4E: How do you visualise powers working?

[holywhippet]

It occured to me during my last 4E gaming session to wonder how some of the class powers would play out if you were roleplaying them. I'm playing with a warlord which has some, odd powers in combat if you think about it.

Hammer and tongs: You make an attack roll against an enemy and, if it hits, an ally next to the enemy gets a free melee attack against them as well. So basically you hit the enemy and one of your allies either goes "That looks like fun, I'll have a swing as well" or "No, no, this is how you hit someone".

Inspiring word: Lets self/ally spend a healing surge and get an extra 1d6 HP back as well. Since the warlord doesn't actually use magic, basically he is saying "Suck it up you wuss".

[CasESenSITItiVE]

Hammer and tongs: You make an attack roll against an enemy and, if it hits, an ally next to the enemy gets a free melee attack against them as well. So basically you hit the enemy and one of your allies either goes "That looks like fun, I'll have a swing as well" or "No, no, this is how you hit someone".

actually, since in d&d, it assumes that your constantly striking and parrying, and the attack roll just represents a possible hit, i would assume that power just creates an additional opening for that ally

[Oracle_Hunter]

Inspiring word: Lets self/ally spend a healing surge and get an extra 1d6 HP back as well. Since the warlord doesn't actually use magic, basically he is saying "Suck it up you wuss".

Isn't it great?

Yes, the Warlord's healing powers all revolve around him shouting at people, except for the ones that involve him smacking them around until they wake up. He's just a big, angry man and you'd better not wuss out on him.

[Orzel]

You never hit someone because someone else's hit looked fun?

I am currently kicking my cousin because my other cousin is having too much fun kicking him.

Inspiring word can go from an insult to a cheer to when that person you like asks if you're hurt and you're like "Nah. That didn't hurt." and play it off.

My group has 2 warlords. One's the cute girl no one wants to look bad in front off. The the other is her big angry sister who curses at you.

[Glawackus]

Hammer and tongs: You make an attack roll against an enemy and, if it hits, an ally next to the enemy gets a free melee attack against them as well. So basically you hit the enemy and one of your allies either goes "That looks like fun, I'll have a swing as well" or "No, no, this is how you hit someone".

All I can think of is Batman Forever. "Hey, Two-Face, show me how to punch a guy!"

[The New Bruceski]

I like Leaf on the Wind with a ranged weapon. I'm thinking a pole-vault and a push.

[Tsotha-lanti]

Generally, the short descriptions in the PHB are pretty useful.

Warlord powers tend to have some of the effects that are "hardest" to RP, so here goes...

Inspiring word - "I shout 'No surrender! No quarter!', and Bob feels the strength return to his sword-arm."
Furious smash - "I roar and strike the goblin skullcleaver, inspiring Bob to join me in the attack!"
Wolf pack tactics - "I attack the goblin warrior, distracting it so Bob can shift out of the fray."
Hammer and anvil - "I move in to attack with Bob, hitting the goblin hexer from both sides!"
White raven onslaught - "I strike down the goblin blackblade, leading everyone forward to crush the remaining enemies!"

For Warlords, specifically, Aragorn's and Theoden's melodramatic speeches in LOTR are a great example of using your powers. "A sword day! A red day! Ere the sun rises! Ride now! Ride now! Ride! Ride to ruin, and the world's ending! Death!" That's iron dragon charge all over. Just cut them down to one sentence or so: just "Stand, Men of the West!" (Renew the troops.)

There's endless ways to RP each power, depending mostly on the style and flavor of your character. Maybe your Warlord has a more personal touch, forming a close bond with each companion, and inspiring them personally with his confidence in them and their admiration of him (Rikk from Fans!). Maybe your Warlord coldly shouts instructions and orders, but his allies know that only by obeying him are they assured victory, and that death at the hands of the enemy may very well follow if they ignore his words. Or maybe your Warlord drives his "allies" with cruel words, threats, curses, insults, and a whip, fanning their anger and directing it against the enemy.

I like Leaf on the Wind with a ranged weapon. I'm thinking a pole-vault and a push.

That'd be impressive, considering it's a melee weapon power. (It's ridiculous enough when you, for instance, use it to stab an enemy through a window.)

[fireinthedust]

Isn't it great?

