The difference between martial classes in Core and Essential

[Viking Bastard]

I see a lot of references to the differences between the class builds in the core books and the Essentials line, especially the martial classes.

As I only have access to the core books, can someone elaborate further?

 

[Klaus]

Very broadly speaking:
- Clerics and Wizards aren't much different from Warpriests and Mages.
- Martial classes all use the Basic Attacks, and rely on some class feature (stances for Fighters, Movement Tricks for Thieves, etc) to alter those Basic Attacks, making them similar to At-Will powers.

Most Essentials classes give you a choice at 1st level that determine many of your later abilities. Paladins choose a Virtue, Druids choose a Season, Clerics choose a Domain, Wizards choose a School, Fighters choose a Weapon (longsword/hammer for Knights, Greatsword/Greataxe for Slayers), Warlocks choose a Pact... You lose some customization, exchanging it for ease of creation.

 

[DonAdam]

Essentials martial classes also lack Daily powers. They get things like static to-hit and damage bonuses instead.

Also, they tend to have just one encounter power (Power Strike or Backstab) that's a damage booster on a hit. They get to use it additional times per encounter as they level (up to 4/encounter, like having 4 encounter powers), and it automatically scales (in both damage and sometimes other effects). The encounter power stacks with the added at-will effects to basic attacks (stances or movement tricks).

Finally, they get stances or movement tricks as they go up in level, effectively giving them 4 at-wills by 17th.

Utility powers work the same.

Summing up, Essentials martial characters have:
More at-will options at higher levels (4 vs. 2)
At-wills works on opp attacks
Fewer encounter options (just 1)
Encounter power stacks with at-wills
Encounter power automatically scales
Encounter power never wasted (works on a hit)
No daily powers
More static bonuses

 

[TerraDave]

to sum up even more: that unified table in the PHB, showing the powers that everyone gets, thats gone.

Now it depends on the class, and "subclass".

 

[Viking Bastard]

Thanks!

The martial classes are basically more old school? With less record keeping?

They get things like static to-hit and damage bonuses instead.

What do you mean with static to-hit?

 

[aurance]

The martial classes are basically more old school? With less record keeping?

Indeed. I would also say frickin' boring. But I've been trying to cram subsystems into fighters since the BECMI days to give them more mechanical interactivity, so your mileage may vary. Others like the simplicity.

What do you mean with static to-hit?

Means that the lack of dailies / encounters are balanced out sometimes by a flat bonus to hit or damage or something that applies all the time.

 

[DonAdam]

Yes, less record keeping.

Definitely more complicated than old-school fighters--you have 2-4 stances or movement techniques to choose from each round, plus your Defender aura if you're a Knight--but less so than other 4e characters.

Personally I'm a big fan of having slightly expanded at-will options at the expense of fewer encounter options. At least as an option.

What do you mean with static to-hit?

Aurance basically got it, but just to make it more clear:

They get static (to-hit and damage) bonuses that apply all the time instead of conditionally. So it's like the extra damage of a Daily power spread out over the course of the day.

 

[Klaus]

Thanks!

The martial classes are basically more old school? With less record keeping?



What do you mean with static to-hit?

Both Fighter builds (Knights and Slayers) gain Weapon Mastery (+1 attack with weapon attacks) and the Slayer adds his Dex modifier as a bonus to damage with weapon attacks.

 

[Dice4Hire]

One point to mention. A lot of the fighter stuff is stances, and only one can be active at a time, and starting a second negates the first. So if the fighter takes some nice utility dailies from older fighter builds, they are less effective.

A minor point, I know.

 

[Viking Bastard]

Thanks, ya'll.