Warlock

Thoughts: The flavor of the warlock was one of my absolute favorites of 4e, and unlike some of the other classes I have addressed here I thought that the mechanics captured the flavor quite well. My one grudge was that you had to choose your pact at level 1 and then it remained for the rest of the game. Luckily, stances are a perfect method for implementing stances.

1. Class Traits
2. Class Features
   1. Prime Shot
   2. Shadow Walk
   3. Dread Seizure
   4. Patronage
      1. Soul Debt
      2. Blood Debt
3. Powers
   1. At-Will
   2. Curses
4. Leveling
   1. Heroic

Class Traits

Role: Striker. Your attack powers are highly damaging and often weaken or hamper the target in some way. You can elude attacks by flying, teleporting, or turning invisible.
Power Source: Varies. You gain your magical power from a pact you forge with a powerful, supernatural force or an unnamed entity.
Key Abilities: Charisma, Constitution, Intelligence

Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, leather.
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee, simple ranged.
Implement Proficiencies: Rods, wands, daggers

Bonus to Defense: +1 Reflex, +1 Will.

Hit Points at 1st Level: 12+ Constitution Score.
Hit Points per Level Gained: 5
Healing Surges per Day: 6+ Constitution Modifier.

Trained Skills: From the class skills list below, choose 4 trained skills at 1st level.

Class Features

Prime Shot

If none of your allies are nearer to your target than you are, you receive a +1 bonus to ranged attack rolls against that target.

Shadow Walk

On your turn, if you move at least 3 squares away from where you started your turn, you gain concealment until the end of your next turn.

Dread Seizure

You can incapacitate a target with a whisper.

Dread Seizure	Warlock Attack
Flavor
Encounter * Arcane, Implement
Standard Action	Melee 1 or Ranged 5
Target: One creature
Attack: MBA or RBA
Hit: The target is dazed (save ends) or weakened (save ends). Aftereffect: The target is dazed or weakened until the end of your next turn. Level 11: You may choose to stun the target until the end of your next turn instead of dazing or weakening it.
Miss: The target is dazed or weakened until the end of your next turn. Level 21: You may choose for the target to be stunned until the end of your next turn or until it takes damage, whichever comes first, instead of dazing or weakening it.

Patronage

Warlocks gain access to their powers by striking dangerous bargains with powerful forces. All warlocks must pay a price for that power. Choose one:

Soul Debt

The price you pay for power is your soul. The power of your spells is determined by your ability to negotiate with and please your eldritch masters. You gain training in diplomacy, and you can use your charisma modifier to determine the attack and damage modifiers of any powers with the implement keyword that you learned by multiclassing.

Blood Debt

You pay the price of your power in the physical realm. Each time you cast an arcane spell, your body is racked by physical agony. The power of your spells is determined by your ability to channel that pain. You gain training in endurance. When using a power with the implement keyword that you learned through multiclassing, you can use your constitution modifier to determine the attack and damage modifiers to the rolls.

Powers

At-Will

Eldritch Blast	Warlock Basic Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Implement, Arcane, Necrotic, Psychic
Standard Action	Ranged 10
Target: One creature Level 11: You can choose to target two creatures. If you do so you take a -2 penalty to each attack roll.
Attack: CHA vs Will
Hit: 1d10 necrotic and psychic damage. Level 21: 2d10 necrotic and psychic damage.

Hideous Blow	Warlock Basic Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Weapon, Arcane, Necrotic, Varies
Standard Action	Melee Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: CON vs Reflex Level 11: If you are also wielding a weapon in your offhand, you can attack with both weapons, but you take a -2 penalty to both attack rolls.
Hit: 1[w]+CON necrotic and fire or necrotic and cold damage (your choice). Level 21: Increase to 2[w]+CON

Curses

You can curse one enemy per round. When a creature cursed by you dies, its soul is consigned to the supernatural patron of your choice, granting you powerful abilities that vary depending on to whom you condemn the target’s soul.

If a creature under one of your curses has died since the beginning of the encounter or the last time you used that curse, you can use the boon associated with that curse. You cannot use a boon if you have not recently condemned a soul to that patron.

Once per round, when you hit a cursed target, you deal 1d6 extra damage per tier of the same types as the triggering damage.

The Faerie Queen’s Curse	Warlock Stance
You curse the target in the name of the Queen of the Faeries.
At-Will * Arcane, Hex
Minor Action	Melee Touch or Ranged 10
Target: One creature
Effect: Whenever you hit the target with a basic attack, you are invisible until you attack or until the beginning of your next turn. If at least one creature has died while under this curse since the beginning of the encounter or the last time you used the boon associated with this curse, you can use the boon associated with this curse before the end of the encounter.
The Faerie Queen’s Boon	Warlock Utility
Flavor
At-Will * Arcane, Hex
Free Action	Personal
Effect: You teleport up to your INT modifier squares for each target who died while under the Faerie Queen’s curse since the beginning of the encounter or the last time you used this boon, whichever was more recent.

The Sorcerer King’s Curse	Warlock Stance
You curse the target in the name of the Sorcerer King, the ageless king of magic.
At-Will * Arcane, Hex
Minor Action	Melee Touch or Ranged 10
Target: One creature
Effect: Whenever you hit the target with a basic attack, the target gains vulnerable 5 to untyped damage until the beginning of your next turn. If at least one creature has died while under this curse since the beginning of the encounter or the last time you used the boon associated with this curse, you can use the boon associated with this curse before the end of the encounter.
The Sorcerer King’s Boon	Warlock Utility
Flavor
At-Will * Arcane, Hex, Varies
No Action	Personal
Trigger: You hit an enemy who is cursed by you.
Effect: You deal an extra +1d8 damage of the same type as the triggering damage for each creature who died while under the Sorcerer King’s curse since the beginning of the encounter or the last time you used this boon, whichever was most recent.

The Elder God’s Curse	Warlock Stance
Flavor
At-Will * Arcane, Hex, Implement
Minor Action	Melee Touch or Ranged 10
Target: One creature
Effect: Whenever you hit the target, the target takes 1d6+INT radiant damage the first time it voluntarily moves closer to you before the start of your next turn. If at least one creature has died while under this curse since the beginning of the encounter or the last time you used the boon associated with this curse, you can use the boon associated with this curse before the end of the encounter.
The Elder God’s Boon	Warlock Utility
Flavor
At-Will * Arcane, Hex
No Action	Personal
Trigger: You make a 1d20 roll.
Effect: You gain +1 to the triggering roll for each creature who died while under the Elder God’s curse since the beginning of the encounter or the last time you used this boon, whichever was most recent.

The Dark One’s Curse	Warlock Stance
Flavor
At-Will * Arcane, Hex
Minor Action	Melee Touch or Ranged 10
Target: One creature
Effect: Whenever you hit the target, you gain temporary hitpoints equal to your intelligence modifier. If at least one creature has died while under this curse since the beginning of the encounter or the last time you used the boon associated with this curse, you can use the boon associated with this curse before the end of the encounter.
The Dark One’s Boon	Warlock Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Arcane, Hex, Implement, Fire
Immediate Interrupt	Melee Touch or Ranged 10
Trigger: You are attacked by an enemy.
Target: The triggering creature.
Attack: CHA or CON vs Fortitude
Hit: The triggering attack deals half damage.
Effect: You deal 1d6+INT fire damage for each creature who died while under the Dark One’s curse since the beginning of the encounter or the last time you used this boon, whichever was most recent. Level 11: Increase to 1d8+INT for each creature. Level 21: Increase to 1d12+INT for each creature.

Leveling

Heroic

Level 1

Gain class features, basic attacks, and one pact.

Level 3

Gain an additional pact.

Level 5

Gain an additional use of Dread Seizure.

Level 7

Gain an additional pact.

Level 9

Gain an additional use of Dread Seizure.

