Legends & Lore: Wednesday Packet

There is a new playtest packet coming out this week, and just in time for the debut of my sandbox playtest campaign, to boot. There will be new classes and spells, as well as some changes to the math, fighter, skills, two-weapon fighting, and more.

Druid
The druid sounds like a kitbash of 3rd and 4th Edition; you can wildshape at 1st-level (but it is a daily thing), you get to choose a circle that makes you better at either spellcasting or wildshaping, and it has healing on par with the cleric.

Having played a druid in 4th Edition and seen a druid in action in Dungeon World, I am not a fan of making wildshape (and most things, actually) a per-day ability. If it must be usable a specific number of times per day, it would be nice to explain why. I would also take a page from Dungeon World and restrict a druid to terrain types/animal forms that they are familiar with.

I like the non-combat forms, which was an issue in 4th Edition as they tried to balance it out by preventing you from having a fly or swim speed if you changed into a bird or fish. Even more bizarre was the inability to manipulate things, even if your form should have allowed it (such as a monkey or bird carrying things).

I dislike the healing, because I do not think that the game should assume someone is playing a healing class, and think that it would greatly benefit by foregoing that assumption, but at least according to them it will meet the threshold as established by the cleric.

Paladin
I am going with the more charitable interpretation of the statement that they are giving us paladins of various alignments “for the first time ever”, to mean that they are giving us a trio of more distinct classes from the start, instead of adding new things (like the warden and blackguard) down the line, because we could already make paladins of any alignment at the start of 4th Edition.

While I think it is nice that they are paring down detect evil to just undead and fiends, I think this is kind of odd for blackguards, and especially so for wardens (at least, if they are going to be as nature associated as their 8th-level mount implies). For blackguards I can at least get behind it insofar as it allows her to sense where the evil dead are hanging out, presumably so she can help them plot to swallow souls or defeat chainsaw-wielding protagonists.

For wardens I think that undead are still pretty good as affronts to nature go, but that aberrants/aberrations work better than fiends as symbols of all things unnatural. That, along with the 4th Edition warden’s pseudo-shapechanging dailies, would go a long way to help differentiate them.

Finally, I think that 8th-level is a bit much for a summoned mount, especially one that is “fairly weak” without specializing, and as seen in 4th Edition’s cavalier sub-class would be a lot better to grant early on, if the player even opts to choose it at all.

Ranger
1st-level spellcasting? Automatically part of the the class? Really? I am of the mind that spells should be one of several options that rangers can pick up, along with favored enemy and whatever it was that those terrain-based options that the hunter in one of the Essentials books were called.

Speaking of favored enemy, I like the idea of thematic bonuses that can be applied to various monster types. 3rd Edition’s favored enemy was too rigid, and often became obsolete as you leveled up and things like orcs were no longer viable threats. 4th Edition’s hunter’s quarry changed it into a hefty damage bonus, which made it effective all the time if maybe a bit boring. This could make for a more dynamic middle-ground.

Everything Else
Martial Damage Dice is getting changed back to Expertise Dice (yay), fighters (and other martial characters) are getting multiple attacks (yay?), and they have to spend actions to regain spent dice (again, yay?). It will be interested to see what fighters can do, especially given that they no longer have to decide between dealing more damage or doing something potentially more interesting.

I hope that rogues do not scale at the same rate, and that fighters will have ways of regaining spent dice in other ways, such as by landing a critical hit, defending an ally, watching a nearby ally drop, getting “bloodied”, and so on. I think those could make for interesting class feature choices.

Not sure what to make of skills, but I am glad to hear that two-weapon fighting is being changed to reflect a “options make you good, not competent” approach. I think it is interesting that they changed words of power to swift spells. Sounds like they are one step away from just re-creating 3rd Edition’s swift action, which I am totally okay with.

DDN Blog: Ranger Design Goals

With what we have seen of backgrounds and themes the more I read about these design goals, the more I wonder if D&D would just be better served as a point buy-like system in the vein of Dresden Files, Exalted, Shadowrun, etc, where you accrue XP and spend it on things or increase existing things.

