Is a Wizard the answer for party balance?

[Legildur]

My group is looking to start a new 4th Ed campaign while we wrap up the previous campaign (change of DMs).

The basic party (mostly no races or builds selected) is so far:

2 Leaders (cleric and warlord)
2 Strikers (half-orc melee rogue and elf archer ranger)
1 Defender (human warden)

So I'm looking to fill the Controller role, but is a PHB Wizard the 'best' solution here?

I'm not familiar with the other options, but looking for something that can control effectively from the rear ranks (damage is nice, but status effects and blocking is better!).

Sources will be through CB, but only allowing basic splat books (Martial Power II, Primal Power etc), eg no world expansion stuff, dragon magazine, or anything too esoteric (which, admittedly, sounds a little silly when you are talking 'Dungeons and Dragons').

What class and race combination fills this role well (and it needs to be able to be picked up and played by someone else as I'm away regularly)?

 

[Kynn]

Invoker or hunter seem like good choices to consider.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Give the Psion a look. I multiclassed my Starlock into that class and have not been disappointed by the powers I snagged.

Specifically, I was using the Shaper build: introduced in PsiPow, it has a variety of summons and AoE spells. My Static Mote has proved to be a nice minion-sweeper, for instance, even though for my PC it is a non-augmentable Encounter power. If I could use it like a Psion could...

 

[Neonchameleon]

I'd recommend the Essentials Mage over the PHB Wizard - more or less the same thing just slightly better written, with the PHB2 Invoker in second and the Essentials Hunter in third (and as easiest to hand over to someone else).

For races, you just need stat synergy - and the control schools for a mage are illusion, enchantment, and nethermancy. (And an Enlarged Freezing Burst does seriously unpleasant things to the viability of minions).

 

[Fkewl]

I'm playing a gnome psion and loving it.
Dishearten at-will power will make your DM cry since all his attacks will likely miss (-2 to -CHA bonus (augment2)) .
Add Psychic Lock feat, icing on the cake with another -2 on first attack

A few other at-wills push/push/punish ennemies and mostly imposing a Slow condition on top of that.

Being a gnome makes hiding is easy, and with a feat, you can slide on all psion powers (Unseen Dread feat)

Then take Daily Summoning powers and you can harass ranged attackers with your summoned creatures right next to them.

At level 18, my DM is usually rolling at -7 on first attack, then -5 on all other attacks for about 3-4 rounds. Then i'm also hidden, so another -5 for total concealment, add another round where i'm also with total cover, another -5. If he tries to target me, then he's at -17 on the first attack, then -15 on the others.

Let's say i don't get hit often.

 

[Spatula]

So I'm looking to fill the Controller role, but is a PHB Wizard the 'best' solution here?

The wizard definitely has the most support, in terms of feats and spell selection. I would rate the Essentials wizard higher than the PHB wizard, myself - I find the e-wiz's school specialization to be more flavorful and interesting than the phb-wiz's implement specialization. The only downside to the e-wiz is the lack of ritual casting as a free feat.

People also like invokers because their area of effect prayers tend to only hurt enemies, and often give a buff to allies in the area. Wizard AoEs usually hit everything caught in the blast.

 

[Legildur]

Looks like I better start researching some more!

Mage and e-wizard sounds viable, and I think I'll give a psion a close look as well.

Hunter I'm not at all familiar with, so I'd better get reading. And the invoker I read over quickly and don't mind either.

Thanks! And happy to take more suggestions.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I suspect we could help more if we knew a bit ore about the other PCs- we might be able to fine tune the kind of build for a given controller class would work best. What can you tell us about their builds?

 

[keterys]

If the warlord is giving out ranged basics much, the hunter might be better than general wisdom would indicate.

Otherwise, I vote Mage or Invoker. Dislike the Psion.

Or another defender, like a fighter

 

[SensoryThought]

A wizard would be good for rituals too. It is great to have a ritual caster in a group.