Challenge! I want to convert your concept!

[unobserved]

That sounds like a challenge!

• I am an arcane infiltrator.
  Wizard. Power Source: Arcane.
• Where mundane spies rely on the darkness and a silent blade[...]
  Rogue. Power Source: Martial.
• I use illusions,
  Invisibility and other powers with the Illusion keyword. Combine with Stealth checks and description.
• disguises
  Disguise Self. Combine with Bluff checks and description.
• and charms as my weapon.
  Pact Initiate, Wizard powers with Charm keyword, Utilities from Warlock. Combine with Bluff checks and description.
• With this I can freely walk among my enemies, gathering intelligence and influencing them to my advantage.
  The results of success.
• If discovered I confuse the enemy to loose my trail and to fight each other while I use my contacts and charmed allies to get away.
  The result of success on more skill checks.

Here, I'll build a level 10 guy for you.

[sblock=Level 10 Wizard with Pact Initiate]

Class: Wizard
Level: 10
Race: Tiefling

Hit Points 57
Bloodied 28	Healing Surge 14	Surges Per Day 6
Initiative +6	Action Points 1

Defenses
AC	Fort	Ref	Will
20	15	20	21

Racial Traits
Speed: 6 squares	Vision: low-light
Languages: Common, Draconic
Alignment: Unaligned

Skill Bonuses: +2 Bluff, +2 Stealth
Bloodhunt
Fire Resistance 7

Str 10 +0
Con 11 +0
Dex 13 +1
Int 20 +5
Wis 12 +1
Cha 18 +4

Skills
Arcana +15
Bluff +16
Diplomacy +14
History +15
Insight +11
Stealth +15

Feats
Ritual Caster
Pact Initiate (eyebite)
Skill Training: Stealth
Novice Power (Dreadful Word)
Skill Training: Stealth
Acolyte Power (Beguiling Tongue)
Adept Power (Mire the Mind)

Powers
Infernal Wrath
Magic Missile
Ray of Frost
Eyebite
Dreadful Word
Freezing Cloud
Sleep
Expeditious Retreat
Beguiling Tongue
Colour Spray
Stinking Cloud
Web
Disguise Self
Invisibility
Mire The Mind
Ice Storm
Blur

[/sblock]

If I could offer a suggestion, it might be to add a skill training in Streetwise for the information gathering if possible.

 

[whynot]

This is a failure of design. First you don't know which was left out intentionally and what not and second it doesn't change that 4E is not allowing what was possible in 3E.

As far as assistant creatures, we do know that they were left out on purpose. They upset the economy of actions. The summons that are in the game now are made with a specific focus in mind (only block movement/only make OAs/only grant combat advantage), and require upkeep on the part of the PC, so that one person doesn't hog all the table time moving his 18 giant crocodiles around the map.

As far as shapeshifting, they may be saving it for the druid, I don't know. I'd be willing to bet they're looking for a way to quantify it so that you don't end up with another Polymorph fiasco, but still leave it flexible enough so that it's fun to play.

I understand that you have an axe to grind, but give the guy a break. I think he's doing an admirable job creating characters with nothing but the core books (as opposed to an entire 3.0/3.5 library of about 8 years) that have been out for about a week. My only complaint is that he isn't actually statting out the characters

 

[Pbartender]

Lost, I think you and Derren are at cross purposes. It seems to me that he does not want to use skill mechanics. He does not want someone who can resist skill-based social manipulation resisting his efforts - he would rather work off of Will saves. This is a fundamental part of how the Beguiler toolkit differs from the social rogue toolkit.

Not necessarily...

In 4E, the DM could just as easily say, "Skill Challenge time! To sneak past the guards using your ninja magic, first make an Arcana check. If it succeeds, you then can make Stealth checks against their Will defense, instead of their passive Perception to represent your ninja magic. There are six guards, between here and the Lord's bed chambers, so you'll need 6 successes get there without begin noticed. 3 failures means the entire castle is alerted."

Done.

 

[kclark]

Wizard or Warlock... Be sure to pick appropriate element-based spells -- Cold, Lightning and Thunder-based spells especially. Other spells can have flavor text adjusted. Mordenkainen's Sword, for example, can be changed from a sword of crackling golden force into a spectral animal that attacks your foes. Likewise Bigby's Grasping Hands could become spectral bears or some such. Blur conjures up a whirlwind of dust that swirls around you, and Mirror Image encases you in a sheathe of hot air that makes your image waver and double like a mirage in the desert. Evard's Black Tentacles becomes Evard's Entangling Vines.

At 11th Level be sure to take the Spellstorm Mage paragon path.

Also, rituals will help a lot... Animal Messenger, Commune with Nature and Mount, for example. Many of the non-nature Rituals can be carefully re-flavored as well, if you're willing.

Cool one of my players is running an Elf Wizard who is abandoning the Eladrin ways of magic in search of a deeper more nature bound source. He already picked the cold and thunder powers at first level and the nature oriented rituals and so far is liking his character. I will be sure to send him these reflavor tips as he levels up. I really like your descriptors for Blur and Mirror image.

