3 Strikers and a Controller - Tactical Advice?

[firesnakearies]

wait for them to die

This.

Maybe they'll think about class role balance when they make their next party.

 

[keterys]

3 Ranged and only one melee who wants people to flank with, huh?

Yeah... same advice as combining a warmage, warlock, rogue, (archer) scout in 3e.

Don't.

Followed by 'Custom make special encounters for them that de-emphasize the need for melee, defense, or healing'

Like, say a Rainbow 6 style special ops campaign.

 

[Blackbrrd]

Oh, they just hit level 3 last session.

The rogue doesn't want to take armor that will penalize his skills.

The ranger has better armor. He's not Sir Sneaksalot. He's Sir Shooty.

You only get dex/int bonus to AC with light armor.
Leather gives +2 ac +int/dex
Hide gives +3 ac +int/dex and a -1 armor check penalty

The difference should be 1 or 2, not 9...

 

[Mengu]

I agree with those who said tailor the adventure for the characters. Have more shootouts, than mosh pits. Use enemy minions, skirmishers, soldiers, and artillary more so than brutes and controllers. If you are going to use a few brutes make sure the PC's can get some sort of terrain advantage against them. If you are going to use a controller, make sure there are some healing items in the party.

 

[Solodan]

I don't think your party has much for options. Not having either a defender or a leader sounds like a bad plan. In dungeon scenarios, or any tight space, your group will fall quickly.

As a DM, I wouldn't allow that many strikers, but I realize you may want to give your players a lot more freedom.

I'd offer a "carrot" to get 2 of those strikers to reroll a Defender and Leader - say a magic weapon/item. A balanced party will have a lot more intersting combats over time. Your ranged striker party really has 2 types of combat - 1) Hit and Run, surviving by running around the battlefield and 2) someone dies and the rest run.

 

[zero skill LPB]

Looks like your group is all about 'teh sex'. Strikers are sexy, no doubt.

They'll probably need to invest in the not-so-sexy multi-class feats (Student of Battle, Initiate of the Faith, etc.) to gain access to their Healing Surges in combat.

But sometimes even a Leader isn't enough access to keep folks standing. Play what's fun.

 

[tui]

Perhaps the ~23 AC includes a situational bonus from something like Defensive Mobility. That would be a useful feat for a Striker like a Ranger, although perhaps not so much for a ranged striker...

In any case, if they don't want to reroll characters, I think keterys's suggestion is your best bet:

'Custom make special encounters for them that de-emphasize the need for melee, defense, or healing'

Like, say a Rainbow 6 style special ops campaign.

 

[Ottergame]

wait for them to die

If the DM doesn't carefully, carefully tailor the encounters, this is going to be what happens.

And then everyone overcompensates, and you end up 2 clerics, a warlord, and a paladin.

 

[markl]

If the DM doesn't carefully, carefully tailor the encounters, this is going to be what happens.

And then everyone overcompensates, and you end up 2 clerics, a warlord, and a paladin.

... which is a pretty well balanced party, actually, so no problem there.

 

[Nifft]

If the DM doesn't carefully, carefully tailor the encounters, this is going to be what happens.

I dunno if there is any way to tailor encounters to suit this party, though.

They'll kill fast, unless they miss, in which case they'll die fast. :\

You can't even skip minions unless you want the wizard to be unhappy. It's a bad situation for the DM.

Cheers, -- N