Druid

Thoughts: The druid has always been a kind of mess to me. The problem with the class is that it is trying to be every nature guy at once. Animals, elements, and plants all fall under the druid's auspice. 4e started the necessary process of teasing out the druid's myriad concepts into distinct classes that were generally better at representing each archetype, but in my opinion it didn't go far enough. I've given what I call "environmental control" entirely over to the warden, meaning weather, plants, and firmament, leaving the druid free to specialize completely in the animal realm.

Unfortunately, the 4e druid utterly failed to capture the sense of a shapeshifter in my opinion. Whether in animal form or casting a spell, you just make an implement attack against a non-AC defense. The difference between beast form attacks and magic spells was nothing more than range. I have tried to remedy that by giving the druid actual weapons and making his attacks target AC.

The result is likely my most radical departure from the core 4e class. Stripped of non-animal-themed abilities, my druid's strengths come from coordination with his minions and savage attacks in his wildshape form. He is not a healer or a ranged caster. He is a feral melee monster.

1. Class Traits
2. Class Features
   1. Will of the Pack
   2. Wildshape
   3. Natural Weapons
   4. Primal Aspect
      1. Predator Druid
      2. Guardian Druid
   5. Summoning
3. New Keywords
   1. Formations
   2. Creature
   3. Beast Form
4. Powers
   1. At-Will Attacks
   2. Wild Shapes
5. Summons
6. Leveling
   1. Heroic

Class Traits

Role: Controller.
Power Source: Primal. You have gained your powers through a careful study of and communion with the natural world.
Key Abilities: Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution

Armor Proficiencies: Cloth
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee, simple ranged.
Implement Proficiencies: Staff, Totem

Bonus to Defense: +1 Reflex, +1 Will.

Hit Points at 1st Level: 12+ Constitution Score.
Hit Points per Level Gained: 5
Healing Surges per Day: 7+ Constitution Modifier.

Trained Skills: Nature. From the class skills list below, choose 3 more trained skills at 1st level.

Class Features

Will of the Pack

The beast allies you summon are not random creatures from the forest, but specific individuals with whom you have forged a powerful bond. Because of their relationship with you, they stand ready to be teleported into battle at a moment’s notice.

You share a psychic link with your beast companions. Although you can sense strong emotions such as fear and anger from them at a great distance, you do not see through their eyes and they cannot communicate detailed or complex thoughts to you.

You use this psychic link to commune with the beasts’ primal spirit. The efficiency of this communication – and the effectiveness of your beast allies in combat – depends on patience, clarity, and focus. You use wisdom to determine the attack roll and damage modifier of any attacks made by your summoned allies.

Wildshape

You gain the wildshape power.

Wild Shape
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Polymorph, Implement
Minor Action	Personal
Effect: You change from your humanoid form to beast form or vice versa. When you change from beast form back to your humanoid form, you can shift 1 square. While you are in beast form, you are considered proficient in your natural weapons as both weapons for the purpose of weapon attacks, but you cannot use implement attacks. You choose a specific form whenever you use wild shape to change into beast form. The beast form is an outward expression of the druid’s bestial soul, not a mimicry of natural beasts, and so is unlikely to trick anyone with even a passing familiarity with local fauna. However, some druids are able to master evocations that allow them to transform into more convincing natural or fey creatures. You can use the properties and the powers of implements as well as magic items that you wear, but not the properties or the powers of weapons or the powers of wondrous items. While equipment is part of your beast form, it cannot be removed, and anything in a container that is part of your beast form is inaccessible.
Special: You can use this ability only once per round.

Natural Weapons

While you are in beast form, you gain a beast form weapon depending on your form. You can use this weapon to make melee attacks with the weapon keyword. Your creature weapons have the same properties as a druid implement you were wielding when you transformed.

Choose your natural weapon when you use wildshape to change into your beast form. If you wish to wield a different natural weapon, you will have to revert to your humanoid form and then use wildshape again.

Name	Type	Proficiency	Damage	Properties	Special
Claws, teeth	Light Blade	+3	1d6	Off Hand	You may use this weapon to satisfy one handed weapon and dual-wielding requirements for powers and feats.
Tusks, horns	Heavy Blade	+2	1d8	Brutal 1	You may use this weapon to satisfy either one-handed or two-handed weapon requirements.
Limbs, trunks, hooves	Club	+2	2d4	Reach 1	You may use this weapon to satisfy two-handed weapon requirements.

Primal Aspect

Choose one:

Predator Druid

You gain +1 speed and proficiency with leather and hide armors. In addition, you can use dexterity to determine your attack and damage when making melee attacks in beast form.

Guardian Druid

When wearing cloth or no armor, you can add your constitution modifier to your AC in addition to your dexterity. You gain the Summon Phoenix evocation:

Summon Phoenix			Guardian Utility
Flavor
At-Will * Summon, Primal, Fire, Implement
Minor Action			Personal
Effect: You summon a tiny phoenix in a square adjacent to you.
Special: You can only have one phoenix at a time. Summoning a second one destroys any previously summoned phoenixes.
Phoenix			Tiny Magical Beast
Speed: 1, Fly 7			Normal Vision
Weapon	Type	Prof.	Dam.	Prop.	Special
Phoenix Talons, Beak	Light Blade	+2	1d6	--	Always deals fire damage
Phoenix Strike			Guardian Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Summon, Creature, Fire, Primal
Standard Action			Melee Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: MBA
Hit: Slide the target 1 square.
Phoenix Sacrifice			Guardian Utility
Flavor
At-Will * Summon, Healing, Primal
Immediate Interrupt			Ranged 5
Trigger: One of your summoned creatures is reduced to 0 hitpoints or fewer
Target: The triggering creature
Effect: You lose a healing surge and the Phoenix is destroyed. The target does not die and is healed to your surge value.

Summoning

Druids can summon beast allies to the battlefield to assist them.

Summon Beast Ally	Druid Utility
Flavor
Encounter * Summon, Primal
Standard Action	Personal
Effect: Summon a beast ally in a square or squares adjacent to you. The summoned creature may use its special attack as a free action.

New Keywords

Formations

Some of your attacks have a range of Formation followed by a number. In order to use these attacks, you and one of your beast allies must be able to reach the target in the specified number of movement squares. In other words, the target must be in a close burst of that size of both you and your ally. Unless otherwise noted, only one of you makes the attack.

Creature

Powers with the Creature keyword require natural weapons to execute, either your own or those of your summoned beast allies. Natural weapons have the properties and enhancement bonus of the druid implement you currently wield (if performed by a summoned creature), or used to transform into your wildshape (if performed by yourself). Creature weapons contribute only their proficiency bonus, type, damage die, properties to the attack.

If an attack has the Beast Form keyword, it can only be executed by a druid in beast form. If an attack is part of a summoned creature's stat block, only that creature can execute the attack. Otherwise, creature attacks can be used by the druid while in beast form or given as a command to your beast allies. If the attack is given as a command, for the purposes of this attack text within the power block that refers to “you” instead refers to the beast ally executing the attack.

Beast Form

Powers with the Beast Form keyword can only be used by you in beast form.

Powers

At-Will Attacks

Savage Rend	Druid Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Creature, Primal, Beast Form
Standard Action	Melee Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: MBA
Hit: Choose one of the following effects: The target is slowed until the end of your next turn. Push the target a number of squares equal to your constitution modifier. You grab the target. Shift a number of squares equal to your dexterity modifier, pulling the target with you.

Pounce	Druid Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Creature, Primal, Formation
Standard Action	Formation 1
Target: One creature
Attack: MBA
Hit: You can choose to forego all damage. If you do so, the target falls prone.
Effect: You and your ally each shift 1 square.

Herding Instinct	Druid Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Creature, Primal, Formation
Standard Action	Personal
Effect: You can use the herding instinct attack before the end of your next turn
Herding Instinct Attack	Druid Attack
Opportunity Action	Formation 3
Trigger: A creature in the formation moves without shifting
Target: The triggering creature
Effect: You or your beast ally shifts to the nearest square adjacent to the target.
Attack: MBA
Effect: The target is slowed until the end of your next turn.

