Lead the Attack Nerf future implications

[MrMyth]

IMO you should never see +/- stat mod to attacks or defenses.

This. Most of my biggest concerns as powers go involve this guideline being violated. Platinum Scales, Psion Level 1 Powers, etc.

Or rather - if you see such big bonuses, they should be limited. A daily effect might give you such a bonus for a single round, not an encounter. An Encounter Power might give you such a bonus for a single attack, not an entire round.

I'd love to see them fix some of these mistakes, without me needing to come up with errata for them on my own.

 

[Solvarn]

Optimization

For an optimized party Lead the Attack trivialized solo encounters. It's in-step with other 1st level Warlord dailies now, in my opinion.

Any 1st level daily that you hang onto over other choices through epic deserves some scrutiny.

As far as defenses, it really depends on the situation I guess. The power was designed for a build that is built around being in unhealthy melee range to shoot off blasts.

Hybrids can take advantage of this power, but then again, so can anyone with a multiclass feat and the Acolyte Power feat. It's a good power, particularly for defenders. I don't know if it's nerf worthy though, I don't have practical experience seeing it in use.

 

[frankthedm]

Duration of 1 round does almost nothing to lesson the impact of the power.

A solo ought to last that one round.

 

[blargney the second]

One ally vs. you and all your allies seems like a significant difference to me.

Good catch! I forgot about that.

 

[Aegeri]

A solo ought to last that one round.

Not to mention a bloodied stun burst or similar effect and that one round can instantly go down the toilet and be wasted. It's now a power that takes set up and care to use. It is a battle changer without being "I win" or "Worthless". Much better for the game overall and we might see a Tac Warlord that doesn't have it from 1-30.

 

[Mengu]

A solo ought to last that one round.

Depending on the group, it might not, and even if it does, it's missing large enough chunks and is likely suffering numerous conditions, so the fight is won, it can't really make a come back to turn the fight into a challenge. Besides, the warlord hasn't even dipped into the encounter buffs yet.

And elites are not at all likely to survive the onslaught.

I really don't see the power as being nerfed, it's been made less fool proof in that your allies can't ignore that bonus and go after other targets just because they feel like it. They need to use or lose the bonus.

At something like 15th level a +7 bonus to hit is just monstrous even for a round, especially considering everyone who spends an action point during that round is gaining another +3 to hit, increasing the total bonus to a whopping +10. And that's usually when players will stick their most debilitating conditions on the target.

 

[Stalker0]

Perhaps powers like Lead the Attack and Platinum Scales should have been/be errataed to a +3 bonus until the end of the encounter. You still get the "ease of dailies lasting all encounter", but you don't get a "you will automatically hit this guy forever" thing.

This is my preference as well..though I do understand the appeal of having powers getting stronger based on your secondary stat.

You want that secondary stat to be powerful so that more builds are viable.

 

[fba827]

This is my preference as well..though I do understand the appeal of having powers getting stronger based on your secondary stat.

You want that secondary stat to be powerful so that more builds are viable.

How about something like 'half the secondary stat modifier (minimum 1).' ?

 

[BobTheNob]

You want that secondary stat to be powerful so that more builds are viable.

I agree with this. There should be a motivator to have a strong secondary stat.

I will let you all in on our (previous) house rule to lead the attack. We had it as Till end next round BUT the (full) effect was moved the the effect block, meaning you got the intelligence bonus even if the attack missed. A bit more powerful than the current nerf, but not nearly on par with the original power.

Feedback on our prior house rule (which is fairly similar to new nerf) : Still an incredibly powerful ability even for one turn, and my players appreciated that and make sure they Nova with it appropriately, sometime with simply comical results (Often seeing elites wiped out in a round from full HP ).

Anything that rewards players for playing the game well is a good thing, and one round with a massive bonus does just that.

 

[Gort]

Duration of 1 round does almost nothing to lesson the impact of the power. That 1 round is typically all you needed anyway. You probably land enough damage and conditions to the solo/elite in that one round with action points and encounter powers that the creature's next round is likely to be wobbling around doing nothing. You've already won.

Huh? You basically win against a solo in one round? Is your party made exclusively of DPS monsters from the Wizards Character Optimisation boards?