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In Short
Martial Power sets out to provide a host of new options for the Fighter, Ranger, Rogue, and Warlord classes. Build options, Powers, Feats, Paragon Paths, and Epic Destinies are all included here and much of the content is quite enjoyable. As the first class splat book, Martial Power is a little rougher than its predecessors, but it's still a worthwhile addition to any D&D game.The Good: New options are broadly enjoyable, and many concepts unavailable in core 4E can now be implemented, such as a Ranger with an animal companion and an effective dual wielding fighter.
The Bad: Errata needs to be read on certain build options, such as the Battlerager. The implementation of animal companions is balanced but feels metagamey in play at times.
The Physical Thing
This 160 page full color hardcover showcases the same excellent production values found in other 4th edition products. Good editing and formatting lead to a work that is easy to read, while the artwork does an excellent job of bringing the text to life. The table of contents and easy to read presentation come together to make navigation at the table a snap.Under the Cover
Since this is a book of exclusively mechanical options I'm going to examine these options by class and then discuss the more general options found at the end of the book. I strongly recommend anyone using Martial Power to make use of the errata, especially with regard to the Battlerager build.Martial Power kicks off by offering more support for the Fighter in the form of two new build options. The Battlerager is meant to be more like a barbarian or reckless warrior in tone. Bonus damage to all attacks with certain weapons while in light armor is offered along with the ability to gain temporary hit points from striking foes with Invigorating and certain normal attacks. In play with the errata, which limits the Battlerager to gaining temp HP from attacking and not from being struck, my group found this to be a worthwhile build. While AC was lower the Battlerager dished out more damage and could still take a decent beating thanks to the temporary hit points.
The other option, the Tempest, offers Two Weapon Defense, a +1 to hit when wielding weapons usable in the off hand, and a +2 to damage while lightly armored and dual wielding. This option is focused around dishing out the damage and is occasionally invoked for Fighter builds on WOTCs character optimization boards. For those who want to fulfill the Defender role but who still want to bring the pain this is a fine option.
The new powers are a nice mix, and while most are focused on the new builds (as is the case throughout this work) there are many general Fighter powers as well. Tempest Strike, the new At-Will for the Tempest, allows for two attacks (melee and off-hand) at [1W] damage (Str v. AC). Footwork Lure, another At-Will, will be attractive to many Fighters as it does W+Str damage but also allows the user to shift one square and slide the enemy into the previously occupied square. Generally speaking, there are many worthwhile powers here but not all of them trump those presented in the PHB, and our Fighters have simply used Martial Power to expand their options and fulfill themes.
New Paragon Paths include the Avenging Slayer (Cha-oriented damage dealing), Dreadnought (very defensive with a focus on resistances), Dread Reaper (powerful 2h attacks), Dwarven Defender (defensive with a focus on AC), Halfling Bounder (highly mobile generalist), Inner Dragon (extra usage of dragon breath), Knight Protector (defensive focus on moving and boosting allies), Polearm Master (general boost to polearms), Ravager (berserker), Shield Adept (defensive with a focus on shields and being near allies), Shock Trooper (two weapon fighter), and Tiefling Warfiend (fire damage). Of particular note I believe the authors did a good job with representing such a variety of defensive Paragon Paths. They each bolster defense in a unique way, and they offer a lot of options to players who want to play a Defender who is particularly hard to kill.
Rangers now have the option of taking the Beast Mastery build, one that doesn't necessarily deal more damage but offers more flexibility and longevity in combat. The Ranger's actions are used to move and attack with the beast, thereby balancing having an animal companion, and the beast maintains its own stat block, hit points, and similar qualities. Many powers are channeled through the beast, or reflect techniques the beast knows. In play what this tends to result in is a Ranger with a mix of personal and beast powers who is even more difficult to remove with control powers since both the Ranger and the beast have to be controlled for any worthwhile control to come into play. I like this flexibility for the class, but I also admit that it feels very artificial to have the Ranger character minimally active while the beast delivers the real damage.
The power mix is excellent and offers a lot of options. There are powers here for the Ranger completely uninterested in the beast companion, of course, but there are also quite a few focusing in on teamwork between the Ranger and the beast. In particular, the mechanics make sure to provide distinct powers for melee/beast and ranged/beast Rangers so that each build type will have unique options for interacting with an animal companion.
As for Paragon Paths, the assortment here includes Avalanche Hurler (thrown weapon master), Blade Banshee (Eladrin melee build with some magical effectst), Blade Dancer (mobility and extra melee attacks), Feral Spirit (more damage from beast companion), Giantslayer (bonuses vs. Large+ creatures), Hellborn Shadow (Tiefling option with fire damage and flight), Horizon Walker (bonuses based on planes), Pack Runner (uses a wolf beast companion and pack tactic powers), Ruthless Punisher (control powers vs. humanoids), Sharpshooter (more bow attacks, no concealment penalties), Sylvan Archer (more Hunter's Quarry uses), Wildcat Stalker (cat-themed powers for a cat loving beast master). I like the mix of options here, and I'm impressed with the fact that the designers can introduce a pair of archer Paragon Paths back to back and have them feel very different in implementation.
