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Disclaimer: This character build is a follow up to my previous concept Tank. With the addition of Martial Power, Tank has received an abundance of new options that can make him sturdier than ever possible before. This version of Tank will primarily be taking advantage of battlerager vigor in synergy with his previous abilities.



Getting to Know Your Tank:

“Eh? around here they call me ‘Tank.’ My real name... Meh, my real name ain’t important. All ya need to know is that if ya mess up me bar, I’ll mess up yer face.”

Tank is a massive dwarf by dwarven standards, standing just over five feet and weighing well over 200 pounds with a fiery blonde beard and a tan complexion. He was the former bouncer at the Whiskey Dog Inn. Sure, his past life as a soldier for his clan is much more reputable, but far less relevant. Lately, Tank has spent his time throwing drunkards out of an inn for a fair payment of drink and lodging. He is as tough and solid as the stone foundations of the Whiskey Dog Inn and even more stubborn than the half-witted, drunken patrons that reside there. Tank lived a tolerable half-life until one of his rather brash and costly extrications of an inn patron left him without home and work. Now, Tank is ready to take up any quest so long as it offers enough pay to afford some quality dwarven spirits.

“Now now, ya can try to push me, son. But I’ll warn ya, I push back.”

Tank is a Dwarven Fighter / Iron Vanguard / Demigod that revolves around being as immovable as stone, as forceful as a landslide, and as resilient as the earth itself. Tank fully reaps the benefits of the Battlerager Vigor fighter variant with both his dwarven heritage and high constitution. Also, utilizing the benefits of Iron Vanguard’s Trample the Fallen and Enduring Warrior features, Tank is not only resilient but also very destructive. Constitution is the single-most important ability score for a defender’s survivability and Tank takes full advantage of it.

Building Your Tank:

Ability Scores
The Sturdy Tank:
[FONT="Courier New"]STR: 16 +3 +10 = 26 +8
CON: 18 +4 +10 = 28 +9
DEX: 12 +1 +2 = 14 +2
INT: 8 -1 +2 = 10 +0
WIS: 14 +2 +2 = 16 +3
CHA: 10 +0 +2 = 12 +1[/FONT]

The Brawny Tank:
[FONT="Courier New"]STR: 18 +4 +10 = 28 +9
CON: 16 +3 +10 = 26 +8
DEX: 10 +0 +2 = 12 +1
INT: 8 -1 +2 = 10 +0
WIS: 13 +1 +2 = 15 +2
CHA: 10 +0 +2 = 12 +1[/FONT]

Nearly all of Tank’s powers and features benefit from a high constitution score and a high constitution is the single greatest boon to a defender’s survivability; therefore constitution is his primary ability score. Tank also requires a high strength score to ensure that his attacks hit his targets and pack as much punch as possible. Fortunately, if Tank misses, he has his constitution score to fall back on for damage, and if he hits, his constitution just heightens the hurt. Wisdom is Tank’s tertiary score. It gives a bonus to his Opportunity Attacks, which is important in making sure that his enemies don’t get to rough up his friends, or more importantly, run away in fear.

The Sturdy Tank ability array provides Tank with more resilience and the high constitution synergizes with nearly all of his features and powers. Most importantly, it grants a higher return from Battlerager Vigor and Invigorating powers. The Brawny Tank ability array provides a higher attack bonus at the cost of lower defenses and constitution. Personally, I prefer the Sturdy Dwarf as you gain a benefit to many various important features while the Brawny Tank only provides a bonus to you attack bonus. However, if you are mostly concerned with landing your attack than taking a beating, the Brawny Tank ability array is for you.

Skills
Athletics
Endurance
Intimidate

With the exception of Intimidate, Tank is simply feeding off his primary ability scores. Intimidate comes from years of dissuading drunkards from getting themselves forcibly removed from the inn.

Feats
[FONT="Courier New"]1: Toughness
2: Dwarf Stoneblood
4: Dwarven Weapon Training
6: Armor Proficiency (plate)
8: Improved Vigor
10: Shield Push
11: Dwarven Durability
12: Hammer Rhythm
14: Armor Specialization (plate)
16: Daunting Challenge
18: Distracting Shield
20: Improved Second Wind
21: Epic Recovery
22: Strongheart Warrior
24: Bludgeon Mastery
26: Martial Mastery
28: Martial Resolve
30: Invigorating Exploit (Cruel Reaper)[/FONT]

Between a very high constitution score and the feats Toughness, Dwarf Stoneblood, and Dwarven Durability, Tank has nearly the highest pool of hit points for any character. Plate armor gives Tank a nearly perfect armor class to help build up a pool of temporary hit points between getting hit. Shield Push is invaluable for two reasons: Tank can help protect his allies by pushing enemies out of striking range before they land an attack, and he can also add even more hurt to his combat challenge basic attack via Trample the Fallen. Hammer Rhythm is pure butter for this build and paired with constitution damage on most attacks, grants Tank a formidable average damage per round. Epic Recovery and Stoneheart Warrior allow Tank to recover well over 100% of his hit points per encounter without even using any actions.

At-Will Powers
[FONT="Courier New"]1: Crushing Surge, Tide of Iron[/FONT]

“No! I said ‘get outta me way!’ Ah, now that’s better.”

Tide of Iron is invaluable to Tank. It is perhaps the best positioning at-will power available for any class, and Tank puts it to even more use with Trample the Fallen. Compared to other classes, the average damage of Tide of Iron is comparable if not better than nearly all other at-will powers. Crushing Surge is incredibly powerful when paired with Battlerager Vigor and allows Tank to build a large pool of temporary hit points during his round.

