[4E] Regarding the awkward battlemind

[Angelmaker]

Hallo there, Folks.

This is a question regarding the awkward Augment System introduced in PHB3 for D&D 4E. I simply can´t figure it out. I am not a DDI subscriber, so that may explain a lot. :]

So, I have Power points, because the Battlemind is a psionic. That´s cool. I can do stuff with it, like for example Augment my Level 1 At Will Power called "Iron Fist". Let´s have a look:

Unaugmented it does:
Hit: 1 [W] + Constitution modifier damage.
Effect: Until the end of your next turn, you gain resistance to
all damage equal to your Wisdom modifier.

Augmented with 1 Power point we´re looking at:
Augment 1
Effect: Until the end of your next turn, you gain fire resistance
equal to 5 + your Wisdom mod.

AAaaand finally with 2 PP:
Augment 2
Hit: 2[W] + Constitution modifier damage.

So, how does it work?

1) Do I get BOTH augmentation bonusses if I pay 2 power points?
2) Or Do I only get the Augment 2 Bonus to the attack?
3) Or does it instead replace the damage listed?
4) Can i pay 3 Power points to get both benefits if I don´t get both benefits already at 2 PP?
5) If I augment the at will power with 2 power points, do I loose the damage resistance the power grants in favour of the higher damage?

I am totally confused and at a loss here. If someone would be so kind as to explain in a simple and understandable way what I am actually able to do with my power points I would be eternally grateful ( well, at least to the end of this month, I think :smallbiggrin: ).

Thanks guys.


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On a side note: I have a monk running rampant in my group where I DM - the group is level 6. The monk does reliably WAY more damage than the warlock and rogue in the group ( both are played decent ) due to the stone fist thingie ( an automatic 11 damage applied to a target that is close to you is blatantly overpowered in my oppinion compared to the rogue sneak attack ), the monk has near defender like defenses ( unarmored agility, curse you!!! ) and even is a better controller than the groups druid due to knockdowns and shifting the enemy around.

While the group does not perceive this as a problem, I do. I am sick of the monk´s ability to dish out damage, because when I base the encounter difficulty on what the monk can do, it´s near TPK for the rest of the party. And when I don´t the monk trivializes the encounter all by himself.

Is this only me? Am I wrong here, biased because of something? Do you allow monks in 4E in your groups? Do they fit in nicely or do you feel like me about monks? Is it just that the monk´s player knows what he does, and the rest doesn´t ( I don´t have this impression )?

Thanks for your attention once more.
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[Zaq]

Stone Fist FoB should not be doing 11 damage at level 6. Are you reading the power right? It's 3 + STR damage. Even with Crashing Tempest Style (which ups your FoB damage by 2 when wielding a club, which is not a very awesome weapon), that's still a +6 STR mod, which is a secondary stat on a monk. Even with a pre-racial 18 STR and a race boost, I don't think you can hit +6 STR at level 6. Your monk is reading the rules wrong.

Anyway, for power points, check PHB3 pg. 216. It's all there.

[dr.cello]

How is the monk dealing 11 damage with Stone Fist Flurry of Blows? It should deal 3 + strength modifier damage. You'd need a strength modifier of +8 to get 11 damage. Note that it's not an implement or weapon power, so you don't get the bonuses from using an implement or weapon.

I can see him doing 8 damage at sixth level, on average a bit less than a rogue with Backstabber would be doing on sneak attack (which does on average 9 damage).

EDIT: Ninjas, apparently.

[Angelmaker]

Why, thanks for the input. I´ll double check it then, but he IS a DDI subscriber and everything on his sheet screams legit with power cards n stuff. It IS written there. I am just totally irritated.

checking pg. 216 now... *scan*

[Kurald Galain]

(1) no, just the second
(2) no, see #3
(3) correct, you use the unaugmented version and substitute whatever is in the augment-2 section, in this case the damage.
(4) no, nor can you e.g. pay 4 points to use the augment-2 twice simultaneously
(5) yes


The monk does reliably WAY more damage than the warlock and rogue in the group ( both are played decent )
Warlocks being outdamaged is nothing new; warlocks are primarily about status effects, secondarily about damage. If the monk is seriously outdamaging the rogue, however, then either player is most likely doing something wrong.


the monk has near defender like defenses ( unarmored agility, curse you!!! ) and even is a better controller than the groups druid
Again, if the monk is out-controlling the druid, then either player is most likely doing something wrong. Possibly the defender, too, although there's more to being a defender than merely having high defenses.

[Angelmaker]

ok, that clears things up.

If I use augment 2 in Iron Fist, The Hit effect becomes 2[W] but the effect stays the same? Well, ok, that sounds reasonable if you think about it.

Thanks for helping me out, I´ll try to be less confused about this from now on.

Edit:
Thanks Kurald.

Also thanks on the input on the monk. I´ll try to check that stone fist stuff more thoroughly, but as I said it all seems legit. :smallconfused:

[Tengu_temp]

Also thanks on the input on the monk. I´ll try to check that stone fist stuff more thoroughly, but as I said it all seems legit. :smallconfused:

Maybe he's adding extra damage from Weapon Focus or the enchantment of his weapon/ki focus?

[Malek]

Regarding monks Stone Fist Flurry: I can see that 11 happening:

3 base + 4 str + 2 if target wasn't hit by triggering attack + 2 Crashing Tempest Style with club = 11 damage exactly.

Of course this means attacking target other than his main and using a club.

[Angelmaker]

If the weapon damage is not added to the stone fist damage then that´d mean there would be an error in the DDI subscription software. But it would certainly explain the high damage. Again, thanks for all the help on this topic, I´ll check it. :smallsmile:

[darkriku2000]

Errors in DDI software is nothing new. The month that PHB3 got added it used multiclass rules for the Psion no matter which psionic class you picked.