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Variation on Themes(by MwaO)
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<blockquote data-quote="MwaO" data-source="post: 6703398" data-attributes="member: 12749"><p><strong>Defender Themes</strong></p><p></p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: #000000">Immediate Actions that punished an attacker for not attacking the theme's owner</span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: #000000">and/or the theme's power had a significant melee range control, but no extra damage</span></li> </ul><p></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><strong><span style="color: #0000FF"><strong>Bloodsworn:</strong> </span></strong>Decent Encounter power for bloodied builds, decent option for 2nd wind builds(which is a bit in opposition to each other), but I think this compares very poorly for the most part against Ironwrought</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><strong><span style="color: #0000FF">Earth Forger</span></strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000">Very solid weapon close burst attack power, particularly with the level 5 feature. Decent level 10.</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><strong><span style="color: #00CCFF">Elemental Initiate</span></strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000">Solid off-action melee weapon power, access to Ki Focus, new skill, and bonus to Will. Great for high-defense melee types. +1 Rain of Hammers Ki Focus gives out almost free daily minor action attack and does a bit of damage for dropping opponents - if you're not using it for a specific Ki Focus, this is gravy. Ghost Strike Ki Focus, a common item, is good, too - if you have CA against a melee opponent, you ignore Insubstantial!</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><strong><span style="color: #0000FF">Gloomwrought Emissary:</span></strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000">Attack power uses your weapon power and weakens a target, which is very nice. The rest of it isn't that great, but the Utility 6+the Attack power can give a build a lot of staying power.</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><strong><span style="color: #00CCFF">Guardian:</span></strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000">Guardian's Counter is amazing, allowing a lot of flexibility. This can often do crazy damage as you swap in for the actual Defender, who then gets to trigger their mark and you get off a basic attack. Many melee characters will love this.</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><strong><span style="color: #00CCFF">Knight Hospitaler:</span></strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000">Shield of Devotion can turn a dropped ally into a conscious one, scales, and provides a bonus to attack rolls. And it is an immediate action? And eventually, you can use this twice a combat? Awesome. Many non-Defenders will love this.</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><strong><span style="color: #00CCFF">Melee-Magthere Champion</span></strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000">There's a lot to like here. Slow on OAs, focus fire disruption, and free action smack as a level 10. The utility 2 is a solid Leader effect which goes well with mass attackers - particularly as a stance. And the level 10 is in essence a Daily Attack power masquerading as a utility that can be triggered by Lurking Spider.</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><strong><span style="color: #0000FF">Misshapen</span></strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000">Dread Carapace is an awesome <em>Daily</em> Utility option assuming the DM doesn't decide to take 'up to' as potentially meaning 0. And the extra 1 square of forced movement for melee attacks is helpful, too. But the rest of Misshapen isn't especially all that great, particularly in the context of a grappling attack with a +2/4/6 attack that prevents Dread Carapace from working.</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000FF"><strong>Sentinel Marshal:</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000">Very strong encounter power, solid bonus to skills, level 10 ability is very situational. Kicks up to <span style="color: #00CCFF"><strong>Sky Blue</strong></span> for Fighter hybrids who don't want to use Fighter powers, but rather the powers from the other class. <span style="color: #FF0000"><strong>Red</strong></span> for LFR as it is setting specific.</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000FF"><strong>Trapsmith</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000">Attack doesn't advance fast enough. Still, the possibility of proning or dazing as a reaction is useful.</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><strong><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000FF"><strong>Vigilante</strong></span></span></strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000">A good off-defender option. The big disadvantage that it has is that it wastes a precious minor action to do something that doesn't even mark a target, but only on a hit - where most Fighter hybrids have obvious ways to mass-mark with either Kirre's Roar, Rain of Blows, and/or Come and Get It. It has the level 10+rather good utility powers. Minor action to try to save against an effect or a 1 time boost to a bad initiative check to get a bundle of decent effects.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000"><strong>Chevalier:</strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000">Nothing horrible wrong with it, Valiant Charge stacks with a Charge and bonuses to saves never hurt. Just doens't stand out. Also has some metagaming issues where not attacking a stunned foe or coup de grace are dishonorable. That won't stop a lot of players, but given the better choices, why pick Chevalier unless you want that fluff text? Sub-zero builds might be able to take advantage of the bonus to saves. Sentinel Marshal is nearly strictly better for many builds.</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><strong>Gladiator(DS)</strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000">You're taking this because you specifically want to be a Gladiator Champion, an excellent Defender paragon path and Disrupting Advance is a good melee weapon power. No level 5/10 abilities is where it goes wrong as all Dark Sun themes do.<span style="color: #FF0000"><strong> LFR</strong></span></span></p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><strong><span style="color: #800080">Janissary</span></strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000">Relatively weak encounter power is the feature of the class - just do your standard charge package. Other stuff extremely situational.