VisanidethDM
First Post
I think an important thing that is getting overlooked is the fact that the ability of the Warlord to grant Basic Attacks had a certain weight in 4E because 4E was a game where "basic attacks" kind of sucked. You could build synergies and builds (expecially after Essential Classes were released) in order to maximize the worth of those attacks, but still, in a game where Encounter and Daily powers existed for all classes, that one basic attack the Warlord granted was a minimal benefit over him attacking on his own. You would literally compare your at will with a striker's basic attack and go fish for those few more damages he would do.
Which leads us to a big point: it was mostly about the flavour. It's not "power", it's visualizing a style of character that was different from anything else. The senior swordsman taking the enemy's full attention in order to let his allies hit past their guard. The sergeant locking blades with the orc chieftain while the rogue stabs him in the back. The war veteran simply telling a guy how to kill that pesky goblin.
What happens with 5E? 5E doesn't have a nuanced action system. If you're a melee combatant your god-action is the attack action. It's the best thing you can ever do, and you're gonna get some once-per-round riders, maybe once-per-turn if you're a rogue, but that's it. So if someone else grants you an attack action, they're granting you the best thing you can possibly do, not a throwaway move. It's a much tougher balancing act and a place where the simplicity of the 5E engine doesn't help, because in 4E everyone did a lot of things in their turns, often the riders and movers were the meat of the game, and one guy getting a basic attack was nice but hardly gamebreaking. In 5E things are different, and I can see balance issues arising.
And honestly, as a 4E fan, I don't think it's crucial to have a warlord in 5E. I just don't see it happening: the warlord is built around the structure of 4E and that's something 5E isn't equipped to replicate. The Warlord, to me, was about improvising and executing complex battle plans that exploited every square of movement and every bit of positioning and pushing and pulling to obtain the best possible effect. I don't really feel the need for a class that will enable me to roll to hit once more per turn. Different classes for different games.
Which leads us to a big point: it was mostly about the flavour. It's not "power", it's visualizing a style of character that was different from anything else. The senior swordsman taking the enemy's full attention in order to let his allies hit past their guard. The sergeant locking blades with the orc chieftain while the rogue stabs him in the back. The war veteran simply telling a guy how to kill that pesky goblin.
What happens with 5E? 5E doesn't have a nuanced action system. If you're a melee combatant your god-action is the attack action. It's the best thing you can ever do, and you're gonna get some once-per-round riders, maybe once-per-turn if you're a rogue, but that's it. So if someone else grants you an attack action, they're granting you the best thing you can possibly do, not a throwaway move. It's a much tougher balancing act and a place where the simplicity of the 5E engine doesn't help, because in 4E everyone did a lot of things in their turns, often the riders and movers were the meat of the game, and one guy getting a basic attack was nice but hardly gamebreaking. In 5E things are different, and I can see balance issues arising.
And honestly, as a 4E fan, I don't think it's crucial to have a warlord in 5E. I just don't see it happening: the warlord is built around the structure of 4E and that's something 5E isn't equipped to replicate. The Warlord, to me, was about improvising and executing complex battle plans that exploited every square of movement and every bit of positioning and pushing and pulling to obtain the best possible effect. I don't really feel the need for a class that will enable me to roll to hit once more per turn. Different classes for different games.