So in the coming month, WoTC will be putting out Excerpts of the upcoming Divine Power book. The first one out is the Favored Soul.
Unfortunately, the link on the page does not work (yet), so the most I can tell you is that it is a Avenger Paragon Path. The description given is as follows:
You have long harbored a divine spark within yourself, a subtle shard of your god's essence. Long has it lain dormant, but as you dispatch your enemies and see your oaths through, the essence awakens and infuses your body with astral brilliance until your mortal shell transmutes into something greater than what it once was. Your deeds are the catalyst for your transformation into a favored soul. Once you set foot on this glorious path, you ever after carry with you the blessings of your god.
The schedule for the rest of the excerpts is:
June 19th: Rituals
June 22: Invoker: Malediction Invoker
June 26th: Domains
June 29th: Cleric: Miracle Worker
July 3rd: Feats
July 6th: Paladin: Virtuous Paladin
July 10th: Epic Destiny: Avatar of Death
And the excerpt is now up. One quick note: This is the first path to give a continuous fly speed.
NOTE: I'm assuming the level 12 Utility gives a fly speed of 4 until you get an actual fly speed.
I thoroughly like the concept, but I'm not a fan of them handing out the fly speed. I think epic is a more appropriate place for a fly speed with absolutely no limitations (especially the ability to get hover). I wouldn't be as bothered if they hadn't made such an effort elsewhere to keep fly speed limited (such as with the Dragonborn racial Paragon Path).
It does help that Avenger is primarily a melee class, so it removes the big danger of easy flight. (My ranger flies into the sky, and then spends the combat attacking from 20 squares up, where the enemy can't do anything to him.) So the Avenger taking this path is unlikely to go such a route, and multiclassing into Avenger for it means the potential waste of a feat and many of the other Paragon Path abilities.
Well, I don't really have a problem with having a fly speed if you're in a melee-based class. After all, you still take Opportunity Attacks when you fly up to someone to hit them, although it does make charging a good deal easier to do.
Oh, and people will multiclass into Avenger just to get a constant fly speed. It's the same reason some barbarians multiclass into Warlock just to take Sudent of Caiphon and get an increased threat ranged when using Radiant Weapons. (Brilliant Energy weapons, to be specific.) They won't be using any of the other features, but it's still annoying. At least most rangers won't do it.
I definitely have a problem with a continuous fly speed. Anything that lets the players simply, easily, and cheaply bypass all ground based hazards is bad for the game as a whole. It makes even creating ground based conditions essentially a waste of time. The iconic battle on islands in the middle of a river of lava or on a cliff edge or across a bridge of ice etc. etc. becomes a LOT less dramatic.
Its important to pretty much glue the players to the ground and make every example of them not being glued to the ground a big deal, something exceptional that comes with restrictions or limitations.
Having a melee based class is, IMO, just as much a problem in this regards as the range based class. Those capable of operating at range already have a way of avoiding many kinds of interesting hazards. Thats just part of the game - they don't have to venture onto the ice bridge, they can hang back and shoot arrows from nice solid ground. So many of the dramatic hazards tend to focus on those that get up close and personal with the enemy. If they can ignore most of the hazards as well then we are getting ever close to a point where the DM simply is not rewarded for creating interesting dynamic encounters including many hazards. It involves all the work of coming up with the setting and the rules (DC checks etc.) and the players response is simply to not interact with the hazard. Eventually the DM 'learns' not to waste his preparation time including such details because there never is any kind of real pay off. When that happens both the DM and the players loose out and the game itself becomes less exciting then it could be.
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I definitely have a problem with a continuous fly speed. Anything that lets the players simply, easily, and cheaply bypass all ground based hazards is bad for the game as a whole. It makes even creating ground based conditions essentially a waste of time. The iconic battle on islands in the middle of a river of lava or on a cliff edge or across a bridge of ice etc. etc. becomes a LOT less dramatic.
Its important to pretty much glue the players to the ground and make every example of them not being glued to the ground a big deal, something exceptional that comes with restrictions or limitations.
Agreed. It was the reason they citing in removing some of the "game breaking" spells. Hope they think this through.
S.
