What about a barbarian? Most powers do damage+temp hp or damage+prone (is prone to much to handle? )
Barbarian is a bad idea. They have lots of little powers that you need to keep track of in order to Survive
Rageblood vigor THP Flanking (You need flanking!) Swift Charge Rampage what can (howling strike) and cannot be used on a charge (most others) when to rage how rage affects your AW and other stats/abilities, etc.
and thats just at level 1.
With Elven ranger, its point and click, esp with Eldar_Basilisk's powers + tactics. Just don't let her waste her 2-fanged strike on minions :P
Reyemile wrote:
Tiefling Wizard with a whole bunch of Fire spells and Hellfire Blood. Pretty much every spell is "drop fire on square X."
Wizards do low damage (less chance to 'shine') and have to worry about party members wandering into their AoE. Esp if she doesn't pay attention. But, this does work if all the melee allies have Black Iron Armor :D
Okay. I took the consensus' advice and made an archery ranger for her. Stated it out 1st through 30th.
1st: Elven Rancher, Archer Battlefield Style Abilities: Str 10, Con 12, Dex 18 +2 elf), Int 10, Wis 14 (+2 elf), Cha 8 Skills: Acrobatic, Endurance, Nature, Perception, Stealth Feat: Weapon Focus (bow) At-Will: Careful Attack, Twin Strike Encounter: Singular Shot Daily: Split the Tree 2nd: Feat: Lethal Hunter, Utility: Hunter's Privilege 3rd: Encounter: Shadow Wasp Strike 4th: Abilities: Dex +1, Wis +1, Feat: Alertness 5th: Daily: Close Combat Shot 6th: Feat: Toughness, Utility: Evade Ambush 7th: Encounter: Hawk's Talon 8th: Abilities: Dex +1, Wis +1, Feat: Durable 9th: Daily: Close Quarters Shot 10th: Feat: Far Shot, Utility: Shed the Mark 11th: Battlefield Archer PP, Feat: Hunter's Aim 12th: Feat: Distant Shot 13th: Encounter: Replace Singular Shot with Bloodlust Strike 14th: Abilities: Dex +1, Wis +1, Feat: Iron Will 15th: Daily: Replace Close Combat Shot with Armor Piercing Shot 16th: Feat: Great Fortitutde, Utility: Longstrider 17th: Encounter: Replace Shadow Wasp Strike with Pounding Barrage 18th: Abilities: Dex +1, Wis +1, Feat: Lightning Reflexes 19th: Daily: Replace Split the Tree with Two-in-One Shot 20th: Feat: Fleet-Footed 21st: Godslayer ED, Feat: Elven Precision 22nd: Feat: Unfettered Stride, Utility: Preternatural Senses 23rd: Encounter: Replace Hawk's Talon with Manticore's Volley 24th: Abilities: Dex +1, Wis +1, Feat: Flanking Maneuver 25th: Daily: Replace Armor Piercing Shot with Unstoppable Arrows 26th: Feat:Surprise Action 28th: Abilities: Dex +1, Wis +1, Feat: Peerless Hunter, Encounter: Replace Manticore's Volley with Hail of Arrows 29th: Daily: Replace Unstoppable Arrows with Three-in-One Shot. 30th: Feat: Brutal Accuracy
Almost none of her powers ever impose status effects, pushes, pulls or slides, grant benefits or ongoing damage. Some of them involve multiple attacks, and some of them are conditional. Most of the feats impose static benefits easy to apply.
What do people think? Any suggestions for magic items she should look to acquire, or that I should put into treasure parcels for her?
If you have a person who is willing to actually be a defender than let her play a 2hander Figher.
Step 1: Move up in to melee range Step 2: Hit stuff Step 3: Profit
Unlike Rangers you don't have to worry about being (comparatively)fragile, dealing with Hunter's Quarry, rolling more than one attack dice, or even moving into position for the best shot. An Archery Ranger or a Blaster Wizard still need skill and thought, but a 2hander Fighter(or maybe Paladin) takes little to no thought if someone else is actually doing the tanking.
Dark Sun DM starting October 18th 2010 Level 4 Tiefling Orbizard Level 3 Tiefling Telepath Psion
If you have a person who is willing to actually be a defender than let her play a 2hander Figher.
She'd be willing, but she wont' be able to keep track of when her mark attacks someone else. Most fighter powers involve status effects, like slow or prone or penalties for attacking others. I don't know I could draft a whole Fighter with powers that have no status effects (even if she could deal with the marks).
Unlike Rangers you don't have to worry about being (comparatively)fragile, dealing with Hunter's Quarry, rolling more than one attack dice, or even moving into position for the best shot.