Yes, the Warlord's healing powers all revolve around him shouting at people, except for the ones that involve him smacking them around until they wake up. He's just a big, angry man and you'd better not wuss out on him.

Ah, the healing powers of yelling. See, Mom? I've been helping my rat-faced lil' sister all these years!

Yeah, I like the "you open up another opportunity" idea for the extra strike. Personally I'd like to know about shifting spaces' justification for goblins and such. Are they just jumpy little guys?

[Shazzbaa]

...This discussion just makes me want to play a 4e Warlord more than I did already.

[Tsotha-lanti]

...This discussion just makes me want to play a 4e Warlord more than I did already.

It really is the coolest class, hands down. Nobody's more of a Hero than the Warlord.

[Grug]

I see Hammer and Tongs as the Warlord striking in a way that pins the opponent, opening an attack for his friend.

[Oracle_Hunter]

Personally I'd like to know about shifting spaces' justification for goblins and such. Are they just jumpy little guys?

No, goblins are shifty - it's in their power name! It helps if you imagine them as Forest Imps and they cackle every time they shift.

Other great powers: Cleave with a Polearm. Not that it's hard to imagine, but I just like thinking of my Eladrin Spearmistress jabbing some guy 5 feet away and then whacking an adjacent mook with the spearbutt. It just makes me smile almost as much as Shake It Off - where the Warlord yells at someone to make them make a saving throw.

Spoiler

Show

Rogue: Ow! The Hexer's Stinging Curse is going to slap me if I take a step!
Warlord: Don't be such a baby! Is little roguey going to cry because the big-bad goblin scared him? Oooo, let's all run and hide because the scaaaaary goblin is going to use his mojo on us!
Rogue: *saves* Jeez, you don't have to be such a jerk. I'm going to cut your throat when this is over with...
Warlord: What was that, nancy-boy?
Wizard: Don't mind the Rogue, he's just Unaligned.

[tbarrie]

For Warlords, specifically, Aragorn's and Theoden's melodramatic speeches in LOTR are a great example of using your powers. "A sword day! A red day! Ere the sun rises! Ride now! Ride now! Ride! Ride to ruin, and the world's ending! Death!" That's iron dragon charge all over.

But the second half, at least, is Eomer's speech. (That old ham Theoden stole a lot of Eomer's best lines for the movies.:))

That'd be impressive, considering it's a melee weapon power. (It's ridiculous enough when you, for instance, use it to stab an enemy through a window.)

I'm sure he meant reach weapon. Though using Leaf on the Wind with an actual ranged weapon would be pretty awesome.

[holywhippet]

It really is the coolest class, hands down. Nobody's more of a Hero than the Warlord.

Yeah, except the warlord tends not to benefit from their own powers as often. Most of their abilities are aimed at making allies fight better.

[Dhavaer]

No, goblins are shifty - it's in their power name! It helps if you imagine them as Forest Imps and they cackle every time they shift.

It's kobolds who are shifty. Goblins use goblin tactics.

[Myatar_Panwar]

Funny. The warlord in my group is a goblin.

[holywhippet]

I see Hammer and Tongs as the Warlord striking in a way that pins the opponent, opening an attack for his friend.

Yes, but in theory you could have a 6 person party with 5 people as warlords (or even all 6). The first five hit a monster with hammer and tongs and the sixth one keeps making their own attack after each success. So that's 5 extra attacks, and then their own set of actions.

[Oracle_Hunter]

It's kobolds who are shifty. Goblins use goblin tactics.

And their tactics are shifty. See, I always tell people that goblins are far sneakier than kobolds, but do they listen to me? Noooooo

Other nice ones including Blinding Flurry when using a Hand Crossbow. I can't help but imagining a halfling quick-drawing a hand crossbow and then diving over a table while firing bolts in bullet time.

[SadisticFishing]

Yeah, except the warlord tends not to benefit from their own powers as often. Most of their abilities are aimed at making allies fight better.

Oh no :P End of the world.

I like the idea of indirectly winning fights for my group!

[chiasaur11]

Isn't it great?

Yes, the Warlord's healing powers all revolve around him shouting at people, except for the ones that involve him smacking them around until they wake up. He's just a big, angry man and you'd better not wuss out on him.

Man, that makes me want to play a Warlord like Sarge from Red vs. Blue.

