All Dark Sun chars. choose 1 theme. All themes grant 1 encounter power.
If anyone can figure out anything missing or any errors, I will update the list!
Themes:
Veiled Alliance:
Excise from Sight Standard / Ranged 10 / Encounter
Ability: choose Int, Wis, or Cha
Ability vs. Will ; 1d10 + Ability modifier psychic damage and you or 1 ally becomes invisible to the target until the end of your next turn. Special: You can take a minor action when you use this power to enhance it. If you do, slide the target 1 square on a hit.
Gladiator:
Disrupting Advance Standard / Melee Weapon / Encounter (Gladiator Theme Attack 1)
With an attack followed by a violent shove, your enemy flies backward. As he flails for balance he loses his footing and disrupts that of the allies around him.
Ability: choose Str, Dex, or Con
Ability vs. AC; 2[W] + Ability modifier damage and push the target 2 squares. The target and any of your enemies adjacent to the target at the end of the push are slowed until the end of your next turn.
Noble Adept:
Adept’s Insight Free Action / Close Burst 1 / Encounter (Noble Adept Feature)
With a mental focus, you enhance the undeniability of your actions.
When you or an ally makes an attack roll, saving throw, or skill check, you may add 1 to the roll. Grants the character 1 power point.
Augment 1: You instead add 1d4 + 1 to the roll.
Wilder:
Wild Surge Standard / Ranged 10 / Encounter
Ability: choose Str, Dex, or Con
Ability vs. Reflex ; 1d8 + Ability modifier psychic damage and your attacks against the target before the end of your next turn can score critical hits on rolls of 18 or higher.
Wasteland Nomad:
Wasteland Fury Standard / Melee Weapon / Encounter
Ability: choose Str, Dex, or Con
Effect: If you use this power when you’re not adjacent to any of your allies, you can shift 1 square before or after the attack. Ability vs. AC; 1[W] + Ability modifier damage. If you have combat advantage against the target, add 3 to the damage roll.
Elemental Priest:
Elemental Spirit Minor / Ranged 5 / Encounter
Ability: choose Int, Wis, or Cha
You conjure a sand and stone spirit in an unoccupied square within range. The spirit lasts until the end of your next turn. You and allies gain a +1 power bonus to defenses while adjacent to the spirit. As a move action, you can move the spirit 5 squares. As a standard action, you can dismiss the spirit and make a melee attack from the spirit’s square. Ability vs. Reflex; 1d10 + Ability modifier damage, and the target takes a -2 penalty to attack rolls and defenses until the end of your next turn.
Templar:
Templar’s Fist Standard / Close Burst 5 / Encounter (Templar Theme Attack 1)
You command your foe to submit, crushing his spirit and slowing his flight. The same power that compels your foe to despair fills a nearby ally with brutal zeal.
Ability: choose Int, Wis, or Cha
Target 1 creature in burst; Ability vs. Will; 1d8 + Ability modifier psychic damage and the target is slowed until the end of your next turn. Effect: The next ally to hit and damage the target of this power with an attack before the end of your next turn gains a +3 power bonus on all attack rolls until the end of its next turn.
More on Themes:
Character themes are a new element of character identity that sits alongside race and class. When you choose a theme, you get an encounter power for that theme, and you have the option of taking additional powers out of that theme at higher levels by swapping out class powers for theme powers (with a few limits). Themes can also serve as prereqs for feats and paragon paths. Think of ‘em as callings, professions, or even origin stories; to some extent your choice of theme answers the questions “How did I become a hero?” or “How do I go about being a hero?”
community.wizards.com/wotc_richbaker/blo...
That would mean that the attack bonus for the alhulak is +3.
I would hope that there are different options for the Elemental Priest theme... at least one per element, y'know?
Agreed.
The wastelander's fury is probably based on Strength. It has the same attack bonus as all of the mul's powers, which are based on strength, and it adds strength to the damage roll.
That would mean that the attack bonus for the alhulak is +3.
I really, really, really, hope that the themes are not tied to single abilities scores.
If they're going to do that then they might as well have just made new class builds instead.
I will be very unhappy if I can't play my psionic beastmaster ranger with the wilder theme.
I want versatility.
