New Hybrid Options

[Gryph]

Other than bizarre CharOp builds that work towards gaining some sort of cheese by 23rd and a half level, does anyone ever use hybrids in actual games? I've never seen one in any Encounters, LFR or online games.

I steer clear of them because I feel you lose way too much in the hybrid process and gain far too little; not only mechanically, but also flavour-wise. The characters end up being this confused mash-up with no clear role or function.

I play a hybrid Warlord/Fighter in my every other week game. Hybrid Talent for Tempest Feature. Makes a decent off-tank/off-healer.

Effectiveness wise, his defenses match the pure defenders, he has lower base damage than the other leader and defender but higher accuracy so his overall damage output is acceptable for a support character. Grants a few extra attacks an encounter and can mark a targetr or two when he needs to take pressure off another character and the extra heal comes in handy.

He could certainly be a better defender or a better leader without Hybriding, but we have one of each and he's a blast to play.

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Hmm... the sentinel multiclass gives you a 1/day healing word... which made me think of how confusing having both it and the cleric have the same healing power.

For example, pacifist healer applies to divine healing and healing word - so presumably would apply to the sentinel's healing word as well.

However, healer's lore only applies to cleric healing powers. Is healing word a cleric power? Presumably the one from sentinel isn't, but the cleric one doesn't say its a cleric power any more - does healer's lore no longer apply?

Finally, healing word lets you use it twice (or 3 after mid-paragon) times a turn but only 1x per round. The multiclass healing word is once per day. Can it and a cleric healing word be cast in the same round?

 

[Neonchameleon]

ETA: For all I know neonchameleon actually planned on making a defender with 1 mark/combat. I tend to have more faith in that particular poster, though.

2/encounter. The charisma based L1 encounter attack also does it. Possibly spewing marks like that is where the design space for a melee controller rather than a defender should be. Because it's at least as defendery as most paladins.

 

[Estlor]

I played an elven hybrid Cleric|Ranger for a while. Worked pretty well as a striker with off-healing support. The group I'm DMing for right now has a gnome Psion|Bard because the player wanted to be a controller but was afraid we'd come up short on healing with an artificer as a leader. Because the bard has such a strong control element, it really feels like he's playing a full role controller.

In general, you can make certain things work really well. Paladin|Warlock and Paladin|Sorcerer are solid. Swordmage|Artificer is good. Anything|Warlord is typically better than a lot of the single class options out there.

What you're noticing here is not all hybrid halves are created equal, and some are truly superior to others. Namely Paladin, Warlock, Swordmage, Artificer, Warlord, and Bard. A Warlord|Bard makes a pretty nasty lazy, enabling leader.

*edit afterthought*

The real strength of the Warlock|Executioner hybrid is you can pretty much rebuild a full class warlock's class abilities if you're willing to invest in it. Three feats by paragon tier (Hybrid Talent, Cursed Shadows, Twofold Pact) nab you Prime Shot, Shadow Walk, and a pact/pact boon. Yeah, there's an opportunity cost associated in it, but when you bust out your rapier at 11th level and Eldritch Strike a cursed target, that 5d8 feels really satisfying.

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

I've always felt that combining hybrid leaders for characters that are likely to see play in upper-paragon simply isn't worth it due to the loss of that 3rd encounter heal. Except for maybe with one of those being Warlord, due to their ability to "buy it back" through a feat. Is that what other's think, or is the loss of the 3rd heal not as big of a deal as I'm making it?

 

[tiornys]

I've always felt that combining hybrid leaders for characters that are likely to see play in upper-paragon simply isn't worth it due to the loss of that 3rd encounter heal. Except for maybe with one of those being Warlord, due to their ability to "buy it back" through a feat. Is that what other's think, or is the loss of the 3rd heal not as big of a deal as I'm making it?

Almost all leaders have access to enough utility encounter heals to make this a minor issue. You simply wind up spending one utility power or feat picking up a heal that you might not have otherwise. It's a cost, but it's not that big of a deal.

t~