Cool Abilities That Aren't Worth It -OR- Good Idea, Bad Execution

[Endarire]

Face it: Wizards of the Coast produced a lot of content, much of which isn't worth the paper or pixels it's printed on.

Still, there are plenty of spiffy ideas we can garner from the junk.  Maybe we can even make them work!

For me, Tome of Battle held many good ideas and promise.  Too bad the stuff that optimizers remember seems like the only stuff people want to use.  Other stuff (Scorching Sirocco tactical feat, Wolf Pack Tactics stance, many maneuvers and stances) is left by the wayside for good reason.

[weenog]

Swallowing enemies whole is a fantasy staple and seems cool, but it tends to be the top stupid move you can make.  Now you can't attack the guy and he can hurt you.

[X-Codes]

Scorching Sirocco is victim to the same problem that other set-stuff-on-fire abilities do, setting stuff on fire is not tactically useful.  Technically, they don't even give off light.

If you make setting things on fire a viable shtick, Scorching Sirocco suddenly becomes awesome.

[awaken DM golem]

Soulknife, Lurk, most 5/10 or 6/10 caster PrCs regardless of source or application.



[spoiler]4e ... (cough) 

Although, they do do something.
Ppaths feel about like level 3+ class abilities.
EpicDs feel about like level 6+ class abilities.
The feats are almost (some exceptions)
universally weaker than early 3e game feat choices.[/spoiler]

[weenog]

Soulknife, Lurk, most 5/10 or 6/10 caster PrCs regardless of source or application.

Do you include 6/10 Swiftblade in that?

[Endarire]

"Most."  Swiftblade can still be spiffy.

[snakeman830]

Do I really have to be the first to mention Truenaming?

[X-Codes]

I'm not sure Truenaming was even that great of an idea.

[snakeman830]

It's kind of a fantasy staple, having a language that actually holds power.  It's a pretty cool thing when things change just because you say they do.

Of course, we all know what failure WotC came up with...

[weenog]

It's kind of a fantasy staple, having a language that actually holds power.  It's a pretty cool thing when things change just because you say they do.

Of course, we all know what failure WotC came up with...

You can do something like this by just dipping Mindbender, and never speaking unless it's a matter of grave import (a spell).

[JaronK]

The big one for me is the Spellthief.  I love the idea, but the class just isn't workable.

JaronK

[Mixster]

Martial characters?

[Drammor]

You can do something like this by just dipping Mindbender, and never speaking unless it's a matter of grave import (a spell).

That doesn't mean that truenaming wasn't an excellent idea with ohgymod-what-were-these-authors-thinking execution, though. I still love the idea behind truenaming, and wish something better would have been done with it, because it was completely possible.

Knights, samurai and fighters. Good ideas, ohgymod what were the authors thinking? These are seriously some of the worst classes in the game, but they're supposed to be good.

For that matter, full progression spellcasters. Powerful as all get out, sure, but they make everything else so useless. Psions are even worse.

[Maat_Mons]

Soulknife and monk, though they still shouldn't be whole classes, even if they can be fixed. 

[snakeman830]

For that matter, full progression spellcasters. Powerful as all get out, sure, but they make everything else so useless. Psions are even worse.

Umm, what?  Psions are very noticeably weaker than Sorcerers and arguably Favored Souls as well.

[PhaedrusXY]

The big one for me is the Spellthief.  I love the idea, but the class just isn't workable.

JaronK

Why is it weaker than the rogue? The rogue seems pretty popular... and the spellthief is like a rogue with a bit less sneak attack, but more options in other areas.

[Drammor]

Umm, what?  Psions are very noticeably weaker than Sorcerers and arguably Favored Souls as well.

Weaker in what way?

[Solo]

Ever grab ten power stones and "learn" spells off of them, or borrow your buddy's powers known by linking hands?

It's awesome.

[snakeman830]

Umm, what?  Psions are very noticeably weaker than Sorcerers and arguably Favored Souls as well.

Weaker in what way?

No auto-scaling on their powers is a big one (compare, for example, Energy Bolt to Lightning Bolt.  A Psion pays effectively an 8th level spell for the same effect as a Sorcerer gets from a 3rd).  Plus, their best tricks are just "tricks" for a Sorcerer.  The most powerful powers in the game are modeled after Sorc/Wizard spells and typically nerfed in some manner.

Add in the lack of general support, and you end up with a weaker class.  Plus, metapsionics aren't as powerful as metamagic due to the requirement of your psionic focus on each feat, as well as power points that could have gone into augmentation.

never mind that any power selections you make are permanant (unless you're smart and grab Psychic Reformation), so you had better pick well and ration your PP well.

Ever grab ten power stones and "learn" spells off of them

Doesn't work that well, since any use of a power stone (even if manifested from your own PP) flushes the stone.

[PhaedrusXY]

Ever grab ten power stones and "learn" spells off of them

Doesn't work that well, since any use of a power stone (even if manifested from your own PP) flushes the stone.

I think you failed your "Detect Sarcasm" check. Replace Psion with Wizard.

Metaconcert can let a psion use the powers known of 9 other psionicists at once, but that really only works decently well with a Thrallherd build manifesting through a Ring Gate, or something really specific like that.

You can also manifest powers by using another psionicist as a power stone, but it takes several rounds. So it is strictly an out-of-combat ability, and you need to have multiple psionic characters in the party in the first place...