Alright, you have a point. If this was any other class, I would probably be mad too. But this is the Avenger. Their main shtick is to choose one enemy and put a large hunk of metal in them no matter what is in the way. It at least makes sense for them to fly right past the ice bridge to stab the dragon on the other side. Now, when other classes take this class (and they will), I'm going to be annoyed. But for the Avenger, I can deal with it.
It does help that Avenger is primarily a melee class, so it removes the big danger of easy flight. (My ranger flies into the sky, and then spends the combat attacking from 20 squares up, where the enemy can't do anything to him.) So the Avenger taking this path is unlikely to go such a route, and multiclassing into Avenger for it means the potential waste of a feat and many of the other Paragon Path abilities.
I imagine another option would be grabbing a reach weapon and flying just out of range of a number of enemies (although there should be a good number of monsters that can manage to attack you despite a 1 square gap).
I'm not too worried. As noted, the avenger is a melee class and I think the armor restrictions on the power would make it less attractive to other classes. Most importantly, there's no hover involved, so there are no opportunity attacks, no shifts, you have to move 2 squares or crash (immobilized, restrained, and even slow become dangerous), and being knocked prone, ouch! Also, at 16th level, the amount of creatures that can fly or teleport is not inconsequential.
The next Divine Power excerpt is up: Rituals.
Pretty skimpy...it lists 8 rituals (from level 1 to 15) and details one level 16 ritual.
Not having actually done much around rituals, I am not sure if this is new or not, but the ritual (Adjure) actually requires a Skill Challenge instead of the usual Skill check.
First, there aren't many rituals, but there weren't very many things divine classes could do for rituals that haven't already been covered, so that's alright.
Second, Adjure. Once again, fine with it. A skill challenge is really the only way I can think of to balance Planar Binding, which this basically is.
(Note: Yes, the spell name is probably different. I've never played a high-level spellcaster in 3.5, alright?)
The newest Divine Power excerpt is up: Malediction Invoker.
Basically, a third build for the Invoker class. The excerpt gives the overview, describes the Covenant of Malediction, and details a level 1 Daily prayer, a level 9 Daily prayer, and a level 25 Daily prayer.
The next Excerpt: Destruction Domain
Reveals that there are more than 30 domains in the book, and that the Domains give access to Domain feats. Each domain has both a Divinity Feat and a Domain feat associated with it.
Goes on to detail the Destruction Domain:
Power of Destruction (Domain):
+2 Feat bonus to Intimidate checks
When you use a power associated with this feat and hit an unbloodied target, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll (+3 at 11th, +4 at 21st)
Eligble Powers:ardent strike (paladin DP), bond of censure (avenger DP), grasping shards (invoker PH2), righteous brand (cleric PH)
Path of Destruction (Divinity):
Gain Channel Divinity power Path of Destruction
Encounter Power, Personal, Free Action
Trigger: You roll damage for a melee attack
Effect: You reroll the damage and use either result.
Huh, and I was thinking about making a complete set of channel divinity feats for domains rather than individual deities.
I really do like.
Newest Excerpt: Miracle Worker (Not Favored Soul as the article is titled)
Miracle Worker is a PP for Clerics (The only other prerequisite is training in Heal)
Healing Word increases to d8 (from d6)
When using an action point to use a divine Healing power, adjacent allies regains HPs equal to 1d6 + Wisdom Modifier (2d6 at 21st)
All other powers have to do with augmenting healing and immediate reactions to heal people at the right time.
Newest Excerpt: Miracle Worker (Not Favored Soul as the article is titled)
Miracle Worker is a PP for Clerics (The only other prerequisite is training in Heal)
Healing Word increases to d8 (from d6)
When using an action point to use a divine Healing power, adjacent allies regains HPs equal to 1d6 + Wisdom Modifier (2d6 at 21st)All other powers have to do with augmenting healing and immediate reactions to heal people at the right time.
Hmm...well outside of the background fluff I like this paragon class. It fits fairly well with the role my cleric has in the party.
