An enemy that has been halted by Combat Superiority can then perform a charge attack against one of your allies, whereas an enemy that has been knocked prone by Combat Agility must then spend a move action to rise. Together with the Mobile Challenge heroic feat from page 45 of Dragon Magazine #378, your responses to enemy movement should produce a savage amount of "stickiness." The prone condition causing the enemy to grant combat advantage to melee attacks is another luxury. Your shifting can benefit from the properties of Boots of the Fencing Master, Davros Elden's Defensive Step, and Great Cat Armor, and since this is a fighter power, it can trigger the Reckless Attacker paragon feat to boot.

Again, fighters with a Wisdom modifier above +2 (purple [2/5]) should avoid this class feature for reasons most conspicuous, and the power requiring adjacency to the enemy for the attack to occur does not sit well with Polearm Gamble fighters (red [1/5]) at all.

>Fighter Class Feature: Brawler Style (replaces Fighter Weapon Talent): While you are wielding a one-handed weapon in one hand and have your other hand free or wielding a spiked gauntlet, you gain a +1 bonus to AC and a +2 bonus to Fortitude. Your unarmed attacks have a +2 proficiency bonus. When you use the grab action, you gain a +2 bonus to the attack roll.

Red (1/5). I beg your pardon, Wizards of the Coast, but I fail to perceive the might that you have so clearly bestowed upon this class feature. Compared to a traditional Weapon Talent sword-and-shield fighter, you, as a Brawler Style fighter, forsake 1 attack bonus and 1 AC, and your non-AC defenses are exceedingly unbalanced and one-sided towards Fortitude. Your unarmed attacks are wholly worthless due to being 1d4/+2 weapons, and they require either spiked gauntlets (a second weapon to maintain the enhancement bonus of, and one that also occupies your hands slot for magic items) or a ki focus (which demands multiclassing and offers you only a limited selection of ki foci) for satisfactory attack and damage bonuses. Before you ask, the previewed Neck Snap daily power does denote that unarmed attacks shall be a facet of the build's encounter and daily attack powers. You could wield a spiked shield, possibly even a Rhythm Blade Spiked Shield, for additional AC and Reflex, but your offensive capabilities with this 1d6/+2 superior weapon would be shamefully poor.

Between marking, either Combat Superiority or Combat Agility, and Combat Challenge, I do not see any true selling point of grabbing at all, especially when it is nothing more than a disruptable pseudo-immobilization effect that does not function on Huge and Gargantuan creatures. The Grappling Strike at-will power and the Relentless Headlock and Neck Snap daily powers do not convey a favorable impression of the build; all these powers do is encourage a single enemy to remain adjacent to you, but the enemy was already heavily dissuaded from breaking off and attacking one of your allies due to your class features to begin with. Yes, your unarmed attacks and grabbing can be slightly upgraded through a few feats, but given the list of tax feats and essential feats that a fighter of any stripe is already bound to select (Weapon Proficiency, Weapon Expertise, Weapon Focus, Mobile Challenge, Toughness, Paragon Defenses, either Daunting Challenge or the Mark of Warding, a weapon group-specific feat, and so on and so forth), there would be little room to shoehorn in brawler-specific feats. Granted, grabbing does suddenly surge in effectiveness at the epic tier (black [3/5]) due to the Crushing Grab epic feat from page 59 of Dragon Magazine #368, but by then, you shall most likely be required to expend another epic feat slot just to be able to grab Huge and Gargantuan monsters.

4th edition is manly edition.

If the Brawler Style class feature had retained the +1 bonus to attack rolls, had integrated useful effects into grabbing without any additional investment, had granted a 1d8/+3 off-hand unarmed strike similar to that of the monk, and had meted out integrated enhancement bonuses into your unarmed strike (or failing that, proficiency with ki foci), then it would have been worthwhile. While playing a Brawler Style fighter themed after a wrestler or a luchador, that is, one who uses unarmed strikes or spiked gauntlets exclusively, is possible despite the present state of the build, it would be harrowingly suboptimal, and that is a disgrace. I had high hopes for the Brawler Style fighter, and they had been shattered and sundered. Unless the remainder of the powers of the build proves to be especially potent, my opinion of this class feature shall stay deplorably low.

