Warlord At-Will Powers level 1 via June Preview

[Daniel D. Fox]

Commander's Strike Warlord Attack 1
With a shout, you command an ally to attack.
At-Will Martial, Weapon
Standard Action
Target: One creature
Attack: An ally of your choice makes a melee basic attack against the target
Hit: Ally's basic attack damage + your Intelligence modifier.

Wolf Pack Tactics Warlord Attack 1
Step by step, you and your friends surround the enemy.
At-Will Martial,Weapon
Standard Action
Target: One creature
Special: Before you attack, you let one ally adjacent to either you or the target shift 1 square as a free action.
Attack: Strength vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier damage. Increase damage to 2[W] + Strength modifier at 21st level.

 

[Novem5er]

Am I the only one that doesn't like the Warlord's At Will ability? Don't get me wrong, I could see it coming in handy and being thematically fun... but ... At Will? All-day every-day?

It just seems like the Warlord is giving up his action to give another player an action... Again, useful on occasions, but how is this going to be repeatedly fun for the Warlord?

 

[PeterWeller]

It just seems like the Warlord is giving up his action to give another player an action... Again, useful on occasions, but how is this going to be repeatedly fun for the Warlord?

You get to order another player around. That player may be better positioned or do better damage than you.

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

It just seems like the Warlord is giving up his action to give another player an action... Again, useful on occasions, but how is this going to be repeatedly fun for the Warlord?

It's not for a front-line warlord, I don't think. If you prefer mixing it up in melee with the Fighter, you're probably not going to be interested in this power.

Personally, I think it's cool. I think everybody wins. The warlord player gets to act out his battlefield commander role and provide a potentially significant bonus to his ally. The target of the ability gets to make an extra attack.

 

[Ulthwithian]

Well, first, Warlords don't necessarily appeal to the same type of player that, say, a Rogue appeals to. It is meant to appeal to the tactical-minded (and clearly that at-will is made more for the Tactical Warlord), and also to those who like telling other _players_ how to run their characters in combat. Commander's Strike allows the player to do explicitly that, but also gives the character targeted some of the limelight.

That said, I have two very important questions regarding Commander's Strike. Does the Warlord and the person commanded both have to be adjacent (or threatening) the target for it to be used? Clearly, the targeted ally must be in range of their attack to use it, but what about the Warlord?

Secondly, what happens if the enemy is granting combat advantage and Commanding Strike is used to order a Rogue to attack? Is Sneak Attack damage applied in addition to the damage listed for Commander's Strike?

I can say that the player of the Warlord in my game is extremely happy with these abilities.

 

[Blackbrrd]

I didn't like Commander's Strike either, although they could fix it with rewording of the fluff that is just not good. "With a shout, you command an ally to attack.". A character commanding another character with in-game mechanics? I don't think so.

 

[Puggins]

Am I the only one that doesn't like the Warlord's At Will ability? Don't get me wrong, I could see it coming in handy and being thematically fun... but ... At Will? All-day every-day?

It just seems like the Warlord is giving up his action to give another player an action... Again, useful on occasions, but how is this going to be repeatedly fun for the Warlord?

Ooh, I love it. The striker dishes out mondo damage and you as the warlord share in the glory immediately. Buffers in 4e tended to be forgotten after the kill. I don't think this power will allow that to happen.

Of course, you can always pick a different at-will power if you don't like the mechanics. I'm hoping each class has a healthy collection of at least six at-will powers to choose from.

 

[Wormwood]

I didn't like Commander's Strike either, although they could fix it with rewording of the fluff that is just not good. "With a shout, you command an ally to attack.". A character commanding another character with in-game mechanics? I don't think so.

To be fair, the ally doesn't have to attack. It's a command, not a compulsion.

 

[JesterOC]

It just seems like the Warlord is giving up his action to give another player an action... Again, useful on occasions, but how is this going to be repeatedly fun for the Warlord?

There is no I in Warlord! Having not seem the other at wills (if others are available) I would consider this if I was playing (rather than DMing). Nothing brings parties together than letting another character get a second chance to hit. Also, it is a very important power because in effect it gives you access to ALL the at-will powers, with the only drawback is that you let someone else roll it. And what are the odds that the player you gifted this action to wil not accept your advice on how to do it.

This is one powerful ability. And it scales better than any other power I have seen.

 

[Masquerade]

Commander's Strike Warlord Attack 1
With a shout, you command an ally to attack.
At-Will Martial, Weapon
Standard Action
Target: One creature
Attack: An ally of your choice makes a melee basic attack against the target
Hit: Ally's basic attack damage + your Intelligence modifier.

Suddenly, I want to play this class (my 3.5 bard would have killed for this kind of ability!). I hope there are enough powers like this to make a totally non-melee warlord.