So by now, you’re probably familiar with the “____ Power” books for 4e. Primal Power, Divine Power, Arcane Power, and of course, the original Martial Power we’ve covered previously. You might be asking yourself why you need a second Martial Power book, especially as classes are getting more options in DDI.
Well, here’s the big factor for me: I find the “builds” of each class to be one of the more interesting parts of the game. It effectively makes each class into multiple classes, while still having a baseline understanding of how that class works and always allowing it to function in its role. The builds give more options, and open up the number of character concepts in a straightforward way. In the original Martial Power, there were a few snoozer builds alongside some awesome builds. In Martial Power 2, all the builds look fun and portray different concepts.
Let’s start there then, since it’s the most important part of the book to me. Fighters get the Brawler Style to go alongside the other Weapon Talent options. Brawler Style is for the fighter who wants to wield a weapon in one hand and use the other to grab, drag, and slam. Combat Agility is also an option for any fighter to replace Combat Superiority, which gives them a bit of a chase when a bad guy slips away (then allows them to knock the target prone.) There are plenty of new Fighter powers to supplement Brawler style (and more power support for Martial Power builds too, including some two-weapon, shield, and invigorating powers.) Fighters get 8 new paragon paths, including the Avernian Knight (a Warlock Warrior that channels infernal fire) and the Rakehell Duelist (a two-weapon classic duelist.)
Rangers get two new builds. The Hunter Ranger draws weapons quickly, and the Marauder focuses on two-weapon defense. They (or any Ranger) can give up Prime Shot in favor of Running Attack that gives bonuses when moving before attacking. Those options, plus some at-wills, give some great support to double throwing weapon Rangers, a character concept I’ve long been fond of. “Throw and Stab” is a particular favorite, where you throw a weapon and then charge. Only one of the paragon paths is based on race (Bloodfury Hunter for Shifters) but many are related to weapon style feats (discussed later.)
Rogues get even sneakier, adding a new Rogue tactic and at-will power that encourage Rogues to slip in and out of the shadows to attack. They can also replace their weapon talent feature to trade daggers and shurikens for crossbows and slings. The powers include some utilities that, to me, seem even more “Roguey” by letting them disarm traps quicker or do all kinds of acrobatic craziness. Arcane Trickster makes a comeback, only requiring a Rogue to have training in Arcana to qualify, and giving them a few magic tricks. Daring Slinger is, yes, a master of slings. Jack-Of-All-Trades gains all kinds of skill bonuses (take that, Bard.) A few others are really cool concepts too- Red Cloak and Whisperknife both grabbed me immediately. I’d say the Rogues get the best selection of new PPs in the book.
Warlords may have gotten the biggest change, finally bringing the long-awaited Archer Warlord (which Bartoneus and Wyatt tackled oh so long ago) into core. There’s a few other options to swap Warlord abilities as well, including two new presences (insightful and skirmishing), canny leader, and battlefront leader, giving more options to customize your Warlord. The powers are great too, from the quick “hey, shoot that guy!” to painting a bulls-eye on a monster for others to shoot. The powers support both the new builds and plenty for existing melee warlords, and have some of the best inspiring power names yet- “No Gambit is Wasted” and “Together We Survive” both stand out, and for powers that remind you of 80’s songs, you’ve got “Hold the Line” and “Expert Timing.” In the Paragon Paths, we get the Prince of Knaves, your classic Robin Hood-type and Captain of Fortune plays the role of a leader who has fate on his side.
The last chapter is “Martial Options.” First is a section on “the martial outlook” that is entirely rules-free: what martial characters are after, what they do doing a short rest to regain their exploits, how they fit into epic destinies, etc. Following that are combat styles, which have been previewed in Dragon but are presented in full here. There are a number of martial styles that work with particular weapons. You take a student feat which augments specific at-will powers with that weapon, and then greater style feats that change other powers. The combat styles provide an explanation of where the style came from in the game world, as well as some alternative names for some of the styles. The feats section contains a lot of what you’d expect, with a lot more options that only require being martial power source, and of course, plenty to supplement the new builds and existing builds.
Then we’ve got Martial Practices, which are the martial equivalent of rituals. I like the idea in theory, and some of the practices work fine (like a forgery ritual and a long-distance running ritual) but some start to overlap clearly into arcane territory, like being able to forge your own magical weapons and armor. I’m fine with it as a rules option for campaigns that might want to eliminate ritual magic, but as a core assumption, I’m not a huge fan. Only 25 are provided , so maybe if we get some more later it’ll work better. Finally, we get some martial backgrounds (meh, they’ve been covered plenty) and some epic destinies.
I’ll be honest: when Martial Power 2 was announced, I groaned a bit. PHB2, DMG2… no problem. And the first round of power books made sense since those kind of “splatbooks” are now a tradition in D&D. But a sequel to one? I wasn’t excited. After reading it and seeing the variety of new options, I’m totally sold. The new class options are all solid (a better selection than the ones in the first Martial Power, I’d say). Is this book a must-buy for all martial characters? No, not really- I don’t know that Beatdown Machine, my Warforged Battleraging Fighter will take anything from it. For fighting enthusiasts, however, especially to those looking for more build options and some excellent Paragon Paths, you’ll want to pick this one up.
