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12 months ago ::
Jul 04, 2012 - 8:09PM
#1
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Hey all,
I'm joining a paragon tier game soon that's starting at Level 14, and we've been told by the DM that we have to base our characters on an available figurine in his collection.
I've tried to make as optimal a Dwarven warlord as possible, based around using a waraxe and heavy shield (to match the figurine). Magic items will be randomized on character creation, so I've only equipped him with basic +3 items to showcase the build. The other party members are a dwarven fighter (battlerager), a sorceress (race undecided), a halfling archer ranger, and a gnome cunning bard.
====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Grimmand, level 14
Dwarf, Warlord (Marshal), Freedom Fighter
Build: Insightful Warlord
Warlord Option: Battlefront Leader
Commanding Presence Option: Insightful Presence
Dwarf - Ancestral Home Lost (Perception class skill)
FINAL ABILITY SCORES
STR 22, CON 16, DEX 9, INT 12, WIS 20, CHA 11
STARTING ABILITY SCORES
STR 16, CON 13, DEX 8, INT 11, WIS 16, CHA 10
AC: 31 Fort: 29 Ref: 25 Will: 28
HP: 103 Surges: 13 Surge Value: 28
TRAINED SKILLS
Athletics +16, Endurance +15, Heal +17, Perception +17
UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +4, Arcana +8, Bluff +7, Diplomacy +7, Dungeoneering +14, History +8, Insight +12, Intimidate +7, Nature +12, Religion +8, Stealth +4, Streetwise +7, Thievery +4
POWERS
Basic Attack: Melee Basic Attack
Basic Attack: Ranged Basic Attack
Dwarf Racial Power: Dwarven Resilience
Warlord Feature: Battlefront Shift
Warlord Feature: Inspiring Word
Warlord Attack 1: Intuitive Strike
Warlord Attack 1: Wolf Pack Tactics
Warlord Attack 1: Powerful Warning
Warlord Attack 1: Orchestrated Offensive
Warlord Utility 2: Knight's Move
Warlord Attack 3: No Gambit Is Wasted
Warlord Attack 5: Staggering Spin
Warlord Utility 6: Guided Shot
Warlord Attack 9: Warlord's Recovery
Warlord Utility 10: Unintended Feint
Freedom Fighter Attack 11: Self-Sacrificing Strike
Freedom Fighter Utility 12: Inspiring Example
Warlord Attack 13: Bolstering Insight
FEATS
Level 1: Armored Warlord
Level 2: Dwarven Weapon Training
Level 4: Axe Expertise
Level 6: Bolstering Inspiration
Level 8: Improved Defenses
Level 10: Toughness
Level 11: Fight On
Level 12: Dwarven Durability
Level 14: Vexing Flanker
ITEMS
Magic Scale Armor +3 x1
Magic Waraxe +3 x1
Heavy Shield x1
Amulet of Protection +3 x1
====== End ======
Build breakdown:
This build is designed to be an enabler and off-tank, and selects its powers accordingly. Insightful Strike is the main at-will, which is buffed by Vexing Flanker to provide anyone in the party a +2 to-hit.
Wolf Pack Tactics may seem like an odd inclusion. It's purpose is to make Bolstering Inspiration better, by allowing me to shift adjacent to an ally, use Inspiring Word, and then use Wolf Pack Tactics to re-establish flanking and CA for the party via Vexing Flanker.
The build is designed to be durable enough to serve as an off-tank, a goal that will be furthered when I eventually get Freedom Fighter's L20 Daily. Beyond that, Freedom Fighter provides another great immediate interrupt encounter power, a mass save-granting utility, and more free action attacks for the party on action point. Moreover the L16 feature helps make up for the loss of Combat Leader.
Lastly, alot of the powers selected either attack a NAD (Insightful Strike, Staggering Spin), allow allies to make attack rolls for me (Powerful Warning, Warlord's Recovery, Bolstering Insight), or achieve their main objective without needing to hit (Wolf Pack Tactics, Self-Sacrificing Strike), which mitigates the lower accuracy of a waraxe Vs the more traditional longsword.
Thoughts and opinions welcome.
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12 months ago ::
Jul 04, 2012 - 9:51PM
#2
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Drop Con, durable is fine, but if you can avoid getting hit it's better. Reflex could stand a boost.
Maybe Stand the Fallen, D5 ?
