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I've only run a few test combats, so I'm not ready to fill out the playtest survey as I want more time with the class, but this is a thing I've been noticing.
It should absolutely be possible to play an Exemplar who is an archer, if you want to be Arjuna, or Hou Yi, or Meridia. There is considerable support in the *weapon* Ikons for this sort of thing. However there doesn't seem to be adequate support in Body and Worn Ikons for someone who doesn't want to be in the fray.
All of the worn and body ikons either have an immanence or a trascendance effect that doesn't apply to a character who stays out of the fray:
Eye-Catching Spot: You are trying to avoid melee attacks by staying away from people who make them.
Gaze Sharp as Steel: You can't make reactive strikes with a ranged weapon.
Scar of the Survivor/Skin Hard as Horn: Everybody takes damage, but you're going to take less of it by staying away from danger
All of the Worn icons are a 15' aura, and this is not something you're necessarily going to be able to share with your allies without being on the front lines.
I personally chose Scar of the Survivor and Victor's Wreath for my character. I mostly keep my spark in my weapon until I have the opportunity to use a transcendence effect with the weapon, then I shift to Victor's Wreath which mostly just affects me but +1 to hit is +1 to hit. Then I just stay in Victor's Wreath unless I have the opportunity to transcend out of it, or I need to heal myself. It feels like the melee character is a lot more dynamic in terms of spark juggling, which is kind of a bummer.
Yeah, doing a few test builds, a lot of the builds ended up coming down to not really caring about my body or worn ikons almost at all, just using Fated Shot to spam Rain of Seven Lights every turn. Spend every turn by shifting spark to the weapon, last two actions to Transcend, switching spark back to defensive body ikon, repeat.
Thousand-League Sandals seems like the only worn ikon you use consistently as a ranged character (honestly... these feel like less consistent transcends generally, but palisade bangles makes sense for melee to try). Because even if no allies are in your aura, it lets you stride+move spark for one action.
We really need some ways to get more transcendence abilities on worn ikons before level 17 - I don't think there's a single one?
Level 15 Epithets give bonuses to Worn, Level 10 Journey of the Sky Chariot applies to Worn, Level 14 feat Destined Victory applies to Worn, but that's pretty much it.
I'm curious why the range for all the auras was 15'. Since like the immanence for Victor's Wreath is strictly weaker than Inspire Courage, but it's a 15' aura rather than a 60' emanation. If they had more range, it would be much better from the backlines. Maybe this could be a feat?
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In my initial review I mentioned this too, and I agree completely. My group did some Animist and Exemplar builds-by-committee just for fun, and the very first thing my players wanted was an archer with a mighty bow. As we went through the options they kept going "That's kinda cool, but doesn't work with a bow build..." until we eventually ran out of options.
Granted, there'll be more in the full release, but I think if this class is going to be Make-a-Myth, the weapon ikons should be able to accommodate just about every general martial playstyle. Notably absent for me was the precise archer (players thought the AoE was cool but they wanted a shoot the wings off a fly kind of archer) or precision character generally. Just like how you can make a Fighter that has some support for every fighting style, this thing kinda needs to be a blank canvas for me to make a myth with.
In support of that, I think I'd also really like if the worn ikons did more than just give out auras. Support abilities, fine, that's what the slot does, but it'd be nice if the worn slot weren't simply the aura slot. However those abilities work.
I think the one that hurts the most not really jiving with archery is "Gaze sharp as steel" as the archer with incredible vision is a slam dunk in terms of flavor, but you're never going to get much out of reactive strike without changing combat modes.
One consideration: If this 'ready to strike' follows the general rule that an attack outside your turn (like reactive strike) uses your base MAP, the open-ended nature of a ready trigger might end up as equivalent to a 0/0/=5 attack round without even costing a reaction.
On the other hand, if it works like a normal ready action in that it retains MAP, the difference between readying to strike and just striking might be irrelevant unless you're in a situation where you can't strike just yet but will be able to on a trigger (and possibly results in you shooting a -10 attack into the wind).
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I'm curious why the range for all the auras was 15'. Since like the immanence for Victor's Wreath is strictly weaker than Inspire Courage, but it's a 15' aura rather than a 60' emanation. If they had more range, it would be much better from the backlines. Maybe this could be a feat?
I would like the Worn Ikon's Immanence effect to be (chosen when you shift the Spark to the ikon)
- the current aura
- a 5ft- burst within 30 ft
- a single target within 60 ft
I feel this would open some interesting tactical flexibility and better support ranged Exemplars.