Call of the Beast	Druid Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Implement, Charm, Primal, Psychic
Standard Action	Area Burst 1 in 10
Target: Each enemy in burst
Attack: WIS vs Will
Hit: 1d6 psychic damage and the target cannot gain combat advantage until the end of your next turn. In addition, it is marked by its nearest enemy until the end of your next turn. If the target makes any attack that does not include the creature marking it, or if the target does not attack the creature marking it on its next available opportunity, the target takes 1d6 + WIS psychic damage. If the creature takes this damage, the mark ends. Level 21: 2d6 psychic damage, and 2d6 + WIS psychic damage if the target violates the mark.

Wild Shapes

Swarm Shape			Druid Stance
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Polymorph, Beast Form, Implement
Free Action			Personal
Trigger: You transform into your beast form.
Effect: You transform into a swarm of tiny creatures such as small birds or insects. While in this form: You reduce all damage dealt to you by melee or ranged weapon attacks by your Constitution modifier. Enemies adjacent to you grant combat advantage to you and all your allies. You can enter spaces occupied by your enemies, and remain there as long as you remain in this form. You gain a fly speed equal to half your speed, with an altitude limit of 1. Your walking speed is reduced to 1. You have a reach of 0 and can only use the creature weapon below.
Weapon	Type	Prof.	Damage	Properties
Stingers, mandibles, beaks, talons	Light Blade	+2	1d6	The damage type of all weapon attacks you make yielding this weapon may be converted to poison damage.

Prowling Shape	Druid Stance
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Polymorph, Beast Form, Implement
Free Action	Personal
Trigger: You transform into your beast form.
Effect: While in this form: You gain a +5 bonus to stealth checks. You can move up to your speed without taking a penalty to stealth checks. Moving any farther incurs the normal penalty. You gain a +4 bonus to initiative. Melee attacks against enemies you flank with your allies deal an extra 1d8 damage. Level 21: 2d8 damage.

Hunting Shape	Druid Stance
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Polymorph, Beast Form, Implement
Free Action	Personal
Trigger: You transform into your beast form.
Effect: While in this form: You gain blindsense 5. You gain +5 to checks to track any creature or creature type you have previously encountered. You deal +2 damage per tier to prone targets. Increase the range of your formation attacks by 1.

Stampeding Shape	Druid Stance
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Polymorph, Beast Form, Implement
Free Action	Personal
Trigger: You transform into your beast form.
Effect: While in this form: You gain a +2 bonus to speed when charging. On a successful charge attack against a creature one size larger than you or smaller, you can continue your movement through the target’s square. If you do so, the target falls prone when you leave its square. You gain +4 to your defenses against the target’s opportunity attacks triggered by this movement. You gain +2 to your fortitude defense.

Climbing Shape	Druid Stance
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Polymorph, Beast Form, Implement
Free Action	Personal
Trigger: You transform into your beast form.
Effect: While in this form: You gain +5 to athletics checks to climb or jump. You do not grant combat advantage while climbing. Targets grabbed by you are restrained instead of immobilized.

Summons

You can summon the following creatures. Each creature has a special attack that only it can execute.

These creatures represent broad archetypes. Although they are named for families of animals, they may resemble any creature the player chooses.

Wolf			Medium Natural Beast
Speed: 7			Low-Light Vision
Weapon	Type	Prof.	Dam.	Prop.	Special
Bite	Light Blade	+3	1d8	--	You can use this weapon to satisfy one handed weapon properties.
Pack Mentality			Druid Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Creature, Primal, Formation
Move Action			Personal
Effect: You and your wolf companion execute an at-will formation attack that you know.

Cat			Medium Natural Beast
Speed: 6			Low-Light Vision
Weapon	Type	Prof.	Dam.	Prop.	Special
Claws	Light Blade	+3	1d6	Off-hand	You can use this weapon to satisfy one-handed weapon or dual wielding requirements
Distracting Strike			Druid Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Creature, Primal
Standard Action			Melee Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: MBA
Hit: The target takes -2 to attacks until the end of your next turn.
Effect: The attacker shifts two squares.

Boar			Medium Natural Beast
Speed: 6			Dark Vision
Weapon	Type	Prof.	Dam.	Prop.	Special
Tusks	Heavy Blade	+2	1d8	Brutal 1	You can use this weapon to satisfy one-handed weapon requirements.
Trample Strike			Druid Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Creature, Primal
Move Action			Formation 1
Target: One creature
Effect: If the target moves more than two squares away from the attacker on its next turn, the attacker can charge the target as an immediate reaction.

Horse			Large Natural Beast
Speed:10			Normal Vision
Weapon	Type	Prof.	Dam.	Prop.	Special
Hooves	Club	+2	1d10	--	--
Special: The horse may be ridden by the druid or any ally to whom the druid grants permission. The horse may not be ridden by any creature against the druid's will. If mounted against the druid's will, the horse can be unsummoned instantly with no action.
Kick			Druid Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Creature, Primal
Move Action			Formation 1
Target: One creature
Attack: MBA
Hit: If you are flanked, you may repeat the attack against a different target who is flanking you.

Leveling

Heroic

Level 1

You gain class features, at-wills, and one wild shape.

Level 3

You gain an additional wildshape.

Level 5

You gain an additional use of Summon Beast Ally.

Level 7

You gain an additional wildshape.

You gain the Spirit Rend power:

Spirit Rend	Druid Utility
Flavor
Encounter * Primal
Special	Personal
Effect: You or one of your summoned companions may make an attack with the Creature keyword. Make the attack roll against the target's lowest defense instead of AC.

Level 9

You gain an additional use of Summon Beast Ally.

Leveling

Heroic

Level 1

Gain 5 cantrips, 2 at-wills, and 2 wizard daily attack spells for your spellbook.

Level 3

Gain the arcanist class feature associated with one of your implements. Gain an additional daily attack power for your spell book.

Level 5

Gain a second use per encounter of the Wizard's Spellbook power.

Level 7

Once per encounter, you can attune one implement as a free action. Gain an additional daily attack spell for your spell book.

Level 9

Gain a third use per encounter of the Wizard's Spellbook power.

What is this?

See other classes in the series.

Seeker

Thoughts: The 4e seeker suffers from no unifying theme, in my opinion. Aside from using ranged weapons to attack, his abilities are no different from those that might be possessed by a druid or wizard. OK, I thought, so let's make his weapons the focus of his mechanics. Clearly there should be a reason that the seeker uses this unique method of spell delivery. I also made him connect to the most basic of spirits. These are not the spirits of animals or plants, they are the spirits of those spirits' desires. The seeker consults spirits of hunger, fear, and desire in the same way that the druid can talk to a horse. However there is inherent danger in consulting with spirits so alien.

1. Class Traits
2. Class Features
   • Inevitable Shot
   • Speak With Spirits
   • Seeker’s Bond
     • Blood Bond Seeker
     • Spirit Bond Seeker
3. Powers
   • At-Will
   • Spirit Infusions
4. Leveling
   1. Heroic

Class Traits

Role: Controller
Power Source: Primal
Key Abilities: Wisdom, Strength, Dexterity

Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, leather.
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee, simple ranged, military ranged.
Bonus to Defense: +1 Reflex, +1 Will.

Hit Points at 1st Level: 12+ Constitution Score.
Hit Points per Level Gained: 5
Healing Surges: 7+ Constitution Modifier.

Trained Skills: Nature plus any 3 class skills.

Class skills:

• Acrobatics (Dex)
• Athletics (Str)
• Endurance (Con)
• Heal (Wis), Insight (Wis)
• Intimidate (Cha)
• Nature (Wis)
• Perception (Wis)
• Stealth (Dex)

Class Features

Inevitable Shot

You gain the Inevitable Shot evocation.

