How is the striker or defender going to work, too?
So here is my initial thought, or something I'd like to see: The Elemental controller focusing on maintaining damaging zones, and the master of sustaining current effects.
Compare it to the wizard, with few zones or sustained areas. The wizard is more "Blast + status effect".
But moreso, being able to modify and use those ongoing effects. For instance, creating a wall of ice... and then making it pursue enemies, like some sort of giant constrictor. It would squeeze around enemies, or push them around.
Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanos - and making them an ongoing effect on the battlefield.
The wizard is more the magical equivalent of a karate expert, while the Elementalist is a wrestler.
I'm scratching my head going "Whats the Elemental Power Source going to be"? I mean, obviously there's "Throw fireball" and other such tricks. But how is that going to differentiate them from the wizard, really?
How is the striker or defender going to work, too?
Yeah, I've been wondering about this too.
The only thing concrete is that they specifically mentioned "Dwarven Elementalists" in Races & Classes. Now, that could just be referring to the elemental classes in general, or a specific class.
Yeah, I've been wondering about this too.
The only thing concrete is that they specifically mentioned "Dwarven Elementalists" in Races & Classes. Now, that could just be referring to the elemental classes in general, or a specific class.
In context it can be inferred that it refers to a class.
In context it can be inferred that it refers to a class.
True, but it seems odd having a class of the Elemental power source called Elementalist, seems too generic, it's like having a Martial class called Martialist, or an Arcane class called Arcanist and so on.
I took a stab at a power source description that didn't specify the elements or particular combat roles for elements. Any thoughts now?
Elemental: Elemental powers manipulate the basic materials and energies from which the cosmos itself was created. By summoning, transforming, and even breaking apart these essential building blocks, elemental characters such as shugenja, dwarven elementalists, and wu-jen can create water, reshape objects, or cause the ground to erupt in flame. Most theories conceive of four or five basic elements of creation, but other interpretations are possible. Elemental powers are called .
I'm sure they will tie in the Primordial fluff somehow.
Leader - Demonologist?
Controller - ???
Defender - Blackguard?
Striker - ???
a leader with the power of water!
a defender with the power of earth!
a striker with the power of wind!
and Ma-Ti with the power of heart!
by your powers combined, we have... a questionable power source?
Personally, I think that we are going to see the elemental classes have a lot of personal buffs.
Somehow I see an elemental defender, actually becoming an elemental form. Such as becoming all earth element like to resist attacks, or fire to strike really hard.
This is one of four 4e "sorcerer" outlines I drew up for DragonLance. (Sorcery is a bit different in that setting than in core.) Basically, this class was meant to represent a sorcerer focused on the elements in the defender role. It's just a rough sketch, but I could see it as a possible class concept for the Elemental power source.
ELEMENTALIST
“Assail me as you would the wind and the rain. Tear me down as you would the earth.”
CLASS TRAITS
Role: Defender. With bolstered physical strength and toughness, you shrug off attacks and pound your enemies into the ground. You also control the environment, making it difficult for foes to escape your grasp.
Power Source: Sorcerous. You command the raging world around you, harnessing elemental matter as an extension of your body and will.
Key Abilities: Constitution, Strength, Charisma
Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, leather, hide, chainmail
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee, military melee, simple ranged; light shield
Implement: Staffs
Bonus to Defense: +2 Fortitude
Hit Points at 1st Level: 15 + Constitution score
Hit Points per Level Gained: 6
Healing Surges per Day: 9 + Constitution modifier
Trained Skills: From the class skills list below, choose three trained skills at 1st level.
Class Skills: Athletics (Str), Dungeoneering (Wis), Endurance (Con), Intimidate (Cha), Nature (Wis).
Build Options: big & bulky, sticky tactics
Class Features: Earthen Armor (stoneskin-like encounter power), Fog of War (haze/mist in enemy’s eyes for marking effect), Create Ley Lines (defensible fronts).
POWERS
Possible attack powers: Earthen grasp (at will attack, fist erupts from ground to attack enemy), Demanding Winds (pull effect), Interpose (“a spear of stone erupts from the wall to block an attack on your ally,” attack, effect: AC bonus for ally), Murmur of Earth (like 3e spell…knocks prone), Wind at Your Back (improved charge), Gust (close blast of wind pushes enemies), Dehydrate (close blast, damage), Rubble (surround yourself with difficult terrain), Splash (close blast, blinds), Stonestrike (really strong weapon hit), Fluid Form (gain reach), Ring of Poison (cloud blocks enemy retreat), Mistshackles (close burst, as 3e spell).
Possible utility powers: Stonetell (bonus to Nature), Fly, Weather Summoning (or ritual).
This is where we'll see something akin to a "Time Mage" I suspect. Altering time and space, life and death, etc.
I'm assuming Elemental power source means drawing from the cosmos itself.
This is where we'll see something akin to a "Time Mage" I suspect. Altering time and space, life and death, etc.
That's funny. One of the other classes I sketched was a space/time manipulator. (That one was a striker, and I had a controller that manipulated energy fields.) The only thing is, it seems funny for such a class to be categorized under an "elementalist" heading; the term seems over-stretched if it's supposed to capture an "essentialist" or "all fundamentals of the universe" meaning.
I think the flavor will definitely involve drawing from the material of the cosmos itself, but I don't know if it would extend to manipulating "elements" such as space and time. Those may be too abstract. Just my thoughts at the moment, though.
