More Essentials teasers

[mudbunny]

One of the things that WotC did this year was the Game Train. A couple of WotC employees rode the train from Seattle to Indy for GenCon. They played in a Dark Sun/Essentials adventure on the way, and Trevor Kidd just posted on a blog on the WotC website some information about the characters and the adventure.

A closer look at the Characters of Game Train

We find out about an ardent power, Mantel of Impulsive (helps allies that get targeted by opportunity attacks); the knight Battle Guardian power (allows you to make an OA against a creature that shifts or attacks someone other than you when the attacking/shifting creature is in your knight's aura); as well as a human racial power, heroic effect (gives a bonus to failed attack or saving throws); a knight stance called defend the line that slows people you hit when you are in the stance; and a thief feat, Unbalancing trick, that knocks people prone when you hit with a melee basic attack.

 

[SabreCat]

That all sounds fantastic. Particularly pleased by the Battle Guardian feature--now nobody can complain that the Knight isn't sticky! In fact he's stickier in his way than the PHB Fighter, who has to attack to get Combat Challenge up and running ^.^

 

[mkill]

Whow, nice.

Mantel of Impulsive: When an ally within 5 squares of you is targeted by an opportunity attack, that ally gains a +4 power bonus to damage rolls until the end of his or her turn. In addition, each ally within 5 squares of you gains a +2 bonus to Endurance checks and Intimidate checks.

Meh. Fiddly and situational. Almost useless against DMs who try to avoid taking opportunity attacks. I really hope that +4 damage scales.

Battle Guardian

(opportunity action)

Trigger: An enemy subject to your defender aura either shifts or makes an attack that targets an ally of yours but not you or an ally who has an active defender aura.

Effect: You make a melee basic attack against the triggering enemy. If the attack misses, the enemy still takes damage equal to your Strength modifier.

Ah, the missing mystery ability from the Knight preview. It's pretty much as I expected it to be. Switching the defender punishment from an Immediate action to an opportunity action is a very welcome change for many reasons. Looking at the wording, though, it's not clear whether this ability counts as an opportunity attack or whether it is an opportunity action that allows you to make a melee basic attack (it would make a difference for a number of items, feats, PP abilities etc.). It would best match the intuitive understanding if this attack counted as an opportunity attack. Let's see whether the wording in the book is more clear or if this needs a FAQ.

human racial power called Heroic Effort. It's an encounter power that requires no action.

Trigger: You miss with an attack or fail a saving throw.

Effect: You gain a +4 racial bonus to the attack roll or the saving throw.

Now that puts new fuel into the human speculation. I would absolutely welcome a human racial power. But it also means humans get a rewrite, and possibly a big one.

 

[Hawkeye]

The "Game Train" sounds like it started when one of the bean counters said "We need to come up with a way to cut travel costs."

Hawkeye

 

[mkill]

The "Game Train" sounds like it started when one of the bean counters said "We need to come up with a way to cut travel costs."

I think it started when someone tried the same on a plane. Especially if they are Shadowrun players.

 

[the Jester]

Now that puts new fuel into the human speculation. I would absolutely welcome a human racial power. But it also means humans get a rewrite, and possibly a big one.

Not necessarily- they might just have more options (for instance, this power could be in place of the normal "extra at will" humans get).

 

[darkadelphia]

The "Game Train" sounds like it started when one of the bean counters said "We need to come up with a way to cut travel costs."

Hawkeye

Everytime I've comparison shopped train and plane tickets, the price difference has been marginal while the train takes much much longer. I doubt wotc saves much sending them by train (and probably spends more paying per diems).

 

[mudbunny]

Everytime I've comparison shopped train and plane tickets, the price difference has been marginal while the train takes much much longer. I doubt wotc saves much sending them by train (and probably spends more paying per diems).

Then add in the cost of hotel rooms along the way.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Then add in the cost of hotel rooms along the way.

Or a sleeper car. My God, those things are expensive.

 

[renau1g]

Or a sleeper car. My God, those things are expensive.

While train may take longer, usually they have wireless access and there's less time in security checks so employees can get some work done on the way easier. At least that's why my work has us take the train.