Classes and Roles: supply and demand

[DeusExMachina]

The one combat I ran when the group didn't have a defender at all was pretty interesting. My enemies were suddenly rushing all over the battlefield and able to go after weak targets, which just showed my that defenders really fulfilled their niche. On the other hand it wasn't like the party was suddenly overrun completely, though having 2 leaders present helped with that...

 

[Byronic]

The invoker is about as sexy as a geriatric ex-librarian with contacts. She may have some good bits but she's still saggy and boring.

The Wizard is the plan B girl. It's not the one you wanted, but she could do.

The Druid the only actually sexy invoker but she'll only date people her own religion which makes her a strong hit-or-miss class.

 

[Nymrohd]

Seems that a lot of groups don't have controllers. In 5man Content of warcraft people stopped caring about control when individual monsters became too weak or when the defender was sticky enough to keep all of them on him and tough enough to be able to take the beating. The reason why people would want to group with a controller was dungeons that had very dangerous monsters in their pulls that had to somehow be restrained from action. Maybe the same thing will happen with 4E if MM2 monsters hit harder and thus controlling them is better than tanking them.

 

[Klaus]

The invoker is about as sexy as a geriatric ex-librarian with contacts. She may have some good bits but she's still saggy and boring.

The Wizard is the plan B girl. It's not the one you wanted, but she could do.

The Druid the only actually sexy invoker but she'll only date people her own religion which makes her a strong hit-or-miss class.

Wow, talk about YMMV!

Invoker is one of most appealing classes to me right now, and druid is one of the least interesting. If I had to play a controller, it'd be a deva invoker.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

The invoker is about as sexy as a geriatric ex-librarian with contacts.

Well, I never considered a geriatric ex-librarian before...

Invoker is definitely one of my favorite PHB 2 classes, and probably the second best Divine class of them all (Avenger, Invoker, Paladin, Cleric). With best not referring to power, but just to flavor. They feel... "old testamental", or like the Ori priests in Stargate. Raining down your gods wrath on enemies, what's not to like?!

 

[CubeKnight]

My group: Tempest Fighter, Warforged Warden, Wizard, Goliath Barbarian, Ranger and Half-elf Bard.

 

[MacMathan]

Current group compositions are:

Group 1:
Dragonborn Shield and Hammer Fighter
Eladrin Artful Dodger Rogue
Human Cleric of Erathis Wisdom/extra healing style
Half-Elf Inspiring Warlord
Tiefling Star Pact Warlock

Defender 20%, Leader 40%, Striker 40%, Controller 0%

Group 2:
Human Wizard
Dwarven Druid
Human Ranger
Half-Orc Cleric of the Raven Queen Str-Based
Half-Elven Paladin of Pelor Cha-Based
Wood Elf Barbarian

Defender ~17%, Leader ~17%, Striker ~33%, Controller ~33%

Group 3: ( A bit different as it is a homebrew and it has been translated from 3to3.5to4.0)
Human Greatsword Fighter
Human Bard
Human Monk
Human Cleric Wis Based
Human Two Weapon fighter (Was a rogue/fighter will probably be a tempest or ranger)
Human Polearm Fighter

Defender: ~50%, Striker ~17%, Leader ~33%, Controller 0%

Overall group 2 is less durable than group 1 but takes things down much faster. Group 3 is interesting as it is so defender heavy almost no one gets back to the cleric or bard.

 

[Stalker0]

My group:

Deva Staff/Orb Wizard
Tiefling Fey Warlock -> Bard (who just changed his character to a bard, wasn't feeling the warlock)
Dragonborn Shield Fighter
Dwarven Cleric (equal Strength/Wis)
Elven Bow Ranger
Dragonborn Paladin (equal Str/Cha)

I felt wizards were weak until I got past the 6th level or so, then they grew into their own. I find there dailies are amazing, and really clean house both in damage and control.

 

[fissionessence]

I've been looking at making a character for a 4E game; the group needs a defender. I already play a fighter in another game and I don't really want to play a paladin which leaves warden as the only choice and unfortunately the concept doesn't grab me - the game is core only so the swordmage is not an option.

The swordmage is core. Everything published by WotC is core, according to their 4E definition of the concept. Breaking away from core, you could also try the rune soldier (see my sig)

My group:
Gnoll Rogue (striker)
Saproling [Tvari 3PP] Artificer (leader)
Catfolk [+2Str,+2Cha Longtooth Shifter] Rune Soldier [3PP] (defender)
Minotaur Barbarian (striker)
Dauthi [Shadar-Kai] Witch Doctor [3PP] (controller)

So we have 40% striker, 20% everything else.

In a previous game:
Dragonborn Fighter (defender)
Elf Monk [Ranger] / Rogue (striker)
Human Ranger (striker)
Human Wizard (controller)

50% striker, 25% defender, 25% controller

In another previous (and hopefully re-starting) game:
Warforged Cleric (leader)
Half-Elf Rogue (striker)
Half-Elf Warlock (striker)
Tiefling Ranger (striker)
NPC Human Paladin (defender)

60% striker, 20% leader, 20% defender

~

 

[I'm A Banana]

There is a LOT of psychology at work with the roles.

Strikers are sexy. Damn sexy. It's always a lot of fun to roll buckets of damage, and everyone likes to be able to do it.

Controllers are fiddly. You need to kind of really enjoy tactics, and then if you do, the classes leave a bit to be desired so far (and had an inauspicious start with the wimpzard). They're kind of context-dependent because the quantity of enemies and the battlefield you face them in is a function of the DM's whim.

Controllers could use some sexier classes. I've got pretty big hopes for the psion/telepath/whatever that are odds-on being in the PHB3, but you've got a while before that happens. Until then, Druid leads the way.