</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #800080"><strong>Primal Guardian(DS)</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #800080"><span style="color: #000000">A couple of decent power swaps and the melee weapon attack power is okay. Dark Sun = no 5/10 abiltiies. <span style="color: #FF0000"><strong>LFR</strong></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #800080"><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #FF0000"><strong><strong><span style="color: #800080">Bregan D'Aerhte</span></strong></strong></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #800080"><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #FF0000"><span style="color: #000000">Close to worthless compared to any of the auto-CA themes. This is only Purple because some lockdown builds might be able to exploit Uncertain Loyalties. There's some value in the Utilities, but I wouldn't take it unless you're in love with the fluff. </span></span></span></span></span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="MwaO, post: 6703398, member: 12749"] [B]Defender Themes[/B] [LIST] [*][COLOR=#000000]Immediate Actions that punished an attacker for not attacking the theme's owner[/COLOR] [*][COLOR=#000000]and/or the theme's power had a significant melee range control, but no extra damage[/COLOR] [/LIST] [COLOR=#000000][B][COLOR=#0000FF][B]Bloodsworn:[/B] [/COLOR][/B]Decent Encounter power for bloodied builds, decent option for 2nd wind builds(which is a bit in opposition to each other), but I think this compares very poorly for the most part against Ironwrought[/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][B][COLOR=#0000FF]Earth Forger[/COLOR][/B][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000]Very solid weapon close burst attack power, particularly with the level 5 feature. Decent level 10. [B][COLOR=#00CCFF]Elemental Initiate[/COLOR][/B][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000]Solid off-action melee weapon power, access to Ki Focus, new skill, and bonus to Will. Great for high-defense melee types. +1 Rain of Hammers Ki Focus gives out almost free daily minor action attack and does a bit of damage for dropping opponents - if you're not using it for a specific Ki Focus, this is gravy. Ghost Strike Ki Focus, a common item, is good, too - if you have CA against a melee opponent, you ignore Insubstantial! [B][COLOR=#0000FF]Gloomwrought Emissary:[/COLOR][/B][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000]Attack power uses your weapon power and weakens a target, which is very nice. The rest of it isn't that great, but the Utility 6+the Attack power can give a build a lot of staying power. [B][COLOR=#00CCFF]Guardian:[/COLOR][/B][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000]Guardian's Counter is amazing, allowing a lot of flexibility. This can often do crazy damage as you swap in for the actual Defender, who then gets to trigger their mark and you get off a basic attack. Many melee characters will love this. [B][COLOR=#00CCFF]Knight Hospitaler:[/COLOR][/B][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000]Shield of Devotion can turn a dropped ally into a conscious one, scales, and provides a bonus to attack rolls. And it is an immediate action? And eventually, you can use this twice a combat? Awesome. Many non-Defenders will love this. [B][COLOR=#00CCFF]Melee-Magthere Champion[/COLOR][/B][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000]There's a lot to like here. Slow on OAs, focus fire disruption, and free action smack as a level 10. The utility 2 is a solid Leader effect which goes well with mass attackers - particularly as a stance. And the level 10 is in essence a Daily Attack power masquerading as a utility that can be triggered by Lurking Spider. [B][COLOR=#0000FF]Misshapen[/COLOR][/B][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000]Dread Carapace is an awesome [I]Daily[/I] Utility option assuming the DM doesn't decide to take 'up to' as potentially meaning 0. And the extra 1 square of forced movement for melee attacks is helpful, too. But the rest of Misshapen isn't especially all that great, particularly in the context of a grappling attack with a +2/4/6 attack that prevents Dread Carapace from working. [COLOR=#0000FF][B]Sentinel Marshal:[/B][/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000]Very strong encounter power, solid bonus to skills, level 10 ability is very situational. Kicks up to [COLOR=#00CCFF][B]Sky Blue[/B][/COLOR] for Fighter hybrids who don't want to use Fighter powers, but rather the powers from the other class. [COLOR=#FF0000][B]Red[/B][/COLOR] for LFR as it is setting specific.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#0000FF][B]Trapsmith[/B][/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000]Attack doesn't advance fast enough. Still, the possibility of proning or dazing as a reaction is useful. [B][COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#0000FF][B]Vigilante[/B][/COLOR][/COLOR][/B][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000]A good off-defender option. The big disadvantage that it has is that it wastes a precious minor action to do something that doesn't even mark a target, but only on a hit - where most Fighter hybrids have obvious ways to mass-mark with either Kirre's Roar, Rain of Blows, and/or Come and Get It. It has the level 10+rather good utility powers. Minor action to try to save against an effect or a 1 time boost to a bad initiative check to get a bundle of decent effects.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][B]Chevalier:[/B] Nothing horrible wrong with it, Valiant Charge stacks with a Charge and bonuses to saves never hurt. Just doens't stand out. Also has some metagaming issues where not attacking a stunned foe or coup de grace are dishonorable. That won't stop a lot of players, but given the better choices, why pick Chevalier unless you want that fluff text? Sub-zero builds might be able to take advantage of the bonus to saves. Sentinel Marshal is nearly strictly better for many builds. [B]Gladiator(DS)[/B] You're taking this because you specifically want to be a Gladiator Champion, an excellent Defender paragon path and Disrupting Advance is a good melee weapon power. No level 5/10 abilities is where it goes wrong as all Dark Sun themes do.[COLOR=#FF0000][B] LFR[/B][/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][B][COLOR=#800080]Janissary[/COLOR][/B][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000]Relatively weak encounter power is the feature of the class - just do your standard charge package. Other stuff extremely situational. [COLOR=#800080][B]Primal Guardian(DS)[/B][/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#800080][COLOR=#000000]A couple of decent power swaps and the melee weapon attack power is okay. Dark Sun = no 5/10 abiltiies. [COLOR=#FF0000][B]LFR[/B][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#800080][COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#FF0000][B][B][COLOR=#800080]Bregan D'Aerhte[/COLOR][/B][/B][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#800080][COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#FF0000][COLOR=#000000]Close to worthless compared to any of the auto-CA themes. This is only Purple because some lockdown builds might be able to exploit Uncertain Loyalties. There's some value in the Utilities, but I wouldn't take it unless you're in love with the fluff. [/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] [/QUOTE]
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