I noticed a little bit of trashing of the Lantern implement in a different thread and decided I have enough thoughts I should put them in their own thread.
I am somewhat conflicted about the Lantern because on one hand it has narrow use cases that are uncommon unless you are in the "right" campaign, but on the other hand it is oppressively powerful within those use cases. You can walk around a room a few times and be quite certain you will have found everything to be found there with just the initiate benefit, but in most games I have played in or run you will very rarely have anything to find. Adept pretty much nullifies invisible enemies as a problem, which makes any enemies that rely on it chumps but won't do anything against a bear. It just feels like it will either be a seldom relevant class feature or something that breaks a campaign over its knee, which means it basically has no home on any character.
You can't even really build around it. The best I came up with was some kind of Recall Knowledge build to make use of the status bonus, but the Tome just does that better (though you could stack those, but then you have two passive implements in hand). It's a real shame, the adventurer with a lantern presented as he delves into the unknown dark is an iconic visual and this would have been a great way to fulfill that fantasy if the implement was more broadly useful.
Those are some of my thoughts, what about you folks?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I don't think every element needs to be something you can "build around," each of them a are a tool in a class that is filled with complex tools. `Lantern works wonderfully as a secondary or third implement if you prefer to build around a more active/obvious use Implement. I would also say its a fantastic implement to pick up as an archetype. Or if you want to say use an archetype as your main active combat sthick. I would also say its intensify vulnerability can be real nice.
Abilities to deal with invisible creatures are actually kinda common throughout the classes like blind fight. I wonder just how common invisible creatures are. If they're as much of a threat at those mid to high levels as those feats might suggest, the lanterns anti-invisibility is the strongest example as it shuts creatures down and reveals them to the party. Does anyone know just how common it is?
Pretty much every martial has a feat for this by level 8. I do wish the Thaumaturge had a feat option instead of needing an adept Lantern for invis, though some could use glitterdust scrolls I suppose.