>Ranger Class Feature: Hunter Fighting Style (Fighting Style): You can sheathe a weapon as a free action. Once per round, you can draw a weapon as a free action. You gain a +4 bonus to AC against opportunity attacks provoked by ranged attacks.

Black (3/5). Quite the generic name there. The Hunter Style appears to synthesize the Strength-based melee ranger and the Dexterity-based ranged ranger into a versatile combatant who can switch from blade to bow (and vice versa) in an instant to adapt to the situation at hand. I am not a fan of the spread-out focus and feat intensivity of this playstyle, and I would prefer a ranger who wields a pair of thrown weapons and need not fuss with drawing and sheathing, but this new style may be to the liking of some if designed properly. Also, this class feature offers a dedicated ranged ranger (one who does not wish for a beast companion) a more optimal direct benefit than the cringe-worthy Defensive Mobility of the Archery Style. Power and paragon path options for the Hunter Style shall cause the worth of this class feature to fluctuate at the paragon and epic tiers, of course.

>Ranger Class Feature: Marauder Fighting Style (Fighting Style): You gain Two-Weapon Defense as a bonus feat, even if you don't meet the prerequisites. You gain a +1 bonus to speed when you are not wielding a two-handed weapon or using a shield.

Black (3/5). A two-weapon ranger who must wield an off-hand weapon in her off-hand is a ranger that sacrifices offensive potential. That said, Two-Weapon Defense and a virtual Fleet of Foot outclass the Two-Blade Fighting Style's Toughness benefit, and various weapon combinations are still viable with this limitation, such as a bastard sword and a short sword used through the Weapon Master heroic feat from page 45 of Dragon Magazine #382, a duad of daggers with an 18-20 critical range from the Daggermaster paragon path, and a double sword that can save you much wealth by level and that increases your AC by 1. Again, the power and paragon path options for the Marauder Style shall cause the value of this class feature to fluctuate, but only the release of Martial Power 2 can reveal them to us.

>Ranger Class Feature: Running Attack (replaces Prime Shot): You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls made as part of a standard action that allows you to move and attack.

Black (3/5). Only a few worthwhile ranger powers, such as Frenzied Skirmish, Two-Wolf Pounce, and Attacks on the Run, involve moving and attacking with a single standard action. However, Martial Power 2 is sure to introduce more of these attack powers. That said, losing out on the various Prime Shot-related options, such as Called Shot, Prime Punisher, Prime Quarry trims down your potential to an extent.

>Rogue Class Feature: Cunning Sneak (Rogue Tactics): You do not take the -5 penalty to Stealth checks for moving more than 2 squares as part of a move action. If you move at least 3 squares during your turn, you can use any cover or concealment to hide, except cover provided by allies' squares.

Red (1/5) or black (3/5). A melee rogue (red [1/5]) could definitely do something more productive than attempt to skulk about and slink away in the heat of battle in a desperate attempt to gain combat advantage. A ranged rogue (black [3/5]), on the other hand, can use the leeway granted to her by her increased range to situate herself in just the right position and plink away with combat advantage she would not have been able to gain otherwise, aided by utility powers such as Fleeting Ghost, Chameleon, Shadow Stride, and Hide in Plain Sight. However, this class feature is entirely dependent upon terrain, lighting, conjurations, and zones, and placing yourself at the mercy of these variables does not make for a reliable class feature, though you can make this less difficult through items such as Armor of Dark Deeds, an Enshrouding Candle, Phantom Chaussures, and perhaps even a Shadow Band. Word has it that the powers of this build are based on Dexterity and Intelligence, and no rogue player in her right mind would risk having such abysmal non-AC defenses, and so it likely be prudent to ignore the Intelligence-based rogue powers in Martial Power 2.

>Rogue Class Feature: Sharpshooter Talent (replaces Rogue Weapon Talent): You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls with crossbows and slings. You receive Far Shot as a bonus feat, even if you do not meet the prerequisites.

