Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Elwen Jun 02, 2011 13:20:25	As it currently stands, Flash of the Blade can only be used by rogues proficient with rapiers.  It allows them, while wielding a rapier, to use sneak attack damage even when they don't have combat advantage, provided they are the only creature adjacent to their target.  This was designed to create that sort of swashbuckler rapier Inigo Montoya one on one duel without having to rely on flanking. The problem? There is a new feat out from Heroes of the Forgotten Lands called Cunning Stalker.  Benefit: You gain combat advantage against enemies that have no creatures adjacent to them other than you. This makes Flash of the Blade completely obsolete.  Not only does it grant you combat advantage (which gives an automatic +2 to hit) but it also can be used by any class with any weapon. Proposed Rule: Add this line to Flash of the Blade: In addition, when you are the only creature adjacent to your target, you gain gain a +1 feat bonus to weapon attack rolls and to weapon damage rolls that you make with a rapier. Both of these bonuses increase to +2 at 11th level and +3 at 21st level. Reasoning:   This adds the weapon expertise: light blades feat to Flash of the Blade.  However, the weapon expertise, light blade works with all light blades (not just rapiers) and is not limited to when you are the only creature adjacent to its target.  This way, the Weapons Expertise: Light Blades is not obsolete, but at the same time the Flash of the Blade feat provides some extra advantage to rapier wielding rogues that Cunning Stalker does not (+1 to hit and +1 to damage, going up every tier) instead of (+2 to hit from combat advantage).  This makes both feats a viable choice.
#2 LightWarden Jun 02, 2011 13:36:48	No it doesn't.  Having your hit bonus disappear whenever a minion or an ally rolls up to an adjacent square is way too swingy for something that important, especially at high levels.  You're going to want to have Light Blade Expertise to avoid having your attack rolls drop by three, and if you're going to have two feats, the other one might as well be Cunning Stalker, since Flash of the Blade won't help you as much.
#3 Neutronium_Dragon Jun 02, 2011 13:52:48	> The problem? > > This makes Flash of the Blade completely obsolete. This is not a problem, it's the intention. Older feats that aren't strong enough (as LightWarden noted) are replaced by new ones.
#4 slobo777a Jun 04, 2011 4:23:33	In flash-of-the-blade's case, the old feat was too useful to keep it as a weapon/style thematic feat. Making it that good, whilst other Rogue weapons had more lacklustre feats, presents a view that "the best Rogues use rapiers", which is a bit restrictive. Note, however you can still take the old feat if you have a Rapier specialist, it will play just fine, and you won't lose out to the new feat if you end up loading more feats onto the Rapier, because such a Rogue would almost never swap weapons in any case.
#5 Elwen Jun 04, 2011 18:56:36	I don't know..considering it took a feat to learn the rapier, and another feat for Flash of the blade, I could still see a pretty strong case for 'the best rogues use daggers, get +4 to hit with them from the proficiency and class bonus, and then take the daggermaster paragon path'. And even if the rogue never did anything but use a rapier, the new feat grants combat advantage (+2 to hit and sneak attack) while Flash of the Blade only lets you use sneak attack. If its supposed to be phased out, that's one thing.  I wasn't aware that was part of the new post-Essentials design philosophy.