Did you pick a warlord because you wanted to ? 2 leaders, no melee strikers seems a bit odd.
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12 months ago ::
Jul 04, 2012 - 10:07PM
#3
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Drop Con, durable is fine, but if you can avoid getting hit it's better. Reflex could stand a boost.
Maybe Stand the Fallen, D5 ?
Did you pick a warlord because you wanted to ? 2 leaders, no melee strikers seems a bit odd.
If I drop Con back I'll only gain at most a +1 to Reflex, Vs extra surges and surge value from dwarven durability. Is that really worth the tradeoff?
Stand the Fallen is pretty vanilla without any Charisma to boost the healing, it's just '3W, everyone spends a surge'. With 2 leaders in the party and all my interrupts to prevent damage, I think the additional offense from Staggering Spin might be more beneficial.
And yeah, I wanted to play either a tank or a leader. I could still go tank and have a 2-tank party I guess.
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12 months ago ::
Jul 04, 2012 - 10:24PM
#4
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Date Joined:
Nov 16, 2010
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For that party, I would suggest a wrathvoker or avenger if you have anything that can be used for them. The party is lacking wisdom skills and perception is a biggie in 4E. Starting at 14 makes a lot of builds come online right off, like the dizzying mace invoker, or a twin striking avenger. Me gusta mucho.
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12 months ago ::
Jul 05, 2012 - 8:28AM
#5
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Date Joined:
Oct 28, 2010
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I'd also say that if you are going to do this, do it without the axe. Warlords like hitting, you want a +3 prof weapon over bigger damage dice.
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12 months ago ::
Jul 05, 2012 - 11:05AM
#6
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But the figure has an axe, it actually is a pretty cool miniature. If that's the miniature you want to use and play either a leader or defender I'd stick with Warlord but make it an Axe you can throw and maybe take a different presense. Skirmishing might actually be pretty handy with that group. E1 Pin Cushion and E3 Martial Doom, for example, can give you decent damage output and make the two strikers sing, especially with action point combos. For At-Wills you may not have a great basic attacker to use so you could go with Paint The Bull's Eye and Viper's Strike, for example. You'd also still be able to melee easy enough and take powers like Death From Two Sides. The group is a little light on control and you could always make the Dwarf a Seeker, but then the group would still be only a little less light on control.  The other optionwould be to play a Slayer. You'd be a tanky Striker and the group is actually pretty thin on the front line, most likely.
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12 months ago ::
Jul 05, 2012 - 3:44PM
#7
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But the figure has an axe, it actually is a pretty cool miniature.
Hang on, are you in the same group?
It is a pretty cool mini:
www.reapermini.com/graphics/gallery/4/IG...
If that's the miniature you want to use and play either a leader or defender I'd stick with Warlord but make it an Axe you can throw and maybe take a different presense. Skirmishing might actually be pretty handy with that group. E1 Pin Cushion and E3 Martial Doom, for example, can give you decent damage output and make the two strikers sing, especially with action point combos. For At-Wills you may not have a great basic attacker to use so you could go with Paint The Bull's Eye and Viper's Strike, for example. You'd also still be able to melee easy enough and take powers like Death From Two Sides. The group is a little light on control and you could always make the Dwarf a Seeker, but then the group would still be only a little less light on control.
Interesting idea RE: skirmishing presence, I'd never really given that much thought. The sorceress could pick up an RBA power, and the halfling will be a bow-user, so that makes sense.
Going either weapon talent fighter or straladin for a dual-defender party might also work, or going with Jugulator007's suggestion of a wrathvoker.
The other optionwould be to play a Slayer. You'd be a tanky Striker and the group is actually pretty thin on the front line, most likely.
Not the biggest fan of slayers, tbh.
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12 months ago ::
Jul 05, 2012 - 7:31PM
#8
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I'm not a Slayer fan either, just trying to throw out options.
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12 months ago ::
Jul 05, 2012 - 8:05PM
#9
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Date Joined:
Feb 26, 2011
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You're gimping yourself if you don't go Tactical or Bravura.
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12 months ago ::
Jul 05, 2012 - 8:36PM
#10
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Date Joined:
Jul 16, 2010
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Resourceful is entirely legit, as well, mainly because they have strong power riders and can double-dip for the Tactical riders later on. Insightful, Inspiring, and Skirmishing are all a bit meh, though.
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