What makes the classes unique?

[lutecius]

Don't worry, you're wrong.

Reasoning: The difference between the rogue and the fighter in 3x is fluff, as is the difference between the cleric and the wizard.

Luckily...

uh... there is a huge mechanical difference between the cleric and the wizard in 3e (unless that was sarcasm?)

They are way too different for my taste, actually. For fluff reasons, I wish every priest didn't have to be the holy-warrior type.

 

[Byronic]

uh... there is a huge mechanical difference between the cleric and the wizard in 3e (unless that was sarcasm?)

They are way too different for my taste, actually. For fluff reasons, I wish every priest didn't have to be the holy-warrior type.

Funny enough I never played a cleric as a holy warrior type in 3.x, I played him more like a Wizard/buffer who sometimes stepped into battle because it was the only way to save the party (and himself really). 4.0 Clerics definitely do seem more warrior based though I suppose the ranged attacks will be nice.

 

[Aenghus]

uh... there is a huge mechanical difference between the cleric and the wizard in 3e (unless that was sarcasm?)

They are way too different for my taste, actually. For fluff reasons, I wish every priest didn't have to be the holy-warrior type.

But the title "priest" is fluff. Any class can call themselves a priest, be recognised as a priest of a faith or philosophy. They don't need to have divinely granted powers to call themselves a priest.

The cleric class is a warrior priest, they go into danger adventuring after all. This has been a constant since OD&D.

There is an obvious demand for a less martial caster-type priest, perhaps a divine power source controller, and I expect one to be produced at some stage. One can be simulated by retasking the wizard, maybe with a little cleric multiclassing.

 

[Nightchilde-2]

Having run a couple of demo games for my group, I'll mirror what some other people have said here.

Despite the fact that everyone uses similar mechanics, the classes each play very differently. The same also holds true for the monsters...there's a big difference between how a kobold minion and a kobold dragonshield play out, both of which are different from a wyrmpriest.

 

[med stud]

Ah, 4e's blind-kobold; and yes I know it's a feature

It's a blind kobold in a sense, but consider that a warlock is a striker. Every attack from the warlock that doesn't hurt the "real" opponent is an attack that often could be be used in a more optimal fashion.

Though it makes for nice action; the orcs storm in, the warlock envelops an orc in malificient energies. As the orc dies, the warlock disappears in a smoke puff, reappearing at the top of a cliff, using his powers to wreck the orc leaders mind...

 

[lutecius]

Funny enough I never played a cleric as a holy warrior type in 3.x, I played him more like a Wizard/buffer who sometimes stepped into battle because it was the only way to save the party (and himself really). 4.0 Clerics definitely do seem more warrior based though I suppose the ranged attacks will be nice.

Maybe 3e clerics were that powerful. You could not make the most of the good BAB, AC and HPs, and yet not be completely useless.
Wizards still made better blasters and wouldn't survive very long in melee at low levels.
3e's problem was not so much role distribution or class similarities to me, it was more about balance issues.

But the title "priest" is fluff. Any class can call themselves a priest, be recognised as a priest of a faith or philosophy. They don't need to have divinely granted powers to call themselves a priest.

But it's not just fluff, the other classe's healing and buffing spells are not as effective. You simply cannot have, say a nonviolent order of healing priestesses (a more common archetype than the warrior priest). Hence my dislike for dnd's old arcane/divine split.

There is an obvious demand for a less martial caster-type priest, perhaps a divine power source controller, and I expect one to be produced at some stage. One can be simulated by retasking the wizard, maybe with a little cleric multiclassing.

Waiting for a divine contoller or alternative leaders seems like a safer bet.