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View Full Version : [4e] My take on the Tactical Warlord section of Warlord Essentials. (Now revised.)



Adslahnit
2009-11-10, 06:03 AM
A day or two ago, I had decried the quality of WotC's "Essentials" articles in Dragon Magazine on a few boards (including this board, in this thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=130945)), showing that they are severely poor guides for beginners and that the suggestions and class analyses contained in them were outright imbecilic. A particular poster on one of those boards played the ill-grounded "I would like to see you do better" card, and while such an argument holds no water altogether, I had set aside a few hours on Notepad to create the following section meant to replace the Tactical Warlord section of Warlord Essentials in Dragon Magazine #381. I implore you all to read through this and provide your comments.

Edit: In response to various comments, I have revised several sections of this proof-of-concept, sample article. The current word count is 3,049 compared to the original 369, but if you were to excise everything covering paragon feats, epic feats, paragon paths, and sample characters, it would be compressed to 2,170 words. Yes, this is still rather much, but I believe that it is necessary for conveying meaningful advice and guidance. Additionally, as another poster put it, "When someone's giving advice, they will say things like 'You should do this'. That doesn't mean they're demanding that you do this, or that they think doing this is the only possible way to do it, or anything like that. It's just the way normal people speak. It would be incredibly tiresome if, when giving advice, you had to constantly mince your words to appear inoffensive by saying 'You may, if you feel like it, perhaps do this, but you shouldn't feel you have to, and I'm merely giving you my personal opinion, mind you, not any sort of rule or law, so please do not be offended.' I much prefer a brief 'You should do this.'"



“Everyone, spread out and surround it; artillerists, keep your distance too. We don’t want it to catch more than one of us with its breath. Tordek, I want you to flank its left wing and get ready to daze it with a bell ringer; I’ll rush its right and create an opening for you to strike!”
~ Shou, Lay Clergyman and Lieutenant of the Church of Kord

Move quicker, hit faster, hit smarter, hit harder, and pummel your foes into the ground with sharp blades thanks to a sharper mind. That’s what you let your friends do. As a tactical warlord, you have long studied the art of small unit tactics, whether from lessons in a war college or from self-taught studies and inborn combat intuition. You respect the endurance that soldiers bolstered onwards by sheer inspiration can display (inspiring warlord), and you find an adaptable battle plan to be far from foolish (resourceful warlord), though in the end, you believe that an overwhelming offense wins the day more swiftly and more reliably. But to heedlessly rush into the fray, fueled only by bravado and a lack of foresight (bravura warlord)? That’s suicide. No, instead, you lead your comrades to victory through the precise onslaughts, the canny alpha strikes, and the shrewd ploys that only a true tactical genius could bring to bear.

A tactical warlord is all about coordinated offensiveness. Unlike a bravura warlord, you take few risks and minimize unwanted variables, ensuring that your party stays accurate and in the right place at the right time. As a warlord of this build, you specialize in granting four things to your allies: extra movement, free melee basic attacks, bonuses to attack rolls, and bonuses to damage rolls. You provide these to your compatriots mostly through hitting, so you’ll be right where the action is: in the front lines of melee, alongside the loyal soldiers who will be the recipients of your free attacks.

Essentially, you are a hands-on leader with a secondary role in striker. You may lack the sheer healing power of an inspiring warlord or the adaptability of a resourceful warlord, but by creating opportunities for your allies to attack or reposition themselves (especially flanking positions for melee party members), and by painting a giant bullseye on the opposition to make them easier to hit, you save the day by making sure that your enemies die as quickly as possible, minimizing damage done to your party.

