Nature Power Source

[glass]

Druids taking everyone's jobs? it IS just like WOW

For a second there, I read that as 'just like NOW'!


glass.

 

[glass]

Yeah, I can't quite pin down what the druid's going to be. With his spells...-snip-

Haven't they said, they are greatly reducing the druid's spellcasting? Not that that precludes their being a leader necessarily, but my guess would be striker if I didn't like barbarians for that role.

OTOH, the paladin-cleric similarity suggests that they are leaders and barbarians are defenders. Which doesn't really seem to fit with the emphasis on shapechanging that we know about.

So basically now, I am really confused.



glass.

 

[Dormammu]

I would think Barbarians will be Defenders. It seems people are thinking Striker because they see Barbarians primary focus as killing things. But I think this misses two key points:

1) If Defenders aren't offensively powerful, there will be a LOT of angry Fighter fans out there. If this is not still WoW, Fighters should still be doing at least as much melee damage as Rogues.

2) I see Strikers as fighters who seek to avoid the attention of monsters. They are either ranged or, in the case of Rogues, they try to attack from advantageous positions which prevent counterattack.

I think Defenders exert influence on everything near them. If Barbarians don't qualify for that, I don't know what does!! They can do damage, but they also need to be able to focus the battlefield around them for sure. Go go, Conan! Go go, Slaine! Go go, Barbarian!

 

[Dormammu]

Yes it is. In fact, there's a picture of a "Primal Blaster" in R&C ... I wonder if it will be the nature striker? Incidentally, I don't like the name primal blaster and hope it changes.

Given their ability to assume different shapes, druids may be the first multi-role character in 4e.

This post is funny because you are saying exactly what was said in the post that inspired the post you are quoting. It's a moebius thread!

 

[Rechan]

1) If Defenders aren't offensively powerful, there will be a LOT of angry Fighter fans out there. If this is not still WoW, Fighters should still be doing at least as much melee damage as Rogues.

R&C says fighters have three options:

1) Offense (Two handed weapon)

2) Defense

3) Hindering/controlling.

I'm going to assume #3 is basically being an AOO fiend, and making moving around him a real problem. So even a Hindering/Controlling fighter could charge into the middle of a group of monsters, and now they're pinned down underneath his sword.

 

[Arkhandus]

Hrm.

Nature/primal power source....
Leader - druid, shaman, or bard
Defender - barbarian
Controller - elementalist, druid, or shaman
Striker - I dunno, a scout or elementalist perhaps (wouldn't it be wierd, and stupid, if they made the scout a nature-powered striker, while having the ranger as a martial-powered striker? oi)

Bards and sorcerers....I imagine they'd just be supplemental additions to the Arcane power source. Though bards might instead be redone as Nature Leaders, moving away from their 3e arcane-song-focus towards the original druid-related flavor.... Sorcerers might then be used alongside Binders or something as part of a Binding power source or somesuch, getting their power from bound demons/celestials/whatnot (or perhaps from binding themselves to a demon's/celestial's/whatver's influence, in some manner).

 

[Rechan]

I'm certain they've mentioned the Bard is an Arcane Leader.

 

[Nahat Anoj]

This post is funny because you are saying exactly what was said in the post that inspired the post you are quoting. It's a moebius thread!

lol! That's a total brain fart on my part.

 

[Robert Ranting]

I also like the use of "Primal" as a power source.

While I agree with most of the ideas presented here so far, one thing that hasn't been mentioned is how a druid could use some of his classic "spells" other than shapeshifting to help him in the Defender niche. For example, the dryad in the Desert of Desolation D&D minis set has an aura of entangle, which hampers the movements of creatures that are standing near it. Assuming the 4e druid is not affected by his own entangle effect, he could then move around and engage foes in melee on his own terms, while everyone else has to struggle to get past him (and consequently, gets blasted, flanked, etc. by the party members in the back). That definately sounds like a defender to me, especially if the druid is in the form of a dire bear and ripping the entangled foes to shreds...

Ultimately, my major hope is that the Druid isn't a leader, as that would make it too similar to the cleric. Ideally, I think I would like to see it as a Stirker, using its shapeshifting abilities to move about the battlefield and single out targets. One aspect of WoW worth copying here would be the single-target nature of the entangle spell, rather than making it a huge area of effect. Locking down a single target with a potent de-buff seems to be a valid tactic for Warlocks, who are strikers, so I think this would be within the realm of the "role". Besides, having entangling vines as a huge area of effect spell just seemed to hinder the fighters and rogues in 3e, so making it single-target would allow us to keep the flavor while losing an aspect that makes the game less fun for everyone else in the group.

Robert "I Likely Will Not Run 4e Until We Have a Druid" Ranting

 

[Intrope]

I also like the use of "Primal" as a power source.

While I agree with most of the ideas presented here so far, one thing that hasn't been mentioned is how a druid could use some of his classic "spells" other than shapeshifting to help him in the Defender niche. For example, the dryad in the Desert of Desolation D&D minis set has an aura of entangle, which hampers the movements of creatures that are standing near it. Assuming the 4e druid is not affected by his own entangle effect, he could then move around and engage foes in melee on his own terms, while everyone else has to struggle to get past him (and consequently, gets blasted, flanked, etc. by the party members in the back). That definately sounds like a defender to me, especially if the druid is in the form of a dire bear and ripping the entangled foes to shreds...

Ultimately, my major hope is that the Druid isn't a leader, as that would make it too similar to the cleric. Ideally, I think I would like to see it as a Stirker, using its shapeshifting abilities to move about the battlefield and single out targets. One aspect of WoW worth copying here would be the single-target nature of the entangle spell, rather than making it a huge area of effect. Locking down a single target with a potent de-buff seems to be a valid tactic for Warlocks, who are strikers, so I think this would be within the realm of the "role". Besides, having entangling vines as a huge area of effect spell just seemed to hinder the fighters and rogues in 3e, so making it single-target would allow us to keep the flavor while losing an aspect that makes the game less fun for everyone else in the group.

Robert "I Likely Will Not Run 4e Until We Have a Druid" Ranting

I like this idea very much. For that matter, didn't Druids use to get a '1000 faces' disguise power too? If so, they could be both a Mobility striker and a 'Doppleganger' striker ( "Wait, you aren't Bob. AHHHH my spleen!" ) in the same way that Rogues look like they will be Mobility and Lurker strikers.