Newest Excerpt: Miracle Worker (Not Favored Soul as the article is titled)
Miracle Worker is a PP for Clerics (The only other prerequisite is training in Heal)
Healing Word increases to d8 (from d6)
When using an action point to use a divine Healing power, adjacent allies regains HPs equal to 1d6 + Wisdom Modifier (2d6 at 21st)All other powers have to do with augmenting healing and immediate reactions to heal people at the right time.
For a brief moment I thought that his might have been related to Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller.
The next two Excerpts
Lists 29 new feats: 6 general feats (open to any Divine Class), 5 Avenger, 6 Cleric, 6 Invoker, 6 Paladin.
A new Paladin build. Their class feature is called Virtue's Touch and allows them to remove an affliction (blinded, dazed, deafened, slowed, stunned, or weakened)from a target as a Minor Action (once per round, to a maximum number of times daily = Wis. Modifier (min. 1))
Level 1 Daily: Majestic Halo
- 3W + Cha. Modifier Radiant Damage (Miss: Half) Until end of the encounter, applies Divine Sanction power against any enemy that starts their turn adjacent to you.
Level 22 Daily (Utility): Failure is No Option
- Close Burst 3 (Allies). Teleport each target number of squares = Cha. modifier. Must end next to an enemy. Target them regains HP = 15 + Cha. Modifier
Level 29 Daily: Name of Awe
- Close Blast 5 (Enemies). 5d8 + Cha. Modifier damage, and target is immobolized and weakened (Save ends both.) Miss: Half damage, target slowed (Save ends)
- Effect: targets subject to Divine Sanction until end of your next turn.
The "July and Beyond" artilce also has a link to a new Epic Destiny: Avatar of Freedom (Link doesn't work yet)
Avatar of Freedom Features
Freedom of Mind and Body (21st level): Your Dexterity score and your Wisdom score both increase by 2.
Liberate the Mind (21st level): Allies adjacent to you gain a +2 bonus to saving throws against being dominated, immobilized, restrained, or slowed.
Liberating Revival (24th level): The first time each day you begin your turn dying or dead, you revive. You regain hit points equal to your bloodied value, and each ally within 10 squares of you ends any immobilizing, slowing, or restraining effect currently affecting him or her.
Agent of Freedom (30th level): You cannot be dominated, immobilized, slowed, restrained, or petrified. You ignore difficult terrain, and you can shift your speed as a move action.
Last Excerpt: Avatar of Death
New Epic Destiny..seems cool
From the Excerpt:
You are the mortal incarnation of a deity who holds sway over death. You are not simply Jozan the cleric; you are the Raven Queen, who for a time incarnates in the form of Jozan. Your body is a mere shell, a temporary vessel for the unthinkable might of a deity's soul. You were born to be the Raven Queen's mortal form, and as you grow in understanding and power, the light (or darkness) within you shines out for all to see. You might not have realized your true nature before, but now you know exactly what you are.As an avatar of death, you incarnate the death aspect of your deity. Most likely this is the Raven Queen, but on rare occasions avatars of dead, dormant, or interloper gods arise—you might be an avatar of the dead god Nerull, or some other death deity contesting the Raven Queen's sway.
Good and evil are just words to you, for death makes all causes meaningless. You stare into the vacant sockets of long-dead kings, gaze across the soul-filled plains of the Shadowfell, and stand upon blood-soaked fields of battle. Through it all, you feel no sorrow, no remorse—only a grim sense of bemusement at mortal foolishness in the face of the inevitable. Adventuring is an amusing way to entertain yourself before life comes to an end.
Features:
Foresight of Mortality (21st level): Your Intelligence
score and your Wisdom score both increase
by 2.
Death Comes to All (21st level): Your powers
ignore necrotic resistance up to 20.
Deadly Revival (24th level): The first time each
day you begin your turn dying or dead, you revive.
You regain hit points equal to your bloodied value,
and each enemy within 10 squares of you gains vulnerable
15 necrotic until the end of your next turn.
Harbinger of Demise (30th level): Enemies that
end their turn adjacent to you and have 25 hit points
or fewer die.
Level 26 Daily utility power: Inevitable Death
Close Burst 5 (Minor Action)
Target gains vulnerable 10 to all damage and cannot gain hitpoints from healing powers or regeneration (Save Ends both)