Plenty of people have stated that the paladin could work as a theme, or some combination of cleric and fighter, as otherwise unique features like detecting/smiting evil could be picked up via feats, and to a point I am inclined to agree.

The ranger seems to be in a similar spot, as a lightly-armored warrior and/or rogue with lots of nature-oriented skills could fit the bill fairly well. This is still the area of the game that concerns me: just how different are all these classes going to be? What will a ranger bring to the table that cannot be picked up via another class?

Well…here is what we got so far:

The ranger is a wildnerness hunter and tracker.
This was kind of a big deal in 3rd Edition, because there was a Tracking feat that you had to take for some reason. I think it was that it allowed you to make Spot/Wildnerness Lore checks to find tracks, but it might have just been to notice ones over a specific DC (kind of like how only rogues could find traps with Spot DCs over 20). 4th Edition made no such restriction, allowing anyone to use Nature/Perception to notice tracks.

I am hoping that no one is barred from trying to track things, and instead rangers just gain a bonus instead of being part of an exclusive club. I am happy that it sounds like they are going to use 4th Edition’s bonus damage mechanics instead of prior ones.

The ranger is a warrior.
Rangers have pretty much always stuck with light armor for the Dexterity bonus, so no surprises there. They had less hit points than fighters, so I wonder if they will have more than usual or some way to reduce/ignore damage. I do not care for the whole two-weapon/archery bit, but at least it sounds like a theme and not a class feature; trying to qualify for two-weapon fighting was a pain in 3rd Edition, and while 4th Edition made it actually feasible and worthwhile, it still required making a new class feature over and over.

The ranger is a protector.
Huh. I have never known rangers to be the tanking type, so I wonder if this means that they can interrupt attacks or actually get in the way of them. If the latter, I wonder how it will differ (or improve) from the Defender theme. I am guessing that at least they will have some benefit against poisons, foraging, making shelters, and so on.

Rangers are friends with wild creatures.
Good with animals, but animal companions are not assumed. It also sounds like that they can have more than one, and they are better off for it.

These are good goals for evoking the ranger archetype as we know it in D&D, with the sort-of exception of access to druidic magic. I would prefer to see this as a class feature choice, but would also be fine having it be something that can be gained through multiclassing or a feat.

On the surface though I am not seeing much to differentiate it from a fighter with an Archery/Two-Weapon theme and some nature skills, except for the Hunter’s Quarry-like class feature. Yeah they get pets, but that sounds like it could (and should) be a background benefit or feat option.

Meet The Scout

An Essentials take of the melee ranger, the scout is a martial/primal hybrid that can either emphasize swords or axes, gaining a bonus to accuracy or damage respectively. Like rangers, scouts can use their Dexterity modifier for attack and damage with their melee basic attacks, and make a free attack once per round when they hit with one thanks to dual weapon attack. Unlike rangers, they can’t use one-handed weapons in both hands, having to instead rely on weapons with the Off Hand property.

They have at-will stances, referred to as aspects, that function as stance and seem to provide multiple benefits. For example, aspect of the cunning fox causes you to take half damage and let’s you shift 2 squares whenever you hit or miss with attacks. Another, aspect of the charging ram, greatly enhances your charge attacks; you ignore opportunity attacks while moving, can prone targets that you hit, and you gain a damage bonus. There’s a bunch of other aspects listed, but not hard mechanics.

The other previewed class feature is power strike, which does what it always does. As with the sentinel and hunter, wilderness knacks doesn’t get any elaboration.

Earth, Horses, and Monkies

The earth domain gives warpriests a third option that emphasizes protecting allies and applying your Constitution modifier to kicker effects, such as bonus damage and forced movement. It runs the entire thirty level stretch, but seems somewhat limited in scope, since there aren’t a lot of gods that involve themselves with stone except for like, well, Moradin. I suppose I could see Erathis being loosely involved with stone, what with the focus on civilization and by association buildings. Like an order of masons or something? Melora could also work, since she’s all about the wilderness.

