Friday, November 14, 2008

Battle Journal of Kain Gaa'zaith - Tactical Analysis

So far the drawn-out narrative of the Battle Journal bores even me. I think I want to try boiling it down to what Kain really cares about: optimizing his weird little cadre. So this post will be in-character notes on effective combos, areas for improvement and synergies that warrant further evaluation and/or modification...

Tactical Analysis - First Foray

Close Blasts
Both the wizard and the dragonborn have short-range area-effect blasting attacks. It has been difficult to get them in position to use these effectively without either catching other cadre members (typically Marun) in the area or isolating them too completely, thus allowing the enemy to surround them. Further evaluation is required. Perhaps the fighter's expertise at covering her allies' retreats could be of use here.

Hobb
The rogue's knack for catching foes off balance and pushing them around the field shows great promise. In one battle in particular he shoved a kobold slinger across the entire room, leaving it in a position where it was too threatened to fire upon us and within reach of Marun's falchion. I need to find a way to combine this ability with one or two of the others in the cadre to maximize its potential.

Adincari
The warlock is tricky to manage. Some of his powers are most effective when he is close to the enemy, but out of all the members of the cadre he is the most effective at long range. This dichotomy is exacerbated by certain of his other abilities which are most effective if he keeps moving around. It seems that no matter what he does on the battlefield, he is performing suboptimally in some area.

Telekinetic Leap
My own racial power is slightly problematic. I am simply unable to use it as often as I would like. In many battles there are two or even three allies in a position to quickly turn the tide if I could get both or all of them behind the enemy's front line. So far I have been making quick appraisals of the situation and attempting to select the cadre member who will strike the most decisive blow against our opponents, but this approach feels too haphazard. I need a system or methodology to guide my choice.

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