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

[James McMurray]

There isn't a level 9 alternative to Flame Strike worth taking. Purifying Fire is much better when it doesn't have to contend with Fire Resistance.

I didn't look far, but it definitely seems like there's a use for the symbol. I'd personally rather have a symbol of reach for a blaster cleric, but not everyone would.

 

[Spatula]

Getting 19+ to crit on all of your spells is a bit more than a minor benefit, I think. It also allows you to use current and future radiant-specific feats with all of your powers - currently Astral Fire (already works with fire spells tho) and Font of Radiance. But it also gives you flexibility if you come across a radiant-resistant foe, which is why you don't want to pick radiant attacks for all of your powers. Some diversity is good.

 

[Saben]

This presumes the FR feat provides a feat bonus. Some feats that key off circumstances provide untyped bonuses, e.g. Nimble Blade provides an untyped attack bonus when you attack with a light blade and have combat advantage, and Dragonborn Frenzy provides an untyped damage bonus on damage rolls when you are bloodied. Since the FR feat keys off a circumstance (no action points remaining), it could also provide an untyped bonus.

True, what is even worse is that the new FR Purple Dragon Knight PDF adds another +2 untyped to an adjacent ally.

Human Saves are getting out of control. Those conditions better be effective, considering they will only last 1 turn with an auto-save at the player's subsequent turn..

 

[Runestar]

I wonder where the designers will draw the line with stacking. At this rate, it does not seem impossible that players may soon be able to auto-succeed at any save by virtue of getting a 10+ bonus on their saves, simply by stacking enough sources of save-boosting abilities.

 

[Jhaelen]

True, what is even worse is that the new FR Purple Dragon Knight PDF adds another +2 untyped to an adjacent ally.

Human Saves are getting out of control. Those conditions better be effective, considering they will only last 1 turn with an auto-save at the player's subsequent turn..

And yet again I'm glad this is from a FR sourcebook. Since I'm not going to use anything from these books, I can ignore at least one source of power creep...

But it doesn't bode well for forthcoming supplements.

 

[FireLance]

True, what is even worse is that the new FR Purple Dragon Knight PDF adds another +2 untyped to an adjacent ally.

At least it definitely doesn't stack with the background that gives you a save bonus when you're more than 5 square away from an ally.

 

[Saben]

At least it definitely doesn't stack with the background that gives you a save bonus when you're more than 5 square away from an ally.

True, but it makes getting the First Aid bonus very easy.... My Purple Dragon Knight stands next to you, you are a human with no Action Points and I First Aid you. +6 without breaking a sweat.

As for those seeing this as "just FR material" personally I am treating the FR campaign book as "PHB 1.5", it seems to have too much new material that my players will want to use, regardless of the setting. Swordmage, Genasi, new feats (including Channel Divinity for differently themed gods), new Paragon Paths and Epic Destinies, backgrounds.

Given Martial Power, PHB2 and other player supplements are such a long way away, I think it is cruel to rule the entire FR book off limits. We all know how restrictive a single PHB feels right now.

 

[James McMurray]

True, but it makes getting the First Aid bonus very easy.... My Purple Dragon Knight stands next to you, you are a human with no Action Points and I First Aid you. +6 without breaking a sweat.

You'll be better off giving them an immediate save at +4 instead. There's a chance they'll shake off the effect before their next turn starts, and two saves at +4 (9% chance of failure) have a higher chance of success than one at +6 (20% chance of failure).

This assumes my math is right.