In which MetalJim previews fourth edition’s new Warlord class…

Well, WotC is in the middle of a string of awesome previews and excerpts from the new 4th edition rulebooks.  You can pre-order yourself an sweet package deal on the new rulebooks over at Amazon, and while you are waiting for the books you can get some very tasty nuggets about the new edition by clicking over to the D&D homepage every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

This week, on Monday, we got to see a good deal of the Player’s Handbook section dealing with the new Warlord class.

First of all, why a Warlord?  Well, the designers thought the new edition should feature one or two “new” classes, in the same way that 3rd edition gave us the sorceror.  So, 4^th edition will have the warlock, which isn’t exactly new, and the warlord, which is substantially new and different from what we’ve had before.

Why not call the warlord a marshall? Or something different?  Well, the designers wanted the class to include everything from the general commanding a mercenary army to an urban gangleader at the center of a group of thugs.  It was the most “catch-all” name they could come up with to include a wide variety of cultures and power levels.  I still think that a first level warlord feels more like a “war-squire” or a “war-puppy” than a LORD, but I’ll get over that.

What makes the warlord different from a fighter?  Well, a 4th edition fighter is geared towards special abilities that allow the fighter to “control” a single opponent.  The fighter wants to be a kind of “glue” on the battlefield, causing bad guys to stick to him and attack him (hopefully the fighter has a high AC).  The fighter wants to be a traditional “tank” for all of you MMO fans out there.  The fighter still gets to do plenty of damage, but his real job is engaging tough enemy monsters and keeping them away from the squishy wizard in the back of your party.

The warlord has fewer hit points than a fighter.  Both the fighter and the warlord have a few awesome encounter abilities that let them do extra damage to the target.  However, the warlord is all about conveying extra bonuses that make everyone else better.  Depening on your warlord build, you may end up giving people bonuses to their AC, or bonuses to hit a particular monster.

The warlord does do some of the “inspiring” things that the bard used to do.  Part of the reason that the bard isn’t in 4th edition from the start is that the warlord took away some of his stuff.  For example, just having a warlord in your party gives everyone a +2 bonus to initiative.  Depending on how you build your warlord, he may have some value to the party as a secondary healer.  Remember that in 4th edition hit points are much more abstract, and that most of your hit points really represent your stamina, combat fatigue, etc.  So, having a character who “inspires” his teammates to regain hit points makes perfect sense in 4th edition.  The warlord is much more “fun” than the bard, however, because the warlord gets to do his inspiring stuff while fighting in the front line of the battle.

The warlord also plays to the strengths of the new 4th edition combat system.  In 4th edition, we are going to see many more monsters on the battlefield.  Having a character who can act as a kind of “middle linebacker” plugging up the party’s defense and coordinating the combat could be very useful.  Again, depending on the build, you may be able to use your warlord powers to slide a friendly PC into a more advantageous position, such as by helping the rogue to get into flanking on an important enemy.

It is fun to think about how the warlord would look and feel different with different races.  A dragonborn warlord is going to be a brute who stands in the middle of the combat inspiring his allies with brutal strikes and intimidating his foes with the occasional burst of dragon breath.  A dwarven warlord might focus on improving the armor class of his allies, acting more as the stalwart guy at the center of the shield wall.  An eladrin warlord, meanwhile, dances around the combat space a little more, helping to shift the battlefield to his tactical advantage.  The eladrin can use his “fey step” daily power to put himself on the other side of the monster that the rogue is fighting, for example.

Whether you really, really want a warlord in your party might depend a little bit on the SIZE of your party, and the number of players that you have.  I think the warlord might work really well in a five man party, where the warlord “helps” the fighter and the rogue, and the front 3 protect the “ranged” characters (such as a warlock and a wizard) in the back.  If you only have three total characters in your play group, then the warlord probably doesn’t offer as many benefits to the group.

Of course, the warlord does overlap with some other classes, and this might create some friction.  The warlord fills the same “leader” role that a cleric does.  If you really don’t want to have a cleric in your party, then maybe a paladin and a warlord working together might provide enough healing to get by.  If you already have a cleric in your group, then maybe you are better off playing a straight fighter than a warlord, taking advantage of the fighter’s extra hit points.

It’s also possible that the warlord might create some role-playing friction in your group.  I could see a situation where the cleric, the warlord, and the paladin all see themselves as the “true” leader of the dungeon expedition, and depending on the personalities of the players, there could be some heated arguments at the table.

The warlord might be a VERY good choice if you are the most experienced player at your 4th edition game table, and you want to help the “noobies” to understand the system.  Imagine saying such things as, “Hey fighter!  don’t let him sneak past you! You get a free opportunity attack there!” and “Here, stand by me and we will defeat the beast together!  I’ll give you some bonuses to hit that guy”.  You would be mixing in-character encouragement with helpful rules advice.

So, what’s your opinion of the warlord?  Is it a jumbled mash of concepts that don’t quite gel together?  Is this something better left as a paragon path or prestige class?  Or can you see yourself running one of these guys in the near future?