Warlords have some great tactics they can employ, bringing strategy to the actions of the whole party. I
wrote a bit about this here, but I'll rehash and add some more for discussion.
Unlike anything in 3.5 outside of wizards and above most 4E classes, a Warlord can really use tactical thinking to vastly change combat.
Some examples, just at low levels:
- The obvious: Encourage everyone to use their Action Points to the right effect (when hurt or when using a Daily or strong Encounter power, depending on Inspiring vs Tactical).
- Knight's Move combined with an important tactical action by another player. Rogue readies to disarm/disable the trap once they are standing in front of it. Rogue readies to unlock the door once in front of it. Any ranged combatant readies to attack once in range of a enemy. Melee readies to attack when in front of a creature. Then the Warlord goes, uses Knight's move, then the other PC resumes their turn.
- Knight's Move combined with delay to move a Defender into the room first, so as to start combat in the most advantageous way possible.
- Melee combatants can benefit greatly from readying in conjunction with using action points and a warlord using Warlord's Favor and/or Commander's Strike. The number of attacks that a PC can make, many at a very high bonus, is absurd. This is especially true with Action Points (yours and the other PC's).
- Another PC readies to attack when they are flanking (or when you attack), you then use Wolf Pack Tactics. They now act before you finish, attack, then you complete Wolf Pack tactics with a flank bonus. A nifty way to get two PCs to benefit from flanking.
- For some benefit, PCs near the Warlord in inititiative could gain an extra round of bonuses from delaying until the PC uses Lead the Attack
- For many of these, the Warlord uses Delay. They could also use ready.
- Using Warlord healing powers for light healing or for healing the PC that has lots of surges, while using a cleric's healing for the big wounds or with PCs that have fewer surges.
Some may seem obvious, but it takes the Warlord (and the Warlord's player) really acting as a leader to help make these types of strategies something the party employs often. Playing this way is also great fun.
Teos
Drom Battlecaller, Dwarven Warlord of the East Rift