A close look at Arcane Power (III) - Bard Paragon and Epic encounter powers

We continue our analysis of new bard options in Arcane Power. I'm still experimenting a bit with the format, and today we will have the rest of bard encounter powers, both Paragon and Epic. These seem to be a lot more polished than their Heroic counterparts, and I only see a few of them as needing fixes, so rather than having a dedicated houserule section at the end, I'll just add the suggested changes at the end of each power that needs it.

Couplet of Deceptive Weakness Encounter 13
Power: *** - Fun: ***

You're granting an ally a move and an attack - almost a whole turn - in addition to your own attack, which didn't even cost a standard action! I would have called it uterly broken without blinking a few levels ago, even on a daily, but we're at paragon tier and playing a different game now. Of course it's on the powerful side of the curve but, as we will soon see, there is fierce competition for this power slot.

I also need to mention that this attack opens up lots of cool plays, and shows my favourite aspect of the leader role. Heals and buffs are fine, but nothing screams 'leader' like making your guys move here and do this at the right time.

Enduring Struggle Encounter 13
Power: *** - Fun: ***

Deal a lot of damage, then heal your whole party for a small amount without charging any healing surges - looks like a great deal to me. You do have to be a little careful with positioning to maximize this healing, and I'm completely fine with that - you just need to think a bit before using it, and the area is large enough to easily fit the whole team.

Insult of Passivity Encounter 13
Power: *** - Fun: *** (outstanding!)

Wow! You rarely see encounter power effects lasting for more than a turn, and for good reasons. Though I am against arbitrary exceptions to this rule by principle, this power is a small piece of art. The upkeep has the hefty restriction of not attacking the target, and the resulting daze condition is crippling without completely removing a character from battle. Getting this to last becomes its own minigame - profitable, yet not that easy to achieve.

Sharp Retort Encounter 13
Power: *** - Fun: ***

We are on a roll here, as this is yet another superb power. Unlike the rest, this one is heavily conditional attack that you can't just expect to work in a party that doesn't specifically support it. You'll need a lot of strong 'save ends' effects, but the reward is well worth it: a 'free' attack and a failed save.

I recognize they aren't so easy to make, and they have the risk of backfiring in the hands of non-optimizing players, but I'd really like to see more 'combination' powers like this one. They make character building even more interesting, with the possibility of great synergy between party members.

Slippery Feet Encounter 13
Power: ** - Fun: ***

After some truly devastating attacks, we get to one that is merely good, power-wise. It more than makes up for it by perfectly matching flavor, game mechanics and fun: your target behaves exactly like you would expect from someone with slippery feet, and you are encouraged to play with him for a turn, hitting him again and again to see him move out of control. A power that should see play out of sheer coolness, despite the lack in raw power.

Balance of Fortune Encounter 17
Power: ** - Fun: ***

Now, this is exactly what I expect from a luck-flavored prescient power: A way to temporarily screw both the target's offense and defense. Also, rolling to modify the result feels a lot more appropiate than applying static modifiers, even if on average it will end up the same.

If only lower level prescient powers had been designed like this...

Inescapable Fate Encounter 17
Power: ** - Fun: **

This is Cruel Fate, take two. Unlike its predecessor, it doesn't suck. The rider is acceptable when applied to all atacks for a turn, and the damage on this one is actually decent. Nothing amazing, but definitely playable.

Resounding War Cry Encounter 17
Power: *** - Fun: *** (great!)

Let's play whack-a-mole! I love how this plays out: you have a large area that can hit several targets. Then, there's a strong motivation for your allies to attack as many of the enemies you hit as possible, before the end of your next turn. The daze condition is usually worth this kind of effort, and you should get a pretty entertaining turn.

Strings of Fate Encounter 17
Power: ** - Fun: ***

A relatively straightforward power, this attack is accurate, can target up to three enemies without effort, and lowers their defenses. You will want more weapon users than implement wielders in your party to make the most of it.

This may not be as potent as it seems, in that a defense reduction is usually only needed in one enemy at a time - the one you focus on and kill, before switching to the next. Still, it makes a good opener: its very likely that one of the targets gets the debuff, and your allies can start attacking that one.

Turning the Tide Encounter 17
Power: *** - Fun: ***

This is the same great mechanic as Resounding War Cry, but the end result isn't as brilliant - this rewards hitting with as many party members as possible, having relative freedom on which of the affected enemies they should target. You won't need such a heavy change in tactics with this power.

