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1 year ago ::
Jul 01, 2008 - 9:40AM
#1
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Thanks to Cooperflood for the picture and formatting.
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1 year ago ::
Jul 01, 2008 - 9:41AM
#2
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[size=+2]The Warlords Role[/size]
First you have to understand what a Warlord does and what he does not do. Warlords do not have it as easy as the rest of those people that call themselves adventurers. The Warlords job tends to require him to constantly think, he cannot get away with spending half his time mindlessly blasting things, hitting things, or running from things (hopefully after hitting them), like most of the others do.
You see, the Warlords primary role is resource management!
Yep, that’s right, Warlords are glorified managers. They should be spending every waking moment thinking about ways to maximize their group's resource effectiveness while minimizing resource utilization.
These are the resources that Warlords manage, in other words this is what the Warlord does.
[sblock=What a Warlord Does]
1) Human resources. It is the Warlords job to make sure he does not lose any human resources, generally by keeping them from kicking the bucket. This is done by keeping allies from losing too many hitpoints in a single encounter. A few words of encouragement here and there, a bit of advice, and a whole lot of swearing and yelling can keep an ally in the fight instead of pushing up daisies.
2) Hitpoints. If you want to be a Warlord you better keep this in mind, in the long run, hit points are not people. Managing human resources means keeping the resource, in this case people, from dropping below 0 hitpoints. In comparison, hitpoint management refers to making sure that the party uses as few hitpoints and healing surges as possible in an encounter. It is the Warlords job to do both, and they do not necessarily go hand in hand. It is quite possible that letting an ally die will preserve more hitpoints/healing surges in the short term, which is why keeping people alive is your first resource to manage, not your second. Of course, if you are a sick sadistic Warlord, feel free to let people die for you, just expect your reputation to spread. Meanwhile, remember that it is generally preferable for you to use an inspiring word on an ally rather than let them heal themselves. Preventing allies from being hit is a good way to preserve this resource as is creating more hitpoints.
3) Action management. It is the job of the Warlord to make sure allies never waste an action. You see, every action that is wasted is more time that an enemy can attack, and that wastes resource 2. Consequently, a Warlord can move allies into positions where they can attack, move enemies into positions where they can be attacked, or remove status conditions that prevent an ally from moving into proper position or getting in an attack. Remember that this is a bit of give and take, the Warlords action plus the action of the ally must be at least equivalent in effectiveness to what would have happened if the Warlord had attacked instead of aided an ally. Otherwise, the Warlord is wasting his action and possibly an exploit just to give an ally an equivalent action.
4) Quality assurance. So far we have been covering resource conservation more than anything else. Here we are saying that it is the Warlords job to make sure his allies hit harder, faster, and more often. Buffing allies may mean the battle ends quicker, and that conserves resource 2.
5) Battlefield. You might think that battlefield management is the province of the controller. Up to a point, you would be right. However, a wizard tends to control the battlefield by preventing enemies from moving to a specific location on a large scale. The Warlord, on the other hand cleverly moves allies and enemies to the place that he wants them, generally on a smaller scale. The Wizard controls through restrictions, a Warlord controls through intervention. Placing the Rogue into flanking position, moving an enemy to be adjacent to the Paladin instead of the squishy Warlock, or forcing an extra enemy or three into the Wizards fireball radius all indirectly duplicate management of resources 2-4.
6) Backup defender. You are not a defender, but you are the next best thing. You probably have slightly better AC and healing surges than the strikers in your group and even any allied Clerics. Again for emphasis, SLIGHTLY. In addition you are built for melee. For these two reasons, you become a secondary meat shield. Try not to get hit too hard, however, unlike with the Fighter, you actually have wits and good looks that might be damaged by a hit to the head.
7) Either a face or a strategist. You may be the most charismatic or intelligent person in your party. Your training in warfare and possibly history make you a superb tactician if you are smart enough. Just remember to take the occasional advice from the Wizard; he is probably as smart as you. On the other hand if you lead through personality, you might want to speak for your party. Remember that you are not great at reading body-language, so a ray Cleric might be your superior at this. Otherwise you should be just as good as the other charismatic members of your party at speaking with others.[/sblock]
[sblock=Things a Warlord is not!]
1) A Warlord is not covered in glory. If you want glory, be a striker. If you want to be the behind the scenes catalyst, be a Warlord.
2) A Warlord is not a controller. The Warlord controls small groups of close enemies. A controller controls large groups of enemies at range. The Warlord should not expect to be able to work at a macro level and should cooperate with the Wizard so that the Wizard does not get into the micro management that you can do.
3) A Warlord is not a punching bag. In case you missed it earlier, SLIGHTLY better defenses than the squishies. You are a backup defender; let the Fighter and Paladin show off how well they can be punched. Think about that last sentence and ask yourself if you actually want to be the punching bag.
4) A Warlord is not the party leader. In combat, when using your exploits, ordering around people is fine. However, each person is, hopefully, an expert in a field that you are not. Let your allies do what they do best. A great leader knows when to shout an order, when to quietly suggest a course of action, and when to keep his bossy mouth shut. This goes double….no triple….for when you are out of combat. Unless your group has chosen you to be the leader of the party, do not try to be one.
5) A Warlord is not a Warlord. Yep you heard me right. A Warlord does not lead armies, does not organize wars, and does not necessarily have the rank of lord. A Warlord helps coordinate the efforts of small bands of combatants; he is closer to a Sergeant than a Warlord and should act like it.
6) A Warlord is not a solitary player. A Warlord is a party resource and should act like it. You work at your best when you work with others.[/sblock]
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1 year ago ::
Jul 01, 2008 - 9:42AM
#3
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[size=+2]What type of Warlord are you?[/size]
As you start training, you will need to make a few very hard decisions. The first is to decide what type of Warlord you want to be. For some of you, the decision has already been made for you; if you have good looks and a forceful personality, you will be an Inspiring Warlord. If you are a genius at tactics, you will be a Tactical Warlord. If you love to gamble and are a master of risk taking and beating the odds, you will be a Bravura Warlord. If you are a little tactical, a little charismatic, and a whole lot of careful, you will be a Resourceful Warlord. However, most of you are still young enough that you can train up Charisma or Intelligence and decide how to ask. For you, read the following advice:
Every type of Warlord has strengths and weaknesses. An optimized Warlord is one that chooses strengths and weaknesses that complements the situations he will likely get into. Some Warlords will be presented with a consistent set of allies, allies that they can work with at developing combos and synergistic abilities. Other Warlords will be forced to work with whoever is at hand. A Warlord that works consistently with a Cleric will need less healing than one that does not. Some Warlords can afford to take gambles, others cannot afford even a few seconds of full failure. These are the four types of Warlords and their strengths and weaknesses.
Tactical Warlord:
[sblock=Tactical Warlord:]
I will be blunt, in combat, Tactical Warlords will contribute more toward victory than the other Warlords, especially at later levels. That is not to say that other Warlords do not have their place in a party, they do. However, the Tactical Warlord has a massive advantage over the others. Even considering the Inspiring Warlords potent Furious Smash at-will ability, other Warlords are not as good as the Tactical Warlord at boosting the party when the chips are down. You see, the advantage that Tactical Warlords have is that they can enable a party nova. At high levels, against a BBEG, a Tactical Warlord can use the combination of his Tactical Presence, exploits like Thunderous Fury, and multiple uses of the Battle Captain's Battle Inspiration to allow his entire party to make a massive assault with high powered abilities and grant those allies massive bonuses to hit and damage. This simple tactic, usable once every other encounter, can turn a monstrously difficulty battle into a clean up job. The other Warlords lack the ability to provide such a massive surge to their allies. In addition, Tactical Warlords will begin with better ACs. Other Warlords have to work to get Scale Mail to match the 18 Intelligence Tactical Warlord wearing Hide Armor; this minor difference in AC helps make Tactical Warlords slightly better in combat early on.
While the Tactical Warlord will overall contribute massively to combat through their novas, the Tactical Warlord is weak in several areas. Probably the greatest weakness of the Tactical Warlord is that his novas are a team effort. A Tactical Warlord is fairly weak by himself and is weakened when his abilities are not properly utilized by his party. Such reliance means that Tactical Warlords are often at a disadvantage if they do not consistently work with the same allies. Tactical Warlords also suffer from less attribute flexibility than any of the other Warlords. A Tactical Warlord should have an 18 Intelligence to maximize his AC and class abilities. This requirement makes Tactical Warlords the least flexible Warlord option for choice in optimized race. The Tactical Warlord also suffers from quick burn-out. A Tactical Warlord's best abilities will only work once every other encounter. While it is fun to nova, it is less fun to use weaker abilities for the rest of the combat. Finally, Tactical Warlords lack the maximized social skills that the other Warlords can rely upon. This means that the Tactical Warlord will be less useful out of combat and will often find social encounters to be out of their area of expertise.
[/sblock]
Inspiring Warlord:
[sblock=Inspiring Warlord:]
Inspiring Warlords are the Warlord masters of healing! The Inspiring Warlord is currently competitive with the Cleric (after a few feats) for purposes of returning lost hitpoints. When it comes to granting extra saving throws, the Inspiring Warlord is currently king of the hill; no one is better. Some groups, especially new ones or inexperienced ones, will not be able to make the best of an opportunity to surge offensively or will leave enough holes in their defenses that they are easily hit, hit hard. These groups need a healer. Inspiring Warlords also make incredible faces. Not only will such Warlords have the Charisma to maximize their social repertoire, they will likely also have a personality conducive to such activities.
You will almost always preserve more resources, in the long run, by attacking rather than healing. This helps to make Inspiring Warlords the weakest combat contributor of the Warlords. Most of the Inspiring Warlords non-healing exploits are unimpressive or worse. This combat weakness is exasperated by the time and feats it will take for the Inspiring Warlord to get a decent AC. For this reason, Inspiring Warlords will often stick to the second ranks. Inspiring Warlords will also often be asked to play the party speaker, shy Warlords will not enjoy this aspect of the role.
[/sblock]
Bravura Warlord:
[sblock=Bravura Warlord:]
If you want to deal damage on a regular basis, this is the type of Warlord you want to be. While you may not be quite as good at novas as the Tactical Warlord, you can use your best abilities all the time, not just once every other encounter. Bravura Warlords also have some of the most energizing personalities out there. You tend to take gambles, rush into danger, spit on risk, throw caution to the wind, and, as often as not, help keep the tempo of activity in a heightened state. In other words, you are never going to be bored for long. Bravura Warlords are the best Warlords for controlling combat tempo, maximizing charging if needed for this purpose, and forcing the enemy to make hard decisions. They also make decent faces when their risk taking exuberant natures do not interfere.
Bravura Warlords need to be master gambler. Some people are just not good at estimating odds and judging situations well enough to take good risks. Thus Bravura Warlords tend to be made up of either the elite or the dead. Bravura Warlords are also very inconsistent. While a Bravura Warlord's gamble will average more damage than most other Warlord options, encounters will unpredictably be above and below average. While it is fun to blow an encounter out of the water it is not fun to provide Combat Advantage again because of the fifth straight failure. In addition, Bravura Warlords tend to rely on the stupidity of their enemies and the risk tolerance of their allies. The better able an enemy is at assessing risk, the less significant the Bravura Warlords gambles will pay off. Similarly, the Bravura Presence class feature is less useful than any other Warlord's feature if no one will take extra risk.
[/sblock]
Resourceful Warlord:
[sblock=Resourceful Warlord:]
The Resourceful Warlord gets to mix and match the advantages of the other Warlords. A Resourceful Warlord can access a good starting AC by keeping a high Intelligence, be a good face with a good Charisma, or be decent at both. The Resourceful Warlord can be both a good buffer and/or a good healer. This flexibility is the Resourceful Warlords main advantage. Consistent advantage is another of the Resourceful Warlord's specialties. Such Warlords get some advantage even if they miss or fail. The ability to guarantee an effect, regardless of which effect, is a very strong advantage, the exact opposite of the Bravura Warlords gambles. When everything is a sure thing, the ability for the party to predict the outcome of a battle improves; in situations where combat is supposed to favor the hero, randomness is bad.
While flexibility is the Resourceful Warlord's main advantage, it is also his greatest weakness. A Resourceful Warlord needs to sacrifice some strength in all areas if he is going to be flexible enough to do everything. This is because the Resourceful Warlord has two secondary attributes. A Resourceful Warlord can split his attributes between Intelligence and Charisma, but that means that both are comparatively low. Frequently this means that the Resourceful Warlord fails to succeed at anything by trying to do everything. More often, the best Resourceful Warlords specialize in either Intelligence or Charisma and take on most of the weaknesses of a pure Intelligence or pure Charisma build. Resourceful Warlords also suffer from weaker than normal exploits. In theory, flexibility and reliability are supposed to make up for weaker exploits. In reality, the advantages given to Resourceful Warlords do not match, in power, the advantages given to the other Warlords.
[/sblock]
So which type of Warlord should you be?
Be a Tactical Warlord if you have a consistent party that works well together to maximize offense and minimize damage and you have a face in the party.
Be an Inspiring Warlord if you are in a party of misfits that lacks a healer where many of the party members lack the knowledge/ability to minimize damage, if you need a party spokesman, or if you expect to face enemies that specialize in status effects.
Be a Bravura Warlord if you are VERY good at analyzing situational advantages, if you tend to face off against lots of stupid enemies, if you are light on strikers in the party, or if you tend to be outclassed by the enemy on a regular basis and need to gamble to win.
Be a Resourceful Warlord if your party dynamics are highly inconsistent and you need to be able to do a little of everything to ensure that nothing is missed or if your party is extremely consistent and risk intolerant.
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1 year ago ::
Jul 01, 2008 - 9:43AM
#4
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[size=+2]Choose Your Weapon[/size]
O.K. cadets. Once you have chosen they type of Warlord you wish to be, it is time to begin your training. We will start by choosing your weapon. What's that I hear? Some of you seem to think that attribute training or even race are more important than weapon choice. Bzzzt, wrong! Your weapon choice has certain prerequisites that need to be trained up. By choosing your weapon first, you can focus on your prerequisites. For those races that cannot meet the prerequisites, choose a different weapon (or find someone of the right race). Here are some of the best and the worst options:
Sky Blue: The best of the best choices.
Blue: Special forces but not elite.
Black: If you consider average acceptable for combat, this might be for you.
Purple: For corner cases only. These options require VERY specific circumstances to even consider.
Red: This is a false option, the term "walking dead" takes on new meaning when talking about those that would choose to follow a Warlord that chooses this weapon.
*: Pump this attribute at the appropriate levels.
[sblock= Tactical]
Sword & Board
Concept: Heavy Blade with +3 to hit and shield using Heavy Blade Optimization
[sblock=Sword & Board]
Pros: High AC, Battlefield Control, Boost to Hit
Cons: Requires a Higher Tertiary Stat
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Intelligence, Tertiary: Dexterity (Min 14, Wants 15 for mastery)
Preferred Races: Eladrin, Genasi
Standard Array (After Race): 16*,11,15,18*,8,10
This simple choice is excellent for those that wish to control terrain. Use Heavy Blade Optimization in combination with most of your at-wills for some excellent damage multiplication and battlefield control. This might seem a bit stereotypical, but it is very efficient. Like many Tactical Warlords, a higher Secondary attribute may be preferable over the Primary. You may want to take bastard sword for a bit of flexibility if you have any free feats.
[/sblock]
Sword & Board No Control
Concept: +3 weapon and shield
[sblock=Sword & Board No Control]
Pros: High AC, Major Boost to Hit, No feat requirements.
Cons:
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Intelligence
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Genasi, Human
Standard Array (Before Race): 16*,12,10,16*,8,12
For those that do not plan on going epic and are willing to sacrifice the control aspects of a heavy blade, this build has the benefit of providing a decent to hit boost. This build does not require any feats, allowing the character to branch out. However, other Warlords are the better choice for those that wish to specialize in skill challenges. This weapon choice is ranked blue for Genasi, but only black for Humans and Dragonborn. The loss of Intelligence really hurts a Tactical Warlord. Bastard Sword is still a good choice to boost damage if you have a spare feat as is the Triple-Headed Flail.
[/sblock]
Whip
Concept: Primary weapon with reach + shield, or secondary weapon with reach + shield
[sblock=Whip]
Pros: High AC, and reach.
Cons: Requires a feat, low damage.
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Intelligence
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Genasi, Human
Standard Array (Before Race): 16*,12,10,16*,8,12
Repeat after me, "I will carry a whip. Even if I do not know how to use one, whips are my friend." Warlords can easily go their career using nothing but the whip as their primary weapon. It is just that good for using the Warlord At-Wills. That said, the whips damage is horrible, so you should always carry an alternative weapon. Instead, make the whip your secondary.
[/sblock]
Bruiser and Hitter
Concept: Maximize to hit and then damage
[sblock=Bruiser and Hitter]
Pros: High Damage, High to Hit, Battlefield Control
Cons: Low AC
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Intelligence, Tertiary: Dexterity
Preferred Races: Eladrin, Genasi
Standard Array (After Race): 16*,11,15,18*,8,10
This has all the advantages of the sword and board style, except you lack the board. In exchange for AC and Reflex, you increase your damage. If you need to double as a striker, this is how to do it. Start with the Great Sword and, when you have the opportunity, take the Full Blade or Bastard Sword. The truth is that with Commander's Strike or even Opening Shove, higher damage is not that important for a Warlord, which is why this only rates an average ranking.
[/sblock]
Bruiser
Concept: Maximize damage
[sblock=Bruiser]
Pros: High Damage
Cons: Low AC
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Intelligence
Preferred Races: Eladrin, Genasi
Standard Array (After Race): 16*,11,15,18*,8,10
If you need MAX damage, this is your choice. More often than not, however, a shield and/or a +3 weapon would be better. If you take this style, consider taking the Execution axe or Mordenkrad.
[/sblock]
Hammer & Board
Concept: Use a hammer and shield with Hammer's Rhythm
[sblock=Hammer & Board]
Pros: High AC, Boosted Damage
Cons: Vastly weakened Warlord Effects, Weakened Secondary Defense
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Intelligence, Tertiary: Con
Preferred Races: Genasi
Standard Array (After Race): 18*,16*,10,15,8,11
Sacrificing Intelligence is always a bad idea for a Tactical Warlord. You need that high Intelligence to maximize your ability to buff allies. If you want Hammer's Rhythm that bad, take these weapons and be a different type of Warlord
[/sblock]
Sledgehammer
Concept: Use a hammer for max damage with Hammer's Rhythm
[sblock=Sledgehammer]
Pros: Boosted Damage
Cons: Vastly weakened Warlord Effects, Weakened Secondary Defense
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Intelligence, Tertiary: Con
Preferred Races: Genasi
Standard Array (After Race): 18*,16*,10,15,8,11
What, hammer and shield wasn't bad enough, now you want to give up the shield. Tactical Warlords should not give up Int. If you want to hold a big, bad 2-handed weapon, use a Great Sword or invest in a Bastard Sword or Fullblade. If you do go this route, not that I suggest it, take the Mordenkrad.
[/sblock]
Polearm Punishment
Concept: Combine a reach weapon, a +3 weapon, and polearm gambit
[sblock=Polearm Punishment]
Pros: Boosted Battlefield Control, Increased Reach
Cons: Weakened Defenses, Quadrary stat
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Intelligence, Tertiary: Dexterity (14 preferably 15), Quadrary: Wisdom (13)
Preferred Races: Eladrin, Genasi
Standard Array (After Race): 16*,10,15,17,13,8 for Eladrin 16*,10,14,18*,13,8 for Genasi
Choose, either give up Weapon Mastery in Epic or give up an extra +1 from Intelligence. Both hurt. In exchange, you gain reach and can take Polearm Gambit, Heavy Blade Opportunity, and Blade Opportunist. Suddenly you are the tanks best friend. Use Wolf Pack Tactics + your free Opportunity Attack to effectively increase your defensive wall by moving around your adjacent defender when someone tries to pass him. Optionally, give a fighter an opportunity to mark the person passing by with Commander's Strike. You can also use Viper's Strike to give the fighter an attack on a shifting enemy (this may activate combat superiority depending on DM ruling). Eladrins can take Uncanny Dodge and mitigate the gamble in Paragon. Genasi must wait until Epic. If you are a Genasi, you may want to sacrifice some Intelligence at some point later in your career, when it has a smaller effect on your buffing, for that Dexterity. The Eladrin has no choice, and as such, is a slightly weaker option.
[/sblock]
Reach - Glaive
Concept: Combine a reach weapon and use it with Heavy Blade Optimization
[sblock=Reach - Glaive]
Pros: Reach, Battlefield Control
Cons: Low AC
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Intelligence, Tertiary: Dexterity
Preferred Races: Eladrin, Genasi
Standard Array (After Race): 16*,11,15,18*,8,10
This has all the advantages of a Polearm Punishment build without the option of gambling and it has fewer drawbacks. Note the low ranking, however. This weapon style is a backup style for all the tactical board builds. A Warlord should always bring along a reach weapon for those encounters where he cannot attack from the front. If you find that you prefer the reach, just train out of any shield feats you have taken. More often than not, however, you will want the option to pump your AC up, and so will concentrate on one of the other weapon styles.
