Best of the Best - Controllers.

[Kzach]

Given my strong belief that this thread belongs solidly in the general discussion forum I am protesting the move of the other thread by posting this followup in the series of threads in the general forum.

Dammit!

Viva la revolucion!

My ineffectual nerd rage must be noted! And will most likely be ignored!

Politics aside I decided to leave strikers till last because inevitably I think everyone is going to vote for the ranger and I hate the ranger so I'm putting off the conclusion until I can't ignore it any longer

I also felt this would be the more interesting poll given that the field is so narrow and there are a lot of strong feelings for and against the wizard, and it seems for the psion. Conflict is always amusing

Thus I give you the Best of the Best - Controllers poll!

 

[Gort]

The more I play 4e, the more I feel that the "controller" is the weakest role a party can have. Defenders are great, leaders are great, and strikers can often be great for those "you did how much damage?!" moments, but controllers just don't seem as useful as the other roles. Defenders and leaders seem to be constantly able to dump a bunch of conditions on the enemy, and since leaders can shift your allies around, the ability of a controller to shift enemies around doesn't seem all that important.

With the advent of classes like the swordmage and sorcerer, the ability to do area damage doesn't seem very special to the controller any more, either.

 

[Umbran]

Given my strong belief that this thread belongs solidly in the general discussion forum I am protesting the move of the other thread by posting this followup in the series of threads in the general forum.

This is a 4e rules based discussion. It is not generally applicable to other systems. Thus, it does not belong in General, it belongs in 4e rules.

If you want to make a case for it otherwise, take it to e-mail. Outright defiance does little to convince us of your cause.

 

[Saagael]

Personally, I think controllers are the most fun to play. In my group the fighter has almost no controlling ability (other than one power that pulls enemies) and just does damage. The leader (inspiring warlord) is devoted entirely to healing (again, with only one power to slide allies). There are two strikers with almost no control ability at all. The last two are by far the most interesting to watch on the battlefield. They are a druid and sorcerer, and they both fill the controller role quite nicely.

Perhaps it is the group dynamic that makes them more useful, because I can see where a warden or tactical warlord might steal a controller's role. Though I'm sad that Warlocks didn't get on the list. Starlocks/Feylocks can be scary good at controlling enemies (which makes up for their not so stellar damage output).

 

[Turtlejay]

This (like the leader thread) depends a lot on what you think a controller is for. If you want to do a lot of damage in a large area, that is one thing, but if you want to force movement and debuff, well. . .illusionist?

Jay

 

[RyvenCedrylle]

It almost seems to me that the controller is the new 'skill monkey' or maybe special effects crew. The Invoker, Druid and Wizard all start with Ritual Casting as a bonus feat, as do the Cleric, Bard and Artificer which minor heavily in controller despite being leaders. If you need something interesting to happen outside of combat that's not simply a bonus to a skill check, your friendly neighborhood controller probably has the best shot of getting it done with either a Utility power or Ritual. Admittedly, their combat effectiveness can seem a little vague or non-intuitive because it's not really about conditions or damage - it's about telling your enemies where and when they can move, sort of like an anti-leader.

Let me speak firsthand, for instance, to the ability of a Summoner Wizard-Shaman multiclass to throw down roadblocks better than the LAPD. Storm Pillar and Spirit Companion every round, and if need be, add in a summoned creature or encounter conjuration. That's a lot of crap getting in the way.

 

[Herschel]

Wizards rock! Anyone who thinks controllers suck either isn't playing one right or hasn't seen one played right. I love playing beside Wizards, even multiples. Controlling the battlefield is HUGE in more situations than I can remember or maybe think of. Controllers make almost any battle better.

 

[Votan]

I am quite surprised that the Druid does so poorly. I've bene reading the class in the hopes of figuring it out and it seemed to be reasonably effective. Or does it really work as a blend more than a pure controller?

 

[Blackbrrd]

I haven't seen how a wizard plays after level 4, but before that, the Wrathful Invoker kicks ass. He has a lot of attack targeting Will instead of Reflex and gains a damage bonus the more enemies there are.

The invoker in the party I am DM-ing could regularily do a Move +Encounter power +Action point Daily that did 15+15+5 damage to every target with close burst 3 in one round. At level 1. This is enough to kill most mobs at that level. Throwing minions into the mix enhances this characters damage - in other words, they make the encounter easier. In addition, the AoE powers targets enemies, so they are really easy to use.

The controller wizard does a lot of damage, but over time, not in one round of nova. Damage NOW is better than damage spread over 4-5 rounds. I think Stinking Cloud might make up for it, because that does damage and creates a large zone the mobs don't want to be in.

 

[Dice4Hire]

Well, apparently I dod not 'get' controllers because I really find them inferior to any other role. Much much inferior. Yes, they have cool abilities and nice powers, but other roles beat them up and steal their stuff, or at least make their best attacks look weak in comparison.

So I did not vote. I hope that WOTC will clarify this role better, but until they do, I will play other roles, all of which I like.

So I did not vote here.