What's wrong with the Tempest?

[kreynolds]

Just wondering what you people think is specifically wrong with the Tempest PrC from MotW. I saw the Off-Hand Parry thread and it made me think of this, seeing as how Off-Hand Parry gets better as a Tempest levels. I've been trying to nail down exactly what it is that bugs me about the Tempest but I've come up with nothing.

So, what is it exactly that bugs you about the Tempest PrC?

 

[pontus]

The name

 

[Crothian]

Soem of the requirements don't make sense, and the abilities it gets are boring. That and Caliban wrote a better version about a year before the Tempest came out.

 

[mkletch]

I don't see anything wrong with it. It is powerful, but has an Achilles heel - a slow spell kills it, with only one attack per partial action.

-Fletch!

 

[Taren Seeker]

I think that the fact that the two primary abilities cancel each other out is somewhat irritating. Also, you're still facing the ranger limits on 2 weap, including the double weapons, even if you went fighter to begin with and took ambi and 2 weap as straight feats.

Off hand parry: The higher level you get the worse it is. You're giving up 3-4 attacks for the AC bonus. Yes with a defending weapon and a buckler you can get a big bump from this, but there are better ways to boost your AC without giving up half of your offence.

Also, the 2 weap abilities can be duplicated with standard feats, until the 4 off hands which you get at 20th level. Why bother when you're close to the perfect 2 weap epic feat?

The class is supposed to be the master of 2 weap style, yet the only thing the class gives you that you can't get from feats is it removes the -2 from ambi at 8th level. Weak. At the least they should have allowed full strength damage with the off hand.

The prereqs force you to wait until you're 10th level to take the class. To wait that long, the class should give you more.

Overall, a drab, uninspired and underpowered PrC. For something that proclaims to be the "master" of something, it should let you do something more special than to boost your AC and ignore a -2 penalty which is not that big a deal at 18th level.

 

[ashockney]

I agree that it seems underpowered if anything, as most (all with Epic?) of the abilities can be duplicated by anyone who takes the right feats.

Yawn!

 

[comrade raoul]

Crothian (or anyone with the Search skill) -- any chance of posting a link to Caliban's version of the PrC?

 

[Crothian]

Crothian (or anyone with the Search skill) -- any chance of posting a link to Caliban's version of the PrC?

I have no idea where it is now. I had a copy until my harddrive melted over the winter.

 

[kreynolds]

Well, I thought about yanking out a few of the class stuff (such as Off-Hand Parry) and converting it into a 5 level PrC. I have it written up if anyone is interested. I've also thought about keeping it 10 levels but removing some of the abilities and just replacing them with bonus feats.

 

[Yellow Sign]

Has anyone one noticed the terrible picture for the Tempest. It even has both combatants fighting using 2 handed weapons for a class that is a big two-weapon fighter.

I glanced at the class and seeing the +9 BAB requirement and thought to myself, I would never want to play that.