Martial Controller? Forked Thread: WotC Spring 2009 Catalog

Grimstaff · Jul 31, 2008

Forked from: WotC Spring 2009 Catalog

Grimstaff said:
Martial Controller? How about Monk?

Jackie Chan would approve (as he decimates a horde of ninjas with a refridgerator door)...

There's some conjecture as to what would make a good martial controller. my votes for Monk.

Any ideas?

radferth · Jul 31, 2008

Guy-with-a-sword-who-spins-around-really-fast.

(Psi)SeveredHead · Jul 31, 2008

Not monk.

Controllers should have ranged abilities. Short of flying leap, what does a monk have? Nothing more special than the dual-wielding ranger's attack.

knightofround · Jul 31, 2008

Dragoon ftw =)

blargney the second · Jul 31, 2008

I keep reading that as marital controller, and I just don't see that ending well.

Controllers seem to be about shoving foes around, debilitating enemies, making AoE attacks, and creating zones. I think a monk or swordsage could pull those off the first three fairly easily, but I'm having a harder time visualizing martial zones of nastiness.

blargney the second · Jul 31, 2008

double post, please delete.

LightPhoenix · Jul 31, 2008

My vote would be some sort of Archer, but not as Striker-y as the Ranger build.

Whimsical · Jul 31, 2008

The concept of a martial controller was what got me to play a fighter focused on the spiked chain when 3.0 came out. I loved how I should trip-smack approaching opponents and stop their charges and advances.

On my turn I would use Combat Expertise to pump my AC while placing myself in the midst of the bad guys, then trip them while hitting them. Then when my turn was done, they would have a hard time hitting me due to being prone and because of my high AC. Especially with my Dwarven Defender spiked chain master.

So, I envision a martial controller as a wielder of a reach weapon.

Klaus · Jul 31, 2008

blargney the second said:
I keep reading that as marital controller, and I just don't see that ending well.

Controllers seem to be about shoving foes around, debilitating enemies, making AoE attacks, and creating zones. I think a monk or swordsage could pull those off the first three fairly easily, but I'm having a harder time visualizing martial zones of nastiness.

Stomp the ground -> create zone of difficult terrain.

Use "air fists" (like Master Shifu in Kung Fu Panda) to push clouds of dust into zones that obscure vision and cause poison damage (from inhaling).

Pick and return arrows that miss you as free attacks.

Pick up and throw enemies at your foes (as a ranged burst).

I'd say a Monk in a "my kung fu is strong, therefore I am enlightened" mode can work as a Martial Controller.

Victim · Jul 31, 2008

I don't see the monk as a controller at all. We already have fighters who shove foes around, inflict status effects, make area attacks (at point blank though), and create dangerous zones (via stances). Sometimes, they do several of them at once: like using Come and Get It to draw nearby foes close and then area attack them, or Vorpal Tornado to push, knock prone and do area damage. There's also shifting stuff to get around. Rangers have a number of similar powers.

If unarmed attacks and cloth armor didn't suck, then I think you could make a pretty good monk with just existing classes and powers.