Abjurer, a ranged defender

[Nemesis Destiny]

To continue the current design trend, the punishment attack could be Magic Missile (which like Bladesingers and Mages they'd get for free). That could be combined with the -2 hit penalty mentioned above, but only on the punishment attack.

I'm really digging this class.

 

[Quickleaf]

Sheesh you guys know this class concept better than me!

Yeah the -2 attack on opportunity attacks makes sense, and in reading over it again the push attack is just a bit too powerful. So the pushing arcane bolt would not be a basic attack, and the opportunity attack would be a magic missile which as an effect imposes a -2 attack penalty?

That seems spot on. Thanks!

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

What exactly makes this class a Defender?

In a way, to me the significant difference between a Defender and a Controller is that the Defender makes himself a target. He provides "incentives" for the enemy to attack him, and he doesn't generally "hide" from his enemy.

That's for example why marking only triggers when the defender is not part of the attack. And why the ranged abilities of Defenders (if any) are usually very limited in range. He has to get close to his enemies so they actually have the option of targeting the defender. If they don't, because the defender can defend from range unmolested, the defender is just a controller with lots of extra healing surges and hit points.

So, Arcane Ward should not protect the Abjurer, I think or at least work somewhat differently.
1) The Arcane Ward is probably too strong if it grants resistances. Temporary hit points should be better. Say, at the start of each of its turns, the target gains 3+[SECONDARY ABILITY] temporary hit points.
2) More powers should have the Arcane Ward Destruction Mechanic, with the idea they perform somewhat better if the Abjurer can use it then when not.
3) If the Abjurer himself gets hit, he loses his Arcane Ward. Maybe for each hit, he loses one ward.

2 and 3) encourage enemies to focus on the Abjurer instead of his allies. Enemies don't want the Abjurer to deal extra damage because the ward is active, and focusing on the Abjurer means they get rid of all those wards that protect the allies as well.

If you want to keep him at range, you're naturally running into a conflict with how a Defender has to operate. If you can't guarantee that enemies "stick" around the Defender and keep targeting him, you must make him pay the cost of defending in other ways.

For example:
Protective Runes - Standard
You exert your inner reserves to draw magical runes of protection over your ally.
Range: Melee Touch
Target: One ally
Effect: Spend a healing surge but regain no hit points. Your ally gains temporary hit points equal to your healing surge value. Until the end of his next turn, the ally also gains a +2 power bonus to defense and saving throws.

Dimensional Guarding - Standard
You erect a dimensional warding around your enemy, that allows you to hinder his attacks, but opening you up for his attacks in turn.
Range: Ranged 10
Attack: Intelligence vs Fortitude
Hit: 1d8+INT force damage and the target is marked.
Effect: Until the end of your next turn, the enemy can make melee attacks against you as if you were adjacent to him.

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

Another option to satisfy that would be to use something like the mechanic of a Shaman's spirit companion. Say, if the ward gets "popped" or set a damage threshold which, if overcome, causes the Abjurer to take some of that damage.

A setup like that would allow them to defend at range while exposing themselves to risk and soaking up some damage. It also creates a risky element in that if they have multiple wards up, it's that many more vectors for taking damage.

They could still reduce harm to their allies by "taking" some of their damage, they can still retaliate with MM, and through that, impose attack penalties.

 

[Tony Vargas]

I love the idea of an abjurer in 4e, and both examples provided have cool things going on. I'd love to see something "official" based on these ideas... anyone feel up to a submission to WotC?

To have a snowballs chance in the City of Brass, a submission would have to follow the current design direction. That means no new classes - and probably would mean making it a Mage School, Ajuration, or at least a Wizard sub-class

Sub-classes can have different roles, now. The hard part would be designing it so that it couldn't poach all the Wizard's controllerness, /and/ didn't open the wizard up to all it's defenderiness.... Thus, the defender functionality would have to be built into class features, and graft onto wizard spells - perhaps by twisting the controllerness of the spells to support the defender role...

