Tome of Battle: Bo9S classes in actual play?

[Nifft]

If you fail the jump check you don't get the benefits of the manuever, you just get a single regular attack.

... and you don't get to yell, "DEATH FROM ABOVE!!!", which is really the whole point.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Dog Moon]

... and you don't get to yell, "DEATH FROM ABOVE!!!", which is really the whole point.

Cheers, -- N

Hrm, I never yell that when I use the ability. Guess I should start doing that.

Although considering how easy it is to get a good Jump check, hitting the AC with the Jump check is pretty easy.

 

[MerricB]

Hrm, I never yell that when I use the ability. Guess I should start doing that.

Although considering how easy it is to get a good Jump check, hitting the AC with the Jump check is pretty easy.

Actually, I wonder if your Jump check would be better or worse than your highest melee attack bonus...

Cheers!

 

[Dog Moon]

Actually, I wonder if your Jump check would be better or worse than your highest melee attack bonus...

Cheers!

Well, my character [level 18] has 21 ranks in Jump, +0 Str, +5 from Ring, +2 synergy from tumble, giving a total of +28 on my Jump check.

For attack bonus, +13, +8 from from Dex - Weapon Finesse - [Gloves +6, levels 4, 8, and 12 for a total of +3, base of 17], and +2 from magical weapon, so my total highest attack bonus is +23.

So +28 v. +23, so my Jump check is higher. Now if I could find a way to add Dex bonus instead of Str bonus to Jump, I'd be one happy camper.

 

[MerricB]

Well, my character [level 18] has 21 ranks in Jump, +0 Str, +5 from Ring, +2 synergy from tumble, giving a total of +28 on my Jump check.

For attack bonus, +13, +8 from from Dex - Weapon Finesse - [Gloves +6, levels 4, 8, and 12 for a total of +3, base of 17], and +2 from magical weapon, so my total highest attack bonus is +23.

So +28 v. +23, so my Jump check is higher. Now if I could find a way to add Dex bonus instead of Str bonus to Jump, I'd be one happy camper.

Ow. I hope you don't have Feral Death Blow. A DC 19 Fort save or die is... easy.

Cheers!

 

[Dog Moon]

Ow. I hope you don't have Feral Death Blow. A DC 19 Fort save or die is... easy.

Cheers!

I do. Heck, even without the instant kill, the +20d6 is a lot of damage, especially added to my base damage. [although not as much as the one which simply adds +100 damage]

 

[MerricB]

I do. Heck, even without the instant kill, the +20d6 is a lot of damage, especially added to my base damage. [although not as much as the one which simply adds +100 damage]

It's comparable to how much the 17th-level fighter of our group was doing last session. (120+ damage per round. Ouch). That's something I really like about Bo9S: it actually stacks up pretty well balancewise.

Cheers!

 

[Rystil Arden]

It's comparable to how much the 17th-level fighter of our group was doing last session. (120+ damage per round. Ouch). That's something I really like about Bo9S: it actually stacks up pretty well balancewise.

Cheers!

Oh, it's comparable, but that's on a successful save (It is likely that the Feral Death Blow fellow will be employing the thematically appropriate Leap Attack to hit or exceed 120 easily enough). That said, while Feral Death Blow is extremely powerful due to its Death-on-failed-save / Good-damage-on-successful-save nature, it is hardly as problematic for its level as Warmaster's Charge ("Yes my Leap-Attacking Barbarian minion--I can give you your Charge as an Immediate Action with +25 Damage. And you too PHII variant Charging Paladin. Plus we're all going to hit with the huge to-hit bonus, and the enemy is stunned with no save at all")

 

[FireLance]

That said, while Feral Death Blow is extremely powerful due to its Death-on-failed-save / Good-damage-on-successful-save nature, it is hardly as problematic for its level as Warmaster's Charge ("Yes my Leap-Attacking Barbarian minion--I can give you your Charge as an Immediate Action with +25 Damage. And you too PHII variant Charging Paladin. Plus we're all going to hit with the huge to-hit bonus, and the enemy is stunned with no save at all")

Yes, it's good. However, I personally have no problems with a game element that makes a co-ordinated group work better than each individual party member doing his own thing.

A warblade who pulls off a Strike of Perfect Clarity makes his player feel good.

A warblade who pulls off a Warmaster's Charge makes other players feel good, too.

As a DM, a White Raven focused warblade would be a happy problem.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Yes, it's good. However, I personally have no problems with a game element that makes a co-ordinated group work better than each individual party member doing his own thing.

A warblade who pulls off a Strike of Perfect Clarity makes his player feel good.

A warblade who pulls off a Warmaster's Charge makes other players feel good, too.

As a DM, a White Raven focused warblade would be a happy problem.

He makes the group feel good, but he also auto-wins most fights if he wins initiative.

For example: I put my level 17 group against an Aspect of Mammon (the CR 21 one from FC II). They won, but it was a difficult and entertaining fight. In playtest, I swapped out one character for a White Raven Warblade (and I'll specify--it was a Warblade who could ONLY use White Raven), and they killed the Aspect of Mammon before it could do anything.

What I'm saying is that I do agree (and I mentioned this before near the beginning) that he makes the whole group feel good, but you have to rebalance your entire game around having him around--it isn't something a novice GM should allow because they'll have too much of a headache rebalancing.