So long magic. I'm now looking to the sword to make D&D fun again.
In the ultimate in respec (and despite it being something I've railed against in the past) I'm switching my current character from a wizard to a fighter.
Why?
For starters I want to give 4E a fair shake and kick all the tires. Ideally I'd remake him as a different class at every level up, but that would be a little ridiculous. So, having completed the first module and then going through a lengthy hiatus until H2, it's the perfect chance to try out the melee side of things.
The biggest reason however is that the Wizard class is just incredibly boring to me. Now that every class as spells (or powers as WotC calls 'em now) the Wizard has been robbed of the one thing that made the class (or any spellcasting class) fun and unique. The Wizard is just another face in the crowd. A one trick pony that stands at the back and drops the same at-will power repeatedly. Blah.
The clincher has been some of the content I've seen in Crwth's Dragon pdfs. Articles such as the Gladiator one and the "Art of the Kill" are not only interesting reads, but also provide several Multi-class feats for martial types to use. While a far cry from the diversity I've come to expect in my DnD game, the Multiclass and the Technique feats can at least spice up a character and provide an in-game difference maker.
At first glance "my fighter is a Bravo Novice with the Cruel Cut Technique" is potentially better than "my fighter uses an axe". Only time will tell if these feats provide a noticable difference at the table.
I suspect that I'm merely swapping out repetitive Scorching Blasts for repetitive Thundering Blows (or whatever the fighter at-will is). At the very least the switch has rekindled my passion for the game.
Showing posts with label martial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label martial. Show all posts
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
PHB - Rituals
Since I was at the end of the book for the Combat chapter, I figured I'd read the last chapter, which is on Rituals.
Rituals were definitely a good move. The long casting time and occasional utility of certain spells in 3rd edition meant that they were something that you only memorized (as a cleric or wizard) if you really knew you were going to use them, and often led to delays in adventuring when you had to rest to get that one utility spell you needed. Sorcerers were pretty much left out of the whole deal, not wanting to waste on of their precious slots on an occasional spell. Granted, scrolls were possible, but who thought ahead for those?
I was bit disappointed, though, that the rituals are being restricted to the arcane and divine powers. With the idea of power sources being stretched across all classes, it seems unfair that those with martial powers are denied rituals.
At first I thought that perhaps it was to let the "spellcasters" keep themselves special from the brawlers, but the role is supposed to dictate how the character contributes to the party, not restrictions because of your career choice.
Why couldn't fighters have rituals? Some sort of meditation, or calisthenic routine, or focused weapon practice? Benefits could include a 24 hour bonus to AC, or to to-hit; Leaders could give a morale bonus to the party members that witness their amazing prowess during this training ritual. An hour of deep, focused breathing could give the striker a bonus to their ranged attack or opportunity attack.
It wouldn't make sense to allow these rituals to exist on scrolls, of course. The idea of a scroll is that some of the arcane or divine power has been stored within the parchment. But a ritual book for martial adventurers doesn't seem unreasonable to me.
Perhaps the idea of practice, meditation and deep breathing is planned more for a different power source, such as the ki power source hinted at for a future monk class. And I'm sure the psionicists will have rituals of the mind. In fact, it seems that as more power sources are introduced in further sourcebooks, the martial character is going to be left out more noticeably.
I've not really given any thought to cost, level, or anything else except for the end result for this proposed martial ritual.
Weapon Familiarity
You hone your primary weapon to perfection, making its keen blade an extension of yourself.
Level: 3
Category: Attack
Time: 1 hour
Duration: 24 hours
Component Cost: 25gp
Market Price: 150gp
Key Skill: Athletics
You focus all of your training on one weapon you possess, getting a feel for every little nuance. For the ritual's duration, you get a +1 ritual bonus to attacks with this weapon only. This does not carry across to another weapon of its type; practicing with one longsword does not give this bonus when using any other. A new weapon may be chosen each time this ritual is performed, but you lose any Weapon Familiarity you previously had when you perform this ritual.
Rituals were definitely a good move. The long casting time and occasional utility of certain spells in 3rd edition meant that they were something that you only memorized (as a cleric or wizard) if you really knew you were going to use them, and often led to delays in adventuring when you had to rest to get that one utility spell you needed. Sorcerers were pretty much left out of the whole deal, not wanting to waste on of their precious slots on an occasional spell. Granted, scrolls were possible, but who thought ahead for those?
I was bit disappointed, though, that the rituals are being restricted to the arcane and divine powers. With the idea of power sources being stretched across all classes, it seems unfair that those with martial powers are denied rituals.
At first I thought that perhaps it was to let the "spellcasters" keep themselves special from the brawlers, but the role is supposed to dictate how the character contributes to the party, not restrictions because of your career choice.
Why couldn't fighters have rituals? Some sort of meditation, or calisthenic routine, or focused weapon practice? Benefits could include a 24 hour bonus to AC, or to to-hit; Leaders could give a morale bonus to the party members that witness their amazing prowess during this training ritual. An hour of deep, focused breathing could give the striker a bonus to their ranged attack or opportunity attack.
It wouldn't make sense to allow these rituals to exist on scrolls, of course. The idea of a scroll is that some of the arcane or divine power has been stored within the parchment. But a ritual book for martial adventurers doesn't seem unreasonable to me.
Perhaps the idea of practice, meditation and deep breathing is planned more for a different power source, such as the ki power source hinted at for a future monk class. And I'm sure the psionicists will have rituals of the mind. In fact, it seems that as more power sources are introduced in further sourcebooks, the martial character is going to be left out more noticeably.
I've not really given any thought to cost, level, or anything else except for the end result for this proposed martial ritual.
Weapon Familiarity
You hone your primary weapon to perfection, making its keen blade an extension of yourself.
Level: 3
Category: Attack
Time: 1 hour
Duration: 24 hours
Component Cost: 25gp
Market Price: 150gp
Key Skill: Athletics
You focus all of your training on one weapon you possess, getting a feel for every little nuance. For the ritual's duration, you get a +1 ritual bonus to attacks with this weapon only. This does not carry across to another weapon of its type; practicing with one longsword does not give this bonus when using any other. A new weapon may be chosen each time this ritual is performed, but you lose any Weapon Familiarity you previously had when you perform this ritual.
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