U82 Preview 1 - Enhancement Changes (and one new Feat!)

[Griglok]

Can we please take this opportunity to allow Clerics to make their trance CHA or WIS based with Divine Might in Warpriest? Also, wis to-hit and dmg would be nice to open up additional options beyond clonk/falconry for our wis-based rage builds.

 

[Lichcrak]

It'd still give less damage than currently on live (cha mod to half cha mod) so in a game that revolves around burst windows the maximum power would be less.

I like that it's maximum numbers are nerfed because it was overperforming on live, but I don't like once per rest abilities. 3min cd (or even 5min cd) are indeed buffs compared to 1/rest.

Numbers have been that high for over a decade; I understand it being brought down due to the ability stat creep. But the 20s is a wild reduction in the time, without removing the charge based. I feel like 3 min would be an alight timer allows it to be up kept with 9 people, so even with 4 you get decent upkeep by requiring people to have it.

I think it should keep the health requirement, gives the rose colored googles a purpose as more than just a "fun" item.

 

[Lichcrak]

Only recent thing overperforming was the 2 min duration, personally I'd rather it just go back to 1 min and leave it alone.

 

[Edrein]

• Smite Foe (Core 1) now applies “On hit: you are healed for 1d3 per Character Level, which scales with Positive Spell Power. This healing can only trigger once per use of this ability.” (Ameliorating Strike in T4 still applies the heal to nearby allies, and adds the Lesser Restoration to you and nearby allies.)

Please sir; can we change this to racial-typed? I don't think the Lord of Blades is giving me positive energy vibes as a toaster. Or Lady Vol is wanting to burn my vampiric flesh.
The other changes are actually great for shoring up the domain differences.

 

[Phloat]

It'd still give less damage than currently on live (cha mod to half cha mod) so in a game that revolves around burst windows the maximum power would be less.

I like that it's maximum numbers are nerfed because it was overperforming on live, but I don't like once per rest abilities. 3min cd (or even 5min cd) are indeed buffs compared to 1/rest.

I agree that a cooldown is a buff compared to 1/rest. And it definitely nerfs burst window. I'm saying a 83.3% nerf is a bit much. It's giving draconic breath nerf

 

[Tumideon]

Gah, Dragon Lord, how I'll miss thee lol. Not a bad change though.

Really, really LOVE The war priest changes, y'all really do read the Suggestions/Generals after all huh? Feel like that thread was started only a week or so ago.

Always good to see Universals get love, but to add onto others: Warlock, Barbarian, HW, Falconry, and Archmage could all use some love too!

 

[Anyes_Eristan]

Consider adding and additional effect to the Paladin version: "Holy Sword now also grants +10 melee power"

Yeah, Holy Sword becomes less relevant for pally vanguard builds. Should have some use. Melee power or sacred bonus instead of competence.

 

[Ying]

Lock In

• Included automatically with Improved Two Handed Fighting and Two Handed Specialty
• Active: (Requires you to be using a Two Handed Weapon and not be in Animal form to activate. Hand and a Half does not count.) For 20 seconds, you cannot benefit from Strikethrough. For the duration, you gain Melee Power equal to 50% of your Strikethrough. This effect ends early if you switch to a style or weapons that do not meet the requirements. 60 second cooldown.
  • Notes: Two Handed Fighting builds are doing well against large packs of mobs, but they're significantly behind when dealing with Bosses and larger targets, to the point where we're hearing some THF builds are being excluded from Raids. This gives them significantly more ability to deal with single targets, while not at 100% uptime. Exact numbers of MP/Strikethrough ratio are a work in progress.

I wonder if Lock In will make thief acrobat qstaff builds competitive now for single-target damage, since sneak attack scales at a higher rate for melee power. So much math to do, so little time.

 

[Monkey_Archer]

Re: Warhammers

I think it is a bad idea to give them strikethrough directly. Warhammers are already the strongest non-vistani weapon in the game, so doing this would make everything else obsolete for all SWF builds.

Perhaps instead grant them strikethough in the battle engineer tree directly, and/or make that an anti-req with knight's training.

 

[Grunndi]

Melee Weapons:

• Morningstar and Warhammer are now considered hand-and-a-half weapons, benefiting from Strikethrough and the Two Handed Fighting feats in the same ways Bastard Sword and Dwarven Waraxe do.
• Notes: We're on the fence about Warhammers with this one, but want to see it play out in this preview before making a final decision. This isn't an enhancement or feat changes, it's here as it's relevant to Battle Engineer especially.

Warhammers don’t particularly need a buff and adding Warhammer here will further kill Bastard Swords and D-axes, which are already kind of flavor build/niche items.

Please either give the OG ones a little buff (preferable), make the strikethrough incompatible with Knights Training, or just reconsider Warhammers here.

New Feat:

• Lock In
  • Included automatically with Improved Two Handed Fighting and Two Handed Specialty
  • Active: (Requires you to be using a Two Handed Weapon and not be in Animal form to activate. Hand and a Half does not count.) For 20 seconds, you cannot benefit from Strikethrough. For the duration, you gain Melee Power equal to 50% of your Strikethrough. This effect ends early if you switch to a style or weapons that do not meet the requirements. 60 second cooldown.
    • Notes: Two Handed Fighting builds are doing well against large packs of mobs, but they're significantly behind when dealing with Bosses and larger targets, to the point where we're hearing some THF builds are being excluded from Raids. This gives them significantly more ability to deal with single targets, while not at 100% uptime. Exact numbers of MP/Strikethrough ratio are a work in progress.

