Robin Mayne
Web Team Manager
Joined: 15 Oct 2001
From: BioWare |
 Posted: Wednesday, 17 September 2003 06:54PM |
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The Hordes of the Underdark Prestige Class featured this week is the Weapon Master, for whom perfection is found in the mastery of a single melee weapon. Additionally, a new Hordes spell has been released to fan sites, and 2 new feats have been posted up at RPG Vault!
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Stealth
Game Owner
 NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
SW: KotOR PC
NWN 2
Joined: 06 Feb 2002 |
Posted: Wednesday, 17 September 2003 07:13PM |
Awesome. Thanks for all the detail on this cool new prestige class. Oh, and did everybody notice all the new HotU feats listed in this writeup? 
Improved Whirlwind Attack ... Overwhelming Critical ... Superior Initiative ... Etc ... Hmmm ...
Thanks for giving us so much to chew on this week. 
_________________
Stealth
For the spirit of comraderie, imagination, fantasy and role-play ... and most importantly, for the spirit that can only be found through Neverwinter Nights, which all of us have created together. |
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Chris Gardiner
Game Owner
 NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
Joined: 09 Jul 2002 |
Posted: Wednesday, 17 September 2003 07:38PM |
Bit of a surprise for Neverwinter Wednesday! Looks nifty!
Looking at the Pen and Paper version the changes seem to be:-
1) Ki damage is once per day rather than once per day per level.
2) Increased multiplier is gained later than the PnP version, and is permanent rather than once per day per 2 levels. Presumably ki damage was reduced in frequency to balance this. Seems fair, assuming Increased Multiplier stacks with Keen and Improved Critical.
3) Superior Weapon Focus is the same. According to the guidebook it grants a further +1 on all attack rolls.
4) Ki critical is more or less the same
5) Superior Combat reflexes, which granted extra Attacks of Opportunity each round is gone. The Combat Reflexes feat doesn't appear in NWN does it? I don't think NWN imposes a limit on Attacks of Opportunity, perhaps as a result of going real-time rather than turn-based.
6) Ki Whirlwind attack is gone. It made Whirlwind Attack a standard rather than full action, which perhaps couldn't be duplicated in NWN.
So the NWN version gives up Ki Whirlwind attack, Superior Combat Reflexes and multiple Ki damage uses for a permanently applied increased critical threat range. That seems pretty balanced - the extra crticals the weapon master will be scoring will seriously increase it's average damage, and represents the mastery of a particular weapon pretty well.
Personally, I'd like more uses of ki damage because I like having lots of combat options, but that would almost certainly overpower the class, considering how easy reasting is in most modules.
Looking at the PnP version, I notice that the Weapon Master's good save is Reflexes rather than the Fighter's typical Fortitude. That means they'll take less damage from those pesky area-effect spells.
All in all I like it. Good work Bioware! |
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Gaelan-Darune
Game Owner
 NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
Joined: 19 Jun 2002
From: Chicago, IL |
Posted: Wednesday, 17 September 2003 09:03PM |
Description of Improved Whirlwind Attack, as stated by RPG Vault:
Improved Whirlwind Attack
Type of Feat: Epic
Prerequisite: 21st level, Intelligence 13+, Expertise, Dexterity 23+, Dodge, Mobility, Whirlwind Attack and Spring Attack.
Specifics: The character performs a full attack action, and makes one melee attack at full base attack bonus against all opponents they threaten.
Use: Selected.
Question: Is that 23+ Dexterity requirement a typo? Or for real? |
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MysterX
Game Owner
 NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
SW: KotOR PC
NWN 2
NWN 2: MotB
Joined: 22 Oct 2001
From: The Savage Frontier |
Posted: Wednesday, 17 September 2003 09:33PM |
Intimidate? Is that a new skill for HotU or is it supposed to be Taunt or Persuade?
Edit: Gaelan, it's not unusual for Epic feats to have steep attribute requirements like that. Probably not a typo, although I don't actually see that feat in the Epic Handbook.Edited By MysterX on 09/17/03 21:36 |
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Sauté
Game Owner
 NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
Joined: 06 Jan 2003 |
Posted: Wednesday, 17 September 2003 10:06PM |
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Hmmm... am I missing something - what happes between 1st level and 5th? If Ki doesn't accumulate per level are there ANY? prestige class benefits for levels 2,3, or 4? |
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Onslaught_IT
Game Owner
 NWN
NWN: SoU
Joined: 01 Jul 2002 |
Posted: Wednesday, 17 September 2003 10:12PM |
Guy ... This PrC SUCKS! A LOT!
Why? In PnP, it sucks already ! 'Cos it don't have real cool things ... OK, +1 to Attck when you have +10 ... It's good for Crit ... And Crit .. And Crit ... But .. Only this!
Most of the original PrC sucks, I must say ... Quintessential Series ownz, =P!
Anyway, one of the best PrC for figthers they'll never put in the game: Chain Master (Or something like that) ...
At least the Whip Guy they should put in HotU, since they'll put Whip in the game ... That would be cool ^^
Anyway, in Swords & Fists, only a few PrCs are realy usefull and cool ... Weapon Master definately ISN'T!