The other article adds horses and apes to the retinue of animal companions for beastmaster rangers. Horses are unique in that you can choose to have a Medium or Large one, allowing you to ride it, along with some clarifications as to what happens if you’re riding it when it gets to move or shift. This would be great for a Valenar elf. Monkies are also really cool because they can manipulate something for free once per round, such as drinking a potion, open/close something, pick something up, etc. There’s also a sidebar that reminds you to let your players be creative with their companions. For example, if someone wants to get their Ashitaka on, let them have a red elk instead of a horse for their companion. I could also see someone using the horse as a template for a Large wolf if someone wants to have a ridable wolf.

The rest of the article is a page of level 2 exploits that all require a specific animal companion to use. Slither’s stride requires a snake, and is a daily that lets you shift 2 squares for the rest of the encounter and ignore difficult terrain, or 3 if you already ignore difficult terrain. Web trick lets your spider try to save you by granting you a bonus to saves to avoid falling off a cliff, or to Athletics checks made when you take damage while climbing.

I Gotch’yer Martial Controller Right Here!

I say in a poorly affected Brooklyn accent, while grabbing and vigorously shaking my balls.

So in October’s installment of Bill Slavicsek’s Ampersand column, the Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Ranger was previewed.

And finally, everyone who has been clamoring for a martial controller can shut the fuck up and suck contentedly on WotC’s teat.

The Essentials Ranger has two sub-classes, much like the Fighter had the Slayer and Knight in Heroes of the Fallen Lands.

Previewed in the article is the Hunter…an archery-based controller that is a dual-source class from both the martial AND primal sources. I know, I know…doesn’t seem like it quite counts as “martial”, but from the preview it looks like the Hunter’s attacks are fairly mundane weapon-based stuff, while the utilities are where they get the magic-y effects.

The other Essentials Ranger subclass, the Scout, only mentioned briefly in the article, is a melee-based striker.

So what goodies does the Hunter get? Pfft! Buy a DDi subscription you no-account, good for nothing leeches….is what I would say if this weren’t a blog where we are expected to spread hype and offer opinions/insights on things…so for your viewing pleasure:

The Hunter-ter-er-r…

Archery style: Either crossbow or bow. You gain the associated weapon expertise feat for free.

Expert Archer grants the Hunter 3 at-will attack powers. The wording for these are odd, as they are classified as attack powers, but the descriptive text has them as modified basic ranged attacks.

They are:

Aimed Shot: which ignores cover and concealment, and lessens the penalty for superior cover and concealment.

Clever Shot: which has three effects from which to choose: A slide effect, a prone effect, and a slow effect.

Rapid shot: essentially it’s a close burst 1 within the bows range with a -2 penalty to the attack rolls. This penalty seems a bit unnecessary as spellcasters get to do this all the time without penalty. But then again, we haven’t seen the full class yet. It could be that with the weapon proficiency bonus and a 4/per encounter damage boosting ability that works on successful hits, this may just be an important balancing factor.

Aspect of the Wild grants a couple of utility stances, that seem to be totemic in flavor:

Cunning Fox allows you to shift as a free action after making an attack…also you take only half damage from attacks made against you during your turn.

Dancing Serpent allows you to shift as a free action at the end of your turn, as well as granting a damage bonus against against lone targets.

The class table shows the As[ects of the Wild feature a few times, meaning that there are probably other stances gained down the line as well.

Wilderness Knacks are class features that grant passive benefits…previewed here is Ambush Expertise, which grants nearby allies a bonus to stealth checks. Like Aspects of the Wild, Wilderness Knacks are listed several times in the classes level chart, leading me to believe that there are several that the Essentials Ranger will pick up during the course of his/her/it’s/dwarf’s career.

