Saying goodbye with a one-shot

[Octangula]

First of all, hello. I've been lurking for a while, but this is my first thread here. And it comes under some less than ideal circumstances.

Next Saturday (the 15th) will probably be the last time I see my local gaming group, as I am moving away. And, as a thank you for everything the group has done for me, and in order to repay the amount of enjoyment I have had from being in an ongoing 4e campaign (that will continue without my character), I'm going to be running a one-shot.

Now, while I feel comfortable working out most of the details (especially with the monster design; I've had the basic ideas for these three encounters for a while, and wasn't sure I'd be running it while I was still here), the one part that I'm struggling with is in creating characters for my players. I want to have a fairly balanced party with some fairly interesting choices, but I feel like I have very little idea with certain classes or roles. Here's what I have so far (note that all of these will be at level 6, as recommended to me by others in the group):

Fighter (probably Dwarf, probably using a two-handed weapon of some sort)
Halfling Monk (Desert Wind)
Deva Wizard (Orb of Imposition)
some sort of leader
some sort of ranged striker
Dragonborn Druid (Primal Guardian; major focus on chessmaster powers)

As you can see, however, I feel like I have very little idea about how to handle a couple of the party slots. Any advice on how to fill these gaps, or warnings about things that might cause me headaches behind the screen, would be welcomed.

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

Normally I leave character generation to the players. They know what they want to play, they can cover the roles as they see fit, and I've got enough prep to do!

That said, if you still want to make pregens for whatever reason, I'd suggest one less controller and one extra leader. I suggest dropping the druid and adding a cleric, a bard, and an archer ranger.

Good luck!

 

[Balesir]

What TS said, or alternately add a defender rather than a leader. I DM for a party of 7, including 2 fighters and a paladin, and IME defenders really have some fun when they can cooperate to get some team plays going.

Good luck, whatever you settle on!

 

[Octangula]

I was considering the Druid to be a defender/controller, rather than just a controller, since they are CON secondary and able to be on the front lines.

And while I agree somewhat with the idea of letting the players create their own characters, I don't know who will be playing (as the group itself is about 20 or so people, not just the people in the campaign with), and I won't be announcing it properly until I know that I have everything finished and will be sure that I am running it.