The Rogue receives a new build option focusing on back street fighting. The Ruthless Ruffian may use clubs and maces for Sneak Attack and gains access to Rattling which imposes a -2 penalty to attacks on targets struck by powers with the Rattling keyword. Battlefield mobility and high weapon damage continue to be the bread and butter powers for the Rogue, with occasional ranged powers mixed in for those that want to carry a crossbow or throwing dagger. As with the other power additions, the new mix really assists in allowing for more themed builds and it's even easier to build towards high damage, party support, or a similar meta theme now.
New Paragon Paths include the Cloaked Sniper (ranged attacker), Daring Acrobat (focus on mobility), Death Dealer (mix of damage powers and group supporting debuffs), Dread Fang (Drow spider focus), Flying Blade Adept (focus on thrown weapons), Guildmaster Thief (various group benefits), Halfling Quickblade (Halfling focus on mobility and speed), Master Spy (gain benefits of enemy's ally powers, Bluff focus), Rakish Swashbuckler (front and center option, mix of powers), Raven Herald (undead slayer), Strong-Arm Enforcer (Rattling powers), Tiefling Hellstalker (invisibility focus). Of them all I quite favor the Master Spy in terms of themed powers. Being able to force NPCs to use ally powers on a PC seems quite handy, and the abilities do a great job on the whole of creating the appropriate feel for a magical spy.
While the Rogue's new build is a little more focused on debuffs, the new Warlord builds bring the pain. Bravura Warlords allow allies who spend Action Points to risk giving combat advantage to their foes in return for either an extra basic attack or a move action. Resourceful Warlords allow allies who spend Action Points to deal bonus damage on an attack hit (˝ level + Int mod) or gain temp HP on a miss (˝ level + Cha mod). Both options are interesting and have the potential of notably increasing the party's ability to bring burst damage to bear against a foe. The mix of new powers continue the Warlord's tradition of either leading from the front or commanding from the rear, and I've been overall pleased with the options presented.
Additional character options here include the following Paragon Paths: Battlelord of Kord (Charisma-based with focus on boosting Inspiring Word), Borderlands Marshal (multi-class Warlord/Ranger, really more of a Ranger build since it focuses on Hunter's Quarry exclusively), Commando Captain (focus on giving mobility and combat advantage to others), Concordant Leader (Genasi only, shares elemental resistances), Dujun of Erathis (utility focused, offers own actions and healing surges to allies), Earthfast Brigadier (Dwarven Con-focused build), Flamebrow Commander (Bravura option that encourages taking damage), Infernal Strategist (Resourceful option good at flanking and general tactics), Longarm Marshal (polearms and battlefield control), Platinum Warlord (martial and healing oriented), Spiral Tactician (Eladrin option with teleport focus), Twiceborn Leader (general ability boost). I like these Paths, especially the Platinum Warlord for its mix of front-line and party support powers, though I find them to be somewhat less defining as those for other classes.
With so many new powers and Paths for each Class, Martial Power wraps up with a bundle of additional Feats and Epic Destinies. The Feats are a big mix of quality, but on the whole I consider them to be worthwhile. A variety of weapon specific Feats aid in defining fighting styles, which are a wonderful addition. Some Feats are even so strong as to be mandatory for some builds, such as Tactical Inspiration which allows an Eladrin Warlord to add Int modifier to the healing offered by Inspiring Word. Consider, however, the Feat “Drow Beast Mastery” that does nothing more than allow the Ranger's Beast to ignore cloud of darkness. While there are many solid options here that allow for characters to be more effective at accomplishing specific roles, there are occasional Feats that are decidedly sub-optimal or so situation specific as to only be worthwhile in a campaign with a specific focus.
Epic Destinies include Adamantine Soldier (heavy defensive bonus), Beastlord (large increase in Beast effectiveness), Dark Wanderer (extreme movement ability, focus on wandering), Eternal Defender (super strength and increased size), Godhunter (focus on killing higher level targets), Legendary General (allies don't fall unconscious, party support), Martial Archetype (martial generalist), Perfect Assassin (even more single target damage), Undying Warrior (more healing surges and instant resurrection), Warmaster (extreme burst potential). Of particular note, the Warmaster can enable a group to nova (do massive short term damage) through two key abilities. The Warmaster allows someone else to take an action when they use an Action Point, in addition to their own, and the Warmaster can spend as many as they wish in a round (by 30). These two powers together can be devestating. My personal favorite is the Dark Wanderer, as I like the theme of a character who can travel anywhere (even back from death) by just walking for a day.
