"The heartbeat is the rhythm to the dance of life; ignore it and you shall find nothing but the beat of Death's drums by my hand."
All the world flows and changes, seemingly chaos; and you can see the steps that form the dance we call life. Whether it be the dance of combat, or the dance of the human heart, you can flow seamlessly between the steps that make up reality and do what needs to be done. Using a unique fighting style that harnesses the flexibility of the whip and dagger, and an inborn magical skill that lets you reach to the heart of things, you charm, scare, and immobilize your opponents as you attack them with spells of burning blood and intense emotions.
A hopeful wanderer driven by emotions and an inborn talent to move others and rile the blood, you are a secret interrogator who is as much at home being a dancer in her lord’s court, as in dungeons extracting information from prisoners, or on the battle field defending his honor. The mercenary with a darker side, a thirst for bloodletting, and streetwise savvy; blood dancers come in many forms but they all have one thing in common, a spark and knack for blood magic. Whether that spark is inborn, or passed down from master to pupil with blood rituals doesn’t matter: you are a force to be reckoned with.
I think the stance function is restriction enough and could get you into trouble with multi-classing, hybrids, or paragon/epic classes.
Other than that the major issue that strikes me is that maybe dancer should be a Class, and Blood dancer should be a build, or paragon path.
FOr example the COnstitution builds could be the Blood Dancer, while the Dex build would be a different flavor.
Also, after your comment, I am now considering the name change to Dancer for the base class, and the Blood Dancer (con) being a build, while a Nimble Dancer (dex) being the other. Paragons will be more specific even.
Right now it seems more like a leader than a controller, but only sometimes.
Either go all out healing or drop the gimmick altogether.
You need to decide on a role.
Right now it seems more like a leader than a controller, but only sometimes.
Either go all out healing or drop the gimmick altogether.
I appreciate the very correct advice to keep the class' direction on one route. However, the evaluation you made sounds about right actually for what is in mind.
Its supposed to be control, with slight leader or striker aspects. The leader can be be increased with build choice; or strikerness. Thus, attacks like Whirlwind of the Heart and Blood Bolts, are both very controller-y with healing, while Blockading Flourish and Flutter Strike are both controller-y with strikerness:
Whirlwind of the Heart
You vivaciously direct a whirlwind of energy around with a flourish, drawing on their life force to lend a surge of vigor to an ally.
At-Will * Arcane, Implement
Standard action, Area Burst 1 within 10 squares
Target: Each creature in square.
Charisma vs Fort
Hit: Charisma modifier damage to each target, and you or one ally within 5 squares gains temporary hit points equal to 1d6 + your Constitution modifier.
Level 21: 1d8 + Charisma modifer damage, and you or one ally within 10 squares gains temporary hit points equal to your 2d6 + Constitution modifier.
Blood Bolts
Thrusting your weapon toward your opponent, a dark crimson dart fires towards its heart and crushes the life from nearby foes.
At-Will * Arcane, Implement
Standard action, Ranged 10
Target: one creature
Charisma vs Reflex
Hit: 1d8 + Charisma modifier force damage. Until the end of your next turn, any creature that starts its turn adjacent to the target takes force damage equal to your Constitution modifier.
Level 21: 2d8 + Charisma modifier force damage.
---------------------------
Blockading Flourish
Your attack pounds your foe with waves of force which slow the creature.
At-Will * Arcane, Weapon
Standard action, Melee Weapon
Target: one creature
Charisma vs AC
Hit: 1[W] + Charisma modifier force damage, and the target is slowed until the end of your next turn.
Level 21: 2[W] + Charisma modifier force damage.
Flutter Strike
A myriad of steps infused with arcane energy confuses your opponent, and brings you suddenly into range to make a series of quick strikes.
At-Will * Arcane, Weapon
Standard action, Melee Special (Burst 2)
Target: one creature in burst
Charisma vs Reflex
Requirement: You must be wielding a light blade.
Special - Crimson Lash: If you have the Crimson Lash class feature you must be wielding a light blade or whip and may use this power as a melee basic attack.
