Anyone want to hazard a guess as to what a Martial Controller would look like?

[Aage]

I think it should be an Archer class. With cool Bo9S style abilities with names like Rain of Arrows where you can put so many arrows in the air it becomes an area effect attack akin to a fireball.

This.

 

[BASHMAN]

The PH2 Knight strikes me as a controller-- able to force enemies to take certain actions, restricts their ability to move through certain areas / do damage to his allies.

 

[KoshPWNZYou]

I'm sure there will be martial characters who have bits of controller in them. But I doubt there will be any fully dedicated martial controllers.

The Spiked Chain master is the best candidate I can think of, better even than the Monk since the Monk lacks the reach and will generally dish out more damage. Give Spikey the right feats -- Disarm, Trip, Reflexes, Whirlwind -- and you've got a controller ... and a PITA for the DM.

 

[olshanski]

I think it should be an Archer class. With cool Bo9S style abilities with names like Rain of Arrows where you can put so many arrows in the air it becomes an area effect attack akin to a fireball.

Plus all sorts of special manuevers and trick arrows. For example, a ranged grapple/pin attack by stapling the enemy to a tree or something. Arrows that can explode for various effects. At higher levels be able to give arrows a slaying effect and so on.

I'd also like it so when the duck is marching along and you hit it in the bulls-eye that a bell rings and the duck then reverses direction and moves the other way.

 

[Mad Mac]

People seem to be mixing up controller and defender. "controlling" everyone within crotch-kicking range is what the Fighter does, and he's the classic defender.

A martial controller would be more like the Million Monkey Master, who uses his infinite supply of madcap monkey ninjas to control the battlefield.

Of course, part of the problem is that the only example of a controller we have right now is the Wizard--and Wizards in 3.X can do dang near anything, so it doesn't help illustrate the concept very well.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

The Spiked Chain master is the best candidate I can think of, better even than the Monk since the Monk lacks the reach and will generally dish out more damage. Give Spikey the right feats -- Disarm, Trip, Reflexes, Whirlwind -- and you've got a controller ... and a PITA for the DM.

I've played a martial controller like character with a whip fighter - the character never made a damage roll, but when her turn was over foes were prone, disarmed and flanked.

The archer could work well too, esp with some sort of "ranged aid / covering fire" option and ranged trip, disarm and pin options.

A martial controller would look different than a divine or arcane one, but it's not impossible.

 

[JohnSnow]

I reserve judgement until we see the wizard class's "base abilities."

Why? Because an awful lot of the Warlock's powers sound pretty controller-y, but they're officially strikers. So, until we get a GOOD look at a known controller class, we're just guessing what WotC means. However, based on the playtests to date, I'll speculate that the following features are "control."

1) Area attacks.
2) The ability to hinder the enemy.
3) The ability to move the enemy around the battlefield.

For a martial character to do this, they need flexible weaponry. An archer COULD conceivably do this, but for the most part their abilities focus on dealing damage. Let's see...we need area attacks....bull rushes...entanglements...

In Saga, Whirlwind Attack is resolved as an area attack. But unlike a wizard, the martial PC can't be everywhere at once. Some kind of grenadier maybe? I dunno. It's hard to see how it would work.

 

[I'm A Banana]

In Saga, Whirlwind Attack is resolved as an area attack. But unlike a wizard, the martial PC can't be everywhere at once. Some kind of grenadier maybe? I dunno. It's hard to see how it would work.

Archer. Their arrows can be anywhere.

Grappler. With enough movement-based powers, they can fling enemies all over.

Spear-user (pikeman?). Reach + movement-based powers = nothing can escape the reach!

Alchemist. Your grenadier, chucking acids and alchemist's fire and releasing clouds of ick.

Swashbuckler. Dropping chandeliers, tying people up in tapestries, moving around pieces of terrain.

Taunter/Manipulator. Enemies move based on the things you say and the authority of your voice.

Wuxia Martial Artist. Punch the ground here, earth erupts in a shockwave over there. Fly through the air to reach your target. Use exotic weapons that trip, disarm, rush, etc.

Combat trixster. "I'm over here! No, I'm over here!" Throw your voice, juggle your weapons (thrown daggers, or other implements that cause trouble or pain), use caltrops and booby traps.

EDIT: One more: The Yo-Yo Master. Basically a user of whip-like rope or chain weapons. You throw the blade, you reel it back in, you tie people up, you swing across chasms. Works with a whip, and with some of the more asian-flavored chain weapons.

That's more than enough to fill a couple o' PHB's, and it's not even very exhaustive. Basically, use any ranged attack, or give them powerful movement abilities (or the ability to move enemies), and you have the ability to take the battle to the enemy wherever the enemy may be.

 

[Hella_Tellah]

I'll hazard a guess as to how some of a martial controller's powers would work. I'll call him a monk for now.

Crippling Strike: A well-placed strike hampers foes' movement. Target opponent is slowed, limited to only one standard action per turn. Use fortitude defense.
Crippling Flurry: Opponents in a 3-square radius from the monk are slowed, limited to only one action per turn. Use fortitude defense.

Disarming Strike: Superior skill in combat denies a foe his weapon. Target opponent is disarmed. The monk may choose to take the weapon or leave it on the ground in the opponent's square. Use reflex defense.
Disarming Flurry: Opponents in a 3-square radius from the monk are disarmed. The monk may choose to take up to two weapons, leaving all weapons not taken on the ground in opponents' squares. Use reflex defense.

Beguiling Strike: Complex movements confuse one opponent. Target opponent takes a -4 penalty to hit for 1 round/level. Use will defense.
Beguiling Flurry: Opponents in a 3-square radius from the monk take a -4 penalty to hit for 1 round/level. Use will defense.

And there you are. Controller-type "debuff" powers that target all three defenses and retain a martial, non-magical flavor.

 

[Hella_Tellah]

Archer. Their arrows can be anywhere.

Grappler. With enough movement-based powers, they can fling enemies all over.

Spear-user (pikeman?). Reach + movement-based powers = nothing can escape the reach!

Alchemist. Your grenadier, chucking acids and alchemist's fire and releasing clouds of ick.

Swashbuckler. Dropping chandeliers, tying people up in tapestries, moving around pieces of terrain.

Taunter/Manipulator. Enemies move based on the things you say and the authority of your voice.

Wuxia Martial Artist. Punch the ground here, earth erupts in a shockwave over there. Fly through the air to reach your target. Use exotic weapons that trip, disarm, rush, etc.

Combat trixster. "I'm over here! No, I'm over here!" Throw your voice, juggle your weapons, use caltrops and booby traps.

That's more than enough to fill a couple o' PHB's, and it's not even very exhaustive. Basically, use any ranged attack, or give them powerful movement abilities (or the ability to move enemies), and you have the ability to take the battle to the enemy wherever the enemy may be.

You, sir, should be at WOTC's brain-storming sessions. Where others are seeing something impossible, you've got a poo-poo platter of possibilities.

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