Inevitable Shot	Seeker Attack
Disobeying your hands, the spirit who animates your weapon leaps to the nearest target instead.
At-Will * Primal, Weapon
Free Action	Area Burst 1 centered on target Special: This attack never triggers opportunity attacks.
Trigger: You miss with a basic attack on your turn, or you use a Seeker’s Bond
Target: One creature in the burst who was not a target of the original attack, or one creature who triggered your Seeker’s Bond
Effect: Make a ranged basic attack or use an attack with the Inevitable keyword against a creature adjacent to the target of that attack. Determine line of sight and line of effect from the target of the triggering attack.

Speak With Spirits

You gain the Speak with Spirits evocation.

Speak with Spirits	Seeker Utility
You commune with the spirits, letting them guide your words and actions.
Encounter * Primal
Minor Action	Personal
Effect: During this turn, you gain a bonus to skill checks equal to your Wisdom modifier.

Seeker’s Bond

Choose one:

Blood Bond Seeker

You gain either the Bow Expertise or Crossbow Expertise feat.

You gain the Encaging Spirits power.

Encaging Spirits	Blood Bond Feature
Flavor
At-Will * Primal
Immediate Reaction	Melee 1
Trigger: You take damage from a melee attack
Target: The triggering attacker
Effect: Teleport a number of squares equal to your wisdom modifier, and you may use your inevitable shot power using the target’s square as the origin.

Spirit Bond Seeker

You gain the Weapon Expertise feat.

You gain proficiency with hide armor. You also gain the Spirits’ Rebuke power.

Spirits’ Rebuke	Spirit Bond Feature
Flavor
At-Will * Primal
Immediate Reaction	Melee Weapon
Trigger: You take damage from a melee attack
Target: The triggering attacker
Effect: Make a melee basic attack against the target or use your inevitable shot power against it and push the target one square.

Powers

At-Will Attacks

Gain these at level 1

Guardian Harrier	Seeker Attack
Your spirit weapon transforms into a spectral hawk that attacks your enemy’s eyes, driving him away.
At-Will * Primal, Weapon
Standard Action	Ranged or Melee Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: MBA or RBA
Hit: Push the target a number of squares equal to your wisdom modifier.

Grappling Spirits	Seeker Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Weapon
Standard Action	Ranged Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: RBA
Hit: The target is slowed until the end of your next turn.

Elemental Spirits	Seeker Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Weapon, Varies
Standard Action	Ranged Weapon
Target: One enemy in range
Attack: RBA
Hit: The target and all adjacent creatures take additional cold, lightning, fire, or acid damage equal to your wisdom modifier. The attack also gains that keyword.

Thorn Cloud	Seeker Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Weapon, Poison, Zone
Standard Action	Area Burst 1 within weapon range
Target: Each target in range
Attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude
Hit: 1[w]+WIS poison damage. Increase to 2[w]+WIS at 21st level
Effect: The burst creates a zone that lasts until the end of your next turn. Any creature who enters or starts its turn in the burst takes -2 to attack rolls. Poison resistance higher than 5/10/15 prevents this effect.

Spirit Infusions

Seekers conjure the spirits of primal forces and trap them within their weapons. A seeker's weapon is usually hand-crafted by himself or an ancestor, and requires blessings from a shaman and adornment with magical fetishes. Once properly complete, the weapon can be animated by a spirit and becomes a comfortable temporary home for that spirit as long as it is fed by blood sacrifice. The seeker who conjured the spirit can then activate special properties of the weapon. In a sense, seeker weapons are living creatures that the seeker is bonded to. However spirits are capricious, and may abandon their home to manifest physically on the battlefield and claim their own victims. The spirits usually turn on the seeker's enemies first, but they have been known to attack indiscriminately as well. Binding spirits is dangerous work.

Bind Spirit of Mischief	Seeker Stance
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Weapon, Inevitable
Minor	Personal
Target: One ranged weapon
Effect: Until you release the spirit, whenever you hit with a weapon attack with this weapon, teleport yourself and the target one square.
Release Spirit of Mischief	Seeker Attack
Flavor
Encounter * Primal, Weapon, Inevitable
Free Action	Personal
Trigger: You use Inevitable Shot or a Spirit Bond power
Attack: WIS vs Will
Hit: The target is dazed (save ends).
Effect: The target becomes confused and paranoid. Until the end of the encounter: The target takes opportunity attacks against allies as well as enemies. The target cannot refuse to make any opportunity attack. Any burst or blast attacks that the target can use that normally targets all enemies or all allies in range instead target all creatures in range.
Standard Action: If the target is dazed (by any effect), it makes a basic attack against a target of your choice.
Move Action: Slide the target up to half its speed.

Bind Spirit of Gloaming	Seeker Stance
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Weapon, Inevitable
Minor Action	Personal
Target: One ranged weapon
Effect: Until you release the spirit, each time you hit a target with a weapon attack with this weapon the target grants combat advantage to your allies until the end of your next turn.
Release Spirit of Gloaming	Seeker Attack
Flavor
Encounter * Primal, Weapon, Inevitable
Free Action	Close Burst 2
Trigger: You use your inevitable shot power or a seeker’s bond power
Effect: You create a zone of spectral swarming bats in a burst 1 centered on the target. The zone is difficult terrain for all creatures, including flying creatures. Your enemies grant combat advantage while within the zone. The zone lasts until the end of the encounter. If a creature within the zone performs any action that would trigger an opportunity attack from an adjacent creature, you may make a ranged basic attack against it as an opportunity action.
Move Action: Move the zone 4 squares.

Bind Spirit of Corruption	Seeker Stance
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Weapon, Inevitable
Minor Action	Personal
Target: One ranged weapon
Effect: Until you release the spirit, each time you hit a target with a ranged basic attack with this weapon the target of the attack takes a penalty to damage equal to your wisdom modifier until the end of your next turn.
Unleash Spirit of Corruption	Seeker Attack
Flavor
Encounter * Primal, Weapon, Inevitable
Free Action	Close Burst 1
Trigger: You use your inevitable shot power or a seeker’s bond power
Effect: You create a zone of infectious disease that lasts until the end of the encounter. While within the zone, enemies are weakened and have vulnerable 5 to untyped damage.
Move Action: Increase the size of the zone by 1.

Bind Spirit of Fancy	Seeker Stance
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Weapon, Inevitable
Minor Action	Personal
Target: One melee weapon
Effect: Until you release the spirit, each time you hit a target with a weapon attack with this weapon the target of the attack has difficulty concentrating. The target cannot make opportunity or immediate actions until the end of your next turn.
Unleash Spirit of Fancy	Seeker Attack
Flavor
Encounter * Primal, Weapon, Inevitable
Free Action	Close Burst 1
Trigger: You use your inevitable shot power or a seeker’s bond power
Effect: Until the end of the encounter, if the target voluntarily moves more than two spaces in a single action it falls prone at the end of its turn, or the beginning of its next turn if the movement occurred on another creature’s turn. The target cannot make more than one opportunity action per round.

Bind Spirit of the Hunt	Seeker Stance
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Weapon, Inevitable
Minor Action	Personal
Target: One melee weapon
Effect: Until you release the spirit, each time you hit a target with a ranged basic attack with this weapon the target of the attack cannot benefit from partial cover or concealment until the end of your next turn. The benefit from superior cover or total concealment is unaffected.
Unleash Spirit of the Hunt	Seeker Attack
Flavor
Encounter * Primal, Weapon, Inevitable
Free Action	Close Burst 1
Trigger: You use your inevitable shot power or a seeker’s bond power
Effect: You conjure a spectral spirit of the hunt in a square adjacent to you. The hunter can be either large size or medium size (your choice), but once summoned it remains the same size until the end of the encounter. At the time of summoning, the hunter makes its attack against the target as a free action. The target then becomes its quarry. The hunter always knows the location of the quarry. If the hunter has line of sight to the quarry, the quarry grants the hunter combat advantage. The quarry does not gain any benefits of cover or concealment from the hunter, although it does gain benefit from total concealment or superior cover. Enemies can attack the hunter. It uses your defenses. If the hunter takes damage equal to your healing surge value, it is destroyed.
Move Action: Slide the hunter up to 10 squares.
Minor Action: Designate a different creature as the hunter’s quarry. The hunter can have only one quarry at a time.
Hunter’s Attack	Seeker Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Weapon
Opportunity Action	Ranged 20
Trigger: The hunter’s quarry voluntarily moves away from the hunter or makes an attack that does not include the hunter as a target while marked by the hunter
Target: The hunter’s quarry
Attack: Wisdom vs Reflex
Hit: The target is immobilized and marked by the hunter until the end of your next turn.
Miss: The target is marked by the hunter until the end of your next turn.
Hunter’s Recovery	Seeker Utility
Flavor
At-Will * Primal
Immediate Reaction	Personal
Trigger: Your spirit of the hunt is dropped to 0 hit points or fewer
Effect: You lose a healing surge. The hunter is not destroyed, and is fully healed.

