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I think the hit and make the target chase is a valid tactic. In a different party, it might be difficult (target is marked by the fighter) or impossible (the remaining party forms a solid barrier) for the target to pursue the swordmage. Other controllers have other dailies that really...

I agree that the Barbarian paths are generally weak (Bear Warrior isn't horrible if you want a healing bent to your Barbarian.) Frenzied Berserker is great flavor, and horrible mechanics. Fortunately, there are a number of good strength-based PPs. I am hoping that Primal Power brings a few...

I agree with the previous responses. The only way around it RAW is to ready actions: The orc readies an action to charge PlayerX when the orc leader moves forward. However, using readied actions in this way can lead to a lot of issues (e.g. bypassing fighter's combat challenge). I'm not a fan of...

Paladins generally rank pretty low on the defender totem pole (or even the class totem pole) for a variety of reasons. So the fact that the warden compares favorably to paladins isn't too surprising: I think the issue is the paladin, not the warden. The comparison of a warden against a fighter...

In my games, we're working with a rough house rule of typing penalties: Power: A penalty inflicted by a power (e.g. Illusionary Ambush) Mark: A mark Feat: A penalty inflicted by a feat (e.g. Psychic Lock) Item: Item inflicted penalties So far, this scheme has worked pretty well to make sure...

Distant Advantage also offers a nice alternative to Deft Strike (hide, deft strike, rinse, repeat) for ranged rogue builds or ranged/melee hybrids. It also can soften the impact of terrain, which has a huge impact on the ranged rogue. Well, assuming one has a cooperative melee party, as...

Well, remember that some rogues don't use daggers (heresy, I know), although they tend to be brutal scoundrels so they can get light weapon mastery. There are also some nice feats that give bonuses an charges -- Surprising Charge: +1[W] on charge with light blade/spear, Powerful Charge: +2...

One other thought: CoR actually requires that another creature hit the avenger (not just attack attack), so each feat spent on AC does directly reduce the CoR's striker damage. I still like AC, but at least there is a tradeoff.

I don't quite know what to make of the avenger AC possibilities, especially as Improved Armor of Faith starts looking like an amazing feat by paragon or epic. On paper, it looks questionable. But I also remember being dubious about the shielding swordmage being effective with such low damage...

RAW, I agree with DracoSuave the bonuses to skills are untyped from your race. It's also likely that some designer made the reasonable assumption that skill bonuses from race are racial bonuses, and thus wrote the Twilight Guardian path feature to refer to "racial bonus", thus making the PH2...

The problem with trying to get away from the target is that as soon as the Aegis of Assault triggers, the swordmage is right next to his mark again. It's hard to get away from the mark. The shielding swordmage has a significant advantage in that if he gets away from his mark, then he stays...

The experience with wizards seems to vary greatly between groups. In general, I consider their at-wills pretty weak, although they have amazing daily powers. At low levels, a striker often seems like a better choice, especially if the monsters don't clump so that only 1-2 are good choices for...

Ah, you're right. I didn't read the build carefully enough.

The posted Fey-Charger build has a few weaknesses: It relies on melee and charging, neither of which are always the easiest to do (especially if you also want to gain combat advantage). Secondly, as I read it, it doesn't give DPR. The rogue typically has 75% odds to hit (possibly 80% with...

For certain rogue builds (brutal scoundrel with double-sword) which are consistently in melee, Riposte Strike is very good. For other rogues (those who are a more ranged/melee hybrid or especially artful dodgers), it is subpar. One has to design the rogue build around it to really shine, but...

So 1 defender, 2 leaders, and a striker, and 2 striker/controllers. As far as group balance goes, I think one more defender would strongly help the party. Rough party balance: Barbarian and Warden: Clearly melee, use strength, great allies for Commander's Strike. The Druid may be a good ally...

The above represents a massive weakening of the readied action. Readied actions are somewhat weak because it is uncontrolled when the action will trigger, how circumstances may have changed, and whether one will actually want to take the action. For example, I've seen monsters' ready actions for...

Although I certainly understand the reading of immediate interrupts in the PHB that says actions can only be readied in response to an enemy's action, I don't think it does justice to the entire section. The "Interrupting an Enemy" section deals with a subset of interrupts - if you want to...

I'm currently running a campaign for 5 (2 defenders, a paladin and shielding swordmage), and the swordmage is a constant irritant. Just about the time the monsters gain superior positioning and are preparing to bludgeon the PCs to death, the swordmage uses a teleport power and rearranges the...

I'm really confused about this logic that says a Brutal Rogue is worse than an equivalently built Ruthless Ruffian. Whatever power the Ruffian is using, the Scoundrel could also use. If a rogue is in melee, he ought to have CA (presumably from flanking), so the Scoundrel is adding strength to...