Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 misterfido_dup Sep 12, 2008 19:29:14	I just did a stat-for-stat comparison, including vision and languages, of doppelgangers and tieflings as player races. Now, I know Monster Manual races aren't really meant to be the poster children for the balance of PC races in 4E, but I run an Eberron campaign, and more importantly, changelings are my favorite race. I think they should be fixed up a notch, made more combat-capable--or at least as combat capable as the tiefling. So what if the shapeshifter feint, described in the doppelganger ability section, were translated to a racial power, like so? Shapeshifter Feint Doppelganger Racial Power You twist your anatomy in disturbing ways, catching your opponent off-guard. At-Will Minor Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Intelligence + 2 vs. Reflex, Wisdom + 2 vs. Reflex, or Charisma + 2 vs. Reflex Increase to +4 bonus at 11th level and +6 at 21st level. Hit: You have combat advantage against the target until the end of your next turn. Special: When you create your character, choose Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as the ability score you use when making attack rolls with this power. This choice remains throughout your character's life and does not change the power's other effects. This, I think, is overpowered for an at-will. So should I make it an encounter power then? Or perhaps a move or standard action? I like it being combat advantage, because though it can be stacked with a rogue's sneak attack, that's actually a good thing because that makes this ability level up with the character in question, just like Dragon Breath from the dragonborn.
#2 wyld_mutation Sep 12, 2008 19:36:04	Encounter power. Definitely.
#3 ceiling90 Sep 13, 2008 6:52:33	Yeah, definitely an encounter power... but I think you should group the power into Polymorph.
#4 wyld_mutation Sep 13, 2008 7:31:04	Missed the lack of keywords... It's got the Polymorph keyword. 'Cause that's what all shapeshifting powers have.
#5 misterfido_dup Sep 13, 2008 10:03:15	Yeah I forgot about it too even though I was looking at the doppelganger racial power when I wrote it up =P So, editing "Melee weapon" to be "Melee 1" (weapons really don't come into play... plus 'weapon' makes it a useless power to people who don't use weapons, like wizards or warlocks, AND I don't want to give a proficiency bonus AND it doesn't make sense that reach weapons would extend it's reach), adding polymorph... I think it looks pretty good. I'm satisfied. I'm reposting the "final" product (in quotes because someone could point out how it's unbalanced or doesn't balance the doppelganger properly) for ease of examination, and if anyone wants to copy it. Shapeshifter Feint Doppelganger Racial Power You alter your anatomy into unnatural shapes, catching your opponent off-guard with your new body. Encounter • Polymorph Minor Action Melee 1 Target: One creature Attack: Intelligence + 2 vs. Reflex, Wisdom +2 vs. Reflex, or Charisma +2 vs. Reflex Increase to +4 at 11th level, and +6 at 21st level. Hit: The target grants you combat advantage until the end of your turn. Special: When you create a character, choose Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as the ability score you use when making attack rolls with this power. This choice remains throughout your character's life and does not change the power's other effects.
#6 wyld_mutation Sep 13, 2008 14:37:19	Should be Vs Will. Can't speak about the balance. (Possibly a level 2 racial utility? Seems like it might take some training.)
#7 misterfido_dup Sep 13, 2008 15:21:01	Well, the power is based on a power in the Doppelganger monster entry, and it universally is versus Reflex. So I can see it as being vs. Will, but I'll keep it identical to the monster power. I might change the flavor text to be more reflexive, though. Mmm, I'm sure that doppelgangers might require training to twist their anatomy in surprising ways, but they've also been practicing playing with their body shape since the day they were born--if not earlier. From a gameplay perspective, though, I don't think a 1/encounter "combat advantage" power is overpowered to require a higher level. After all, drow have one.
#8 truechaotic Sep 17, 2008 1:47:36	Why not make it a racial feat?
#9 misterfido_dup Sep 17, 2008 11:44:32	Why not make it a racial feat? Well, the point of adding the ability at _ALL_ is that, I have always felt doppelgangers, whle they get their signature shapeshifting power in all its glory, and as it's my favorite PC race I could _NOT_ be happier with how shapeshifting is handled so smoothly, the race is just underpowered. You have to squint at it for a minute to see past it's shining awesomeness as a concept, but it's underpowered. I compared it to the tiefling, since they have similar awesomeness levels--but mostly because their ability score modifiers are identical, so it's as good a starting point as any: Tiefling is the same because... +2 Bluff and +2 Stealth is theoretically as useful as +2 Bluff and +2 Insight. If anything, Stealth is more useful because it's only in combat situations that you can die, whereas Insight is mostly used in social situations. Changeling is better because... They are... good at talking to people? Like, +2 to Bluff and Insight, and that change shape thing... Tiefling is better because... Low-light vision is better than normal vision Two languages is better than one Fire resistance, +1 attack rolls 50% of the time, and 1/encounter +1 bonus to attack and +3 or 4 bonus to damage is all better than +1 to will and the ability to change shape--which only comes up in roleplaying circumstance, where you can't die anyway (usually). And, finally: Tiefling wins because... Tieflings have skills for social encounters and good strength in combat... Changelings have skills for social encounters, and no particular strengths for combat but for +1 to Will. Now, people may disagree that tieflings are on par with strength, or even inferior. But I humbly disagree. So, I wrote up that racial power, to be added by default, not as a feat, because by default, I believe doppelgangers to be weaker and needing a buff. That's all. EDIT: Oh yeah. And every single race has some sort of reason why it's super-special-awesome in combat. Humans swap between not two but THREE at-wills, being cool in their variety. Eladrin teleport, elves never miss when it counts, tieflings get ****** at certain enemies and MAKE THEM DEAD. Even dwarves are cool, since so many creatures knock people prone or push them nowadays. But changelings have nothing. Outside combat, they may be as cool as any other race, but INSIDE combat, they need a little more "oomph" to remain on par with everyone else in terms of "Wow, that was an awesome move you just pulled there against that orc!" In this case, instead of a halfling ducking out of the way of a lethal, beheading blow with a racial power, or a dragonborn just saying "screw it" and INCINERATING everyone, a doppelganger now has his OWN cool thing to do. Namely, twist and contort and confuse their enemies.