level (they gain temp hit points when they lose surges with their powers, get an extra surge at 13, get temp HP when they drain blood, etc). Also, some of their dailies can get extra surges for the vampire as well.
 

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Vael

Legend
One Vampire question: Are there any power choices in the class, or is everything preselected outside of stalker vs. beguiler at paragon?
 

Aegeri

First Post
Excellent information! Here are my burning questions:

What does Ki-Focus expertise and Holy Symbol expertise do?

On the vampire, can you clarify how the surge limitation is worded. Can they increase their surge value with durable for example? This is the one huge bugbear for me. If they can't, that's ouch and if they can that is probably okay. It's good to know they do eventually go to 3 surges :S
 


Aegeri

First Post
One last couple of questions before I can settle down and just see what everyone else asks, does the Shadow Hound (Nethermancer pet) have an MBA? Or does it still have the error where it is apparently speed 8 while charging, yet has no MBA to actually allow it to attack after a charge? Also is there a nice simple feat that negates necrotic resistance for everyone to use in general?
 
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Nemesis Destiny

Adventurer
I am curious about the School Specialization benefits for the Necromancy and Nethermancy schools, Apprentice, Expert, and Master, if you please :)

The rest, I can wait. ;)
 



WalterKovacs

First Post
For the vampire class, you have choices for utility powers at 2 and 22, plus the chioce of paragon "specialization" of beguiler or stalker. Of course there are always skill powers and racial utilities, but otherwise, you only have 1 power per level outside of 2 and 22 (where you get 2 options each, sort of 'extra' beguiler/stalker options outside of the paragon path)

Ki Focus expertise is like staff expertise (i.e. it gives the bonus to hit to implement and weapon attacks that use the ki focus) Also it gives a +1 per tier bonus to damage against bloodied enemies.

Holy Symbol protects you from granting combat advantage for a turn unless you cause yourself to grant it (i.e. running or a power that makes you grant it, but flanking wouldn't give it, etc) when you attack with the holy symbol.

The vampire has 2 surges per day. Basically it lacks the + Con modifier, but is otherwise the same. So durable should be fine.

Binder is Cha based, and it's secondary is based on the pact choice. Int for Star (same as with hexblade) and Dex for Gloom pact (with the same stats for the hexblade gloom pact).

The Shadow Beast doesn't have an MBA (no circle around the sword), so that will probably be errata'd ... or it has to bull rush on a charge :(

There are no feats that reduce resistance to necrotic.

Feats are pretty slim ... the previewed table is I think all of them. The only one other than the expertise that isn't sort of campaign specific (i.e. know your enemy) is Frozen Soul. It gives scaling cold resist (5 per tier) and a bonus to Will (+1 per tier). So its a possible alternative to the other will boosting feats, if cold resist is important.

Necro Apprentice: 2 thp when you hit with Necromacy power; Expert: +2 to Athletics and Endurance and Mastery: Ignore necrotic resistance. Your paragon path stuff is fun, your daily let's you summon an army of minions that all attack as a single standard as long as they are all in line of effect of you.

Nether Apprentice: Creatures hit with nethermancy power treat non-adjacent enemies as having concealment; Expert: +2 to Intimidate and Stealth; Mastery: If you have concealment against a creature, you have combat advantage against it. All your paragon path power's are Evard's X.

The Binder is a controller warlock. You pick a pact (gloom or star) and that determines your at-will/encounter powers, a lot like the warpriest. You have a generic at-will for all binders (available to human warlocks, hybrid warlocks, half-elves and paragon path mutliclassed into warlocks) that has a control effect (it deals damage if the person moves on their next turn as an EFFECT, in addition to normal damage on a hit). Gloom binder pact boon is a slide 3 for you or any creature in a burst 5, star pact boon makes invisible. Pact boons are like hexblade (you drop them, or it drops while adjacent to you). They get shadow walk, and instead of prime shot, they get shadow twist (+1 to ranged/area attack rolls if the enemy has no one adjacent to it). So it's a lot like the original PHB warlock, except with their controller leanings turned up and no striker mechanic tacked on. The encounter powers are available to PHB warlocks, but they have riders specific to binders of their pact (similar to the old pact specific riders). The dailies an utilities are available to all warlocks, and have no riders. They get a summon warlock's ally power at 9, Pact Lore at 4 (resistance 5, necro for gloom and psychic for star, plus darkvision for gloom or +2 to Arcana/Religion for Star). Their boon and summons get better at later levels.

Vampire damage is mostly untyped, but necrotic and psychic shows up a bit (his at-wills have one of each ... will = psychic, fort = necrotic, reflex = untyped). They have quite a few polymorph and charm powers. They have some utilities that boost skills (bluff, diplomacy, intimidate, endurance, athletics). At level 8, they get a climb speed, and can climb on ceilings (but can't end your turn there without falling). Depending on your choice of paragon bloodline, you get bonuses to skills (beguiler is bluff and stealth, stalker is intimidate and nature). Some of the polymorph forms give bonuses to skills as well (stealth, perception, etc).
 
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