Warlocks and Rogues

[catsclaw227]

From one of the other threads here, and copied from the WOTC forums.

EDIT: I assume this comes from the Races and Classes book, so some of it may have changed.

Rogues

Sneak attack is easier. Apart from flanking, some spell and special abilities will also give combat advantage to rogues. Combat advantage is the name for the state when a rogue can sneak attack a foe. Immunity to sneak attack is nearly gone. Immunities are almost gone from 4th ed, replaced by damage threshold (something like DR).
Rogues have follow-up attack after successful attack (extra damage or penalties).
High powered abilities allow multiple attack and tactical movement.
Rogues are still skill monkey.
Skill level rises with level. Listen & Spot; Move silently & Hide; Open lock and Sleight of Hand is combined. Knowledge (Arcana), Spellcraft and Read Magic is combined to Arcane. Approximately the skill list is cut in half.
Some uses of a skill, like the avoidance of AoO by Tumble will b tied to feats or class abilities. Trapfinding is a feat (rogues have it by default), but others can have it too.

Warlock

They make pacts with devils, feys, the starts, elemental powers. Their initial pact determines a large part of their powers. There are four types of it: Infernal, Fey, Vestige and Star.
Primary attack is eldritch blast and soul ruin.
You can transpose yourself and later others as well.
Invocation can summon.
Curses are an integral part of your power. Curses are associated with your pact. They are per encounter damage dealing / crippling powers. Cursed creatures are easier to damage with your blast or soul ruin. When a cursed creature is dropped to 0 hp, you gain a powerful follow up attack against nearby foes.
As for alignment, most creatures and PC will be unaligned.

Very interesting stuff. I like the various powers that a warlock can pact with, though it makes me wonder if the warlock killed the binder (vestiges) and took it's stuff.

What is soul ruin?

I like the skill list updates. I never liked that Knowledge (Arcana) and Spellcraft were split. Does less skill options mean less skill points per level? Will there even be skill points anymore if skill level rises with level?

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

I just want to know what a Star pact is. Is that like selling your soul to Brittney Spears or something? That would be truly awful.

 

[Imaro]

You guys realize the warlock info may actually be a holdover (one of the reasons I'm not keen on buying this book). The book is everything as of August...while the warlock article from WotC came out in october (I think).

 

[frankthedm]

What is soul ruin?

I thought that is where you mark your victim's soul for your Ruinous Power. Once you do that, should the victim die, your Patron rewards you with a Boon {some sort of bonus].

 

[TerraDave]

Thats a huge amount of information in a few short paras. Source?

 

[Bagpuss]

Does less skill options mean less skill points per level? Will there even be skill points anymore if skill level rises with level?

"Skill level rises with level" this implies to me they are probably going the Star Wars SAGA route perhaps with a fix.

There is an issue with SAGA with skills only rising at half level, but defenses rising at one per level. This means if skills are used against defenses you actually end up getting less likely to succeed as you increase in level. Maybe they will have skills increase at the same rate.

 

[sunrisekid]

The prospect of most characters being unaligned (by default?) is very appealing to me as far as my campaign preferences go. I mean sure, house rules can replace whatever you like but given how much mechanical significance was tied to alignment in earlier game iterations it implies that this shift will allow for easier use of alignment (be it in house rules or whatever). If "streamlining" is part of the redesign effort then it sounds like this is a great improvement on alignment.

(It just occurred to me that this may have been beaten to death elsewhere in the forums, so hey, sorry, I'm new here

 

[TerraDave]

Ah, its our friend Kunadam, from here

http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=957256&page=2

 

[Wepwawet]

Trapfinding is a feat (rogues have it by default), but others can have it too.

Thank God!

 

[Goken100]

From one of the other threads here, and copied from the WOTC forums.

EDIT: I assume this comes from the Races and Classes book, so some of it may have changed.



Very interesting stuff. I like the various powers that a warlock can pact with, though it makes me wonder if the warlock killed the binder (vestiges) and took it's stuff.

What is soul ruin?

I like the skill list updates. I never liked that Knowledge (Arcana) and Spellcraft were split. Does less skill options mean less skill points per level? Will there even be skill points anymore if skill level rises with level?

I think it's safe to say, no, there will not be skill points. Probably other options to increase the overall bonus, but nothing as detailed and prone to error as the skill point system of 3E.