Books This Section Mentions:
Player’s Handbook (PHB)
Player’s Handbook 2 (PHB2)
Adventurer’s Vault (AV)
Martial Power (MP)
Divine Power (DP)
Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide (FRPG)

Issues of Dragon Magazine that You Might Want to Look Into:
#368: Pages 65-65 of this issue bring to you the whip, a one-handed superior weapon discussed later below.
#369: Pages 53 to 55 of this issue present eight new diabolically-themed powers which any warlord can make use of, along with three feats and a magic item for warlords multiclassed into warlock.
#380: Genasi (FRPG) is a superb race for a tactical warlord, and this issue contains an article on the abyssal genasi. If the five default elemental manifestations aren’t cool enough for you, then you may find causticsoul, cindersoul, plaguesoul, and voidsoul to your liking.
#381: The one you’re reading right now. This very article contains eighteen new feats and sixteen new powers for warlords, giving you many more options to choose from.

Ability Scores: Strength affects how often you hit, how hard you hit, and your Fortitude. Since landing a strike means boosting your allies, this makes Strength vital. Intelligence determines the potency of your buffs, your Reflex, and your AC since you wear light armor (see below), making it marginally more important. You don’t require Constitution or Dexterity that much, though an extra healing surge is nice. You need a passable Wisdom or Charisma for your Will, and that’s just about it.

Suggested Starting Array: With the above in mind, a good starting ability score array for you could be 16 Strength, 12 Constitution, 10 Dexterity, 16 Intelligence, and either 12 Wisdom and 8 Charisma, or 8 Wisdom and 12 Charisma. The latter two scores are mostly a matter of taste and how you would rather see your character: as a perceptive, intuitive, and cold tactician whose nigh-obsession with the art of war and distant demeanor makes her a bit off-putting, or as a likeable and warm commander whose lack of common sense and awareness makes her plans a little too risky. To maximize the potential of your attacks, your support role, and your AC, you probably want to raise your Strength and Intelligence at levels 4, 8, 14, 18, 24, and 28.

Suggested Races: Any race that receives +2 Strength is a fair pick for you, but one with +2 Intelligence slightly more so. As a human, you can pick between either +2 Strength or +2 Intelligence, and as a tiefling or eladrin, you have an inborn +2 Intelligence. Eladrin also have access to the Eladrin Soldier feat, which helps a good deal with weapons (see below). As far as races from the Player's Handbook 2 go, goliaths, half-orcs, and longtooth shifters receive +2 Strength, and devas and gnomes have +2 Intelligence, so any of these would be a good fit as well. The elemental race of the genasi (FRPG) is superlative race for tactical warlord with its +2 Strength and +2 Intelligence.

Suggested Skills: With only four trained skills and a limited skill list, it might be a good idea for you to train yourself in skills that you have high (or decent) ability scores for. Athletics and History are a no-brainer since you have great Strength and Intelligence. Athletics allows you to you climb and make leaps to get into tricky spots, while History lets you be a scholar on many mundane fields, including large-scale tactics. If you’re an eladrin, your Eladrin Education racial feature can let you be trained in Arcana, so you can be a sage in the ways of magic as well. If you have 12 Wisdom and 8 Charisma, then Endurance and Heal could round out your last two skills to let you and your allies survive outside of combat, while 8 Wisdom and 12 Charisma could let you pick training in Diplomacy and Intimidate for a little interaction talent.

Suggested Weapons: For you, hitting is more important than dealing damage, because a hit from one of your powers grants great boons to allies, so a weapon with a +3 proficiency bonus is probably your best choice. Another great weapon property you should look out for is reach. As page 116 of Martial Power points out, “A polearm is a great weapon for a warlord. Many warlord powers rely on specific positioning, granting benefits to allies adjacent to you or the target you’re attacking. The reach of a polearm can help you get into the right position to make the best use of those powers.” The ability to fight just a little bit behind the front lines improves your tactical superiority as well. You can wield a glaive, a halberd, or a longspear by default, but they all have a +2 proficiency bonus. However, you can spend a feat on Weapon Proficiency to wield a spiked chain or a greatspear (AV); both are reach weapons with a +3 proficiency bonus. If you’re an eladrin and take Eladrin Soldier instead, not only do you get proficiency with the greatspear, but you get a +2 feat bonus to damage rolls with it too. You could even take Weapon Proficiency for the a whip (Dragon #368), a one-handed reach weapon with a +3 proficiency bonus, letting you hold a light shield (see below) in your off hand. That said, if you aren't interested in a reach weapon, a longsword and a light shield would work for you too.

