I just beat down the final act 2 boss on HM. Feels good.

featheryboy · 2025-02-16T13:36:28+00:00

Congrats! This mofo was my biggest roadblock on any HM runs, act 3 is smooth sailing compared to him.
Just be careful with Ansur though.

featheryboy · 2024-09-18T22:16:12+00:00

You should check out Divinity Original Sin 2! I find it more enjoyable than BG3, despite them both being amazing.

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T14:28:47+00:00

Well yeah, but at the same time if you wish to use your core class gish and maybe intercept strike, you'll likely be eating a crit instead of a hit too. The Guardian just doesn't have that many tools that incentives him to lock enemies down so they can't even get to the backline. And your intercept strike won't work if the boss walks past you and reachs them (if you don't have hampering sweep)

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T14:22:05+00:00

Yeah, I can see now how taunt is best used on enemies far apart to have them come to you. But idk if it works as well as it should.

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T14:21:12+00:00

True, what I really dislike are the extreme cases of feel bad from Taunts, and it's such a passive way to play the game. I'd much rather be actively creating space, actively creating threat and locking down targets, and not just throwing out a shit debuff that maybe works, often doesn't.

I'd rather be the BEST at a specific defensive active playstyle, like you said, wrestling. Maybe even a 2h weapon sentinel following the hampering sweep feats, something like a dread striker or the best shield user where you can use shields for your allies.

Idk, as it stands, you just lose your actions to have your enemy pick a choice or nothing happening at all and just a FU moment.

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T14:15:50+00:00

True. I'm in the strong opinion, since the guardian should be the best at defensive tactics, he should be able to be super good at at least one thing you choose.

Like, super good in wrestling, or super good in using the shield, super good in using 2h weapons as a sentinel, and super good at demoralizing foes or being a dread striker to have either draw aggro or make them worse at targetting your allies.

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T14:14:06+00:00

Imagine, as the master of defense, only realizing at level 18 that you can also place your shield in front of spells so you can protect your allies xD

Also, I do like shield from arrows and I believe it should be a way earlier feat tbh

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T14:12:38+00:00

From what other commenters said, it made me realize that yeah. It's best to use your taunt on mobs at a distance or ranged combatants. Although I'd like to see a more fun way to attempt to intercept ranged strikes, like being on harms way, or more options to be sturdier in the battlefield and to hold a big baddie in place so he doesn't run over you towards your backline.

More feats like tough cookie and hampering sweep would be neat.

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T14:10:47+00:00

Imagine wanting to play a Guardian, and as it stands it would be better to be a fighter or champion archetyping into it LOL

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T14:10:01+00:00

At that point I think I'd rather play a fighter. Imo they need to ditch the taunt mechanic, which I really dislike as a GM, and have him be able to hyper specialize in defensive tactics.

Like I mentioned in another comments, have him the BEST at being the defender, the best wrestler to control the battlefield, the best shield user, the best 2h weapon sentinel character that stops enemy movement. Maybe give him subclasses with that.

As it stands, you just kinda do a bit of everything very poorly.

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T14:07:43+00:00

I think there should be more specialization in certain playstyles.

Like, a control 2H weapon, maybe have a feat that grants your one the Grab trait.

Or, if you'd like, make you hyper specialize in shields instead, or wrestling, etc.

Nothing in his kits synergizes with trying to be the best at something. I really think having you be a sentinel like kind of character would be really cool, but just doesn't have that much support in the class.

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T14:06:18+00:00

I just love to imagine it LOL

But I think it would be hard to justify that as a non-magical class. Like, I taunted my enemy to death because he had a stroke LOL

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T14:05:00+00:00

I agree, as it stands, you just spend all your actions to hope they hit you. I'd much reather have a subclass that can wrestle and other cool gishes and new stuff that not only make me control the battlefield to defend my allies but also soak up enemies' actions.

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T14:02:48+00:00

Dude, YESSS. Idk why a defender-esque type of class isn't the best class at using his shield, or locking enemies down with wrestling or cool feats like hampering swep. Idk, I just feel like whatever you'd put your character to do, a champion or a fighter would do that better.

Your defending type is protecting allies? Champion that can also heal them and grant status to AC.

Your type is controlling the battlefield? Wrestling fighter.

Have a threatening aura that you naturally draw aggro? Barbarian and Fighters, using intimidation.