Fragility is not much of a concern for an archer. Hunter's Quarry is pretty easy. Pick a target. Hit the target. Do extra damage if you hit. Moving into position doesn't seem to take much thought. Line of sight? Fire. Really, the trick is shifting out of reach to avoid opportunity attacks.
Abilities: Str 10, Con 12, Dex 18 +2 elf), Int 10, Wis 14 (+2 elf), Cha 8
Assuming these ability scores are before racial modifiers, these stats are too high by one point. 18 14 11 10 10 8 is the best you can do if you want both a natural 18 and a 14.
wrecan wrote:
At-Will: Careful Attack, Twin Strike
I am required by law to point out that Careful Attack is a huge trap. It is mathematically worse than Twin Strike in pretty much every way. Even if she doesn't like shifting, Nimble Strike should come in handy every once in a while.
Edit - You might as well pick up Weapon Proficiency - Greatbow (or Superior Crossbow if you prefer) as one of the early feats. More damage is more damage, afterall. I'd drop Far Shot, Alertness, or Durable for it.
wrecan wrote:
9th: Daily: Close Quarters Shot
I don't like this power, since it might encourage the player to move close to an enemy, which is the last place this archer wants to be. Attacks on the Run is really good, and not that complicated.
Generally, a multiple attack power will not be very complex (as long as it doesn't inflict a status ailment). Multiple attacks are also what the ranger does best.
wrecan wrote:
5th: Daily: Close Combat Shot 15th: Daily: Replace Close Combat Shot with Armor Piercing Shot 29th: Daily: Replace Unstoppable Arrows with Three-in-One Shot.
Must...resist... urge to cry at the loss of Spitting Cobra Stance, Confounding Arrows, and Five-Missile Dance....
Okay. I took the consensus' advice and made an archery ranger for her. Stated it out 1st through 30th.
1st: Elven Rancher, Archer Battlefield Style Abilities: Str 10, Con 12, Dex 18 +2 elf), Int 10, Wis 14 (+2 elf), Cha 8 Skills: Acrobatic, Endurance, Nature, Perception, Stealth Feat: Weapon Focus (bow) At-Will: Careful Attack, Twin Strike
Careful attack is never a good idea. Tke Nimble Strike instead. It is situational, but realistically, 99% of the time she will want to twin strike.
Nimble strike is situationally useful however, and it is not much of a departure from the point and click strategy.
Encounter: Singular Shot
Two fanged strike is a far better power. I think that being just like twin strike only better is also an advantage for the point and click style.
Daily: Split the Tree 2nd: Feat: Lethal Hunter, Utility: Hunter's Privilege 3rd: Encounter: Shadow Wasp Strike
Even with the errata, I'm not a fan of Shadow Wasp Strike.
Disruptive strike can be point and click (and gets you to the point and click twin strike earlier).
If you don't want that, you can take Cut and Run. Two attacks with W+Dex and no-one is making you shift. (In fact, I suspect that most rangers who take it probably don't get anything out of the shift anyway).
4th: Abilities: Dex +1, Wis +1, Feat: Alertness 5th: Daily: Close Combat Shot 6th: Feat: Toughness, Utility: Evade Ambush 7th: Encounter: Hawk's Talon 8th: Abilities: Dex +1, Wis +1, Feat: Durable 9th: Daily: Close Quarters Shot
I would take Attacks on the Run here. Miles better damage and again, no-one is making you move. Just treat it as a pair of 3W attacks and it fits in the point and click strategy as "Twin Strike plus"
10th: Feat: Far Shot, Utility: Shed the Mark 11th: Battlefield Archer PP, Feat: Hunter's Aim 12th: Feat: Distant Shot 13th: Encounter: Replace Singular Shot with Bloodlust Strike
I recommended against Singlular Shot and I would replace Hawk's Talon with Bloodlust Strike at this level instead. That way, there is only encounter attack that is not just "Twin strike plus"
14th: Abilities: Dex +1, Wis +1, Feat: Iron Will 15th: Daily: Replace Close Combat Shot with Armor Piercing Shot 16th: Feat: Great Fortitutde, Utility: Longstrider 17th: Encounter: Replace Shadow Wasp Strike with Pounding Barrage
At this level, I would replace Two Fanged Strike with Pounding Barrage instead. (Also note that Pounding Barrage does have a condition if you hit with all three attacks and the only difference from Triple Shot is that you have the extra damage if two attacks hit and immobilization if all three hit; given the player's preferences, I might consider Triple Shot instead as a mostly comparable power that is more simple).
