Class choice- what could this party use? Is two defenders one too many?

[Kitesh]

We're starting a new campaign Thursday. I was going to play a leader (bard/artificer), but now it turns out we already have two leaders (lazy Warlord, Ardent). Three leaders seems like one too many to me, so I'm trying to decide if I want to play a Defender or a Controller, and I'm looking for some outside opinions (esp. as to whether two Defenders would be one too many). We're starting with seven PC's with the assumption that it will be rare to have everyone every night, since we're all pretty busy.

If I were going to play Defender, I'd be playing Fighter|Barbarian. Controller would probably be an Invoker. Striker-wise, I'd be interested in a Storm Sorcerer (esp. since it seems very Eberron-y).

The current party:
Striker (Ranger)
Striker (Ranger|Rogue)
Defender (Swordmage)
Leader (Ardent)
Leader (Warlord) (will not be at ever session)
??? - player who hasn't announced his class choice yet
??? - me

 

[Obryn]

A Swordmage is a bad primary defender. They are a great second defender, with a lot of Controller mixed in.

I'd go with a Fighter, pure and simple. They're the best defender, and they can deal striker-level damage while still staying sticky as all get-out.

-O

 

[Herschel]

Straight Fighter. Go Great Weapon if you want to spam damage.

 

[Mengu]

Depends on what the rangers are. If they are both melee, then you probably should consider Invoker or Storm Sorcerer for some range, otherwise range may be a big weakness for the party. If there are no other divine types, I'd probably go Invoker. Especially since you were originally wanting to play a leader, Invoker seems to be a good fit with a secondary leader role, and a lot of control and decent minion killing potential (not that a party of 7 should have any problems killing minions)

If one of the rangers is ranged, and the "unknown" plays a ranged type, then Fighter|Barbarian seems perfect.

 

[Garthanos]

Your leaders would love having two defenders ... sword mages dont sit still (at least when played optimally) so a solid fighter might be very handy for everyone involved rogues need them too.

 

[Kitesh]

Great! I had been pretty heavily leaning towards the Defender, but I was worried about having two- glad to hear they play well together. Thanks for the advice.

 

[ExploderWizard]

You never know when "too much" is barely enough. 3 out of the 6 players in my game are defenders. All those bricks have come in handy at times.
We have:

Dragonborn paladin
Dwarven paladin
Goliath warden
Human ranger
Human rogue
Gnome bard

So far this has worked out for them.

 

[Herschel]

Twin Swordmages can also be a load of fun and help make up for a lack of controller in the process. They can be the same Aegis or even one Shielding/one Assault. Twin Assault Swordmages, if played effectively, can give a DM fits, but you want the Rangers to be a able to be in melee too if you go that route.

 

[Obryn]

Great! I had been pretty heavily leaning towards the Defender, but I was worried about having two- glad to hear they play well together. Thanks for the advice.

Oh, absolutely. While swordmages are my favorite class, they're not a typical Defender. A Shielding Swordmage is the best Defender at preventing damage to their party, but they have zero stickiness and low damage. Assault Swordmages can deal some sizable out-of-turn damage, but not prevent much. Ensnaring Swordmages are just weird.

You have to keep in mind that a Swordmage is most effective when they are actively avoiding their Aegis target. This gives them a lot of freedom - but it gives the bad guys the run of the field, too.

Regardless, they play marvelously with other Defenders. Yes - even other swordmages, as Herschel pointed out.

-O

 

[Prestidigitalis]

The few times I've played in a group with more than one defender, there has been some loss of effectiveness due to conflicting marks.

I never thought I would be saying this, but increasingly I like the idea of a striker-heavy party. There is a huge difference between doing 12 damage when you hit and doing 24, not just on paper but on the battlemap.