Cavalier, the Whip Guy (Sory, I realy don't know the english name) and the (Supposeed) CHain Master are useful, interesting and ... impossible to NWN ...
The coolest PrC are spellcasters ... And then, again, we will never see them =( |
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-Cereus-
Game Owner
 NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
Joined: 09 Oct 2002 |
Posted: Thursday, 18 September 2003 12:18AM |
All I have to say is YAY!!!!!!
This is one less PrC that we have to do. There are some other things here that we need so even better. While the 3rd edition Kensai is not as "cool" as the others, it is still a good class if that is what you want to play as.
Cereus
_________________
Rokugan Admin
A samurai carries two swords for a reason. |
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fat_gato
Game Owner
 NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
SW: KotOR PC
Joined: 20 Jun 2002 |
Posted: Thursday, 18 September 2003 12:26AM |
Quote: Posted 09/17/03 22:12:39 (GMT) by Onslaught_IT
Guy ... This PrC SUCKS! A LOT!
Why? In PnP, it sucks already ! 'Cos it don't have real cool things ... OK, +1 to Attck when you have +10 ... It's good for Crit ... And Crit .. And Crit ... But .. Only this!
Most of the original PrC sucks, I must say ... Quintessential Series ownz, =P!
Anyway, one of the best PrC for figthers they'll never put in the game: Chain Master (Or something like that) ...
At least the Whip Guy they should put in HotU, since they'll put Whip in the game ... That would be cool ^^
Anyway, in Swords & Fists, only a few PrCs are realy usefull and cool ... Weapon Master definately ISN'T!
Cavalier, the Whip Guy (Sory, I realy don't know the english name) and the (Supposeed) CHain Master are useful, interesting and ... impossible to NWN ...
The coolest PrC are spellcasters ... And then, again, we will never see them =(
Take a chill pill onslaught! Also learn the english language. |
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Grimrider
Game Owner
 NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
Joined: 11 Jul 2002
From: Vancouver, BC, Canada |
Posted: Thursday, 18 September 2003 03:52AM |
Hey, I'm just happy to see a PrC in NWN that actually focuses on specialized melee fighting and just that. Arcane Archer was the closest one to a 'warrior' archetype, but if you didn't like bows you were boned. Now there's something for sword-masters to aspire to.
Now what would be really fun, though regretfully /completely/ impossible for NWN, would be the Manual of the Planes PrCs.  Planar Champion, Planeshifter, Divine Servant, and Gatecrasher. Gatecrasher's still my favourite, if a bit twinky.
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Quote: Posted 07/26/06 01:02:55 (GMT) by HugarWoolomonga
If every RP queen in here had it his way, we would all play gnomish fighters with negative strength because it's sooo realistic and non-powergaming.
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-Maku-
Game Owner
 NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
NWN 2
Joined: 11 Jun 2003
From: Tampa, Florida, USA, Earth, Milky Way |
Posted: Thursday, 18 September 2003 10:44AM |
Does this mean that a weaponmaster that focuses on Scythes could do 5x damage on criticals?  |
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krauseman
Game Owner
NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
Joined: 08 Oct 2002
From: The other side of the internet |
Posted: Thursday, 18 September 2003 05:32PM |
Is Ki Critical going to be added before or after such things as Improved Critical and Keen? For Kukris, this means a critical threat range of 10-20 versus 6-20. For scythes, this difference is 12-20 versus 16-20.
I certainly hope it's added after. 16-20 x5 is nasty enough. |
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Onslaught_IT
Game Owner
NWN
NWN: SoU
Joined: 01 Jul 2002 |
Posted: Thursday, 18 September 2003 08:12PM |
Hun, I think It be added after Improved Critical/Keen ...
I think the lowest thing you can reach is 12-20/x3 with Scimitar (or Rapier ... or Both, don't know O_O!)
And if you like other good Figther-PrC you can make a Dwarven Defender ... IF BioWere don't nerf it =/ |
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Cloud_Nine
Game Owner
NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
Joined: 20 Jun 2002 |
Posted: Friday, 19 September 2003 04:27PM |
A scimitar has base crit range of 18-20
Impr Crit makes it 15-20
Keen makes it 12-20
Ki Critical would make it 10-20. Same for Kukri and Rapier.
The description in Oriental Adventures (where I believe the Weapon Master prestige class originates) clearly states that the +2 from Ki Critical is added after Impr Crit and Keen calculations are made.
TomasEdited By Cloud_Nine on 09/19/03 16:29 |
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SladeRaveneye
Game Owner
 NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
NWN 2
Joined: 10 Aug 2002
From: Trieste, Italy |
Posted: Friday, 19 September 2003 06:39PM |
Quote: Posted 09/17/03 22:12:39 (GMT) by Onslaught_IT
It's good for Crit ... And Crit .. And Crit ... But .. Only this!
Although you should really take a chill-pill , you definatley made a point. This prc is mainly crit-focused. That would be cool, if it wasn't for the unfortunate (?) fact that one of the items props that you can find on the toolset is immunity: critical hit. This would be a really nasty trick for the weapon master... |
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