Pretty please, with sugar on top, can this be made to work with Hand-and-a-Half but only when also using a shield? You can keep it limited to larger shields if you’re worried about Swashbuckler/SWF shenanigans.

Or maybe add that ability to the currently very underwhelming Dwarf Fortress enhancement?

Full disclosure, I am and will always be a Throw You Weight Around, Dwarven Axe and Shield build. Because dwarves are awesome, and that is the most awesome way to play a dwarf. It is not meta.

 

[Lotoc]

Really do not give Warhammers and Morningstars the hand and a half property.
They are a Martial and Simple weapon respectively, but they are also Knight's Training weapons, meaning they can match the khopesh crit profile (though for morningstar that's scourge specific because you guys refused to buff maces and morningstars to parity with the introduction of knight's training)
Warhammer with strikethrough kills Waraxe and BSword twice over, unless Waraxe and Bastard Sword get added to knight's training too.

 

[Oliphant]

Purple Dragon Knight:

• The Purple Dragon Knight enhancement, For Cormyr!, no longer requires you to be under 50% HP to grant its damage. Its damage bonus buff has been reduced to half your Charisma modifier, and it now lasts for 20 seconds.

Completely gutted the race now. Sad. 83.3% nerf is a bit ridiculous.
I'd make it EITHER half mod or 60s duration. It's 1 charge per rest already. 50% nerf instead of 83%

Yes, so lame.

 

[Grimscore_Riffstorm]

Melee Weapons:

• Morningstar and Warhammer are now considered hand-and-a-half weapons, benefiting from Strikethrough and the Two Handed Fighting feats in the same ways Bastard Sword and Dwarven Waraxe do.
• Notes: We're on the fence about Warhammers with this one, but want to see it play out in this preview before making a final decision. This isn't an enhancement or feat changes, it's here as it's relevant to Battle Engineer especially.

Hmm . . . It might be a bit of a reach, but with Greatclubs and Mauls both falling into the 1d10 category our other hand-and-a-half weapons are, why not give us the ability to simply one-hand Greatclubs and Mauls in addition to two-handing them? This would give us some more of that strikethrough goodness and have some better logic than weapons that don't even have the profile of something with strikethrough, but also give us a deeper build versatility with them as well.

 

[Oliphant]

20 second boosts, swapping weapons for DR etc, very lame changes.

 

[Sormiron]

here we go again with the warpriest tree that I think all gave up on. I like the thought of it being a hybrid giving spellpower. the crit threat + multi combo is now needed for anything going with weapons realy so that is good.

I think I´d like to see radiant Flourish as a cleave and about the same scaling as divine vessel is now. small chance of blind can remain.
divine vessel needs way higher scaling making it greater cleave worthy as it is a t5. chance of knockdown would be fitting.
Also I´ve been looking at what you´ve done with ki-spells and I think a similar scaling could be done there, 150% melee power and some spellpowerscaling.
Add in the ability for Mastery of fire and mastery of light epic feats for extra spelldamage of either on these attacks. would be very cool and deal a bit more damage, but also costly in feats.
It would fit the theme.
the same thing might could maybe be done with Elemental inferno in the arcane archer tree. that tree is also comming up lacking on later levels.

I know you have been against adding wisdom to damage to clerics directly for clerics but I think it is time.
you can add it as a multiselector with divine power. divine power doesnt give anything to a wisdombased cleric at max level. the bab maxes out anyways and the strength doesnt do anything. Also there is a spell you can take that does the same thing without the strength. this opens up a whole lot of more options of what a cleric can do with the Domains.

Multi selector with Divine might for wisdom or charisma would be supersweet.

Charisma based clerics for Turn undead is super rare as it is so specific and kills almost any spellcasting. still doable with feydark illusionist rather cheap though.

add +2hit and damage or +1 imbue dice at core 3 maybe.

with this above you´d have a tree that ppl can try with interest without it being too powerfull or weak I think.
it will not be as powerfull in raw melee power as a paladin, it will be dependant on what you do with domains and your playstyle. wich there will be plenty of.

please Add +1threat + multi in the falconry tree so it can stand on its own and not require vistani, paladin or cleric.

Edit: Let smite foe count as a smite in divine crusader.

 

[Spook]

Lock in should be a stance not an active attack and rebalance accordingly

 

[Strype McClaine]

I wonder if Lock In will make thief acrobat qstaff builds competitive now for single-target damage, since sneak attack scales at a higher rate for melee power. So much math to do, so little time.

I saw lock in and I zoomed in on that immedately.

 

[pirotessa]

With what seems to be only limited time to fix enhancement trees, why on earth would you pick harper agent as one to focus on, when so many class trees are outdated and have had threads galore for how to address them? I can't recall seeing one thread for harper agent. Bard, Rogue, Barbarian, Ranger, Wizard, are all looking at you and asking what were they thinking???

 

[pirotessa]

Sacred Fist still DOA without a trance like KOTC that includes a to hit/damage. Please add that for any melee tree/class you update. Vanguard needs a trance (or Kensai).

 

[D's / Iron & Mortanis/Kin]

can we get some help with Druid Wolf & Bear Please ?? Lower their AP Cost.... better attacks... spread them out in the druid levels so each druid caster level gets at least one bear or wolf attack