D&D 4E The Quest to use the Half-Elf's Dilettante (4e spoilers)

[cdrcjsn]

I'm kind of in the same boat as the OP; I'm making a half-elf warlock, and am having a tough time picking an at-will. However, while eyebite might be good for the rogue, I can't really see anything that stands out for the warlock, especially with a Con & Cha focus.

Anyone have any ideas?

Unless you're building a Star pact lock, you don't really need both Con and Cha. Fey is just Cha+Int and Infernal is Con+Int. If you go either of those routes, you can pump up Str for Fey pact or Wis for Infernal pact, allowing you to MC easier into other classes.

 

[theredrobedwizard]

I'm kind of in the same boat as the OP; I'm making a half-elf warlock, and am having a tough time picking an at-will. However, while eyebite might be good for the rogue, I can't really see anything that stands out for the warlock, especially with a Con & Cha focus.

Anyone have any ideas?

I like Bolstering Strike for that build, honestly. A few extra hit points and a melee attack that uses Charisma? Yes, please.

So Con and Cha; what's your higher stat out of Dex or Int going to be? That should help to determine what powers to check out.

-TRRW

 

[Spatula]

Careful Attack: I'll be honest, I think this is one of the crappiest at-wills in the game. In DDXP, this thing took away your dex mod to damage and added it in again to attack (or at least it appeared to). That was pretty significant. Now I'm giving up 4 damage (with an 18 dex) to gain a +2 to attack rolls. Not worth it for the ranger imo, and certainly not for me.

Well, the thing is, this at-will should be thought of in conjunction with the striker extra-damage abilities. Think of it as a 10% boost in your chance to deal sneak attack/quarry damage. Actually, this is a better power for the rogue than the hunter since SA does more damage (but is harder to set up) than the hunter's quarry. Hell, take Careful Attack and the Ranger multiclass feat, and you get +10% to hit with a [w]+2d6+1d8 attack ([w]+3d6+2d8 paragon, 2[w]+4d6+3d8 epic).

 

[Kraydak]

Well, the thing is, this at-will should be thought of in conjunction with the striker extra-damage abilities. Think of it as a 10% boost in your chance to deal sneak attack/quarry damage. Actually, this is a better power for the rogue than the hunter since SA does more damage (but is harder to set up) than the hunter's quarry. Hell, take Careful Attack and the Ranger multiclass feat, and you get +10% to hit with a [w]+2d6+1d8 attack ([w]+3d6+2d8 paragon, 2[w]+4d6+3d8 epic).

Careful Attack is a trap. If you think you might want Careful Attack, take Twin Attacks instead. Always. If your friend wants to take Careful Attack, talk him out of it. If he does take it, erase it from his character sheet and replace it with Twin Attacks behind his back. Careful Attack is that bad.

 

[Metus]

Unless you're building a Star pact lock, you don't really need both Con and Cha. Fey is just Cha+Int and Infernal is Con+Int. If you go either of those routes, you can pump up Str for Fey pact or Wis for Infernal pact, allowing you to MC easier into other classes.

I guess I hadn't really noticed that. I was going the Infernal Pact, which I see now does rely solely on Con. That said, I really would like to be able to use the rest of the warlock abilities, ones that use Star or Fey.

I like Bolstering Strike for that build, honestly. A few extra hit points and a melee attack that uses Charisma? Yes, please.

So Con and Cha; what's your higher stat out of Dex or Int going to be? That should help to determine what powers to check out.

Bolstering Strike! Wow! Yes, that's exactly what I was looking for. I don't know why I didn't see that before. Thanks for that.

My dex is going to be 8, so my int will be higher.

 

[loisel]

Some of us have been taking "Lay on Hands". I know, I know, they may not have intended it. But it's an at-will, it's a power. Other bizarre choices: wizard cantrip, or high-level rogue utility powers like shadow stride or chameleon.

 

[Starfox]

I find this power overall useful.

As a fighter, the wizard's area attack is nice - use this to mark a whole lot of mobs before your initial charge.

As a rogue, taking the ranger's double attack makes it infinitely easier to land a sneak attack at that critical moment.

Anyone can benefit from a cleric's or warlord's heal powers.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

Some of us have been taking "Lay on Hands". I know, I know, they may not have intended it. But it's an at-will, it's a power. Other bizarre choices: wizard cantrip, or high-level rogue utility powers like shadow stride or chameleon.

Lay on Hands is an at-will class feature, not a power. The half-elf description clearly says power. Your other suggestions are not so easily dismissed though. The intention is clearly to choose from the list of powers under the At-Will heading for the class, but there's nothing in the half-elf description to prevent you from doing what you're suggesting. Nice find, although I wouldn't allow it.

 

[Cadfan]

Nimble Strike: Its one I can use well to setup a sneak attack and get away, but I can only use it with a ranged attack, so I'll have to have my crossbow ready.

Eyebite is a good choice, but you should give Nimble Strike a second look. It lets you shift one square, throw a shuriken, and still have your move action available. The one square shift can get you out of your enemy's threatened spaces, and free up a lot of mobility.

Its not an earth shatteringly good power, but I do think that it has enough generic usefulness to be worth your time. I would expect it to get used almost every fight. And unlike a warlock power, it won't decay in usefulness if you lack an implement.

Things you can do with Nimble Strike:

1. Shift, attack, then shift again. Lets you essentially shift 2 squares, to better set up flanking.

2. Shift out of reach, attack with a shuriken, then move to attack a new, more important foe.

3. Shift out of reach, attack with a shuriken, then run away and hide behind the Fighter until you can be healed.

4. Shift out of reach and throw a shuriken at a more important target whom you can't otherwise reach. For example, if an ally stuns a foe, or otherwise causes that foe to grant combat advantage, that foe may suddenly become a better target for that round. This lets you project damage out to that target even if you can't actually get there in time to fight in melee.

 

[Sitara]

Careful Attack is a trap. If you think you might want Careful Attack, take Twin Attacks instead. Always. If your friend wants to take Careful Attack, talk him out of it. If he does take it, erase it from his character sheet and replace it with Twin Attacks behind his back. Careful Attack is that bad.

And why is that may I ask? The ability to add a whopping +2 to attack at will seems rather significant, especially in a version of dnd where according to someone who mentioned this in another thread, Weapon Focus does +1 damage instead of giving +1 to attack.

Oh and btw while we are on the subject, is there an equivalent of the weapon specialization feat? I know fighters get comabt dominance and choose 2H or SnB, but what about good ol' weapon spec? Is it still a feat?