Rain of steel - too powerful?

[Gort]

Today I ended my second (short) campaign of 4e. Not due to rain of steel or anything, that'd be silly However, my players got to 6th level, and I think we were pretty much in unanimous agreement that Rain of Steel (level 5 fighter daily) needs to be toned down.

For those unfamiliar with the power, it causes each creature starting its turn adjacent to you to take 1[W] damage. In the case of our dwarven fighter, this was D10+4 damage (+2 axe, dwarven weapon training) which then increased to D10+6 when he activated his berserker weapon.

Now, while it is a daily power, it has many advantages. It never misses. It's guaranteed damage. It lasts the entire encounter (assuming you don't get knocked out, which should be fairly rare for your fighter, seeing how tough they are), it multiplies depending on how many people you can get next to you, and it doesn't even require a sustaining action!

In my experience with this power, it usually more than doubles the damage output of a fighter for an entire encounter per day - outstripping characters like rangers or rogues. It's particularly nasty because fighters are kings of trapping people in melee with them with combat challenge - you can't even get away from the fighter!

I think my suggested fix would be to require an attack roll - it would still be a good power, certainly better than the alternatives at the level, and still being close to doubling the attack power of a fighter (depending on the number of opponents, of course).

Any thoughts on the power or experiences of your own with it?

 

[Runestar]

I thought it is just 1W, not 1W + misc modifiers?

 

[Gort]

I thought it is just 1W, not 1W + misc modifiers?

No. It's exactly the same as all the other powers that say 1[W] + Str bonus, except without the Str bonus. In this case, the dwarf normally does D10+7 (+3 strength, +2 dwarven weapon proficiency, +2 magic weapon) with his 1[W] + Str bonus, and goes down to D10+4 because the only difference is the lack of Str bonus in the power.

 

[Krensus]

The dwarven fighter in my game uses it to pretty much the same effect described here. Honestly, I don't have a problem with it because it essentially makes him a vulnerable version of the 1st level Wizard daily Flaming Sphere. Flaming Sphere does around 1d4+8 (~10.5) and Rain of Steel does 1d10+4 (~9.5). A wizard spends a minor action to sustain it indefinitely and his move to adjust its position, where a fighter uses a move to adjust and cannot change his stance. The main difference between the two is that Rain of Steel cannot harm adjacent allies, but intelligent placement should render this a non factor.

At first I agreed that Rain of Steel felt very powerful, but once I realized he was using a level 5 daily to accomplish the power of a level 1 daily.

 

[sukael]

The dwarven fighter in my game uses it to pretty much the same effect described here. Honestly, I don't have a problem with it because it essentially makes him a vulnerable version of the 1st level Wizard daily Flaming Sphere. Flaming Sphere does around 1d4+8 (~10.5) and Rain of Steel does 1d10+4 (~9.5). A wizard spends a minor action to sustain it indefinitely and his move to adjust its position, where a fighter uses a move to adjust and cannot change his stance. The main difference between the two is that Rain of Steel cannot harm adjacent allies, but intelligent placement should render this a non factor.

At first I agreed that Rain of Steel felt very powerful, but once I realized he was using a level 5 daily to accomplish the power of a level 1 daily.

I figured something along this line right in the middle of my last session... when the wizard had flaming sphere up at the same time the fighter activated rain of steel.

 

[Kaelkatar]

Some dailies are rather crazy in damage, but since they are only doing damage, they should be.

Much worse in my opinion is firewall. Line it up right and you have a group of creatures forced to take a minimum of 40ish damage and two turns just to get to you. Once they do, any wizard worth his money will just thunderwave them back into the flames and the cycle repeats. A single firewall can trivialized indoor encounters to the point where rain of steel seems balanced.

 

[jaelis]

... Once they do, any wizard worth his money will just thunderwave them back into the flames and the cycle repeats. A single firewall can trivialized indoor encounters to the point where rain of steel seems balanced.

Well, don't forget that the targets would get a save to avoid being pushed into the flames (per DMG pg 44).

 

[Saeviomagy]

I think your ranger and rogue were doing something wrong if the fighter was outstripping them in damage.

The fighters got around a 50% chance of landing his regular attack, then add his automatic damage.

The ranger should be burning up his encounter powers, with a 50% chance per attack for each of two full strength attacks per round for the first 2 rounds of combat, plus his quarry damage. Then he's got his daily attack that does 5W + 2 x bonuses, again plus his quarry damage. After that, he's restricted to two attacks minus attribute per round, plus quarry. And most of this he's doing every single combat, not just when he burns a daily.

The rogue should have a significantly higher chance to hit (because he can target reflex), and is doing 2[w] attacks for the first two rounds, plus his sneak attack, then a daily like deep cut, plus sneak attack again.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Well, don't forget that the targets would get a save to avoid being pushed into the flames (per DMG pg 44).

Or, arguably, can't be forced into the flames at all...

-Hyp.

 

[The Digger]

Im wondering about the phrase "as long as you are able to make opportunity attacks" ? Why is that added in? What effect does that have?

Is it that this IS in effect the opportunity attack?

Imagine the scene.
1) 2 or more creatures move up to a fighter with a view to going past him and attacking the squishies behind.
2)Fighter attacks (say with cleave or similar) and stops enemies with Combat superiority
3) Fighter realises they will try to move past on their turn, but that he will get OA -WHICH HE MUST ROLL FOR! - so decides to activate Rain of Steel - which is automatic hit

4) On the creatures turn they try to move past. Fighter gets opportunity
attack using Rain of Steel against each creature WITHOUT ROLLING. And those creatures are then stuck next to him being hit automatically on their turn and being attacked by the fighter on his turn.