Help for my player

[Grimmjow]

Someone made the comment on a different post that in order to explain all the deaths and switching characters have him play a changling. I think he likes that idea but the fey pact warlock would be a great idea i ran that one by him to hes going to look at what they can do later

 

[Neonchameleon]

Changeling is a race - there's no reason you can't play a changeling fey pact warlock (and the synergy is pretty good). Just remember that the Feypact is considered weak - and that it's very easy to build a bad feypact warlock. (A feypact hexblade on the other hand is trivial to build well, especially with the White Well pact).

 

[Storminator]

Mostly this sounds like a tactics issue, not a PC build issue. Stop running into the enemy!

That said, all strikers are glass cannons. If you want to emphasize survivability, play a defender.

A Warden is a solid choice, with the ability to throw off conditions at the beginning of the round and an absolute boatload of hp. We had a Warden PC, and the player was very happy with it. And if the PC draws a lot of fire, he's just doing his job. . .

PS

 

[SensoryThought]

I agree with the above comments that he has a couple of choices to increase survival:
1. Not run in, stand back and play ranged.
2. Run in and take it. Defenders should be able to be swamped, particularly with leader support. If the other players aren't helping there may be a larger issue at play.

I prefer to have players play the way they want rather than force them into a role. And your player is a defender at heart.

In terms of high survival I could recommend a (dwarf) battlerager with high con (with an waraxe and heavy shield). The temp hp bonus from battle vigor and invigorating attacks should give a sizable 8hp? buffer every round. Good damage too. The come and get it lvl7 enc power is great for that style of play.

Wardens and essentials defenders are good for marking large groups.

Basically I see it like an mmo - if the tank dies it is the healer's fault. If anyone else dies it is the tank's fault. Realistically with good armor, shield, ability bonuses with defender hp, they should be getting hit maybe 30-40% of the time and take at least 4-5 hits without healing or 2nd wind to go down. That should be fine unless you are setting the encounter difficulty too hard.

 

[SensoryThought]

Alternatively a battlefront leader warlord with feat support to get scale + heavy shield starts with a great AC and can minor action self heal twice to effectively have 150%hp.

 

[Cobalt Meridian]

May I recommend that he plays a Gnome Feylock. All the teleportation powers mentioned by other posters combined with the Gnome's "Fade Away". I've been playing one of these recently and I had to make a chart listing all the ways the character gets concealment, teleportation or invisibility which make survivability when separeted from the rest of the party much easier.

 

[Breaks]

why not have a conversation with him explaining why his go-to tactic of running out of range of party assistance is counterproductive, rather than having a conversation with him suggesting more classes for whom that's always going to be a silly idea, even if he survives it?

 

[Breaks]

Yes but it sounds to me like he took the wrong message away from your conversation. Telling him, "running away from the rest of the party is dangerous," leads to him trying to minimize the danger, via inflated defenses or a sturdier class. Telling him, in no uncertain terms, "running away from the rest of the party is, always, a bad tactical idea, and is extremely frustrating for the rest of the party as well, because they are forced to choose between trying to help him and trying to help the rest of the party," might have more of an effect.

If he just understands that it's risky, defenses are a great response. If he is annoying people by repeatedly making bad decisions, tell him that.

Also admit that at some point you may have to cater his antics as the DM, and make equally bad tactical decisions with your monsters when it comes to following him or letting him do whatever he wants, or else you'll eventually kill him one more time than he's interested in resurrecting.

 

[Grimmjow]

alot of you said to let him paly a defender, so i told him to go ahead and try. Hes gone swordmage/battlemind hybrid. I really hope this works

 

[Breaks]

Playing a defender will accomplish the same thing as otherwise raising his defenses - it will make running away less dangerous but no less of a bad idea.

But maybe if he thinks his role is to tank he won't run?