PDA

View Full Version : Martial Power 2 Playtest Article



Asbestos
2009-03-22, 11:19 PM
Just thought I'd put this up to discuss the glimpse at Martial Power 2. The entire article is a playtest for Fighting Style Feats. These feats are very similar to the X Style feats seen in the Gladiator article, but with a couple of key differences. Firstly, they require specific weapons, secondly they do the same thing for every at-will they can be used with, lastly they consist of more than one feat.

Here's an example.

Ninth Legion Style
A century ago, the Ninth Legion commanded fear
and respect from warriors across the lands. The dragonborn
soldiers in this force were never defeated.
They owed their long success to their chosen fighting
style, using spears and picks with heavy shields. The
weapons allowed for quick strikes, while the shields
protected not only themselves but also their fellow
soldiers to their sides. The Ninth Legion is now the
stuff of legends, but their fighting techniques live on.
Required Weapons: Any one-handed pick or a
spear. Examples include the javelin, spear, light war
pick*, tratnyr*, trident*, war pick.

Ninth Legion Impaler
Prerequisite: Any martial class, proficiency with a one-handed pick or spear.
Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Insight checks.
If you are armed with a shield and an enemy
grants you an opportunity attack, you may use any of
this feat’s associated powers in place of a melee basic
attack provided you wield a one-handed spear or pick.
Associated Powers: crushing surge (fighter, Martial
Power 7), furious smash (warlord, Player’s Handbook
145)

Ninth Legion Shield
Prerequisite: Any martial class, Ninth Legion Impaler.
Benefit: When you are wielding one of the Ninth
Legion Style required weapons, you grant adjacent
allies a +2 bonus to AC and Reflex Defense against
attacks made by enemies that are adjacent to you.



For the most part they seem like ways to get people to check out seldom used weapons/at-wills. The above fighting style could make for some rather sticky pick wielding fighters. Though, has anyone noticed that BRV fighters get a bonus to damage when using picks and yet NONE of the invigorating powers mention picks at all?

Starbuck_II
2009-03-22, 11:29 PM
They do seem neat.




For the most part they seem like ways to get people to check out seldom used weapons/at-wills.

That is a good way to make people choose stuff assuming all the feats are at least this good.

Like a feat that make Careful Strike/Sure Strike decent would be good: currently, there are few times when you would choose it over the other choices.

RTGoodman
2009-03-22, 11:30 PM
Thanks for reminding me! I totally forgot that article came out today. (Er, well, tonight at midnight, but whatever. :smalltongue:)

That said, I'm a little disappointed. I'm not really a fan of the Style feats from Dragon, and I'm not really a fan of these either. I mean, I get why people might want to use them, but in general I'm always just kinda underwhelmed.

I guess one of my problems also is that there are so freakin' many of them. I mean, yeah they don't want to leave anyone out, but still... I feel like eventually looking through feats in the Compendium or whatever is gonna be like 3.x Complete Champion - three-quarters is stuff I don't care about (organizations) before I actually get to anything useful.


I can say, though, looking at the calender, that I'm excited for the new Arcane Power preview on Friday. We've already had a glimpse at the new Familiar rules, and then last week (I think?) we saw some new rituals, so I can only imagine it'll be (1) a paragon path; (2) an epic destiny; or (3) some new powers (probably for Wizards, since they haven't had as much love as Warlocks, Bards, and the newer Arcane classes recently).