Warlord: Your experiences

[Regicide]

For 20 starting scores... The 1st and probably most used method of character creation is using an array which does not allow for a 20 starting score.

Like the first couple posters said, tying the warlord's effects to actually hitting make them pretty questionable. An unreliable leader? No thanks. It's pretty disappointing rounds when the warlord I play with misses. Once the two free healing potions per combat power gets used up the warlord isn't looking too hot.

Also the warlords shifting powers are frequently pretty pointless. Okay it might be fun to use for a bit until you realize that it really does nothing unless there is some pretty complex terrain on the table or there is a character built to take advantage of it (reach fighter.) Otherwise making a mob shift or move before an attack has no benefit.

 

[chitzk0i]

I played a resourceful warlord from level 10 to 13 and had a lot of fun. I went light on the charisma to boost his intelligence, which pays off when you take the resourceful-only PP and add your int to the damage of anyone flanking with you. Which means commander's strike while flanking means I'm handing out twice my int bonus to damage.

My ally of choice for basic attacks was our tremendously accurate tempest fighter. You hit him on a 4? Have an extra attack with +10 damage! I think my action point damage bonus for my allies got up to +12. It was pretty sick.

My own attack bonus was not so hot, but I didn't use encounter powers all that much. I had a lot of fun playing him, but he didn't do all that much himself. The party kicked enough butt to make up for it.

 

[Pyrex]

My own attack bonus was not so hot, but I didn't use encounter powers all that much.

I would suggest that either you're misreading the powers, or you're picking the wrong Encounter powers.

Many of the Warlord Encounter powers have an Effect that occurs seperately from the Hit entry that still occurs on a miss.

For example, my warlord makes use of (L1)Myrmidon Formation, (L3)Inspiring War Cry, and (L7)Lion's Roar nearly every encounter. The Effect for all three still occurs on a miss.

 

[Mr. Wilson]

Taclords make awesome nova machines. Just make sure you grab a luckblade asap.

As others have said, Taclords shine in Melee heavy parties. If you don't have at least two other melee party members, I'd say you're better off playing a bard or cleric.

 

[tiornys]

Taclords make awesome nova machines. Just make sure you grab a luckblade asap.

Couters of Second Chances, Tenacious Weapons, and Avenger multiclass are other excellent options. And sometimes you just get the party to Aid Another you (for Lead the Attack on a solo soldier, for example).

t~

 

[chitzk0i]

I would suggest that either you're misreading the powers, or you're picking the wrong Encounter powers.

Many of the Warlord Encounter powers have an Effect that occurs seperately from the Hit entry that still occurs on a miss.

For example, my warlord makes use of (L1)Myrmidon Formation, (L3)Inspiring War Cry, and (L7)Lion's Roar nearly every encounter. The Effect for all three still occurs on a miss.

All three encounter powers with an effect. I had hammer and anvil (vs reflex), bloody ending, surround foe, and Infernal Strategist gave me deceiver's ploy (versus will). If nothing is bloodied, bloodied ending isn't needed, if I'm flanking already, surround foe isn't needed, and the deceiver's ploy doesn't stack up to commander's strike.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Couters of Second Chances, Tenacious Weapons, and Avenger multiclass are other excellent options. And sometimes you just get the party to Aid Another you (for Lead the Attack on a solo soldier, for example).

t~

yes, its a matter of going nova after setting up the right chance

aid another is automatic +2 from level 4 or so...

 

[DarkLord Of DForce]

At one of our home sessions, we had a Warlord (Tactical, I think) help us and he seemed pretty effective. He was multi-classed into Cleric so he could heal with Inspiring Word and Healing word as well.

The party wide attack buffs were awesome. In one encounter, for one round, all the party could crit from 18-20, and our group lucked out and citted multiple times.

Almost all the rest of the time, we had buffs to attack rolls, defenses, etc,. Many times, his effects were the difference between a hit or a miss. Also, if I remember right, all of us had our initiatives boosted for each encounter as well.

One particular moment stands out. I was using my Avenger, 2 hammers, did a nova round, with Hurricane of Blades (Eternal Seeker ED), and critted on 2 of the attacks, and with 2 Weapon opening, I critted on 2 of the offhand attacks. Massive damage. With Font of Radianc eand Punishing Radiance from me, the Warlord unleashed "Path of Storms" on his round, and critted a few times on his 8 attacks. He got the extra damage from the Radiant vulnerability I had added (he had a Sunblade) for each of his 8 attacks that hit, and the dmg really racked up. In short, in one round, we wiped a 1000 point solo boss.

The DM was pretty amazed.

 

[MrCelsius]

I've been playing a Genasi Warlord for more than a year now (about twenty levels) and I absolutely love it. To describe the elements of my experience:

* 18 starting STR, longsword/heavy shield for Heavy Blade Opportunity
* Commander's Strike and Opening Shove (for the granted shift), Knight Commander PP and Chosen ED
* I have a combination of feats and items that give +3 to attack and +9 to damage when I grant attacks
* My HBO lets me shove a moving enemy one square and, if that doesn't get them into smacking distance of an ally, I let the ally shift adjacent so that further movement will be punished
* My Commander's Strike grants a one-square shift to an adjacent ally if successful
* I wield a Dynamic Longsword because it's a cheap enchant, nothing else is much good for me, and so that reach with a whip (or a javelin to throw) is only a minor action away
* I still wear Boots of the Fencing Master for the minor double-shift and AC bonus
* Our defender is a greatweapon Fighter, our striker is an Avenger.
* Our controller is a Psion who can drop three four-point Forced Opportunity per round, letting every ally adjacent to the target make an OA (mine gets polished up and handed to the Avenger with HBO for crazy damage)
* I have healer's brooch, gloves, and armor and -- when I have the hand free -- an at-level healer's mace just for the HP boost. Most allies get more than double their surge value when I use Inspiring Word on them.
* Now that I have a CHA mod (finally hit 12 when I dinged 21) Knight Commander's Control the Field power lets me wipe out every minion in close burst five once per day.

For full disclosure, I'll admit that this is a DMPC. I take a lot of joy in the character doing her dedicated job; supporting and helping the party. I dish out a lot of Commander's Strikes and Opening Shoves while keeping most of my encounters and dailies in reserve for situationals (healing, knocking down mobile foes, setting up for Hail of Steel, etc). It might get old if I weren't also running all of the enemies (and let me tell you, it's been fun learning to divide my mind so I don't let one side's plans influence the other; like playing chess against oneself), but a player who can enjoy being vital support (think of the other player characters as really good summons) could easily have as much fun as I do.

 

[outsider]

What i don´t like with leader classes is that they can´t benefit from their own buffs most of the time...

I believe that this is intentional design to prevent the ressurection of CoDzilla.