[/sblock]
Reach - Great Spear
Concept: Specialize in a +3 reach weapon
[sblock=Reach - Great Spear]
Pros: Reach, High Too Hit
Cons: Low AC
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Intelligence
Preferred Races: Eladrin, Genasi, Human, Tiefling
Standard Array (Before Race): 16*,10,10,16*,8,13
While most Warlords will want to keep a reach weapon available as a backup weapon, a few Warlords want to specialize in a reach weapon without spending many resources. The great spear is the weapon of choice for such people. This lacks much of the battlefield control benefits of the glaive, but gains massively in open feats and flexibility in attribute distribution. If you want to keep it simple without the shield, this is an excellent choice.
[/sblock]
Damage & Board
Concept: Combine a high damaging +2 weapon and a shield
[sblock=Damage & Board]
Pros:
Cons:
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Intelligence, Tertiary: Constitution (min 12)
Preferred Races: Eladrin, Genasi, Human, Tiefling
Standard Array (Before Race): 16*,13,10,14*,8,14
This is one of the simplest build out there. You will lack the battlefield control and bonuses to hit of wielding a heavy blade. In exchange, damage goes up. More importantly, this weapon choice has very few prerequisites. This makes it an excellent choice for those Humans and Tieflings out there. Few prerequisites also helps to make this a decent choice for Warlords that desire flexibility and or a more balanced build capable of being both inspiring and tactical. If you want to keep it simple with the shield, this is a decent choice. You will probably want to start with an axe while using this style, but the Craghammer is a viable alternative for a superior weapon. Just do not bother with Hammer's Rhythm. Unfortunately, Warlord abilities synergize best with the battlefield control options or reach options that this weapon choice lacks. If you are trying for a skill challenge build, this choice is decent, but a Charisma build is better. You also might want to consider the bonus to hit for sticking with the long sword.
[/sblock]
Scimitar & Board
Concept: Scimitar Dance for a stealth Warlord
[sblock=Scimitar & Board]
Pros: Stealth and Thievery, Battlefield Control
Cons: Weak Warlord Abilities
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma, Tertiary: Dexterity
Preferred Races: Halfling, Drow
Standard Array (After Race): 16*,10,18*,10,8,15
You have to sacrifice your secondary stat for Dexterity in this type of build and Tactical Warlords cannot afford that. If you want a stealth Warlord, play a Charisma one.
[/sblock]
[/sblock]
[sblock= Inspiring]
Sword & Board
Concept: Heavy Blade with +3 to hit and shield using Heavy Blade Optimization
[sblock=Sword & Board]
Pros: Battlefield Control, Boost to Hit (non-Halfling)
Cons: Low Damage, Low AC
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma, Tertiary: Dexterity (Min 14, Wants 15 for mastery)
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Halfling, Drow
Standard Array (After Race): 18*(16*),11,15,10,8,16*(18*) Use the 2nd stat for Halflings and Drow
Not quite as good as the Tactical Warlord with Sword and Board in combat, this option excels out of combat at those diplomacy type things that make me want to gag. Like the Tactical Warlord version, this combo provides great defense and battlefield control. Halflings will have to use a scimitar, which hurts too hit a bit, but their ability to get lost in a crowd often boosts their defense to make up for this. For Dragonborn, strength is more important than charisma in this build.
[/sblock]
Sword & Board No Control
Concept: +3 weapon and shield
[sblock=Sword & Board No Control]
Pros: Major Boost to Hit, No feat requirements.
Cons:
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Cha
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Genasi, Human, Drow, Halfling, Half-Elf, Tiefling
Standard Array (Before Race): 16*,13,10,14,8,14*
For those that do not plan on going epic and are willing to sacrifice the control aspects of a heavy blade, this build has the benefit of providing a decent to hit boost. This build does not require many feats, allowing the character to branch out; just remember to get Scale Mail when you can. This weapon choice is excellent for those Warlords that want to maintain a balance between Intelligence and Charisma and for those that want to specialize in diplomacy or skill-challenges. To these ends, you can take Linguist and/or Jack of All Trades. This choice is ranked blue for those races that can boost their Strength and black for the ones that can only boost their Charisma.
[/sblock]
Whip
Concept: Primary weapon with reach + shield, or secondary weapon with reach + shield
[sblock=Whip]
Pros: High AC, and reach.
Cons: Requires a feat, low damage.
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Cha
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Genasi, Human, Drow, Halfling, Half-Elf, Tiefling
Standard Array (Before Race): 16*,12,10,12,8,16*
Repeat after me, "I will carry a whip. Even if I do not know how to use one, whips are my friend." Warlords can easily go their career using nothing but the whip as their primary weapon. It is just that good for using the Warlord At-Wills. That said, the whips damage is horrible, so you should always carry an alternative weapon. Instead, make the whip your secondary.
[/sblock]
Bruiser and Hitter
Concept: Maximize to hit and then damage
[sblock=Bruiser and Hitter]
Pros: High Damage, High to Hit, Battlefield Control
Cons: Very Low AC
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma, Tertiary: Dexterity
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Drow
Standard Array (After Race): 18*(16*),11,15,10,8,16*(18*) Use the 2nd stat for Drow
This has all the advantages of the sword and board style, except you lack the board. In exchange for AC and Reflex, you increase your damage. If you need to double as a striker, this is how to do it. Start with the Great Sword and, when you have the opportunity, take the Full Blade or Bastard Sword. The truth is that with Commander's Strike or even Opening Shove, higher damage is not that important for a Warlord. The boost in damage to Commander's Strike and higher starting AC makes the Tactical Warlord a better choice for this role which is why this only rates a purple.
[/sblock]
Bruiser
Concept: Maximize damage
[sblock=Bruiser]
Pros: High Damage
Cons: Low AC
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Cha
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Drow
Standard Array (After Race): 18*,11,15,10,8,16*
If you need MAX damage, this is your choice. More often than not, however, a shield and/or a +3 weapon would be better. If you take this style, consider taking the Execution axe or Mordenkrad.
[/sblock]
Hammer & Board
Concept: Use a hammer and shield with Hammer's Rhythm
[sblock=Hammer & Board]
Pros: Boosted AC, Boosted Damage
Cons: Vastly weakened Warlord Effects, Weakened Secondary Defense
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma, Tertiary: Con
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Half-Elf
Standard Array (After Race): 16*,16**,10,13,8,16** **Tanks boost Constitution, Skill-monkeys boost Cha
This build is for Warlords that want to be tanks. As a Warlord, you have no buffing ability, poorer tactical movement, less healing, and a weakened will defense. As a defender, you have to waste feats to boost your AC, which will take up your early feats and make you weak in the beginning. On the other hand, this is an acceptable choice IF you are trying to be a healing defender. Eventually you will be a credible threat, have decent defenses, have good hitpoints and staying power, and be able to supplement this with healing and some battlefield control.
[/sblock]
Sledgehammer
Concept: Use a hammer for max damage with Hammer's Rhythm
[sblock=Sledgehammer]
Pros: Boosted Damage
Cons: Vastly weakened Warlord Effects, Weakened Secondary Defense
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma, Tertiary: Constitution (14 min, 16 optional)
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Half-Elf
Standard Array (After Race): 16*,16*,10,13,8,16
This build is for Warlords that wish to maximize their average damage per round. Why they would want to do that, I am not sure. Warlords are not strikers and give up too much to be ones. Pick up a shield and use a smaller hammer if your really want to strike with rhythm. The extra attention to boosted damage is not worth the cost in AC. If you really want to increase your damage without tanking, pick up a full blade. Better yet, use Commander's Strike and give up on damage entirely. If you do go this route, not that I suggest it, take the Mordenkrad.
[/sblock]
Polearm Punishment
Concept: Combine a reach weapon, a +3 weapon, and polearm gambit
[sblock=Polearm Punishment]
Pros: Boosted Battlefield Control, Increased Reach
Cons: Weakened Defenses, Quadrary stat
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma, Tertiary: Dexterity (14 preferably 15), Quadrary: Wisdom (13)
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Drow
Standard Array (After Race): 16*,10,15,8,14,16*
Inspiring Warlords find the sacrifice needed to gain Polearm Gambit a little easier to swallow than their Tactical brethren. They do not need the higher charisma as much as the Tactical Warlord needs intelligence. In addition, the reach helps keep this Warlord from getting attacked as often, helping to compensate for the lower AC. This weapon choice offers reach and can take Polearm Gambit, Heavy Blade Opportunity, and Blade Opportunist. Suddenly you are the tanks best friend. Use Wolf Pack Tactics + your free Opportunity Attack to effectively increase your defensive wall by moving around your adjacent defender when someone tries to pass him. Optionally, give a fighter an opportunity to mark the person passing by with Commander's Strike. You can also use Viper's Strike to give the fighter an attack on a shifting enemy (this may activate combat superiority depending on DM ruling). Take Uncanny Dodge to mitigate the gamble in Paragon.
[/sblock]
Reach - Glaive
Concept: Combine a reach weapon and use it with Heavy Blade Optimization
[sblock=Reach - Glaive]
Pros: Reach, Battlefield Control
Cons: Low AC
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma, Tertiary: Dexterity
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Drow
Standard Array (After Race): 16*,11,15,10,8,18*
This has all the advantages of a Polearm Punishment build without the option of gambling and it has fewer drawbacks. Note the low ranking, however. This weapon style is a backup style for all the tactical board builds. A Warlord should always bring along a reach weapon for those encounters where he cannot attack from the front. If you find that you prefer the reach, just train out of any shield feats you have taken. More often than not, however, you will want the option to pump your AC up, and so will concentrate on one of the other weapon styles.
[/sblock]
Reach - Great Spear
Concept: Specialize in a +3 reach weapon
[sblock=Reach - Great Spear]
Pros: Reach, High Too Hit
Cons: Low AC
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Cha
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Drow
Standard Array (Before Race): 16*,10,10,13,8,16*
While most Warlords will want to keep a reach weapon available as a backup weapon, a few Warlords want to specialize in a reach weapon without spending many resources. The great spear is the weapon of choice for such people. This lacks much of the battlefield control benefits of the glaive, but gains massively in open feats and flexibility in attribute distribution. If you want to keep it simple without the shield, this is an excellent choice.
[/sblock]
Damage & Board
Concept: Combine a high damaging +2 weapon and a shield
[sblock=Damage & Board]
Pros: High Damage
Cons:
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma, Tertiary: Constitution (min 12)
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Halfling, Drow, Half Elf, Human, Tiefling
Standard Array (Before Race): 16*,13,10,14,8,14*
You will lack the battlefield control and bonuses to hit of wielding a heavy blade. In exchange, damage goes up. The Non-Control Sword and Board choice is a slightly better choice, but for races that do not boost Strength, only barely. More importantly, this weapon choice has very few prerequisites. This makes it an excellent choice for those Humans, Half-Elves, and Tieflings out there. Few prerequisites also helps to make this a decent choice for Warlords that desire flexibility and or a more balanced build. This is one of the better face builds available to the Warlord. Your ability to read others is severely restricted, but you will be a decent diplomat and have the ability to learn many languages. Jack of All Trades plus the face aspects of this build make this build one of the better skill challenge builds available to a Warlord. You will probably want to start with an axe while using this style, but the Craghammer is a viable alternative for a superior weapon.
[/sblock]
Scimitar & Board
Concept: Scimitar Dance for a stealth Warlord
[sblock=Scimitar & Board]
Pros: Stealth and Thievery, Battlefield Control
Cons: Weak Warlord Abilities
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma, Tertiary: Dexterity
Preferred Races: Halfling, Drow
Standard Array (After Race): 16*,10,18*,10,8,15
Some military units specialize in hit and run tactics, utilizing stealth over brute force. While rare, some Warlords specialize in accompanying such units. These are the Warlords. Take scimitar dance, and avoid exploits that rely on your comparatively weak charisma. You will want to take multiple unusual skills for a Warlord to maximize the benefits of your unusually high Dexterity. Feel free to take Heavy Blade Opportunity as well.
[/sblock]
[/sblock]
[sblock= Bravura]
Sword & Board
Concept: Heavy Blade with +3 to hit and shield using Heavy Blade Optimization
[sblock=Sword & Board]
Pros: Battlefield Control
Cons: Low Damage, Low AC
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma, Tertiary: Dexterity (Min 14, Wants 15 for mastery)
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Halfling, Drow
Standard Array (After Race): 18*(16*),11,15,10,8,16*(18*) Use the 2nd stat for Halflings and Drow
This combo provides great defense and battlefield control, but Bravura Warlords will want more damage than this style provides. Halflings will have to use a scimitar, which hurts too hit a bit, but their ability to get lost in a crowd often boosts their defense to make up for this. For Dragonborn, strength is more important than charisma in this build.
[/sblock]
Sword & Board No Control
Concept: +3 weapon and shield
[sblock=Sword & Board No Control]
Pros: Major Boost to Hit, No feat requirements.
Cons:
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Cha
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Genasi, Human, Drow, Halfling, Half-Elf, Tiefling
Standard Array (Before Race): 16*,13,10,14,8,14*
For those that do not plan on going epic and are willing to sacrifice the control aspects of a heavy blade, this build has the benefit of providing a decent to hit boost. This build does not require many feats, allowing the character to branch out; just remember to get Scale Mail when you can. This weapon choice is excellent for those Warlords that want to maintain a balance between Intelligence and Charisma and for those that want to specialize in diplomacy or skill-challenges. To these ends, you can take Linguist and/or Jack of All Trades. This choice is ranked blue for those races that can boost their Strength and black for the ones that can only boost their Charisma.
[/sblock]
Whip
Concept: Primary weapon with reach + shield, or secondary weapon with reach + shield
[sblock=Whip]
Pros: High AC, and reach.
Cons: Requires a feat, low damage.
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Cha
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Genasi, Human, Drow, Halfling, Half-Elf, Tiefling
Standard Array (Before Race): 16*,12,10,12,8,16*
Bravura Warlords will want to do damage with their attack when possible to best take advantage of their gambles. Reach will be nice, but the whip will, at best, only be a secondary weapon, it does too little damage.
[/sblock]
Bruiser and Hitter
Concept: Maximize to hit and then damage
[sblock=Bruiser and Hitter]
Pros: High Damage, High to Hit, Battlefield Control
Cons: Very Low AC
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma, Tertiary: Dexterity
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Drow
Standard Array (After Race): 18*(16*),11,15,10,8,16*(18*) Use the 2nd stat for Drow
This has all the advantages of the sword and board style, except you lack the board. In exchange for AC and Reflex, you increase your damage. If you need to double as a striker, this is how to do it. Start with the Great Sword and, when you have the opportunity, take the Full Blade or Bastard Sword. The truth is that with Commander's Strike or even Opening Shove, higher damage is not that important for a Warlord. However, you will like the extra damage with Brash Assault.
[/sblock]
Bruiser
Concept: Maximize damage
[sblock=Bruiser]
Pros: High Damage
Cons: Low AC
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Cha
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Drow
Standard Array (After Race): 18*,11,15,10,8,16*
If you need MAX damage, this is your choice. More often than not, however, a shield and/or a +3 weapon would be better. This is a little too much specialization in damage for even a Bravura Warlord to consider. If you take this style, consider taking the Execution axe or Mordenkrad.
[/sblock]
Hammer & Board
Concept: Use a hammer and shield with Hammer's Rhythm
[sblock=Hammer & Board]
Pros: Boosted AC, Boosted Damage
Cons: Vastly weakened Warlord Effects, Weakened Secondary Defense
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma, Tertiary: Con
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Half-Elf
Standard Array (After Race): 16*,16**,10,13,8,16** **Tanks boost Constitution, Skill-monkeys boost Cha
This build is for Warlords that want to be tanks. As a Warlord, you have no buffing ability, poorer tactical movement, less healing, and a weakened will defense. As a defender, you have to waste feats to boost your AC, which will take up your early feats and make you weak in the beginning. On the other hand, this is an acceptable choice IF you are trying to be a healing defender. Eventually you will be a credible threat, have decent defenses, have good hitpoints and staying power, and be able to supplement this with healing and some battlefield control.
[/sblock]
Sledgehammer
Concept: Use a hammer for max damage with Hammer's Rhythm
[sblock=Sledgehammer]
Pros: Boosted Damage
Cons: Vastly weakened Warlord Effects, Weakened Secondary Defense
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma, Tertiary: Constitution (14 min, 16 optional)
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Half-Elf
Standard Array (After Race): 16*,16*,10,13,8,16
This build is for Warlords that wish to maximize their average damage per round. Why they would want to do that, I am not sure. Warlords are not strikers and give up too much to be ones. Pick up a shield and use a smaller hammer if your really want to strike with rhythm. The extra attention to boosted damage is not worth the cost in AC. If you really want to increase your damage without tanking, pick up a full blade. Better yet, use Commander's Strike and give up on damage entirely. If you do go this route, not that I suggest it, take the Mordenkrad.
[/sblock]
Polearm Punishment
Concept: Combine a reach weapon, a +3 weapon, and polearm gambit
[sblock=Polearm Punishment]
Pros: Boosted Battlefield Control, Increased Reach
Cons: Weakened Defenses, Quadrary stat
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma, Tertiary: Dexterity (14 preferably 15), Quadrary: Wisdom (13)
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Drow
Standard Array (After Race): 16*,10,15,8,14,16*
Bravura Warlords want to be in the mix of things to maximize the opportunities for them to take a gamble. The ability to repel enemies in contrary to your general concept making this a poor choice for you. If you need a reach weapon, minimize your investments skip all the feats this style requires and just take the Halberd.
[/sblock]
Reach - Glaive
Concept: Combine a reach weapon and use it with Heavy Blade Optimization
[sblock=Reach - Glaive]
Pros: Reach, Battlefield Control
Cons: Low AC
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma, Tertiary: Dexterity
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Drow
Standard Array (After Race): 16*,11,15,10,8,18*
Bravura Warlords want to be in the mix of things to maximize the opportunities for them to take a gamble. The ability to repel enemies in contrary to your general concept making this a poor choice for you. If you need a reach weapon, minimize your investments skip all the feats this style requires and just take the Halberd.
[/sblock]
Reach - Great Spear
Concept: Specialize in a +3 reach weapon
[sblock=Reach - Great Spear]
Pros: Reach, High Too Hit
Cons: Low AC
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Cha
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Drow
Standard Array (Before Race): 16*,10,10,13,8,16*
Bravura Warlords want to be in the mix of things to maximize the opportunities for them to take a gamble. The ability to repel enemies in contrary to your general concept making this a poor choice for you. If you need a reach weapon, minimize your investments skip all the feats this style requires and just take the Halberd.
[/sblock]
Damage & Board
Concept: Combine a high damaging +2 weapon and a shield
[sblock=Damage & Board]
Pros: High Damage
Cons:
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma, Tertiary: Constitution (min 12)
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Halfling, Drow, Half Elf, Human, Tiefling
Standard Array (Before Race): 16*,13,10,14,8,14*
You will lack the battlefield control and bonuses to hit of wielding a heavy blade. In exchange, damage goes up. Bravura Warlords will really like the extra damage. More importantly, this weapon choice has very few prerequisites. This makes it an excellent choice for those Humans, Half-Elves, and Tieflings out there. Few prerequisites also helps to make this a decent choice for Warlords that desire flexibility and or a more balanced build. This is one of the better face builds available to the Warlord. Your ability to read others is severely restricted, but you will be a decent diplomat and have the ability to learn many languages. Jack of All Trades plus the face aspects of this build make this build one of the better skill challenge builds available to a Warlord. You will probably want to start with an axe while using this style, but the Craghammer is a viable alternative for a superior weapon.
[/sblock]
Scimitar & Board
Concept: Scimitar Dance for a stealth Warlord
[sblock=Scimitar & Board]
Pros: Stealth and Thievery, Battlefield Control
Cons: Weak Warlord Abilities
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma, Tertiary: Dexterity
Preferred Races: Halfling, Drow
Standard Array (After Race): 16*,10,18*,10,8,15
Some military units specialize in hit and run tactics, utilizing stealth over brute force. While rare, some Warlords specialize in accompanying such units. These are the Warlords. Take scimitar dance, and avoid exploits that rely on your comparatively weak charisma. You will want to take multiple unusual skills for a Warlord to maximize the benefits of your unusually high Dexterity. Feel free to take Heavy Blade Opportunity as well.