For instance. An area spell could leave the area it hit 'warded,' for a turn. Enemies making attacks from or into the warded area would face some sort of mark-punishment, unless they directed their attacks at the abjurer, presumably (or for melee enemies in the ward, perhaps 'at the ward,' somehow). The 'mark punishment' might be part of the usual damage or the usual condition inflicted by the normal Wizard version of the spell - held in abayance until the ward is violated.

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

Yes, exactly - if this is going to make it as a Dragon submission, it pretty much needs to be built like the Bladesinger. Class features for Defender role (which we have largely established) and poaching powers from another class list. I would be inclined to say Swordmage, but there are too many melee powers and ones which rely upon Aegis, so Wizard it will probably have to be.

Encounter-as-daily has been done and I don't think it as appropriate here. Perhaps as you suggest, 'warding' bursts or blasts. Perhaps using a similar mechanic to the proposed 'punishment' that I suggested (slapping attack penalties on for entering), or causing difficult terrain for enemies, etc?

I think we might be able to get away with a smattering of Encounter and/or Daily powers with the Abjuration keyword as well.

 

[Ishmayl]

Good old fashioned Microsoft Word. Next question.

Would you by chance be interested in sharing the document? I would love to do my character sheet like that.

 

[Xethreau]

From what I can see of the class, this is awesome! But I can't see past the first page of the document, and I can only see it because of the pic in the OP. Am I missing something? Where can I read the full writeup?

 

[The Little Raven]

Here's some ideas I had when working on an Abjurer shortly after Essentials came out.

I wanted my Abjurer to stick near allies, and have a marking/punishment system based on allies, rather than enemies. To this effect, I created an aura that starts at 3 squares and may get bigger at higher levels which allows the Abjurer to mark anyone who attacks an ally within the aura. Since this is an aura that uses the marking system, there was no need to make allowances for Defender Aura.

Sanctuary Aura
You radiate an aura of protective energies around nearby allies.
At-Will * Aura
Minor Action - Personal
Effect: You activate an aura 3 that lasts until you end it as a minor action or until you fall unconscious. As an opportunity action, you may mark any enemy that makes an attack against an ally subject to this aura.

To go along with that were some mark punishment ideas. Two of them play off of marks and attacks that target allies, so you can opt to reduce damage or deal retributive damage to the attacker. The third fills the Defender niche of hindering movement by slowing an enemy that enters your Aura. I opted to make it a separate power instead of building it into Sanctuary Aura to make it more explicit in how it functions w/the action economy and all that. These three powers would fall under an Arcane Wards class feature.

Ward of Hindrance
Your protective magics hinder your enemies.
At-Will * Arcane
Opportunity Action - Personal
Trigger: An enemy enters your Sanctuary Aura.
Effect: The triggering enemy is slowed until the end of its next turn.

Ward of Protection
Your protective magics are second to none.
At-Will * Arcane
Immediate Interrupt - Personal
Trigger: An enemy you have marked makes an attack that damages an ally subject to your Sanctuary Aura.
Effect: The damage is reduced by an amount equal to your Intelligence modifier.

Ward of Retribution
Your protective magics turn deadly against foes.
At-Will * Arcane
Immediate Interrupt - Personal
Trigger: An enemy you have marked makes an attack against an ally subject to your Sanctuary Aura.
Effect: You make a ranged basic attack against the triggering enemy, but determine range, line of sight, and line of effect from the ally that is being attacked. If the attack misses, the enemy still takes damage equal to your Intelligence modifier.

Other than that, I was going to make it be a Wizard subclass, give it Magic Missile so it has a ranged basic attack. I hadn't gotten much past level 1 concepts before other stuff became a priority. The class still needs better defenses and survivability to be a real Defender.

 

[Quickleaf]

Would you by chance be interested in sharing the document? I would love to do my character sheet like that.

Did I already get this too you? I can't remember if you PMed me about it.

From what I can see of the class, this is awesome! But I can't see past the first page of the document, and I can only see it because of the pic in the OP. Am I missing something? Where can I read the full writeup?

That's because there is no full write-up This was just a concept floating around in my head which I wanted to playtest. However, Kzach posted a greatly expanded take on te bottom of the first page.