tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2181153683994775767.post8922261991548704420..comments2024-01-28T20:15:30.773-05:00Comments on The Core Mechanic: Review of 4th Edition D&D Arcane PowerJonathan Jacobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06133232985480734844noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2181153683994775767.post-28258463911237059572009-06-12T15:41:16.742-04:002009-06-12T15:41:16.742-04:00Haha! that's awesome "Joke The Swordmage&...Haha! that's awesome "Joke The Swordmage".. she starts every fight with "jokes on you pal!"<br /><br />Oh.. and I DO love the BARD in 4E. Definately a win. <br /><br />Your comments are making me want to go home and crack open the FRPG to take a second looke at "Ms. Joke, The Swordmage" and see if I may have assumed too much...Jonathan Jacobshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06133232985480734844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2181153683994775767.post-48077111417554051742009-06-12T15:31:02.658-04:002009-06-12T15:31:02.658-04:00Jonathan, if the swordmage was just a sword/mage I...Jonathan, if the swordmage was just a sword/mage I would agree, it's a pointless hybrid. The idea of the class never appealed to me for that reason, and I kept that opinion until I actually started playing the class. <br /><br />Just as the 4E Bard is no longer a weaksauce combination sorceror/fighter/rogue with mild artificial bardlike flavoring but an actual built-from-the-ground-up BARD archetype, I feel the swordmage is something unique in its own right. Yeah, it's something that does appeal to the same people who would play a Drizzt clone or a Jedi or whatever, but it's not something you could replicate by smashing a fighter and a wizard together.<br /><br />Really, I prefer a system that's class free like GURPS where you could build someone who has truly unique magical or divine powers or martial styles... where if you want to be a person who knows how to do any combination of swinging a sword, casting magic, picking locks, and calling on the gods, you just make the mix you want...<br /><br />But it's hard to get people to sit down with GURPS and delve into the mechanics deep enough to create anything like the 4E D&D classes and their powers. So I like 4E for its pick-up-and-play awesomeness, even as it removes true multiclassing and limits some forms of mechanical customization.<br /><br />:P<br /><br />But at the end of the day, I can understand a visceral dislike of swordmages. My first one was meant to be a joke character.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12057404308705097447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2181153683994775767.post-45128865464822120422009-06-12T14:29:46.653-04:002009-06-12T14:29:46.653-04:00@alexandraerin Thanks for stopping by! Yeah.. its ...@alexandraerin Thanks for stopping by! Yeah.. its good _some_ people like swordmages... i guess with a different multiclass system they would have been irrelevant.. but sicne 4E nerf'd multiclassing somewhat, there's a need. I guess I just have never been partial to that archetype.Jonathan Jacobshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06133232985480734844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2181153683994775767.post-82636991305710962072009-06-12T14:20:24.689-04:002009-06-12T14:20:24.689-04:00I have to strongly echo your endorsement of the fa...I have to strongly echo your endorsement of the familiar system. It is well fucking done. The minimalist mechanics make sure that familiars can't be used to "break" a scenario... they're essentially an extension of the player character for roleplaying with a few bonuses to make it worth a feat.<br /><br />I agree that the soft roleplaying aspect is a great addition, but I don't think 4E really lacks those... they're just not terribly explicit about it. There are no "rules" that elaborate on the nature of the Warlock's pact, but that also means it's very open-ended. I know one player who plays her star-pact Warlock as a small child who gained her powers after "<em>the sparklies came</em>", and she roleplays the use of Daily Powers as a full emotional breakdown.<br /><br />In a lot of ways, 4E provides an open framework with a skeleton of concrete mechanics on which you can build a body of roleplaying. <br /><br />Also... swordmages rule. :P I'll admit I only started playing an Eladrin Swordmage because it seemed like the absolute Mariest of Sues, but... eh. It works mechanically, and we have a lot of fun with the character's attitude being informed by the absolute speshul snowflakiness of it all.Alexandra Erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03998072795095456473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2181153683994775767.post-85737999439443846862009-04-24T06:51:00.000-04:002009-04-24T06:51:00.000-04:00Don't understand the hate for the swordmage. The ...Don't understand the hate for the swordmage. The flavor of the class is basically "teleporting dexterity-based fighter" which I personally think is a lot of fun. Don't know what that has to do with Drizzt. At any rate, the class has been a bit underpowered up til now and needs whatever love AP gives it.Tomnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2181153683994775767.post-406078383420110812009-04-24T01:17:00.000-04:002009-04-24T01:17:00.000-04:00Thanks for the link love! :)Thanks for the link love! :)Geek's Dream Girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16734848972647684773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2181153683994775767.post-69966324990034263502009-04-23T19:47:00.000-04:002009-04-23T19:47:00.000-04:00@john - I guess that depends. In my experience mun...@john - I guess that depends. In my experience munchkins will be munchkins: they always stack their stats to minmax the PCs they create. I mean, if a player is playing a certain race/class combo just to get a bonus on POWER XYZ; then... is that really a good thing? <br /><br />@donny - yeah. swordmages. geaaahhhd they blowarse! Just make a 1/2 elven fighter/wizard dual class and be done it already!Jonathan Jacobshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06133232985480734844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2181153683994775767.post-40813360786312293692009-04-23T16:40:00.000-04:002009-04-23T16:40:00.000-04:00Swordmages blow? I assume you have proof of this?...Swordmages blow? I assume you have proof of this? My sister plays one, and I can assure you that her oral regions are quite virginal :)<br /><br />Excellent review, Jon. Maybe now some of the louder trollheads out there wil STFU about all the "missing" elements they refuse to do without.<br /><br />As to the sorceror...100% badass, all around. <br /><br />I think your captcha is broken...it wants me to spell trifwatwth! WTF?Donny_the_DMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05679820663329606114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2181153683994775767.post-44139248864619297702009-04-23T14:31:00.000-04:002009-04-23T14:31:00.000-04:00the thing I like about the feats are the racial in...the thing I like about the feats are the racial incentive feats that may encourage interesting race /class combos. This I feel is new ground, and has the potential to encourage people to play outside the box (the box being: only choosing races with bonuses that automatically fit my class' primary stats).Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06479720360586715051noreply@blogger.com