[/sblock]
[/sblock]
[sblock= Resourceful]
Sword & Board
Concept: Heavy Blade with +3 to hit and shield using Heavy Blade Optimization
[sblock=Sword & Board]
Pros: Battlefield Control, Boost to Hit (non-Halfling)
Cons: Low Damage, Low AC
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma and Intelligence, Tertiary: Dexterity (Min 14, Wants 15 for mastery)
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Halfling, Drow, Eladrin, Genasi, Tiefling
Standard Array (After Race): 16*,10,15,16(14)**,8,14(16)** (Your race chooses you higher secondary stat. Tieflings choose one)
This combo provides great defense and battlefield control. Halflings will have to use a scimitar, which hurts too hit a bit, but their ability to get lost in a crowd often boosts their defense to make up for this. Needing a high Dexterity vastly hurts this option for a Resourceful Warlord.
[/sblock]
Sword & Board No Control
Concept: +3 weapon and shield
[sblock=Sword & Board No Control]
Pros: Major Boost to Hit, No feat requirements.
Cons:
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma and Intelligence
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Genasi, Tiefling
Standard Array (Before Race): 16*,11,10,14(15)**,8,15(14)** (Your race chooses you higher secondary stat. Tieflings choose one)
For those that do not plan on going epic and are willing to sacrifice the control aspects of a heavy blade, this build has the benefit of providing a decent to hit boost. This build does not require many feats, allowing the character to branch out; just remember to get Scale Mail when you can. This weapon choice is excellent for those Warlords that want to maintain a balance between Intelligence and Charisma and for those that want to specialize in diplomacy or skill-challenges. To these ends, you can take Linguist and/or Jack of All Trades.
[/sblock]
Whip
Concept: Primary weapon with reach + shield, or secondary weapon with reach + shield
[sblock=Whip]
Pros: High AC, and reach.
Cons: Requires a feat, low damage.
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma and Intelligence
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Genasi, Tiefling
Standard Array (Before Race): 16*,11,10,14(15)**,8,15(14)** (Your race chooses you higher secondary stat. Tieflings choose one)
Repeat after me, "I will carry a whip. Even if I do not know how to use one, whips are my friend." Warlords can easily go their career using nothing but the whip as their primary weapon. It is just that good for using the Warlord At-Wills. That said, the whips damage is horrible, so you should always carry an alternative weapon. Instead, make the whip your secondary.
[/sblock]
Bruiser and Hitter
Concept: Maximize to hit and then damage
[sblock=Bruiser and Hitter]
Pros: High Damage, High to Hit, Battlefield Control
Cons: Very Low AC
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma and Intelligence, Tertiary: Dexterity
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Halfling, Drow, Eladrin, Genasi, Tiefling
Standard Array (After Race): 16*,10,15,16(14)**,8,14(16)** (Your race chooses you higher secondary stat. Tieflings choose one)
This has all the advantages of the sword and board style, except you lack the board. With the Dexterity requirement this is just too MAD for a Resourceful Warlord.
[/sblock]
Bruiser
Concept: Maximize damage
[sblock=Bruiser]
Pros: High Damage
Cons: Low AC
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma and Intelligence
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Genasi, Tiefling
Standard Array (Before Race): 16*,13,10,14**,8,14**
If you need MAX damage, this is your choice. More often than not, however, a shield and/or a +3 weapon would be better. If you take this style, consider taking the Execution axe or Mordenkrad.
[/sblock]
Hammer & Board
Concept: Use a hammer and shield with Hammer's Rhythm
[sblock=Hammer & Board]
Pros: Boosted AC, Boosted Damage
Cons: Vastly weakened Warlord Effects, Weakened Secondary Defense
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma and Intelligence, Tertiary: Con
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Genasi, Tiefling, Half-Elf
Standard Array (Before Race): 15*,14*,10,14,8,14
You might as well not be a Resourceful Warlord at this point. You are sacrificing all your secondary stats boosts into Constitution and mitigate the unique advantages to this form of Warlord. You would be better off as any other type of Warlord.
[/sblock]
Sledgehammer
Concept: Use a hammer for max damage with Hammer's Rhythm
[sblock=Sledgehammer]
Pros: Boosted Damage
Cons: Vastly weakened Warlord Effects, Weakened Secondary Defense
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma and Intelligence, Tertiary: Constitution (14 min, 16 optional)
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Genasi, Tiefling, Half-Elf
Standard Array (Before Race): 15*,14*,10,14,8,14
You might as well not be a Resourceful Warlord at this point. You are sacrificing all your secondary stats boosts into Constitution and mitigate the unique advantages to this form of Warlord. You would be better off as any other type of Warlord.
[/sblock]
Polearm Punishment
Concept: Combine a reach weapon, a +3 weapon, and polearm gambit
[sblock=Polearm Punishment]
Pros: Boosted Battlefield Control, Increased Reach
Cons: Weakened Defenses, Quadrary stat
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma and Intelligence, Tertiary: Dexterity (14 preferably 15), Quadrary: Wisdom (13)
Preferred Races: N/A
Standard Array (After Race): N/A
You have got to be kidding. You need five good stats to pull this off. Unless you are vastly above average, this weapon choice is not for you!
[/sblock]
Reach - Glaive
Concept: Combine a reach weapon and use it with Heavy Blade Optimization
[sblock=Reach - Glaive]
Pros: Reach, Battlefield Control
Cons: Low AC
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma, Tertiary: Dexterity
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Halfling, Drow, Eladrin, Genasi, Tiefling
Standard Array (After Race): 16*,10,15,16(14)**,8,14(16)** (Your race chooses you higher secondary stat. Tieflings choose one)
This has all the advantages of a Polearm Punishment build without the option of gambling and it has fewer drawbacks. Note the low ranking, however. This weapon style is a backup style for all the tactical board builds. A Warlord should always bring along a reach weapon for those encounters where he cannot attack from the front. If you find that you prefer the reach, just train out of any shield feats you have taken. More often than not, however, you will want the option to pump your AC up, and so will concentrate on one of the other weapon styles. With the high Dexterity requirement, you should probably stick with the Halberd anyway.
[/sblock]
Reach - Great Spear
Concept: Specialize in a +3 reach weapon
[sblock=Reach - Great Spear]
Pros: Reach, High Too Hit
Cons: Low AC
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Cha
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Genasi, Tiefling
Standard Array (Before Race): 16*,11,10,14(15)**,8,15(14)** (Your race chooses you higher secondary stat. Tieflings choose one)
While most Warlords will want to keep a reach weapon available as a backup weapon, a few Warlords want to specialize in a reach weapon without spending many resources. The great spear is the weapon of choice for such people. This lacks much of the battlefield control benefits of the glaive, but gains massively in open feats and flexibility in attribute distribution. If you want to keep it simple without the shield, this is an excellent choice.
[/sblock]
Damage & Board
Concept: Combine a high damaging +2 weapon and a shield
[sblock=Damage & Board]
Pros: High Damage
Cons:
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma, Tertiary: Constitution (min 12)
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Genasi, Tiefling
Standard Array (Before Race): 16*,11,10,14(15)**,8,15(14)** (Your race chooses you higher secondary stat. Tieflings choose one)
You will lack the battlefield control and bonuses to hit of wielding a heavy blade. In exchange, damage goes up and you do not need the high Dexterity. The Non-Control Sword and Board choice is a slightly better choice, but for races that do not boost Strength, only barely. More importantly, this weapon choice has very few prerequisites. This makes it a reasonable choice for those Humans and Half-Elves out there. Few prerequisites also helps to make this a decent choice for Warlords that desire flexibility and or a more balanced build. This is one of the better face builds available to the Warlord. Your ability to read others is severely restricted, but you will be a decent diplomat and have the ability to learn many languages. Jack of All Trades plus the face aspects of this build make this build one of the better skill challenge builds available to a Warlord. You will probably want to start with an axe while using this style, but the Craghammer is a viable alternative for a superior weapon.
[/sblock]
Scimitar & Board
Concept: Scimitar Dance for a stealth Warlord
[sblock=Scimitar & Board]
Pros: Stealth and Thievery, Battlefield Control
Cons: Weak Warlord Abilities
Stats: Primary: Strength, Secondary: Charisma, Tertiary: Dexterity
Preferred Races: Dragonborn, Halfling, Drow, Eladrin, Genasi, Tiefling
Standard Array (After Race): 16*,10,15,16(14)**,8,14(16)** (Your race chooses you higher secondary stat. Tieflings choose one)
Some military units specialize in hit and run tactics, utilizing stealth over brute force. While rare, some Warlords specialize in accompanying such units. You should not be one of them. The requirement of two secondary stats plus a high Dexterity hurts too much.
[/sblock]
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1 year ago ::
Jul 01, 2008 - 9:44AM
#5
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Other notes on weapon choice[sblock=Other Notes on Weapon Type] One-Handed: One-Handed weapons are the choice of a Warlord that wants to concentrate on defense by going sword and board. A Warlord that wishes to act as a backup defender should choose this route. If the Warlord is going to push defense, he should not take any half measures. Tactical Warlords find this style to be easier to deal with because they do not need to waste resources to gain better armor. Other Warlords will need Constitution of 13 or 15 to get scale or plate armor. Either way, the Warlord will have the prerequisites to gain proficiency in heavy shields. Two-Handed: Two-Handed weapons are the choice of the Warlord that wants to add a little oomph to his offense. At the extreme of this option, the Warlord will wield a mordenkrad with hammer rhythm. This tends to require a very high constitution which draws resources away from other attributes desired by a Warlord. Consequently, Warlords should think hard about going that far. Instead, the Warlord can push for a bastard sword or fullblade, but the extra damage really is not worth the loss in AC. It should be noted that Warlords have less need for big damage weapons than most other adventurers. The Warlord may have in his repertoire abilities that allow allies to attack. Consequently, the Warlord may be better off buffing his hard hitting fighter companions and allowing them to make another attack rather than swing a two-handed weapon himself. Two-Handed Reach: This option is better for a Warlord than a normal two-handed weapon. Although damage is smaller, many of the Warlord's exploits can exploit the reach. Many exploits that require a Warlord to be properly positioned gain massively in scope when the Warlord increases the effective range of the power with a reach weapon. Besides, a reach weapon allows a Warlord to hide behind a defender in a tight corridor and still use his abilities to support the defender. The difficulties Charisma Warlords have in pumping their AC make these types of weapons a better choice than they would be for a Tactical Warlord. Warlords that specialize in a different type of weapon should always consider carrying this type of weapon as a backup for when the local terrain makes reach preferable. Thrown Weapons: There are a few thrown weapon powers out there for a Warlord, one encounter and three dailies. Sadly focusing on thrown weapons for purposes of these powers is still too situational for a Warlord to concentrate on this option. However, a Warlord should not forget that the option exists if he happens to take a thrown weapon. At the cost of some damage and versatility thrown weapons may make a decent option for low level Warlords that need to stay well into the back lines, and an all ranged party may prefer you to make a ranged weapon a priority. In addition, thrown weapon may be a desirable secondary weapon for any Warlord that does not stay on the frontlines. Axe: If you want to do damage and want the ability to gain weapon mastery, axe is often the easiest way to go. Although axes will ultimately do less damage than hammers, they require a lower constitution to master, enabling you to concentrate on attributes more important to a Warlord. The Execution Axe gets special mention for being one of the higher damage weapons out there. See the hammer section for some comments by Elder_Basilisk comparing axe to hammer in the upper levels. Flail: Flails tend to lack support, which makes axes a better choice here. In addition, the dexterity requirement for mastery is just too high. On the 2-handed front, greatspear always trumps spiked chain. There is, however, one good flail. The Three-Headed Flail is almost as good as the bastard sword and is a viable option for those that do not plan to get weapon mastery. Hammer: Hammer's Rhythm requires far too high a constitution to be practical for most Warlords. That said, a Warlord that wished to double as a defender may choose to sacrifice his secondary attribute to boost the tertiary attribute to the same level. Even this is not going to be sufficient to allow the Warlord to gain mastery of the weapon, so at epic this is a suboptimal choice. The Craghammer and Mordenkrad are both good weapons in this category for those that are willing to sacrifice +1 to hit and possibly defenses for more damage.
The great axe is actually more damaging (than the maul) once you figure in high crit (again, unless you have hammer rhythm, though in Epic a greataxe with axe mastery will do superior DPR to a maul with Hammer Rhythm and a 17-19 Constitution but without hammer mastery and is negligibly behind Hammer Rhythm+Hammer Mastery until the Hammer character hits Constitution 20[/quote]
Heavy Blade: Heavy blades are the best choice for a Warlord that is willing to sacrifice a little average damage. There are two reasons for this. One, most heavy blades are more likely to hit an enemy than other weapons. Since most Warlord exploits rely on a hit to provide a benefit to the Warlord's party, this boost is very useful. Second, Heavy Weapon Opportunity is awesome for a Warlord. Wolf Pack Tactics can easily be used to negate attacks, disrupt tactics, or put a second person into range for an opportunity attack (preferably a fighter). In combination with Viper's Blade, HBO can shut an opponent's mobility down allowing the Warlord to second as a defender. Scimitar is an unusual enough choice that it gets its own category.
Scimitar: Warlords that need to act as strikers, defenders, and leaders may wish to consider this weapon. Heavy Blade Opportunity plus the right at-wills allow the Warlord to double as a defender. Scimitar Dance boosts the average damage of the scimitar to acceptable levels for a pseudo-striker. Finally, this weapon can be used with a shield. Unfortunately, this option requires a rather large investment in dexterity, so a Warlord that chooses this option will have to sacrifice some in his secondary attribute. Similarly, Warlords that need a massive Dexterity for skills, such as a stealth Warlord, will want to take this weapon.
Light Blade: You might want to keep one as a backup weapon, but, for a Warlord, light blades are bested by heavy blades in almost all situations
Mace: Huh, a sky blue for maces. Maces are universally worse than hammers. However, most high level Warlords should have one swinging from the hips. That mace is a cheap Mace of Healing, and should never be swung if it can be avoided.
Picks: Until there is some support for picks, why use one?
Polearm: Reach is excellent for Warlords, Polearm Gamble has some powerful advantages for Warlords, and Glaive wielders can use Heavy Blade Opportunity. If you are willing to give up a shield, reach is a good replacement. Spiked chain and whip, while not polearms, get mention for being other good reach weapons.
Spear: Spears tend to be a bad choice. As a reach weapon, however, if you want extra damage and to hit at only a small investment, the Great Spear is your choice. This takes one more feat than the Glaive, but if you do not plan to go for HBO, the +1 to hit is worth it!
Staff: Wizards wield staffs, you should not.
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A Warlord and Armor
[sblock=A Warlord and Armor]
A Tactical Warlord can rely on his intelligence to boost his armor. Consequently, he should stick with hide armor. If he does not plan on using a reach weapon, picking up a heavy shield is a good supplemental choice. Because a Tactical Warlord does not need heavier armors, he is more likely to be able to sacrifice Constitution than other Warlords. Since most Tactical Warlords will be boosting their Intelligence and Strength, their Will defense will be their weakest defense. A Tactical Warlord needs to keep in mind that choosing Dexterity or Constitution as a tertiary stat for weapon or armor feats or for combat will weaken his third defense.
Charisma Warlords have a tougher time. These Warlords have three choices, make Constitution a tertiary stat and get heavy armor, get hit a lot for a front-liner, or stand in the second line with a reach weapon. Choosing Constitution as a tertiary tends to require a reallocation of training that reduces reflex defense. Instead, the Warlord can make Dexterity his Tertiary (for the Heavy Blade Opportunist feats and Reflex defense), but this prevents the Warlord from gaining the heavier armor. This is a tough decision that should be made in early training. Resourceful Warlords have such high demands on their resources that they will often be unwilling to take the higher Constitution or Dexterity. This tends to mean that they have the worse AC potential.
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[size=+2]Who Are You - Attributes[/size]
Some of you here need a lot of work before you are going to make a decent Warlord. Your weapon chooses the attributes you need to work on for the most part. Earlier I gave suggestions of optimal attribute arrays for a given Warlord and his weapon choice. However, this section explains why certain attributes were considered preferable over others.
[sblock=Primary]
A Warlord's primary attribute is his strength. Almost everything a Warlord does requires him to hit his target with some hand held weapon. The stronger the Warlord, the more likely he is to hit, and the more likely he is to aid his companions or interfere with his enemies. Consequently, a decent Strength is mandatory for a Warlord. Sixteen should be the minimum.
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[sblock=Secondary]
A Warlord also needs to be either smart or charismatic. Smart Warlords are tactical leaders that bring out the best in their troops and create simple plans that can optimize the troops, the other people in his party. Charismatic Warlords specialize in motivating allies to shake off damage and get back into the fight. I will go over the benefits and penalties of both, but for now realize that a Warlord cannot optimally lead unless he trains up one of these secondary attributes. A charismatic Warlord should have at least a 14 in his charisma. Tactical training is more demanding, Tactical Warlords should have an 18 in their Intelligence if at all possible. They need the extra boost for their Tactical Presence class feature and their AC. Yes, it is easier to be good looking than it is to be smart. Resourceful Warlords can concentrate on either Charisma or Intelligence. If they do, treat them as if they were a Tactical or Inspiring Warlord. If they wish a more balanced approach, remember that they will have a hard time boosting their tertiary stat.
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[sblock=Tertiary]
A Warlord will also need to put at least some minor training into at least one other attribute. The attribute a Warlord trains up will almost always be based off of the weapon and armor that the Warlord wishes to use. A Warlord should keep in mind that building up Constitution is important for Warlords that wish to use heavier armors, hammers, picks, or axes. An Charisma Warlord needs that higher Constitution if they wish to have a decent AC. Tactical Warlords can stick with the lighter armors if they wish. Warlords should look into training up Dexterity if they want to play with long pointy sticks (spears), blades, or flails. They will need the Dexterity if they want Heavy Blade Optimization. Constitution is also important for a Warlord that needs to play defender occasionally, Dexterity for the Warlord that wants to get in his boosts before his allies wizard starts flinging around fireballs. Resourceful Warlords, because they need both high Intelligence and Charisma will have a hard time dealing with these tertiary stats.
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[sblock=Quadrary]
If the Warlord has any time remaining to train, he may need to concentrate on a fourth attribute to reinforce his defenses. An Inspiring Warlord that has taken a Dexterity weapon will not need this. However a Charisma Warlord that trains up his Constitution will need to reinforce either his Intelligence or his Dexterity to make up for his reflex defense. A Tactical Warlord will always need to reinforce either his Charisma or his Wisdom if he can. Charisma will be a little more useful for the Warlord role, and a Warlord cannot contribute much as a spotter. Consequently, most Warlords would consider Wisdom to be a dump stat. Resourceful Warlords will not have the points for worrying about reinforcing a weak defense.
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[sblock=Primary or Secondary]
One other thing to consider when choosing weapons is which attribute to concentrate on, your primary or secondary attribute. Unlike most other adventurers out there, a Warlord is well served either way. Concentrating on strength will enable a Warlord to hit more often and consequently use his abilities more often. However, maximizing Intelligence or Charisma over Strength will make many of your abilities, including your most useful ones, more powerful. This is more a question of personal preference than anything else. A higher secondary stat that hits less frequently will be a more useful in situations where you are just starting your career (low level) and against opponents that are comparably easy to hit. On the other hand, a higher Strength will be preferable against hard to hit enemies and later in your career. Given that the higher defense enemies are the ones where your talents are the most needed, I believe that primary has a slight advantage over secondary. However, a Tactical Warlord needs that Intelligence for AC as well, thus switching priorities.
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A Word on Attributes by SquirrelyMan
Here is a second word on attributes that concentrates a little less on the theory and a little more on expectations. Besides, I like the author's style:
[sblock=SquirrelyMan on Attributes]
You made it through the enrollment process. Congratulations! You can fill out a form. Now, don’t worry if you had trouble with some of the big words – some of the best out there are pretty faces who know how to encourage their allies. But smarts and charisma take a back seat to your physical training. If you’re ever going to succeed in using any of your powers, you better spend some time in the yard.
Strength (16-18): Don’t be a slacker. No amount of intelligence or charisma will make up for a missed hit. This is important for future training as well, so don’t avoid the gym. You should be increasing this consistently throughout your career, no matter what.
Constitution (10-14): You can’t afford to be downright unhealthy: it’s impossible to keep your team alive if you are not alive. And, if you want to specialize in armor later in your career, you’ll need to keep your health pretty high from the outset. But, don’t get carried away; you don’t have the time to specialize here. You should be able to take a hit, but you don’t need to be tougher than you fighter.
Dexterity (08-14): Many of you will ignore doing stretches and balance exercises, and honestly, I won’t give you too many issues for it. But, those of you who plan on using a longsword or a glaive, there will be training down the line which you won’t want to ignore. Don’t look at it as a waste, either; training this up will allow you to act quicker in battle, which is always to your advantage.
Intelligence (08-16): You have the option of spending all your days in the library reading up on tactical maneuvers and historical battles, or never touching a book. Either way, don’t go for the middle road unless you’re on of those Tieflings who can easily improve their intellect without focusing on it. But, if you do think that brains make the battle, don’t half-ass it; go all out. I should see a book in one hand a sword in the other even after you’ve made it up to rank of General.
