Hi All, long time D&D player. I actually got into D&D because of the Baldur's Gate (BG2 came packaged with a 3rd Edition character generator). I wanted to go over the current 3 'warrior' classes (not primary spellcasters), the fighter, ranger, and rogue, and analyze them level by level. I was a bit concerned by the rogue losing their +1d6 sneak attack damage at level 3, so I wanted to make sure that Larian is thinking about it and that we're talking about it.
Here's what we have right now (correct me if I'm forgetting something).
Fighter
1st level: Second Wind (1/short rest heal)
2nd level: Fighting Style (damage or defense boost), Action surge (largely damage boost, but can be used for movement and other options)
3rd level: Archetype; Eldritch Knight Cantrips and Spells (added options, could be a damage bonus if you were in situations where you wouldn't have been able to do something otherwise, or if a new option is extra optimal, like a burning hands on multiple targets); Battle Master Maneuvers (added options for extra damage or hp buffing)
Rogue
1st level: Extra skills, Sneak Attack (extra damage with some set up)
2nd level: Cunning Action (bonus action dash)
3rd level: Archetype; Arcane Trickster Cantrips and spells (added options, largely utility but some combat potential); Thief (2 bonus actions can increase damage because of the way poisons work)
Ranger
1st level: Extra skills, potential cantrips, skills, or other features
2nd level: Fighting Style (damage or defense boost), Spells (can definitely be damage boost with hunter's mark or others, or utility or healing)
3rd level: Archetype; Hunter (damage boosts) or Beast Master (damage, utility, and defense/control boosts)
So if we look at these levels side by side, we can see a few pain points. Firstly, Rogue 2nd level is sorely lacking. Cunning action in D&D is a very strong ability that allows you to dash, disengage, or hide as a bonus action. BG3 already lets the heroes disengage or hide as a bonus action. Cunning Action is used by ranged rogues to set up sneak attacks through hiding, which they already had from 1st level (and seems difficult to set up in BG3, as cover doesn't seem to work like it should). It does make the level feel small. Without their 3rd level +1d6 sneak attack, they're lacking an offensive boost at 3rd level, except for what feels like cheesy poison strategies that can only really be done every so often since you don't have an endless supply of poisons (and "poison use" was a special feature of the Assassin subclass in 5E, so it feels weird to me that just anyone can apply poison as a bonus action). Not having expertise or significantly extra skills on my Rogue feels weird, and losing the thieves' tools proficiency from PnP and being forced to take sleight of hand feels weird. That's not to mention my dislike of the way sneak attack was handled (in PnP, it can be triggered on any 1 hit during your round, so melee rogues get two chances with two weapon fighting, while ranged rogues use their cunning action bonus action to set up stealth for advantage to get their two chances to hit); Rogues rely on a higher hit chance to keep up with the damage output of Fighters, and if their sneak attack damage isn't progressing properly they will drastically fall behind once the Fighter picks up their 2nd Attack at 5th level.
1st level Ranger is another weird pain point. At first, I liked the way favored enemy and natural explorer were reinterpreted by Larian. But now, looking at it, they're not really functional interpretations. The abilities are nice, but they're horizontal power. Nothing (except the bounty hunter's snares) makes the Ranger better at doing what they do, they all add options. Added options do not really make a character more powerful, they're not vertical power. The other Ranger levels are fine, and I very much appreciate the way Beast Master has been altered (it might be too good, my bear put in a lot of work).
What have your experiences been?
Last edited by Xeviat; 17/10/20 04:54 PM.
