Nautical-themed Dwarf, fishing for ideas :3

[Herobizkit]

I have a few ideas for a Dwarf character who is more of a sea-goer than your typical specimen.

His theme is going to be Watershaper with the Occupation - Marine background.

I envision him as a former merchant marine, sailing to all sorts of ports and picking up a bit of experience from all around. Through some possibly tragic event, he retires early and becomes a "beach bum" on some tropical shore. He grows to love the sand and surf and eventually becomes a defender of the area.

I was originally thinking straight up Warden for the class. I toyed around with a spear (trident) and shield, but am finding that hammer seems to have the most support.

I'm finding a lot of mixed metaphors in this build and 4e is challenging in that I usually build theme first, then strap stats to it. Not so much luck here.

I suppose this is more of a spitballing thread, but any ideas anyone can add in would be swell.

 

[tuxgeo]

"Menehune" - Hawaiian folk-midgets?

Instead of a Warden, I would lean more toward a Protector Druid from "Heroes of the Feywild." That doesn't give the Balance of Nature, Ritual Casting, or Wild Shape abilities; but it does give other things, including 3-of-6 Primal Attunement powers of your choice.

Also, there's a Daily "Summon Natural Ally" power: it allows the PC to summon a Desert Hawk, which I suppose could be reskinned as a sea-eagle. This takes the place of ordinary Druid daily powers: at higher levels, you get more uses of the Summons per day, and higher-level beasts you can summon.

Otherwise, the PC gets two At-Will and one Encounter 1st-level attack powers. You might want to consider "Grasping Tide" (a "swell" idea from PH Heroes), because it is marine-themed; and maybe either "Magic Stones" for multiple ranged targets or "Spirit Briar" for "spike" damage.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

"E aho laula"...wider is better!

I can see a nautical batman type thing going on here- IOW, someone who has gear, skills & powers inspired by marine creatures...

Like an urchin or puffer fish, he could have spiked armor.

Like many creatures- cone snails, anemones, jellyfish, etc.- he could use poison.

While I understand that hammers & axes get the most love from 4Ed dwarves, harpoons, javelins, tridents, spears & nets are probably more appropriate to the concept. If at all possible, go with the thematic support. You may just find feats & powers that are simply too much fun to make you wish you'd gone with bog-standard trappings of dwarfdom. He's a beach-bum for a reason, right?

Any of the nature themed classes work, of course. Maybe a hybrid or multiclass build? Maybe even somethng mixed with an Elemental Pact Warlock?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Base him on this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnT-whK82zs

And/or this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-lrE2JcO44

A dwarven fire-dancing, haka shouting Warlord/Bard- all Cha based- could be pretty fun!

 

[Herobizkit]

Nifty ideas. I never would have made the Hawaiian connection.

The "bitch" of my choices is, my group has already seen Druids in play and I'm less than enthused to do another one with the same players. I'm also playing a Hexblade now, and I want to stretch my wings a bit.

I almost always play Bards, and we've also seen a Lazy Warlord in play, so I want to avoid those classes as well.

Ranger seems almost the go-to here, but I usually end up making Striker Hybrids. I considered Hybriding with the Sentinel Druid - we've also seen lots of this Druid, too.

In all reality, this build may work better with, say, a Halfling than a Dwarf.

I originally made a Dwarven Magus that I was trying to duplicate in 4e.

Finally, I haven't yet played a Defender, but I saw one in action for a few levels and thought this class would make the most 'sense' for a Dwarf with this concept in mind.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Still pondering, but thought this might interest you in rounding out the character's personality.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Jim

Also, looking here:
http://dnd4.wikia.com/wiki/Warden
And:
http://community.wizards.com/forum/4e-character-optimization/threads/1961611

I'm finding all kinds of things to do with a Warden- spears work well for wildbloods, and powers like Thorn Strike could be reflavored with a more nautical feel (instead of thorns, perhaps it is razor sharp coral) and so forth.

And that's just the beginning. What about a barbarian? Or Shaman?

 

[tuxgeo]

A central feature of the defender class role is that you are defending your allies, not a piece of real estate (such as a beach area): if you try to defend an area against more than one invader, you're likely to need attack powers that act at a distance, because the invaders might split up. The straight Warden only gets very close attacks at first: "Melee weapon," "Melee 2," and "Close burst 1."
(Of course, the Buffeting Wave power of the Watershaper helps with that, but only once per encounter.)

If your go-to class is Ranger, and you usually hybridize Strikers, how about doing a hybrid Ranger/Warden? Each of those classes gets Hide armor, and both rely on Strength primarily. Also, the Ranger part gives military weapons and Hunter's Quarry; and you qualify to take the Hybrid Talent feat to get the Warden's Font of Life power for a saving throw at the start of each turn.

Does your beach bum mariner craft his own tools? I was thinking of reed weirs on coastal streams, and bamboo shark cages, and hand-braided ropes made of tough, local fibers; and whatever civilized things he can scrounge from the flotsam and jetsam arriving on the beach during storms. Does he have a religious connection to Kord or Melora? Maybe he built and maintains a secluded shrine to the wild in one of the wild places. (I'm kind of thinking that religion would be downplayed because of the elemental facet of the character -- the whole "Gods vs. Primordials" thing.)

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

What about a Seeker?

The seeker gains spirits' rebuke as an encounter power. Spirits' rebuke pushes and damages a melee attacker that misses the seeker.
The seeker gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls using light thrown and heavy thrown weapons.
Thrown weapons with which the seeker is proficient return to the seeker's hand after each attack.
The seeker may use his or her Strength modifier, instead of Dexterity or Intelligence, when calculating AC when not wearing heavy armor.

 

[Herobizkit]

I was unimpressed with Seeker as a class initially, but I wonder how a Seeker/Warden might mesh...? they seem pretty opposed in tactics, but I wonder...

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

As a Controller, Seeker lets you defend an area as opposed to an ally- the distinction tuxego brought to the fore- and being able to use Str for your AC will definitely reduce MAD in your build. Add to that the whole thing about boomeranging thrown weapons, and it really fits mechanically and thematically.

All you need to do is see if you can find a Hybrid and/or MC to boost the mechanical strengths or cover the weaknesses of the class.

Ranger would improve your ranged attack prowess. Warden or Paladin gets you HP and defending capability. Barbarian boosts your HP and melee striking. Shaman would give you leadership powers.