Nevertheless, it's effective, and more interesting than just handing out healing surges..

Chant of Bad Fortune Encounter 23
Power: *** - Fun: ***

Wow! Area damage, huge synergy with "save ends" effects and free saving throws for everyone. Another incredibly versatile power, but it will take a party with strong ongoing

Mind Game Encounter 23
Power: * - Fun: **

This is worse in almost every conceivable way to Strings of Fate, as it lacks the (vital) extra accuracy and targets. The bonus granted on Reflex and Fortitude attacks is almost negligible, and depends heavily on your knowledge of the target's stats. More often than not, this will be used as a -3 or so to AC, which isn't terrible, but doesn't sound totally epic to me.

No, forget about that - it's absolutely underpowered for an epic power. Let's make a little experiment. Imagine for a moment that the same power was listed as level 1 - it actually fits well! We should do something about that.

My fix: Increase damage to 4d8 + Cha, and add "The target grants combat advantage to your allies, and takes a -2 penalty to attack rolls against them".

Reverberating Shot Encounter 23
Power: *** (Overpowered) - Fun: ***

Now, that IS what 'totally epic' sounds like. This is actually decent without a virtue bonus, but downright brutal when you're a Prescient. It doesn't even restrict the target of your allies' attacks, and serves both for offense and defense. Ironically, such a powerful rider on a hit makes you wish you had a leader granting a high bonus to hit, to make sure it works...

This is definitely one of the strongest bard encounter powers, and other useful epic attacks can look mediocre next to it. I think it can be toned down to more reasonable levels, while remaining a very competitive choice.

My Fix: Change the bonus/penalty with Virtue of Prescience to "1 + half your Wisdom modifier". A modifier of 4 or 5 points is still quite strong, but nowhere as ridiculous as the +-9 you could easily get before.

Sound Strike Encounter 23
Power: ** - Fun: ***

An ingenious way to couple bonus to hit and damage, this isn't as devastating as other powers in the same level, but looks exciting enough to try in play, nonetheless.

Since the difference between non-AC defenses is usually small, the most likely results when using this power are either to hit without a damage bonus, or to get the full extra 3d10 - just something to take into account.

Binding Rhyme Encounter 27
Power: ** - Fun: ***

Although this works fine by itself, you WANT to combine it with other forced movement powers to make it affect the whole opposing team. They will probably choose to move anyway, but 20 damage is a very respectable punishment, even at these levels.

A fun, game changing power. I want more of these!

Crescendo of Victory Encounter 27
Power: * - Fun: **

It does have the merit of being one of the very rare melee bard powers in the book, but the moderately useful rider is completely overshadowed by similar (ranged) powers of lower levels. This wouldn't look out of place if it were 10 levels lower.

My fix: This has an awesome name for a Concerted Effort-like effect, and is weak enough that you can just add that to the hit line: "At the end of each ally's turn, if that ally has hit the target increase thie bonus granted by 1".

Pounding Rhythm Encounter 27
Power: *** - Fun: ***

Another whack-a-mole power, you really, really want the trigger to activate on as many targets as possible. It even has single-target applications beyond what you'd usually find in an encounter power, as cautious initiative placement will allow you to stun the same enemy for two of its turns!

Second Chances Encounter 27
Power: ** - Fun: ***

Not the best option for its level, or even for the previous one. It provides a more than decent group boost, but competition is really amazing.

Strike from Legend Encounter 27
Power: ** - Fun: ***

It's good that the effect you're more likely to want (heal everybody!) is the easiest to get. It's even better to have the option of switching to a more aggressive bonus, though that will take some effort. You don't want to waste so much damage killing a minion to get the attack bonus, but eventually you will find some very bloodied enemy worth killing with this.

It's probably more accurate to think of this as a healing power with a drawback, which you will sometimes be unable to spend on the target you really want for fear of killing him. Of course, it is a drawback you shouldn't be too sad at triggering...

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A close look at Arcane Power (II) - Bard heroic powers

Without further introduction, these are my opinions on heroic tier bard powers from Arcane Power.

Jinx Shot At-will
Power: ** - Fun: ***

One of the coolest at-wills out there. The effect is not terribly powerful, as the target can choose to move before he attacks (and maybe falls prone) or, if movement isn't needed, attack and stand up right away. Still, there are many tricks to pull off, and knocking prone with a ranged attack is way better than in melee.