I'm assuming Elemental power source means drawing from the cosmos itself.
It's more likely to draw powers from the Elemental Chaos
a controller with the power of fire!
a leader with the power of water!
a defender with the power of earth!
a striker with the power of wind!
and Ma-Ti with the power of heart!
by your powers combined, we have... a questionable power source?
It should have gone, Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, then Heart.
Or we could go by this:
Water.
Earth.
Fire.
Air.
Long ago, the four powersources lived in harmony, then everything changed when 4e attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all for elements could stop it. But when 3.5 needed him the most, he vanished.
Really, if they could do a 'Bender' class, I'd be all over that, like a corpulent child on a light fluffy dessert.
Really, if they could do a 'Bender' class, I'd be all over that, like a corpulent child on a light fluffy dessert.
I guess some people resent any influence of anime on D&D at all, but benders seem to fit just fine. (Maybe some flavor tweaking.) They'd be controllers, yes? Actually, I barely know the show at all but I think a similar class concept could be very cool!
Some people see the flexibility of 4e classes as a negative, and some see it as a positive. Does anyone think a single elemental controller class could represent both Wu Jen and benders? Also, does anyone think a single elemental leader class might be able to represent both the shugenja and Athasian clerics? Although it's arguable, to me these all seem like classes one might expect to fall under the Elemental power source.
There isn´t magic of summoning in 4th D&D yet. Is there?
As for drawing power from the Cosmos? I see that more fitting in the Ki power source ;) . This is what I expect to see out of the Ki classes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl9Xc6wSVq4
As for drawing power from the Cosmos? I see that more fitting in the Ki power source ;) . This is what I expect to see out of the Ki classes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl9Xc6wSVq4
There is nothing cosmic about Ki or Chi. In western terms, it would be like using internal or 'soul' energy as a weapon. The character you linked to seems more like a priest to me then anything.
There isn´t magic of summoning in 4th D&D yet. Is there?
I am certain summoning will have come out before we get to the elementalists. They're likely not going to be in a book until PHB IV.
There is nothing cosmic about Ki or Chi. In western terms, it would be like using internal or 'soul' energy as a weapon. The character you linked to seems more like a priest to me then anything.
Hahaha... that's because you didn't get the reference my friend. What you see in that clip is one of Athena's 12 Gold Saint, Aiolia of the Leo Constellation. The Saints of Athena through hard training (training from hell most of the time) can unleash the power that reside within each living thing, the power of the Cosmos!
The universe was born of a great explosion of power and we are each part of this universe, within us exist its own little universe and by inflaming its power the Saints of Athena can do incredible feats of Strength. They can split the heaven apart with a single punch and open the earth with a kick! What you see in that clip, those lines of lights? They are actually the result of Aiolia's fists moving at the speed of light!
Basically 'Ki' is called 'Cosmos' in Saint Seiya XD
Aiolia is awesome. In the prequel he walks into the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor during the infamous incident with nothing but his cosmos to protect him and some random guy from the radiation and poisonous gasses. Then he goes on and beats up the Titans of greek mythology.
There is nothing cosmic about Ki or Chi. In western terms, it would be like using internal or 'soul' energy as a weapon. The character you linked to seems more like a priest to me then anything.
It's an internal energy, but it is found within everything - even the wind. In that sense it is truly a cosmic energy.
Anyway, a don't think they are going to design the ki power source around a couple of modern interpretations of heroes who can draw qi from the universe so much as old way of using ones internal qi to harm people. Look at the 3.5 monk for an example of a ki striker, while they will obviously change it around some, I don't see how they could turn into 'manipulates cosmic qi', and still have it recognizable as a monk.
I imagine the return of shugenja, wu jen and sha´ir.
This is exactly what I think.
An elemental defender could call forth the power of the earth to cover himself in a second skin hard like stone, or cause a shock wave with a stomp that sends enemies prone in his vicinity, or imbue his weapon with the crackling power of lightning to inflict more damage on those he hits.
An elemental controller could open cracks in the earth to keep enemies at bay or swallow them whole, or melt the ground into a field of searing lava, use his mastery over air and wind to pick up targets and throw them away (or throw objects at his targets), or call forth a raging tornado to spread, confuse, and destroy his enemies.
Such classes could use nearby elements as implements/totems. So while an elementalist can cast a fire power without fire, having a blaze in the vicinity would give it a boost. Also, a common theme may be effects that take on a life of their own after being cast, unless the elementalist controls them.
I imagine the return of shugenja, wu jen and sha´ir.
There isn´t magic of summoning in 4th D&D yet. Is there?
It´s coming! Figurines of Wonderous power are in the Adventurer's Vault.
It looks like the rule is going to be, "use a minor action to command a summon to perform each minor, move, or standard action on your turn."
I imagine the return of shugenja, wu jen and sha´ir.
There isn´t magic of summoning in 4th D&D yet. Is there?
I imagine shugenja and wu jen will appear, maybe with different names, as the elemental leader and controller. Or, come to think of it, probably just the wu jen, as the shugenja has a more primal feel to it (a sort of oriental shaman, if you ignore the tribal connotations of that word).
The the return of the sha'ir would be the shiznit. Probably a leader/controller hybrid?
I hope we see something like the drow demonbinder as a striker. That would be sweet.