Tu Wrod the Warlock, Minion Sweeper Of Doom

[Iron Sky]

So, our group's warlock player just noticed an interesting rod synergy as we were shopping for magic items after tonight's game. Forgive me if someone has already found this out; my forum-reading-fu isn't what it could be.

Anyway, here's the scenario:

A warlock, let's call him Tu Wrod is facing some number of minions in a decently confined area(IE, most of the minions are within 5 squares of another minion - true in almost every fight I've seen since burst 5 is a huge 11x11 area). Tu Wrod is prepared for this many-minioned eventuality and whips his rods out of his rod-holsters.

Exhibit A: Rod of Corruption +1 - Property: sack pact boon, instead do AoE Curse to all targets in Burst 5 from target that dies.

Exhibit B: Rod of Reaving +1 - Property: when Cursed, target takes 1 damage.

Step 1: Tu Wrod moves to the nearest minion and Curses him.
Step 2: The minion takes 1 point of damage due to Rod of Reaving's Property.
Step 3: Minion dies, granting Tu Wrod his pact boon.
Step 4: Tu Wrod uses the Rod of Corruption's Property to turn the boon into an AoE curse, cursing all targets(most importantly - all minions) in 5 squares from the original target.
Step 5: Due to the Property of the Rod of Reaving, all these targets take 1 damage.
Step 6: If they are non-minion, it ends there. If any number of them are minions, they immediately die from the 1 point of damage.
Repeat from step 3 until no more minions in range(likely no more minions period).

In most of the cases where minions have been used in our game (played from level 1 to level 6), one application of this at the start of the fight would have wiped out 99% of the minions in each fight while cursing 90% of the non-minions in any fight that contained minions - and all with a minor action.

The bad thing about this is it pretty much removes all incentive for a DM to use minions in any group with a warlock, since all Tu Wrod need to do is be close enough to use his curse and all minions turn into Curse-spreading, anti-minion bombs.

It doesn't even matter what level the minions and/or the rods are. +1 Rods work just as well as +6 rods and on level 1 minions just as well as level 30 minions(though level 30 minions are probably going to be spread out a bit more than level 1 due to their increased mobility and range).

Is there something we missed when looking at this, or is this one of the simplest, easiest anti-minion tactics out there?

This all is based on the following assumptions:

1) Items with a Property field function every time their criteria are met, as long as they are equipped(IE, in their appropriate slot). Seems pretty obvious. As long as armor is in the armor slot and a weapon is in a weapon slot, any appropriate Properties are functional.

2) Items with a Property field do not require you to "channel" the related action through the Property. IE, you don't need to do anything special with the items to gain their Property, just have them equipped appropriately as above.

3) Warlock gets his pact boon every time an enemy dies, granting the boon for each enemy that dies while cursed, regardless of circumstances in which the enemy died. This is pretty implicit I think.

There may be other implicit assumptions that I'm overlooking. I'm sure you all will find them if there are any.

 

[Byronic]

I wouldn't allow it simply because it's game breaking. However there is a rule rational for not allowing it as well.

A Warlock can only place a curse on an opponent once per turn. While you might say that this combination is an exception, the Rod of Corruption also transfers the curse to surrounding targets. Transfers, not places.

 

[burntgerbil]

This was debated and twinked shortly after 4e came out. Fey pact allowed you, I believe, to teleport repeatedly around the encounter to where the minions are.

The player is really just shooting himself and his party in the foot - the DM will probably just abandon minions and render much of the warlock's build less powerful.

 

[Aloïsius]

I think only ONE implement can be used at the same time, so, if you use rod of reaving to deal 1 damage, then the rod of corruption is not active for this curse. Property apply when the item is USED, not when it is equiped.

 

[Drakhar]

There's also debate about whether or not the Rod of Corruption's effect triggers the Rod of Reavings in the first place.

 

[robsenworldaccount]

I think only ONE implement can be used at the same time, so, if you use rod of reaving to deal 1 damage, then the rod of corruption is not active for this curse. Property apply when the item is USED, not when it is equiped.

It's Illeagle to do that in the game. Think about it like a ranger using twin-strike. Say this ranger has fire/ice longswords. Its proposing that you hit someone twice ( which even w/ twinstrike you MUST use oh) with the fire longsword, and expecting ice to pop out. Again, my humble understanding.

 

[Drakhar]

It's Illeagle to do that in the game. Think about it like a ranger using twin-strike. Say this ranger has fire/ice longswords. Its proposing that you hit someone twice with the fire longsword, and expecting ice to pop out. Again, my humble understanding.

Twin-Strike uses both swords so there's no hitting twice with the fire longsword being done.

 

[Iron Sky]

This was debated and twinked shortly after 4e came out. Fey pact allowed you, I believe, to teleport repeatedly around the encounter to where the minions are.

The player is really just shooting himself and his party in the foot - the DM will probably just abandon minions and render much of the warlock's build less powerful.

Our DM is also only allowing our fey pact warlock 1 pact boon per attack. So, if he kills 9 minions with his MC scorching burst or the ranger twin-strikes two enemies at once, he only gets 1 teleport... Should he be getting 9 or 2 teleports, respectively? I would think so, otherwise Star Pact would be severely nerfted...

We definitely talked about the common-sense reason not to do it(DM nerfing it by not using minions), it just made we wonder if there was some mechanical limitation.

I think only ONE implement can be used at the same time, so, if you use rod of reaving to deal 1 damage, then the rod of corruption is not active for this curse. Property apply when the item is USED, not when it is equiped.

So you can use items when it's not your turn? Say with a Belt of Sacrifice. You have to use the item to grant your allies the +1 to their healing surge? And can you use items when you're unconcious? Say, Ring of Protection's +1 to saving throws? Trying to use passive items like that makes me think Properties are always on.

A Warlock can only place a curse on an opponent once per turn. While you might say that this combination is an exception, the Rod of Corruption also transfers the curse to surrounding targets. Transfers, not places.

I saw that word as well when I went back and looked at it. Made we wonder if it was an intentional placement or accidental, since WotC is kinda fuzzy on thier grammatical precision.

I think this is the strongest contender for nerfing the ability.

 

[frankthedm]

I would think so, otherwise Star Pact would be severely nerfted...

Star pact pact boon stacks because it expressly says it stacks.

 

[Iron Sky]

It's not the "stackability" that is the issue, it's the pact boon only being granted once per attack that our DM has ruled.

Our DM has houseruled that the Boon applies at max once per attack, even if 5 enemies died in the attack, to keep the fey warlock from getting 5 teleports when a scorching burst is dropped on some minions. The same ruling, though, would mean the starpact warlock would get only +1 to his next roll rather than +5.

Boon per attack "balances" Fey pact warlocks but breaks star pact, while RAW makes star pact work as designed and can give warlock huge chain-teleports(especially with a Rod of Corruption).