Suggested Armor: Don’t make the mistake of wearing heavy armor. Remember that you can add your Dexterity or Intelligence modifier to your AC while in light armor. As a tactical warlord, you’re sure to have high Intelligence, so go equip yourself with some hide armor, which grants you +3 AC. You’ll still take a -1 penalty on certain skill checks, but at least your speed won’t be reduced, which helps you get into position. If you've chosen to wield a one-handed weapon such as a whip (Dragon #368) or a longsword, strap a light shield onto your other hand for +1 AC and +1 Reflex. You could upgrade to a heavy shield, but you might not want to if you can't afford to spend a feat (and take a further -2 armor penalty on certain skill checks) for it.

Suggested Feats: If you plan on wielding a superior weapon, such as a spiked chain, a greatspear (AV), or a whip (Dragon #368), then it would be reasonable to take Weapon Proficiency as your first feat (or for an eladrin wanting to wield a greatspear, Eladrin Soldier) so you can use it right away. Weapon Expertise (PH2) is another good pick, because it improves your attack bonus, and as we've covered above, hitting is good. Tactical Assault allows your allies to deal more damage when they spend an action point, improving your Tactical Presence class feature (see below), making it another fair pick. If you're an eladrin, you can select Tactical Inspiration (MP) to make your Inspiring Word hand out a little more healing. Weapon Focus could boost your damage for some of your powers, and Toughness can help your survivability in the thick of melee, but these two feats are of lesser priority than the ones mentioned above. At the paragon tier, two great feats are Combat Commander, which gives you and your allies a huge initiative boost to ensure that you get the drop on your foes, and Tactician’s Word (later in this article), which increases the attack bonus of an ally you use Inspiring Word on. Effective feats at the epic tier include the defense-boosting feats from the Player's Handbook 2, especially Robust Defenses and Epic Will (since you're going to be, quite bluntly, relatively weak-willed by that point and could use a stronger mind).

Class Features: Pick Tactical Presence for your Commanding Presence, which unlocks additional effects on encounter powers which have a “Tactical Presence:” line in them. It also lets your allies add half your Intelligence modifier as a bonus to attack rolls when they spend an action point to make an extra attack; be sure to remind them of this, or you’ll cry when you and they forget. Your Combat Leader class feature adds a +2 power bonus to the initiative checks of you and your allies too, which helps you attack first, so don’t let your friends forget this either. With a distinct dearth of other healing powers, your Inspiring Word is going to be the only way you can patch up your allies. Be very frugal with it, saving it for absolute emergencies, such as when an ally looks close to being knocked out or when an ally is unconscious.

Suggested At-Will Powers: Commander’s Strike is your keystone at-will. You’ll often run into situations where the best tactic is to ensure that one of your enemies gets clobbered hard, and who better to do it than, say, the barbarian (PHB2) or the fighter? Your ally gets to add your Intelligence modifier to the damage too, and by wielding a reach weapon, you can use it more conveniently. Your second at-will could be either be Opening Shove (MP), an accurate (since it attacks Reflex) and versatile attack which pushes the target and then lets one of your allies shift or make a free melee basic attack, or Wolf Pack Tactics, which can prove useful for repositioning an ally and involves you directly dealing damage. If you're wielding a weapon such as a greatspear or a spiked chain, especially if you also have a feat like Weapon Focus or Eladrin Soldier, then Wolf Pack Tactics would be more appealing to you; conversely, if you have a whip, perhaps Opening Shove could work better. Remember that if you've picked human for your race, you could have all three of these at-wills.