Blue (4/5). I foresee a trend towards two general types of ranged rogues: rogues with Distant Advantage, Speed Loader, and Weapon Proficiency (Superior Crossbow) for an effectively 1d10/+4, load free, ranged 25/45 weapon; and drow and revenant drow rogues with Distant Advantage, Ruthless Killer, and Two-Fisted Shooter (with a single hand crossbow held in the off-hand, of course) for a virtually 1d8/+3, High Crit, load free, ranged 15/25 weapon that spawns a ranged basic attack upon a critical hit. Either way, this class feature renders the concept of a ranged rogue that much more viable, although it is still hindered by a degree of feat tax and difficulties in gaining combat advantage. Slings can be utterly ignored.

>Warlord Class Feature: Archer Warlord (replaces proficiency with chainmail and light shields): You gain proficiency with military ranged weapons. In addition, when you make a ranged basic attack with a bow, you can use Strength instead of Dexterity for the attack roll and the damage roll.

Blue (4/5). This class feature is not actually necessary for a ranged warlord. Proficiency with military ranged weapons is negligible as you are likely to head straight for Weapon Proficiency without a second thought, and the ranged basic attack benefit only applies on attacks with bows (not crossbows, oddly enough), which are +2 proficiency bonus weapons. A Strength/Intelligence warlord can take this class feature with no regrets, as she shall most likely eschew heavy armor anyway, though a Strength/Wisdom warlord would condemn herself by obliterating her proficiency with chainmail. The Paint the Bull's Eye and Risky Shot (there is nothing at fault with a striker power on a leader class) at-will powers are fairly decent, and set the build off to an auspicious start. Whether you concentrate on ranged attacks with a greatbow or a superior crossbow, or blend together melee powers and ranged powers with a Farbond Spellblade or a Hungry Spear, the ranged warlord options shall be sure to please.

>Warlord Class Feature: Insightful Presence (Commanding Presence): When an ally who can see you spends an action point to make an attack, that ally gains a bonus to all defenses until the end of your next turn equal to half your Wisdom modifier or half your Charisma modifier.

Red (1/5). This is fraught with detestably ill-thought design. Due to the bonus lasting until the end of your next turn rather than until the end of the ally's next turn, it has a substantial chance of not even being applicable. Even when the bonus is present during the turns of enemies, if the ally is not attacked (due to, say, being out of reach and several squares behind the party defender), then it goes to waste all the same. This class feature desperately yearns for errata.

>Warlord Class Feature: Skirmishing Presence (Commanding Presence): When an ally who can see you spends an action point to make an attack, that ally can use a free action to shift a number of squares equal to your Intelligence or Wisdom modifier before or after the attack.

Blue (4/5). While certainly a notch below, say, the Tactical Presence, I consider this class feature, which supports both Strength/Intelligence warlords and Strength/Wisdom warlords, to be considerably beneficial. The shifting that this versatile Commanding Presence bestows upon an ally is rather large, after all, and it can occur before or after the extra action. It can be used for both offensive and defensive purposes. On one hand, positioning is everything in 4th Edition, and an ally may already be exactly where she wishes to be when she spends an action point. On the other hand, positioning is everything in 4th Edition, and an ally may find her ideal spot just out of reach when she spends an action point. On one hand, shifting is null and void for an ally who is immobilized, prone, or restrained. On the other hand, a dazed or slowed ally can shift before performing a melee or close power, enabling her to attack with it in an exigency wherein she would have otherwise been isolated out of reach. Since an ally can utilize an action point when she desires, however, she can keep it in store for when it would prove most beneficial. This is where the Skirmishing Presence shines and where it leans towards the good side of warlord options. This class feature can trigger the properties of Boots of the Fencing Master, Davros Elden's Defensive Step, and Great Cat Armor too.

>Warlord Class Feature: Battlefront Leader (replaces Combat Leader): You gain proficiency with light shields and heavy shields. You also gain the Battlefront Shift power.
>Battlefront Shift, Warlord Encounter Feature
>Encounter ✦ Martial
>No Action, Close burst 3
>Trigger: You and your allies make initiative checks at the beginning of an encounter
>Target: One ally in burst
>Effect: The ally shifts half his or her speed.

