More Essentials teasers

[UngeheuerLich]

Does the battle guardian attack kill minions?

It is not stated as: "on a miss the attack deals damage", but "on a miss it still takes damage"... I wonder if that was intentional...

And here you have the reason, why you don´t dump strength (completely) and take melee training... the defender stance seems to help being sticky here.
The only thing i am worried about: the knight is not sticky, because just taking the normal move action to escape seems strictly better than shifting or attacking.

The alternate human racial feature seems quite nice... about as powerful as the elven one, maybe better but without the effect of turning any roll into a possible hit...

I like the bludgeon expertise feat. I guess it will increase with level, but the rider will make it more useful than versatile expertise for only weapon users, and of course, it is not as boring as the other feat.

Thanks for the spoilers

 

[DracoSuave]

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.

DMs avoid taking opportunity attacks?!?

This is an example of a damned if you do, damned if you don't ability.

If the player provokes an OA, he gets a damage bonus. If the DM decides not to take it, the player has gotten free movement into a good position. If you have a DM who can be dissuaded from making Opportunity attacks easily, the mere -presence- of an Ardent of Impluse will ensure that everybody has free tumbles wherever they like.

And if not, it's extra damage.

When does this ability become bad?

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.

If it says 'opportunity action' then it's not an opportunity attack. Attacks made as the result if opportunity actions are not, and have never been, opportunity attacks.

Old rules conundrum is old.

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.

This is probably how they balance out the lack of an extra at-will.

 

[The Little Raven]

This is probably how they balance out the lack of an extra at-will.

Doubtful, since we know that half of the classes in the Red Box have at-will powers.

This is likely a racial feat power.

 

[doctorhook]

Doubtful, since we know that half of the classes in the Red Box have at-will powers.

This is likely a racial feat power.

You should bet Draco your avatar on that one.

 

[abyssaldeath]

Doubtful, since we know that half of the classes in the Red Box have at-will powers.

This is likely a racial feat power.

It's possible that it might part of a list of powers that the human can choose instead of an extra at-will.

 

[AngryMojo]

It's possible that it might part of a list of powers that the human can choose instead of an extra at-will.

I'd actually like to see this. Whenever a game decides to define humans, instead of going the whole "humans are versatile and good at everything" route, I feel it helps the game. At least this way, humans will be versatile or determined.

 

[FireLance]

It's possible that it might part of a list of powers that the human can choose instead of an extra at-will.

This gets my vote. It helps address the issue of "what do you do if you are human and belong to a class that doesn't get at-will attacks".

Extrapolation: Similarly, there will at least one other power or ability that a half-elf could choose instead of Dilettante.

 

[ST]

Yep, changing "Get another at-will attack" to "Get another at-will attack or at-will stance (utility)" or however they phrase it should work fine. Whatever you call it, they're new, so if they make it clear which is equivalent to an at-will attack, it's compatible.

It does interact interestingly with Half-Elf Dilletantte, in that if a given stance is the right stance for this fight, it's not much of a limitation to only be able to shift into it once per encounter. Don't get me wrong, it's a limit to not be able to switch out of the stance then back into it that same encounter, but it isn't as much of a limit as only one round per encounter.

 

[FreeTheSlaves]

Paladins - I'm hanging out to find out what's happening with them. The Knight looks a good alternative however.

I've always been a paladin fan, and to be honest I haven't been won over by the characters born from the original 4.0 class.

The v-split wiping half the powers/paragon paths from your options, cha/con or str/wis types, a plethora of smites without much rhyme or reason, very limited ranged options (javelins??), no str-based skill (3E I'm looking at you too), the gigantic divine challenge work-block...

Anyhoo, I like that hammer/mace expertise feat too.

 

[lutecius]

nevermind. read something wrong.