PHB Classes: What needs love?

[mlund]

Just because the two-weapon path offers something unique (wield a larger weapon in your offhand), it's still of marginal value when you never use it...

At that point, you only consider the bonus feat that each path offers.

True, but it is still there. More importantly, Toughness vs. Defensive Mobility for a ranged attacker looks like a no-brainer to me: 5HP per tier > +2 AC vs. OAs when I'm looking at a Ranged Striker.

Oddly enough, if I were looking for a highly mobile Melee Striker, I'd be more inclined to pick up Defensive Mobility than with a Ranged Attacker.

- Marty Lund

 

[bardolph]

I wish the Archery Ranger had a little bit more incentive to pick that path over the Two-Blade Ranger path. Even when you do all Archery Powers you've still probably going to take the Bonus Toughness feat and the ability to off-hand a one-handed weapon over Defensive Mobility.

Depends on your style. Defensive Mobility lets you pull maneuvers that grant AOs, but with a little more safety. This includes (a) firing at point-blank range, and (b) moving (instead of shifting) away from engagement before firing.

If you are likely to pull these kinds of maneuvers often, then Defensive Mobility may edge out Toughness.

If you are heavily DEX-loaded, you are unlikely to ever use STR-based melee weapons, so the off-hand bonus would amount to practically nothing.

 

[Lord Sessadore]

Depends on your style. Defensive Mobility lets you pull maneuvers that grant AOs, but with a little more safety. This includes (a) firing at point-blank range, and (b) moving (instead of shifting) away from engagement before firing.

If you are likely to pull these kinds of maneuvers often, then Defensive Mobility may edge out Toughness.

If you are heavily DEX-loaded, you are unlikely to ever use STR-based melee weapons, so the off-hand bonus would amount to practically nothing.

Actually, I believe Defensive Mobility only applies to OAs from movement, not anything else. Still, I agree that it's useful for an archer ranger - and if you really want Toughness, just spend the feat.

 

[Jhaelen]

Couldn't disagree more. The wizard pays for his or her versatility with lower hp and AC. You can't equate fighter powers with wizard spells--one is rooted in the physical abilities, knowledge and training of the fighter him or herself, and the other is based on the wizard's mental ability to control a form of energy present in the universe.

The wizard already has a pretty impressive advantages over all other classes: The Spellbook.

- Not only do wizards get the Ritual Casting feat for free, they also automatically get learn 11 rituals in their career.

- They can learn double the number of daily and utility powers than every other class (for a mere feat they even get triple).

These two factors make the wizard class the most flexible and more than make up for the disadvantages you mentioned, imho.

 

[Destil]

A) More Feats. A lot of PCs will find themselves not wanting many.

B) More At-Wills. 4 is a bit light, 8 is closers to where this should be (4-5 per primary ability score. The wizard is the only one with enough).