Bind Spirit of Hunger	Seeker Stance
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Weapon, Inevitable
Minor Action	Personal
Target: One melee weapon
Effect: Until you release the spirit, each time you hit a target with a ranged basic attack with this weapon the target of the attack cannot shift until the end of your next turn.
Unleash Spirit of Hunger	Seeker Attack
Flavor
Encounter * Primal, Weapon, Inevitable
Free Action	Close Burst 1
Trigger: You use your inevitable shot power or a seeker’s bond power
Effect: You conjure the spirit of hunger in an unoccupied square in the burst. The spirit makes the following attack as a free action. You can order the spirit to make the attack as a standard action.
Move Action: If the spirit has no creatures swallowed, slide the it up to 5 squares. If it has at least one creature swallowed, slide it up to 2 squares.
Swallow	Seeker Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Primal
Standard Action	Melee 1
Attack: Wisdom + 2 vs. Fortitude Level 11: Increase to Wisdom + 4 Level 21: Increase to Wisdom + 6
Hit: WIS acid damage and the target is swallowed (save ends). While swallowed: The target is pulled into a space the spirit occupies. The target is restrained. The spirit swells to one size category larger than the largest creature it has swallowed Wherever the spirit moves, the target also moves. If the spirit moves into a zone that deals damage, it is destroyed instantly and the target automatically succeeds a save against the swallowed effect. The target takes ongoing 5 acid damage. Level 11: Increase to ongoing 10 acid damage. Level 21: Increase to ongoing 15 acid damage.
Aftereffect: The target shifts to a square adjacent to the spirit and is slowed until the end of its next turn.
Miss: 5+WIS acid damage.

Leveling

Heroic

Level 1

Gain at-wills, features, and two spirit infusions.

Level 3

Gain an additional use of Inevitable Shot

Level 5

Once per round, you can shift one square as a minor action.

Level 7

Gain a third use of inevitable shot.

Level 9

Gain the ability to bind one more spirit per day.

Essentialized

1. What is it?
2. Phase 1
   1. Powers
   2. Classes
3. Phase 2

What is it?

The Essentials line introduced a new way of creating and playing martial characters. Rather than choosing a standard action attack, these classes used minor action stances to change the effects of their melee basic attacks. Stances combined with weapon feats could produce a wide range of effects, giving the class in effect far more at-will attacks than its original 4th edition counterpart. In addition, each class received a single encounter power which it was able to use multiple times per encounter rather than multiple encounter powers. In some cases those powers augmented existing attacks, and thus the character had little need for a variety of encounter powers that amounted to slight improvements over his at-will powers. The encounter augment accomplished the same goal more elegantly. In other cases, the encounter power simply gave a choice of several conditions to apply, essentially giving two encounter powers for the price of one which the player could swap between at-will.

I found that I very much enjoyed this approach to both creating and playing characters. It shifted the emphasis from carefully choosing powers at character creation to combing your powers and other features effectively on the fly. However I was disappointed that this design convention was applied only to martial characters. In my opinion every class could benefit from the approach. This would also help smooth over some of the obvious balance issues that arise as a result of some classes having daily resources and others not.

This project will be a series of posts aimed at applying the Essential martial philosophy to non-martial classes. The project will consist of two phases. The obvious part will be phase 1: creating a class that evokes the character of the original by applying the Essential style a balanced way. Phase 2 stems from my belief that all characters should have the ability manifest unusual offensive strength in extraordinary circumstances. In the AEDU approach, this capability is represented by daily powers, but it is lacking for Essential martial classes and that lack is felt both in play and in the narrative. In order to recreate that feeling of exceptional power, I intend to add special riders to action point actions for every class. Action points already exist as a mechanic that can't be used every encounter, and they are equally available to every class. By adapting them to the function of granting additional options or power in addition to the extra action they already provide, they can be an effective replacement for daily powers in the Essential style.

Phase 1

In order to create an Essentialized version of each class, it was necessary to strip the martial Essentials line to what is necessary and sufficient. This is of course at least in part a matter of opinion. To me, the crucial piece of the Essentialized philosophy are:

1. Class or option dependent attacks rather than power dependent attacks.

   Rather than each attack power having its own attack entry, in most cases attacks should function in basically the same way depending on your class. This was often true in practice for AEDU classes, but not always, and it was often enough not true that it was noticeable and aggravating. Rather than have dozens of attack options, most powers will make attacks using just one mechanic (occasionally two) and apply additional benefits to that attack.

2. Stances

   Stances are actions that a character can take to modify the effects of other actions. Often, the other action in question is the character's basic attack, but stances might also provide extra movement, additional actions, or even area effects.

   Each of the Essentials martial classes has some version of a stance, although the Thief's are called tricks, and rather than being activated through a minor action they are activated through specific move actions. Similarly, Essentialized classes do not all access their stances in an identical way. Instead, the benefit of each stance is balanced by the action required to activate it – and in some cases, to sustain it.

Most classes consist of one or two basic attacks followed by stances that they use to modify those attacks. Some classes have more powerful attacks (e.g. wizard) and rely less on their stances. Others have only basic attacks but extremely powerful stances (e.g. warden). Each class' stances come in a different form. Martial classes adopt a different fighting posture, but the wizard modifies the effects of his spells by using different equipment to focus them, and barbarians gain access to special attacks by invoking a different spirit to inspire their frenzy.

Powers

To facilitate this approach, there are some new formatting conventions for powers.

Obviously, Essentials style classes have access to a limited number of options for customization compared to the AEDU classes who pick a new power almost every level. In creating the Essentialized counterpart of an AEDU class, I looked first at the distinct style of the class. Next I attempted to identify disinctive mechanical advantages. Finally, I threw all of that away and considered personal tastes.

In every case, I tried to find some unique theme to make each class stand out from all others, both flavor-wise and mechanically. This led to a few drastic changes and extreme pruning in a few cases. The seeker, in particular, lacked any distinctive features other than using ranged weapons. I hope I have corrected that. Meanwhile the druid and warden became entirely focused on animal shifting and environmental control, respectively, and lost access to their environmental control and animal shifting aspects, respectively.

The Classes

Below is a list of classes that I have planned to create. Classes in black have been created and need only be formatted as blog posts. Classes in green are ready to be viewed (click to see them). Classes in red have not been started, and I would welcome suggestions or collaboration from others.

All classes are now and forever WIP and PEACH. Please leave your comments and feedback on the appropriate page.

• Barbarian
• Druid
• Seeker
• Wizard
• Warlock
• Cleric
• Warden
• Paladin
• Warlord
• Avenger
• Monk
• Psion
• Artificer

Phase 2

Phase 2 will consist of giving each class a unique special ability that can only be access by spending an action point.

