PC Roles (New Design and Development Article)

[Rechan]

I wonder what a party of five or six Leaders would be like? Lots of buffs, auto-healing go off as immediate actions, and everybody still attacking every round? Sounds pretty wicked.

And is that a bug or a feature?

A party of all clerics in 3.5. Ow.

 

[Morrus]

I like the terminology of "Leader" rather than "Support". Sounds a lot more pro-active!

 

[Frostmarrow]

Marching order?

C
D
L
S

Placement?

DCL
S

 

[Scholar & Brutalman]

What's the 8th Class?

From this & the new playtest, it's looking more & more like the classes mentioned in that Gamer Zero interview in relation to roles (Defender = Fighter & Paladin, Leader = Cleric & Warlord, Controller = Wizard, Striker = Ranger & Rogue) are at least the ones they're working with currently for being 7 of the confirmed 8 in PHB1 (though only fighter, cleric, wizard, & rogue are 100% confirmed as in for the first PHB).

That's where everything I've read has been leading me, but then what's the 8th class? Every choice I can think of has a problem:

i) If it's the sorcerer as a controller, then the PHB has both controllers as arcanists and vice versa, which leads to a complaint that as in 3rd edition wizards and sorcerers are very similar classes.

ii) If it's the sorcerer as something other than a controller, probably a striker, then there's only one controller in the PHB, and given they have 8 classes and four roles I think the designers would try to avoid that.

iii) If it's a non-arcane controller - I'd bet on the druid - then I can see only one arcane class in the PHB. I think WotC would try to avoid this as well. Unless either the ranger or warlord are actually arcane classes.

Some of my assumptions have to be wrong, but I'm not sure which. Either WotC don't mind having only one arcane or controller class, don't mind that all the controller classes are arcane, the ranger or warlord are actually arcane, or at least one of the Paladin, Ranger or Warlord isn't in the PHB.

 

[Li Shenron]

Healing auras?

 

[Branduil]

That's where everything I've read has been leading me, but then what's the 8th class? Every choice I can think of has a problem:

i) If it's the sorcerer as a controller, then the PHB has both controllers as arcanists and vice versa, which leads to a complaint that as in 3rd edition wizards and sorcerers are very similar classes.

ii) If it's the sorcerer as something other than a controller, probably a striker, then there's only one controller in the PHB, and given they have 8 classes and four roles I think the designers would try to avoid that.

iii) If it's a non-arcane controller - I'd bet on the druid - then I can see only one arcane class in the PHB. I think WotC would try to avoid this as well. Unless either the ranger or warlord are actually arcane classes.

Some of my assumptions have to be wrong, but I'm not sure which. Either WotC don't mind having only one arcane or controller class, don't mind that all the controller classes are arcane, the ranger or warlord are actually arcane, or at least one of the Paladin, Ranger or Warlord isn't in the PHB.

The Sorcerer can be a controller and still be different than the Wizard. Arcane users naturally tend towards that role, just like Martial types tend towards Melee combat, for the most part.

 

[Baumi]

Using the "boring" abilities without taking away the cool actions is awesome!

But I want to point out that the article doesn't say that ALL Leaders can heal, it only says that leaders can use boosting and healing without sacrificing the cool stuff.

On the other hand, a Warlord could have heal powers even without resorting to magic... just give out additional "Second Wind" (which is a morale thing) or increasing "Second Wind".

 

[Frostmarrow]

That's where everything I've read has been leading me, but then what's the 8th class? Every choice I can think of has a problem:

i) If it's the sorcerer as a controller, then the PHB has both controllers as arcanists and vice versa, which leads to a complaint that as in 3rd edition wizards and sorcerers are very similar classes.

ii) If it's the sorcerer as something other than a controller, probably a striker, then there's only one controller in the PHB, and given they have 8 classes and four roles I think the designers would try to avoid that.

iii) If it's a non-arcane controller - I'd bet on the druid - then I can see only one arcane class in the PHB. I think WotC would try to avoid this as well. Unless either the ranger or warlord are actually arcane classes.

Some of my assumptions have to be wrong, but I'm not sure which. Either WotC don't mind having only one arcane or controller class, don't mind that all the controller classes are arcane, the ranger or warlord are actually arcane, or at least one of the Paladin, Ranger or Warlord isn't in the PHB.

Couldn't the monk be a controller? High speed tumbling all across the battlefield shoot-kicking and body-pushing monsters left and right. Add high throws and quivering palms for more martial, controller, awesomeness.

-What's that ability called where a monk pushes a column of air 30' with his palm in order to push over an opponent?

 

[Glyfair]

Couldn't the monk be a controller? High speed tumbling all across the battlefield shoot-kicking and body-pushing monsters left and right. Add high throws and quivering palms for more martial, controller, awesomeness.

-What's that ability called where a monk pushes a column of air 30' with his palm in order to push over an opponent?

It has the same objection as the druid (only one arcane class in the PHB). Plus, I know a lot of people will be upset if there are only 8 classes in the PHB and one of them is the monk. I don't mind the monk as a class, but I don't want it to be one of the first 8 classes we see.

 

[Frostmarrow]

It has the same objection as the druid (only one arcane class in the PHB). Plus, I know a lot of people will be upset if there are only 8 classes in the PHB and one of them is the monk. I don't mind the monk as a class, but I don't want it to be one of the first 8 classes we see.

Yeah, but what if the martial artist killed the monk and took his stuff?