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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Faolyn" data-source="post: 8178085" data-attributes="member: 6915329">OK, reaction time from someone who knows nothing about the 4e warlord!At the start, this feels like a class for a non-typical type of party. By which I mean, for city-based games or for settings like Birthright where you're as likely to have mass battles as you are to have 1v1 combat. Games that are centered on a specific area, not a more typical travelogue. So, not for every game but filling a niche. One other thing: As someone whose table, even in the Before Times when we met in person, primarily uses Theater of the Mind except in the largest of combats, all the bonuses to movement seem less than faboo. I realize that there are a lot of people who always use battlemats or VTTs, but for me and other gamers like me, a lot of the abilities seem kind of dull. Is getting to use a reaction to move 10 feet a really good 18th-level ability? I don't know.As it is, it's an interesting class. I can't say that I have an immediate idea for a character to play, but I could see it being used in a setting I'm working on, which could be more home-area based than my current setting. I'm still not thrilled with the name of the class, and be default, the names of the archetypes, but the class itself is pretty useful. I actually feel like there's a use, whereas I could never get an interesting answer out of people who tried to explain the 4e class. So well done!Equipment: Pack 2 costs more than your starting funds. I forget if you get additional money due to your background like in base 5e. Probably, but just in case no, I wanted to point this out.Commanding Presence: I recall people being annoyed by the Beastmaster ranger having to forego an attack so their beast could attack. I wonder if you'll get the same pushback here. Rallying Surge: I have to imagine that this leans heavily into the idea that hit points are not meat points, because otherwise, it's weird magic.Combat Directives: This seems to lock the warlord into having to take Sanguine Knot, because this ability is useless without it. I wonder if you should rephrase the Combat Maneuvers section to read "at 2nd level, you learn the Sanguine Knot maneuver and one other maneuver of your choice" just so you don't have people who make a mistake and lock themselves out of an ability. After all, while the text says that you can switch out maneuvers, it doesn't say you can switch out a technique.Followers: OK. Are followers going to be available to everyone as well, and warlords get extra followers? Or are warlords the only one? Have you mentioned them elsewhere and I just forgot? Because IIRC all the classes back in 2e (my first edition) got followers.Rouse the Troops: I hope we get to hear about Resolve soon.Calm: This should probably be phrased as "you automatically succeed on your Intimidate check."Stronghold: Strongholds! I remember when in the olden days, when lots of classes got them. Is this going to be a feature of other classes at higher levels? Speaking of, the Greater Stronghold suggests "cathedral" as one of the options. I think you missed an opportunity to create a third-caster cleric-spell archetype for the warlord here. A non-paladin Templar, perhaps.Critical Weakness: Why 6 damage? Any particular reason for that?Slaughterer: Isn't talking a free action? Why would a foe let other people attack it just to offer me a job, when it can attack someone else, or at least take the Dodge action, while offering me a job?Feedback Loop: This seems like a strangely modern term. And is granting additional reactions going to be a thing in LU? Because that's not a thing in 5e, except in a few rare circumstances (like with the hydra). I don't really like the idea of granting extra reactions, personally.Commander's Expertise: IIRC, the normal expertise die goes up to a d8. Correct? Getting a d12 is pretty impressive, but hey, it's a high-level ability. However, you might want to say that, instead of getting a d12, you get to add extra expertise dice, or a bonus die. A d12 is pretty swingy, but getting 2d6 provides a greater chance of a good number. Lay of the Land: I feel like this needs to be explained a bit. You spend ten minutes observing a 2-mile-radius patch of land. Does this mean you have to spend those ten minutes wandering the land, or can you just look at a map? Rewarding Repute: This calls up an issue I've noticed elsewhere in these packets (also here in this packet under Impressive Reputation). How do these NPCs know to do