Suggested Encounter and Daily Powers: Avoid powers which call for Charisma, because you can’t use those very well. If a power has the words “Intelligence” or “Tactical Presence:” in it, then chances are, it’s a good choice for you. As stated above, granting extra movement, free melee basic attacks, bonuses to attack rolls, and bonuses to damage rolls are your forte, so your powers should likewise concentrate on those. Warlord’s Favor is a great level 1 encounter power which significantly boosts an ally’s attack rolls, allowing an ally to land an encounter or daily power more reliably (in fact, it’s being used in the opening quote). Lead the Attack is your quintessential level 1 daily power which you’d do well to keep throughout your entire career. For a level 2 utility, you could choose Knight’s Move for letting an ally move around, or Adaptive Stratagem (MP), which is solid even though you don’t have the Resourceful Presence. For your level 3 encounter power, Steel Monsoon is decent for tactical repositioning, and Devastating Offensive (later in this article) enables a swift beatdown. Use these powers as models for new powers as you level up.

Suggested Paragon Paths: The Battle Captain is a wonderful paragon path for a tactical warlord. Its features greatly enhance the accuracy and mobility of your allies during the first round of combat and when you use Inspiring Word, and its powers are quite decent too. The Longarm Marshal (MP) would be a fine choice for you as well, since it boosts your own accuracy and options with a greatspear. If you’re an eladrin, you can look forward to the Spiral Tactician (MP) too, which augments your Fey Step, one ally’s initiative rolls, and the action point benefit of your Tactical Presence. For a human tactical warlord, perhaps even the Adroit Explorer (PHB2) could prove effective, even allowing you to pick your own power for its encounter attack power.

Suggested Epic Destinies: As would be the case for any other character, you could do well by becoming a Demigod. It’s hard to not appreciate the +2 Strength and +2 Intelligence that cou get right at level 21, along with its other features and its regeneration utility. If you’d like something a little more down to earth, you could consider the Legendary General (MP) or the Warmaster (MP), though the latter would suit you better and would play to your strengths as a tactical warlord. Should you be multiclassed into a divine class, look into the Avatar of War (DP) and the Chosen (DP), both of which can grant you +2 Strength and +2 Intelligence at level 21, just like the Demigod, but with a little twist in their subsequent features.

Remember to keep your friends mobile, keep your friends accurate, keep your friends packing a swift whallop with every swing, and lead them with savage cunning in the heat of battle.

Sample Level 1 Tactical Warlords:

Race: Eladrin
Class: Warlord
Ability Scores: Strength 16, Constitution 12, Dexterity 10+2, Intelligence 16+2, Wisdom 8, Charisma 12

Racial Features: Eladrin Education, Eladrin Weapon Proficiency, Eladrin Will, Fey Origin, Fey Step, Trance
Class Features: Combat Leader, Commanding Presence (Tactical Presence), Inspiring Word
At-Will Attack Powers: Commander’s Strike, Wolf Pack Tactics
Encounter Attack Powers: Warlord’s Favor
Encounter Racial Power: Fey Step
Daily Attack Power: Lead the Attack
Feat: Eladrin Soldier

Equipment:
Weapon: Greatspear (AV)
Armor: Hide Armor
Gear: Javelin ×2, silk rope (50 ft.), standard adventurer’s kit, tent

Initiative: +1 (Dexterity modifier)
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Low-light
Passive Insight: 9 (10 base - 1 Wisdom modifier)
Passive Perception: 9 (10 base - 1 Wisdom modifier)

Hit Points: 24 (12 warlord + 12 Constitution score)
Bloodied: 12
Healing Surge Value: 6
Healing Surges per Day: 8 (7 warlord + 1 Constitution modifier)

Defenses:
AC: 17 (10 base + 4 Intelligence modifier + 3 hide armor)
Fortitude: 14 (10 base + 3 Strength modifier + 1 class)
Reflex: 14 (10 base + 4 Intelligence modifier)
Will: 13 (10 base + 1 Charisma modifier + 1 class + 1 racial)

Attack Bonus: +6 (3 Strength modifier + 3 proficiency)
Damage Bonus: +5 (3 Strength modifier + 2 Eladrin Soldier)
Damage per [W]: 1d10 (greatspear)

