New Excerpts: FR: feats and AV: Holy Symbols and Wands

[ppaladin123]

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4ex/20080902a
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4ex/20080902b

Check out "Intelligent Blademaster." Wow...I wish I could get a Charisma version for my paladin!

 

[ObsidianCrane]

Wizard/Swordmage Multiclass likes that feat as well.

But I'm wondering if there is something important missing from Stubborn Survivor. Its not often that its not going to be giving a +2. Its not like its hard to spend an action point after all.

I'm certainly looking forward to seeing the full details of these feats.

The Master's Wand of Magic Missiles seems off as well. It comes in the same power bands as a standard Wand of Magic Missiles but has 1d8 crit damage and a Property for the same price. No reason at all to take the standard wand given the preview.

 

[FireLance]

I've a cleric of the Raven Queen in my campaign that would love to be able to convert all his spells to deal cold damage. I wonder if it would be unbalanced to change the sun disk of Pelor to the frozen feather of the Raven Queen.

Check out "Intelligent Blademaster." Wow...I wish I could get a Charisma version for my paladin!

Make one up yourself! If you won't, I will.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I'm salivating over Wood Elf Agility.

Knowing that anything except a 1 will be at least a fair result makes me happy.

-Hyp.

 

[Ravingdork]

I wonder if Stubborn Survivor stacks with Human Perseverance. If so, it's broken.

Love the new holy symbols. There really should have been specific ones from the beginning, but I can see why they didn't make them core (takes up too much space and would be hard to space out on the level curve properly without jipping certain faiths).

I don't know about the new wands. That new magic missile wand's encounter power looks useless to true wizards who already have magic missile. If you are a wizard/multiclassed secondary wizard who doesn't have magic missile you don't get the full benefit of its property (since you could only benefit from it once per encounter).

It seems like no matter what you aren't getting the full benefits of the item.

Even so, it looks like wands are being escalated in power. I would much rather have an at will power once per encounter than an encounter power once per day (the latter of which counts against my other cool daily items in addition to just being more limiting).

EDIT: I take that back. That new wand is broken. If encounter power wands are going to be the new thing, what is to keep me from getting five of them? I now have 5 more encounter powers than anyone else! The core wands have a built in limitation since they are daily use items. These don't. My character's level of power is now directly reflected by his wealth.

 

[FireLance]

I wonder if Stubborn Survivor stacks with Human Perseverance. If so, it's broken.

Why is a +2 to saves OK, but a +3 to saves broken?

I don't know about the new wands. That new magic missile wand's encounter power looks useless to true wizards who already have magic missile. If you are a wizard/multiclassed secondary wizard who doesn't have magic missile you don't get the full benefit of its property (since you could only benefit from it once per encounter).

It seems like no matter what you aren't getting the full benefits of the item.

I guess that's part of the balance. If you already have magic missile as an at-will, you don't need the encounter power. If you don't have it as an at-will power, you don't benefit as often from the propery.

EDIT: I take that back. That new wand is broken. If encounter power wands are going to be the new thing, what is to keep me from getting five of them? I now have 5 more encounter powers than anyone else! The core wands have a built in limitation since they are daily use items. These don't. My character's level of power is now directly reflected by his wealth.

On the other hand, all you're getting is the ability to use at-will powers more often. Even if you have five wands and can cast magic missile five times per encounter, your power level isn't going to be very different from an equal-levelled wizard casting magic missile as an at-will. In fact, you will be at a slight disadvantage because the equal-levelled wizard could have got a wand with a higher enhancement bonus for the same price as your five wands, and doesn't have to spend minor actions stowing and drawing five separate wands. As I've said before, the real cost of an at-will power is a standard action, and the opportunity cost is really the next best use you have for your standard action.

 

[Scholar & Brutalman]

Those summary lists of feats can leave out important info, extra limitations often tend to appear when reading the full description. I'm going to reserve my judgment about whether these feats are broken until the FRPG is released.

I like that the Master's Wand of Magic Missile gives a bonus to a Wizard that knows the power already. I Think it's probably more useful to them than granting MM as an extra per encounter. I wonder what the Master's Wands of the rest of the wizard's - as well as the warlock's - at-wills grant?

 

[Jhaelen]

Love the new holy symbols.

That's funny because I immediately disliked them. If all symbols are dedicated to a specific god you're extremely unlikely to ever find one that happens to fit the god you worship. Cleric players are pretty much required to buy or craft their holy symbols.

Generic symbols could be 're-dedicated' to fit your god - these new ones can't.

 

[Staffan]

The Master's Wand of Magic Missiles seems off as well. It comes in the same power bands as a standard Wand of Magic Missiles but has 1d8 crit damage and a Property for the same price. No reason at all to take the standard wand given the preview.

What "standard Wand of Magic Missiles"? Do you mean a generic wand of holding-a-power? Those don't exist for at-will powers, only for encounter powers.

 

[Syrsuro]

That's funny because I immediately disliked them. If all symbols are dedicated to a specific god you're extremely unlikely to ever find one that happens to fit the god you worship. Cleric players are pretty much required to buy or craft their holy symbols.

Generic symbols could be 're-dedicated' to fit your god - these new ones can't.

If your DM follows the DMG recommendations, the items won't be found being used by your opponents, instead they will be part of treasures tailored for the party. So your Holy Symbols will always be appropriate for your character.

And if your DM uses a more 'realistic' approach, then the obvious solution is that you obtain your holy symbol from your temple, perhaps in exchange for favors done or even in exchange for the holy symbol of an enemy religion.

Either way, I find it hard to imagine that your DM won't find a way to get an appropriate holy symbol into your hands, just as he will manage to get the appropriate type of implement or weapon into the hands of your other party members.

If your DM is using wholly randomly generated treasures with no way to trade, customize or otherwise adapt the treasure to the party you will have greater problems then not being able to use your holy symbol.

Carl