Firemetal Shot Encounter 1
Power: * - Fun: ***

I love the rider on this power, but the overall strength is a bit lacking except in the most favourable scenarios, where it does shine. With an intelligence of 18 or better, you'd need around two allies succesfully hitting to break even with the average damage of a power of this level. Since hit chance tends to be slightly above 50%, this means the whole party has to focus on the target for a whole turn.

Multi-attack powers improve this outcome, as do action points, so this can potentially deal a lot of damage. Still, I'd prefer it to work a bit better on average cases.

Focused Sound Encounter 1
Power: ** - Fun: *

I don't think this is worth it before your party gets +2 weapons, but once you do, it's moderately interesting. Critical hit damage can be optimized to absurd levels (see builds exploiting RRoT), and you can use this in combination with encounter powers or dailies for greater effect. That said, even though the numbers are probably OK, I don't find the effect appealing. I guess it's a bit too inconsistent for me.

As a point in its favour, and unlike Firemetal Shot above, this does enhance the bard's next power, so you should take that into account, too.

Prophesied Strike Encounter 1
Power:* - Fun: *

This could almost be an at-will power, and it would be a pretty good one, but as an encounter attack, I find it lacking. You improve your chance to hit with a real attack - which this isn't.

Prophetic Action Encounter 1
Power: ** - Fun: *

The damage is decent enough, and the way the special effect is triggered is pretty flavorful, as you can justify the attack missing becouse of the extra movement. However, it also means that 50% of the time, when the target's attack actually hits, this won't do anything special. I'd expect something more impressive for such an unreliable effect.

Thunders Calling Encounter 1
Power: ** - Fun: **

This is outclassed by Blunder, but still decent. However, the extra attack being ranged instead of melee and the moderate distance you slide the target can be useful to run away from it. Useful in combination with slow effects.

Cruel Fate Encounter 3
Power: * - Fun: *

Most of the time, Firemetal shot will add more damage than this, for a single attack. And a single attack is all you will get enhanced. Abysmal.

Entangling Opening Encounter 3
Power: ** - Fun: ***

This is almost the same as always knocking the target prone, only cooler. Bonus effects on successive hits is one of my favourite bard mechanics, and this power gets it right.

Recitation of Foreknowledge Encounter 3
Power: ** - Fun: ***

None of the effects are mind-blowing, and the combination isn't particularly flavorful of synergic, but it sure looks versatile. This almost guarantees immunity to OAs, which isn't that frequent, and should prove handy.

Rhyme of the Blood-Seeking Blade Encounter 3
Power: *** (Overpowered!) - Fun:***

Dealing basic attack damage as an immediate action already makes this a great encounter power, damage wise. Turning an ally's miss into a hit on top of that means it's the equivalent of a double attack power that doesn't cost you a standard action. Way too good.

Song of the New Dawn Encounter 3
Power:*** - Fun:***

Free saving throws are always welcome. This grants them with a bonus, potentially to several allies at once, and rewards careful positioning. Brilliant.

Chillsong Stroke Encounter 7
Power:** - Fun:***

I just love the synergy between this power's effects - just try it with a reach weapon for an extra bit of awesomeness. One of my favourites.

Insightful Shot Encounter 7
Power: *** - Fun: **

Power-wise, a 2[W] attack vs reflex is often enough at these levels, regardless of the riders. The boost granted by this attack will be great (3+) for AC attacks, not so much for the rest. Just make sure an ally caster doesn't spend the bonus, as you really want the next hit to come from a weapon wielder.

Rewrite the Future Encounter 7
Power: ? - Fun: ***

It's really hard to intuitively evaluate how strong this is, but it sure looks cool. I'll reserve judgement until I see it in play or do the math.

Song of Duplicitous Allure Encounter 7
Power: ** - Fun: ***

Although the potential of multiple activations isn't as good as it could be if you pushed the target instead of pulling, your allies will be able to attack in melee, move him one square, and walk away freely, among other tricks. This is on top of the usual forced movement strategies, which I happen to enjoy a lot.

Theft of Life Encounter 7
Power: *** - Fun: ***

Bards get surprisingly few healing powers, for a leader class, but this one is as good as it gets. Also, the flavor fits like a glove, and the position requirements add a nice strategic element.