Encounter Powers
[FONT="Courier New"]1: Steel Serpent Strike
3: Crushing Blow
7: Come and Get It
11: Frontline Surge
13: Crumpling Slump [replace: Steel Serpent Strike]
17: Boggling Smash [replace: Crushing Blow]
23: Warrior's Urging [replace: Come and Get It]
27: Cruel Reaper [replace: Boggling Smash][/FONT]

Tank’s encounter powers focus on applying constitution damage whether from using a hammer or from pushing the target back.

“Really? Ya thought it’d be that easy for ya to hit me?”

It might seem that Warrior’s Urging and Cruel Reaper are out of place for the theme of applying constitution damage; however, the combination of the two linked through an action point is pure devastation for any group of foes. Furthermore, both powers grant Tank a better chance at controlling and marking multiple targets. Crumpling Slump is kept over Boggling Smash, because it simply deals much more damage at 2[W]+STR+3xCON.

Daily Powers
[FONT="Courier New"]1: Knee Breaker
5: Cometfall Charge
9: Terrifying Impact
15: Quicksilver Stance [replace: Knee Breaker]
19: Boulder Charge [replace: Cometfall Charge]
20: Indomitable Strength
25: Earthquake Smash [replace: Terrifying Impact]
29: Force the Battle [replace: Quicksilver Stance][/FONT]

Unlike his predecessor, Tank's daily powers now also follow the theme of applying constitution damage through pushes and knocking the target prone. The two exceptions to constitution-based attacks are Quicksilver Stance and Force the Battle, which are both very high damage stances. Also, Tank's daily powers often target multiple targets and allow for multiple marking and reaping the benefits of Enduring Warrior against minions. The loss of healing-based daily powers is compensated by several new utility powers.

Utility Powers
2: Boundless Endurance
6: Unbreakable
10: Defensive Resurgence
12: Inexorable Shift
16: Iron Warrior
22: Inspired Resurgence
26: Divine Regeneration

With the exception of Inexorable Shift, all of Tank's utility powers focus on spending healing surges or mitigating damage. Inspired Resurgence is an amazing utility power, because it is one of the very few powers that allow a fighter to spend a healing surge per encounter.

Equipping Your Tank:

“Aww, ya dented me helmet.”

Recommended Equipment
Plate Armor of Durability
Magic Craghammer
Shield of Defiance
Battlestrider Greaves
Gauntlets of the Ram
Helm of Battle
Cloak of the Walking Wounded
Iron Ring of the Dwarf Lords
Iron Ring of the Dwarf Lords
Belt of Blood

"I call this one Headsmasher. And this one... Aye, I prob’ly shouldn’t say this one’s name in front of the little ones.”

With the exception of a few items, Tank's equipment is geared towards survival. Cloak of the Walking Wounded is incredibly powerful in the epic tier when paired with Epic Recovery and Stoneheart Warrior. I suggest a Magic Craghammer, because your attack bonus is lacking compared to your teammates, and you'll need the enhancement bonuses as soon as you can earn them.

Conclusion:

“Aye, that one hurt. Ya can keep beatin’ on me like that all day if ya want, ‘cause unlike you, I can actually take the hits!”

Constitution is far superior to any ability score for ensuring survivability. Tank not only accepts this reality, but fully takes advantage of it by increasing both his damage and utility along with it. Trample the Fallen and Hammer Rhythm give Tank a solid average damage per round, and all of his pushes give him a great amount of battlefield control and extra movement. Tank’s at-will, Tide of Iron, is beefed up significantly so that he can apply constitution to his damage and keep a hurting on his foes consistently; it is arguably his best offensive power, while Crushing Surge is his perhaps his best defensive power. Battlerager Vigor is incredibly powerful for Tank, by providing a significant amount temporary hit points each time he is hit and also allowing his Invigorating temporary hit points to stack, which is possibly more useful than the former benefit. With the addition of Martial Power, Tank is now even more indesctructible than before.

"Silly lich, yer weapons cannot harm me. Dun ya know who I am?"

It seems to me that Brash Strike with it's bonus to-hit and extra con-damage is to good to miss. Particuarly at Heroic where you don't get con-bonus to Tide of Iron. Also have you considered Adamantite soldier for ED and/or Dreadnaught for Paragon? Either one synergizes really well with Battlerager vigor.

Hmm...I'm not sure Quicksilver is better for one-target damage in this situation. It allows you to make a melee basic attack as a move action (this is very good) so that's 1[W] + Str + static mods. Unyielding Avalanche is 1[W] + static mods (no strength but other bonuses like weapon focus would apply). The big extra is it attacks everyone and there's no chance for you to miss - the damage is automatic and not mitigated by a poor to-hit roll.

Quicksilver is definitely good but for this build I feel Avalanche to be superior. It's your choice though

Mostly DPR I believe - and the Iron Vanguard with Tide of Iron gets better battlefield control abilities. They're very, very similar Paragon Paths though and to be honest, I wouldn't fault someone for choosing Dreadnought over Iron Vanguard. At the end of the day, you'll still have an exceptionally hard to kill TANK. Which is what we want :D

Gnoob, you said you might write up an offensive/defensive build for Tank. A question then, how would you feel about a Dragonborn version of Tank? No second wind as a minor action, true, but they get their breath weapon as a minor action attack so that balances out. Dragonborn will get less surges, but they still get their Con mod to every surge (and don't have to spend a feat for it). Stat mods are slightly worse in some ways but the Str boost is still there. The big draw would be the Draconic Arrogance feat from MP - basically Trample the Fallen but working off your Str mod.

Why Insightful Strike at Level 1? The rider seemed like one of the weaker ones, am I missing something?