Wisdom (08-14): Not all of our recruits are very logical individuals, but like dexterity, there are uses for a strong mind. Those who like puzzles and have good ears seem strangely well qualified with polearms, and their reach can be fantastic for you.
Charisma (08-16): Your career here is determined largely by the gods. If they blessed you with a strong jaw and a voice that can move men to arms, it won’t matter if you don’t know words with more than two syllables. But if the gods decided to give you a mug your mother couldn’t love, you better know what you’re doing, otherwise no one will listen to your commands.
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[size=+2]Who Are You - Core Races[/size]
If you did not notice when choosing your weapon, some races are better inclined to be a Warlord than others. If you are not sure how suitable you are at being a Warlord, take a look at this list.
[sblock=Races]
Dragonborn: Dragonborn are good Warlords especially ones that have Charisma as a secondary stat. Most Dragonborn are very strong and tend to be charismatic. This tends to make Dragonborn excellent Charisma Warlords. However, the inability to easily obtain an Intelligence of 18 hurts their ability to be a Tactical Warlord. The fact that Dragonborn hit better after being wacked around a bit is nice for a Warlord as is their natural talent at skills warlord frequently train in. The best feature of the Dragonborn, however, is their breath weapon. Warlords have very few area effect abilities, and this helps correct for that weakness.
Drow: Drow make superb Heavy Blade wielding Charisma Warlords. Their boost to Charisma helps boost their Warlord abilities while the boost to Dexterity allows them to qualify for Heavy Blade Opportunity and Mastery. The only drawback is that some people suffer prejudices against the race.
Dwarf: Considering how militaristic many Dwarven camps can be, they make remarkably poor Warlords. They may be resilient, but that is about the only thing that they have that synergizes heavily with a Warlord. Dwarves may be a decent choice for a Warlord that emphasizes being a defender over a leader.
Eladrin: If you are planning on being a long sword wielding Tactical Warlord, you could do worse than to be an Eladrin. Not only are Eladrin fairly smart, but their racial dexterity makes it easier for them to ignore their tertiary attribute. The Eladrin's fey step is also awesome for putting you in the best position to make tactical changes to a battle.
Elf: Hey, they help their allies notice things; that is Warlord like, sort of. Oh and they can get around the battlefield a little faster than anyone else for tactical repositioning. Um, if you are an elf may I suggest you reconsider your career path; after all, they are good at nearly everything else!
1/2 Elf: Half Elves make decent axe wielding Inspiring and Bravura Warlords. The Half Elf's natural charisma will benefit an such a Warlord while the elf's boost to constitution will allow them to refocus their training. The real interesting thing about the half elf, however, is that they can train in abilities that provide nice boosts to a party. The half-elf's racial boost to diplomacy is nice as is the potential boost from the feat Light Step. The boost from Group Insight is the most interesting boost, however, nicely stacking with the Warlords other initiative boosts. Admittedly this might be overkill, but every bit can help.
Genasi: Genasi receive a boost to both the Tactical Warlord's primary and secondary attribute. Consequently, Genasi are the best race at being any Tactical Warlord that is not interested in Heavy Blades. If they are interest in Heavy Blades, they tie with the Eladrin. Many of the Genasi's racial abilities are extremely good supplements for a Warlord that wishes to double as a controller or defender.
Halfling: Halflings will find that their small size hurts a lot. Halflings make decent Inspiring and Bravura Warlords due to their boost to Charisma. The boost to Dexterity should make Halflings excellent heavy blade wielders. However, Halflings cannot use Longswords or Bastard Swords with a shield and they cannot use Glaives, Great Swords, or Full Blades at all. This means that the Halfling must suffer a -1 to hit and damage and use the Scimitar or lose the shield. In a crowd of larger creatures, a Halfling may be able to make up for the lost AC, especially with their racial ability to avoid hits. Still small size hurts the Halfling.
Human: A human's flexibility is can be a major boon for a Warlord. All of the Warlords at will abilities can be useful at one time or another, and humans can be quite strong. Sadly, humans sacrifice their ability to take many weapon feats and lose access to many weapon choices. Still, humans have action surge, and that makes up for a lot. Humans are almost never an optimal race because they cannot meet prerequisites as easily, but they are never a bad race.
Tiefling: Yes Tiefling Warlords are naturally talented at both of the Warlord's secondary attributes. This makes them excellent Resourceful Warlords. An extra +1 to hit with a flaming weapon can also be a massive boost. The rest just does not synergize much with a Warlord's needs, but it does not hurt.[/sblock]
A second opinion on Core Races Courtesy of SquirrelyMan
We do not necessarily agree everywhere, but here is a second Warlord's advice on races, for those that want a second opinion.
[sblock=SquirrelyMan on Races]
Dragonborn (5 Stars): You’ll fit right in. Not only does the presence of your race inspire your friends, your strength will be an asset to you when you need to move into the thick of things. On the field of battle, your breath can wipe out a swarm of weaklings trying to encroach on your front line. You also have a great ability to heal, and your hustle when you’re bleeding is impressive. Overall one of your best picks from the PHB
Dwarves (3 Stars): Being as stout as you are, you won’t go down as fast as others, but it’s not directly helping you either. Your wisdom is nice to talk about, but it won’t do much for you. The only reason we don’t just kick you out is that the rest of your resume is pretty helpful. Your ability to hold ground and wear armor effectively is nice, and your ability to heal quickly while still attacking is excellent. So, if you want to join the ranks, just know that you’re going to have to spend a lot of effort either lifting weights, as well as looking in books or in the mirror working on that pretty little beard.
Eladrin (3 Stars): Oh, so you think you’re pretty smart, don’t ya? Well, that’s all well and good, but don’t let that brain forget that strength training is more important. And I can’t say that your gracefulness is going to do you many favors. But, I can’t complain with your stronger than average will, and your teleporting could be useful in positioning. We’ll put you into tactics training, and you might turn out alright.
Elves (2 Stars): As much as we like your speed and accuracy, I can’t say that you’re best qualified for this route. We won’t turn you away if you’re determined, but you’d be better off enlisting as a warrior or maybe with the nature-boys.
Half-Elves (4 Stars): We like your type here. Your heartiness will help keep you standing, but more importantly, you’ve got a good face. On top of that, you like giving benefits to your friends, which is exactly the right attitude. I wish you were a bit stronger, but it’s excusable.
Halflings (3½ Stars): You’ve got spunk, kid. You’re tough to hit and you won’t go running away when things get a little scary. And, you’ve got the charisma to inspire your teammates, which speaks a lot for you. However, you won’t be using any longswords or polearms, which is something we encourage around here. Still, you’re not half bad (excuse the pun).
Humans (5 Stars): Assuming you’ve focused on your strength training, you’re fantastically well qualified. Between your strong defenses and quick learning of basic maneuvers, you’re quickly on your way to being a General. You can do whatever you want to.
Tieflings (4 Stars): You’ve got a good head: it’s got a nice visage and some brains behind it. I’d almost prefer you only had one or the other so you’d be smart enough to specialize in one, but this way you can take the best from both schools of tactics. Your temper seems to be somewhat useful, but not a lot of your racial training (feats) seem particularly useful to us. But we’ll take you anyways.
[/sblock]
Monster Races Courtesy of Cooperflood
I might not agree with all of this, but I cannot say I know much about monsters if it isn't on the other side of a sharp blade. Here, I pass on some advice from Cooperflood.
[sblock=Monster Races]
Bugbear (5): The bugbear makes a good race for any melee class and the warlord is no different. This is the race for the warlord looking to increase his offensive power. Has the all important boost to Strength and several abilities that increase your damage. The Dexterity boost also makes it easier to pursue many of the heavy blade related feats.
Doppelganger (3): While it does boost both of your secondary attributes it has little else going for it. Most of its abilities are non-combat related so if you are primarily interested in a social savant but are looking for something to do in combat an Inspiring Warlord build wouldn’t be a horrible route to go.
Githyanki (4): Solid defensive abilities with boosts to Constitution, Will, and saves. The racial power gives you some very useful maneuverability that can be on yourself or on your allies as the situation requires. Finally the Constitution boost sets you up for a solid Axe wielding build. Once you add in the Initiative boost this race gets about as close to a 5 as you can get without a Strength boost.
Githzerai (1): Pass, even an anorexic elf makes a better Warlord.
Gnoll (2): Nothing great here, but you could make it work if you really had to. Gnolls have a couple mediocre offensive and defensive boosts, but you’re probably better off looking elsewhere.
Gnome (2): Yet another race that gives a boost to both your secondary attributes. However this is probably the worst of the lot. First you are small so you lack maneuverability and your weapon damage is poor. The killing blow for Gnomes though is all your racial abilities involve not being seen and many of the Warlord abilities require your allies to be able to see you.
Goblin (3): Similar to the Halfling, a light hitting Warlord with some tricky abilities. The reflex boost helps shore up your weakest defense.
Hobgoblin (4): While none of the Hobgoblin’s abilities are exceptional they all directly benefit the warlord. Together all those small boosts make an effective axe wielding warlord.
Kobold (1): Small and stealthy what are you, a rogue?
Minotaur (5): Similar to the Bugbear, they make exceptional axe wielding Warlords. It’s hard to over emphasize how much a boost to Strength and oversized does for Warlords. Goring Charge is a nice encounter ability that gives you something effective to do when no allies are nearby.
Orc (4): Not a bad choice for a Warlord but not deserving of the top tier. Basically Orcs make good Warlords because they boost your attack and give you a boost to a secondary attribute that you can actually use. Warrior’s Surge is much better for Fighters and Rangers who don’t already have dozens of abilities that grant the use of healing surges. While running charge is a suboptimal ability because using it means you aren’t using a warlord exploit.
Shadar-kai (3): All this race really has to offer is a boost to your secondary score and a decent racial power. Shadow jaunt is a useful defensive ability, but the range is too short to offer much maneuverability.
Shifter, Longtooth (4): A boost to your primary attribute and then a variety of useful abilities. Make slightly better tactical warlord than inspirational because the wisdom boost actually helps the former. The biggest advantage is that Longtooth Shifting can really help you conserve your healing surges; you will never need to spend healing surges to reach bloodied out of combat.
Shifter, Razerclaw (1): Actually like Razerclaw’s racial power better than Longtooth’s but every other part of the package is useless to Warlords. In the end you’re no better than a pansy Elf.
Warforged (4 or 5): Warforged are solid in the Monster Manuel but if you are using the Warforged from Dragon 364 they become a 5. This is the strongest race if you want a defense heavy warlord. Warforged Resolve grants you temporary hit points TWICE with several other possible benefits depending on feat selection and every Warlord is going to want the feat Warforged tactics. It’s essentially a free bonus to attack for a Warlord.
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1 year ago ::
Jul 01, 2008 - 9:44AM
#6
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[size=+2]Power Analysis[/size]
The Philosophy of Damage
Warlords have the opportunity to learn exploits and use weapons that allow them to do massive damage to single opponents, frequently even exceeding striker damage. While a Warlord can do this, I would contend that a Warlord should not do so in most cases.
Doing damage is not the Warlord's job or the best use of his talent!
Anyone can do damage, including all of your allies. Wizards will bring down spells that can roast dozens of your enemies at once, Paladins will smite those that try to pierce their defenses, and Rangers will take down their quarry with a swarm of arrows. On the other hand, only you can reorganize the battlefield to turn the tide in battle, only you can enhance your allies' combat prowess to maximize success of strategies, and only you can disrupt opponent formation and tactics. Yes, I am exaggerating a bit, but these are your areas of expertise, not the Wizard, Paladin, Ranger or other occupation's specialty. A Warlord that learns exploits to do damage is leaving a vital hole in his parties' ability to adapt to an enemy in order to duplicate other member's efforts. Moreover, the Warlord can frequently do more damage per resource consumed with his other abilities. A Warlord that attacks and moves a single ally out of the way so that the wizard has room to use an AoE did more damage than granting the fighter an extra basic attack. Similarly, a Warlord that allows an ally to use an at-will exploit instead of charging or that increases the Rogues chance of hitting the BBEG with a stunning attack will likely do more overall for the party than if he just did damage.
Do not mistake this for a statement that Warlords should not consider damage. They should. However, given the opportunity between learning an attack that can significantly alter a battlefield or control resource expenditure and an attack that just deals damage, the former choice will be the better choice. This is augmented by the fact that most of the Warlord's damaging exploits require a bit of setup and appropriate allies. For example, a Warlord in a party of ranged fighters will find his damaging exploits for the most part useless. Yes, defeating an enemy quickly is the easiest way to control resource expenditure. Unfortunately, most of the time, the Warlord cannot provide such a boost to damage that he will make up in reduced combat time the benefits that he would have granted by doing average damage while boosting the number of opportunities for the rest of the party to excel (see individual power descriptions for some exceptions). For this reason, damage should not be a Warlord's first priority. Damage is needed to defeat the enemy, however, so damage should be considered a decent second priority.
The Types of Warlord Powers and Overlapping
A Warlord's exploits fulfill one of five roles:
1) Damage Dealing
2) Healing
3) Buffing
4) Debuffing
5) Movement
Given that most exploits also deal damage, and for the most part reasonable damage, a Warlord does not need to worry much about taking exploits that JUST deal damage unless the damage is massively excessive (yes there are a few). Of the remaining roles, many classes can duplicate the debuffing role. The other three roles tend to rarely be covered by other classes(except by another leader). Consequently, a party will reasonably expect a Warlord to take powers that heal, buff, and rearrange the battlefield in order to guarantee that the party does not go without those tactical options. This is especially true in circumstances when a Warlord is likely to be the only leader, when the Warlord switches adventuring groups regularly, or when an adventuring group has unreliable membership. A Warlord should look at allocating 1/4 of his powers to healing, 1/4 to buffing, 1/4 to movement, and the remaining 1/4 to powers that seem cool, buff, or do the EXCESSIVE damage (possibly using mulitclass feats). That said, a word of caution. A Warlord should not take too many of the same type of power. A Warlord can only use so many movement powers in an encounter. By spreading his allocation over all the roles, the Warlord will gain flexibility while providing his party with sufficient exploits to cover each of the leader roles in those combats where they are needed. Experience will enable a Warlord to more precisely alter these ratios based on what the Warlord's party tends to need, but the 1/4 ratio is a good guidepost.
Powers that Hit on a Miss
This is a list of those powers that do something on a miss, partially courtesy of Clutchbone
[sblock=Hit on a Miss]
I'd like to add that these following exploits have either an "Effect" or a "Miss" property, making them still effective even if your attack does not connect with the enemy, and Warlords often face a ~40-50% miss chance.
At-Will: Wolf Pack Tactics lets you shift one adjacent ally 1 square before you roll the attack
Daily: all
1st - Concentrated Attack, Fearless Rescue, Lead by Example
5th - Pike Hedge, A Rock and a Hard Place, Scent of Victory, Situational Advantage, Staggering Spin
9th - Blood Designation, Caging Glaive, Denying Mark, Disheartening Flurry, Stay on Target, Warlord’s Recovery
15th - Anticipate Attack, Arkhosia’s Fury, Formidable Smash, Infectious Determination, War Master’s Assault
19th - Exhorted Counterattack, Glasya’s Stride, Inspiring Charge, Storm of Carnage, Unleash Hell
25th - Precision Stance, Primordial Onslaught, Sleeping Dragon Lure, Warlord’s Resurgence, Wave of Defeat
29th- Asmodeus’s Gambit, Deific Rallying, Flawless Snare, Perfect Front, Wake of Devastation
Utility: all (no attack rolls)
Encounter:
1st - Diabolic Stratagem, Myrmidon Formation
3rd - Hold the Line, Inspiring War Cry, Shielding Retaliation
7th - Lion's Roar, Surround Foe, Phalanx Assault (Resourceful Only)
13th - Befuddling Cry, Denying Smite, Pincer Maneuver, Ventured Gains
17th - Warlord's Rush
23rd - none
27th - Eye of the Storm
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Powers that Avoid Armor
Also partially courtesy of Clutchbone
[sblock=Avoid Armor]
Also, these attacks target ability defenses with a weapon attack, making them more accurate.
At-Will: Furious Smash (vs Fort), Opening Shove (vs Ref)
Daily: 5th - Villains Nightmare (vs Ref)
1st - Anticipate Attack (vs Ref)
5th - Staggering Spin (vs Fort)
15th - Grim Instruction (vs Fort)
25th - Primordial Onslaught (vs Will), Wave of Defeat (vs Fort)
Encounter:
1st - Diabolic Stratagem (vs Ref), Hammer and Anvil (vs Ref), Luring Focus (vs Fort)
3rd - Flattening Charge (vs Fort)
13th - Beat them into the Ground (vs Fort), Headstrong Bravery (vs Fort), Ventured Gains (vs Fort)
17th - Deadly Inspiration (vs Ref)
23rd - Daring Display (vs Fort), Shutdown Smite (vs Will), Wounding Focus (vs Ref)
27th - Chimera Battlestrike (vs Ref), Warlord's Indignation (vs Fort)
[/sblock]
[size=+4]Powers[/size]
Each Exploit listed has a different color. Here is a full breakdown of the rating sysytem:
Sky Blue: Exceptional choice. Take this power unless you concept requires a different exploit.
Blue: Good choice. This is not a gimme, but is a strong choice for most builds.
Black: Acceptable choice. May excel in some builds but ho hum in most.
Purple: Unusual choice. Take this power only in very specialized builds or specific circumstances.
Red: Bad choice. This exploit is underpowered, difficult to use, or a trap.
[size=+2]At Wills[/size]
[sblock=At Wills]
Tactical - BrashAssault MP:
Inspiring - BrashAssault MP:
Bravura - BrashAssault MP:
Resourceful - BrashAssault MP:
I really want to like this power, but this is one of the most difficult to analyze powers out there. On the plus side, this power has the potential to be more damaging than any of the Walord's alternative at-wills. It also has massive potential for tempo control. Against the right enemies this is always a blue power. Animals and other non-intelligent creatures should always take the gamble and that is good for you. Against creatures that will take this gamble even when the gamble is slightly in your favor, this is also blue. Against creatures that will not take this gamble even though it slightly favors you, this power is red. Against creatures that take this gamble when it favors them or break even, this power is black bordering on blue. The ability to control tempo, even if you sacrifice damage to the enemy, has massive potential for controlling recharge abilities and restricting the enemy to his basic attacks over the entire combat. Against creatures that never take the gamble, even if it favors them, this power is red, the opportunity cost makes this power useless and you WILL use your other at-will. Overall the rating of this power depends on the type of creatures you typically face, the favor of the gods (or at least your DM), your ability to outsmart said gods (again your DM), your willingness to be forced to be stuck with your alternate at-will when this power is of less use (this power is better for humans), the likelihood that you will be in a timed encounter, and your ability to calculate a gamble. For most Warlords this power rates red or purple, for some it ranks black or blue, for the rare elite it rates skyblue. If you are not sure which category you fall under, skip it. (Thanks Elder_Basilisk for arguing the pros of this power!)
Tactical - Commander's Strike:
Inspiring - Commander's Strike:
Bravura - Commander's Strike:
Resourceful - Commander's Strike:
This exploit doesn't reinforce the Warlord's role that much, but the extra damage this ability provides is often preferable to trying to hit an enemy yourself or moving people around. This exploit can allow you to make a second use of a buff you provided last round. It can also enable a fighter to mark a second enemy in a turn. Unfortunately, if you cannot rely on having a heavy melee hitter in the party (maul wielding uber-strength power attacker with weapon focus or at least a melee striker), this exploit should be treated as one rank lower.
Some notes on this exploit:
Pros
Highest potential damage of at-will powers
Easiest at-will to buff
Cons
You must threaten the target with a melee weapon (this has a melee range for those who haven't noticed) at the beginning of your turn (cannot be combined with charge)
Ally must also threaten the target with a melee weapon at the beginning of your turn.
Ally must also have good basic attack damage
Is not required by any builds (desirable for many, but not essential)
Tactical - Furious Smash:
Inspiring - Furious Smash:
Bravura - Furious Smash:
Resourceful - Furious Smash:
Charisma Warlords tend to have few options for buffing allies. This makes this power an absolute requirement for many such Warlord builds. However, until the Warlord has at least a 16 Charisma, the aid other action is roughly as good. Consequently, Warlords should retrain into this ability when they have an 18 or at least a 16 Charisma. The exploit just does not cut it for Warlords with low Charismas.
Tactical - Opening Shove MP:
Inspiring - Opening Shove MP:
Bravura - Opening Shove MP:
Resourceful - Opening Shove MP:
Options option options. This exploit enables three sets of tactical options at once. First you get a shove. The number of polearm combos this opens up is massive in Paragon levels. However, even at lower levels, this is great battlefield control and is excellent in combination with allied wizard/cleric/artificer terrain effects. The secondary effect puts this head and shoulders over Bull Rush. The secondary effect acts as either a weak Commanding Strike or an alternative Wolf Pack Tactics. This exploit will do less damage than Commanding Strike (at least for Intelligence based Warlords) and requires two attack rolls (the 1st, however is vs. Ref). It does not enable flanking the way Wolf Pack Tactics does and does not guarantee movement like Wolf Pack does. However, the shove makes positioning less important than it is for Commanding Strike and the range of movement this power provides exceeds Wolf Pack Tactics. This can also be used on an ally when the enemy is still out of range. This power is all about options, and, as an at-will, options are very desirable.
