LightPhoenix
First Post
For good or bad, this is a core tenent in 4e power design, especially with encounter powers. Most encounter powers add a benefit when you are a certain build, and imo the majority of them aren't worth taking without that little something extra.
I don't have an issue with powers being more useful for different builds. Heck, one of the things I wish they had done is the PHB1 is gone further with that. The issue with Sleep isn't that it's adding something extra for Orb Wizards. Rather, the issue is that without the save penalty, the spell has a relatively minor effect for a daily power. Or, to put it another way, it's lacking in power relative to the other powers. In theory, Sleep should at least be in the same general ballpark as the other dailies independent of build. That is (IMO, of course) not the case, for the reasons I outlined.
Well, the thing is it is still a pretty decent spell. In a reasonable setup you can deprive the enemy of a good number of actions.
The key here is "in a reasonable setup." If you're presented with the option to hit nine enemies without hitting allies, or get lucky and have a creature fail the save five or six times, yeah, it's great. I can completely imagine a Stealth-Orb-Wizard sneaking up and dropping Sleep on a surprise round. There are strategies to using it, no doubt.