Red (1/5), purple (2/5), black (3/5), or blue (4/5). I consider a +2 power bonus to initiative checks for you and your allies to be generally superior to a 3-square shift for a single ally (or a 2-square shift for an ally in heavy armor) when initiative is rolled. A Strength/Intelligence warlord (black [3/5]) who intends on wielding a longsword, a bastard sword, or a whip can stand to gain +1 AC and +1 Reflex by switching from a light shield to a heavy shield. A Strength/Wisdom warlord (blue [4/5]) or a Strength/Charisma warlord (blue [4/5]) can likewise eke out an additional +1 AC and +1 Reflex by upgrading to a heavy shield, which is particularly useful for a Bravura Presence warlord who can use this to can gird herself against the attacks she provokes from her enemies. Word has it that there shall be a heroic feat in Martial Power 2 that grants Battlefront Leader warlords proficiency in scale armor and an additional healing surge, which is why this class feature is more optimal for those warlords who would otherwise be relegated to wearing chainmail. Of course, a Tactical Presence warlord who is willing to forgo Combat Leader and a feat slot in the name of equipping herself with costly Tactician's Scale Armor could certainly do so to increase her Intelligence modifier by 1 for her damage rolls, Commanding Presence, and rider effects.

The moment the paragon tier metaphorically rolls around, however, this feat is abruptly devalued for Strength/Intelligence warlords (red [1/5]), and Strength/Charisma warlords (purple [2/5]) warlords alike. Combat Commander is far too momentous and nonpareil a paragon feat to forgo, and its Battlefront Leader counterpart, Improved Battlefront Shift, is by no means its equal. Strength/Wisdom warlords have nothing to fret over, as they cannot make use of Combat Commander anyway.

>Warlord Class Feature: Canny Leader (replaces Combat Leader): You an each ally within 10 squares of you gain a +2 bonus to Insight and Perception checks.

Purple (2/5). Perception is touted to be the most important skill in the system; Insight, less so. However, this suffers from the same issues that plague Battlefront Leader, that is, it does not provide the initiative bonus that Combat Leader grants. In a skill-heavy, combat-light game, this unquestionably rises in value, though for a campaign with an unknown balance of combat and non-combat, it would be best to not take the gamble.

On Strength/Wisdom-based Warlords:

Strength/Wisdom warlords bear four major weaknesses. Firstly, with regards to the two Wisdom-based Commanding Presences, the Insightful Presence is embarassingly ineffective, and so the Skirmishing Presence is the Strength/Wisdom warlord's only passable choice. Secondly, the initial four Commanding Presences have had a tremendous head start in the form of the Player's Handbook, Martial Power, and nearly two years of Dragon Magazine; the new builds shall obviously be much less supported when the options of the warlord class are viewed holistically. Thirdly, the singular Strength/Wisdom race in the system, the longtooth shifter, has its lone racial feature heavily skewed towards the defender and striker roles; Longtooth Shifting is of less value to a leader who concentrates on defensive measures, such as what the Insightful Presence and the Skirmishing Presence promote. Fourthly, the quintessential Combat Commander paragon feat is, alas, not compatible with Wisdom.

The options available to the Insightful Presence and the Skirmishing Presence can turn this all around, however. As an associate of mine had once spoken, "The line between a mediocre or amazing build can be as thin as a few good powers and feats." The fate of the Strength/Wisdom warlord rests upon the warlord feats and powers in Martial Power 2, then, and I hope for it to work out satisfactorily. Additionally, such warlords do have the perfect ability scores necessary for Polearm Gamble, which could render them the kings of polearm warlords.

That is all.

Can't wait for this motherfucking book!

Every day is a repost day.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.

I can't wait to roll a Str/Dex Combat Agility Fighter and rape anything and everything that dares to exist within weapon range.

>>7908380

Would that mean the attack from Polearm Gamble would trigger Combat Agility?