Timely Distraction Encounter 7
Power: ** - Fun: **

Bonus points for the funny flavor text. Even if you'd expect a better effect for a power of this level, it's still (barely) playable


Arrow of Warning Daily 1
Power: *** (Overpowered) - Fun: ***

The ability to grant an ally an at-will power (rather than a basic attack), and as an immediate action to boot, is full of strategic opportunities - from pushing a melee attacker out of reach to trigger a striker's retaliating attack, making the target invisible or just dealing a lot of damage. I just though of the idea of this power triggering Commander's Strike making a nearby fighter hit and mark the enemy - though I couldn't say if that would allow an eventual Combat Challenge attack.

Those are the good news. The bad news is that the damage dealt by the power is completely sick, putting it head and shoulders above the rest of bard dailies of this level and the next, as well as those of most non-wizard classes. It looks like someone at Wizards tends to severely underestimate how good it is for an attack not to require a standard action. This may not be as blatantly wrong as, say, a barbarian's curtain of steel, but it's close.

Echoing Roar Daily 1
Power: * - Fun: *

Any power coming right after Arrow of Warning is likely to be a letdown, but this one is terrible by its own merits. The Echoing Roar condition is too insignificant and has too short a duration to have any relevance, so this is merely a low-damage power that deals 5 ongoing whether you hit or miss. Weak and unexciting.

Malevolent Mischief Daily 1
Power: ** - Fun: *

Another daily inflicting a condition that, despite its cool name, is unlikely to have much effect on the battlefield. The "save ends" duration is quite unfortunate in this case, as an awkward initiative order could result in the target saving before you even had a chance to slow it! You shouldn't count on this power resulting on a target slowed for more than one turn.

That said, this one has a decent damage, so that turn of slow makes it playable. Kind of.

Saga of Rivalry Daily 1
Power: ** - Fun: **

This one, on the other hand, while not exactly the stuff of legends, is decent enough. Like its predecessors, it offers a short effect of questionable utility; unlike them, it adds, on top of that, a minor bonus to an ally for the rest of the encounter.

Satire of Fortune Daily 1
Power: * - Fun: *

A guaranteed reroll makes this a Prescient Bard powers, though it falls short of turning it into a good one. A daily power should bring someting more to the table.

Arrow of Ill Omen Daily 5
Power: ** - Fun: ***

You will get a critical hit... eventually. Not for the impatient types, but the delay is a great way to balance a really powerful effect. This being an appropiate rider for a daily of its level shows just how crazy RRoT was (and still is, to some point).

Compulsion Daily 5
Power: ** - Fun: ***

This will be a blast to play, and you'll wish that it lasted longer. It is an immobilize effect with an amusing side effect, though, so lasting until the opponent saves is a good deal.

Rhyme of Fire Daily 5
Power: *** - Fun: ***

Great way to quickly take down a boss. Simple, yet effective - a perfect leader power.

Strictures of Fortune Daily 5
Power: ** - Fun:**

A bit too situational for my tastes, but it will be well worth it when it works. The question lies in how much metagaming does it really take to play it effectively. A level 5 party should have enough experience to know that all dragons have recharge effects for this to trigger, but other enemies won't be as obvious.

Vigorous Cadence Daily 5
Power: *** - Fun: ***

This doesn't compare favourably to Stirring Shout when the whole party is beating on the bad guy. On the other hand, it's still pretty good, and works wonders if you plan to leave the target alone with a defender. When in doubt, take both.

Counterpoint Daily 9
Power: * - Fun: ***

You will need to gang up on the target, and the effect doesn't last that long, and he could just shift and attack, or get lucky and don't miss... Still, this impacts both your strategy and your opponent's, and has the potential for memorable histories. A fighter in your group will make this easier to pull off.

Rain of Starlight Daily 9
Power: ** - Fun: **

Yet another short, rarely relevant condition, this one comes attached to an area attack (thus affecting 2 or 3 enemies at once), which saves this power from mediocrity.

Saga of Vengeance Daily 9
Power: *** - Fun: ***

From the makers of Stirring Shout and Vigorous Cadence. I don't mind so much this kind of repetition, as it allows some cool thematic builds. Also, using several of them on a single boss looks completely unfair (in a good way).

Symphony of Misfortune Daily 9
Power: ** - Fun: ***

This does so many things! It may not be a powerhouse, but you have guaranteed fun for the rest of the encounter. Also, it's an ally-friendly zone, so take this into account in your tactics.

