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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Psikus" data-source="post: 4720687" data-attributes="member: 66049">The way I see it, you need a way to justify having lots of area attacks. I think 'melee burst 1' is covered to death by existing strikers and defenders, and it would be hard to make a class focused on that kind of attacks feel controlling and diferent. We are left with ranged attacks, or reach weapons.It is certainly possible to implement area or burst attacks with ranged or thrown weapons, and you have plenty examples  of that in ranger and rogue powers. However, when basing a whole class around that, you come up with a problem: these areas are always a bit forced. Magic users can always fall down to the 'elemental explosion' trick for their areas, which comes in many shapes and colors, but archers and the like must do the less convincing 'barrage of missiles'.My issue with 'missile barrage' area attacks, is that I wouldn't like to see too many of them. But more than half of a controller's attacks should be area-based. The 'natural' kind of multi-target attack for an archer is, in my opinion, just to choose 2 or three enemies and attack them. But I'm afraid that is less tactically interesting (although of course more powerful) than blasts or bursts.On the other hand, the reach weapon warrior has a built-in area of effect. Close burst 2 (or melee burst 2, for that matter) is uncommon enough, and I think it would open some interesting design space. It is also not too much of a stretch to turn a spear attack into a close blast. The challenge here would be to fit within the controller role: you'd really want features and powers to encourage keeping enemies away from the lancer, or you end up with a class too simmilar to fighters. Another drawback would be a general lack of ranged attacks.I like the polearm controller concept best, but either idea would be interesting. Finally, some random thoughts:- Some alternate area of effects would fit well into the martial power source, including: adjacent enemies, enemies flanking a target, enemies within a burst 2 not adjacent to you, etc.- A very cool trick to give spear controllers ranged attacks would be pushing an enemy within reach into other targets, damaging both when they collide.- We'd have to work out how to replace controlling zones and conjurations with stances.</blockquote>

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