>>7908617
>Would that mean the attack from Polearm Gamble would trigger Combat Agility?
>Enemy moves up to you
>COMBAT AGILITY
RUN AWAAAAAY

>>7908617

It would, but you would need to shift adjacent to the triggering enemy in order to perform the attack. On the other hand, a Combat Superiority fighter can halt the enemy in its tracks using a Polearm Gamble, as per the FAQ:

http://wizards.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wizards.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1396
>26. Where is the target of your attack when you make an opportunity attack because of Polearm Gamble?
>An opportunity attack interrupts the action that triggers it, so when you make the opportunity attack, the target is in the square it's leaving, assuming that square is within your melee reach.

>>7908627

The Cowardly Fighter. I love it.

But, seriously. You could just opt to not use the shift and knock the enemy on its ass, couldn't you? That means no more having to bullshit your way into Polearm Momentum with stuff like Rushing Cleats or Mark of Storm.

>>7908435

So manly it can only be represented by little girls.

Brawler Style: Wizards, I am very disappoint.

>>7908658

You never HAVE to shift the whole value.

>>7908658
But there's no point in using Combat Agility for Polearm Gamble.

I just realized that Warlords can use Inspiring Word on themselves. They can GAR THEMSELVES BACK TO HEALTH!

>>7909028
Brawler style is awesome, what's the problem?

>>7911418
Everything explained in the opening posts. We all wanted an honest to god unarmed fighter, and instead we got shit.

>>7911621
Then play an unarmed Monk?

>>7911638
Not the point. The Brawler Style, we thought would be an honest to god wrestler. Not psionic, pure martial, grappling things to death in true defender style. How do you like 1d4 damage unarmed strikes with a +2 prof bonus?

>>7911621
The at wills are quite good, and the brawler feature is certainly superior to the +1 to hit with one handed weapons bullshit. The brawler is about hitting with a sword in one hand and grabbing them to hold them down and stab to death with the other, not punching and hoping that somehow a human hand does identical damage to a sword.

>>7911732
>The at wills are quite good

You mean "1[W]+Str and grab"?

>>7908500
Can't you delay to get your party the bonuses every round?

/adv/

>>7912829

You certainly can, but with added complexity comes unnecessary rigidity applied to the party's tactical synergy and attention diverted away from the assessment of the circumstances in the encounter. The other five Commanding Presences need not require the warlord to mind the initiative order and command their allies to adhere to a strict initiative scheme, and these Presences produce even more beneficial effects.

>>7911732
How is Brawler Style superior? You don't even get the usual accuracy bonus that fighters get.

Two threads at once? REALLY? Just roll it up in one!
Sage for metapost

I wish the group I ran with would let me use Dragon Mag shit.
Apparently, idiots in the past have soured them on it.

>>7914102
Only idiots use dragon mag shit, no exception.

>>7914102
Why should bad vibes from older editions' Dragon issues not let you use content from the new Dragon. This is totally in-house writing, and the debut stuff is content that WILL appear in future books!

>>7908391
>enemy that has been knocked prone by Combat Agility must then spend a move action to rise.

Where does it say that? They can charge on all fours and only get the -2 to hit. being prone does not prevent you from moving by RAW

>>7914337

As of one of the earlier batches of errata of 2008, the prone condition does, in fact, prevent you from charging.

>Prone
>Page 277: Add “You can’t move from your space, although you can teleport, crawl, or be forced to move by a pull, a push, or a slide.”

Crawling is its own move action delineated in page 288 of the Player's Handbook. It is not compatible with the charge action.

>>7914380
>Before a patch you used to be able to charge while knocked down.

I love intelligent MMO design.

>>7914102
None of this is from Dragon. It's all from Martial Power 2, a rulebook.

YES
Martial Power 2 (Hardcover - Feb. 16, 2010)

Player's Handbook 3 (Hardcover - Mar. 16, 2010)
The Plane Above: Secrets of the Astral Sea (Hardcover - Apr. 20, 2010)
Dungeons & Dragons Player's Strategy Guide (Hardcover - May 18, 2010)
Player's Handbook Races: Tieflings (Paperback - June 15, 2010)
Monster Manual 3 (Hardcover - June 15, 2010)
Demonomicon (Hardcover - July 20, 2010)
Dark Sun Campaign Setting (Hardcover - Aug. 17, 2010)
Dark Sun Creature Catalog (Paperback - Aug. 17, 2010)
Psionic Power (Hardcover - August 17, 2010)

>>7914337
I love this picture, it always makes me want to roll up another one of my halfling fighters. Go Sakura!

whither Arcane Power 2 ? my warlock needs more powa!!

