Hybrid choices for 11 ranger/wizard?

[Voadam]

What was he fighting with/wearing in the prior edition?

Robes of the archmagi. Other times just robes and and bracers of defense plus magic defenses.

Weapons varied from a magical bastard sword used either two handed or one handed with two weapon styles, a staff of thunder and lightning, martial arts, and various daggers wielded either two weapon or thrown or single melee.

He's had various incarnations and I don't mind mixing it up mechanically.

 

[interwyrm]

The obvious multi/hybrid that springs to mind is Barbarian/Sorcerer. 3rd edition Rangers are actually primal, not martial, and barbarians can now use two weapons just fine. Your AC would be terrible, but hey, you can't have everything, right?

Hybrid str sorcerer gets +str to AC... so it's actually pretty good.

 

[mneme]

Hmm. So if you could switch your mindset, barb sorc would be ideal; good attacks/defenses (as interwyrm mentions, hybrid str sorc gets +str to ac, and they wear cloth, so you'd actually be doing the "decent defenses and wearing robes" thing right off the bat).

The staff thing -- it's Staff Fighting, from Dragon (it's in Dragon Magazine Annual if you want to look at it in a bookstore or whatever). The quarterstaff becomes a +2 prof 1d8/1d8 double weapon for you, with one end gaining the stout and defensive properties, and the other gaining the defensive property.

All of swordmage (aside from the newer stuff in Dragon and Arcane Power) is in the Forgotten Realms PG. They're actually the perfect arcane class to wield a bastard sword, as they get a +2 AC bonus for having an open hand (and one can shift into and out of wielding a bastard sword in two hands as a free action); the only tricky thing about playing the class is that you need to remember to mark stuff (or you're not doing your job as a swordsmage--who tends to mark one foe and then go off and attack another one, leaving the marked foe in a sticky situation), and you could hybrid swordsmage/wizard with a single primary stat (and without losing much in terms of armor proficiencies (swordsmage loses leather; can get it back for a feat) or features (unlike striker talents, the swordmage aegis works just fine when you're blasting away with wizard spells; you get to be a controller all the time and a defender all the time, rather than the controller/striker combo, where you are flexible in how you're a striker, but only get the class features you're currently attacking with as both controller and strikers are attack-oriented roles).

FWIW, the DDI is actually a fantastic deal, much better than it seems at first -- as for about the price of one or two hardcover books a year, you get full access to every rule in every book printed, whether you buy it or not. (a month after the book comes out, but still).

 

[Jack99]

[sblock=an example of a sorc/barb]
====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Hroetir Julmundsdottir, level 11
Human, Barbarian|Sorcerer, Winter Fury
Sorcerous Power: Sorcerous Power Strength
Hybrid Talent: Barbarian Armored Agility
Arcane Implement Proficiency: Arcane Implement Proficiency (heavy blade group)

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 19, Con 14, Dex 11, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 21.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 16, Con 13, Dex 10, Int 11, Wis 8, Cha 16.


AC: 27 Fort: 23 Reflex: 21 Will: 24
HP: 87 Surges: 9 Surge Value: 21

TRAINED SKILLS
Endurance +11, Intimidate +15, Arcana +11, Athletics +13

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +4, Bluff +10, Diplomacy +10, Dungeoneering +4, Heal +4, History +6, Insight +4, Nature +4, Perception +4, Religion +6, Stealth +4, Streetwise +10, Thievery +4

FEATS
Human: Hybrid Talent
Level 1: Arcane Implement Proficiency
Level 2: Weapon Proficiency (Bastard sword)
Level 4: Weapon Focus (Heavy Blade)
Level 6: Action Surge
Level 8: Deadly Rage
Level 10: Toughness
Level 11: Lasting Frost

POWERS
Bonus At-Will Power: Lightning Strike
Hybrid at-will 1: Dragonfrost
Hybrid at-will 1: Howling Strike
Hybrid encounter 1: Frostbind
Hybrid daily 1: Ice Javelins
Hybrid utility 2: Absorb Storm
Hybrid encounter 3: Blood Strike
Hybrid daily 5: Frost Wolf Rage
Hybrid utility 6: Loss of Will
Hybrid encounter 7: Rimestorm
Hybrid daily 9: White Tiger Rage
Hybrid utility 10: Sorcerous Pulse

ITEMS
Magic Hide Armor +3, Cape of the Mountebank +2, Vicious Bastard sword +3
====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======[/sblock]
Obviously, there are almost limitless possibilities. Not knowing a race, I went with human.

I upgrade him with hybrid talent (barbarian agility) which gives him some AC bonuses and the ability to wear hide. Considering you said he was a viking-type, I went mostly with cold powers and a paragon path as well as a few feats to enhance that aspect a bit.