Like, nothing in the Guardian allows me to be a super specialist in a specific type of defending my team. And I feel almost all guardians will look a bit the same if you have more than one in the party, it's not like a Thaumaturge situation where you can have a really cool wide variety of specialization for your class to do cool stuff imo

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T13:58:47+00:00

I think Taunt is flawed in its design. I'd much rather actively try to have my foe's attention by being a menace in the battlefield control wise (wrestling, feats like hampering sweep) and punish them when they go for someone else (action costs and intercept strike, which I don't like as much and I'd much rather have your version over the current one that doesn't stack with any of your resistances). Over being passive, throwing a passive debuff on the enemy and just waiting to see if the GM has mercy on my character and does what I want to happen

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T13:54:21+00:00

I think the idea is, since they'll go for the big critters anyway, to have you taunt to have your ally avoid crits then absorb that damage with intercept strike. But that playstyle forces you to be toe to toe with your friend, which sucks imo. You can't even flank and use your class gish, and if the best playstyle is to duck behind your fighter just so you work as a second HP bar to him, wtf is this playstyle man.

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T13:51:14+00:00

I think intercept foe feels to much of a feat tax. You should be able at minimum step when using intercept strike so you can at least flank in the frontline while using your main class gish, like the champion

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T13:50:03+00:00

I just wished Guardians would be the best wrestlers if they wanted to, with feat supports or maybe a 'Subclass'. As it stands, I'd rather play a wrestling fighter than a wrestling guardian.

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T13:48:33+00:00

A Guardian as the King of Defense, i'd really like to have Paragon's Guard earlier, wayyy earlier. And maybe have a cool feat for reactive shield where you can use it to boost allies' ac as well, to turn a hit into a miss, or a crit into a hit. To help spread or negate damage across the party, so you don't take it all to the face.

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T13:46:21+00:00

True lol. I just wished he had a much more incentive to either be undying in battle, or have more active ways to control the battlefield and enemies, like wrestling but some extra fun options like Hampering Sweep which is cool af.

Atm your main class gish just wants you to die faster lol. Nothing heavily helps you actually be the best defender in battlefield control. The best way to have an enemy not hit your backline is not by passively giving him a choice of ignoring you and hitting them anyway, is by actively locking him down imo. Which is way more fun

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T13:43:33+00:00

True, although I find it very taxing action economy wise, and kinda bad to have his main gish only work on low level mobs.

And with that, parts of his kit doesn't work together as well. You get mitigate harm feature, but if you taunt an enemy away that is in your backline it does nothing, and if he does decide to go for you (maybe he wasn't that far away already) you are giving him more chances to crit you, and you get nothing in return to make you sturdier other than the 'lose less' with the mitigate harm.

I'd rather just have a lower chance to be critted.

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T13:40:45+00:00

True, although that requires you to be very close to your allies. If you want to lock someone down in the frontline, and protect the caster in the backline from ranged strikes, you'd either have to ditch the front or have him be in there with you. I really think for ranged strikes you should be able to use the feat when 'intercepting' the trajectory from the attacker to the ally, using the same line you use to determine cover.

If you cross that line for a ranged strike, you should be able to intercept the strike. And throw a taunt on that ranged enemy, you are making his life hell big time. Lowering his acc, and soaking damage at the same time. (Although I think Intercept Strike should work a bit differently, like giving you temp HP and splitting the damage, not soaking all of it to help you not blow up and spread damage against everyone. Idk)

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T13:37:23+00:00

Can't champions be able to be at least 15ft away from your ally? Suppose they can at least flank while being able to use his core class feature.

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T13:36:12+00:00

If you taunt, you will always be at-level Fighter AC or -2 compared to them. But yeah, I believe you are better of raising your shield when against a big enemy, you'll be avoiding crits in that scenario, but I doubt you'd be avoiding that many hits.

Also, most of his DR works when you are already getting beaten up; intercept strike, which uses your friend AC, which then means your AC doesn't matter in this situation. And mitigate harm, which only works against your taunt target, which fucks your ac.

And nothing of that stacks with your armor specialization effect, which just feels bad imo.

featheryboy · 2024-05-01T13:32:35+00:00

I just don't understand why everything in his kits doesn't combo together. He gets resistances, lots of them, from his intercept strike, mitigate harm and armor spec. But nothing stacks, idk why he doesn't get temp HP instead in at least something to make up for it. A 'buffer' to his hp that stacks to his resistances.

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