Suggestion for the Prestige Enhancements

[QuantumFX]

Hello again Developers!

Until the announcement of the "Way of" enhancements for rangers I never really paid attention to the PrE's. But now I realize I have a problem with them: They need to scale better. First, this would mimic the experience of levelling up in a PrC better. Second, it gives a player a sense of accomplishment while leveling.

I'm going to use the Tempest enhancement as an example..

I'm assuming you want to keep the feel of the D&D 3.5 PrC. So, I'm assuming the end of the enhancement chain is going to be:
+3 AC bonus while dual weilding
-2 reduction to the penalties of dual weilding
+20% TWF Acalarity
TWF versatility
Superior TWF
Costs a grand total of 10 APs

Currently the enhancement chain would work like so:

Ranger Specialty: Tempest 1
4 AP - Ranger level 6: 16 APs spent
- Tempest Defense: +2 AC while dual weilding weapons
- Two Weapon Acalarity: Increases the Tempest's attack speed by 20% while dual weilding

Ranger Specialty: Tempest 2
6 AP - Ranger level 15: Tempest 1, 52 APs spent
- Tempest Defense 2: +3 AC while dual weilding weapons
- Ambidexterity 2: Reduces the to hit penalties for dual weilding by 2
- Two Weapon Versatility: Tempest can apply the effects of weapon feats to both weapons.
- Virtual Feat: Superior TWF

My suggestion would work like so:

Ranger Specialty: Tempest 1
1 AP - Ranger level 6: 16 APs spent
- Tempest Defense 1: +1 AC while dual weilding weapons
- Ambidexterity 1: Reduces the to hit penalties for dual weilding by 1
- Two Weapon Acalarity 1: Increases the Tempest's attack speed by 10% while dual weilding

Ranger Specialty: Tempest 2
2 AP - Ranger level 9: Tempest 1, 28 APs spent
- Tempest Defense 2: +2 AC while dual weilding weapons
- Ambidexterity 2: Reduces the to hit penalties for dual weilding by 2

Ranger Specialty: Tempest 3
3 AP - Ranger level 12: Tempest 2, 40 APs spent
- Tempest Defense 3: +3 AC while dual weilding weapons
- Two Weapon Versatility: Tempest can apply the effects of weapon feats to both weapons.
- Two Weapon Acalarity 2: Increases the Tempest's attack speed by 20% while dual weilding

Ranger Specialty: Tempest 4
4 AP - Ranger level 15: Tempest 3, 52 APs spent
- Virtual Feat: Superior TWF

Same APs spent but a ranger in the proposed system would have something, other than evasion, to look forward to at level 9 and something other than +5 barkskins at level 12.

[EinarMal]

Ranger Specialty: Tempest 2
6 AP - Ranger level 15: Tempest 1, 52 APs spent
- Tempest Defense 2: +3 AC while dual weilding weapons
- Ambidexterity 2: Reduces the to hit penalties for dual weilding by 2
- Two Weapon Versatility: Tempest can apply the effects of weapon feats to both weapons.
- Virtual Feat: Superior TWF
- 20% faster attacking

It will be interesting to see if it really is this powerful. For 6 AP that is a lot of good stuff. To me what they are doing is offereing greatly watered down versions of Prc that are less powerful but don't require multi-classing. I think you are going to be dissapointed with Tempest 2 if you are expecting the above list (but that is just my opinion).

The reason for the reduction in power is you are still getting full benefits of the Ranger class that you would lose if you actually took the Tempest Prc.

[MysticTheurge]

Eladrin has said he's working on second-tier Rogue PrEs, probably to be available around level 12.

I'm curious to see where he takes it.

[QuantumFX]

Ranger Specialty: Tempest 2
6 AP - Ranger level 15: Tempest 1, 52 APs spent
- Tempest Defense 2: +3 AC while dual weilding weapons
- Ambidexterity 2: Reduces the to hit penalties for dual weilding by 2
- Two Weapon Versatility: Tempest can apply the effects of weapon feats to both weapons.
- Virtual Feat: Superior TWF
- 20% faster attacking

It will be interesting to see if it really is this powerful. For 6 AP that is a lot of good stuff. To me what they are doing is offereing greatly watered down versions of Prc that are less powerful but don't require multi-classing. I think you are going to be dissapointed with Tempest 2 if you are expecting the above list (but that is just my opinion).

The reason for the reduction in power is you are still getting full benefits of the Ranger class that you would lose if you actually took the Tempest Prc.

I chose 6 APs as it's currently the cap on AP costs. If it's more expensive then it's even more important to divide up the PrE's into tiers.

[EinarMal]

I chose 6 APs as it's currently the cap on AP costs. If it's more expensive then it's even more important to divide up the PrE's into tiers.

I would bet it will be much less powerful. Again if you actually made a level 16 tempest with 5 levels you would lose out on favored enemies and other things. In DDO you still get all that stuff.

[QuantumFX]

I would bet it will be much less powerful. Again if you actually made a level 16 tempest with 5 levels you would lose out on favored enemies and other things. In DDO you still get all that stuff.

But you still pay for it in Action Point cost.

BTW: I would personally make the whole chain more expensive or drop the acalarity but I'm trying to match the PrE to the campaign.

[EinarMal]

But you still pay for it in Action Point cost.

BTW: I would personally make the whole chain more expensive or drop the acalarity but I'm trying to match the PrE to the campaign.

Yeah I mean I don't know what they will do, I am just speculating as you are on what the second level of tempest might be. I believe they have said in the past that they don't want to make enhancements that cost more than 6 AP. So, you could do something like 2-4-6 like the stat increases. But even then your list would be pretty darn powerful for a total of 12 AP.

- Tempest Defense 2: +3 AC while dual weilding weapons
- Ambidexterity 2: Reduces the to hit penalties for dual weilding by 2
- Two Weapon Versatility: Tempest can apply the effects of weapon feats to both weapons.
- Virtual Feat: Superior TWF
- 20% faster attacking

Think about how many feats it would take to equal that, you have OTWF (sort of), Dodgex3, STWF, and 20% speed increase which is very powerful and not even really a feat, it is almost like giving at least one more attack per round if not 2. So, I would count something like 8-9 feats depending on the speed thing and how you want to count that.

Again I don't know what they will do, but spending some action points is still not as much of a loss as losing 5 ranger levels at a cap of 16. For that reason I would doubt it will do all of the things you list, but again I am just giving my opinion I don't know.