Wail of Anguish Daily 9
Power: *** (very broken) - Fun: ***

The basic idea is cute, but the damage is absolutely excessive. This turns you into a walking, ally-friendly Stinking Cloud, and the shift prevention is a nice added bonus. Having to roll to hit and spend opportunity actions does little to achieve balance.

Canon of Avoidance Utility 2
Power: ** - Fun: ***

Though I don't think this would be unfair if it cost a minor action, it still makes a tempting, if a bit painful, option for a standard action. Such a bonus can improve a defender's survivability quite a bit, and the option to switch target on an emergency is an interesting one.

Clockwork Precision Utility 2
Power: * - Fun: *

I hate the aid another mechanic, with a passion. It's mostly pointless in combat (though, ironically, I remember a bard in my group, back in the 3e days, who used to turn to this out of frustration) and does evil things to the skill system. The same applies to this power.

Concerted Effort Utility 2
Power: * - Fun: **

The standard action requirement kills this for me, as the bonus is just too brief. Still, I can see this being kind of useful if your party wants to go nova and blow everything it has in a single turn. Take this for fun in games with 6-7 party members.

Moment of Escape Utility 2
Power: ** - Fun: ***

The bard's counterpart to Knight's Move, it really makes you feel as a leader for your party. I'd take this for all my utility slots if they allowed it.

Words of Protective Fate Utility 2
Power: * - Fun: **

Monster critical hits just aren't as dangerous as PCs'. This would be a far easier sell if it didn't cost you a whopping standard action. At least, you can preemptively cast it before entering a boss lair.

Chord of Resilience Utility 6
Power: *** - Fun: **

As good as damage prevention effects get. Which is to say, a lot.

Dramatic Shift Utility 6
Power: ** - Fun: ***

It's Kobold time! Granting your whole party the shifty ability for a turn each encounter is just great. Your allies should love you for taking this.

Glimpse the Future Utility 6
Power: ** - Fun: **

A safety net for important dailies, this all but guarantees a hit when you need it. Make it count.

Song of Speed Utility 6
Power: * - Fun: **

It's unfortunate that this one is published right next to Mass Kobold form. Maybe if it affected several targets?

Synchronicity Utility 6
Power: ** - Fun: **

The mandatory initiative-related utility. Everybody gets one, and it's usually OK.

Break Enchantment Utility 10
Power: ** - Fun: **

A classic. Cute, and you will always find a decent use. It may be harder to find an encounter that really makes it shine, though.

Chant of Accuracy Utility 10
Power: *** - Fun: **

For that time in the day when you want to unleash hell on your opponents. Remember that the bard will actually get two turns worth of bonus.

Idyll of Calm Utility 10
Power: * - Fun: **

I'm sure there is a monster somewhere in the manual that gets completely hosed by this power. You may reach your Epic Destiny without finding a good chance to use such a situational ability, though.

Illuminating Stars Utility 10
Power: ** - Fun: **

No noticeable effect in combat, but the bonus should be good for skill-intensive games. Maybe even too good - it's hard to say, with the skill system.

Mantle of Unity Utility 10
Power: *** - Fun: ***

A strong defensive power with a wacky mechanic and great flavor. Good all around.

Saviors Song Utility 10
Power: *** - Fun: ***

Any encounter with a heavy saving throw component will become so much easier. Don't forget to keep singing "save, save, save" or a similar tune while it lasts.

Fixing broken stuff

After marking a few powers as "broken", it's only fair to explain what I would consider fair for them. To that effect, I'd apply the following fixes:

• Arrow of Warning Daily 1
  Change damage to 1[W]+Charisma. This will still outdamage, more often than not, regular 3[W] powers, but it will be a much closer call.



• Rhyme of the Blood-Seeking Blade Encounter 3
  Change damage to just Charisma. Still more than worth taking - really, I would probably want it if there was no damage whatsoever.



• Wail of Anguish Daily 9
  I think the right call is to leave this one's damage as just the Charisma modifier. This severely changes the power's use, though, as it's no longer a viable short-term damage source. It can pay off over the course of a whole encounter, particulartly if you take into account that you never spent a standard action for it. As a result of the change, you might find it convenient to sometimes not spend the opportunity action in order to be able to make a "real" OA - I'm fine with that, since you'll have plenty of chances to trigger opportunity wails.

