Warlord - I don't get it

[Cirex]

I wonder how the Warlord would work in a party of 3 players. I think it's more effective in a party of 4-5 players, since there's more movement and tactical warfare.

Plus, the Warlord could get very boring against a solo monster. Nightscale fight from Raiders of Oakhurst was tedious and a disappointment compared to multiple enemy fights.

 

[Kwalish Kid]

It seems like a fighter/cleric multiclass, perhaps a cleric of a god of war. .

I find it kinda funny, but this comes up tangentially in one of the WWDNDGD adventures.

Clerics (and paladins, I guess) still make better war god priests, but I can see warlords as better martial worshipers of these gods, somewhat like a lay order of religious workers, than just fighters.

But this is only one possible place for the warlord in society.

 

[Ander00]

I wonder how the Warlord would work in a party of 3 players.

From my, admittedly very limited, experience, not too well, especially if only one of the other two is a melee type. Still loving the class though, and looking forward to the bard.


cheers

 

[Lizard]

Let's be honest, there is never a good class for a jerk.

Sure there is.

DM

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I wonder how the Warlord would work in a party of 3 players. I think it's more effective in a party of 4-5 players, since there's more movement and tactical warfare.

I've run one session of KotS so far. It had five players, but I noticed the warlord spent all his time working with the fighter. (If we had a rogue, he might have worked with him too.)

I think as long as you have a melee defender or striker in your party, the warlord will be valuable. Even if they're the only two PCs in said party.

 

[rhm001]

Yup, the powers i'm considering now are stuff like "hey rogue, now that I moved into a flank with you, get a quick sneak attack. Oh and add my Int to damage." or "Hey charging barbarian/fighter, add my Int to your damage. Oh and push the guy around a bit too."

Same thought. I'm actually particularly interested in playing a Halfling Warlord for the Rogue tactic. As a halfling, you're already likely to be using a shortsword, so if you take the rogue multiclass feat, you can use Wolf Pack Tactics to help line the rogue up, and then benefit directly from the extra sneak attack damage on that attack. After that, you can start giving them the extra attack with the Int damage.

 

[Aldarc]

As DM, I am very happy about the inclusion of the warlord. I was skeptical about the class at first. But now I am thrilled to have an option for a group of players where no one wants to play a cleric. I am finding it easier to find someone that wants to play a warlord, so the group can have adequate healing without a cleric. The way I see it, the warlord is a melee cleric without the religious trappings which some players find objectionable.

Yeah, it would be fairly easy to be a Warlord who was a multi-classed Initiate of the Faith if they so desired to do so.

 

[mmadsen]

It seems like a fighter/cleric multiclass, perhaps a cleric of a god of war. Or it could be a 3ed prestige class. But the point is, the Warlord seems too specialized to be a core class (perhaps like the Warlock, but let me get back to you on that). I'm wondering if it more the designers desire to include "something new"...

I don't understand what there is to not-get. He's a military leader -- a Roman centurion, or even Julius Caesar, or King Leonidas leading the Spartans at Thermopylae, or Captain America of the Avengers.

Mechanically the warlord may fill the role of an old-school cleric, but there's nothing religious about the concept.

 

[Victim]

I wonder how the Warlord would work in a party of 3 players. I think it's more effective in a party of 4-5 players, since there's more movement and tactical warfare.

Plus, the Warlord could get very boring against a solo monster. Nightscale fight from Raiders of Oakhurst was tedious and a disappointment compared to multiple enemy fights.

A warlord with the right feats can be hard hitting and tough. The class's buffs are most useful with other melee characters in the party, but the class can be a strong, heavily armored dude who heals. That's pretty handy in a small group.

 

[Vaeron]

The warlord is AMAZING... if you have a full group. His ability to shift his allies into combat advantage positions and take attacks on his turn, even at first level, is incredible. He can literally shift a nearby rogue friend into flanking a monster he's facing, then attack that monster with the flanking bonus. Then the rogue can attack, without moving, to get his 2d6 or 2d8 sneak damage. And that's just an example off the top of my head. There's even a power that let's him attack, then let one of his allies attack the same monster with a Charisma bonus to the allies damage. That poor kobold skirmisher won't know what hit him.

The warlord's powers are great, but so largely situational as to almost require another another melee character or two to work in concert. A two player warlord/wizard team would be virtually worthless. At least from the few powers I've looked at so far. And trying to use a warlord as a fighter would be equally unfortunate - his power lies in manipulating his allies movements (voluntarily, it should be noted) to incredible benefit.

That said, I'm not sure how much benefit groups who play gridless 4e will get from a warlord.