Trained Skills:
Arcana: +11 (4 Intelligence modifier + 5 training + 2 racial)
Athletics: +7 (3 Strength modifier + 5 training - 1 armor)
Diplomacy: +6 (1 Charisma modifier + 5 training)
History: +11 (4 Intelligence modifier + 5 training + 2 racial)
Intimidate: +6 (1 Charisma modifier + 5 training)


Race: Genasi, Causticsoul (FRPG, Dragon #380)
Class: Warlord (http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/7205/1257960878327.jpg)
Ability Scores: Strength 16+2, Constitution 12, Dexterity 10, Intelligence 16+2, Wisdom 12, Charisma 8

Racial Features: Elemental Origin, Elemental Manifestation (Causticsoul)
Class Features: Combat Leader, Commanding Presence (Tactical Presence), Inspiring Word
At-Will Attack Powers: Commander’s Strike, Opening Shove (MP)
Encounter Attack Powers: Warlord’s Favor
Encounter Racial Power: Acid Surge
Daily Attack Power: Lead the Attack
Feat: Weapon Proficiency (Whip)

Equipment:
Weapon: Whip (Dragon #368)
Shield: Light Shield
Armor: Hide Armor
Gear: Climber's kit, javelin ×2, handaxe ×2, lantern, silk rope (50 ft.), standard adventurer’s kit, tent

Initiative: +0 (Dexterity modifier)
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Normal
Passive Insight: 11 (10 base + 1 Wisdom modifier)
Passive Perception: 11 (10 base + 1 Wisdom modifier)

Hit Points: 24 (12 warlord + 12 Constitution score)
Bloodied: 12
Healing Surge Value: 6
Healing Surges per Day: 8 (7 warlord + 1 Constitution modifier)
Resist: 5 acid

Defenses:
AC: 18 (10 base + 4 Intelligence modifier + 3 hide armor + 1 light shield)
Fortitude: 15 (10 base + 4 Strength modifier + 1 class)
Reflex: 15 (10 base + 4 Intelligence modifier + 1 light shield)
Will: 12 (10 base + 1 Wisdom modifier + 1 class)

Attack Bonus: +7 (4 Strength modifier + 3 proficiency)
Damage Bonus: +4 (4 Strength modifier)
Damage per [W]: 1d4 (whip)

Trained Skills:
Athletics: +8 (4 Strength modifier + 5 training - 1 armor)
Endurance: +8 (1 Constitution modifier + 5 training + 2 racial)
Heal: +6 (1 Wisdom modifier + 5 training)
History: +9 (4 Intelligence modifier + 5 training)


Now, contrast the above with WotC's ill-thought and admittedly shorter overview of Tactical Presence warlords:



“Tordek, get in there and hold that line! We need covering fire now Mialee! Right. Now, the rest of you, follow me!”
~ Morgan, Veteran Sergeant and Adventurer

How can you win glory when you hand away every chance to your allies? Rather than inspire your companions, react to your enemies’ actions, or incite the party to rash action, you take a direct hand, smashing through the enemy’s ranks with strong attacks and tactical knowhow. Your attacks create opportunities for your allies, sometimes allowing them to move into positions, boosting their attack rolls and damage rolls, or covering them long enough for them to find their bearings and renew their attacks.

As a tactical warlord, your secondary role is defender and although you might not equal the fighter in tangling up your enemies, you’re no slacker either. Tactical Presence gives allies an accuracy boost when they make attacks from their action points, helping to ensure that no action point spent is wasted. The bonus is equal to one-half your Intelligence modifier, so Improved Tactics (Martial Power, page 136) and Tactical Assault are almost mandatory feats.

You’re going to be in the thick of things, so defensive feats such as Armor Proficiency (scale), Shield Proficiency (heavy), and Toughness should be early investments too. Unlike other warlords, you’re less likely to have allies attack in your place, so attack-boosting feats are critical too.

Power Selection: Tactical warlord powers reflect your hands-on approach to leadership, and you make attacks against your enemies directly. Look for powers that grant benefits to allies when you hit, and avoid those that substitute ally attacks for your own.

