Best martial controller ideas?

[TwinBahamut]

The reverse Warlord, the mounted warrior, and the samurai are all my favorite picks for the martial controller. The last one may have been better if we still had a Ki power source, but it would still work well with the Martial power source (though I would have to give up hopes of air slash attacks).

 

[Zaran]

Before the monk was released I had wonderd if they might make the monk a martial controller. I still think that could have been a really interesting take on the class.

I actually wish they made the Monk a controller even if it wasn't a Martial class and made it a KI power source. I had designed one up up to 9th level for my own game. With all kinds of multiple strikes, moving around the battlemap and holds, grapples, and paralytic attacks they would be great for a controller type class.

 

[Roland55]

Perhaps some sort of genuine artillery type? A bomb and potion thrower??

 

[crash_beedo]

I'm with those who've suggested the pole arm or staff-fighter that inflicts status effects on enemies - stuns, trips, dazes, immobilize, slow, etc... lots of burst 1 effects swinging the sticks or pole arms and zapping lots of enemies. Lots of shifty abilities could let him move around zapping other groups.

This type of character really belongs in the Asian-inspired book that has the Ki power source - and hopefully they put in all the martial weapons that will support it... sai, tonfa, jo sticks, bo sticks, etc. Will that be PHB3?

I agree it would have been cool if the monk was the martial controller, but we could still see it as a similar class.

 

[Felon]

Best idea for a martial controller?

Invent a time machine, travel back to when 4e was under development, and convince the designers that just because the rogue did a lot of damage in 3e, that doesn't mean that it needs to be a striker in 4e. The rogue should be the guy known for his bag of dirty tricks, not for his massive damage.

Having said that, as has been stated the rogue actually does provide a fair amount of control. He can trip and blind and get opponents to stab each other. I just wish he was little bit more about a variety of tricks than he was about getting flank so he can cut loose with boodles of sneak attack daamge. Remember the trap-setting prestige class that came out in Complete Scoundrel? I could see a rogue controller doing a lot of stuff like that.

 

[Herobizkit]

Not much word on it, but I really like the psionically-flavored Ballisteer class. Reskinned, this could be a fun martial controller using guns and "mind bullets" to incapacitate or harry foes.