Mental Abilities in Combat

[Minigiant]

At the moment, the mental stats help you very little in combat compared to the physical ones unless the ability is a key to your class. It's mostly balance via skills and possible future feats but here are a few changes I'm palnning to add to my game.

1) Every PC can make a basic marking attack

Basic Marking Attack
At-Will ✦ Weapon
Standard Action
Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Hit: The target is marked until the end of its turn

You use your forceful personaility to draw the enemies attention with your attack. It's weaker than a defender's mark but it lets someone else if needed.

2) Change to Total Defense

Total Defense: Standard action
Add bonus to All Defense equal to Intelligence modifier (Minimun +2)

Total defense would be a rare action by default but some classes might use it now if no other action seems worthy.

3) Every PC can focus their ranged attacks to gain more range.

Focus Aim: Move action
+1 bonus to the next Ranged Attack roll: You gainn a +1 bonus to the attack roll of your next ranged attack this turn.
Additional Range: You add your Wisdom modifier to the range of your ranged attack. If you are using a weapon, apply this bonus only to the long range.
Slowed: You are slowed until the start of your next turn.
Grant Combat Advantage: You grant combat advantage to all enemies until the start of your next turn.

Now you far away shooty types can boost your attack if you feel confident that no enemies will get anywhere near your.

What do you think?

 

[Kordeth]

Pretty solid ideas. I think the Aim action could use a little more work, but that's mainly because I don't see many encounters happening at long-enough range to make it worthwhile. I'd go with something like "you may reduce any attack roll penalties caused by range, cover (including superior cover), or concealment (but not total concealment) by an amount equal to your Wisdom bonus. You can only negate penalties, not receive a bonus on the attack roll."

I debate whether that's good enough to warrant granting Combat Advantage till the beginning of your next turn, but you should certainly drop the slowed effect, it's too much.

 

[Minigiant]

That'll end yp with some weird wording though. Adding a modifier to cancel a penalty without creating a bonus?

How about....

Focus Aim: Move action
+1 bonus to the next Ranged Attack roll: You gainn a +1 bonus to the attack roll of your next ranged attack this turn.
Additional Range: You add your +2 to the range of your ranged attack. If you are using a weapon, apply this bonus only to the normal range.
Lessen Concealment: You ignore concealment granted by lightly obscured squares and heavily obscured squares within a number of squares of you equal to your Wisdom modifier.
Grant Combat Advantage: You grant combat advantage to all enemies until the start of your next turn.

 

[Kordeth]

That'll end yp with some weird wording though. Adding a modifier to cancel a penalty without creating a bonus?

How about....

Focus Aim: Move action
+1 bonus to the next Ranged Attack roll: You gainn a +1 bonus to the attack roll of your next ranged attack this turn.
Additional Range: You add your +2 to the range of your ranged attack. If you are using a weapon, apply this bonus only to the normal range.
Lessen Concealment: You ignore concealment granted by lightly obscured squares and heavily obscured squares within a number of squares of you equal to your Wisdom modifier.
Grant Combat Advantage: You grant combat advantage to all enemies until the start of your next turn.

Too schizophrenic. You've got abilities increasing the range of your attack, then rewarding you for attacking people within a very few squares--and the +1 to hit feels tacked on.

As far as "weird wording" goes, it's no different than the wording on damage resistance, and it's really very simple: Reduce the total penalty for cover, concealment, and range by your Wisdom modifier. You cannot raise the penalty above 0. Simple, direct and uncomplicated.

 

[Turtlejay]

IMHO this is not something that needs putzing around with. The PHB lists 3 core abilities for each class, and each one is in one of the sets, str/con, dex/int, wis/cha. This means that all of the classes should have some spread of abilities. A fighter for instance benefits a lot from wis, as does a ranger. paladins need higher than flat wis and cha, and warlords need a high int or cha. wizards and warlocks need high mental stats too. These are core to their class, and i am not sure what you mean when you say "unless it is core to your class", since all core classes already get a huge benefit from at least one high mental score.

Jay

 

[Minigiant]

IMHO this is not something that needs putzing around with. The PHB lists 3 core abilities for each class, and each one is in one of the sets, str/con, dex/int, wis/cha. This means that all of the classes should have some spread of abilities. A fighter for instance benefits a lot from wis, as does a ranger. paladins need higher than flat wis and cha, and warlords need a high int or cha. wizards and warlocks need high mental stats too. These are core to their class, and i am not sure what you mean when you say "unless it is core to your class", since all core classes already get a huge benefit from at least one high mental score.

Jay

You miss the point.

The mental abilites grant noting but defense and skill bonues. There are few advantages to raising them high if they can not a key class abilites. A genius fighter's 18 INT would go wasted in combat. A charismatic ranger gains nothing.

Combat wise:

STR- Basic melee attack, Basic thrown ranged attack, Fort
CON- HP, Surges, Fort
DEX- Basic ranged attack. initiative, Reflex, AC
INT- Reflex, AC
WIS- Will
CHA- Will

Minigiant no like.

 

[Turtlejay]

I think you miss the point. Wis is important to a fighter, it adds to his OA. And just mentioning fighters is a bit disingenuous. What I think is that if you wanted your fighters to make Charisma attacks you should have rolled a Paladin. Are you rolling for stats? That is the only excuse for having a fighter with 18 Int, and then only if you rolled 4 other 18s. If you are doing it for RP purposes then why complain that it has no combat value?

Jay

 

[Minigiant]

My point is the mentals stats aren't balanced to the physical ones. Everyone can benefit from pumping Str since everyone can and will make oppy attacks. Everyone uses surges. Everyone rolls Initiative. But if Int, Wis, or Cha is not in any of your key stats and not a trained skilll, it's a waste fo boost them at all (except Will defense). At leat Int gave you skill points and Will saves were mega-scary in 3rd.