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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jodyjohnson" data-source="post: 6734628" data-attributes="member: 5590">1)    Superiority Dice?  Personally, I think it is a strong starting point – we have a working class to build from and they are not generally considered under or over powered.2)    How many and often?  As a starting point I think my general answer would be slightly more if they refresh on a short rest, or much more if they refresh on a long rest.  But I think the long rest refresh would not suit the flavor of a martial class.3)    Assuming that the list of maneuvers expands, how many maneuvers does a warlord "know" by 20th level?  The current maneuver list has a majority that add to the user’s attacks.  The flavor of a warlord would have them primarily add to the targets ability.  I think the Warlord could have less or more maneuver’s known than the Battle Master, however the majority should effect other friendly targets.  A small number can directly increase the Warlord’s attacks.4)    Or is it that the warlord does not "know" maneuvers, as per the BM fighter?  I think it would be a failure as a martial class if the Warlord followed a caster mechanic too closely.5)    If we view the warlord as the "martial wizard," does this mean that the warlord would instead 'prepare' maneuvers? This implies that they could know and ‘not know’ a maneuver.  My feeling is ‘no’, they should not prepare maneuvers.6)    And again, how many? (Prepared Total = Int + Warlord level?) Way to high.  I don’t think we need Wizard levels of complexity here.  It is mostly likely the Warlord would rely upon a small subset of Maneuvers anyway.7)    First, how should a warlord regain their superiority dice? I think the Short rest refresh would be preferred.  At will, would be perhaps too good (especially with regard to HP recovery or buffing).8)    Should it be per short rest, as the BM fighter (and warlock), or should it be per long rest, as per a wizard/cleric? For myself, short rest.  Then we can keep the numbers lower and as the other martial classes favor short rests it would be more consistent in a low-magic or caster-less campaign.9)    How many superiority dice should a starting and max level warlord have? I think as a core feature of the Warlord they should start slightly earlier, however if the core feature is an aura and Hit Point recovery (healing) than it can come at 3rd.  I wouldn’t start much later.  However if they start too early it becomes a ‘dip’ class.10)    How should this compare with the BM fighter?  If the combat ability is lower than a Fighter then better Combat Superiority is warranted.  If the Warlord’s combat ability is commensurate with a fighter then they should be more even but with a different focus.11)    Should the warlord only be given enough superiority dice assuming they are refreshed by short/long rests?  Yes, they should be given enough to last for a short rest.  My preference is that they recover their die in certain situations (where they are wasted).  Making them reliable.12)    Or should the warlord be given enough superiority dice assuming that they are a resource only refreshed by exclusively long rests?  My preference would be to not go down the long rest road as Maneuvers are not comparable to spells.  I would give the Warlord the ability to increase the effectiveness of certain Maneuvers however – probably as subclass features.13)    With the BM fighter, Superiority Dice are typically expended to activate a maneuver. Should that always be the case?  If the ability grants an attack better than a standard at-will attack it should expend a die.  However, if the ability merely grants a standard attack in place of a standard attack that might be fine (really this seems to be the lynchpin ability of the “lazylord”).  However, I could see more opposition to the “lazylord” as an adventuring archetype.14)    In other words, could there effectively be "maneuver cantrips" that the warlord could use 'at-will' without expending Superiority Dice that would not be construed as overpowered?  Yes, there could be – probably called something else.  However, as tight as the action economy is, I think this would be the weakest link for powergaming the class abilities and require weakening the number of actions/attacks the Warlord was allowed.  Which would also make the class less appealing for the other styles.15)    Also, Superiority Dice are typically, but not always, incorporated into maneuvers by being added to the damage of the Dice role associated with the maneuver?  Not a question but ‘yes’ that statement is true.16)    Is that necessarily appropriate for Warlord maneuvers? Or should other mechanics be considered?  As a ‘balanced’ starting point I think that would best incorporate the buffing aspect.  That wouldn’t exclude other options.  As there is no WotC Warlord class I think the houseruled version have a wide-open design space constrained by the expectation of Warlord fans.17)    So what would you suggest? How would you see a warlord's superiority dice functioning?  Specifically, I lean more towards a strong melee combatant with Superiority Dice intentionally focused towards enabling others (a strong nod towards the buffing Battle Master).  However it needs to have the gaps filled with 1) actual healing/hit point recovery, 2) some ability to bring back those at ‘0’ or ‘dead’, 3) enough dice to approximate a ‘lazy lord’ build.18)    Of course, but if the Battle Master becomes analogous to the Warlock, then the issue still remains. How does one reverse-engineer the Warlord out of the Battle Master?  I said ‘comparator’ specifically to not imply that I was trying the reverse engineer the Warlord out of the Warlock.  I’d compare them in the final form for power level.  Honestly, I find the ‘reverse-engineer’ terms inappropriate due to the amount of art required in a design where the abilities form a complex equation based on a somewhat nebulous concept (a fighter/or non-fighter that helps other people fight).</blockquote>

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