Illusionist and the shadow power source

[TerraDave]

Arcane Power has an illusionist wizard build. It looked good. And with that book, well that and the PHBI and PHBII, you can finally make an effective gnome illusionist. I think thats great.

BUT, wasn't the illusionist supposed to use some new shadow power source? Is this gone, of just gone for them.

Let the speculation begin.


Edit: Yes, its spelled illusionist

 

[Nymrohd]

Well there are two illusionists. The one who uses magic for deception who seems to be a wizard in 4E and the one who manipulates shadowstuff who likely will be a shadowcaster for the shadow power source. I for one approve of wizard illusionists

 

[kenmarable]

Well there are two illusionists. The one who uses magic for deception who seems to be a wizard in 4E and the one who manipulates shadowstuff who likely will be a shadowcaster for the shadow power source. I for one approve of wizard illusionists

Same here. The "illusions using shadowstuff to be semi-real" thing never worked for me. Although I am seriously annoyed that they have enough options in Arcane Power to make a full-blown wizard illusionist. I have too many other fun PC concepts I want to try out!!

 

[jsaving]

Most MMORPGs that planned to offer a plethora of additional classes with each new expansion have ended up scaling back their plans, because they were unable to identify any more niches that new classes could actually fill. We haven't received even the tiniest hint that this could happen with 4e, but it is certainly possible that down the road we could see fewer than 8 classes per PH, and perhaps the absorption of illusionist into the wizard class is a first sign that MMORPG-style class design problems are hitting WotC.

 

[wedgeski]

We haven't received even the tiniest hint that this could happen with 4e, but it is certainly possible that down the road we could see fewer than 8 classes per PH, and perhaps the absorption of illusionist into the wizard class is a first sign that MMORPG-style class design problems are hitting WotC.

This won't be true until there is a serious PvP side to D&D (something I can't see ever happening). It's quite obvious from the feedback on boards like this that people are crying out for ever more niche-y (as in Friedrich) classes, stuff that for a MMO would not be different enough to justifyt the vast amounts of development time required.

 

[ferratus]

Once I saw the summoner build, I was pretty sure an illusionist build was going to be in the book as well. After all, non-combat spells can be done as rituals, and most combat illusion spells are simply attacking a single creature or creatures within an area, doing psychic damage, and laying on the conditions of stunned, dazed, or dominated. There is not too much difference between how an illusionist would cast his spells than a wizard does in terms of flavor.

Besides, with the other shadowcasting classes likely to be Assassin (striker), Necromancer (leader), and Blackguard (defender), the illusionist really seems to be the odd one out.

 

[Cadfan]

I'm not sure we were ever explicitly promised an "Illusionist" class. The designers said they liked illusions and illusionists and had hopes for maybe making a dedicated illusionist in the future, and illusions are associated with the shadow power source, but I think its been mostly forum-fervor that's translated this into a conviction that there will be a class named "Illusionist" in the shadow power source.

The same thing seems to have happened for the Necromancer.

 

[fba827]

I'm not sure we were ever explicitly promised an "Illusionist" class. The designers said they liked illusions and illusionists and had hopes for maybe making a dedicated illusionist in the future, and illusions are associated with the shadow power source, but I think its been mostly forum-fervor that's translated this into a conviction that there will be a class named "Illusionist" in the shadow power source.

The same thing seems to have happened for the Necromancer.

What Cadfan said.

I think it was popular forum rumor rather than actual publicity of fact.

 

[Scribble]

Same here. The "illusions using shadowstuff to be semi-real" thing never worked for me. Although I am seriously annoyed that they have enough options in Arcane Power to make a full-blown wizard illusionist. I have too many other fun PC concepts I want to try out!!

Hah! One of my players was grumbling about that as well. He said he would have to play like 3 games a day to play all the concepts he wanted to try out!

 

[ferratus]

Hah! One of my players was grumbling about that as well. He said he would have to play like 3 games a day to play all the concepts he wanted to try out!

That's why we need a 4e video game. I played many more characters in 3e in Neverwinter Nights than I did on tabletop, despite having an almost continuous weekly (or at least biweekly) game going through the life cycle of that edition.