Questions about/Problems with PHB II

[Artoomis]

The short duration spells have swift casting times, which are excellent for duskblades who want to cast while fighting and not wait until they can quicken spells!

One of the duskblade features that you may have missed is the high level ability to cast a touch spell and deliver it with their weapon... and if they get iterative attacks the touch spell comes off on each of the iterative attacks! That can rack up some quite serious blasting

Really? On each attack, not just the first one? That's a HUGE boost to touch attacks if it really works that way.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Really? On each attack, not just the first one?

That's why it's a high-level ability...

-Hyp.

 

[Beckett]

And has anyonce Seen the Beserker Strenght work in play? It sounds kind suicidal.

Having to be under 5 x barbarian level in HP to get the bonuses sounds like it would encourage risky/suicidal play more than the usuall for a barbarian.

No heal Thog! Me get weaker!

I've used it for NPCs, not sure I've seen it on a player. It pretty much demands a single class barbarian. I think its usefulness depends on the type of game. If you're doing only one or two fights a day, against high damage foes, regular rage is much better. If you have many encounters, having the ability to rage in all of them can be handy. Even with healing, you just seesaw between rage and not rage, without penalty.

 

[Victim]

Really? On each attack, not just the first one? That's a HUGE boost to touch attacks if it really works that way.

The spell effect only applies once per target. If you want to get more spell hits, you have to spread the attacks around.

The PHB2 has a number of abilities that attempt to make not focusing fire more effective.

 

[Saeviomagy]

So, I picked up the book yesterday, and have been flipping through it. Skipped the knight, because I already perused the preview, but I'll take another look later. I do think I like Green Ronin's "Cavalier" better in any any case, for a mounted chivalric warrior. And though Green Ronin still gives only 2 skill points, I think Diplomacy and Sense Motive are included as class skills..

I think that if you think the primary drive of the Knight is a mounted, chivaric warrior, you're doing it an injustice. Currently it's the only class that can hope to make a heavy-defense fighter an effective combatant.

 

[pawsplay]

I think that if you think the primary drive of the Knight is a mounted, chivaric warrior, you're doing it an injustice. Currently it's the only class that can hope to make a heavy-defense fighter an effective combatant.

Other than cleric, fighter, paladin, and other heavy armor wearing classes, of course.

 

[frankthedm]

Other than cleric, fighter, paladin, and other heavy armor wearing classes, of course.

I think he means because the knight has the "You must attack me" ability, he can crank his AC and not have foes just walk/fly/teleport around him to kill the other party members.

Big hungry monster: Who to eat... slow footed, pokey stick & skin of steel or exotic smelling [spell component pouch] & cloth covered weaker pack mate...
NPC who buys thier gear just like the PCs: A floating tower sheild? Who does this joker think he'll hit? Still, if he has the coin to buy that, i'll be better off to just go around him.

1 handed weapons do not often give enough damage output in comparison to a 2 handed weapon. Even a Floaty Tower Shield still takes 4 damage off the Tank if he does switch to a 2 handed weapon.

 

[Endur]

Are you suggesting there should be a FMage base class, such that a 10th level FMage class fights as well as a 10th level Fighter and casts as well as a 10th level Wizard?

Absolutely.

In 1e Chivalry and Sorcery, High Elves got Fighter/Wizardy/Cleric abilities (all at their level), spell resistance, free magic weapons, and other specials neat things I don't remember.

In 1e D&D, the Ninja (from Dragon #16), fought like a fighter, had martial arts like a Monk, judo like a Samurai, had poison use, a special saving throw against incoming direct damage (essentially a reflex save), tracked like a Ranger, could feign death, could see in the dark, could travel more miles per day than a normal human, was a master of disguise, could use any magic item available to a fighter, samurai or thief, skills like a thief, had all sorts of special equipment, could heal himself 2 hit points a day, and could do just about anything in the game except cast spells.

 

[Endur]

1 handed weapons do not often give enough damage output in comparison to a 2 handed weapon. Even a Floaty Tower Shield still takes 4 damage off the Tank if he does switch to a 2 handed weapon.

The trick is to be the only melee guy in the party if you want to go the high ac route.

The monster then has to weigh a full attack against an armored guy or a single attack against the dude in the rear.

Especially since the monster may be concerned that by the time he gets to the dude in the rear, the fight may be over, or the dude in the rear may evade and outrun the monster.