Tactical - Viper's Strike:
Inspiring - Viper's Strike:
Bravura - Viper's Strike:
Resourceful - Viper's Strike:
This exploit is one of the reasons Warlords can act as a backup tank. However, in order to make good use of this exploit, you need a good defender or two to stand next to. This exploit is especially effective when used in conjunction with a fighter or against enemies that utilize shifting tactics. Unfortunately, this exploit is not useful in every encounter, only certain battle-field control tank builds should bother with it. At the request of Thuvian, I am reminding everyone that this power can only be used in conjunction with an ally; you cannot receive the benefits of its effect.
Tactical - Wolf Pact Tactics:
Inspiring - Wolf Pact Tactics:
Bravura - Wolf Pact Tactics:
Resourceful - Wolf Pact Tactics:
Moving allies is one of the Warlord's core roles. Besides making it easier for the Rogue to flank, you can disengage squishies, open up area effect lanes, open up a spot for a different ally to engage, force an enemy to engage a defender, or negate the effects of a push/pull. Very flexible. If you have a party that specializes in range attacks or in mobility, this exploit should only be considered black
[/sblock]
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1 year ago ::
Jul 01, 2008 - 9:45AM
#7
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[size=+2]Encounter[/size]
[sblock=Encounter Exploits]
[sblock=1st Level]
Tactical - 1 Diabolic Stratagem Drag369:
Inspiring - 1 Diabolic Stratagem Drag369:
Bravura - 1 Diabolic Stratagem Drag369:
Resourceful - 1 Diabolic Stratagem Drag369:
The real strengths of this exploit are that it helps you tank for one round per encounter and that it targets Reflex. Otherwise, using this exploit is a gamble with the same strengths and weaknesses of Brash Assault. Most notably, this has the potential to be the highest damage 1st level encounter available to a Warlord. Of course, that makes this an excellent choice for the Bravura Warlords out there.
Tactical - 1 Guarding Attack:
Inspiring - 1 Guarding Attack:
Bravura - 1 Guarding Attack:
Resourceful - 1 Guarding Attack:
An acceptable but unimpressive defensive buff for an Intelligence based Warlord. For a Charisma based Warlord, the buff from this exploit can easily halve the chance of a hit against your ally. For a 1st level power, the ability to deny a single opponent an action every other encounter is well worth it. Just use this on an ally when he is at a chokepoint, when he has marked the enemy, or when he needs to withdraw. Thus exploit is better for polearm wielders.
Tactical - 1 Hammer and Anvil:
Inspiring - 1 Hammer and Anvil:
Bravura - 1 Hammer and Anvil:
Resourceful - 1 Hammer and Anvil:
This power only grants on average Cha+Str+2-[W] extra damage compared to alternative encounter powers (roughly 5 damage), it lacks a special effect that provides resource advantage beyond a little extra damage, it is hard to set up (especially if you have an inconsistent party), and it replicates Commander's Strike. However, recently I have been looking at its target defense and the difficulties in setting up Guarding Attack and Leaf on the Wind, and thinking it might not be as bad as I once thought. That said, you will need to have a decent buff on the party for this power to be decent or this power is a red! If you do not have a high Charisma or if you do not have a heavy hitter in the party, the buff needs to be that much higher. Drop the rank to red if you cannot buff enough!
Tactical - 1 Hammer Formation MP:
Inspiring - 1 Hammer Formation MP:
Bravura - 1 Hammer Formation MP:
Resourceful - 1 Hammer Formation MP:
This would be a very good power if it did not require a ranged weapon and could be used both melee or ranged. As it is, you probably have to switch weapons to benefit from this exploit. That is too bad because this power does tremendous damage for its level. So much damage that I cannot downgrade it for being a damage only ability.
Tactical - 1 Leaf on the Wind:
Inspiring - 1 Leaf on the Wind:
Bravura - 1 Leaf on the Wind:
Resourceful - 1 Leaf on the Wind:
This movement has all the benefits of Wolf Pack Tactics and can enable flanking in a single action. More importantly, you can move a target into or out of a dangerous area, possibly negating a trap.
Tactical - 1 Luring Focus MP:
Inspiring - 1 Luring Focus MP:
Bravura - 1 Luring Focus MP:
Resourceful - 1 Luring Focus MP:
Unless you have a pit between you and an enemy, this power is only of minimal use. It will reinforce your ability to tank, a little, but, overall, had too little battlefield control to be worth taking. Bravura Warlords gain more battlefield control, so this power becomes more desirable.
Tactical - 1 Myrmidon Formation MP:
Inspiring - 1 Myrmidon Formation MP:
Bravura - 1 Myrmidon Formation MP:
Resourceful - 1 Myrmidon Formation MP:
Good damage and free resources. If you have a shield this power is not bad.
Tactical - 1 Nimble Footwork MP:
Inspiring - 1 Nimble Footwork MP:
Bravura - 1 Nimble Footwork MP:
Resourceful - 1 Nimble Footwork MP:
If you have Wolf Pack Tactics, skip this power. If you do not have it, consider Leaf on the Wind first. Forcing the enemy to move and an ally to move will frequently be preferable to you and an ally moving.
Tactical - 1 Warlord's Favor:
Inspiring - 1 Warlord's Favor:
Bravura - 1 Warlord's Favor:
Resourceful - 1 Warlord's Favor:
Once per encounter double the chances that an allies daily power will hit. Under most circumstances, a Tactical Warlord should take this exploit. Considering that Charisma based Warlords suffer from a lack of "to hit" buffing exploits, even a +2 looks good.
[/sblock]
[sblock=3rd Level]
Tactical - 3 Bloody Ending MP:
Inspiring - 3 Bloody Ending MP:
Bravura - 3 Bloody Ending MP:
Resourceful - 3 Bloody Ending MP:
A pure damage power, and not even good damage. Add a limited target and you have a bad power. Resourceful Warlords, however, grant a bonus to hit. This turns the power from horrible to desirable.
Tactical - 3 Dicey Predicament MP:
Inspiring - 3 Dicey Predicament MP:
Bravura - 3 Dicey Predicament MP:
Resourceful - 3 Dicey Predicament MP:
An encounter power better be usable every encounter or have one awesome benefit to compensate. This power can only be used in encounters where you are flanked, and is not good enough to make up for the inability to guarantee use every encounter. Skip it.
Tactical - 3 Flattening Charge MP:
Inspiring - 3 Flattening Charge MP:
Bravura - 3 Flattening Charge MP:
Resourceful - 3 Flattening Charge MP:
If this did more damage than a basic, it might be better, but, as is, a normal charge will be good enough. Prone just is not that good when you are that close to a target but granting CA is a powerful bump to a charge. If you charge every round and are not Bravura, take Follow Me In (it is treated as black if you charge every round). Bravura Warlord are a different story. Being able to spam charges for a Bravura is powerful, especially if you have a marking defender that will attack if you provoke. Bravura Warlords specializing in charges should treat this power as a blue.
Tactical - 3 Follow Me In MP:
Inspiring - 3 Follow Me In MP:
Bravura - 3 Follow Me In MP:
Resourceful - 3 Follow Me In MP:
The biggest problem with this power is that you will not always need to use it and encounter powers should be used/useful every encounter. Still, sometimes you HAVE to charge, and this gives the charge a little bump. If you charge in every combat treat this as a black. If you have a charging specialist in the party and you are a Tactical Warlord treat this as blue (and expect to charge every round).
Tactical - 3 Hold the Line:
Inspiring - 3 Hold the Line:
Bravura - 3 Hold the Line:
Resourceful - 3 Hold the Line:
Low damage, minor and situational buff. Meh.
Tactical - 3 Inspiring War Cry:
Inspiring - 3 Inspiring War Cry:
Bravura - 3 Inspiring War Cry:
Resourceful - 3 Inspiring War Cry:
This qualifies as a give that does not take. You sacrifice your effect for a 50% chance for your ally to overcome a condition. That is not a reasonable exchange unless the status is absolutely horrible. The opportunity cost is rather high for an encounter power. Only consider this exploit if you are forced into the healer role and you find that you do not have enough ability to enable allies to reroll saves. However, if you are the party healer, many Warlords will be, this is one of the few ways a Non-inspiring Warlord can provide a new save, so it will be needed until a better power comes along. The Inspired Recovery feat will marginalize the need for an Inspiring Warlord to take this power.
Tactical - 3 Shielding Retaliation MP:
Inspiring - 3 Shielding Retaliation MP:
Bravura - 3 Shielding Retaliation MP:
Resourceful - 3 Shielding Retaliation MP:
You want to be able to use encounter powers every round. Unless you can count on an ally provoking OAs like crazy, this exploit will not see enough use.
Tactical - 3 Steel Monsoon:
Inspiring - 3 Steel Monsoon:
Bravura - 3 Steel Monsoon:
Resourceful - 3 Steel Monsoon:
Shifting an ally 1 square is useful, as mentioned earlier in Wolf Pack Tactics. Shifting most allies 1 square can rearrange the entire tactical situation. This is especially useful in the first seconds of combat, especially if you have surprise.
Tactical - 3 Warlord's Strike:
Inspiring - 3 Warlord's Strike:
Bravura - 3 Warlord's Strike:
Resourceful - 3 Warlord's Strike:
The extra damage is useful against a surrounded BBEG. Still in one round, even if your entire party hits, it will not even double your effective damage. Damage powers need to be excessive to be worth taking over a more leader oriented power. This does not qualify.
[/sblock]
[sblock=7th Level]
Tactical - 7 Deadly Returns MP:
Inspiring - 7 Deadly Returns MP:
Bravura - 7 Deadly Returns MP:
Resourceful - 7 Deadly Returns MP:
Better than average damage at its level, but with nothing else to recommend it, this is a pass.
Tactical - 7 Lion's Roar:
Inspiring - 7 Lion's Roar:
Bravura - 7 Lion's Roar:
Resourceful - 7 Lion's Roar:
If you need more healing, this will be worth taking. If you regularly adventure with a Cleric, this exploit is only a black.
Tactical - 7 Phalanx Assault MP:
Inspiring - 7 Phalanx Assault MP:
Bravura - 7 Phalanx Assault MP:
Resourceful - 7 Phalanx Assault MP:
Boosting defenses is always a good thing, but the boost is too easy to bypass and too short in duration for this power to be more than average, even for Resourceful Warlords.
Tactical - 7 Provoke Overextension MP:
Inspiring - 7 Provoke Overextension MP:
Bravura - 7 Provoke Overextension MP:
Resourceful - 7 Provoke Overextension MP:
This power is a bit risky. That said, if you use it on a marked enemy, and he misses you, you will do exceptional damage to the enemy for the level. If the mark does something other than damage, even better.
Tactical - 7 Sacrificial Lure MP:
Inspiring - 7 Sacrificial Lure MP:
Bravura - 7 Sacrificial Lure MP:
Resourceful - 7 Sacrificial Lure MP:
If you have a high Charisma the boost to your ally's attack role for a daily or encounter power is well well well worth it.
Tactical - 7 Stirring Force MP:
Inspiring - 7 Stirring Force MP:
Bravura - 7 Stirring Force MP:
Resourceful - 7 Stirring Force MP:
The benefit of using this power is dependent on the frequency that more than one member of your party needs to make a save. The damage is acceptable for the level, but without the boost to the save role, this power is only mediocre.
Tactical - 7 Sunder Armor:
Inspiring - 7 Sunder Armor:
Bravura - 7 Sunder Armor:
Resourceful - 7 Sunder Armor:
Too conditional of a benefit. Although increased criticaling is nice, at low levels it does not rock as much as it does at higher levels. As such, odds are good that this exploit's effect will be minimal or non-existent.
Tactical - 7 Surprise Attack:
Inspiring - 7 Surprise Attack:
Bravura - 7 Surprise Attack:
Resourceful - 7 Surprise Attack:
I dislike powers that are primarily damage only. Without the bonus to hit that a Tactical Warlord would get, this exploit does not do enough damage to even be worth considering, especially if you have Commander's Strike. Even for a Tactical Warlord, the other damaging encounters at this level are better.
Tactical - 7 Surround Foe:
Inspiring - 7 Surround Foe:
Bravura - 7 Surround Foe:
Resourceful - 7 Surround Foe:
Not substantially better than Wolf Pack Tactics and not usable at will. A Warlord that did not take Wolf Pack Tactics may be more inclined to take this exploit. This exploit has an alternative name, Run like Chicken. If you have a PC surrounded by 8 enemies, you can use this to pull them out of the surrounded position. It also works to pull a PC back if they are cut off from the party by a simple line, or to setup an AOE attack following a fighter using Come & Get it or a Rogue using Smash me because I have a low AC.
Tactical - 7 War of Attrition MP:
Inspiring - 7 War of Attrition MP:
Bravura - 7 War of Attrition MP:
Resourceful - 7 War of Attrition MP:
A +1 to hit is nice, but for only basics and at will, it is not worth going out of your way for (even with a Relentless Assault active). A +Charisma to hit, on the other hand is useful, even if they are only at-wills. This turns at-wills into encounters, but this means you have to wait until all your allies are using at-wills before you use this encounter and that slows combat down.
[/sblock]
[sblock=13th Level]
Tactical - 13 Beat them into the Ground:
Inspiring - 13 Beat them into the Ground:
Bravura - 13 Beat them into the Ground:
Resourceful - 13 Beat them into the Ground:
It requires a bit of setup; you need to let all your enemies act immediately before you. Have your allies knock all your enemies prone. On your allies action they get an attack with advantage and shift away one. If the enemy has no range or reach weapons ready, they cannot attack on their next action. You get up to 6 attacks, with a buff, and without being attacked in return. This is hard to setup, so only take this exploit if you have a well coordinated party.
Tactical - 13 Befuddling Cry MP:
Inspiring - 13 Befuddling Cry MP:
Bravura - 13 Befuddling Cry MP:
Resourceful - 13 Befuddling Cry MP:
Too situational for an encounter. Pass.
Tactical - 13 Bolstering Blow:
Inspiring - 13 Bolstering Blow:
Bravura - 13 Bolstering Blow:
Resourceful - 13 Bolstering Blow:
This exploit effectively does decent damage to an opponent and effectively debuffs his attack for one hit. Nothing exceptional.
Tactical - 13 Denying Smite:
Inspiring - 13 Denying Smite:
Bravura - 13 Denying Smite:
Resourceful - 13 Denying Smite:
This reinforces your role as a secondary defender. Unfortunately the enemy can still attack everyone else. This exploit may be worth taking for some Warlord tank builds; otherwise, skip it.
Tactical - 13 Fury of the Sirocco:
Inspiring - 13 Fury of the Sirocco:
Bravura - 13 Fury of the Sirocco:
Resourceful - 13 Fury of the Sirocco:
Yes this is an area effect that can reset the tactical situation. Unfortunately you have to be surrounded to maximize it. Even then, you do weak damage and put the enemy in a position where they can shift and charge or attack.
Tactical - 13 Grim Mark MP:
Inspiring - 13 Grim Mark MP:
Bravura - 13 Grim Mark MP:
Resourceful - 13 Grim Mark MP:
Shift in, daze, and shift out. If he does not have a range attack, instant action advantage. The extra damage for a Resourceful Warlord does not help much unless your allies focus on ranges attacks.
Tactical - 13 Headstrong Bravery MP:
Inspiring - 13 Headstrong Bravery MP:
Bravura - 13 Headstrong Bravery MP:
Resourceful - 13 Headstrong Bravery MP:
A damage power that helps you tank. Overall the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, but Bravura Warlords will enable enough extra damage for this to be palatable.
Tactical - 13 Malebranche’s Pull Drag369:
Inspiring - 13 Malebranche’s Pull Drag369:
Bravura - 13 Malebranche’s Pull Drag369:
Resourceful - 13 Malebranche’s Pull Drag369:
This is ok battlefield control for a reach weapon wielder, but nothing special. More often than not, a Warlord reach weapon wielder wants to push the enemy, not pull it.
Tactical - 13 Pincer Maneuver MP:
Inspiring - 13 Pincer Maneuver MP:
Bravura - 13 Pincer Maneuver MP:
Resourceful - 13 Pincer Maneuver MP:
The raw damage is hardly worth it, but the free shifts makes this a decent if unexceptional power.
Tactical - 13 Unified in Blood MP:
Inspiring - 13 Unified in Blood MP:
Bravura - 13 Unified in Blood MP:
Resourceful - 13 Unified in Blood MP:
This is raw damage, and not enough of it. The situational nature of the trigger even mitigates the ability to use this as a minor. Most interrupts I like, but this fails the grade.
Tactical - 13 Ventured Gains MP:
Inspiring - 13 Ventured Gains MP:
Bravura - 13 Ventured Gains MP:
Resourceful - 13 Ventured Gains MP:
Wow this is bad. Unless you have some way of knowing that you will bloody your enemy with this attack, it is useless. And you grant combat advantage if you use this. Do not think about taking this piece of garbage.
Tactical - 13 Withdrawal Gambit MP:
Inspiring - 13 Withdrawal Gambit MP:
Bravura - 13 Withdrawal Gambit MP:
Resourceful - 13 Withdrawal Gambit MP:
This probably should have been a Resourceful Warlord power and not a Tactical Warlord one. As it is granting allies adjacent to the target both a free slide and a save is nice flexibility. The damage is also decent.
[/sblock]
[sblock=17th Level]
Tactical - 17 Battle On:
Inspiring - 17 Battle On:
Bravura - 17 Battle On:
Resourceful - 17 Battle On:
This exploit is very similar to Inspiring War Cry. This exploit is ranked higher than the lower level exploit because it can be used on multiple allies simultaneously and thus the exploit will have a substantially better chance to cause a successful reroll. In addition, by this level you are facing status effects that are crippling in nature.
Tactical - 17 Bloody Termination MP:
Inspiring - 17 Bloody Termination MP:
Bravura - 17 Bloody Termination MP:
Resourceful - 17 Bloody Termination MP:
At this level even the Resourceful Warlord does not do enough damage with this for it to be worth taking.
Tactical - 17 Deadly Inspiration MP:
Inspiring - 17 Deadly Inspiration MP:
Bravura - 17 Deadly Inspiration MP:
Resourceful - 17 Deadly Inspiration MP:
Another damage power, this exploit has the potential to do decent damage in the right party, especially if the party is gaining extra at-wills from something (HBO for example). Its real strength, however, is that this hits Reflex. The Warlord just does not get enough of those.
Tactical - 17 Girding Strike MP:
Inspiring - 17 Girding Strike MP:
Bravura - 17 Girding Strike MP:
Resourceful - 17 Girding Strike MP:
This encounter power will increase the remaining healing potential in your party by 25-50%. In a party of dwarves, this is golden. Outside of such a party, enough abilities trigger off of a second wind that this is still potentially very useful.
Tactical - 17 Hail of Steel:
Inspiring - 17 Hail of Steel:
Bravura - 17 Hail of Steel:
Resourceful - 17 Hail of Steel:
You have better things to be doing than damage, but this has the potential to do very high damage for its level. This exploit can be used to support people that gain advantages from critting or that can mark anyone they attack. Unfortunately, the fact that you must hit to gain any benefit out of this exploit makes it a difficult sell. The real power of this exploit is use in conjunction with prior buffs. Drop the rank by one if you cannot regularly get those buffs.
Tactical - 17 Into the Breach MP:
Inspiring - 17 Into the Breach MP:
Bravura - 17 Into the Breach MP:
Resourceful - 17 Into the Breach MP:
This power combines a little extra damage with some battle repositioning. The former is meh, but the latter has potential. This power is a little too dependent on initial combat positioning for me to be happy with it as an encounter power. There is too good a chance you will not get any use out of it.
Tactical - 17 Thunderous Fury:
Inspiring - 17 Thunderous Fury:
Bravura - 17 Thunderous Fury:
Resourceful - 17 Thunderous Fury:
Dazing is nice for allowing allies to disengage or denying enemies tactical mobility. Giving everyone else a bonus to hit the target is more than nice, it is massive; Tactical Warlords will want this exploit.
Tactical - 17 Warlord's Rush:
Inspiring - 17 Warlord's Rush:
Bravura - 17 Warlord's Rush:
Resourceful - 17 Warlord's Rush:
This exploit has two very useful effects. First, this exploit can enable the Warlord's party to bypass the need to close on an enemy. This enables the party to use at-will powers instead of charging and denies the enemy the opportunity to take advantage of ranged weapons. Second, this exploit will allow a Warlord to rearrange the tactical arrangement so that positioning is optimal for the party. Unfortunately using this exploit will likely allow the enemy to take some Opportunity Attacks. Either way, the Warlord has to hit to maximize the benefit of this power.
