What PHB3 Classes stand out to you?

[bganon]

My impression that the limited power selection of the psionics classes isn't as big a deal as it first appears. For one thing, you do get to swap to new powers every few levels, so there's room for variety. But in practice, I've noticed that once non-psionic characters get past level 7, they're using encounters and a sprinkling of dailies for the "important" bits of each fight anyway, with the occasional at-will as backup. And the psionic characters will wind up doing the same thing, except their "encounters" are augmented at-wills.

Anyway, toss me in with the "doesn't get the Ardent" group. I'll have to keep looking.

I think I'm starting to grok the Battlemind, though. At first, comparing the class features to fighter features, it seemed like a rather poor defender. But I'm realizing that there's an awful lot of neat stuff packed into those at-will and daily powers that fighters don't get. Plus, Speed of Thought is HUGE.

My only very minor complaint about the monk is that in the end they wind up not really doing much with the unarmed attack proficiency. And I really want a monk multiclass feat that grants Unarmed Combatant.

The psion class feels like it lends itself to controller builds with narrow but powerful focus, rather than "batman" builds. I wholly approve.

Runepriest I'm warming up to. I actually really like that there's a divine class (a leader, no less!) with a build that has absolutely no need for Wisdom. I disagree that these guys are anything like Str clerics... their healing is terrible, but their buffing is crazy good, and the Str/Con build is a much better tank than any cleric.

Seeker is the class I was probably most interested in before seeing PHB3, and the least interested in after. It's not even anything I can quite put my finger on... I think they mostly just feel like alternate Ranger builds.

 

[Aduro]

I did the Monk Kalla at the Yawning Portal event thing at the FLGS the other day and found it all kinds of fun, when my dice didn't completely let me down. Very first roll was the very best, when I rolled a nat 20 and jumped clear across the canal with Crane's Wing, turned, and hit the guy I landed next to, pushing him into said canal, a 25' drop. Bwuahahaha!

 

[DracoSuave]

Runepriest I'm warming up to. I actually really like that there's a divine class (a leader, no less!) with a build that has absolutely no need for Wisdom. I disagree that these guys are anything like Str clerics... their healing is terrible, but their buffing is crazy good, and the Str/Con build is a much better tank than any cleric.

If Thor had 'clerics', they'd be Runepriests.

That's how you grok them.

Clerics are cheering on the brute squad.
Runepriests are ON the brute squad.

Runepriests are the only leader class where persistant buffs can be triggered by their at-wills and 'word' power. Kinda like the shaman, they lead by -being- where you want to be.

They're definately secondary defender, even in their least 'defendery' build, and the only leader that gets even better when things attack them.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I find the power point mechanic an interesting concept, but I am not sure I really want to use it. I guess I like the simpler at-will/encounter/daily setup.

The Monk I definitely love. It's my favorite class from PHB 3, after having seen the playtest version in play. The Movement Techniques are just neat extra effects.

The Psion is closest to what I see myself playing.

I haven't really checked the Runepriest out. It might be interesting.

 

[Jhaelen]

I instantly liked the Seeker - definitely my favorite controller class, so far. I love their class features and that they get so many powers that can used in place of basic attacks. I dunno if they should be a primal class, but that's negligible.

Monks are really cool - the best implementation of this class of any edition.

Of the 'real' psionic classes I liked the psions best - especially the Telepath build. The battlemind didn't stand out to me. The ardent is odd. It's fluff seemed to imply something similar to the wilder class in 3e but it's powers don't reflect this at all. It's also a leader (see below).

The good thing about runepriests is their dual-purpose powers - you essentially get two in one (similar to the monk). I just don't particularly like leaders...

 

[Neonchameleon]

Y'all are missing the point on the psy family. They are for players who don't want to have a look at a long list of powers and think "What do these do?" I'd like to see the Pyrokinetic - a simple striker build with basic families of "Ranged, Burst, Close Blast". That I could simply turn over to a newbie with no tactical sense at all (other than friendly fire isn't - and making powers friendly would be the lower level augment on many bursts and blasts).

I think the point about runepriests is that we can now drop the strength cleric.

 

[DracoSuave]

Y'all are missing the point on the psy family. They are for players who don't want to have a look at a long list of powers and think "What do these do?" I'd like to see the Pyrokinetic - a simple striker build with basic families of "Ranged, Burst, Close Blast". That I could simply turn over to a newbie with no tactical sense at all (other than friendly fire isn't - and making powers friendly would be the lower level augment on many bursts and blasts).

I think the point about runepriests is that we can now drop the strength cleric.

Well not really, the Strength cleric is still a fine healer, on par or above most leaders in that capability, while offering a measure of offensive buffing, and some straight damage. Astral Seal didn't obsolete the entire class, or even most builds. Strength Cleric is NOT the same as Runepriest by any stretch of the imagination, hell it shared the same book as Warlord.

Runepriest shouldn't be compared to Strength Cleric, because the two are not doing the same things. Runepriest should be compared to Warlords, which is more similiar in terms of how they benefit and lead a group. Warlords have a bit more healing, Runepriests give up that healing for more hit-negation and defender-like powers.

 

[Piratecat]

I just don't get the flavor or concept of the Ardent or Battlemind. To me, it feels like the designers just kind of phoned those in because they needed more psionic classes. The best I get with either of them is "Psionic Warlord" and "Psionic Fighter" and frankly, if I am just comparing them to existing classes, it shows I'm not really grokking them.

Let's see if I can help. The battlemind is a 4e version of 3e's Psychic Warrior -- powers that turn your skin into armor and that refocus damage. Its schtick is that of the self-sufficient warrior who has focused their mind inwards on personal improvement, turning loops of thought in traps for nearby foes. I really like this idea. I kind of get the Jedi reference, although it isn't perfect for me; I think of them more as sword-monks.

The ardent's different from anything we've seen before, but they use their raw emotions to influence and affect the people around them. So what the heck does that mean? I keep coming back to the beginning of The Hobbit when Thorin and Company are singing their song and Bilbo is overcome with the desire to go out and do entirely un-hobbitish things. They emote, and their enthusiasm is catching; an ardent's emotions are living things circling their bodies like a tiger in a cage. They can then use these emotions to buff allies or demoralize foes. I kind of picture an ardent to be the life of the party; if he's having fun, everyone is. If he's mopey, his mood affects everyone else.

 

[Garthanos]

Psychic Warrior felt like a hybrid of "something" and a fighter.... mayhaps the battlemind is that something?

 

[Felon]

Monks feel cool, but I can't help but think that we already had a Dex/Wis striker class that has awesome of mobility options. What else've they got? I'll have to sit down and really read at some point.

Looking at the monk last night, I have decided it is pretty cool. It's like a skirmishing ranger in a lot of ways, but it's really good at targeting NAD's.

(And if there's one thing that monsters don't like, it's a monk punching them in their NADs )