New Class Features in the DDI: Martial Powers Spoilers

[Plane Sailing]

Comments to the options:

Fighter:
Battlerager - perfect to Constitution based races, like the dwarf.
Tempest - to the the dextery based races, like elfs, eladrin, drow and halfling

Ranger:
Beast Mastery - too soon to say something, almost nothing in this material

Rogue:
Ruthless Ruffian - Good to races which dont´t has Dex-bonus, and mainly to races with strength and oversized.

Warlord:
Bravura - A option to races which don´t has bonus neither in intelligence or charisma
Resourceful - Tiefling!!!! Good to high Int and high Cha.

My comments:

Battlerager - hugely strong option that completely changes the balance of the class. The human fighter in my campaign with 18 Con would never fear a minion again.

Tempest - as a general class ability, why? Would seem to make much more sense as a class option alongside S&B and 2HW.

Beast Mastery - sounds flavourful and interesting.

Ruthless Ruffian - seems like a pointless patch for a gross oversight in the original class. We heard that they limited the rogue weapons at a relatively late stage in playtesting, but they overdid it and kept out clubs and saps. If they are going to edit existing classes, this isn't the best way of doing it.

Resourceful Presence - doesn't that sound like an amped up version of the feat which warlords can take?

 

[andarilhor]

My comments:

Battlerager - hugely strong option that completely changes the balance of the class. The human fighter in my campaign with 18 Con would never fear a minion again.

Tempest - as a general class ability, why? Would seem to make much more sense as a class option alongside S&B and 2HW.

Beast Mastery - sounds flavourful and interesting.

Ruthless Ruffian - seems like a pointless patch for a gross oversight in the original class. We heard that they limited the rogue weapons at a relatively late stage in playtesting, but they overdid it and kept out clubs and saps. If they are going to edit existing classes, this isn't the best way of doing it.

Resourceful Presence - doesn't that sound like an amped up version of the feat which warlords can take?

As has been noted in here, seems this features are options and not additions.

 

[ObsidianCrane]

I want new at will powers to the old styles.

Nothing says you are not going to get that, this is just information "out before its time".

Most of it is just badly cludged onto the relevant page and does nothing to indicate how those powers are gained.

So taking a guess

Rogue - Ruthless Ruffian - new Rogue Tactics option. (Though it seems a better swap for Rogue Weapon Talent in some ways, the name style suggests Tactics.)

Fighter - Battle Rager Vigor and Tempest Technique there is nothing clear that they are an option for. They are both superior to the basic Fighter Weapon Talent, and so I suspect the replace Combat Superiority (and possibly FIghter Weapon Talent).

Ranger - Beast Mastery will replace Fighting Style at a guess. You either do weapons or have a companion instead. (Note the mechanics for the companion are missing.)

Warlord - Bravura Presence and Resourceful presence are fairly clearly "Commanding Presence" options/replacements.

In all casses significant text is missing to be able to do more than guess though, however suddenly adding a bunch of extra powers to the various classes seems a little silly. I suspect the Dark Pact we saw in the FRPG is a far better guide to what these new options will represent, and thus suggest ways they will be used. (As above.)

 

[Stogoe]

I really hope we see a Dex+Int option for rogues.

 

[andarilhor]

This options make me think about the options in the future power books:

ARCANE

Warlocks - more pacts as the dark pact in FRPG

Wizards - new implements? Or a more ritualist version of the wizard?

DIVINE

Cleric - maybe options for the healer´s lore class feature? A more offensive feature?

Paladin - Options for Divine Challenge, like Swordmage Aegis?

 

[EldritchFire]

I'm a bit wary of the new Fighter ability, as it seems a bit too strong for my tastes. It looks like, if I'm reading it correctly, that the fighter cannot be killed by low level minions if he's got a very high con. If my understanding of the ability is correct, you gain temp. hit points equal to your con mod whenever you're hit. So with an 18 or 20 con (not wholly unfeasible for a dwarf or dragonborn fighter) you gain as many temp. hit points as you'd lose (or more).

I definitely like the Rogue options I'm seeing though - it's good to know they are beginning to incorporate new weapons in.

Reread the battlerage vigor: "Each time an enemy hits you with a melee or a close attack, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier (after the attack is resolved)."

So, yeah, the fighter gets temp HP, but he needs to loose real HP first.

-EF

 

[ethandrul]

Here is what I expect in martial powers:

a paragon feat that allows sneak attack with any one weapon or one of a group of weapons.

an intelligence based rogue. (would love him to be factotumy- maybe getting jack of all trades as a free feat)

the idea of a 2-hander ranger is pretty close to the barbarian, and may not make the cut,
I think we will see a skirmisher option for a ranger who uses spears and polearms.

a little bit of ranged love for warlords

 

[cmbarona]

Even so, the unbalanced feature would only be delayed a turn. Let's say that 20-Con fighter is hit by a level 1 minion (4 damage). He takes 4 damage and gains 5 temp HP. Other minions can no longer touch him until something ranged burns through the tHP first.

 

[Plane Sailing]

As has been noted in here, seems this features are options and not additions.

Someone opined that, but with no basis other than wishful thinking. The new features are listed under class features and then detailed in the section of class features.

At the moment, the Compendium thinks they are class features (as does, presumably, the person who added them to the compendium).

That might change, but at the moment they are displayed as additions, not options.

Cheers

 

[SteveC]

It may just be me, but these options seem more than a little ... fiddly. As someone who played a Crusader in a 3.5 game, having to fiddle with temp hit points all the time is much more complex than it seems, having to deal with them each time you're even hit? Ugh!

And the Bravura Presence power just seems like it would be annoying in practical use. I don't know, it's probably just me, but do we really need those new keywords either?

Yeah, gripe, gripe ... I'll have to wait to see the real product to make an actual determination.

--Steve