It does not appear as though the Essentials Ranger gets daily powers…they do get an ability called “Disruptive Shot” which was not detailed. I assume this to be an encounter ability similar to “Power Strike” and “Back Stab”.

I’m looking forward to seeing what the Scout has to offer, in light of this preview.

Garret, Halfling Ranger

Wanted to make a thematic Talenta halfling from Eberron. Alternatively you can just take Mounted Combat and pick up a dinosaur with any class.

Garret, level 1
Halfling, Ranger
Fighting Style: Beast Mastery
Beast Companion Type: Lizard
Background: Talenta Plains (+2 to Athletics)

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 16, Con 11, Dex 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 10.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 16, Con 11, Dex 14, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8.

AC: 16 Fort: 14 Reflex: 14 Will: 12
HP: 23 Surges: 6 Surge Value: 5

TRAINED SKILLS
Nature +7, Perception +7, Stealth +7, Athletics +9, Acrobatics +9

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Arcana, Bluff, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering +2, Endurance -1, Heal +2, History, Insight +2, Intimidate, Religion, Streetwise, Thievery +4

FEATS
Level 1: Talenta Weapon Training

POWERS
Ranger at-will 1: Predator Strike
Ranger at-will 1: Circling Strike
Ranger encounter 1: Synchronized Strike
Ranger daily 1: Driving the Quarry

ITEMS
Adventurer’s Kit, Hide Armor, Talenta Tangat, Talenta Boomerang (3), Footpads, Woodwind
RITUALS
Raise Beast Companion

Class Acts: Ranger

I guess its out earlyish? Maybe you can still get it before its fixed.

First things first, the header on the article says “Class Acts: Invoker“. Just a typo, and really…fuck it: the rest is undiluted awesome. The exploits are all weapon-ranged, giving them lots of utility while pimping some heavy controller mechanics.

For example, warning shot is a level 1 at-will that lets you take a shot, select an area, and take another shot if a creature moves into that spot. The first attack deals full damage, and I can see characters working together to shove monsters into the affected space.

But wait, there’s more!

• Archer’s stairway is a level 2 encounter that lets you shoot arrows into a wall that you use as handholds, reducing the DC to climb by a lot. Its a standard action to trigger, but otherwise just does what it does for the rest of the encounter. ( ﾟ ヮﾟ)
• Arrow of the savior is a level 6 encounter that lets you pin a falling ally to a wall, assuming you have an immediate interrupt handy.
• Back on target is a level 16 daily that lets you deflect an ally’s attack, allowing them to reroll with a bonus. Thankfully Peter preserves logic by restricting it to only ranged weapon attacks. ヽ(´ー｀)ﾉ
• Defensive volley lets you reduce damage to an ally by shooting the attack out of the air.

Very fucking cool, but thats just some of the utilities. Peter does some creative shit with attack exploits as well, allowing you to make extra attacks against enemies that get to close, move next to a specific enemy, or even let you generate a “zone” effect that you can shoot into.

As I said, it adds a heavy controller layer to the class. If you’re reading this Josh, feel free to power swap before next session. I know you fucking want to.

Class Acts: The Ranger

Out of all the potential classes, I dont think ranger was on the list of likely candidates for a Class Acts article. Its short-yet-useful, spanning all of three pages. The first is devoted to some history on the Verdant Silence order, with the other two spent on actual crunch. There are a dozen powers in total, each suited for two-weapon rangers, as well as a weapon property that lets you shift whenever you hit an enemy twice with a ranger exploit that requires two weapons (and a daily power that makes them grant combat advantage).

The powers range from level 1 to 27, and they are all either encounter attacks or encounter utilities. I really dig the utilities, in particular death threat, which lets you deal ongoing psychic damage to another monster after you drop your quarry. It helps play up hit point abstraction, as well as the fact that not all damage of a specific type has to stem from the same source or inflict damage the same way. Basically, the damage caused by death threat is rooted in fear and stress, and I think its a great concept to play with, allowing martial classes to do stuff like that.