Most overrated "broken" things?

[Felon]

If you can call it a "temptation" to use the primary distinguishing ability of your class! .

Exactly the point. A spellcaster with a wand can spam if the cost of replacing the wand is minimal. But the temptation isn't there for most folks because the class they're playing has better things to be doing with their resources. Bang boom pow.

The warlock's strength is repetition. The guy playing the warlock probably doesn't think of what he's doing as abusive, even when he's crossed the line. His reaction is likely to be "cut me some slack, this is my schtick".

A Warlock (or other caster) who used charm with obnoxious consistency would be likely to see his portrait on flyers in many civilized area, and would probably be attacked if he was recognized.

When it comes to regulating risk-to-reward ratios, I think mechanical restrictions work a lot more reliably than an arbitrary "flyer-of-doom" method, which is basically an RP-based restriction. This is why I suggested that the more abuse-prone warlock abilities have some kind of built-in catch. Instead of being a standard matter of checking off resoures, the warlock would have to make a decision as to when he's pushing his luck too far.

 

[Chu Li]

A word of advice concerning Charm whatever: Do not get caught in your attempt. Stay out of sight. Your target might feel strange for a while, but how are they gonna pin that on you, their long lost buddy, that just happens to walk around the corner?

Chu Li

 

[Felon]

Succeeding on a Saving Throw

Where is this found?

A creature that successfully saves against a spell that has no obvious physical effects feels a hostile force or a tingle, but cannot deduce the exact nature of the attack.

Innkeeper: "Hey, I feel a tingle! You're dead meat, you SOB!"

Barmaid: "Oh yeah? I was tingling a minute ago too! Must be a warlock! Get'im!"

Random passerby: "A warlock charming people? Someone start making a flyer!"

Innkeeper: "Wait, don't hurt him! He's my best friend!"

Barmaid: "Oh yeah, mine too. Sorry, buddy."

 

[Caliban]

Where is this found?

The PHB, in the spells section. I pulled the quote from the SRD, so I don't have a page number.

 

[shilsen]

The PHB, in the spells section. I pulled the quote from the SRD, so I don't have a page number.

Pg. 177 in the 3.5 PHB.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

The thing I would have liked to see with warlock powers is unlimited usage, but with a potential price. For example, you can use the charm invocation as often as you like, but if a creature makes its save, it automatically adopts a hostile attitude and be charmed again by that invocation for 24 hours. If fits the flavor of the class and curbs the inclination to spam.

If I recall correctly, the Warlock's charm ability only works on one creature at a time. If you charm someone else, the first one becomes uncharmed.

Brad

 

[AllisterH]

If I recall correctly, the Warlock's charm ability only works on one creature at a time. If you charm someone else, the first one becomes uncharmed.

Brad

The only question being "Does the uncharmed person realize he was charmed". My hunch is yes, since they will remember everything that happened and wonder why the hell he treated the random, shady person he had never met before in his life, as if he was their best friend since grade school.

Spamming charm like it is going out of style simply won't work I think.

 

[Nifft]

The only question being "Does the uncharmed person realize he was charmed". My hunch is yes, since they will remember everything that happened and wonder why the hell he treated the random, shady person he had never met before in his life, as if he was their best friend since grade school.

Warlock and Enchanter Lesson #1: be nice to your charm targets! Since they don't know why they like you, do not give them reason to hate you later.

-- N

 

[The Blow Leprechaun]

Vast segments of the game are actually based on reality. Humans, animals, armour, most weapons, most social structures, money, etc. In fact I would say there are far more aspects of reality in the game then fantasy... so when I see something so blatantly stupid as the Spiked Chain, it stands out...

I really didn't want to go down this path because there was an entire thread about the spiked chain recently, so I'm just going to say one thing regarding the realism of the spiked chain:

Personally, I find the weapon extremely believable. There are lots of real world, historical examples of chain weapons that function mechanically the same way the spiked chain does. The real objection people have to be is some imagined spiked chain that involves people holding onto the spikey bits. Unfortunately for them, this is not how the spiked chain works, nor is it even how it is pictured in the PHB.

The spiked chain as pictured in the PHB is composed of a 5' length of chain with spikes on it, a hand ring, two 2.5' lengths of spikeless chain with a hand ring in the middle, another hand ring, and a 5' length of chain with spikes.

The obvious mechanic is one holds the outer hand rings, spinning the 5' lengths of chain with spikes. When one wishes to attack, one decides whether it is a close attack or a far attack. For a far attack, one releases one of the hand rings, extending the chain out to 10', with the spikey bit at the end. When one wishes to attack close, one does not release the hand ring, and instead just lashes out with the 5' of spikey chain.

This mechanic is completely realistic and believable. There is nothing about it that is ridiculous. You simply spin the outer lengths of chain with spikes on the end on either side of your body, and release them using the exact same physical process utilized by numerous historical weapons.

 

[Cameron]

If I recall correctly, the Warlock's charm ability only works on one creature at a time. If you charm someone else, the first one becomes uncharmed.

Brad

Wasn't it also a sonic based effect? Word of something or other? Cause that is pretty obvious...