Books: Martial Power

One of the strengths of 3rd edition Dungeons and Dragons was its user-friendly approach to multiclassing. Each character level offered new possibilities since you could choose to spend that level in any one of dozens of different classes, each one with unique abilities. This was a commendable level of customization, even if it did result in some strange, min-maxed combinations ("You're a Ranger...but you're also a Templar and a Barbarian AND a Sorcerer?").

4E D&D, with its consistent emphasis on making sure every class is balanced against every other class at every level, loses some of this raw flexibility. "Martial Power," a recently published splatbook, aims to correct this. Fighters, rangers, rogues, and warlords all receive expanded options - everything from new character builds (including new at-will attack powers) to new paragon paths and a smattering of new feats and epic destinies.

There aren't any new classes, unfortunately, but some of the new builds are so different that they might as well be new classes. The ranger's "Beastmaster" build allows him to use an animal companion in either melee or ranged combat. The "Bravura" warlord has a fun mechanic - intentionally provoke attacks from enemies in order to gain an advantage in combat. The easy mixing and matching of powers from this book and the PHB means a lot more permutations are available for those seeking to construct their perfect martial hero. All in all, this is a must-have book if you're into 4E.