this? Do I have to go into the town square and shout out "It is I, Bob the Warlord!" for me to get a handful of commoners or 1d4+1 bards to come running to me? If I slink inside a town quietly, will people still automatically notice me and beg for my attention? If I wear a disguise, will some NPC see through it? From a purely cinematic viewpoint, I can see it:Bob the Warlord, while wearing a false mustache: Barkeep, I would like one ale please.Barkeep: Here ya go, friend. Hey, wait, ain't you Bob the Warlord? The Bob the Warlord what saved us from the demon horde of Sorcerer Sam?!Bob the Warlord, frantically: Shhh! No, I'm just Bob the Simple Traveler.Barkeep: Hey everyone, look! It's Bob the Warlord!<crowd cheers>Random NPC: Bob! Save us from the evil tax collector that's bleedin' us dry! You can do it!Everyone: Yay! We love you Bob!Random Small Child: Will you be my new daddy, Bob the Warlord?Rest of the Party: Bob, this was supposed to be a stealth mission.But PCs might want a bit more logic here. "But we rolled a 31 on the Disguise check!"--Now, onto the archetypes! As I said before, I think a third-caster might work well for this class, and I'd love to see one that had cleric instead of wizard spells. There was one in Morgrave's Miscellany, when they tried to create the Bone Knight as an archetype. I think it could work elsewhere.Gambling GeneralA third level general... An interesting concept, but I think the name needs work, because it leads to the person with the twenty-page background for a level 1 character. Yes, I know the characters aren't literal ranked soldiers, but.Frantic Avoidance: This one could use some rephrasing for clarity: "you can first use your reaction to move up to half your Speed." or "before you make your saving throw, you may first use your reaction..."Risky Gambit: I find this confusing. You choose creature A. Creature B(?) makes an opportunity attack against A? If Creature B makes the attack, then who has advantage on attack rolls? Too many pronouns! Also, does this require a reaction from anyone? I don't really like all these free reactions that are going around here.Risky Foray: What's the risk here? I don't get it.Feinting Retreat: I feel like they should be able to take the Disengage action as a bonus action.Peasant LieutenantI'm guessing by the flavor text of hit-and-run tactics that this is supposed to be a guerilla warrior. Regardless, the phrase "Their presence may be rare on the battlefield, but that is simply because the entire war is the perfect warzone" doesn't make much sense to me. Also, the flavor text refers to them as Peasant Generals. I feel these guys should get a climb speed, some ability use camouflage, and maybe some bow-based abilities. But I guess the latter would be covered by what maneuver they chose.Fast Retreat: The number of people affected should increase as you rise in level.Take Cover: Ah, the ability to throw yourself on the grenade. Nice.Take the Hit: I don't think this should be limited to 1/rest. Take Cover isn't, after all. The only limit should be your hit point total.Get them Out: See Frantic Avoidance.Tactical CommanderTactical Edge: Kind of a convoluted way of saying, "You may give a friendly creature within 60 feet of you a d4 that they can use on an attack roll they make before the start of your next turn. Once you give this bonus d4 to someone, you can't do so again until the start of your next turn."Student of History: Culture? I don't recall if you mentioned this one before (I don't have a great memory). Is it going to be a blanket skill, or will you specialize in specific cultures?Communication Cues: "Any allies who have received this training—usually taking 10 minutes of discussion and practice—do not need to share a language with you to benefit from this feature." So, lots of questions: how long does this training last? Is it a one-off, good forever, meaning that the PC party can communicate silently for the rest of the game? Does it last for the length of a combat? Is the training one-on-one, or can I run a class? Is it universal; i.e., if Bob the Warlord teaches Aerlith these cues, can I get the benefit when I work with Aerlith? If I work with Aerlith for a while, and then choose to switch to Carl, can Aerlith eavesdrop on my communication with Carl?Reach Further: Someone with more knowledge of the rules can answer this, but since you go unconscious at 0 hp, is temp hp enough to wake you up? It might be better to say you can automatically stabilize a creature or bring them to 1 hp instead.</blockquote>

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