D&D 4E Push the Envelope: Use 4e to make the broadest range of archetypes!

[Klaus]

Like the recent article at wizards.com, suggest an archetype and use the 4e rules (or minor tweaks) to show how to create that character. If you'll suggest Powers/feats, keep them at Heroic Tier, for simplicity's sake.

 

[Cadfan]

My ninja-

Human
Rogue class, Strength subclass
Feat: Proficiency: Katana (reskinned rapier)
Alternates between katana and shuriken
Skipped charisma, made wisdom my tertiary score for better Perception
Good acrobatics and athletics

That's pretty much all you need. If you like, describe the katana as being wielded with two hands, but provide no mechanical bonus for it. The rogue wasn't using his off hand for anything else anyways. Allow the character to take "two weapon fighting" feats and gain benefits from them, even though he's not using two weapons, since there's no mechanical difference between wielding a katana in two hands and wielding a rapier and dagger combination (except for speed of drawing weapons, but that's negligible).

There are probably more, but that's the only one I've worried about recently. Got ideas? Its fun to come up with ways to build or reskin to create things.

 

[generalhenry]

Feat: Proficiency: Katana (reskinned rapier)

the katana is a bastard sword, and never really was a ninja weapon. It's a samurai weapon.

a Short sword is a much more appropriate ninja weapon.

 

[fuindordm]

I have the feeling that this build is going to become a stereotype, but one has to admit it has some nice synergy.

Here's my first 4E character, which I just made this morning:

Weyland the arcane smith.
"Let me just soften them up a bit for ya (FOOM)... now CHARGE!"

Dwarf warlord 2
S:15 (+2) C:15 (+2) D:8 (-1) I:16 (+3) W:14 (+2) Ch:11 (+0)
AC: 16 (hide + Int), Fort: 12, Ref: 13, Will: 11
HP: 32, Surges: 9 @ 8 HP.

Skills: Athletics+7, Endurance+9, History+8, Intimidate+5, Arcana+8, Dungeoneering+5 (untrained)

Feat: Arcane Initiate [Wizard Multiclass], Ritual Caster

At-wills: Commander's Strike, Wolf Pack Tactics
Encounters: Warlord's Favor, Shake it Off, Scorching Burst
Dailies: Pin the Foe

Basic attack: Maul +4 vs AC, 2d6+2 damage

 

[tanj]

a Short sword is a much more appropriate ninja weapon.

But a Rogue is better off using either daggers or a rapier.

So rather than using rapier mechanics and calling it a katana, call it a ninja-to.

 

[Klaus]

C'mon, peole!

Andy Collins showed us the Barbarian, Bard, Druid, Monk and Sorceror. Here we got a Ninja and an Arcane Smith. Let's see more.

 

[Andur]

Ninja, Scout, and Spellthief are also up now.

 

[invokethehojo]

I have the feeling that this build is going to become a stereotype, but one has to admit it has some nice synergy.

Here's my first 4E character, which I just made this morning:

Weyland the arcane smith.
"Let me just soften them up a bit for ya (FOOM)... now CHARGE!"

Dwarf warlord 2
S:15 (+2) C:15 (+2) D:8 (-1) I:16 (+3) W:14 (+2) Ch:11 (+0)
AC: 16 (hide + Int), Fort: 12, Ref: 13, Will: 11
HP: 32, Surges: 9 @ 8 HP.

Skills: Athletics+7, Endurance+9, History+8, Intimidate+5, Arcana+8, Dungeoneering+5 (untrained)

Feat: Arcane Initiate [Wizard Multiclass], Ritual Caster

At-wills: Commander's Strike, Wolf Pack Tactics
Encounters: Warlord's Favor, Shake it Off, Scorching Burst
Dailies: Pin the Foe

Basic attack: Maul +4 vs AC, 2d6+2 damage

I made a warlord multiclass wizard also, mostly because my party is three people and we had a defender and striker so we needed some healing and controller damage dealing. I went with Half Elf though so I could get scorching burst twice per encounter (once for multiclass, and once for Diletantte). So he's effective in melee and ranged, at least for a couple rounds. The tactical warlord use of intelligence compliments being paired with wizard well. As I level him up I'm heading toward true multiclass.

 

[hamishspence]

katana

I read the Dragon mag article: weight and length of katana seem more appropiate to a longsword. Were they routinely wielded one-handed as well as two, or was it more a two handed weapon you could use one-handed if needed?

For Samuri, at the moment ranger seems a very close fit. Nature, two weapons (long and short go well) and bow skills: the Way of Horse and Bow. Sounds like a slightly better fit than Fighter.

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

I read the Dragon mag article: weight and length of katana seem more appropiate to a longsword. Were they routinely wielded one-handed as well as two, or was it more a two handed weapon you could use one-handed if needed?

For Samuri, at the moment ranger seems a very close fit. Nature, two weapons (long and short go well) and bow skills: the Way of Horse and Bow. Sounds like a slightly better fit than Fighter.

I'm no historian, but lots of folks seem to argue that the vast majority of samurai did not wield two weapons simultaneously, and that the wakazashi was more for committing seppuku than anything else.

That said, a Ranger with two katanas can't be a bad thing.

Back on topic: I really wanted to create a dwarf warlord without a military background. So I latched onto the idea of a low-level capo in a dwarven gang, commanding a hit squad for countering other gangs and local authorities. Probably an "inspiring" build, which is less inspiring and more nasty and threatening. It seemed like fine, with good potential for story hooks too.