The two at-will attack powers recommended in the Player’s Handbook include Viper’s Strike and Wolf Pack Tactics. Both powers represent your style and poise in combat. The former reinforces your secondary role as defender, and the latter lets you move an ally into position. Use these powers as models for your encounter and daily attack power selections.

Ability Score Spread: Strength 17, Constitution 13, Dexterity 10, Intelligence 14, Wisdom 8, Charisma 11
“... a genasi tactical warlord might reduce Intelligence to increase Constitution...”

Kurald Galain
2009-11-10, 07:04 AM
I do believe this would be an improvement.

You give some advice that I'm not sure about, such as starting with 16 str and a racial bonus to int (or maybe I misunderstood that).

I do believe that as a leader, you should not focus on feats that give you a +1 to hit or to damage, but on feats that improve your tactical options. So I wouldn't actually take exotic WP, or weapon focus, as a warlord; but that's actually "advice I disagree with" and not "bad advice" (compare WOTC's suggestion of using scale armor, which is just plain bad advice, imho). Note that getting a bonus to-hit with your spear is irrelevant if you use commander's strike, though.

Adslahnit
2009-11-10, 08:18 AM
I do believe that as a leader, you should not focus on feats that give you a +1 to hit or to damage, but on feats that improve your tactical options.


I believe that the feats of which you speak (Tactical Assault, etc.) are limited to when your allies spend action points, which is why I consider them less useful than weapon feats overall.



So I wouldn't actually take exotic WP, or weapon focus, as a warlord; but that's actually "advice I disagree with" and not "bad advice" (compare WOTC's suggestion of using scale armor, which is just plain bad advice, imho). Note that getting a bonus to-hit with your spear is irrelevant if you use commander's strike, though.


Although Commander's Strike indeed does not require you to make an attack roll, powers such as Opening Shove (MP), Warlord's Favor, Lead the Attack, Steel Monsoon, and Devastating Offensive certainly do. It absolutely sucks to miss on Lead the Attack (and believe me, the rest of your party is going to cry or shout when you do). If you miss with that power, for example, your allies effectively start missing too (because you did not provide thme with a massive bonus to their attack rolls). Ergo, a high attack bonus is quintessential for warlord.

Kurald Galain
2009-11-10, 08:29 AM
I believe that the feats of which you speak (Tactical Assault, etc.) are limited to when your allies spend action points,
I agree; but I didn't mean those feats in particular. Overall, I feel a feat that gives you more options is preferable (to controllers and leaders, at least) over a feat that gives a numerical bonus.


If you miss with that power, for example, your allies effectively start missing too (because you did not provide thme with a massive bonus to their attack rolls). Ergo, a high attack bonus is quintessential for warlord.
Okay, but that doesn't really justify Weapon Focus :smalltongue: This does mean that Elf should be considered as a good race for warlords, because of Elven Accuracy.

Mushroom Ninja
2009-11-10, 08:32 AM
Viper's Strike and Wolf Pack Tactics? No Commander's Strike? WotC, I am disappoint. :smallfrown:

Adslahnit
2009-11-10, 08:33 AM
I agree; but I didn't mean those feats in particular. Overall, I feel a feat that gives you more options is preferable (to controllers and leaders, at least) over a feat that gives a numerical bonus.


I suppose. I would still prefer and recommend the feats that improve your numbers, however, as they are simply and easy to understand and appreciate the value of.



Okay, but that doesn't really justify Weapon Focus :smalltongue:


It does not affect your at-wills, true, but it shall aid with your encounter and daily powers. That said, you could push it back further to take Tactical Assault and Toughness before it if you would prefer to do so.



This does mean that Elf should be considered as a good race for warlords, because of Elven Accuracy.

By that logic, elf should be considered a good race for any class. Admittedly, it is, due to the sheer usefulness of Elven Accuracy, but that would mean recommending it in just about every "Race:" section of Essentials, which would be somewhat contrived.

Adslahnit
2009-11-10, 08:48 AM
Thanks to your feedback, I have corrected the "Feats:" section of my sample article.

Kurald Galain
2009-11-10, 08:59 AM
I suppose. I would still prefer and recommend the feats that improve your numbers, however, as they are simply and easy to understand and appreciate the value of.

