Martial Power Preview

[Cadfan]

Just read the previewed Polearm Master paragon path. I'm... not really feeling it. It feels like it provides abilities the polearm user ought to be receiving for free, or at least at earlier levels.

For example, you have to wait until level 16 before you can use your full Combat Challenge abilities against an enemy who is two spaces away from you. Combat Challenge is one of the core benefits of being a Fighter, and the fact that by default it isn't fully compatible with reach weapons is really painful.

Meanwhile, it looks like they want to make pushing, pulling, sliding, etc, into the polearm's shtick. So they give you an ability to increase the distance you push, pull, or slide a foe with a polearm by one point, and which also stacks with Spear Push. Which is fine and all, except I really hope there's better support in Martial Power for pushing, pulling, or sliding your foes with polearms. Because there's just not that much right now.

Finally, they give you a nice power that lets you move your foes around- except they key it off of wisdom. Spear powers key off of dexterity. Polearm powers... well, mostly don't exist, or don't key off of anything.

Polearms are basically starting the race a few seconds late already, because reach doesn't work with so many powers and abilities. Just fixing the gap doesn't help when other weapons are gaining actual benefits.

 

[James McMurray]

Giving the fighter threatening reach is beefy, considering how incredibly rare it is. Keying the ability off of wisdom is also ok, since the fighter taking a class that gives him a lot more OAs is likely to have a high wisdom.

 

[Larrin]

I agree that the wisdom Key off is synergy with the wis to OA, and other fighter abilities. Its not the best ability to key off of, but its hardly a death blow to the power. Remember, its actualy wisdom+1 you slide them, from your other ability. All in all its okay, and has some good uses.

The OP complains about the level 16 feature (Longarm Grasp); I think its good. Combat challenge is important for stickyness, and now polearms get expanded stickyness range, its pretty big. Whether they should have always have this is a moot point, they don't, and this is a really good upgrade for reach fighters. ALSO, if you've multiclassed into fighter and have a couple of marking abilities you get the whole Combat challenge package when you hold your polearm. Pole arm paladins, clerics and even swordmages might find this attractive.

Then you get a few extra reach and push abilities, nothing to write home about, but functional. Threatening reach as a daily stance is decent, used well it can be very usefull.

The level 20 power is pretty darn good for a fighter power. A close burst 2 for 3W means everyone in your Longarm Grasp range is marked, and it deals decent damage at that.

As far as a speacialize PP goes, this does the trick of capturing a specific feel that a pole arm person might find useful. Its never going to eclipse Kensai or pitfighter in 'all the time awesomeness', but it has a definite target and it hits it well enough that any pole arm user could consider this a viable option.

 

[Bold or Stupid]

Umm just as a note the Fighter write up does mention Wisdom as the secondary ability for polearm users. Hopefully Martial power will round out the range of weapon type powers.

 

[CubeKnight]

Here's the linky for those who want it.

 

[That One Guy]

I'm really not sure how I feel about it.

The Level 11's are OK. They're not great, but they really do not impress me. Longarm Grasp is really nice. I can see it as appealing for polearm MC classes, but I really think those classes would do better going into their own paragons.

Leveraging Strike's best aspect (to me) is the fact that it will deal a decent amount of damage on a miss. The push is an okay effect, and I can see it being handy for hockey-pucking enemies away from a weaker ally.

Reaching Stance is beastly. Once a day, none shall pass. Ever. This makes a high AC fighter build a good idea because enemies will have to take one down to reach their allies (ironic, since most 2H fighters have lower ACs than S&Bs).

Polearm Sweep is pretty nice. It's a situational thing. It can be pretty good or really sweet, depending on the situation.

If martial power releases a fighter @Will for two handed weapons that slide enemies, this path will be fairly excellent. Heavy Blade Opportunity on the stance w/ the hypothetical @Will'd be pretty great. Similarly, oversized weapon monster PCs could be pretty great w/ this path.

 

[Psybuster]

That stance alone can cause all kinds of problems for medium or less creatures when you consider combat superiority. Combine with an overreacing weapon from Adventurer's Vault and suddenly large creatures are in the same predicament (although it's an epic tier weapon).

 

[Aust Diamondew]

I really think the level 16 power is something fighters using polearms should get for free.

The action point ability also does not seem useful. Unless it is combined with the level 12 utility.
Further I think the level 20 daily should have its burst increased by 1 when an action point is spent to increase reach.

 

[Plane Sailing]

This demonstrates something that I think is a big conceptual problem which I first noticed with the 'wolves of maldeen' paragon path... there is stuff which is set as a 'paragon path' which shouldn't be anything of the sort.

What it should be is a 'heroic path' (although that isn't a route they have taken (as yet)). That is the place where 'polearm master' makes a bit of sense, rather than in the 'saviour of the kingdom' paragon tier IMO.

I felt that 4e fell down a little on the promise of making weapon choices really distinct (there are a few powers here and there for some of them). Maybe by epic level there is plenty of distinction, but that seems a long, long while to wait!

Cheers

 

[DracoSuave]

Paragon paths don't exist in a vacuum. This is merely one aspect of the character. The idea of a character specialized in a weapon style as a paragon class is more than fine, and specialization can be attained at earlier levels by bothering to take the powers that specialize you.

This then takes that base and builds on it, which is exactly what a paragon path is supposed to do. Doing the omgwtf stuff is what epic destinies are for.