Dreadnought Paragon Path: You can be killed, but not be stopped.

[Orcus Porkus]

DREADNOUGHT PATH FEATURES

Dreadnought Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to make an attack, you gain resist 10 to all damage until the start of your next turn.

Unfailing Resources (11th level): Your maximum hit point value increases by 10.

As a free action, you can take 10 damage to save automatically against an effect that a save can end. You must have at least 10 hit points to use this ability, and you can’t reduce this damage by any means.

Critical Hardening (16th level): When you score a critical hit with a weapon, you gain resist 10 to all damage until the end of your next turn.

Being able to automatically save as a free action for just 10 HP is making you the only character still marching on while the rest is restrained, blinded, immobilized, whatever. In real game play this is super important, more so than some damage increase or being invincible at level 30.

I scanned the MM and only found a few powers like the Dragon fear where effects last until the end of the monster's next turn and thus can't be automatically saved against.

Now take a dwarf with second wind as minor action, cloak of the walking wounded, and items that help with saving against stunned effects, grabbing, and pushing etc (in addition to the racial ability) and you have a guy who is very difficult, if not impossible to stop. Since effects generally either reduce hit points or prolong the battle, and prolonged battles lead to the loss of more hit points, the investment of 10 HP is trivial in most cases, or effectively an investment of just 5 HPs in cases where you prevent 5 ongoing damage and also avoid rolling the dice.

On top of it, the dreadnought gets 10 free HP to the maximum, which means you get one or even TWO (in case of ongoing damage) free automatic saves per encounter (which by itself is extremely powerful already - no magic item, no other class power gives you that.) You also get temp HP powers.

You can also worry less about low will and reflex defenses. Effects that target those are simply shrugged off.

So, my character of choice now is a paragon level Dwarf Barbarian Dreadnought. He deals tons of damage, is charging non-stop, and can't be immobolized or affected in any other way, and if the dragon or angel of valor comes along, he'll deal with it.

 

[Mort_Q]

I would have worded Unfailing Resources so the the 10 damage always bypasses temporary hitpoints as well.

 

[WalterKovacs]

I would have worded Unfailing Resources so the the 10 damage always bypasses temporary hitpoints as well.

Like the part that says you can't reduce the damage by any means?

Edit: Oops, thought you meant resistance. Considering that losing temp HP now means you'll be taking damage later unless you would normally be wasting temp HP in the first place.

 

[Orcus Porkus]

Like the part that says you can't reduce the damage by any means?

It doesn't matter really. The temp HP will most likely be used up for regular damage anyway.

 

[Zelc]

It's too bad "dying" isn't legalistically an effect that a save can end. Even though it really is .

 

[eamon]

I would have worded Unfailing Resources so the the 10 damage always bypasses temporary hitpoints as well.

It would probably be best if temporary hitpoints were considered a damage reducing effect - i.e. any unpreventable damage should bypass temporary hitpoints. It's not a huge problem, though.

 

[WalterKovacs]

It's too bad "dying" isn't legalistically an effect that a save can end. Even though it really is .

However, if you are dying, you don't have 10 HP left which is another requirement of the power.

 

[Atanatotatos]

Yeah, basically stun is the only condition that can stop you, since you can't take any action.
In this same thread in WoTC forums someone wrote about Daze, but since after you've taken that free action you're no longer dazed, you get back the rest of your actions normally I guess.
Yeah, it's awesome. But you should really make sure you have a LOT of hp.

 

[-Avalon-]

Just do Warforged characters, when dying they can roll to save against dying like normal, but if they roll less than 10, they can take 10 instead (after knowing the result of the roll)...

Seems broken to me, but hey, whatever... just coup de grace the robot =)

 

[Mort_Q]

It doesn't matter really. The temp HP will most likely be used up for regular damage anyway.

Depending on your class and the make up of your party, getting new temp HP every round isn't that unusual.