Fixing not-really-broken stuff

Bringing mediocre powers to a playable level isn't as urgent as dealing with the overpowered ones, but I enjoy it nevertheless. Here you have some low-priority patches, in case you are interested:

- Firemetal Shot: Change 'whenever an ally hits' into 'whenever you or an ally hit'. Just a bit more damage, which is what I missed here.

- Prophesied Strike: Move the reroll effect from the Hit line to an Effect line. Having the same effect, but reliably, turns the power into something useful for a party`s strategy.

- Prophetic Action: Change 'the target misses' to 'the target hits or misses'. It's a fun, mostly harmless effect, it deserves to work when you want it to.

- Echoing Roar: My change for this one is a bit radical - let the echoing roar effect last the whole encounter, take away the ongoing damage, an add 'whenever an ally hits the target, he deals 5 ongoing thunder damage to it (save ends)'. This is a great rider, but still below that of Rhyme of Fire (level 5 daily), making it fair in my book.

- Malevolent Mischief: My initial idea is sadly already taken - see the Burdening Dirge power from Dragon magazine. Sad as it may be, changing the duration from 'save ends' to 'until the end of your next turn' actually makes the power more potent and easy to use, so I'd try that.

(Edit - new idea for a fix) After writing this article, I have come up with an idea for a mechanic that would work really well with this power. At the end of the effect section, add: "The target cannot save against this power if it has moved since the end of its last turn".

- Satire of Fortune: Add a symmetric effect affecting the target's attacks, 'The next time the target hits with an attack during this encounter, you roll a d20 and replace the target's attack roll with yours'. This should be worth almost as much as weakening the target for a turn, and fits the theme.

- Cruel Fate: Make the effect apply to all attacks from allies. With that you still don't match the bonus you'd gain with Firemetal Shot, so add 'The next time the target hits with an attack before the end of your next turn, he rerolls the attack's damage and uses the lower result'. Again, a thematic effect to fill the power gap.

- Song of Speed : make it work on two targets.

- Counterpoint: Add 'Aftereffect: whenever the target misses with an attack, it provokes an opportunity attack from an ally of your choice (save ends)'
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A close look at Arcane Power (I) - Bard class builds

Overview

The Prescient Bard is a new class build, focusing on ranged weapon powers. It uses Wis as secondary score, and the main theme is modification of die rolls, both of allies and enemies. It's linked to a new class feature, the Virtue of Prescience, which prevents attacks against your allies once per encounter.

How good/interesting is Virtue of Prescience?

Although its power level is adequate, it's hardly a compelling class feature, particularly when compared to the alternatives. Previous Virtues were usable once per turn, when specific but frequent conditions were fulfilled. In contrast, Virtue of Prescience activates once per encounter, and has a stronger effect to compensate. You do have greater control over when and how you use it, but overall it feels more like a (very strong) utility power than a class feature.

I may be judging this virtue too harshly - after all, there is enough precedent in perfectly valid class features that are encounter powers, such as Channel Divinity or Wizard Implement Mastery. In fact, this could be considered an improved version of the Wizard Staff Mastery encounter power (though that came bundled with a very nice static bonus to AC). On the other hand, this has to compete with other bardic virtues, and they look far more appealing to me due to their frequency of use.

Who should use this build?

Players who want an archer bard have a strong incentive to go Prescient, as it is the only build whose secondary ability enhances encounter powers with ranged weapons. That said, Arcane Power has an awful lot of bard powers for bows and crossbows, so it shouldn't be difficult to make a character without virtue-specific powers. Conversely, no melee powers are supported by Virtue of Prescience, so this isn't the best of options for front line bards.

Races with high wisdom may feel attracted to Prescience, but note that dwarves and devas (two very popular Wisdom races, in my experience) are also good Valerous and Cunning bards, erspectively. I'm afraid that, all other things equal, the other virtues make better choices than Prescience.

How good/interesting are the feature-specific feats?

Extended Prescience (Heroic feat)
Power: **
Fun: **

Your staple prescient feat, this isn't that interesting when you are just saving a random ally from an attack, but will excel for protecting defenders. Use this at the right time when the party defender is engaging several enemies, and you can prevent a good amount of damage.

