Playtest Characters

[MoogleEmpMog]

Warlock - Arcane(?) Controller(?)

I'd be pretty shocked if the Warlock wasn't an Arcane Striker. The Wizard pretty much defines the role they're calling Controller, and the Warlock primarily excels at blasting (of single targets, no less), which seems to be the Striker's schtick.

 

[Scholar & Brutalman]

I'd be pretty shocked if the Warlock wasn't an Arcane Striker.

While the 3e Warlock could perhaps be described as a striker (though they have some great area control powers as well), we don't know what the 4e one will look like. And in one of the Gencon Youtube interviews, there was a list of roles and classes:

Defender: Fighter and Paladin
Leader: Warlord and Cleric
Controller: Wizard
Striker: Rogue and Ranger

There's one slot empty there...and since then the Warlock has been confiirmed.

 

[KrazyHades]

I'd be pretty shocked if the Warlock wasn't an Arcane Striker. The Wizard pretty much defines the role they're calling Controller, and the Warlock primarily excels at blasting (of single targets, no less), which seems to be the Striker's schtick.

I'd have to agree with MoogleEmpMog on that one.

 

[Zurai]

I'd be pretty shocked if the Warlock wasn't an Arcane Striker. The Wizard pretty much defines the role they're calling Controller, and the Warlock primarily excels at blasting (of single targets, no less), which seems to be the Striker's schtick.

I don't agree. 3E Warlocks aren't all that good at blasting. They're insanely good at battlefield control, though - Wall of Fire, Evard's Black Tentacles, Wall of Force, Dimension Door, Greater Invisibility, all at will? Pure battlefield control gold.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Looks like we got our eight classes then, interesting. Until we see evidence to the contrary I'm thinking that the Warlock is an Arcane striker.

Also, very interesting to see the Eladrin Rogue.

Could that be stress testing an alternate Rogue build to our traditional atheletic Halfling type? Perhaps a more scholarly rogue with loads of gadgets?

Or better yet, could the Eladrin Rogue be built off of Eladrin specific feats that make it a sort of native beguiler?

Because it would really make me happy if they were making things granular to the point that the Eladrin Rogue hunted down the beguiler and took his stuff.

Eight races makes sense given that they've mentioned previously that they wanted each class to have one obvious racial pick, but each race to have one or two decent racial picks even beyond their obvious favorite.

 

[Glyfair]

I don't agree. 3E Warlocks aren't all that good at blasting. They're insanely good at battlefield control, though - Wall of Fire, Evard's Black Tentacles, Wall of Force, Dimension Door, Greater Invisibility, all at will? Pure battlefield control gold.

One of the designers made of point of saying "don't assume that the 3.5 classes will work exactly the same in 4E." This was specifically in reference to a post about the Warlock, so I'm going to assume there are some significant changes in the class.

 

[Scholar & Brutalman]

Until we see evidence to the contrary I'm thinking that the Warlock is an Arcane striker.

Would you consider this to be evidence to the contrary:

Logan’s warlock laid down a Mire of Minauros on one side of the room, dissolving a couple of vampires and creating a nice acidic bog to guard our right flank.

This one's more equivocal:

Dessin, my warlock, mostly stayed at the back. He was just making enemies attack each other, firing some eldritch blasts, and concentrating fire on badly damaged foes (turns out that makes him do more damage).

But I think they sound like controllers.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Would you consider this to be evidence to the contrary:



This one's more equivocal:



But I think they sound like controllers.

That's pretty much the sort of evidence I had in mind, yes.

Though the equivocation part makes me wonder if the Warlock might be designed to be either, or, or combo when it comes to striker vs controller depending on what you choose for spells and class abilities.

Something that I could also see being true of the cleric as a leader/controller. You throw down enough debuffs and turn effects and your running into some weird territory role-wise.

 

[TheSeer]

So what does everyone speculate that the playtest characters imply?



Were I designing playtesting, I'd only playtest PHB elements ... so that would confirm those five classes and five races. I'm sure there will be more classes in the PHB ... might there be more races? Does the poor halfling get the shaft?

Actually, if I were doing a playtest I'd send out the classes/races/whatever that I needed testing on/bugs shaken out/confirmation they were good to go. So for example, if there were a balance problem that I just couldn't work out with an Eladrin Rogue, I'd send that character out to my testers to see if it's me, if they can work out the bug, or give me suggestions as to whether or not it really is broken.