Now that Wizard’s has done so, I can finally switch every single power on my ranged warlord to using Strength to attack without worrying about people crying that I broke everything.
.-= Wyatt Salazar´s last blog ..What the heck is N.A.A D6? =-.
Nice review my friend! I hope to get my hands on MP2 as soon as possible! Enjoy the snow 😉
Is ‘Jack of All Trades’ bringing the Rogue closer to the 3.5e Factotum? Though truth be told if I was to build the Factotum in 4e, he’d have to be a Leader opposed to a Striker.
I noticed some of the new features were mentioned in the Hybrid Class preview article, and it definitely looked like the Rogue and Ranger got the sweet part of the book. However, as a Ranged Warlord is something I’ve been wanting to see for so long this book is definitely something I’m looking forward to reading and using in several games.
That Brawler fighter sounds purely awesome. All in all, this sounds as if it’s a really fun book.
.-= Andy´s last blog ..The Journey System: Core Stats =-.
Well the review sold me – now I gotta find the cash to buy another supplement. 🙁
Well done review!
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An awesome review! Let me add my two cents (though I haven’t seen MP2 myself):
If any power source deserves a “Round 2” for a splatbook, it would be the martial power source. They didn’t get any new classes since the initial release of PHB1, and if not for Martial Power 2, then the constant stream of new classes and power sources would cause people to eventually forget about them. So all in all, I’m glad to see MP2, but aren’t particularly interested in Arcane Power 2 or Divine Power 2…yet.
As for the builds themselves, I have to admit that the archer-style warlord excites me the most (with the brawler fighter coming in as a close second). I’ve recently reread the Chronicles Trilogy from Dragonlance, and it struck me that Tanis Half-elven would make a very good archetype for this build. I’m looking forward to seeing my players use these new options!
.-= beej´s last blog ..Conceiving the Tianak =-.
I haven’t seen a review that has answered this basic question: why pay for this book (or frankly, any other splat book) when you can get a 1 month’s subscription to DDI for $10 and get ALL the books instead (plus a bunch of other stuff included)?
I mean, it seems like they have one chapter that partially deals with a few role-playing tips for how to think about a martial character. That’s not something I feel I would need but ok: that makes sense. But to pay $30 (or $20 on amazon) for something when you could just pay $10 instead for basically 90% of the book? Or more accurately: pay $30 x however many books or $10 instead? I just don’t get it.
Just a reminder that anyone using a false or misleading email in their comment runs the risk of being sent to spam as per our comment policy. I will answer this one because it’s simple enough:
Not everyone uses character builder, and plenty of people like having physical books to reference instead of always using the compendium. Some people even enjoy art. There are also some good sidebars and such, though probably not enough to justify the cost difference if that’s all you look for.
If all you need is the rules content, then go for it- consider this review just an overview of the kind of thing you’ll be looking forward to getting in DDI during the next update.
I find the Ranger and Rogue quite powerful and the Fighter and Warlord rather …meh. So to hear that there are more goodies in MP2 for Rangers and Rogues is a bit sad.
Is it my campaign or are there other gamers out there that find this too?
What are the key powers with a Fighter or Warlord that make them dangerous, because the Ranger and Rogue clearly excel in delivering the damage?
With warlords and fighters, it’s not about damage. That’s where your misconception comes in.
Fighters, contrary to the way first instincts make you want to build them, are not most effective as the damage powerhouse of the group. It’s certainly possible to build them that way, but if you do, you lose effectiveness in their most useful talent: Making enemies stick to them and soaking up damage. They can most definitely put out a dangerous amount of damage, even when totally set to be a meat shield, but the focus should be on taking blows and preventing other members from taking blows. With the Brawling Fighter build in MP2, fighters get a lot of power choices to move the enemy around and prevent them from getting close to your more fragile allies. The ranger and rogue can put out the damage, but they can’t if they’re dead.
That’s also the premise of the Warlord, although they go about it in a very different way. Warlords can most certainly substitute for the fighter in a pinch, and he definitely has some painful powers, but his forte is on motivating allies to greatness. Whether it’s a warning shout, giving them a bonus against attacks, or letting an ally who can do more damage than you take an attack. Let’s not forget the fact they they can administer healing, as well. It’s not as potent as the cleric’s healing, but is significantly better than the bard’s. This new book introduces a build for the warlord which lets him get away from the front ranks, and stand back and plink off arrows, while still giving the group these bonuses that are extremely important to the outcome of a battle. There’s a first level power for the archer warlord that lets him grant an ally a ranged basic attack. This lets the bow ranger, or the wizard, or the sorceror, etc. get one more shot off, that he normally would not get.
Both of these classes have their own important jobs as members of the martial power group. The new builds, powers, and abilities, offer very unique ways to do it for them, while the rogues and rangers mostly improve on what they already have.
This is much better IMO than MP1 in terms of new content.
Where’s the PHB3 review?