D&D 4E Warlord - Old Class in a New Wrapper
We’ve all seen hints at the ‘new’ class, we’ve see it’s name on a few lists, but we were still wondering - who is this and what can he do? Well Design and Development laid out the Warlord class for us and frankly I was a little surprised. They took the Marshall - originally appearing in the Miniatures Handbook - and repackaged him. I’ve never seen a Marshall PC at my gaming table but I have to admit, I was recently reviewing the class and found it to be quite interesting.
Don’t play the warlord if your only idea of a good time is personally wreaking havoc on your foes.
It’s name might imply that the Warlord is a fighter on steroids but as WotC reveals that is not the case. He is a Leader - his abilities are group oriented.
The warlord can hold his own in melee and will frequently save the day thanks to outright combat mojo, but every warlord is more effective as a commander than as a lone hero.
I’m still not sure this will make the class any more popular than it was under its former label. It will take a special player to enjoy the type of playing that the Warlord offers.
This is the shiny-happy side of the previous commandment. Fourth edition has fundamentally selfish classes that care only about their own combat tricks and successes. Fourth edition also has extremely unselfish classes, and that’s where the warlord fits in.
If you want to play the Warlord it sounds like you will need to embrace the ideals of a team player. You might not be able to win the day with a mighty chop or earth shattering magic but if your DM takes into account the special role of the Warlord the rest of the group will need your skills to be triumphant. For example, your Warlord can provide the entire party with an extra movement option with a power such as white raven onslaught (this ability is a carry over from the Tome of Battle BTW).
If you often find yourself suggesting a tactical course of action to your fellow players, the warlord might be for you.
Well the class is living up to its role. He’s the boss - he’s needs the info - throw him a frickin’ bone here. Seriously though, look at another one of his abilities, Iron Dragon Charge.
Iron Dragon Charge Warlord Attack 9
Like a rampaging iron dragon, you hurl yourself at your adversary, landing a terrific blow that inspires your allies to charge as well.
Daily
Martial, Weapon
Standard Action
Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength vs. AC
Special: You must charge as part of this attack.
Hit: 3[W] + Strength modifier damage.
Effect: Until the end of the encounter, as an immediate reaction, an ally of your choice within 5 squares of you can charge a target that you charge.
Well, at least he is a ‘Do as I Do’ kind of guy, not a ‘Do as I Say’. So when the Warlord uses this ability an charges, nearby allies can take an immediate action to charge too. Players love free actions so of course most are going to take it and charge - effectively following the Leader!
I think only time will tell of this class’ success. Maybe its original induction in the Miniatures Handbook marked it as not a ‘real’ class. I was surprised to see it in the PHBII which seems to mean that WotC wanted more from this class than players were giving it. And obviously since its make the first round draft in 4th edition this guy is here to stay.
Come join the discussion on the forums…
Popularity: 5%
May 20th, 2008 at 10:46 am
So he’s sort of a militant Bard, in his role anyway. Interesting, I guess. What happens when you have five of them together doing the same thing? Does Unlucky Monster #7 get hit by 25 charge attacks that round?
I dunno. I’m seeing more and more in 4E that’s so different from normal D&D, following the divergent path of 3E and its weirdness, that people might as well just pick up a whole new game. I’m sure that’s not what they intended.
I’m running a 1E game, by the way, and found magic is pretty much replacing feats and outlandish classes. The quality of my storytelling and the creativity of everyone in our group makes for a fun game. 3E and 4E are all about making it possible for a mediocre DM to run a decent game. So newbies rejoice, hack and slash your way through 4E until you mature enough for a better game. And by “better” I mean “just about anything other than 4E or Uno”.
May 30th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
yeah, that could be used and abused, a party of these things together constantly giving each other free attacks. but i think this system is going for the ‘balanced’ party, in theory with 4th, there is one character of every class with no overlap. so it shouldn’t be an issue but i dunno, the balance idea is crap too. meh
June 3rd, 2008 at 6:59 am
As a player in RPGA’s Living Greyhawk who primes a marshal… let me tell you that it isn’t the class for everyone. I sacked all my stats down to start with the 18 charisma and it was worth it all the way. I intend to do the same with the warlord class. Sometimes I have won the day and never rolled a die, the enhancement of others, granting move actions, buffing initiative… it breaks things. Hard. When the entire team goes first, usually nothing is left but a smear. The Warlord tones this down a bit with a flat +2 init modifier, instead of one scaled by a stat (a good call). I’m looking forward to playing one in 4e
Team play is the way to rock, an enhancer lets everyone have more fun. I don’t know how 5 warlords would play, but we’re going to playtest that one soon.
-S
June 3rd, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Interesting. I’ve never played the Marshal but it’s peeked my curiosity on several occasions. Looking at the new warlord I have to say I really like it. Its hard to say what my first 4E character will be but the warlord is fighting for a shot at it
-PK