Martial Controller is coming in Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms

[Mengu]

I can't imagine an essentiallized no-daily barbarian being all that much different to the slayer

I actually can see them being quite different. They could still rage. It would start out once per day, go up to twice at level 5, and 3 times at level 9. There wouldn't be different rages, they would all do the same thing, whatever they decide that "thing" to be. If they want to go back to 2e/3e roots, it would be -X defense +Y damage. Armor would be light, speed would be faster, features would be less in the lines of boosts in accuracy and "always on" damage, but more in lines of boosts to charge damage, or some bonus feature that lets them make an attack when they take down an enemy.

More on topic, sadly, a subclass named "Hunter" just does not sound like a controller to me. It sounds like a striker. Perhaps, somewhat like the Predator Druid, it will sit on that blurred line between controller and striker.

 

[Tony Vargas]

More on topic, sadly, a subclass named "Hunter" just does not sound like a controller to me. It sounds like a striker. Perhaps, somewhat like the Predator Druid, it will sit on that blurred line between controller and striker.

Quite possibly. If the Slayer is any guide, it'll still have the regular ranger's most basic abilities - weapons, armor, hps/surges, making it a little tougher than most Controllers. If it's using a longbow, it's damage will generally start at 1d10, which is also more than typical for a controller. Having a strong secondary role is nothing new, though. Wand Wizards and Evoker Mages are strikerish controllers, the warlock is a controllerish striker. NBD.

I also agree that 'scout' sounds more like a controller and 'hunter' more like a striker. In fact, there is a homebrew Scout Martial Controller.

 

[Saeviomagy]

I actually can see them being quite different. They could still rage. It would start out once per day, go up to twice at level 5, and 3 times at level 9. There wouldn't be different rages, they would all do the same thing, whatever they decide that "thing" to be. If they want to go back to 2e/3e roots, it would be -X defense +Y damage. Armor would be light, speed would be faster, features would be less in the lines of boosts in accuracy and "always on" damage, but more in lines of boosts to charge damage, or some bonus feature that lets them make an attack when they take down an enemy.

Yeah, but if the new controller is martial, then it won't have dailies (if the other classes are the model). So just about every way you're saying that the barbarian in essentials would differ from the slayer is a way that a ranged weapon-wielding controller in essentials would differ from the seeker.

In other words, there's not really that much overlap.

 

[TarionzCousin]

It's about time. That Aragorn ranger guy was super-controlling: always telling halflings what to do; arguing with Gandalf about which route to take; making goo-goo bromance eyes at Legolas during the long run.

He was a total control freak!

 

[scylis]

making goo-goo bromance eyes at Legolas during the long run.

He totally started off with that at Boromir, but dude started to only have eyes for Frodo. And then he died, of course. So Aragorn took his bracers and made emo eyes at the boat as it was carried away and moved on towards other pastures.

 

[Nahat Anoj]

I wonder if the hunter ranger build will be anything like the hunter class from Iron Heroes. The hunter class had a lot of abilities described as utilizing terrain to his best advantage, and my thoughts are that the hunter ranger will borrow heavily from that.

 

[Dedekind]

Finally! The power source/role matrix will be complete! Muahahahahaha!

 

[Tony Vargas]

Finally! The power source/role matrix will be complete! Muahahahahaha!

Yeah, but now that a class can fill more than one role, there's a whole new, more granular, every-class-filling-every-role matrix to fill in.

 

[Walking Dad]

Finally! The power source/role matrix will be complete! Muahahahahaha!

If the ranger is still martial... the essential assassin shew us the dual power source class. Maybe the controller ranger is martial/primal.

 

[Jhaelen]

Yeah, but now that a class can fill more than one role, there's a whole new, more granular, every-class-filling-every-role matrix to fill in.

Even better (or worse, depending on your viewpoint):
The Essentials assassin uses a hybrid power source (martial/shadow). So the matrix now also has to contain all possible permutations of two (or maybe even more!) power sources

It's madness!!!