[/sblock]
[sblock=23rd Level]
Tactical - 23 Blood Begets Blood MP:
Inspiring - 23 Blood Begets Blood MP:
Bravura - 23 Blood Begets Blood MP:
Resourceful - 23 Blood Begets Blood MP:
Lets play guess the opponent's hitpoints for a super->good->decent prize. Of course, instead, you could take a sure thing.
Tactical - 23 Daring Display MP:[/b]
Inspiring - 23 Daring Display MP:[/b]
Bravura - [color=black23 Daring Display MP:[/b][/color]
Resourceful - 23 Daring Display MP:
Use this and then shift or otherwise get out of the way of everyone ganging up on you to grant the entire party an effective bonus to AC. Unfortunately, if you mess up, the cost in resources used will exceed the benefits. Bravura Warlords have a boost in their ability to get out of dodge, and that will make the difference between using this power to good effect…or not.
Tactical - 23 Great Dragon War Cry:
Inspiring - 23 Great Dragon War Cry:
Bravura - 23 Great Dragon War Cry:
Resourceful - 23 Great Dragon War Cry:
Weakening the enemy means that the enemy will lose 1/2 an action for purposes of doing damage. Unfortunately, by this level, most solos and elites will have a way to mitigate this status effect. However, this exploit also provides a rare Inspiring Warlord buff. Given the rarity of such buffs, this makes the exploit much better for such Warlords.
Tactical - 23 Pillar to Post:
Inspiring - 23 Pillar to Post:
Bravura - 23 Pillar to Post:
Resourceful - 23 Pillar to Post:
Extra damage that requires massive setup and risk. That is the striker's job.
Tactical - 23 Pit Fiend’s Fury Drag369:
Inspiring - 23 Pit Fiend’s Fury Drag369:
Bravura - 23 Pit Fiend’s Fury Drag369:
Resourceful - 23 Pit Fiend’s Fury Drag369:
Warlords have very few area effects. This is a burst 2. Damage is low for the level, but hey, it is burst 2. You do need a polearm to use this exploit, but Opening Shove trippers will love this exploit.
Tactical - 23 Quickening Force MP:
Inspiring - 23 Quickening Force MP:
Bravura - 23 Quickening Force MP:
Resourceful - 23 Quickening Force MP:
Granting the entire party saves mitigates the low percentage chance of success. If you manage to give one ally an action they would have lost, this exploit pays for itself. This borders on skyblue for Resourceful Warlords due to the percentage boost they grant.
Tactical - 23 Rabbits and Wolves:
Inspiring - 23 Rabbits and Wolves:
Bravura - 23 Rabbits and Wolves:
Resourceful - 23 Rabbits and Wolves:
Not quite an entire battlefield tactical shift, but close to it. Any time you can rearrange the entire battlefield, you have a winner.
Tactical - 23 Ringing Clarity MP:
Inspiring - 23 Ringing Clarity MP:
Bravura - 23 Ringing Clarity MP:
Resourceful - 23 Ringing Clarity MP:
Too situational for an encounter power. Fears and charms are not THAT common.
Tactical - 23 Shutdown Smite MP:
Inspiring - 23 Shutdown Smite MP:
Bravura - 23 Shutdown Smite MP:
Resourceful - 23 Shutdown Smite MP:
Opening with this encounter will break many Solo's tactics. The real strength of this exploit is that it targets Will, a very rare defense for a Warlord. This goes from a good to a great power for Tactical Warlords. The penalty to saves, in combo with an allies lockdown power screams action advantage.
Tactical - 23 Sudden Assault:
Inspiring - 23 Sudden Assault:
Bravura - 23 Sudden Assault:
Resourceful - 23 Sudden Assault:
Before adding the bonuses for a Tactical Warlord this power is awesome. Used in conjunction with an action point, this can allow an ally 3 standard actions before the enemy gets to do anything. Let the combos flow. Since you are a Tactical Warlord that 3rd standard is almost a certain thing, icing on the cake.
Using this exploit is the equivalent of:
1) Sacrificing 2 encounter power uses for an encounter power plus your future at-will power or
2) Sacrificing 1 encounter+1 daily power for 1 daily+the future at-will power.
At first, this looks like a bad trade. However, Sudden Assault is a combo maker; it provides the Warlord with flexibility and allows for mini novas. This power allows you to enable a wizard to get off two battlefield control spells off in round one to totally stop an enemy party. It gives you the flexibility to activate area effect spells to take out minions, even though Warlords have few of them. It allows an ally to get off a killing blow a round early or pull off a one two punch in round one. It allows you to enable a fighter or other ally to set up a zone in addition to their normal attack. It provides you with an activity if you are out of melee range since you likely have few or no ranged attacks. The massive flexibility in use and potential for creating combos is staggering, for any Warlord.
Tactical - 23 Wounding Focus MP:
Inspiring - 23 Wounding Focus MP:
Bravura - 23 Wounding Focus MP:
Resourceful - 23 Wounding Focus MP:
Grant allies +2 to hit target and some extra damage. In a party of Rogues this is decent power, but for other parties, the bonuses are just too low for its level and it does too little damage. It does target Reflex, though, that is a plus.
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[sblock=27th Level]
Tactical - 27 Abrupt Skirmish MP:
Inspiring - 27 Abrupt Skirmish MP:
Bravura - 27 Abrupt Skirmish MP:
Resourceful - 27 Abrupt Skirmish MP:
This is some BFC with the potential of a trade-off of basic attacks. Even if the trade-off is even, this will probably result in one fewer turn in which the enemy can use a bigger better power.
Tactical - 27 Brutal Setup MP:
Inspiring - 27 Brutal Setup MP:
Bravura - 27 Brutal Setup MP:
Resourceful - 27 Brutal Setup MP:
If you have the Intelligence to make use of this power, abuse it. This even combos well with ally powers that daze.
Tactical - 27 Chimera Battlestrike:.
Inspiring - 27 Chimera Battlestrike:.
Bravura - 27 Chimera Battlestrike:.
Resourceful - 27 Chimera Battlestrike:.
This rearranges the tactical field, killing enemy tactics while enabling ones of your own. Unfortunately, if the movement is limited to two, it is a bit small for the level. This exploit is vastly better if you do not let your DM know that they updated this exploit to take a standard instead of a minor action.
Tactical - 27 Devastating Charge:
Inspiring - 27 Devastating Charge:
Bravura - 27 Devastating Charge:
Resourceful - 27 Devastating Charge:
27th level and the best effect you can pull off is 5 times your charisma in extra damage. Too situational and too weak for its level.
Tactical - 27 Eye of the Storm MP:
Inspiring - 27 Eye of the Storm MP:
Bravura - 27 Eye of the Storm MP:
Resourceful - 27 Eye of the Storm MP:
This power is effectively a situational mass heal. It is also a comparatively rare Warlord burst attack. The ability to make a save is mitigated by the save occurring on the allies turn (he gets a save at the end of his turn anyway). In addition, this still requires the ally to hit. Overall, a certainty is better than this type of gamble, but the frequency that you use this power will make up for that a bit.
Tactical - 27 Incite Heroism:
Inspiring - 27 Incite Heroism:
Bravura - 27 Incite Heroism:
Resourceful - 27 Incite Heroism:
This exploit gives every ally a buffer of one half an attack per encounter. It is the per encounter part that makes this decent, good resource management. The larger your party, the more useful this power is. If you actually lead an army, treat this exploit as if it were ranked one better.
Tactical - 27 Uplifting Assault MP:
Inspiring - 27 Uplifting Assault MP:
Bravura - 27 Uplifting Assault MP:
Resourceful - 27 Uplifting Assault MP:
Another Inspiring Word for the encounter is awesome just for its healing. If you have something that triggers off of Inspiring Word (Battle Captain anyone) it is even better.
Tactical - 27 Warlord's Doom:
Inspiring - 27 Warlord's Doom:
Bravura - 27 Warlord's Doom:
Resourceful - 27 Warlord's Doom:
Use in conjunction with a sleep spell or some other effect where the enemy loses its action if it fails its save. This takes a little cooperation with the other members of your party, but can cut short encounters against solos.
Tactical - 27 Warlords Indignation MP:
Inspiring - 27 Warlords Indignation MP:
Bravura - 27 Warlords Indignation MP:
Resourceful - 27 Warlords Indignation MP:
You get massive damage for an immediate action plus anything that triggers on basic attacks. This exploit is a bit party dependent, but the fact that it is action advantage and yet still comparable in power with equivalent level abilities makes this amazing.
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1 year ago ::
Jul 01, 2008 - 9:46AM
#8
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[size=+2]Utility Exploits[/size]
[sblock=Utilities]
[sblock=2nd Level]
Tactical - 2 Adaptive Stratagem MP:
Inspiring - 2 Adaptive Stratagem MP:
Bravura - 2 Adaptive Stratagem MP:
Resourceful - 2 Adaptive Stratagem MP:
I admit to being partial to the damage bonus (especially on area effects), but a save bonus is nice to. The damage will be used every encounter, if you have a high enough Int. The same is not true for the bonus to saves.
Tactical - 2 Aid the Injured:
Inspiring - 2 Aid the Injured:
Bravura - 2 Aid the Injured:
Resourceful - 2 Aid the Injured:
Using this exploit requires a touch and a standard action. You do not even add your charisma. Use Inspiring Word rather than waste your action.
Tactical - 2 Covering Maneuver MP:
Inspiring - 2 Covering Maneuver MP:
Bravura - 2 Covering Maneuver MP:
Resourceful - 2 Covering Maneuver MP:
Get an ally defender to defend another ally that uses his second wind (primarily useful for Dwarves). This power can defend an endangered ally, but its use relies on a defender already being in the region, so its usefulness is rather heavily mitigated. Boost the rating, however, in a party of dwarves.
Tactical - 2 Crescendo of Violence:
Inspiring - 2 Crescendo of Violence:
Bravura - 2 Crescendo of Violence:
Resourceful - 2 Crescendo of Violence:
Difficult to activate and only able to negate part of an attack at best, this power is not even passable for a Charisma Warlord.
Tactical - 2 Heroic Effort MP:
Inspiring - 2 Heroic Effort MP:
Bravura - 2 Heroic Effort MP:
Resourceful - 2 Heroic Effort MP:
An encounter long party wide damage buff, this utility used properly will out damages many dailies. You must be bloodied to use this, so start on encounter a day bloodied and avoid close combat for that encounter.
Tactical - 2 Inspired Belligerence MP:
Inspiring - 2 Inspired Belligerence MP:
Bravura - 2 Inspired Belligerence MP:
Resourceful - 2 Inspired Belligerence MP:
The duration for this is too short. Consider this feat only in a party of Rogues or ranged attackers that cannot easily gain advantage. Inspiring Warlords, however, can turn this into a powerful damage boost worth several actions worth of advantage. Indeed, an Inspiring Warlord in a partry that is willing to coordinate effots to properly utilize this exploit can push this exploit into the skyblue category by turning it into the basis of a mini-nova.
Tactical - 2 Knights Move:
Inspiring - 2 Knights Move:
Bravura - 2 Knights Move:
Resourceful - 2 Knights Move:
If you do not need to move, move an ally. This movement is extremely useful at low levels for its ability to prevent an ally from losing an action. Just remember that using this utility to move an ally may provoke OAs on that ally and since it is a range power, on you. (thanks to Thuvian for the reminder)
Tactical - 2 Motivated Recovery MP:
Inspiring - 2 Motivated Recovery MP:
Bravura - 2 Motivated Recovery MP:
Resourceful - 2 Motivated Recovery MP:
For high Charisma Warlords without Furious Smash, this grants a low level Warlord a new way to buff attack rolls. Sadly the bloody prerequisite make this utility less useful when it would be best used (at the beginning of the combat). That said, Charisma Warlords need every bit of buffing they can get.
Tactical - 2 Reckless Opportunity MP:
Inspiring - 2 Reckless Opportunity MP:
Bravura - 2 Reckless Opportunity MP:
Resourceful - 2 Reckless Opportunity MP:
Take Inspired Belligerence. The prerequisites may be slightly harder to pull off, but it is many times better than this and will always work.
Tactical - 2 Repositioning Command MP:
Inspiring - 2 Repositioning Command MP:
Bravura - 2 Repositioning Command MP:
Resourceful - 2 Repositioning Command MP:
While I like tactical repositioning, this is too limited and too easily replicated in part by other abilities or powers. Wolf Pack Tactics or Opening Shove users, for example, have better options.
Tactical - 2 Rub Some Dirt on It MP:
Inspiring - 2 Rub Some Dirt on It MP:
Bravura - 2 Rub Some Dirt on It MP:
Resourceful - 2 Rub Some Dirt on It MP:
Not enough temp hp and it is touch.
Tactical - 2 Shake it Off:
Inspiring - 2 Shake it Off:
Bravura - 2 Shake it Off:
Resourceful - 2 Shake it Off:
The ability to use this exploit in conjunction with another attack or effect makes this a bit better than Inspiring War Cry, a higher level encounter ability. If you need to fill the healer role, this is a good effect. The bonus to the roll helps this quite a bit for Charisma Warlords. Inspiring Warlords may already have save rerolls covered with the Inspired Recovery feat; if so drop this to a blue rank.
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[sblock=6th Level]
Tactical - 6 Encouraging Stance MP:
Inspiring - 6 Encouraging Stance MP:
Bravura - 6 Encouraging Stance MP:
Resourceful - 6 Encouraging Stance MP:
Resource preservation at its best, you negate damage every time you hit for the rest of the encounter. Bravura Warlords can use this even when they miss.
Tactical - 6 Forward Observer MP:
Inspiring - 6 Forward Observer MP:
Bravura - 6 Forward Observer MP:
Resourceful - 6 Forward Observer MP:
This power is very situational and thus will not be preferable. However, if you have controllers in your party that throw around fogs, hazes, smoke, and other visual impairments that affect your party, this combos nicely. In addition, some environments (the Sea of Dread Mist, an island based off of Great Britain) beg for this utility.
Tactical - 6 Guide the Charge:
Inspiring - 6 Guide the Charge:
Bravura - 6 Guide the Charge:
Resourceful - 6 Guide the Charge:
Guide the Charge is an immediate action, but you may not be able to use it every combat. This is a decent way to break an enemy's defensive line, but not that much better than bull rush.
Tactical - 6 Guileful Switch MP:
Inspiring - 6 Guileful Switch MP:
Bravura - 6 Guileful Switch MP:
Resourceful - 6 Guileful Switch MP:
You or an ally gain an action every encounter. This is arguably the best utility of this level.
Tactical - 6 Inspiring Reaction:
Inspiring - 6 Inspiring Reaction:
Bravura - 6 Inspiring Reaction:
Resourceful - 6 Inspiring Reaction:
Slightly worse than Healing Word, only take this if you find that you never have enough healing ability. Bravura Warlords will like the extra insurance on their gambles.
Tactical - 6 Phalanx Formation MP:
Inspiring - 6 Phalanx Formation MP:
Bravura - 6 Phalanx Formation MP:
Resourceful - 6 Phalanx Formation MP:
Even if you and another ally reliably use shields, the 2nd level Cleric power Shield of Faith is almost strictly better. (This is only a minor). This is underpowered for its level.
Tactical - 6 Polearm Vault Drag369:
Inspiring - 6 Polearm Vault Drag369:
Bravura - 6 Polearm Vault Drag369:
Resourceful - 6 Polearm Vault Drag369:
This is remarkably useful for bypassing enemy obstacles to get at the squishies in the back as well as for setting up flanks. If you wield a polearm, this is a fun and flavorful exploit, but it is somewhat dangerous; watch the Opportunity Attacks. This also synergizes well with Knight's Move. Like any gamble exploit, this is especially appropriate for Bravura Warlords.
Tactical - 6 Quick Step:
Inspiring - 6 Quick Step:
Bravura - 6 Quick Step:
Resourceful - 6 Quick Step:
For when an ally needs to get to the enemies controller, leader, or artillery quickly. Since this is an untyped bonus, you may want to consider this exploit if you have a ranged attacking ally with a massive speed, enabling him to pepper his enemies with attacks while he stays safely out of reach. You also might want to take this exploit if you need to retreat regularly and need to boost the speed of an ally with plate mail (or a dwarf). As a minor action, this can also substitute for Knight's Move. This is nicer for Warlords that like charging, especially Bravura Warlords.
Tactical - 6 Rousing Words MP:
Inspiring - 6 Rousing Words MP:
Bravura - 6 Rousing Words MP:
Resourceful - 6 Rousing Words MP:
More healing at early levels is desirable by many parties. For its level, this is exceptional healing.
Tactical - 6 Stand Tough:
Inspiring - 6 Stand Tough:
Bravura - 6 Stand Tough:
Resourceful - 6 Stand Tough:
This utility boosts the party's resources without costing much (a minor action). Boost the rating by 1 if play will not get to higher levels, this utility is significantly better at lower levels. Drop the rating by 1 for Warlords that manage to avoid adventuring in the heroic tier.
Tactical - 6 Tactical Supervision MP:
Inspiring - 6 Tactical Supervision MP:
Bravura - 6 Tactical Supervision MP:
Resourceful - 6 Tactical Supervision MP:
Another way to grant a too hit bonus, the benefits of this Utility are mitigated by only being useful on weaker attacks. If you have a Barbarian or other ally that specializes in charging, however, this Utility should be treated as one rating higher.
Tactical - 6 Tempting Target MP:
Inspiring - 6 Tempting Target MP:
Bravura - 6 Tempting Target MP:
Resourceful - 6 Tempting Target MP:
Just flank the enemy rather than take this Utility. The healing for the Bravura Warlord is the only decent thing about this Utility, and then only for situations where the Bravura Warlord would already be granting Combat Advantage.
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[sblock=10th Level]
Tactical - 10 Bolstering Shout MP:
Inspiring - 10 Bolstering Shout MP:
Bravura - 10 Bolstering Shout MP:
Resourceful - 10 Bolstering Shout MP:
Skip this power if you have many Dwarves in your party. Otherwise, treat this as a low level mass heal with some extra limitations. Mass heals tend to be good choices. This is less effective than Defensive Rally but usable every encounter.
Tactical - 10 Defensive Rally:
Inspiring - 10 Defensive Rally:
Bravura - 10 Defensive Rally:
Resourceful - 10 Defensive Rally:
Mass healing will make managing hitpoints much easier. The bonus to defense will also help to conserve resources a bit while the free save may prevent an ally from losing an action. This suffers from not being an encounter power.
Tactical - 10 Ease Suffering:
Inspiring - 10 Ease Suffering:
Bravura - 10 Ease Suffering:
Resourceful - 10 Ease Suffering:
In certain situational circumstances this could help retain resources. Unfortunately, most of those circumstances also make standing in a group a bad idea.
Tactical - 10 Instant Planning MP:
Inspiring - 10 Instant Planning MP:
Bravura - 10 Instant Planning MP:
Resourceful - 10 Instant Planning MP:
This is another one shot buffing power for Charisma Warlords. This would have been decent as an encounter power, but as a daily power you are better off with most alternative Utilities. This is a very good alpha strike utility, it is just overshadowed by the alternatves.
Tactical - 10 Marked Revelation MP:
Inspiring - 10 Marked Revelation MP:
Bravura - 10 Marked Revelation MP:
Resourceful - 10 Marked Revelation MP:
This power gives all allies but one a +2 to all defenses for one round. The duration is too short
Tactical - 10 Rallying Deflection MP:
Inspiring - 10 Rallying Deflection MP:
Bravura - 10 Rallying Deflection MP:
Resourceful - 10 Rallying Deflection MP:
This utility is resource preservation plus a bit of ally repositioning and some possible extra damage. This is flexible and synergizes well with charging specialists. The biggest problem with this power is that you cannot guarantee you will use it every encounter. Still, if you have a guaranteed Barbarian in your party, this Utility should be blue.
Tactical - 10 Strider Stance MP:
Inspiring - 10 Strider Stance MP:
Bravura - 10 Strider Stance MP:
Resourceful - 10 Strider Stance MP:
This is decent damage and tactical repositioning over an entire encounter, but not enough to make this Utility preferable over the better alternatives.
Tactical - 10 Tactical Shift:
Inspiring - 10 Tactical Shift:
Bravura - 10 Tactical Shift:
Resourceful - 10 Tactical Shift:
Once per day allow an ally to shift as an interrupt. Since this is an interrupt, it actually prevents the hit in the first place. This should read as, once per day stop an ally from falling unconscious. The extra shifting granted by a Tactical Warlord is a plus, but this is good enough that anyone should take it.
Tactical - 10 Unintended Feint MP:
Inspiring - 10 Unintended Feint MP:
Bravura - 10 Unintended Feint MP:
Resourceful - 10 Unintended Feint MP:
Used properly on a daily attack, this can turn a relatively low level utility into a high level attack.
