New Paladin Mark: Sacred Ward

[erf_beto]

You know, I love the idea but I'm getting really confused with this mark-this-mark-that talk. So, first thing to do here is create a new "keyword": instead of mark, use ward. You mark enemies, but ward allies. Second, marked enemies have penalties to attack, while warded allies have bonuses to defenses (isn't it the same thing as giving penalties to all attackers? well, there are traps and such, but... is it really that important to rule them out?).

Rewriting DanmarLOK's version:

Sacred Warding
At-Will * Divine, Radiant
Minor Action Close Burst 5
Target: One ally in burst
Effect: You ward the target. The target remains warded until you use this power on another target or the target is subject to a successful attack. A creature can only be subject to one ward at a time. A new ward supersedes a ward that was already in place.
While the target is warded, it receives a +2 bonus to all defenses.
The first attack that damages the target removes the ward and the attacker suffers radiant damage of 3 + your charisma modifier. This damage increases to 6 + your charisma modifier at 11th and 9 + your charisma modifier at 21st level.
Special: a marked creature does not take the radiant damage while attacking a warded creature.

IMO, the only problem was the fighter-paladin synergy, so I added the Special line (I don't have a problem with two defenders, well, defending each other, but YVMV). Might also add that the ward ends if the warded creature is not within 5 squares of you (perhaps even forbid a new ward on your next turn, since you were supposed to be protecting your ward, not sending it away)
Hhmmm... New Idea: how about reducing to close burst 2 and forbidding a new ward if you separete by more than 5 squares?

Question: can you ward more than one ally? Can a paladin ward the wizard, the fighter and the cleric in one turn and just mantain the wards as they fall? (I'm guessing NO, but that would be interesting )

Some possible additions, either as feats or class features:

Avenging Paladin: increase the sacred ward base damage (to 6/9/12?).
Protecting Paladin: increase the sacred ward bonus to defenses (to +3? +5?)

 

[keterys]

] With the one way you potentially affect all hostile attack rolls, assuming everyone is going to attack the warded target.

Or none, if they choose to do otherwise, yes. It'd definitely be an interesting difference between the defender types.

As 'marked' is an actual condition that gives -2, erf's rewrite of your version is much improved, fwiw.

 

[Stalker0]

This is some great discussion!

I personally think people are overestimating the paladin's mark damage.

So far in my experience, the fighter's mark is better at dealing damage, and therefore as a deterrent. As an extreme example, I made a 26th level fighter whose basic attacks did 4d6+45 per attack (average 59), with a 19-20 crit range (on a crit also getting another basic attack and giving the enemy a -2 to attack and defenses). Compare that to a paladin with max charisma doing 17 damage and having terrible OA ability.

Even if multiple enemies could take the effect of the paladin's mark, as has already been mentioned, the enemies have far more options to attack in a normal party with no penalty than if you use the regular mark.

So far I like keterys' suggestion, here is my rewrite with that in mind:

Sacred Ward
At-will
Minor Action
Close Burst 5
Target: One ally in range.

The target gains a special ward that lasts until the end of the encounter, until the paladin selects a new ward, or until the target ends its turn more than 5 squares away from the paladin.

When unmarked enemy makes an attack on the target that does not include the paladin, it suffers a -2 to its attack roll, and on its first attack it is dealt radiant damage equal to 3 + the paladin's charisma mod (6+cha at paragon, 9+cha at epic).

 

[keterys]

The 'on its first attack' there is slightly unclear what you're looking for - first attack by a particular enemy, but if 10 make the attack in a round then it does the damage 10x (and afterwards the paladin better remark, or the damage isn't happening again)? Or first attack in a round? Or first attack by the ward, on any target (needing refreshing to work in the 2nd round, etc)

Also, one of the reasons I made it a reaction was so that it wouldn't, say, autokill all minions or hit monsters that didn't know that would happen when they struck. Which is, frankly, one of the biggest concerns - a normal mark the target knows all that is going on, but with this method they don't know.

 

[Stalker0]

Also, one of the reasons I made it a reaction was so that it wouldn't, say, autokill all minions or hit monsters that didn't know that would happen when they struck.

You make a fair point. How about an immediate interrupt instead? That way the radiant damage isn't just "punishment" it also goes with teh guarding motiff (if the damage kills the enemy, it doesn't attack the ward). Now that would allow one autokill of a minion who attacked the ward, but let's be honest there are plenty of options that allow that right now.

 

[keterys]

Sure, means it still gets to be just 1 per round, which is probably the important part