As for the Bastard Sword, I used another feat to give him that, and yet another for him to be able to use said bastard sword as an implement. That way, you can have him run around hitting people and casting spells, without having him change from implement to weapon all the time.

He is a bit more sorcerer than barbarian, but you could give him 18 str instead of 18 charisma at level to switch that around, if that is what you want. You could likewise have 2 barbarian at wills instead of two sorcerer at wills. The second sorcerer at will (lightning strike) could of course be anything. Likewise the feats at 6, 8, 10 could also be changed without any other changes to the character.

Now, with the powers mostly picked based on flavor, he is hardly optimized, likewise with the feats. But he has decent defenses and can do some damage for sure.

Skillwise he can pretty much pick anything.

I have no idea if this was any help, and if it was not at all helpful, no worries.

Cheers

 

[Mika]

A hybrid character gets the weapons and implements used by either class along with the armor used by both classes -- so your hybrid wizard is initially limited to cloth armor. You get minimal features from each class -- Hunter's Quarry as a ranger (usable only with ranger attack powers) and cantrips as a wizard. Other class features require the Hybrid Talent feat if they are available at all -- spellbook is one that you cannot get. You probably want to take the option for ranger armor proficiency. You will have to take the Ritual Caster feat to get access to rituals. Skills are taken from both class lists. For powers, you must take at least one power of a given type from each class before you can take a second power of the same type from either class. That should give you enough information to begin creating your character.

However, this is a case where I would probably play a ranger multiclassing into wizard. You get all of the class features of the ranger instead of the limited set that a hybrid gets. You would be able to apply quarry damage to your wizard attacks and basic attacks(something a hybrid cannot do). Your progress as a wizard would be slowed down by the rate at which you can acquire the power swap feats, but the better armor and hit points would definitely be worth it.

MAD is not really a problem, as you noted -- boost strength and intelligence, dump the other stats, and avoid powers that rely on riders from your dump stats. Since intelligence is one of the AC boosting stats for light armor wearers, you should be in good shape there.

For flavor, what can beat having both a beast companion and a familiar? I would be tempted to put a 13 or 14 into wisdom just to complete the trio with a spirit companion.

 

[mneme]

Mika: It's true; most of the "cost" of being a wizard is for having access to a wizard's excellent encounter and daily spells, but a multiclass wizard gets a per-encounter spell to get some control right away and can use feats and a wizard multiclass to get two wizard dailies as well. So what you lose for being multiclass rather than hybrid is some feats, having to be a bit more ranger than you might prefer, and cantrips. And you can take a feat to get full access to wizard ritual casting if you want, including the free spells. (which needs Wiz 13).

That said, you can't do a second multiclass unless you go hybrid+multiclass! You only get 1 unless you're maining bard! So no spirit companion for you!

 

[Turtlejay]

Unless it has been nerfed, the Windrise Ports background allows you an extra multiclass. You become Doctor Doolittle at that point, with your travelling menagerie.

Jay

 

[tiornys]

Just because you haven't had enough options thrown at you, I thought I'd add another thing to think about. How set are you on having a Wizard at-will attack power? If you were just trying to get rid of your 2 weapon ranger at-will, that issue is solved by taking the feat that turns a staff into a double weapon. If you stick with Ranger/Wizard decide against the hybrid option (Mika makes an excellent argument against hybrid), consider taking a Wizard paragon path instead of using the PMC option. Paragon path benefits are generally superior to the ability to swap an at-will power, and the powers should be comparable to what you could otherwise get.

t~

 

[LightPhoenix]

MAD is not really a problem, as you noted -- boost strength and intelligence, dump the other stats, and avoid powers that rely on riders from your dump stats. Since intelligence is one of the AC boosting stats for light armor wearers, you should be in good shape there.

For flavor, what can beat having both a beast companion and a familiar? I would be tempted to put a 13 or 14 into wisdom just to complete the trio with a spirit companion.

A better reason to put a 13 or 14 into Wisdom is so you can get riders on your powers. Both Ranger and Wizard have powers that use Wisdom for additional effects.

EDIT: Also, the extra point or two in your Will defense can't hurt either.

 

[Voadam]

The staff thing -- it's Staff Fighting, from Dragon (it's in Dragon Magazine Annual if you want to look at it in a bookstore or whatever). The quarterstaff becomes a +2 prof 1d8/1d8 double weapon for you, with one end gaining the stout and defensive properties, and the other gaining the defensive property.

What are the stout and defensive properties? I'm guessing I can use it as two weapons for ranger powers and defensive is +1 on AC?