Case in point, the Templar Warlock of Nibenay used charisma for her Templar's Fist, while the Warlord Templar used intelligence (even though his str was definitely higher). Using Wisdom for Templar's Fist doesn't seem to farfetched either, but I wouldn't be surprised if that doesn't turn out to be the case.
Also, it seems that the Noble Adept theme grants the character 1 power point. One pregen had 1 power point (he was a fighter), while the other, psionic adept has 3.
The theme attack powers are, if I were to guess, tied to either physical (Choose Str, Con, Dex) or mental (Choose Int, Wis, Cha) abilities respectively.
Definitely, almost all non-class powers thusfar have been this way. I'm guessing they will act just like Spellscarred in that fashion.
Plus, the Gladiator theme uses whatever ability modifier you have in it's attack roll. Previewed by this month's Ampersand. I can only guess the other ones do as well.
So I suppose the broader question that I will ask is this...Will themes be carried over to standard D&D?
I easily see DDI support for future themes, wouldn't mind seeing them move out of DS if they come up with good ones, such as taking straight Wizards and then applying schools of magic based themes. Just a thought.
Also, if the Essentials preview has taught us anything is that most of these powers will scale based upon tier. Disrupting Advance will go to 3W at Paragon, 4W at epic. I really like this trend, since it means that the feat for taking these powers is never fully wasted. I have no idea how Adept's Insight will scale though, but it's not really necessary anyways.
Disrupting Advance will go to 3W at Paragon, 4W at epic. I really like this trend, since it means that the feat for taking these powers is never fully wasted. I have no idea how Adept's Insight will scale though, but it's not really necessary anyways.
What feat?
I've seen nothing to indicate that themes will cost a feat.
So I suppose the broader question that I will ask is this...Will themes be carried over to standard D&D?
I recall hearing Rich Baker saying no they wouldn't. At least not in the near future on an official basis, however anything is popular if the idea is well received by the playing community.
I easily see DDI support for future themes, wouldn't mind seeing them move out of DS if they come up with good ones, such as taking straight Wizards and then applying schools of magic based themes. Just a thought.
I believe the idea about themes is that they aren't specifically tied to one class (or even a small handful of classes), but are rather available for every class.
From my initial review in comparison, i found multiclassing in 3.0-3.5 broken, and in 4th edition underwhelming...is this soft of a fix for this? Or this more intended to address the unique flavor of Darksun withouth contradicting base 4th edition rules?
I am still reading up on 4th edition...but this idea of Themes sounds alot like the version of multclassing in 4th edition.
From my initial review in comparison, i found multiclassing in 3.0-3.5 broken, and in 4th edition underwhelming...is this soft of a fix for this? Or this more intended to address the unique flavor of Darksun withouth contradicting base 4th edition rules?
Not really multi-classing. Multi-classing in 4e is done in two basic approaches: Multi-class feats, or Hybrid classes (PHB3).
Themes are, from what I've been told, more like the old 2E kits, in a lot of ways, but where they aren't specific to a given class, but rather a generalized one that anyone could potentially do. They add a bit of flavor to the setting and the characters within, and so far, are Dark Sun specific.
From my initial review in comparison, i found multiclassing in 3.0-3.5 broken, and in 4th edition underwhelming...
4th edition multiclassing isn't the sort of class kitbashing that occured in previous editions (for that you want a Hybrid), but multiclass feats are some of the most powerful individual feats in the game.
My characters are typically too feat-starved to spend any for a power swap, but I almost always end up with a multiclass feat.
As per new info, all Theme powers use your highest ability score for attack and damage. You get the first power for free, the others are selected in place of your class powers, and have limited scaling (they get better when selected at a higher tier).
Any thoughts on Athasian Minstrel? (Entertainers, spies, and assassins)
Other than that it's what used to be called a bard in DS? Seems like a good idea to give it a name that won't get it confused with the actual class, although I'm not crazy about the name they actually picked ('minstrel' sounds too strongly mediaeval-Europe to me*). Not sure what more there is to say at this stage...
* - I'd have gone with 'ashik'. It just sounds like an Athasian word to me. Or possibly 'djali', which means both 'bard' and 'blood', which seems appropriate for a bardic assassin.