Everything posted lately is great with the exceptions of "dropping the blessing cause the class has enough". I really like the idea Golo has.
In my playtest of the WP I found that while the class does well when it's fighting, it kind of struggles to contribute when it's not in combat. How would you feel if the Warpriest was able to choose between Domains, Blessings and Inquisitions from the portfolio associated to the deity? Domains offer extra spells and a domain ability, Blessings tend to focus mainly on combat, while Inquisitions give nice skill and utility-related bonuses.
This way if you choose a deity who offers Blessings that are not particularly exciting for your character, you can instead choose from domains or Inquisitions to extend your character's utility.
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With Warpriest’s other powers focusing around buffing swiftly and frequently I would love to see a majority of these blessings be changed away from also being a buffing action.
I really would like some part of this class be more active instead of a passive benefit or buffing.
Maybe I’m an action junkie but I would like to see the blessings allow you to do to special things when you attack.
Like maybe the minor Air blessing is that on a successful attack with your favored weapon you initiate a bull rush if your attack roll also surpasses their CMD. Using your Attack roll as you combat maneuver check. This action does not provoke an AoO. Greater Air, you do this in a cone or line effect.
The Earth Blessing could be a trip, Water a reposition or bullrush.
Minor Healing Blessing is that as a standard action you can make a melee or ranged attack with your favored weapon if successful an ally within 15 feet is healed an amount equal to one half of the damage dealt. Maybe the major blessing is the same but you can heal all allies in an aoe.
War Domain blessing as a full round action you can attack as though you possessed the whirlwind feat. Maybe greater is you can attack all foes in a line or cone effect with your weapon flying from your hand and then back again.
Fire you recite a prayer presenting your weapon and flames erupt from it in a 15ft cone that do 1d8 +1 per warpriest level.
I want them to be less domain like and more war like and more active.
I really think that this type of thing could make the blessings far more interesting and I wish they were a greater focus for the class.
My gaming group loves this idea. Any more ideas on some more war and battle themed blessings?
+1 To Golo's idea
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My biggest concern about keeping blessings vs switching to domains is that new domains will likely continue to be released (by 3pp, if nothing else), but unless we also see new blessings released with them, the warpriest will start falling behind. Keeping things with domains means not having to worry about needing to double-up on design space.
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I honestly think most of the blessings are fine. They're not big swingy effects, but the class doesn't need those. Interesting little niche extras are fine with me. On the other hand, I don't like that the alignment and elemental minor blessings don't stack with the sacred weapon class feature. Building nonbos into the class is bad design, and a warpriest of fire should have the best flaming weapons, etc.
On a similar note, the healing blessing overlaps in function with fervor. That actually makes it really good, effectively transferring healing to a different pool of resources so fervor can be used exclusively to buff. It is, however, going to confuse many newer players, and is arguably too good, though it does require the warpriest to prepare healing spells.
My biggest concern about keeping blessings vs switching to domains is that new domains will likely continue to be released (by 3pp, if nothing else), but unless we also see new blessings released with them, the warpriest will start falling behind. Keeping things with domains means not having to worry about needing to double-up on design space.
The problem with this approach is domains and blessings are designed with very different principles in mind: Even as-written, I like most blessings on a warpriest better than most domains. Furthermore, just giving the warpriest domain powers puts them another step closer to the cleric and inquisitor, which is frankly the very last thing the class needs. Make blessings more unique: Give the warpriest more stuff they can do that a cleric can't (or at least not so easily).
My biggest concern about keeping blessings vs switching to domains is that new domains will likely continue to be released (by 3pp, if nothing else), but unless we also see new blessings released with them, the warpriest will start falling behind. Keeping things with domains means not having to worry about needing to double-up on design space.The problem with this approach is domains and blessings are designed with very different principles in mind: Even as-written, I like most blessings on a warpriest better than most domains. Furthermore, just giving the warpriest domain powers puts them another step closer to the cleric and inquisitor, which is frankly the very last thing the class needs. Make blessings more unique: Give the warpriest more stuff they can do that a cleric can't (or at least not so easily).
Personally, I think Blessings should be opened up in the same manner as Inquisitions or Animal/Terrain domains. Inquisitors and Paladins might be interested in picking blessings, but Clerics and Druids certainly won't. Grabbing a blessing means that they lose out on an entire list of bonus spells.
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Paladins already have an absurdly lengthy number of very powerful class mechanics, methinks. If they were to be able to acquire blessings, I'd think they would have to give up one of their core abilities in return. Some of those blessings are very powerful, after all. Inquisitors would fall into a similar boat. I suspect many of them might not select a blessing if it was going to cost them something dear, which by all rights, it should.
Now, on to the topic at hand! The warpriest blessings are decent from where I sit. However, the newly introduced ability to self-buff as a swift (love it by the way) is great, but it's kind of left the blessings feeling a little lackluster. The only piece of advice I could give would be to make a warpriest able to burn two uses of their blessing ability in order to apply those (self-buff only) blessings that are a standard as either a swift or a free, preferably a swift unless you want to have them double buffing, and just obliterating boss fights.
Many people are complaining about the warpriest's action economy relying too heavily on swift actions, but I ask this: What other class can do a full round of attacks and cast bull's strength on it in the same round? We don't want to ask for TOO much. Currently, the warpriest has become a very strong class. It's in a good place, and I feel it would work if this was the version that went live. Sure, some minor tweaks are still needed, but that's about it. The only way to make them depend less on swift actions would be to put stuff back on standard, and I don't think any of us want that. For them to be able to just load up with every buff known to man in a single round, then go off and attack something for 2d6+you'redead damage right at the start of a fight is not what we should look for. I won't deny it would be fun, but we don't want them to become overpowered. If that happens, they might get nerfed a good bit harder than any of us want to see. The ability to fight (very well, might I add) while loading yourself up with buff after buff as a swift action each round is already splendid. That doesn't need changing. In truth, they could probably leave the blessings alone. It just seems like a waste to let such a great class mechanic be swallowed up by the awesomeness that is self-buffing via magic.
Paladins already have an absurdly lengthy number of very powerful class mechanics, methinks. If they were to be able to acquire blessings, I'd think they would have to give up one of their core abilities in return.
Of course they would. As written, only one Paladin archetype gains access to Domains, so if Paizo follows the Inquisition / Animal & Terrain Domain trend, you could only grab a blessing if you pick up that one specific archetype. I think its the Sacred Servant archetype, which gives up the Mount/Divine Weapon for the Domain.
I think you're looking at this blessing too narrowly. It can also be used on the defensive. As it stands, it's basically 3+1/2lvl rounds of "get out of confusion effects free" cards. I know the warpriest in my playtest last week wished he'd taken this blessing when the party bloodrager got confused. It is a very situational blessing, but I think it's a pretty good one.I major blessing for that one rare case that condition comes up? I know its great when the condition would pop up but its not the most common condition. Being about to nullify it as the minor blessing at level one is ok but for my level 10 major blessing I want something I can use consistently.
I agree with this.