AbdulAlhazred
Legend
Heh, that's a good Lets Read. I think you're DM is an interesting sort, kinda oldschool but flexible.
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NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
D&D 4E [4e] Paladin (feat) advice needed
- Thread starter EzekielRaiden
- Start date
EzekielRaiden
Follower of the Way
He's a good guy, it's been a pleasure just the handful of sessions we've had thus far.
The paladin in my game is CHA-based (STR of 14). I think he finally took Athletics training at 30th level, but really could have benefited from it many levels ago.
His MC feat is Avenger (but the Divine Power one, so not open to you). We haven't had any of the MC feats you mention in our game (we have had wizard, invoker, monk, cleric, bard, warlord and the DP paladin one).
Personally I would incline towards the fighter feat over the barbarian. The barbarian one, to be used optimally, requires declaring its use early; but you are not guaranteed to know that you need it until later. Whereas an encounter mark that also gives you a bonus to land your good daily or encounter power fits well with your overall paladin functions and doesn't produce any anxiety or analysis paralysis over its optimal use. Plus being a fighter just seems more dignified than being a barbarian!
AbdulAlhazred
Legend
I always wanted to know how you multiclassed into being a primitive tribesperson... "Hey guys! I just found out my REAL father was Cronan!" lol. I guess barbarian is one of those classes I never really grasped. I get its a sort of "archetype", but in a system where "class is profession" it really doesn't fit. 4e could have more profitably had a 'berserker' class and a 'barbarian' theme.
Yeah, the only edition where that really made sense for me was 4e. Where because pick the mechanics you want and then refluff, you're just someone who has massive anger issues that you just realized existed...
EzekielRaiden
Follower of the Way
I think it can be done, it just requires tweaking for the individual character a little more than some other classes. First, a background blurb for my character:
Once, he sailed the Void on shining wings, chosen of Bahamut; once, he swam the currents of the Deep, drinking his fill of its fire and ice. He served his people proudly, defending creche-worlds from those who would conquer or destroy them. A great battle raged over one such world, and he was gravely wounded, but carried the day; others bore him to a safe place, a secret place, a shrine of healing sleep. So he slept.
His name was--is--Seth. At one time, other names and titles followed that name, earned by valor and sacrifice...but now they mean nothing. He is a stranger in a strange time; the sleep that healed became the sleep that imprisoned. Now, he is the last of his race. The great Or'im, whose dominion shone brightly in the Deep, are now barely even a memory, recognized only by those who study the ancient past (sages and...entrepreneurs alike). Rescued from merely a different kind of imprisonment (at corporate hands) by a noble cyborg, Seth has come to Ged--bastion of the long-gone, but not at all forgotten Eidolons, whose technology remains nearly magical in an age of space-flight. Surely there, if nowhere else, he can find some inkling of where his people went--and what, if anything, he can do to bring them back.
--
So, having said that, I have a few options for how to explain it. One is simply that Seth's people--whom no one has seen for thousands of years, and perhaps longer--naturally possess an unusual form of altered consciousness, whether by training or by biology, which amplifies strength and lets an individual surpass their pain thresholds. There is at least some precedent for Or'im (= Dragonborn, natch) to have unusual quirks of biology, simply because of the bonus attack while bloodied (perhaps the nascent, untrained form of this altered-consciousness state?) combined with the accelerated healing factor (+Con to HS value).
Another option is that the Or'im could have similarities to Vulcans: that is, a people who experience emotion very strongly, but learn to exercise great control over their thoughts and behaviors. I've presented the character as being very deliberative, though (partially intentionally and partially not) he sometimes realizes an important connection a little later than ideal (but still before his party members half the time
) At the same time, I've presented him as having a strong compulsion to act, which then gets reined in, implicitly by the way he was trained. So perhaps this could be less a matter of "learning to tap into the rage," and more "learning to let go when it's needed."There might be others, but those are the ones that come to mind at the moment. And all of that said? This is just me spitballing explanations--I'm still super on the fence about all of it. Fighter makes me better at my core competency, but the only available feat is...lackluster. Barbarian would add welcome damage potential, but (ironically) requires more finesse on my part. Ranger ups the damage, but other than one really solid power-swap, it's a bit thin on future options. I'll have to make a decision by Wednesday--no point delaying any longer than that--but what it'll be I'm still not sure.
Hey, friendly neighborhood cybard (Isolde) here! You're not the only one worried about bringing in the DPR or burst damage! That's why I'm focusing on attack granting/attack bonuses and dmg buffs. Especially since I'm used to being in offense heavy parties (warlord/rogue, ranger/grappler monk FTW).
So to help inform your decision here's what I'm planning to build towards. And since we're the only melee dudes we're going to be next to each other a lot in this best case scenerios.
Staying power:
Scale armor. Shield. Lots of Con. And probably toughness if I can squeeze it in.
Enabling: Blunder. Victorious Smite. Any power that slides party members with agile opprotunist which is most likely only going to be you. (Shout of Triumph, Scorpion's Claw Strike, Illusory Erasure.) So pweety please take agile opprotunist
!
Buffs: Mostly attack and damage. Valrous Bard has three abilities that do this. Also thinking of multiclassing paladin to get wrath of the gods. +charisma to damage for the whole encounter is too tasty even if the range is a bit short. Lef me know if you're cool with me doing this. Maybe Seth trains her in your paladiny ways?
Soft Control: Slides to set up our flanks and shove enemies into hazardous terrian or zones. Psychic lock with githyanki silver weapon and psychic implement powers for constant -2 attack rolls to assist in your defender routine.