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[sblock=16th Level]
Tactical - 16 Decisive Timing MP:
Inspiring - 16 Decisive Timing MP:
Bravura - 16 Decisive Timing MP:
Resourceful - 16 Decisive Timing MP:
Rearranging initiative is vastly useful, especially if you have a wizard in the party or anyone that regularly has to delay. Reactive Warlords will especially like this.
Tactical - 16 Encouraging Remark MP:
Inspiring - 16 Encouraging Remark MP:
Bravura - 16 Encouraging Remark MP:
Resourceful - 16 Encouraging Remark MP:
Weak buffs for its level. This should have been an area buff.
Tactical - 16 Flanking Stance MP:
Inspiring - 16 Flanking Stance MP:
Bravura - 16 Flanking Stance MP:
Resourceful - 16 Flanking Stance MP:
If you want to grant Combat Advantage, just flank. Used in conjunction with defenders, the disadvantages of this utility are exceeded by the advantages, but the advantages are not good enough. On the other hand, a Bravura Warlord that buffs damage with this power will find it exceedingly useful. In a party with a bunch of ranged attackers, boost the rank of this power to black for non-Bravura Warlords.
Tactical - 16 Hero's Defiance:
Inspiring - 16 Hero's Defiance:
Bravura - 16 Hero's Defiance:
Resourceful - 16 Hero's Defiance:
Use your action to allow an ally to auto make a save. This averages to providing 2 actions for 1 action. For its level, this is a bit weak.
Tactical - 16 Kyton’s Battledance Drag369:
Inspiring - 16 Kyton’s Battledance Drag369:
Bravura - 16 Kyton’s Battledance Drag369:
Resourceful - 16 Kyton’s Battledance Drag369:
This stance enables a hit and run strategy for one encounter per day. Attack, slide away, move away. Hopefully the enemy will charge you and you can repeat the process. If you have a reach weapon, you can use a slide in, attack, slide out strategy to prevent the enemy from making anything other than a charge. Of course, this does not work if you face a teleporter, charger, or an opponent with reach. Decrease the rank of this exploit by one if you do not tend to face appropriate opponents at least once per day.
Tactical - 16 Side by Side MP:
Inspiring - 16 Side by Side MP:
Bravura - 16 Side by Side MP:
Resourceful - 16 Side by Side MP:
Excellent support for a defensive wall. The buff is decent but not spectacular for its level.
Tactical - 16 Warlord's Banner:
Inspiring - 16 Warlord's Banner:
Bravura - 16 Warlord's Banner:
Resourceful - 16 Warlord's Banner:
Same as defensive rally but usable every encounter with a +2 to hit for 1 turn. The +2 to everyone's attack makes it worth the standard action.
Tactical - 16 Warning Shout MP:
Inspiring - 16 Warning Shout MP:
Bravura - 16 Warning Shout MP:
Resourceful - 16 Warning Shout MP:
Once per day, save an ally from being knocked unconscious (or from being seriously mangled). Nice resource management.
Tactical - 16 White Raven Formation:
Inspiring - 16 White Raven Formation:
Bravura - 16 White Raven Formation:
Resourceful - 16 White Raven Formation:
Not quite as good as Warlord's Rush, but it has a 100% chance of working. If this were only an encounter power it would be worth it. As is, Banner is better.
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[sblock=22nd Level]
Tactical - 22 Avenge Me MP:
Inspiring - 22 Avenge Me MP:
Bravura - 22 Avenge Me MP:
Resourceful - 22 Avenge Me MP:
As a general rule any power that requires you to be knocked unconscious is bad. However, this utility may enable your party to fight on without a leader for the round or two it takes you to get back up, and that is a good thing.
Tactical - 22 Bloodthirsty Offensive MP:
Inspiring - 22 Bloodthirsty Offensive MP:
Bravura - 22 Bloodthirsty Offensive MP:
Resourceful - 22 Bloodthirsty Offensive MP:
A buffing stance that also causes damage. This exploit does not do enough damage for its level and does not provide a large enough buff. That is, except for the Bravura Warlord.
Tactical - 22 Heart of the Titan:
Inspiring - 22 Heart of the Titan:
Bravura - 22 Heart of the Titan:
Resourceful - 22 Heart of the Titan:
A long lasting buff that conserves party resources and incidentally grants the target immunity to the worse effects of some enemies. This could be very useful under the right conditions. A bit situational, but at this level the conditions will be right often enough.
Tactical - 22 Heroic Surge:
Inspiring - 22 Heroic Surge:
Bravura - 22 Heroic Surge:
Resourceful - 22 Heroic Surge:
Another mass heal once per day but this time it is an immediate reaction. This one is another once per day prevent an ally from going unconscious. Unfortunately it does not conserve much else.
Tactical - 22 Own the Battlefield:
Inspiring - 22 Own the Battlefield:
Bravura - 22 Own the Battlefield:
Resourceful - 22 Own the Battlefield:
Rearrange the battlefield. Once per day you can completely disrupt the enemy's tactics. If you have the Intelligence, very useful.
Tactical - 22 Quickening Order MP:
Inspiring - 22 Quickening Order MP:
Bravura - 22 Quickening Order MP:
Resourceful - 22 Quickening Order MP:
When you have to go first, this is how to do it. A bonus to attacks and damage equal to your Intelligence on that first turn makes this a superb first round nova (especially if you have surprise)
Tactical - 22 Rush of Battle MP:
Inspiring - 22 Rush of Battle MP:
Bravura - 22 Rush of Battle MP:
Resourceful - 22 Rush of Battle MP:
The real problem is that you are not likely to grant two attacks per ally. With the right party, however, boost this to a blue ranking; it is a lot of damage, especially with a Resourceful Warlord.
Tactical - 22 Stirring Declaration MP:
Inspiring - 22 Stirring Declaration MP:
Bravura - 22 Stirring Declaration MP:
Resourceful - 22 Stirring Declaration MP:
This exploit does not provide enough temporary hp for its level, even though it provides the hp to every ally every round you hit. A free save granted by an Inspiring Warlord, however, is well worth it.
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1 year ago ::
Jul 01, 2008 - 9:47AM
#9
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[size=+2]Daily Exploits[/size]
[sblock=Dailies]
[sblock=1st Level]
Tactical - 1 Bastion of Defense:
Inspiring - 1 Bastion of Defense:
Bravura - 1 Bastion of Defense:
Resourceful - 1 Bastion of Defense:
Used at the beginning of an encounter, this exploit can provide enough of a buff that the party might save a healing surge or two. Unfortunately, the benefits of this exploit are highly volatile; if the enemy never hits exactly, this exploit will not do anything. Such variability always favors the enemy. Add temporary hitpoints to make this power more consistently effective, and this becomes a worthwhile exploit..
Tactical - 1 Calculated Assault MP:
Inspiring - 1 Calculated Assault MP:
Bravura - 1 Calculated Assault MP:
Resourceful - 1 Calculated Assault MP:
Lead the Attack is better, but if you have a decent Intelligence, this is still good. Constant damage bonus all encounter is rare, and this is reliable. The only drawback is low damage.
Tactical - 1 Concentrated Attack MP:
Inspiring - 1 Concentrated Attack MP:
Bravura - 1 Concentrated Attack MP:
Resourceful - 1 Concentrated Attack MP:
Effectively a 4W power. Not good enough for a pure damage power.
Tactical - 1 Fearless Rescue MP:
Inspiring - 1 Fearless Rescue MP:
Bravura - 1 Fearless Rescue MP:
Resourceful - 1 Fearless Rescue MP:
Action advantage twice over. First you allow an ally that will lose a full action before you can otherwise heal him to get up. Second, this is an instant power. Very nice.
Tactical - 1 Lead by Example MP:
Inspiring - 1 Lead by Example MP:
Bravura - 1 Lead by Example MP:
Resourceful - 1 Lead by Example MP:
A low level but decent buff power. Still, this does not stack with flanking so you may not get much bang from it. This is much better in a party of Rogues. This power is an interesting example of a power that you might want to miss with, especially if you are a whip wielder.
Tactical - 1 Lead the Attack:
Inspiring - 1 Lead the Attack:
Bravura - 1 Lead the Attack:
Resourceful - 1 Lead the Attack:
Go ahead and make it easier to hit the BBEG. See if any of your allies mind. As always, buffs to hit, correctly applied, are a massive advantage. If you have an Intelligence of 14 or better, this exploit is worth considering even though its effect is limited; sadly most Charisma based Warlords will not have a high enough Intelligence.
Tactical - 1 Pin the Foe:
Inspiring - 1 Pin the Foe:
Bravura - 1 Pin the Foe:
Resourceful - 1 Pin the Foe:
This exploit allows you and an ally to tank better. Of course, if your ally happens to already be a defender, he may have been sticky enough without this exploit. More often than not, enemies targeted by this exploit were already willing to stay put or they will be willing to take the hit(s). This just is not reliably useful enough to take.
Tactical - 1 White Raven Onslaught:
Inspiring - 1 White Raven Onslaught:
Bravura - 1 White Raven Onslaught:
Resourceful - 1 White Raven Onslaught:
While this exploit is an excellent way to enable your party to advance, this ploy is often completely dependent on the intelligence of your allies. Sadly, intelligence may not be in great supply. Even if you are in a party that can make use of the exploit, how often does it actually provide a substantive benefit. This is often a wasted ability.
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[sblock=5th Level]
Tactical - 5 Pike Hedge MP:
Inspiring - 5 Pike Hedge MP:
Bravura - 5 Pike Hedge MP:
Resourceful - 5 Pike Hedge MP:
Encounter long power that causes damage that can take effect multiple times per round, provides minion control, and gives action advantage (this is an interrupt). If you have a reach weapon, a worthy daily. This is just fun with the whip (yeah the orc charges up to me and impales himself on my whip)
Tactical - 5 A Rock and A Hard Place MP:
Inspiring - 5 A Rock and A Hard Place MP:
Bravura - 5 A Rock and A Hard Place MP:
Resourceful - 5 A Rock and A Hard Place MP:
This is another power that lasts an entire encounter. This is an extraordinary ability for a front liner standing side-by side with a defender. Suddenly the enemy is choosing between being hit by your allies mark power or this power. If you have the intelligence to make use of this exploit, it is well worth it. Used properly, this exploit acts as battlefield control, minion control, and enables you to better double as a defender.
Tactical - 5 Scent of Victory MP:
Inspiring - 5 Scent of Victory MP:
Bravura - 5 Scent of Victory MP:
Resourceful - 5 Scent of Victory MP:
A one shot damage dealer that requires most allies to be adjacent to a bloodied enemy with decent basic attacks for it to be any good. In addition, you don't do any damage. A one shot with three conditions (adjacent, good melee, and bloodied) where two allies have to hit just to make up for you not taking a daily that does normal damage; forget this.
Tactical - 5 Situational Advantage MP:
Inspiring - 5 Situational Advantage MP:
Bravura - 5 Situational Advantage MP:
Resourceful - 5 Situational Advantage MP:
This is another exploit that does extra damage under fairly situational situations. Not only must you be wielding a ranged weapon, every ally must be able to attack with Combat Advantage. Overall, the damage is not sufficient to makeup for the conditions. However, if you happen to be a Resourceful Warlord that wields a ranged weapon, this barely does enough extra damage to be worth it.
Tactical - 5 Staggering Spin MP:
Inspiring - 5 Staggering Spin MP:
Bravura - 5 Staggering Spin MP:
Resourceful - 5 Staggering Spin MP:
One of those rare Warlord powers that effects a burst, this has the potential to create some battlefield control, minion clearing, and damage dealing. This power targets Fortitude, which is a minor plus. This exploit is not bad; it is just hard to do enough damage for this power to excel.
Tactical - 5 Stand the Fallen:
Inspiring - 5 Stand the Fallen:
Bravura - 5 Stand the Fallen:
Resourceful - 5 Stand the Fallen:
Mass Healing that does not take up an action. Not bad for a low level once per day. Additional hitpoints make this even better for the right Warlords.
Tactical - 5 Turning Point:
Inspiring - 5 Turning Point:
Bravura - 5 Turning Point:
Resourceful - 5 Turning Point:
There is only a 50% chance that the effect of this exploit will even do anything. You should only take this exploit if you are filling the healing role, frequently run out of similar powers, and do not have the Inspired Recovery feat.
Tactical - 5 Villain's Nightmare:
Inspiring - 5 Villain's Nightmare:
Bravura - 5 Villain's Nightmare:
Resourceful - 5 Villain's Nightmare:
Prevent an enemy from chasing a squishy or from retreating entirely from combat, sadly it has no effect on shifts. Still this can easily keep a melee opponent from closing in on anyone else in your party while ranged attacks finish it off and you go total defensive. More importantly, it helps to prevent a powerful enemy from getting away to fight another day.
[/sblock]
[sblock=9th Level]
Tactical - 9 Blood Designation MP:
Inspiring - 9 Blood Designation MP:
Bravura - 9 Blood Designation MP:
Resourceful - 9 Blood Designation MP:
A decent buff that also does reasonable damage. Like most Combat Advantage powers, this exploit's usefulness will depend on how easily your party could otherwise obtain the +2 to hit. Of course, it is better with several allied Rogues.
Tactical - 9 Caging Glaive Drag369:
Inspiring - 9 Caging Glaive Drag369:
Bravura - 9 Caging Glaive Drag369:
Resourceful - 9 Caging Glaive Drag369:
If you wield a reach weapon, this is nasty. Not only do you do decent damage, you debuff the enemy and either force the enemy to accept Opportunity Attacks trying to get away from you or suffer Combat Advantage. Add a bit of Battlefield Control in, and you have a very flexible daily that either supports the Warlord role or does decent damage. This also synergizes well with other Warlord movement powers such as Villain's Nightmare.
Tactical - 9 Denying Mark MP:
Inspiring - 9 Denying Mark MP:
Bravura - 9 Denying Mark MP:
Resourceful - 9 Denying Mark MP:
If you face a lot of enemies with recharging powers, this exploit has the potential to deny an enemy its best action. Sadly, this is only potential as it will average less than two rounds against not Elite/Solo enemies. This just does not last long enough to be worth the expenditure of the daily at its level. If you start facing enemies with recharging stun abilities, however, this suddenly looks a whole lot better. Consider this only if you are facing the right types of enemies on a regular basis.
Tactical - 9 Disheartening Flurry MP:
Inspiring - 9 Disheartening Flurry MP:
Bravura - 9 Disheartening Flurry MP:
Resourceful - 9 Disheartening Flurry MP:
A decent damage close burst that makes save powers better for the entire encounter (hit or miss). The more controllers you have in your party, the better this power is. If you know you will be in a party where everyone has save ends effects, push this to skyblue.
Tactical - 9 Iron Dragon Charge:
Inspiring - 9 Iron Dragon Charge:
Bravura - 9 Iron Dragon Charge:
Resourceful - 9 Iron Dragon Charge:
For an entire encounter you can move allies around. Unfortunately many allies will never want to charge. Still getting the striker up to the enemy quickly might be well worth it, especially a Barbarian. More often than not, the low damage and difficulties inherent in charging mitigates the advantages of this exploit. Bravura Warlords may get a bit more out of the charging.
Tactical - 9 Knock them Down:
Inspiring - 9 Knock them Down:
Bravura - 9 Knock them Down:
Resourceful - 9 Knock them Down:
There are two uses of this daily. The first requires a bit of setup; you need to let all your enemies act immediately before you. Have your allies knock all your enemies prone. On your allies action they get an attack with advantage and shift away one. If the enemy has no range or reach weapons ready, they cannot attack on their next action. You get up to 6 attacks, with a buff, and without being attacked in return. This is hard to setup, so only use this version of the exploit if you have a well coordinated party. The second use is to enable your entire party to move 3 extra squares. This can be useful for enabling party members to get out of difficult terrain, to speed up fleeing, or to enable allies to engage the enemy. In this use, the free tripping attack is not important.
Tactical - 9 Stay on Target MP:
Inspiring - 9 Stay on Target MP:
Bravura - 9 Stay on Target MP:
Resourceful - 9 Stay on Target MP:
This is one of the better thrown weapon powers. Without the effect, this daily is decent just because it is action advantage. Warlords just do not get enough interrupts. The biggest problem with this power is that the effect requires setup. Not only do the allies need to be within two of you (why would a ranged specialist be within two if you? Maybe you are a Knight Commander or maybe you yelled at them to grab a dagger and gather around?), but they also need to have a ranged weapon in hand or have a ranged basic attack. The effect will require a bit of preparation, but a well-coordinated party can pull off some decent damage with this.
Tactical - 9 Warlord’s Recovery MP:
Inspiring - 9 Warlord’s Recovery MP:
Bravura - 9 Warlord’s Recovery MP:
Resourceful - 9 Warlord’s Recovery MP:
This exploit provides two advantages. First it is massively flexible. You will always be able to get the right power for the encounter if anyone in your party has it. Second, it increases you endurance by giving you back an encounter once you have used them all. You should never use this daily if you have not used all your encounters, but as a late encounter surge it will do wonders. Sometimes an extra round of immobilization, slow, prone, or some other status effect is just what the Warlord ordered.
Tactical - 9 White Raven Strike:
Inspiring - 9 White Raven Strike:
Bravura - 9 White Raven Strike:
Resourceful - 9 White Raven Strike:
The effect of this power is to prevent damage from one to two attacks. Not good enough for a daily.
[/sblock]
[sblock=15th Level]
Tactical - 15 Anticipate Attack MP:
Inspiring - 15 Anticipate Attack MP:
Bravura - 15 Anticipate Attack MP:
Resourceful - 15 Anticipate Attack MP:
As an interrupt, this is action advantage. As an interrupt that enables adjacent allies to attack, it is a bunch of action advantage. As an interrupt that allows you to avoid an attack outright, this power grants resource management. Excellent damage plus action advantage plus resource management is awesome. Did I mention this targets Reflex?
Tactical - 15 Arkhosia’s Fury MP:
Inspiring - 15 Arkhosia’s Fury MP:
Bravura - 15 Arkhosia’s Fury MP:
Resourceful - 15 Arkhosia’s Fury MP:
One of the more damaging exploits of its level, it just does not do enough damage to make it good. The only thing to redeem this exploit is that it replaces a charge. With the right build, you may be able to turn this into part of your repertoire. This is slightly better for Bravura Warlords since they like to charge so much.
Tactical - 15 Formidable Smash MP:
Inspiring - 15 Formidable Smash MP:
Bravura - 15 Formidable Smash MP:
Resourceful - 15 Formidable Smash MP:
This exploit is a minor enemy debuff to hurt a solo. The debuff is just not large enough for a daily of this level.
Tactical - 15 Grim Instruction MP:
Inspiring - 15 Grim Instruction MP:
Bravura - 15 Grim Instruction MP:
Resourceful - 15 Grim Instruction MP:
This is a better choice than Formidable Smash. The debuff will not last the entire encounter, but granting Combat Advantage for even one round will make up for that. As always, powers that provide Combat Advantage are heavily dependent on the ease your party has in gaining that bonus through other means and the number of Rogues in the party. Add that this power target Fortitude (a minor advantage) and that it is Reliable, and you have a dependable buff/debuff power.
Tactical - 15 Infectious Determination MP:
Inspiring - 15 Infectious Determination MP:
Bravura - 15 Infectious Determination MP:
Resourceful - 15 Infectious Determination MP:
This is a decent level for mass healing and mass save effects. You will need to make two attack rolls (ouch) to pull it off completely, but the saves are guaranteed. This power will turn around a bad encounter.
Tactical - 15 Make them Bleed:
Inspiring - 15 Make them Bleed:
Bravura - 15 Make them Bleed:
Resourceful - 15 Make them Bleed:
This might do a nice sum of extra damage, on average 5 per round. This just is not enough extra to be worth it at this level.
Tactical - 15 Renew the Troops:
Inspiring - 15 Renew the Troops:
Bravura - 15 Renew the Troops:
Resourceful - 15 Renew the Troops:
This effectively gives every ally a free surge per day, more if you have a decent Charisma. Extra resources are always good.
Tactical - 15 War Master’s Assault MP:
Inspiring - 15 War Master’s Assault MP:
Bravura - 15 War Master’s Assault MP:
Resourceful - 15 War Master’s Assault MP:
Everyone gets a free charge or basic attack. Pure action advantage made even better in encounters where initial encounter distance forces a charge. With good charisma, add a buff to both attack and damage and you have one great power.
Tactical - 15 Warlord's Gambit:
Inspiring - 15 Warlord's Gambit:
Bravura - 15 Warlord's Gambit:
Resourceful - 15 Warlord's Gambit:
Either this power will ensure that the target will attack you or it will ensure it never attacks you. This power is dangerous unless you can guess how the opponent will react. Finding the right balance of defense versus stickiness is extremely hard. Of course, these gambles are the Bravura Warlord's specialty!
