Before continuing, I'm stating for the record that I am really digging this game so far overall. This is not a critique of the game as a whole, but just concerns over the fine tuning and costs for different abilities. No, I'm not in a grumpy mood
I'm reading the beta PDF. I think some significant additional playtesting may be needed on some abilities and heroics as there are very clear winners and losers in the mix here. I think many of these can be resolved via rules clarifications or adjustments to willpower cost.
One of the ones I see come up often are the 3 WP ones that say they add D8 damage on an attack. If this is after the attack hits but before damage is rolled, it could be decent. If this is before the attack is rolled, then 3 WP is just plain too much. An example of one of the good ones is the Heroic ability Assassin that says straight out that the ability is activated after the roll to hit is completed (and compliments the thief ability crazy well). On the other hand, Dragonslayer says no such thing yet also costs 3 WP for the same additional damage to monsters.
Iron Fist is flat out amazing for its cost. So is Berserker (although you have to use this intelligently or your PC will get turned into paste, lol).
Master Spellcaster is potentially CRAZY strong, although wording on it might be unclear. Is it 2 WP + 2 more on the second spell for a total of 4? Or just 2 WP on the second spell? If it's only 2 WP for the second spell, this heroic ability is absolutely mandatory for any mage. Nothing else comes close for that class.
In fact, let's really amp up the magic ante by adding Jack of All Trades (Mage) to the list of crazy strong and likely broken heroic abilities. Want to be good at your profession AND roast people with magic? Now you can after only a single session! Note that the Mage ability specifically states you become trained in a magic skill. Regardless of whether your base profession has it or not.
Quick Reflexes seems quite good since you essentially can always attack and be guaranteed the ability to dodge or parry. That being said, wording says you can dodge one extra time. Does this mean you can only use if you already dodged once that round? If so, it's way less attractive.
Evasive is REALLY bad. 3 WP to redirect an attack to an ally next to that monster? How about no? Aside from the excessive WP for being antisocial, Knight has a similar ability that costs a more palatable 2 WP and is much more team friendly as they are also the tankiest. Now if Evasive could be redirected to *anyone*, including enemies, then this would be really good (and fun). Lightning Fast is also very bad since you spend 3 WP just to draw another initiative card which can be worse. For the cost, it should be draw two, pick one. Throwing Arm costs 3 WP to throw a melee weapon that gives no extra damage and still requires an attack roll ... and lands at the target's feet? No one will take this ever.
What about you? Any kin, class, or heroic abilities that seem like they need a balance pass in your opinion?