Yes. Like I said, your column contains good advice, some of which I disagree with, whereas WOTC's column simply contains bad advice.

Awesomologist
2009-11-10, 09:47 AM
Make sure you submit this to WotC or at least post it in their article discussion thread. Some basically sound advice here, far better than what is in the actual article.
I agree however that Weapon Focus is a wasted feat for the Warlord (except for Bravura's). Damage isn't your thing. Accuracy is very important though, so mastering any +3 weapon should be a high priority. You focus on Greatspears, but I find it's also useful to have a longsword and heavy shield on hand. In fights vs solos reach becomes less important since monsters of that caliber will usually have some way of reaching you or will be unable to avoid your defender.

Cruxador
2009-11-10, 11:03 AM
Make sure you submit this to WotC or at least post it in their article discussion thread. Some basically sound advice here, far better than what is in the actual article.

He already put it on their forums. (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/21808693/My_take_o) As for submitting it to them directly... yeah, they don't like him.

Artanis
2009-11-10, 12:07 PM
Y'know, I think this is the first time I've EVER seen somebody other than me call the Warlord a secondary striker. Sweet, sweet vindication :smallbiggrin:




He already put it on their forums. (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/21808693/My_take_o) As for submitting it to them directly... yeah, they don't like him.

Why don't they like him?

Kurald Galain
2009-11-10, 12:08 PM
Why don't they like him?

Wouldn't that be the common reponse that "for legal reasons, we cannot listen to your ideas because we might get sued for using them if we do"?

Mushroom Ninja
2009-11-10, 12:11 PM
Personally, I prefer sword&board to spears, but that may be because I play in a 3-man party most of the time and get a good share of the attacks aimed at me.

Artanis
2009-11-10, 12:13 PM
Wouldn't that be the common reponse that "for legal reasons, we cannot listen to your ideas because we might get sued for using them if we do"?

I don't see how that relates to a specific dislike for him as a person.

Cruxador
2009-11-10, 12:44 PM
Why don't they like him?
I don't know the story myself, actually. I've never really endeavored to find out. You can feel free to ask him in PM if you want, but at the moment we're kind of derailing.

More on topic:
You want to hit more often so that you can help your allies more reliably, because failing to connect means you won't provide as much bonuses.
This is grammatically somewhat awkward. I'd say something more like

You want to hit more often so that you can help your allies more reliably, because failing to connect greatly reduces the bonuses you provide.

DarkPhilosopher
2009-11-10, 01:23 PM
This a very good thread. Do you happen to work for WoTC? Because if you don't, you should. And if you do, ask for a raise.

I would like to see more examples, like for example a good shield and whip warlord, or maybe explore the potential for hybrids and multiclass.

Keep the good work. :smallbiggrin:

Mando Knight
2009-11-10, 01:35 PM
Notes on items: Once an Eladrin TacLord can afford it, he should bring along a +1 Tratnyr for his heavy thrown weapon (he's proficient in it thanks to Eladrin Soldier), as well as a Longsword and at least a light shield in case he runs into trouble and needs the AC/Ref boost more than the damage and reach of a Greatspear.

Martial Power 2 will apparently have ranged powers for Warlords, so a Tratnyr-wielding Eladrin may be slightly more enticing...

The level 5 daily depends on your weapon: Polearm wielders want Pike Hedge, especially if you run up against a minion-heavy encounter (I once totally thrashed an encounter that was made up of minions in concealment due to the power), Rock & A Hard Place is tantalizing for TacLords with decent weapons and a Defender who draws lots of attacks, Situational Advantage is good for Tratnyr wielders, Scent of Victory is good when you're fighting a solo and have plenty of melee characters, and Staggering Spin allows you to clear your immediate area and hurl opponents into your allies' blades.

DarkPhilosopher
2009-11-10, 01:41 PM
A magic items section would make the article better, but it is already HUGE.

Adslahnit
2009-11-11, 09:52 PM
See the opening post for a revised version.