Hit: Pull the target one target 1 square before the attack, deal damage equal to 1[W] + your Charisma modifier, and shift 1 square after the attack. If you have combat advantage against the target, you deal 1[W] + Dexterity modifier additional damage.
Level 21: 2[W] + Charisma modifer damage. If you have combat advantage against the target, you deal additional damage equal to 2[W] + your Dexterity modifier damage.
That's a no-no unless it's a leader.
Please note that it is not necessary to be a member of my wiki to view it. And I apologize for having broken the link (The class is now Battle Dancer, not Blood Dancer).
You give it an optional class feature that functions as a cleric's healing word.
That's a no-no unless it's a leader.
Thank you Faustian, I believe you are right. Though if you are talking about Waltz of the Waning Heart, then its actually gimped alot compared to a Cleric; so I am less worried about it being a "no--no" since it hardly overpowers the class, least as far as I can tell.
Differences between healing word (cleric), majestic word (bard), and waltz of the waning heart (battle dancer).
- they have to be bloodied (neither cleric nor bard has this requirement)
- the target gets the healing that a bard gives, but gimped more; which is healing surge value + a secondary attribute's modifier (instead of using primary modifier).
I dunno if you mean that its OP; or if you just mean its unfitting and shouldn't be there cuz its not a leader. I really want to provide something like a bard's healing (or slightly gimped version thereof) rather than a cleric replacement as the Blood Dancer build. The leader stuff I do want in there, but more as a secondary role, not primary.
I am open to suggestions on powers if anyone has them. Like "hey replace that power with this one.. its more _ and fitting".
-=SECOND PROPOSAL=- to replace Waltz of the Waning Heart
Bleeding Heart
Your blood magic-infused dancing inspires and lifts up the bloodied.
Encounter * Arcane, Implement
Immediate Reaction, Close Burst 5 (10 at 11th level, 15 at 21st level)
Trigger: You or an ally within 5 squares becomes bloodied
Target: You or one ally in burst.
Effect: The target gains 1d8 + Charisma modifier temporary hit points. Additionally, you slide the target 1 square.
Level 11: 2d8 + Charisma modifier temporary hit points.
Level 21: 3d8 + Charisma modifier temporary hit points.
Added Level 2 utilities, which are on the OP side, and need some curbing back I am sure. Suggestions on that very welcome.
I need help figuring out which things are too much:
A typical battle dancer will have: 2 Blood powers, 1 Dance power, an Aura Release Power, and the Unfailing Influence feature.
-Too much-too muuuuch??
Crimson Lash is another concern: It takes away the flexibility of getting two powers that have different effects, and instead lets you pick only one of the Blood powers. You gain whips (an exotic weapon proficiency) and the ability to use them as implements with your battle dancer powers. This means your melee weapon powers will have a reach of 2, a nice boon to the class i think.
-Any advice on whether I should just leave it out of Class Features, and make it a feat?
-Or is it more appropriate to make this a path that the dancer takes early on, much like a warlord's optional Archery feature choice (which does basically the same thing for a warlord)?
PS: Also, to the existing stuff - I made some changes once again. Blood dancer is now fittingly a build, while a nimble dancer is another, and the name of the class is battle dancer. thus, no more blood dancer persay, since like other class builds, they don't entail anything more than suggestions.
I think the large problem is you've made the utilities too complex, each one has 2-3 different effects, maybe pare them down a bit?
As to the weapon issue, maybe take a page from the monk book, their implements are any weapon on a restrictive class proficiency list. Then Crimson lash becomes a feat for DAncers that gives prof and the ability ti use the whip as an implement.
Notice the whip is there as a feat now, and since I took your advice I had to make the feat give a little something more. So temp hp on a hit, once per encounter.
I say this because I made it to match the monk in implement variations, and thus the feat as you described would have been no better than the basic whip proficiency feat (getting proficiency means you can use it as an implement). So the temp hp on a hit that bloodies, based off the primary attribute for the blood magic as the source, is what i came up with.