Party suggestion - 5th Character

[SylverFlame]

I've recently joined a 4e group and don't have a lot of experience with the system; I do, however, have a lot of DM experience so the group has asked me to take over running the sessions and I've been cramming the rules.

One of the groups players has dropped out, putting us at four party members. The group wants a fifth character to make the encounters a little easier for them.

Currently, the group is level 2 with a:

• dragonborn cleric (not sure his focus as he just switched from a Striker Paladin as we needed the healing)
• halfling rogue (mostly Aerialist build [Martial Power])
• goliath warden (Wild Warden build [PhB2])
• eladrin wizard (mostly War Wizard)

.

When I joined the group I was a dwarven bard (Cunning Bard that would focus on buffs like Concerted Effort [Arcane Power]).

My question is, should I stick with the bard or are we lacking in another area?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[corwyn77]

My personal experience suggests that a group of 5 does not need, or even want, a second leader, especially when the first one is a cleric. An abundance of low damage healers just makes fight longer and more grindy.

I'd suggest a striker or a high damage defender like a fighter. Either melee or ranged, given the melee presence in the group.

 

[Aulirophile]

Ranged Striker. Archer Ranger would be my first pick. Sorcerer (either Wild or Storm) would be second.

 

[The Human Target]

I'd say....

Don't bother with a 5th member at all. Your main concern should be learning the system and running the game.

Its easy to run a 4 man party in 4e, and your party already has all roles filled.

 

[SylverFlame]

I'd say....

Don't bother with a 5th member at all. Your main concern should be learning the system and running the game.

Its easy to run a 4 man party in 4e, and your party already has all roles filled.

This was my first instinct. While 4e is fairly quick to learn, I know after many years of DnD experience that I don't like having a PC as a DM.

That said, I've had two very close calls for TPK in 'Keep on the Shadowfell' and one of them only came out well with fudging rolls and the dwarf bard's buff.

 

[SSquirrel]

Put me in the camp of doubling up on Strikers. My Dark Sun group has 6 characters (our DM runs a PC as well) and we have one each of Leaders and Controllers (yay I love my Wizard!) and double up on Strikers and Defenders. Our Warden is the master of gathering huge groups and holding them close, esp w/his banner that can pull people near him, while our Paladin is more focused on holding onto one or 2 other guys. Our group tends toward a divide and conquer strategy w/my Controller tossing stuff wherever is needed as I can generally cover the entire battlefield w/no problem at all.

If you make a melee character, that will give you 3 melee (assuming Laser Cleric) so there should always be at least 1 pair of guys flanking someone. That said, getting a ranged character w/things like Distant Advantage will help keep things easier on your healer as you should (in theory) be away from combat a good bit. My Wizard picked up Shaman so I could toss an occasional heal and once I got Master Preserver, I had something else to let me trip off a surge for people too. Yes you're 2nd level so some of that is down the line, but there are lots of cool options available for you.

 

[The Human Target]

Keep on Shadowfell is a bit of a meat grinder, especially if your players are new to gaming, 4e, or aren't power gaming tactics geniuses.

Plus think if it this way- as the DM there are plenty of tricks you can use to keep your PCs alive or give them breaks without actually having another character to run.

If you do decide to add a 5th man, I'd suggest making up a companion character for sure instead of a full fledged PC.

And if they seem up to it, let the players themselves run the 5th man like a sidekick during battle.

 

[On Puget Sound]

Add my vote to no DM-run character. You really do have enough to do, and when someone saves the day you want that someone to be a player.

Now when you find a fifth PLAYER and want to add something, I would suggest:

1. What that player most wants to play. There really isn't a "bad" choice.

2. If they are really undecided, then a defender if your rogue and cleric tend to operate at range, or a striker if either of them is a melee character.

Warden marking, rogue flanking, cleric enhancing your side and wizard degrading their side... you should have all the bases covered nicely.

 

[On Puget Sound]

Other notes, regarding your near-TPK experiences:

1. KotS is a brutal module with some pretty fierce encounters in it; it's somewhat notorious for taking out parties of new players.

2. 4E fights always tend to look really scary at first, but at some point the party bounces back... usually when the monsters have used up their encounter powers, the cleric has healed the victims of said powers, and one or two players decide to go ahead and spend a daily.