• Thief
• Ranger
• Fighter
• Barbarian
• Druid
• Seeker
• Wizard
• Warlock
• Cleric
• Paladin
• Warlord
• Avenger
• Monk
• Psion
• Artificer

 

Barbarian

1. Class Traits
2. Class Features
   • Rampage
   • Improbable Wielding
   • Speak With Spirits
   • Feral Might
     • Rageblood
     • Thaneborn
3. Powers
   • At-Will
   • Rages
4. Leveling
   • Heroic

Class Traits

Role: Striker. You use powerful weapons to deal serious damage to your enemies. Your physical power and daunting presence can cause foes to cower before you, and you can temporarily increase your abilities by harnessing great bursts of terrifying rage. Depending on your choice of class features and powers, you lean toward either defender or leader as a secondary role.
Power Source: Primal. You are a primal champion, a warrior devoted to the natural world and an embodiment of your tribe’s fierce traditions.
Key Abilities: Strength, Constitution, Charisma

Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, leather, hide, light shields.
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee, simple ranged, military melee.
Bonus to Defense: +1 Fortitude, +1 reflex, +1 will.

Hit Points at 1st Level: 15+ Constitution Score.
Hit Points per Level Gained: 6
Healing Surges per Day: 8+ Constitution Modifier.

Trained Skills: From the class skills list below, choose 3 trained skills at 1st level.

Class Skills:

• Acrobatics (Dex)
• Athletics (Str)
• Endurance (Con)
• Heal (Wis)
• Intimidate (Cha)
• Nature (Wis)
• Perception (Wis).

Class Features

Rampage

You can make on additional melee basic attack against a target adjacent to any square that you move through as part of a charge attack. You cannot make this attack against the same target as the target of the charge.

Improbable Wielding

Small barbarians can wield two-handed melee weapons as if they were medium-sized.

Speak With Spirits

You gain the Speak with Spirits power.

Speak with Spirits	Barbarian Utility
You commune with the spirits, letting them guide your words and actions.
Encounter * Primal
Minor Action	Personal
Effect: During this turn, you gain a bonus to skill checks equal to the higher of your Wisdom or Charisma modifier.

Feral Might

Choose one.

Rageblood

You gain training in endurance. You deal extra damage with melee weapon attacks equal to your constitution modifier.

Thaneborn

You gain training in diplomacy. At the start of your turn, you gain temporary hitpoints equal to your charisma modifier.

Powers

At-Will

Vicious Lunge	Barbarian Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Weapon, Martial
Standard Action	Melee Weapon
Target: One enemy in range
Attack: MBA
Hit: Push the target one square, then slide into a square the target vacated.

Howl of Victory	Barbarian Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Weapon, Fear
Standard Action	Melee Weapon
Target: One enemy in range
Attack: MBA
Hit: You howl in victory. All creatures in a close burst 3 grant combat advantage to you, and your next attack against the target deals an extra 1[w] damage.

Wicked Lunge	Barbarian Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Weapon, Martial
Standard Action	Melee Weapon
Target: One enemy in range
Attack: MBA
Hit: The attack deals an extra 1[w] damage.
Effect: You grant combat advantage to all enemies until the start of your next turn.

Rages

Raging invites a powerful spirit to take partial possession of your body. While you retain most control, the spirit does thrive on violence and destruction, and may demand tribute for its sustenance. You can dismiss the spirit at any time as a free action.

Rage of the Silver Phoenix	Barbarian Stance
Flavor
Encounter * Primal, Weapon, Rage
Minor Action	Personal
Effect: As long as you are channeling this spirit: Any enemy who hits you with a melee attack takes fire damage equal to your charisma modifier. Critical hits against you are instead treated as normal hits. If you hit with a melee attack on your turn, you gain a fly speed equal to your land speed until the end of that turn. If you do not end the turn on solid ground, you fall.
Silver Phoenix Strike	Barbarian Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Weapon
Standard Action	Melee weapon
Special: You must be in the Rage of the Silver Phoenix
Target: One creature in range
Attack: MBA
Hit: The target takes additional fire damage equal to your charisma modifier.
Miss: The target takes fire damage equal to your charisma modifier.

Rage of the Cyclops	Barbarian Stance
Flavor
Encounter * Primal, Weapon, Rage
Minor Action	Personal
Effect: As long as you are channeling this spirit: You can wield two-handed weapons as if they are one-handed weapons with the versatile keyword. Small barbarians can wield these weapons as if they are medium-sized creatures. Increase any push, pull, or slide effect against an enemy resulting from a melee attack by 1. Decrease any push, pull, or slide effect imposed by an enemy against you by 1. Gain +5 on strength checks to break or smash objects.
Cyclops Strike	Barbarian Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Weapon
Standard Action	Melee weapon
Special: You must be in the Rage of the Cyclops
Target: One creature in range
Attack: MBA
Hit: The target is grabbed. While grabbed, the target is restrained instead of immobilized.
Sustain Minor: You sustain the grab and the target takes 1d10+STR damage. You grant combat advantage to all enemies.
Sustain Minor: You sustain the grab. The target is immobilized instead of restrained.

Rage of the Hydra	Barbarian Stance
Flavor
Encounter * Primal, Weapon, Rage
Minor Action	Personal
Effect: As long as you are channeling this spirit: When you make an opportunity attack, you can make a second melee basic attack against another target in range. You do not grant combat advantage when flanked When you spend a healing surge to regain hitpoints, you gain additional hitpoints equal to 1d6 + your constitution modifier.
Hydra Strike	Barbarian Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Weapon
Standard Action	Melee weapon
Special: You must be in the Rage of the Unrelenting Hydra
Target: One creature in range
Attack: MBA
Hit: Push the target two squares and make a melee basic attack against another target.

Rage of the Manticore	Barbarian Stance
Flavor
Encounter * Primal, Weapon, Rage
Minor Action	Personal
Effect: While you are channeling this spirit: You gain +1 speed. All weapon attacks deal +2 poison damage. Level 11: +4 Level 21: +6
Manticore Strike	Barbarian Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Primal
Immediate Interrupt	Close Burst 3
Special: You must be in the Rage of the Manticore
Trigger: You are attacked
Target: The triggering attacker
Attack: Charisma or Constitution + 2 vs. Reflex Increase to +4 at level 11 Increase to +6 at level 21
Hit: The target is weakened and slowed until the end of its turn.
Effect: Make a melee basic attack against the target if it is in range, or charge it if you can reach it.

Rage of the Drake	Barbarian Stance
Flavor
Encounter * Primal, Weapon, Rage
Minor Action	Personal
Effect: While you are channeling this spirit: If you move more than 2 squares in a single action on your turn, you gain +2 AC and reflex until the start of your next turn. You can score a critical hit on a roll of 18-20.
Drake Strike	Barbarian Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Weapon
Standard Action	Melee Weapon
Special: You must be in the Rage of the Drake
Target: One creature
Attack: MBA
Hit: Push the target in a straight line a number of squares equal to your CON modifier. The target can move through other creatures’ spaces for this movement. Each creature whose square the target moves through is knocked prone. If the target cannot move any further due to a wall or other hard obstacle, the target takes 1d10 damage.

Rage of the Harpy	Barbarian Stance
Flavor
Encounter * Primal, Weapon, Rage
Minor Action	Personal
Effect: While you are channeling this spirit: Once per round, you can reroll a charge attack that missed and use the higher of the two results.
Harpy Dodge	Barbarian Attack
Flavor
At-Will * Primal, Weapon
Immediate Interrupt	Melee Weapon
Special: You must be in the Rage of the Harpy
Trigger: You are hit by an attack that targets AC or reflex
Target: The triggering attacker
Effect: The triggering attacker must reroll the attack and use the lower of the two results.
Attack: MBA
Hit: The target takes ongoing 5 damage (save ends). Level 11: Ongoing 10 Level 21: Ongoing 15

Leveling

(The character levels as normal for any level not listed.)

Heroic

Level 1

You gain access to at-will attacks, class features, and one rage.

Level 3

You gain access to a second rage.

Level 5

Once per encounter, when you enter a rage you can use your second wind as part of the same action.

Level 7

You gain access to a third rage.

Level 9

You do not provoke an opportunity attack from any creature you hit while rampaging when leaving threatened squares.

Gridless Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition (4e)

Please share your comments.

To reduce the impact of tactical positioning, making storytelling more powerful and flexible. To make combat simple enough that players can keep all relevant information in their head. To allow all players to track their character’s positioning individually.