 

[Pbartender]

What about my character? Are you going to conveniantly ignore those that you would otherwise fail to convert effectively?

Aside from the fact that I wasn't actually the one to make the challenge... I only had so much time, before I had to go to work this morning. My apologies.

Let me make it easier for you: He's an evil wizard with superhuman intelligence who plots world domination via dark supernatural magic and minions. He is the archatypical villain who sits in his dark tower waiting for the heroes to drop by so they can be vanquished and he can laugh manically. If 4E can't fullfill this archetype, I worry about the game.

Now, you're specific character? No, of course we can't convert him quite perfectly. It's fairly clear that can't do that with most characters. However, we can do fairly close approximations that still have similar capabilities, and give the same stylistic feel.

For example... Your archetypal evil wizard with dark magic and minions is not that diffcult:

Chaotic Evil Star (or Infernal, depending on your tastes) Pact Warlock. If you wish, there is a Lich template in the DMG, and minions can be added as necessary. The rest is flavor text, and the DM playing the appropriate personality.

Done.

 

[JDillard]

- I am the essence of deadliness. Blending magical prowess, stealth, and skill at arms, I strike swiftly and terminate my opponents before they have a chance to react. I can deal either potent magical damage or devastating strikes, depending on which is better suited to the situation. I can damage anything, even things normally resistant to one or both of these methods.

I'll take a stab at these!

This is a hard one. Let's see. You want triple threat, so three effective things.

We already know you can't triple class. That's out, so I'm not even going to worry about that.

Don't downplay the Rogue's "skill at arms". He may just be using a dagger, but he does some powerful damage with it.

I would say, go Halfling Artful Rogue with fae pact Multiclass. Fae pact gives you a couple different damage types (which I believe includes psychic... something few monsters have resistance to) as well as utility that adds to stealth.

Also, you can apply the "pact blade" enchantment to any light blade, so you can have one weapon which acts as both your Rogue weapon and your Warlock Implement. Synergy ftw!

- I am the essence of preparedness. Whether magical misdirection, base cunning, or treachery, nothing escapes me. I am alert to subtle inconsistencies in character and the tell-tale signs of trap placement and ambush as well as disturbances in the magical flows that surround me. In short, I ensure the party is never truly surprised and always has the edge on the enemy, and I assist in the fight itself with strong support magic and powerful attacks.

This one is pretty easy, actually, if I get the gist of what you want.

Elf Cleric, make sure that Int is not your dump stat. Take "Skill Training: Perception", make sure your wisdom is high. Make sure to make Arcana and Insight your Cleric trained skills. You get the Elven "+1 to all party members perception checks" skill (thus, helping to "ensure the party is never surprised"). Wisdom clerics can do some decent damage with ranged attacks, and obviously you have the cleric's support magic. Maybe for your second feat, take Improved initiative. Suddenly, you're the guy who's almost always going first, and very, very aware of what's going on around him.

I'll have to wait for the third one, gotta get back to work...

 

[Thasmodious]

-I am a arcane samurai. Much like the real samurai I don't focus on only one weapon. Be it a sword, a spear or the bow, be it on foot or from the back of a mount I am a capable warrior with it. But I also don't neglect the power of the arcane, instead I use it to enhance my fighting. Magic shrouds me in protective armour, magic makes my arm stronger and my feet faster, magic makes my sword strike true and magic lets me escape from hopeless situations.

This one's simple. Fighter with a solid Int. You are proficient in all the weapons mentioned, and many more to boot. Add mounted combat feat. Multiclass into wizard for the arcane - shield, expeditious retreat, or dimension door serve you well. Continue with paragon multi to gain more arcane benefits to the build, including another utility, problably one of the above, or use blur or resistance for protection, pick up cloud of daggers or thunderwave, acid arrow as a daily perhaps, to fire from your bow, some other wizard attack powers that fit your flavor or reflavor to fit your flavor.

 

[Derren]

Fighter with a solid Int. You are proficient in all the weapons mentioned, and many more to boot.

Proficiency alone is not enough. This build should also have powers which work with that weapon (bow seems to be the problem here).

 

[Pbartender]

I will be sure to send him these reflavor tips as he levels up. I really like your descriptors for Blur and Mirror image.

It was always one of my favorite things to do in 3E... Keep the mechanics of a spell or monster the same, but change up the description.

It was an easy way to keep things interesting and fresh for both myself and the players, while not having to thumb through dozens of splat books to find something none of the players have seen yet.

Also, it's a great way to make themed characters without running out of options.

 

[Korgoth]

"Mmatmuor and Sodosma, vile sorcerers from the dark land of Naat, who animate the corpses of the entire kingdom of Cincor to serve as slaves to their warped ambitions."







What's that? Oh, you can't do a fantasy story in D&D 4th edition? You're only allowed to do Tom Clancy novels? Oh.