The Vampie Class preview

[UngeheuerLich]

As the game changed with essentials, it already was with ... power books. Some classes went from unplayable to totally great.

One of the direction i like in essentials: classes seem to be playable without any supplement. Every PHB had a class, that was useless to some people´s believes. And sometimes this critique was actually justified...

 

[webrunner]

me and my fiancee were talking about the Vampire class, and I had a funny idea:

Warforged Vampire. Nails or needles instead of fangs. Employed by a healer as a bloodletting/taking instrument.

 

[Klaus]

me and my fiancee were talking about the Vampire class, and I had a funny idea:

Warforged Vampire. Nails or needles instead of fangs. Employed by a healer as a bloodletting/taking instrument.

you mean like a sentient Iron Maiden (the torture instrument, not the band)?

Of course, including the band is a bonus!

 

[webrunner]

you mean like a sentient Iron Maiden (the torture instrument, not the band)?

Of course, including the band is a bonus!

I meant nails sticking out of their faces, but that works too

Actually it'd be funny

One warforged vampire "iron maiden" as a nail-covered hug machine
one warforged paladin "iron maiden" that identifies female (and is an actual iron maiden)
one warforged bard that just plays iron maiden songs

 

[Aegeri]

I will try it again:

"HoS is too Essentials for my taste." is for most people only another way to say:
"I dislike the direction 4e took after releasing the Essentials line."

There are numerous things I already intensely dislike about Heroes of Shadow thus far, but even I am still happy the book includes copious support for things that were published pre-essentials. I mean if you want everything to never have anything for essentials classes published in future, I think you're being really very silly.

 

[kaomera]

It would be if it weren't strongly advised as a separate and limited line of products.

I never saw anything that suggested to me that the essentials products where a separate line of products. The intent was to allow new players to use them as a gateway; if the fact that you could play a (limited) game of 4e D&D with just the essentials products means that they are "separate", then doesn't that also apply to the PHB1, DMG1, & MM1?

 

[Incenjucar]

There are numerous things I already intensely dislike about Heroes of Shadow thus far, but even I am still happy the book includes copious support for things that were published pre-essentials. I mean if you want everything to never have anything for essentials classes published in future, I think you're being really very silly.

Agreed. As much as dislike the limited options of the E-Classes, some of the classes are ultimately well-designed and, especially once they get some real support, perfectly valid despite my personal disinterest, and they can be a rich source of ideas for homebrewers who are intimidated by the notion of building a full-sized pre-E class.

I would prefer for the future to contain as much pre-E support as possible, but there's no reason to begrudge the Essentials stuff so long as it's not displacing more complex design entirely. None of us ever use everything in any of these books.

 

[Aegeri]

Spam reported.

Not only was it spam, it was also incredibly horrifying to the eyes.

 

[Walking Dad]

...
What is essentials? A limited line that everyone is expected to have.
...

... I mean if you want everything to never have anything for essentials classes published in future, I think you're being really very silly.

Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (Commencing Countdown!)

If you’re already playing a Dungeons & Dragons game, there’s one very important thing to remember—the Essentials products matter only as much as you want them to.

I think they just want them to matter less and not becoming the new standard.

As I said, the problem was the representation of Essentials as a separate line you can 'safely ignore'.

Kaomera, the article also lists the complete Essentials line.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I stand corrected...

... but IF heroes of shadow allows hexblade and so been able to build without reference to hotfk you will not need the essentials products to use this book.