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#1 machmoth Dec 07, 2008 16:29:25

I had some people that missed the Lasher from 3e. Though he worked somewhat strangely with the mechanics trying to treat whips semi-realistically, he still had a fun, Indiana Jones flavor to him. Given the new flavors possible with class features in Martial Power, I figured that might be the way to go here. I decided to make two kinds of lasher. Both get a whip, which for our purposes, we'll say is a superior one-handed reach weapon with +3 proficiency and 1d6 damage, and counts as a lightblade and flail. Both features replace the fighter's Fighter Weapon Talent. Class Feature: Agile Lasher The Agile Lasher gains proficiency with whips. In your hands, the whip also counts as a spear for the purpose of feats and powers. Once per encounter, you may use one of your Whip Trick powers. Class Feature: Brutal Lasher The Brutal Lasher gains proficiency with whips. In your hands, the whip also counts as a heavy blade for the purpose of feats and powers. Once per encounter, you may use one of your Whip Trick powers. Whip Trick: Agile Interception Your enemy thinks he can shift past you quickly, but you are faster and put him in his place: right in front of you. Encounter * Martial, Weapon Immediate Reaction Requirements: Agile Lasher class feature and must be able to make Opportunity Attacks Melee weapon Trigger: An enemy enters a square within your reach. Attack: Strength vs. Reflex Hit: You slide the target up to a number of squares equal to your Dexterity modifier into a square that is adjacent to you. Its current move action ends. Special: If the creature makes an attack that does not include you on its next turn, regain the use of your Whip Trick powers. Whip Trick: Agile Interception counts as an Opportunity Attack for the purpose of bonuses, but still uses your one Immediate Reaction per round. Whip Trick: Brutal Lashing A few quick snaps of your whip keep your opponent too busy to tend to his dire situation. Encounter * Martial, Weapon Minor Action Requirements: Brutal Lasher class feature Melee weapon Target: One enemy under a harmful effect Effect: The creature takes a -2 penalty to saves against one harmful effect it is currently suffering from, or one effect that will end by the end of your next turn now lasts one more round. Special: If the creature makes an attack that does not include you on its next turn, regain the use of your Whip Trick powers. Whip Trick: Swing Across Grasping whatever is handy, your whip carries you off of the ground and to safety. Encounter * Martial, Weapon Move Action Requirement: Must be wielding a whip. Effects: Shift a number of squares equal to your Dexterity modifier, ignoring terrain effects. Whip Trick: Third Hand Your whip is like an extension of your arm, grasping things just out of your reach. Encounter * Martial, Stance, Weapon Minor Action Requirement: Must be wielding a whip. Effect: You may manipulate objects at a distance, using the reach of your whip instead of a range of 1. Powers with a range of 1 or burst 1 now have a range of 2 or burst 2, respectively. =Analysis= Compared to a basic, one-handed fighter with a longsword, a lasher does significantly less damage (1d6 vs. 1d8+1), and even less when items like the Bastard Sword or two-handed weapons enter into the equation. In return, he gets one of the most versatile weapons available. It takes one hand, has reach, and counts as three different weapon types. For example, a Brutal Lasher could take the Sweeping Flail, Heavy Blade Opportunist and Light Blade Precision feats, all benefiting the same weapon. All four potential weapon types and some Whip Trick powers benefit from Dexterity, making agile, light-armored lashers ideal. With the higher Dexterity and the fact that the whip counts as a light blade, there's also a great deal of synergy to be had multiclassing as a rogue. Multiclassing ranger with Martial Power's Two-Blade Warrior could also offer the deadly pairing of twin whips. Each lasher type gets three Whip Tricks that all count as a single power, similar to the Channel Divinity powers. Agile Interception and Brutal Lashing are unique to their respective class features, and offer the chance that the power will recharge to haunt your enemy again if they do not pause to deal with you. Swing Across offers a level of mobility fighters are rarely used to having. And, Third Hand is a stance that shows both utility value and a means of significantly improving several other powers.