[Morty]

I was thinking about RPing using Inspiring Word on a dying character and I couldn't help imagining warlord kicking a lying, bleeding fighter in the guts shouting "Stand up, you wuss or I'll have you clean the toilets with your own toothbrush, you lousy runt!".
Another one would be Thicket of Blades with a spear, something that occured to me when I was trying to make level 9 bugbear spear-using fighter. It's described as a series of fast slashes at enemies' legs, which is kind of hard to do with a spear.

[nagora]

Isn't it great?

Yes, the Warlord's healing powers all revolve around him shouting at people, except for the ones that involve him smacking them around until they wake up. He's just a big, angry man and you'd better not wuss out on him.

Inspired by the game "Goad the Fierce Man" from the first episode of Father Ted.

[Sebastian]

Another one would be Thicket of Blades with a spear, something that occured to me when I was trying to make level 9 bugbear spear-using fighter. It's described as a series of fast slashes at enemies' legs, which is kind of hard to do with a spear.

It is even harder to do on enemies without legs, but that don't stop it from working. :)

[Saph]

I was thinking about RPing using Inspiring Word on a dying character and I couldn't help imagining warlord kicking a lying, bleeding fighter in the guts shouting "Stand up, you wuss or I'll have you clean the toilets with your own toothbrush, you lousy runt!".

That's exactly how it works. In fact, the warlord doesn't even have to be near the dying character; he just shouts at him really hard and the dying guy wakes up. :P

That said, I usually don't try too hard to visualise powers in 4e. They're designed as game mechanics first, representation second, and I find the game flows faster if you don't try too hard to work out what's supposed to be happening.

Often they can be pretty funny, though. Like the "Hammer and Tongs" power fits perfectly if you're assuming Terry Pratchett mechanics. :)

Rincewind: "Ow!"
First thief: "No, no, no! What do you call that?"
Second thief: (mumble mumble)
First thief: "Speak up."
Second thief: "Overarm Belter, Mr Boggins."
First thief: "You call that an Overarm Belter? This - sorry sir, we'll have you on your feet in just a moment - this is an Overarm Belter."
Rincewind: "Ow!"
First thief: "Now, what you did was - sorry to impose, sir, this won't take a minute - what you did was this."
Rincewind: "Ow!"
First thief: "Got that? Now you try."
Rincewind: "Ow!"
First thief: "No, no, no. Look, let's start from the beginning . . ."

- Saph

[Totally Guy]

I like the ranger utility power Crucial Advice.

"Hey guy, don't do it like that. Do it like this"
"Thanks ranger you really are helpful! ... Bloody know it all... let's not talk to him for the next 10 minutes."

Once per encounter indeed. Someone else pointed that out on these boards before me.

Then there's the two warlords that stand next to each other adjacent to an enemy.

"You! Attack him!"
"Ok!" Bop! "Now you attack him!"
"Ok!" Bop! "You should attack him now!"
"Ok!" Bop! "Why don't we just both attack him?"
"No. That's stupid, we lose a +int! You attack him!"

[Grey Paladin]

Modern (4E) warfare mostly consists of a single high level Ranger and a troupe of cheerleaders Warlords shifting him around at high speeds and causing him to fire at the rate of a machine gun.

The day someone explains to me how the hell does Own the Battlefield works I'll gladly change my opinions, but so far it seems like trying to apply logic to 4E is like attempting to divide by zero.

[Frownbear]

how the hell does Own the Battlefield works

[wodan46]

Its works by magic awesomeness.

What I want to know is how Warlords can make people recover form injury induced unconsciousness just by yelling at them a lot.

[Roderick_BR]

It really is the coolest class, hands down. Nobody's more of a Hero than the Warlord.

I'd say, nobody's more of a leader than the warlord. He's like a pumped up, magicless bard.
Sounds loads of fun if you like to be the tactical mastermind in the battlefield. I may try one after playing my paladin.

[TwystidMynd]

What I want to know is how Warlords can make people recover form injury induced unconsciousness just by yelling at them a lot.

Dwarven Fighter, unconscious on the floor: "...."
Dwarven Warlord, kneeling next to his compadre: "Oy! 'Ere's free mug o' ale if'n yer t'be wakin' up, laddy!"