So now that you know what I'm planning this should give you some context. Here's my opinions:
Ranger is probably the best choice... Mostly because disruptive strike and attacks on the run don't need two melee weapons. Seriously, disruptive strike is a beyond silly power. And Attacks on the Run needs no explanation. Having our ranger and you having those powers is powerful, even if a bit redundant. Because let's be honest I don't think he's skipping out on those.
Buuuut, if you don't want to step on any toes, Barbarian is a competetive option. Curtain of Steel is amazing. Even non-thaneborns get it. You trade in the sure fire trigger and attack debuff for a sudden burst of damage for those that obey your mark. Afterwards you can upgrade to Hurricane of Blades. Oak Hammer Rage or White Tiger Rage are good defendery level 9 dailys if you want to continue poaching powers.
And of course there is considering using two-hander for a bit more dmg if you're not opposed to losing 2 AC. But, as we all know weapon dice start to matter less and less as static damage increases.
But whatever you do please get agile opprotunist
So to help inform your decision here's what I'm planning to build towards. And since we're the only melee dudes we're going to be next to each other a lot in this best case scenerios.
Staying power:
Scale armor. Shield. Lots of Con. And probably toughness if I can squeeze it in.
Enabling: Blunder. Victorious Smite. Any power that slides party members with agile opprotunist which is most likely only going to be you. (Shout of Triumph, Scorpion's Claw Strike, Illusory Erasure.) So pweety please take agile opprotunist
!Buffs: Mostly attack and damage. Valrous Bard has three abilities that do this. Also thinking of multiclassing paladin to get wrath of the gods. +charisma to damage for the whole encounter is too tasty even if the range is a bit short. Lef me know if you're cool with me doing this. Maybe Seth trains her in your paladiny ways?
Soft Control: Slides to set up our flanks and shove enemies into hazardous terrian or zones. Psychic lock with githyanki silver weapon and psychic implement powers for constant -2 attack rolls to assist in your defender routine.
So now that you know what I'm planning this should give you some context. Here's my opinions:
Ranger is probably the best choice... Mostly because disruptive strike and attacks on the run don't need two melee weapons. Seriously, disruptive strike is a beyond silly power. And Attacks on the Run needs no explanation. Having our ranger and you having those powers is powerful, even if a bit redundant. Because let's be honest I don't think he's skipping out on those.
Buuuut, if you don't want to step on any toes, Barbarian is a competetive option. Curtain of Steel is amazing. Even non-thaneborns get it. You trade in the sure fire trigger and attack debuff for a sudden burst of damage for those that obey your mark. Afterwards you can upgrade to Hurricane of Blades. Oak Hammer Rage or White Tiger Rage are good defendery level 9 dailys if you want to continue poaching powers.
And of course there is considering using two-hander for a bit more dmg if you're not opposed to losing 2 AC. But, as we all know weapon dice start to matter less and less as static damage increases.
But whatever you do please get agile opprotunist
EzekielRaiden
Follower of the Way
Well hello! Fancy meeting you here.
So to help inform your decision here's what I'm planning to build towards. And since we're the only melee dudes we're going to be next to each other a lot in this best case scenerios.
Staying power:
Scale armor. Shield. Lots of Con. And probably toughness if I can squeeze it in.
Enabling: Blunder. Victorious Smite. Any power that slides party members with agile opprotunist which is most likely only going to be you. (Shout of Triumph, Scorpion's Claw Strike, Illusory Erasure.) So pweety please take agile opprotunist
Sounds good to me. Bit of a ways off though so I'll just have to make a note of it for the future. Good thing I'm pushing both Str and Cha!
That's precisely what I was thinking, actually--he already has good reason to feel a certain camaraderie with Isolde, so if we can
Mm, juicy, that, though be careful about sources--is githyanki silver present in PHB 1 or 2? I doubt our DM will mind overmuch--I've made my own little requests and we'll see how those work out--but it's definitely something to keep in mind. (From what I can tell it's a Manual of the Planes thing?)
So now that you know what I'm planning this should give you some context. Here's my opinions:
Ranger is probably the best choice... Mostly because disruptive strike and attacks on the run don't need two melee weapons. Seriously, disruptive strike is a beyond silly power. And Attacks on the Run needs no explanation. Having our ranger and you having those powers is powerful, even if a bit redundant. Because let's be honest I don't think he's skipping out on those.
Buuuut, if you don't want to step on any toes, Barbarian is a competetive option. Curtain of Steel is amazing. Even non-thaneborns get it. You trade in the sure fire trigger and attack debuff for a sudden burst of damage for those that obey your mark. Afterwards you can upgrade to Hurricane of Blades. Oak Hammer Rage or White Tiger Rage are good defendery level 9 dailys if you want to continue poaching powers.
And of course there is considering using two-hander for a bit more dmg if you're not opposed to losing 2 AC. But, as we all know weapon dice start to matter less and less as static damage increases.
But whatever you do please get agile opprotunist
I'll keep it in mind. At the same time, without all the errata and such, Pit Fighter is a highly attractive paragon path for pure damage (especially since I'll end up with a +3 Wis mod by Epic), giving some bonus damage for literally all weapon attacks (the errata made it Fighter/Pit Fighter attacks only). So...I guess I'll have to sleep on it and decide before tonight's session!
EzekielRaiden
Follower of the Way
Oops, looks like I left a dangling sentence. "If we can come up with a good story for it, I'm game." I've also got a few ideas percolating for what we could do. We can discuss that later though.