Prescient Fortification (Heroic feat)
Power: * (** with other feats)
Fun: * (** with other feats)

This is a curious case, in that I wouln't ever take it by itself, but it does have a nice synergy with other Prescience-enhancing feats. With Extended Prescience you can have an almost invincible character for a turn, and in combination with Prescient Aid you can but guarantee a hit, if you really need to.

Prescient Aid (Paragon feat)
Power: **
Fun: *

The option to use your Prescience for offense rather than defense is undoubtedtly powerful, and likely to become the default choice when you reach paragon. However, I really dislike the philosophy behind this, as the new functionality usually obsoletes the previous one, and it has has zero synergy with Extended Prescience. Not that I'd like the attack bonus to last for a full turn - now, that WOULD be annoyingly powerful.

Prescient Resurgence (Epic feat)
Power: **
Fun: ***

What took them so long? Additional uses of VoP are definitely welcome, and I think any Prescient Bard worth his salt will eventually take this. It's also an appropiate effect for epic tier, as I think this might be a bit too good at lower levels.

Is there anything that should be fixed or houseruled?

When I look at Virtue of Prescience, I really, really feel like it's asking for some additional effect. Not power-wise, as much as in terms of fun gameplay - other bards get to do cool stuff every turn! How could we solve this? I'd like this Virtue to be relevant more than once per encounter, but I'm not really comfortable with granting extra uses of the encounter power - it's a pretty potent one, after all. So we should look at other kinds of effects. I propose the following feat:

Prescient Advice
Tier: Heroic
Prerequisites: Bard, Virtue of Prescience class feature

Benefit: When you roll initiative, as a free action, you may grant an ally a power bonus to initiative equal to your Wisdom modifier. This doesn't spend your Virtue of Prescience, but it counts as a use of the feature for the purposes of other feats and features.
(This would work with Prescient Fortification, as well as the Karmic Shaper paragon path)

I think initiative-related effects fit perfectly with the flavor of the Virtue, and this is a great way to make the whole party excited about your prescience. Generous DMs might consider giving this for free to their prescient bard, though I see it fine as a feat.

As I commented on the feat section, I'm not satisfied with the implementation of Prescient Aid. I'd consider a revision of the feat that, while not as strong for purely offensive purposes, integrated the regular feature and related feats, rather than ignoring them. It also adds a really epic dimension to your VoP activations:

Prescient Aid (revised)
Tier: Paragon
Prerequisites: 11th level, bard, Virtue of Prescience class feature

Benefit: When you use your Virtue of Prescience to grant a power bonus to an ally's defense, that ally gains that bonus to the next attack roll it makes before the end of his next turn.

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A close look at Arcane Power - Introduction

Today, I start a new article series featuring an idea that I've wanted to try for a while: A book review. I know it's hardly a groundbreaking concept, but I'm going to add a little twist. Rather than doing the sensible thing and provide a general overview of the book, pointing out its highlights and any broken stuff that has slipped through, I'll just go over every single thing in the book.

Ok, I'm exaggerating, but not that much. I'll probably leave some stuff behind, as I don't care much for epic destinies or paragon paths. But I do intend to look at class features, powers and feats, providing as much insight as I can, and giving some rough ratings. I won't put too much emphasis on those, and I won't just value strength from a character optimization standpoint. If you're looking for that kind of things, I'd recommend one of the many Class Handbooks in Wizards CharOp boards, as well as Keterys' excellent power grading threads at EnWorld. Instead, I'll rate both strength and (subjective) gameplay interest, using up to three stars - one star meaning weak or boring stuff, and three pointing something particularly strong or cool. Of course, there will be some correlation between both parameters, as it's rarely fun to play with crappy powers or feats. But sometimes it happens. In addition, I will mark in red any power I see as broken, indicating the reason.

As an example, this is what it would look like:

Jinx Shot (Bard at-will)
Power: **
Fun: ***

For each power or feat, there will be a paragraph or two of commentary. Since I can't copy the rules text, and adding short descriptions of each item would be far too much work, I'll be making extensive use of my new Compendium tooltip tech. I don't know if this will make the long lists of powers unreadable for those without a DDI subscription or an open copy of Arcane Power, so I'm open to suggestions.

Of course, as the readers of this blog (the two of you!) will already know, I just love fixing rules and coming up with new stuff, so at the end of each post there will be a short section with houserules related to the commented material.

Enough explanations, we can begin with the articles. The first one will be, by strict page order, about bard class builds. I hope you enjoy it!

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