Ranger should have been Martial Controllers

[Fredrik Svanberg]

I think it's a shame that they wasted the ranger class on another striker. They could have been great martial controllers with the right powers. Then the monk could be a martial striker like it's supposed to. Ki - pft. Granted, it's fun to pwn everything as a ranger but still. There's too many strikers and not enough controllers.

 

[generalhenry]

that's because far more character archetypes fit the striker role.

The only other class I think is really suited for the controller role is druid.

 

[Minigiant]

The way controllers work in 4e, the ranger as a controller would be harder to make/play then you think. Without the ability to make walls, clouds, zones, and difficult terrain, I don't know how they'd do it.

And they already have a ton of multishot and flurry powers now. Imagine them a a controller. Another controller would be nice though.

 

[glass]

They could have been great martial controllers with the right powers.

No, they couldn't. Martial Controller doesn't make sense, and the designers have said as much (well, actually they didn't specify which combination didn't make sense but it is pretty obvious which one they meant).


glass.

 

[Zurai]

It works fine. You focus on the multitarget damage and status effect definitions of controller, and leave the terrain destruction to wizards.

The problem with Ranger-as-Controller is that Drizzt is absolutely a Striker.

 

[Branduil]

Martial Controller is not a concept we're likely to see anytime soon, if ever. Most of what people think are controllers are actually strikers or defenders.

 

[Aria Silverhands]

Debates like this are why they never should have introduced roles into the official rules.

 

[Blackbrrd]

The fighter is a kind of martial controller if you select the correct powers, but it doesn't start before level 7 with the encounter power Come and get it, which pulls all enemies in burst 3 adjacent to you, then let you hit them. Then you can follow up with the level 3 encounter power Sweeping blow which lets you hit everybody in close burst 1, and then you can follow up with a level 1 encounter power, passing attack that lets you hit two targets. A level 5 daily power, Rain of steel makes all the enemies that are adjacent to you take damage. At level 9 you have two powerful close burst 1 attacks, Shift the battlefield and Thicket of blades.

It all depends on Come and get it, the level 7 encounter power that pulls the creatures adjacent to you. Without it you are probably hitting 1-2 creatures, with it you are probably hitting 3+ creatures at once. It has some great synergy with the cleric powers that attacks enemies in burst/blast since.

The best part of all this, is that the fighter will be fulfilling his role as a defender in addition to the controller-ish stuff (hitting multiple foes at once).

 

[Nifft]

I think it's a shame that they wasted the ranger class on another striker. They could have been great martial controllers with the right powers. Then the monk could be a martial striker like it's supposed to. Ki - pft. Granted, it's fun to pwn everything as a ranger but still. There's too many strikers and not enough controllers.

Ironically, the Ranger does get a lot of Controller-esque powers. He can impose status conditions on ranged targets like nobody else.

Cheers, -- N

 

[doctorhook]

Debates like this are why they never should have introduced roles into the official rules.

I disagree. The cost of these (relatively uncommon, relatively sane) debates is way less than the relative benefit of roles when it comes to designing for game balance.

We just need people to realize that some source-role combinations won't work. "Martial Controller" is a prime example. (IMO, Divine Striker is another.)