Wotc takes on ... Optimization?!?

[Nifft]

At any rate, if it really is about pimping your PC, then I expect the CO boards to have a field day picking it apart on the day it is released. I lost all faith when wotc said in rules compendium that TWFing + weapon spec was "power-gamish".

Given that the Hexhammer seems to be on the front cover, at least someone related to the project seems to have at least skimmed the CharOp board prior to publication.

So there's some hope for the book.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Dausuul]

At any rate, if it really is about pimping your PC, then I expect the CO boards to have a field day picking it apart on the day it is released. I lost all faith when wotc said in rules compendium that TWFing + weapon spec was "power-gamish".

It is like...you know it is bad, yet still cannot resist buying one to see just how terrible it is.

If I were in charge of this project, I'd find a way to run all my build and tactical advice past CharOp before release. Maybe openly, maybe surreptitiously, but I'd definitely want to check and see if there were any propositions that met with universal scorn.

Failing that, I'd probably stick to general guidelines, something like this:

#1. Know what your primary stat (your "attack stat") is. Make sure that stat is at least 18, after racial modifiers. If you have a choice of primary stats, pick one and ignore the other.

#2. Know what your secondary stat is. Make sure that stat is at least 14, after racial modifiers. If you have a choice of secondary stats, pick one, but a little love for the other is not a bad idea.

#3. Pick skills and powers that play to your high stats. Look for powers that key off your secondary stat; look for skills that key off your primary and secondary stats.

#4. Pay close attention to your class features. You can figure out powers and feats and stuff as you go, but understanding how your class features work is central to playing your character.

#5. When taking feats, look for feats that give simple all-the-time bonuses. The advantage to such feats is twofold. First, they're usually the most powerful choices; and second, you don't have to think about them in play. A feat whose benefit you always forget to use is a feat you might as well not have.

#6. Plan on taking an Expertise feat early. It doesn't have to be your absolute first pick, but you really want Expertise in your chosen weapon/implement before you hit Paragon.

(These are not, of course, ironclad rules. There are cases where an advanced optimizer might choose to break any of them, except maybe #4 and #6. But this is one of those deals where you should understand the rule and the reasoning behind it before you decide to break it. If you're building a tactical warlord and decide to leave your Strength at 16 so you can get that sweet, sweet 18 Intelligence, that's cool, but you need to understand the consequences of that - for instance, Commander's Strike goes from "very strong pick" to "vital necessity.")

 

[MrMyth]

Yeah, but this is book is triple the cost, triple the page count, and was given a green light during an economic slump when the entire print gaming industry is suffering. At time point in history, I don't think printing a throw away is not a best move (especially when you want maximum profits and your investors are skeptical).

They'll get a pile of sales off the Penny Arcade art alone, honestly. I don't have any special need for the content of the book itself, but it looks like it's goal is half entertainment, and if done largely tongue-in-cheek, I'm willing to pick it up anyway.

Anyone who thinks this is a forecast for a new edition is just making up nonsense.

 

[Dausuul]

They'll get a pile of sales off the Penny Arcade art alone, honestly. I don't have any special need for the content of the book itself, but it looks like it's goal is half entertainment, and if done largely tongue-in-cheek, I'm willing to pick it up anyway.

Yeah, I might get it for the entertainment value if it looks entertaining enough.

Anyone who thinks this is a forecast for a new edition is just making up nonsense.

Agreed. There's no way they're rolling out a new edition before 2013 at the earliest, and my money would be on 2016 or so. This strikes me as more of an experiment, branching out a bit from the standard "big book o' crunch" model.

 

[Hellzon]

Given that the Hexhammer seems to be on the front cover, at least someone related to the project seems to have at least skimmed the CharOp board prior to publication.

The Hexhammer is, IIRC, an interesting build. It does something the class wasn't made for. (Melee Warlock using a hammer, for those playing at home.) They might be going for weird stuff like that, and the "Arcane Archer" they've published rather than MAXIMUM DPS ALL THE TIME.