Rhun
First Post
I'm still bloody eager to try my melee Warlock build in Leif's game... granted it relies on the DM ruling Hideous Blow doesn't provoke AoO's... because I can't afford to get smacked around everytime I attack.
A fun build to be sure, but not truly optimized, even with the favorable ruling on Hideous Blow.
Mind, I've very little D&D experience myself, and as Rhun can attest, I have a tendency to agonize over numbercrunching and optimizing out of a paranoid fear of being unable to pull my weight.
He speaks the truth. It is agonizingly painful to watch Theroc over-analyze EVERY detail of his character. LOL

(while I know at least ONE person off Enworld who actually wildly enjoys playing a character who routinely gets his arse handed to him during encounters[His character manages to live, but not win]) That would frustrate me.
I had a player for a while who played a rogue and would continuously pick fights with the largest, strongest tanks he could find. He'd always get his ass handed to him, and he had a great time playing the PC. And his antics were fun for everyone else at the table. So, each to their own, I guess.
I'm not saying a PC shouldn't be able to pull his own weight, but just should play the PC they want. I really, really don't think there are any PC classes out there that suck so hard they shouldn't be played. Now that being said certain classes are much better as a 5th PC when the four main roles are covered (Tank, SKill, Arcane, Divine), read Bard, Dragon Shaman, Marshal, Duskblade, etc... as they aren't strong enough in a certain facet to truly cover it off as well as the specialist.
Again, all dependent on the build and the level of the party. I have found that (at least at lower levels), a duskblade is every bit as good in combat as a fighter. Perhaps even better in some circumstances. I haven't tried playing one at higher levels yet.