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[sblock=19th Level]
Tactical - 19 Break the Tempo:
Inspiring - 19 Break the Tempo:
Bravura - 19 Break the Tempo:
Resourceful - 19 Break the Tempo:
If you have a high enough Intelligence, for an entire encounter you can quarter to halve the BBEG's hit rate. This will majorly conserve hitpoints and make you target number one. You did want to be number one, right?
Tactical - 19 Exhorted Counterattack MP:
Inspiring - 19 Exhorted Counterattack MP:
Bravura - 19 Exhorted Counterattack MP:
Resourceful - 19 Exhorted Counterattack MP:
This daily basically reads as prevent an ally from losing an action by going unconscious. In addition, this daily does not burn a surge. The ability to do extra damage to the enemy and daze him is just icing.
Tactical - 19 Glasya’s Stride Drag369:
Inspiring - 19 Glasya’s Stride Drag369:
Bravura - 19 Glasya’s Stride Drag369:
Resourceful - 19 Glasya’s Stride Drag369:
Attack and slide a number of nearby enemies equal to your intelligence while repositioning yourself. Very flexible and effective, especially since at least some damage and the slide are guaranteed. This is obviously better the more Intelligence you have; it is also better if you wield a reach weapon.
Tactical - 19 Inspiring Charge MP:
Inspiring - 19 Inspiring Charge MP:
Bravura - 19 Inspiring Charge MP:
Resourceful - 19 Inspiring Charge MP:
A mass shift and a mass heal rolled up into one and usable instead of a charge. It even does good damage for its level. This is a massively flexible power that can turn the tide for your party.
Tactical - 19 Storm of Carnage MP:
Inspiring - 19 Storm of Carnage MP:
Bravura - 19 Storm of Carnage MP:
Resourceful - 19 Storm of Carnage MP:
This is a pure damage power, but the damage will be very high, especially if your allies have a tendency to miss a lot. This power is blue because of its effectiveness against enemies with ridiculously high defenses. If you never face such opponents, drop it to a black.
Tactical - 19 Unleash Hell MP:
Inspiring - 19 Unleash Hell MP:
Bravura - 19 Unleash Hell MP:
Resourceful - 19 Unleash Hell MP:
This exploit is not sufficiently better than Stay on Target for it to be worth the 10 level difference. This is a pure damage power, and there are better damage powers at this level.
Tactical - 19 Victory Surge:
Inspiring - 19 Victory Surge:
Bravura - 19 Victory Surge:
Resourceful - 19 Victory Surge:
More damage. Make that a lot more damage. This exploit has the potential to do enough to be the equivalent of giving your entire party an extra round of attacks. Consequently, even though it only does damage, it does enough damage to support the Warlord role acceptably. This power is only a black if you do not have two or more heavy hitters on your team. On the other hand, boost the rank of the exploit by one if you can reliably hit with this exploit, possibly because there is another leader in the party.
Tactical - 19 Windmill of Doom:
Inspiring - 19 Windmill of Doom:
Bravura - 19 Windmill of Doom:
Resourceful - 19 Windmill of Doom:
Always worse than Victory Surge.
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[sblock=25th Level]
Tactical - 25 Precision Stance MP:
Inspiring - 25 Precision Stance MP:
Bravura - 25 Precision Stance MP:
Resourceful - 25 Precision Stance MP:
Even without Intelligence to boost the too hit, giving an ally a second try at a daily power every round of the encounter is tremendous.
Tactical - 25 Primordial Onslaught MP:
Inspiring - 25 Primordial Onslaught MP:
Bravura - 25 Primordial Onslaught MP:
Resourceful - 25 Primordial Onslaught MP:
Burst and vs. Will. Nice. If you have many battles on bridges over volcanoes, this is skyblue. The effect is lackluster for its level, but is devastating in the right environments or in a party that needs flanking.
Tactical - 25 Relentless Assault:
Inspiring - 25 Relentless Assault:
Bravura - 25 Relentless Assault:
Resourceful - 25 Relentless Assault:
Yep more damage. What a wast....well, I suppose, if you have a party that can augment its critical range substantially, this exploit is worth a black ranking and if you are in a party that is built to exploit this power, where everyone has weapon mastery, a decent basic attack, and is available to attack the entire round, this power is worth another an even higher ranking. As a general rule, this power is absolutely horrible; it does nothing to support the Warlord's role (pure damage) and is highly unreliable (which always favors the NPCs). Unlike most damage powers, however, this exploit has a massive redeeming feature. Given the right party, this exploit has an exponential impact on average party damage. If used at the beginning of an encounter, this exploit can boost the damage potential of the party by approximately 70% over normal basic attacks. This only works with the right party and it is highly unreliable, but it often speeds up battles enough to qualify as an awesome power. If it were more reliably useful, this power would rank a straight 4 with the possibility of a 5. Warlords that have a consistent party and massive influence over their party builds should strongly consider this exploit despite it not being a typical "Warlord" power. Those Warlords that do not have a dependable party should give this power a pass.
Tactical - 25 Sleeping Dragon Lure MP:
Inspiring - 25 Sleeping Dragon Lure MP:
Bravura - 25 Sleeping Dragon Lure MP:
Resourceful - 25 Sleeping Dragon Lure MP:
Pure damage reliant on your enemies actions and not enough of it.
Tactical - 25 Stir the Hornet's Nest:
Inspiring - 25 Stir the Hornet's Nest:
Bravura - 25 Stir the Hornet's Nest:
Resourceful - 25 Stir the Hornet's Nest:
Keep a heavy throwing weapon with you just for this power. The Warlocks, Wizards, Archers, and Lasers in your party will appreciate it. If you have few or no ranged attackers in your party, skip this power. Similarly, if you are unwilling to invest in a magical ranged weapon, skip it. Otherwise, if you have a high enough Intelligence, take it.
Tactical - 25 Victorious Destiny MP:
Inspiring - 25 Victorious Destiny MP:
Bravura - 25 Victorious Destiny MP:
Resourceful - 25 Victorious Destiny MP:
Good damage with the Reliable keyword and an encounter long party buff. You need to be bloodied for the effect to work, but that can be arranged, especially if you are Bravura. Dragonborn that prefer to stay bloodied rather than heal up to full should consider this skyblue regardless of Warlord type. In addition, if you are the party tank, treat this as skyblue.
Tactical - 25 Warlord’s Resurgence MP:
Inspiring - 25 Warlord’s Resurgence MP:
Bravura - 25 Warlord’s Resurgence MP:
Resourceful - 25 Warlord’s Resurgence MP:
This is a slightly more powerful version of Warlord's Recovery. At this level, however, this power just does not cut it.
Tactical - [color=black[25 Wave of Defeat MP:[/color]
Inspiring - 25 Wave of Defeat MP:
Bravura - 25 Wave of Defeat MP:
Resourceful - 25 Wave of Defeat MP:
Decent damage plus limited battlefield control. The damage just is not high enough for its level nor the control expansive and reliable enough to make this exploit uber. It does target Fort, however; a minor plus.
Tactical - 25 White Raven's Call:
Inspiring - 25 White Raven's Call:
Bravura - 25 White Raven's Call:
Resourceful - 25 White Raven's Call:
At this level a bunch of free saves will be useful. However, at once per day, you are better off with a more reliable power. Only take this power if you are facing frequent situations where much of your party is incapacitated by save ends effects.
[/sblock]
[sblock=29th Level]
Tactical - 29 Asmodeus’s Gambit Drag369:
Inspiring - 29 Asmodeus’s Gambit Drag369:
Bravura - 29 Asmodeus’s Gambit Drag369:
Resourceful - 29 Asmodeus’s Gambit Drag369:
This exploit is way to weak for its level, at least unless you can guarantee the opponent will provoke Opportunity Attacks. Add to this that you provoke combat advantage, and this suddenly becomes a gamble where you are trying to persuade the enemy to provoke while it follows you rather than suffer a -2 to hit. It just will not happen often enough.
Tactical - 29 Defy Death:
Inspiring - 29 Defy Death:
Bravura - 29 Defy Death:
Resourceful - 29 Defy Death:
This is a chance for you to save the day by negating/mitigating an attack. Saving the life of an ally at this level is a big thing.
Tactical - 29 Deific Rallying MP:
Inspiring - 29 Deific Rallying MP:
Bravura - 29 Deific Rallying MP:
Resourceful - 29 Deific Rallying MP:
At this level, this does not grant enough. Every ally should have gained a number of temp hp equal to their surge value and gained a basic attack with a better bonus.
Tactical - 29 Flawless Snare MP:
Inspiring - 29 Flawless Snare MP:
Bravura - 29 Flawless Snare MP:
Resourceful - 29 Flawless Snare MP:
Not enough damage for its level, even if every ally gains a free attack, and you are unlikely to gain that level of damage if you charge. There are better dailies.
Tactical - 29 Inexorable Surge MP:
Inspiring - 29 Inexorable Surge MP:
Bravura - 29 Inexorable Surge MP:
Resourceful - 29 Inexorable Surge MP:
This is an example of a better damaging daily. Ridiculously reliable, works for the entire encounter, and focuses the party. Nice
Tactical - 29 Perfect Front MP:
Inspiring - 29 Perfect Front MP:
Bravura - 29 Perfect Front MP:
Resourceful - 29 Perfect Front MP:
Every attack this encounter gets two attack rolls. With two dailies that would have missed instead of hit, this power has paid for itself. This exploit is a bit hard on the party against area attack wielding enemies, so do not use this power against such enemies.
Tactical - 29 Stand Invincible:
Inspiring - 29 Stand Invincible:
Bravura - 29 Stand Invincible:
Resourceful - 29 Stand Invincible:
This power will conserve a lot of resources against something very nasty. It costs an action but will probably conserve more than Defy Death. Choosing which 29th level power to take is a tough call.
Tactical - 29 Wake of Devastation MP:
Inspiring - 29 Wake of Devastation MP:
Bravura - 29 Wake of Devastation MP:
Resourceful - 29 Wake of Devastation MP:
This power could have been good if it had a larger radius. Without the ability to catch more enemies in its area, this just does not do enough damage. Take Inexorable Surge instead.
[/sblock]
[/sblock]
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1 year ago ::
Jul 01, 2008 - 9:47AM
#10
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[Size=+2]Paragon Paths[/size]
Sky Blue: Exceptional choice. Take one of these paths unless you concept requires a different option.
Blue: Good choice. This is not a gimme, but is a strong choice for most builds.
Black: Acceptable choice. May excel in some builds but ho hum in most.
Purple: Unusual choice. Take this power only in very specialized builds or specific circumstances.
Red: Bad choice. This path is underpowered, difficult to use, or a trap.
[sblock=Warlord Paragon Paths]
Battle Captain: Battle Inspiration and Cry Havok are awesome while the other class feature is nice. The exploits, however, are nothing special, although it is notable that Cunning Flurry is a burst and Warlords have very few AoE attacks. This is one of, if not the best, paragon path in the game for a Tactical Warlord. Inspiring Warlords may find this path acceptable, if they have a high enough Intelligence.
Battle Veteran: I tend to feel that this path is better for defenders than Warlords. However, if you are always being pounded to the ground faster than anyone else in your party, this path may suit you.
Battlelord of Kord MP: I like Knight Commander better, but a +2 to hit +Charisma to damage twice per round is an excellent ability. Tempest of Triumph is excellent minion control and Path if Storm is awesome if a bit unfocused.
Borderlands Marshall MP: The path is better for Rangers going Warlord. That does not say much, however, this Path is very weak compared to the alternatives.
Commando Captain MP: This is the path to take for a stealth Warlord in a commando style party. Remember to take Scimitar Dance. For other Warlords, the benefits will not come into play often enough to be worthy of replacing the alternatives.
Concordant Leader MP: Stick with Elemental Tempest if you want to emphasize being a Genasi. Concordant Resistance is weak for its level. Shared Manifestation and Borrowed Protection are too limited in scope to be great. Both should have affected the entire party.
Dujun of Erathis MP: This Path seems a little weak to be Light Blue; that is until you realize that this Path turns mounts from an interesting option into a massively valuable party resource (and to a lesser extent figurines of wondrous power). The biggest problem with mounts has always been their lack of surges. You fix that. This path can enable completely new party strategies, and is thus Light Blue. If possible, take Warlord's Formation and the aid action becomes a decent at-will for you.
Earthfast Brigadier MP: Only Hammer's Rhythm Warlords need apply, and even then multiclassing may be preferable. This is better for a Fighter wishing for some leader abilities.
Elemental Tempest FRPG: By itself this Path is not worth taking over Battle Captain or Knight Commander. However, in combination with many of the Genasi only feats, the tactical mobility and resistances this path can put into play plus the flexibility of switching focuses will be an excellent addition to the party. It is still a bit weak compared to Battle Captain, but may be more fun for a Genasi in the long run.
Flamebrow Commander MP: A human Warlord with a high enough Charisma, the Stubborn Survivor, and the Human Perseverance feats will never die from failed saving throws. You may not be immortal, but you are hard enough to kill that this Path is good.
Infernal Strategist MP: Flexibility is good, and this provides a lot of flexibility. Combining your Utility and 16th level effect, you can add you Intelligence (ok 1/2 your Intelligence twice, it might not round to your Intelligence exactly) to the attack roll of an ally. This isn't quite as good as Battle Captain, but it approaches. In exchange, you are much more flexible than the Battle Captain. Allowing an ally to reroll a missed daily with an action point is also massively good, and you boost DPR by flanking. The biggest problem with this Path is that it requires three good attributes. If you are going Resourceful Warlord, however, you have already decided to do this and this path is great for you.
Knight Commander: Honor and Glory at level 11 makes this paragon path. +2 unnamed bonus to hit for all adjacent allies is huge. This is so good that even Tactical Warlords may consider it, although they should take Battle Captain. Drop this Path to a black rank if you are in a fairly mobile party or one with a lot of range combatants that would prefer extreme range to a +2 to hit. This Path is best for dungeon delving or groups that clump around the defender for defense.
Longarm Marshal MP: Decent for the polearm users out there, but the lack of decent battlefield control hinders the Path.
Platinum Warlord MP: Righteous Inspiration isn't bad at all…ok, I 've got nothing. A class feature that replicates a feat is not up to snuff and basically the alternatives to this style of Paragon Path are all better. While the Path works, it is a trap for purposes of optimization. Take a pass.
Purple Dragon Knight FRPG: The +2 to adjacent allies saves is just too unreliable in its usefulness to qualify as a good power. The attacks and utility are good, but not great. The result is ho hum. When put up against the alternatives, this path just does not make the grade.
Spiral Tactician MP: Not as good as Battle Captain at the nova since you cannot boost to hit by burning an action point or healing. On the other hand, the boost to buffing is still quite good, probably good enough, and abusing Fey Step is just fun. Remember to take Feystep Trailblazer. The boost from Spiral Timing, applied to a wizard, can destroy entire encounters.
Steelsky Liberator FRPG: If you are planning on fighting nothing but dragons for your career, you are still better off with a different path.
Sword Coast Corsair FRPG: Another path to take for flavor only. Even then, I suspect Battle Veteran can be reflavored to fit the bill better.
Sword Marshal: I cannot see anyone taking this for anything other than flavor reasons. Even for flavor reasons, Kensai is better.
Twiceborn Leader MP: Twofold Defense, Reminiscent Assault, and Seconded Smite are VERY weak and more than offset the strengths of Twiceborn Recovery (which I like, but the sacrifice will be close to the gain), and Twinning Ploy (awesome). Overall the weakness is so bad, that I would avoid this path just to avoid the bad parts. I do not think the flexibility gained from Twiceborn Recovery and the one encounter per day buff of Twinning Ploy are good enough. Still, the path is viable, just not as good as the alternatives.
Whirlwind Genasi FRPG: This option is decent for a Tactical Warlord that wants to specialize in battlefield mobility. Flight is always nice and an encounter long slide is powerful battlefield control. The main strength of this build is that you can stay above combat with a reach weapon and boost your allies' too hit or move people around without as much likelihood of a return strike.
Pack Master Drag364:Pack Master's Action is the power that makes this path acceptable. The ability to grant allies the use of your extra action can make some mighty nasty combos. The benefits of this path are not continual, however, so their overall usefulness should have been massive. They are not. Manticore-and-Wyvern can be fun when dealing with creatures with nasty basic attacks, but having an encounter that requires two enemies hurts when you fight a solo. Otherwise, this path is a pass.
[/sblock]
[sblock=Non-Warlord Paragon Paths]
More Paragon Paths
Divine Oracle (Cleric): Skip this; someone else in you party should have it. If someone else doesn't take it, ask them why.
Doomguide (Paladin or Cleric)FRPG: Inspiring Warlords that focus on healing will find that this path is one of the best path for pure healers out there. Steady extra healing, even if it is a bit on the low end, will act as a significant cumulative resource boost by the end of the day. Just realize that, unless you fight undead regularly, the healing is still a bit weak.
Heartwarder (Paladin or Cleric)FRPG: I like this path slightly better for healers than Doomguide, even though it is slightly less flexible at healing. The boost this path gives to your ability to stand side by side with a tank is massive and an encounter dominate is just wrong. This path is still a little weaker than Battle Captain and Knight Commander, but it is more flexible.
Justiciar (Paladin): This paragon path is worth considering for an Inspiring Warlord just because it grants immunities. As far as I can determine, this is the only way to grant immunities. The other powers work well for a warlord as well.
Kensai (Fighter): If you need to mix a little striker into your repertoire, consider this.
Morninglord (Paladin or Cleric)FRPG: A party can be built around radiant damage. Even in such a party, however, this path loses a bit much when taken by a Warlord.
Spellscarred Savant FRPG: If you are stuck with a spellscar, this path can save you some pain, but overall this path has more synergy for a controller than with you. It will generally be a pass.
Spellstorm (Wizard): If you need some macro controlling powers, this paragon path might be the route, especially if you are a Tactical Warlord.
War Priest (Cleric): If you need to mix a little defender into your repertoire, consider this.
[/sblock]
[Size=+2]Epic Destinies[/size]
[sblock=Epic Destinies]
Adamantine Solider MP: Were you maxing out Con? If not forget this. If you maxed Con and are doubling as a defender, this Path is a credible alternative to Demigod
Archmage: You do not qualify
Chosen: FRPG +2 to two stats rock so much for a Warlord that this alternative to Demigod can be acceptable depending on your deity. Divine Regeneration is better than many of the alternatives, however, so only choose this alternative if you like the replacement Utility better. Renewing Dawn, Horn of Life, and Forge of Creation are the acceptable contenders.
Deadly Trickster: If you qualify you are probably an Inspiring Warlord face that took bluff. The rerolls are the most useful aspect of this destiny, but, overall, you are better with Demigod.
Demigod: +2 to two stats rock so much for a Warlord that this tends to be a gimme.
Eternal Seeker: Take this destiny only if you are fulfilling two roles in the party and you find that you cannot support the alternative role without this. Otherwise, the other destinies are better.
Legendary General MP: The 30th level ability is nasty, but obtained too late in the game. Mythic Inspiration is a tad weak. Sorry, for Warlords, Demigod still rules. I do not even want to think about the difficulties in a non-cooperative party with Legendary Tactical Action. "Oops I didn't mean to bum your action point; too bad you cannot say no". Consider this path if you are in a party of Warforged and likely to reach the capstone ability. Legendary Tactical Action is nice, because it allows your allies to spend two action points in one encounter and it allows you to give your action points to your allies who will normally get a bigger benefit from them because of your Warlord X Presence. The whole non-cooperative bit will be fixed by most groups by only allowing it to be used by willing parties. The cool bit is if everyone in the party has two action points they all can spend two action points by spending one of their own and one of their allies. Battlefield Archers and other classes that gain abilities that grant extra action points without the ability to spend multiple action points will also appreciate this ability. Legendary Tactical Action is the simplest non-combo way for a Warlord to go from allowing the group to nova to allowing them to super-nova. It is even better when combined with Avenging Spirit as the engine for action point provision, in particular when you have an all-human party in which every character has multiclassed into Fighter or Warlord. In that case every time a character falls to zero, the group gains 4 action points. If the fights are tough enough that this happens twice an encounter, you're generating enough points that the group can use two each every time, and any unevenness in distribution automatically works itself out. (Props to Cooperflood and Blipdroolploop, I quoted them in this path).
Mythic Sovereign Drag367: As an Inspiring Warlord, having your own keep and followers is great. The ability to grant extra attacks when you crit is appropriate if a bit unreliable. The capstone ability is a bit weak compared to Demigod, but when Demigod is finally nerfed, it should be as good.
Reborn Champion Drag365: Take something else, this has no synergy with the leader role and its only really good ability for a Warlord comes at 30th.
Warmaster MP: Warmaster+Battle Captain+Allied Divine Oracle. I am sorry your surprise did not go off, here have a nova as a consolation prize. This epic destiny will probably be light blue once Demigod is erratad. The action advantage provided by this Destiny is that good.
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[Size=+2]Multiclassing[/size]
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