tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790030420507335953.post4714518054084544005..comments2024-03-23T08:21:07.075-07:00Comments on Points of Light: Review: The MartialistDavid Guyllhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16299128722345607123noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790030420507335953.post-79100706480970531122009-07-08T23:37:16.917-07:002009-07-08T23:37:16.917-07:00The range thing was really just a consistency nitp...The range thing was really just a consistency nitpick. Nothing major. :-)<br /><br />I didnt consider a vocal dependancy for the warlord (and potentially arcane casters in general). Very interesting, and I would make a sidebar that discusses the possible penalties and limitations of losing your ability to speak.<br /><br />I wouldnt want it to negate the class's ability to do stuff, so would consider having it impose some form of penalty (like an attack one). Certainly something that I never thought to address in 4E!David Guyllhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16299128722345607123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790030420507335953.post-56926936893430362082009-07-07T14:46:35.277-07:002009-07-07T14:46:35.277-07:00Antioch,
Thanks so much for the positive review! ...Antioch,<br /><br />Thanks so much for the positive review! We were trying very hard to develop an unarmed combatant that didn’t feel like a monk—based on your review, I think that we succeeded.<br /><br />With respect to the shortcomings that you’ve commented on:<br />1. The exploit range was a topic of discussion. Eventually, we determined that ‘melee weapon’, ‘melee 1’, and ‘melee touch’ could each effectively describe the vast majority of the exploits, since, in the case of the martialist, weapon and touch are the same thing. For various reasons, we decided that each might cause confusion, although your point is valid that we don’t quite follow the PHB convention.<br /><br />2. Our rules/mechanics editor, Alex Mont, made the very same point that you did with respect to the vault exploit. In the end, I overrode his recommendation, based on our view of what we wanted the exploit to allow the martialist to be able to do. Your point is valid that it does not translate well to tactical combat distances in D&D, but we felt that a little flexibility in outcome could be used by a creative player/DM during play.<br /><br />3. We were actually running PC vs. PC combats between some martialists and other classes when we came up with the Destroy his Jaw exploit that removes the target’s ability to speak. We found that it was a great way to neutralize many of a warlord’s best capabilities. How can he inspire with a word or shout if he can’t speak? Also, we play that a lot of magic requires (in good old AD&D terminology) verbal components for casting. If a wizard (or even various magical creatures) can’t speak, how can they cast their spells?<br /><br />Ultimately, I think that these latter two cases are examples where we pushed the boundaries of 4E mechanics to achieve what we believed to be a fluff or game-play advantage.<br /><br />Nick Kristof<br />President<br />The Fantasy CartographicNickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14531253485041961783noreply@blogger.com