Current Status: Untested

Next Status: Balance Testing (PM if you are interested in participating in an online test.)

Note: You may also want to check out Fluid 4e at At-Will blog. These two systems were developed independently and have taken slightly different approaches.

Concepts

Rationale

Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edtion emphasizes position a great deal. Every character must be placed in absolute position to each other character in the encounter on every turn. This makes positioning one of the most critical tactical elements of 4e, but it is also very time consuming. Attacks and other actions can be picked out in advance, but determining exactly where to move to often has to be done on the player’s turn, since the positions of the other creatures is the most likely thing to change from turn to turn. Tracking enemy positions, the range of bursts, auras, and zones, obstacles, difficult terrain, and traps takes up limited focus.

By divorcing the positioning of creatures from the gameboard itself, combat can range over wide distances as heroes attack, retreat, dodge, climb, leap, and flee. They can perform whatever maneuver or dodge makes sense for their character without spending valuable game time haggling over DCs, selecting the perfect movement path, debating the rules for immediate actions, or triangulating their position with their allies and enemies.

“The Melee”

“The melee” is an abstract term describing the focal point of a combat zone, and everything within melee distance of it. During battle, it can be convenient to describe objects or characters in relation to the melee. The melee is not a fixed thing. It moves back and forth across the room or terrain. Characters enter and leave the melee, and with some frequency there will be more than one.

Mechanics

The Game Board

The game board for simplified 4e is your imagination. Images are helpful in many capacities, but not necessary. What is necessary is for each player to have a rough sense of each character’s position relative to the themselves.

Gridless 4e uses relative positioning. In combat, in practice, there is a knot of enemies and allies in melee combat, and several satellites of controllers and lurkers orbiting them. Therefore simplified 4e uses three distances: melee, burst, and ranged. There are also three “pseudo ranges.” These are adjacent, near, and far. These words are not defined mechanically, aside from guidelines. Instead they use real-world estimates. Adjacent means just what it says. A creature who is adjacent to you is close enough that you could reach out and touch them without moving your feet. Near refers to creatures or objects who are outside the range of most ranged spells. Only a few spells and weapons can target creatures in this range. These spells and weapons have an additional range that is measured in feet. Far refers to anything that is out of range of any personal attacks. Generally, going into near or far distances are only possible out of doors, but some very large caverns or rooms might allow it.

When there are few creatures in the encounter, each player may be able to keep their position relative to his character stored in his head. When there are many characters in play, this can become difficult or almost impossible. When that happens, you may find this drawing useful. Print out several of them to keep track of many melee centers in a single encounter.

Rule 0:

Use your best judgement when adapting square distances to Gridless distances. In general, think “what is the most typical benefit and drawback of this ability?” when deciding whether or not it should be a burst, ranged, or melee ability.

For example, Gridless allows melee 2 powers to reach burst range, even though that means that they can attack a rogue throwing a dagger who would ordinarily be three squares out of their reach. This is because reach weapons would be virtually worthless without the ability to attack creatures further away from them than other melee touch or melee 1 attacks, but the dagger’s throwing property would be just as useful as the ranged property of a bow if it could be used from ranged range.

Since the near-constant movement of a typical 4e game is almost entirely abstracted by gridless 4e, the assumption is that the halberd-wielding creature will more often be able to shift, slide or otherwise get close enough to attack the dagger-thrower (without escaping melee and without engaging the dagger thrower) just as often as the dagger-thrower will manage to evade the halberd.

The slight advantage of a slightly longer reach and the slight advantage of a short distance throwing weapon remain slight advantages.

In the game world, this would resolve itself as the halberd wielder being able to move a few feet in relative safety and then use a thrust with the full reach of his blade to hit the dagger thrower. As a drawback, he gives up the opportunity to engage another target in melee for this attack, effectively “turning his back” on enemies who are within arms reach of him.

Attacking

Following is a list of common attack ranges and their effective Gridless range:

DnD4e Range	Maximum Gridless 4e Range	Special Targeting Notes
Area Burst X within 5	Burst	See Bursts below for rules concerning the area of bursts.
Area Burst X within 10	Ranged
Blast 3	Melee	You may also target the melee from burst range with a blast 3+ attack. You do not engage the targets if you do so.
Blast 3+	Burst	Does not engage at this range.
Burst 1-2	Melee	Close burst 1 engages all targets.
Burst 3+	Burst
Burst 10+	Ranged	Bursts greater than 10 cover the entire area of combat.
Charging	Burst	You must move from burst range of your target to melee range of your target. This attack engages the target.
Melee 1	Melee
Melee 2+	Burst
Melee Touch	Melee
Melee Touch (Reach)	Burst	Does not engage at this range unless the attacker has threatening reach.
Melee Weapon	Melee
Melee Weapon (Reach)	Burst	Does not engage at this range unless the attacker has threatening reach.
Ranged 5	Burst
Ranged 10+	Ranged
Ranged Weapon (Missile)	Ranged
Ranged Weapon (Missile, Long Range)	Near Distance
Ranged Weapon (Thrown)	Burst
Ranged Weapon (Thrown, Long Range)	Ranged

Movement

To determine how far you can move, sum all 4e movement squares that you can enter contiguously. For example, if a power lets you attack, then shift 3 squares, and then you desire to move your speed of 6 squares, then you have 9 squares of movement. However, if a power allows you to shift 3 squares and make an attack, then you would have either 9 squares of movement before the attack, or 3 squares before and 6 squares after.

Unlike 4e movement, Gridless movement is targeted similar to an attack. When you move, choose a creature or melee node who you are moving in relation to. Based on the number of squares that you have to make your total movement, determine how far you can move. The distance you can move varies based on whether you are closing or escaping the target, and also whether or not you are currently engaged by another creature. If you are in melee range of any enemy, then the melee is always the target of your movement.

A Quick FAQ on Movement

Q. Why does it take more movement to move away from an enemy than to move closer to it?

A. Melee fighters are constantly in motion. Characters thrust and dodge, and thus the melee expands and contracts without warning to those around it, and rarely does the eye of the tempest remain in one place for longer than even a second. It is much easier to get swallowed up in the action than to create a safe barrier between yourself and the swordsmen.

Mechanically, slower characters are almost always more proficient at melee, while faster creatures are more effective at range. If it was as easy to keep slow creatures at bay as it is to get close and engage them, faster characters could kite almost any slow enemy to death without risk. It is therefore necessary to give some small advantage to slow characters.

Q. What if I am both “escaping” and also “closing?” That is, what if I am moving away from one enemy and closer to another?

A. Unless you are in melee range of the enemy you are escaping, use the enemy you are closing on as the target of your movement.

Q. These tables are complicated! Is there any way to break this down so it’s simpler and easier to calculate without referencing them during the game?

A. Unfortunately, not really. The numbers will always seem arbitrary because they are an attempt to graft a relative positioning system onto an absolute system with a minimum of loss. But once you get the hang of what it means to close and escape, the best table to reference is the last one. As you can see, the movement required increases by 3 to go from one range to the next, with the smallest number being to go from burst to melee (1) and the largest to go from ranged to near distance (8). If you can remember that it requires one square of movement to go from burst range to melee range and 5 squares to go from burst range to ranged range, you can calculate the movement needed to change any other ranges. It makes sense to me to think: “Even a gnome in heavy armor can advance, but it takes a dwarf to get back out.” I.E. it takes 4 movement squares (the speed of a gnome in heavy armor) to go from ranged to burst, but 5 (the speed of a dwarf) to move back again. From this you can calculate that it takes 1 square of movement to to go from burst to melee and 2 and 8 respectively to go from melee to burst or ranged to near distance.

Q. Do you really expect me to figure out where I would be if I were ¼ revolution around a creature without referencing a grid?

A. Knowing this is only really important for determining cover. If you don’t want to use the relative positioning tracker above, then it is only really important to know that with 10 squares of movement you can negate any cover granted by one enemy to another (by moving 180º around the melee) without ever moving closer than burst range of them, and the same at ranged range with 16 squares of movement. While the latter will likely only arise with very fast enemies in late stages of the game, 10 squares of movement is not hard to come by for archer rangers and other ranged strikers, who may have an interest in negating cover.

