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I've got an issue and I can't figure it out without aid!

i'm about to join a friends setting for 4th Edition, the problem is that he has incorporated certain house rules which affect character choices and because this is a unique setting, there are a few complications. He actually creates his own settings/systems as a hobby and has even made his own roleplay system for sale so it's not an amateur thing by any means.

Currently the group has a rogue, a hexxer (DM designed class, like I said it's his setting, but it's a controller class), a cleric and one other class that I can't recall, but I think it's a striker class. So basically they're missing an effective tank/defender class and I thought a paladin would be cool.

However I was wondering if for a paladin (or a warlord maybe) it was possible to make one that was ranged rather than melee dominated. Or failing that, whether it's possible for a paladin or warlord to survive in lighter armour. 

However here a few complications as I mentioned. I can't go through them all, but here's a summary of various major changes or considerations that I'm facing.



The only defender classes allowed are fighter and paladin (no warden).

MULTICLASSING IS ALLOWED BUT HYBRIDS ARE NOT ALLOWED.

Not all races are allowed and the DM has designed some of his own to fit with the setting (which are good I'll admit), but in terms of stats it does limit me to a + 2 INT / + 2 CHA or a +2 INT / + 2 WIS or a Human setup as it fits with the role that I'm hoping to join into (a deposed spymaster so Insight, Diplomacy and potentially Bluff would be good). I did consider a Warlord which have no changes from the PHB version but with a cleric in the party I don't know if a warlord is entertaining to play in general or whether it's really needed considering we have no defender, plus they seem to be melee orientated only and thus require a fair bit of armour (i.e. not relying on Dex or Int much, but I could be wrong on that).

The setting takes places on land and at sea, and sea warfare does come into play so there's the hazard of being able to swim. Paladins tend to wear tonnes of armour so I'm a bit screwed if at any time I fall into the water. I've never seen anyone play a lightly armoured paladin. Granted this might mean that enemies will also be less armoured than before, but there's no certainty. 

It's been set in a pre-industrial age where the basic firearms have been invented. The rules for them look good and balanced and I do have a feat option of being trained in them as a paladin even, but to summarise it means there will be more things that target Reflex, something which a paladin is generally bad at!

Two major house rule changes are that you can only spend a healing surge using an item or power (suddenly leaders/paladins become so much more useful) and that you also have to BEAT a defense score when hitting, NOT EQUAL so suddenly being able to hit got slightly harder on both sides.

One big change for clerics/paladins is that depending on their deity (which are new to the setting) they are (a) given minor damage bonuses with their favoured weapon and (b) their damage type changes to the type favoured by their deity so I'm not stuck with radiant any more.

I was hoping to create something a bit like the North Watch in Game of Thrones. So an emphasis on cold and I know of the Frostcheese combo. New deities for the setting have been invented which means my domain choices now vary, though the Winter domain doesn't impress me that much particularly as I can now easily change my damage type to cold without much issue. 

One new paragon class that has been made for the setting is very "cold" based. In fact it's special rule is that if the divine class is only wearing cloth armour, they gain Cold Resist 15, Necrotic Resist 5 and +2 AC. . . . . whether that's broken or not is another thing, but could that potentially offset the issue of having to wear lighter armour given the drowning issue with wearing heavy plate mail? The powers for the paragon class vary in terms of usefulness but it does have an awesome Level 11 power to really screw over someone who hit you within 10 squares as an encounter interrupt. 
 

So basically I know these are changes which 4E Optimization people aren't used to but I don't want a discussion on whether they are good or bad. I'm interested to know if a ranged paladin or warlord is possible, whether a lightly armoured paladin or warlord is possible and I suppose which of the two could fit into a spymaster role better.

Given your wacky restrictions, I doubt anyone counts as "damage dealing", much less a "mass damage dealing thunder AOE munchkin". Especially since there is absolutely nothing multiclass swordmage has to offer a build that wanted to do that.

But yes, Swordmage is pretty much exactly what you want here. They're kitey defenders.

Cool info thanks. 

The sea battles and ranged firearms weren't in the last campaign, but the house rules on surges, hitting defenses and deities were still present. I'll have to investigate the swordmage in more detail. First impressions is that it's a cool class and could work for defending, but would suck as a spymaster. 

Apr 29, 2012 -- 4:58AM, EnglishLanguage wrote:

The way Swordmages work depends on the type. All Swordmages basically want to mark one target then starts attacking a different target and keep away from the original.

Shielding Swordmages are the only 100% ranged ones. When an enemy attacks ayone other than them, they reduce the damage by a certain amont.

Assault Swordmages will teleport next to their target and pop them in the face for violating the mark.

Ensaring Swordmages do the reverse of Assault and teleport te eemy to tem when they violate the mark.

But really, it's best to pretend that Shielding is the only Swordmage that exists.