>>7914380
>>7914337
I hate the fact that they have to write YOU CAN'T RUN WHILE YOU'RE PRONE, LOL in the rulebooks because of aspie faggots.

>>7908435
manly as in futa with balls? as opposed to futa w/o balls?

>>7916460
> implying the Artificer, Bard, Sorcerer, Swordmage, and Wizard won't get more power than Warlocks in AP2

no, wrong implying.
> implying that warlocks will still suck despite AP2

I love warlock fluff and Dragon has been nice with Charm of Hearts, which I love using, but Bard got Staggering Note at-will, and Wizards got that awesome Sprite at-will. wtf, wotc open the floodgates on some warlock love. please.

>>7916650
Irony; WotC obviously loves Warlocks. Hell, they make them one of the first classes, despite how everyone considered them shite in 3.5, they base the "powers" system of 4e practically around the workings of the Warlock+Tome of Battle, they "promote" tieflings to core race and fluff them specifically to go together like chocolate and sex, and then... BLEH.

Oh man. Rereading Martial Power 1 reminded me how pissed off I got at the Warlord section. They took a class whose primary fluff appeal was "Cleric for atheists." and made half of their Paragon Paths BLANK of DIETY. What the hell? Clerics and Warlords barely have any stat crossover, so its not like people would be mutliclassing them that much...

My take on the Wisdom warlord is that it finally makes dorf warlords not terrible, and means we no longer have to wonder why someone with Wis 10 is making the group's decisions.

You know, these threads always convince me to avoid 4e like the plague. Class-based system, racial shit, whiny fan base? No thanks.

>>7917263
you got mad? I got GLAD. INFERNAL WARLORD WAHOO

>>7917263
Dwarf warlords are going to be either Insightful or Skirmishing. The first doesn't sound very dorfy and (from what we can see) sucks, and the second is an elf thing more than it is dwarfy.

Why do bow warlords use Strength and not Dexterity? That doesn't really mesh with their design.

>>7918909
Pull bows.

I want to play a Str/Int bowlord now. Too bad I won't have good Wis or Cha, but Genghis Khan can do with just Int.

Wait. If it's an "opportunity attack", I can use feats like Blade Opportunist and Heavy Blade Opportunity on it, but not if it's an attack on an opportunity action? How does that work?

>>7918909

Archer warlords retain Strength as their primary score such that the melee powers of the class need not be forsaken. While Dexterity would make for a more thematic primary score, Strength ultimately establishes a more balanced mechanical foundation for the ranged warlord.

>>7920612

That is simply how the rules for opportunity actions and opportunity attacks function. An opportunity attack is almost always a melee basic attack, but a melee basic attack used as an opportunity action is not necessarily an opportunity attack.

I'm excited about the Hunter Style. Maybe I can get myself a ki focus and switch from two blades to a bow just like that.

I'd review Touhoufag's Martial Power 2 if you know what I mean.

>>7908400
Doesn't the RPG.net thread say there's a feat to increase your unarmed damage to 1d6? That might make it better.

>>7922873

The feat in question also raises the damage per [W] of a spiked gauntlet to 1d8 for you. However, a 1d8/+2 one-handed weapon is a far cry from, say, an effectively 1d10/+4 bastard sword or triple flail wielded by a Weapon Talent fighter.

>>Fighter Class Feature: Brawler Style (replaces Fighter Weapon Talent): While you are wielding a one-handed weapon in one hand and have your other hand free or wielding a spiked gauntlet, you gain a +1 bonus to AC and a +2 bonus to Fortitude. Your unarmed attacks have a +2 proficiency bonus. When you use the grab action, you gain a +2 bonus to the attack roll.

My dreams of martial luchadores have been broken.