Roguey-types and options

[Dreamingfurther]

Magic items just make it easier to make fighters redundant, especially DAs and Arcane Armor.

I'm not so sure about that. A DA in my hands actually makes me vaguely useful in combat ("Hurray, I can actually affect this guy!"), but I don't see how it could make a fighter redundant. Pound-for-pound, fighters can dish out (and take) far more damage than any other class. I've seen more fighters with a handful of healing and protective items (arguably making caster redundant) than I have seen the other way around.

This is much more the case. Activates can be made to be times per day to virtually simulate 'an extra 4 column'. But you really can't have enough times ever skill store items to 'copy' 4 parrys, 4 slays, 2 evicerates, 2 stuns, 2 ripostes, and whatever other skills that fighter with 8 (or more) profs has taken.

Also nearly every big bad I've fought goes down to damage. Swinging endless damage never runs out. Fighters have the skill that can't be 'duplicated' not the other way around...

Even a +3 DA on a scholar or an adept is still not going to make them a 'tank' by any means. They have none of the fighter skills and they will never swing more than 5's. When you are swinging against 100+ body regularly 5's take a long time...

 

[Tyson]

To me, a key difference for DA vs activates comes down to adding vs replacing ability.

A DA adds to existing damage output. It directly complements a fighter's profs or a rogue's backstabs. A fighter or rogue with a DA does his job better. It's optimal from a group/team perspective to give these guys the DA's.

An activate replaces the memorization and casting of a spell. A scholar with an activate doesn't do his job any better, just a couple more times per day. This makes it arguably optimal to give these items to the Fighters and Rogues as well, since it means more people can be "equally" effective with those spells.

If a scholar's Flame Bolt or Cure Serious Wounds dealt or healed more damage based on their IG skills, then you'd see these items more in their hands. Just like if a +3 DA meant the longsword did 5 magic, period, you'd see the weapons,more in the hands of those without the profs or backstabs to do more.