18th: Abilities: Dex +1, Wis +1, Feat: Lightning Reflexes 19th: Daily: Replace Split the Tree with Two-in-One Shot 20th: Feat: Fleet-Footed 21st: Godslayer ED, Feat: Elven Precision
I would think about Demigod instead. That way there's no fuss about what level the target is, just get +1 to hit and +1 damage against everything and stop worrying about it.
22nd: Feat: Unfettered Stride, Utility: Preternatural Senses 23rd: Encounter: Replace Hawk's Talon with Manticore's Volley
Under my scheme, you replace Disruptive Strike or Cut and Run with Manticore's Volley.
24th: Abilities: Dex +1, Wis +1, Feat: Flanking Maneuver 25th: Daily: Replace Armor Piercing Shot with Unstoppable Arrows 26th: Feat:Surprise Action 28th: Abilities: Dex +1, Wis +1, Feat: Peerless Hunter, Encounter: Replace Manticore's Volley with Hail of Arrows
Replace Bloodlust Strike with Hail of Arrows. Now, you are finally down to three encounter powers that are all "Twin Strike plus"
29th: Daily: Replace Unstoppable Arrows with Three-in-One Shot.
Five Missile dance is so much better than Three in One shot... in order to keep it simple, since you are the DM, I recommend the following power instead:
Five Missile Snare. As 5 missile dance, but without the fancy stuff. 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 targets. You make 5 attacks for 2W+Dex each with half damage on a miss. No shifts, no pushes, no prone, no immobilization. Just point, click, kill.
30th: Feat: Brutal Accuracy
Almost none of her powers ever impose status effects, pushes, pulls or slides, grant benefits or ongoing damage. Some of them involve multiple attacks, and some of them are conditional. Most of the feats impose static benefits easy to apply.
What do people think? Any suggestions for magic items she should look to acquire, or that I should put into treasure parcels for her?
Weapon: heroic tier: Point Blank Weapon. An encounter power that lets her get out of OAs free for one encounter and keep pointing and clicking and a useful property that can simply be stacked with Defensive Mobility and forgotten. At mid to high paragon tier, a tenacious weapon. A very nice but simple encounter power that you can point, click, and forget about.
Armor: Assassinbane armor or Armor of Resistance. Both are useful. Both are point and click. Armor of resistance is probably better though because her perception should be high enough that she is rarely surprised anyway.
Neck slot: Cloak of Survival. Always on resistance. No actions or thought required. (Also very nice).
Arms: Bracers of Archery. Point. Click. Do More Damage.
Hands: Gloves of Storing. Don't worry about where to store the bow. It's always handy.
Head: Diadem of Acuity. Less likely to be surprised. Good for party, good for her.
Belt: Belt of Vigor +1, +2, or +3. Become tougher. Write on character sheet. Thought is a one-time cost.
Boots: Actobat Boots. Standing up is easy now. Useful and simple.
Rings: Ring of Feather Fall (lvl 14). You don't fall. Easy to remember. No special tactics required. Shadow Band (lvl 22). Add concealment to your defenses and move on. (Maybe close attacks and bursts/blasts add complexity here and the Ring of the Dwarven Lords or Ring of Regeneration would be better).
Okay. I took the consensus' advice and made an archery ranger for her. Stated it out 1st through 30th.
1st: Elven Rancher, Archer Battlefield Style
"Howdy part'ner, y'all ever try to herd trees?"
"You one o' them leaf rustlers?"
Sorry, couldn't resist. Anyway, a couple of changes I propose are: -take Athletics instead of Endurance; unless you will allow acrobatic stunts to replace a lot of things like jumping or climbing, you will need it more. -take Improved Initiative instead of Far Shot; going first is always good, and a longbow's short range is 20 squares anyway.
That's Someone, with a capital S.
"Cat's out of the bag on that one, isn't it? Who puts cats in bags, anyway? Cats hate bags." -Sheogorath, Oblivion
I'm rather amused by this discussion, since one of the players in my group appreciates the simplicity of the archer, and rarely uses her encounter powers (quarry + twin strike is good enough for the most part). It's a perfect "roll lots of damage and be happy you're contributing" build.
Another one-trick build is the Deft Strike / Superior Crossbow / Stealth rogue. The big trouble with this latter build is that it requires enough finesse to pull off the stealth dance that you realise that it's really, really boring.
As to items (Elder_Basilisk's post), can I suggest the Phasing weapon instead for paragon and epic? Its property simplifies things nicely: ignore cover and superior cover. At heroic, Vicious is no more complex than a regular magic weapon but more fun on a crit.
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