Distances

Following is a list of common distances and their rough equivalent Gridless 4e range:

4e Movement	If you are not engaged, you can move…	If you are engaged, you can move…
1 square	…from burst range to melee range of a creature.	…nowhere, but Shift/Pull/Push/Slide 1 disengages from all adjacent creatures
2 squares	…from burst range to melee range of a creature …from melee range to burst range of a creature	…nowhere, but Shift/Pull/Push/Slide 1 disengages from all adjacent creatures
3 squares	…from burst range to melee range of a creature …from melee range to burst range of a creature	…from melee range to burst range of a creature
4 squares	…from burst range to melee range of a creature …from melee range to burst range of a creature …from ranged range to burst range of a creature	…from melee range to burst range of a creature
5 squares	…from ranged range to melee range of a creature …from melee range to burst range of a creature …from burst range to ranged range of a creature … ¼ revolution around a creature, remaining at burst range	…from melee range to burst range of a creature
6 squares	…from ranged range to melee range of a creature …from melee range to burst range of a creature …from burst range to ranged range of a creature … ¼ revolution around a creature, remaining at burst range	…from melee range to burst range of a creature … ¼ revolution around a creature, remaining at burst range
7 squares	…from ranged range to melee range of a creature …from melee range to ranged range of a creature … ¼ revolution around a creature, remaining at burst range	…from melee range to burst range of a creature … ¼ revolution around a creature, remaining at burst range
8 squares	…from ranged range to melee range of a creature …from melee range to ranged range of a creature …from ranged range to near distance … ¼ revolution around a creature, remaining at ranged range	…from melee range to ranged range of a creature … ¼ revolution around a creature, remaining at ranged range

Following are approximations of the necessary squares of movement required to change a character’s range from the melee.

From	To	Movement required (Movement if Engaged)
Melee	Burst	2+(3+)
Melee	Ranged	7+(8+)
Burst	Melee	1+
Burst	Ranged	5+
Burst	Near Distance	13+
Ranged	Melee	5+
Ranged	Burst	4+
Ranged	Near Distance	8+
	¼ revolution around the melee at burst range	5+(6+)
	¼ revolution around the melee at ranged range	8+(9+)
Note: Even with 15+ squares of movement, it is generally impossible to go directly from melee to Near Distance in a single round. Note: A creature who is pushed, pulled, or slid 1+ squares is disengaged from all enemies.

In brief:

Range	Movement required to close	Movement required to escape
Melee	--	2 (3 if engaged)
Burst	1	5
Ranged	4	8

Terrain & Obstacles

Because the characters in Gridless 4e are always presumed to be moving together constantly to maintain their relative positions, the position of most terrain can be tracked according to its position relative to the melee.

With regard to obstacles such as pillars, furniture, statues, and other assorted scenery that frequently arises in Dungeons and Dragons, remember that Gridless 4e is foremost a shared terminology for relative position, but absolute location still matters. A character might be in burst range because he is standing twenty feet away on a featureless plain, or he might be only a few feet away but capable of easily putting himself out of your melee reach because there is a long table between you.

When seeking an advantage from terrain or attempting to present scenery as an obstacle to his opponent, it falls to the player seeking the benefit to describe it and the action he will take to accomplish it. For example, if a dodgy swashbuckler is trying to evade a guard with a longsword, he might let himself be backed against the aforementioned table and then tumble under it to get to burst range, forcing the guard to run around it.

Following are some guidelines for seeking advantages from terrain obstacles:

1. Be specific about the advantage you are seeking. In a fevered battle between experienced combatants fighting for their lives, your character is unlikely to be able to properly leverage advantages he is unaware of. Therefore unless you state that you are seeking an advantage, players can assume that the advantage is still available. For example don’t just say that you are positioning yourself in a doorway, say that you are blocking the doorway to prevent yourself from being flanked.
2. Common advantages from terrain include blocking line of sight from ranged attacks, hiding or taking cover, jumping or tumbling in order to reduce the movement needed to attain a new range, or putting your back to a wall or object in order to avoid being flanked.
3. Sometimes you may need to make a skill check in order to gain an advantage. For example, in order to keep a doorway wider than yourself completely blocked, the DM may request an acrobatics check to determine how skillfully you can keep all possible angles covered. An enemy who is able to beat the check might be able to slip by you and attack another party member or provide flanking for his allies.

Zones

The size of zones is measured similarly to the range of attacks. A melee-size zone means that any creature in melee range of the zone are within the zone. A burst-size zone means that all creatures in burst range of the zone are within the zone. Track the center of the zone in the same way that you would track a creature, and use a marker to track it on the gameboard in the same way.

Difficult Terrain

Difficult terrain doubles both the closing and escaping movement distance to move out of a range. Difficult terrain always affects all characters in melee. Track the difficult terrain in the same manner that you would a zone.

Traps

DMs should use their judgement when determining if a PC walks over a trapped area. Since players cannot specify their exact route through a hallway, the manner in which the PC moves might be more important than where he moves. If a player specifies that he is creeping slowly, request a perception check to see if he notices the trap. If he is racing to catch a fleeing bad guy, he is almost certain to trigger the trap before he notices it.

Special Actions

Engagement is a way of tracking which of the various enemies and allies are flanking each other.

Engaging and Flanking

1. Engaging: If you have attacked an enemy or an enemy has attacked you with a melee range attack since the end of your last turn, and both you and the enemy remain in melee range of each other, you are considered engaged by that enemy (and vice-versa).
2. Flanking: If you have been attacked by two or more enemies with melee range attacks since the end of your last turn, you are flanked until you disengage from them. While flanked, you grant combat advantage to enemies flanking you. You are considered flanked from the moment that the second enemy moves into melee range, or at the start of its turn if it doesn’t need to move to reach you.
   • Note: In certain situations, flanking may be impossible. For example if you are fighting as part of a phalanx or if you are blocking a doorway. Special actions may be required to flank.
   • Note: You cannot both flank with and provide cover for the same ally.

A creature who has been engaged:

1. Requires an extra square of movement to escape melee.
2. Triggers opportunity attacks from the creatures who have engaged them if she uses ranged attacks.
3. Triggers opportunity attacks from creatures who have engaged it if it moves away from the melee without disengaging.

Disengaging

1. You may spend a move action to disengage from enemies you are engaged by in order to retreat safely, use ranged or area attacks, or escape a flanking position. Disengaging may entail sidestepping a clumsy attack, tumbling out of your enemy’s range, crouching behind your shield, or otherwise removing yourself from the melee for a short time. It gives you a split second of relative safety to breathe and either extricate yourself from combat delicately, make a ranged attack, or shift your body to keep your enemies in front of you.
2. While disengaged, you are no longer considered to be in melee, to be engaged, or to be flanked. Unless you move into burst range before the end of your turn, you are once again in melee at the end of your turn.
3. When you disengage, you no longer flank any enemies you have disengaged from.

Cover

You may provide cover from one half of the battlefield to one ally. While providing cover, you cannot flank, even if you engage the same target. Covering your ally means that you are dividing your attention between protecting him from ranged and burst range attacks. That might mean protecting him with your shield, warning him to dodge incoming arrows, or even throwing yourself in front of the attack.

Designate the ally you wish to cover for and against which side of the battlefield at the end of your turn. The ally must be one size larger than you or smaller, and must be adjacent to you. The ally has cover from all burst and ranged range attacks.
Note: Including charging!

You cannot both provide cover for and also flank with an ally, although you may flank with other allies. You do not have to engage the same enemy in order to provide cover to an ally. Two allies cannot provide cover for each other from the same direction.

Large Size and Larger

When targeting creatures who are large or larger, burst and ranged range attacks have their range increased by 1. So, for example, you could attack with a dagger from arrow range by making long range attacks at several medium creatures, but normal range attacks against any large creatures.