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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sadrik" data-source="post: 4653614" data-attributes="member: 14506">So 4e brought 4 roles for players and 10 for the monsters.So my question is simple, do they work? Are they helpful for the designers? Are they helpful for the players? Are the helpful for the DM? And finally, what do they make the game feel like, suspension of disbelief and all that? Is roleplaying literally "role" playing now?Player roles:Controller: Controllers deal with large numbers of enemies at the same time. They favor offense over defense, using powers that deal damage to multiple foes at once, as well as subtler powers that weaken, confuse, or delay their foes.Synopsis: Favor offense over defense... that sounds like a strikerDefender: Defenders have the highest defenses in the game and good close-up offense. They are the party’s front-line combatants; wherever they’re standing, that’s where the action is. Defenders have abilities and powers that make it difficult for enemies to move past them or to ignore them in battle.Synopsis: Bag o' HP, with lock downLeader: Leaders inspire, heal, and aid the other characters in an adventuring group. Leaders have good defenses, but their strength lies in powers that protect their companions and target specific foes for the party to concentrate on.Synopsis: HelperStriker: Strikers specialize in dealing high amounts of damage to a single target at a time. They have the most concentrated offense of any character in the game. Strikers rely on superior mobility, trickery, or magic to move around tough foes and single out the enemy they want to attack.Synopsis: Ass-kickerShould classes be so hard wired in their design? Would you prefer a classes that allow more shifting between the designated roles? Doesn't everyone want to be a striker? Killing monsters and taking their stuff is the point so being an effective "killer" does seem to be the point. So really, that means there are three player roles: defender/striker, leader/striker and controller/striker.Monster roles:Do these help in encounter design? Are they obvious types of designations and would be better served under the hood?Some are required designations because they have hard game mechanic changes:Minion: Sometimes you want monsters to come in droves and go down just as fast.Synopsis: 1hp, 1/4 xpElite: Elite monsters are tougher than standard monsters and constitute more of a threat than standard monsters of their main role and level.Synopsis: Double hp, double xpSolo: Solo monsters are specifically designed to appear assingle opponents against a group of PCs of the samelevel.Synopsis: Stupid number of hp, x5 xpThe rest of the designations are:Artillery: Artillery monsters excel at ranged combat. These creatures rain arrows, explosive fireballs, and similar attacks on the party from a distance. They’re well protected against ranged attacks, but more vulnerable in melee. They often spread damage out over multiple characters in an area.Synopsis: Basically, your standard wizard or archerBrute: Brute monsters specialize in dealing damage in melee. Brutes have relatively low defenses but high hit points. They don’t hit as often as other monsters, but they deal a lot of damage when they hit. They don’t move around a lot, and they’re often big.Synopsis: Barbarian, type warriorController: Controller monsters manipulate their enemies or the battlefield to their advantage. They restrict enemy options or inflict lasting conditions, alter terrain or weather, or bend the minds of their adversaries.Synopsis: Funky, effect driven guy, thinking illusions and mentalistsLeader: “Leader” is not a stand-alone role. It is an additional quality or subrole of some brutes, soldiers, skirmishers, lurkers, artillery, and controllers. Synopsis: Interesting... so cleric with an added roleLurker: Lurker monsters have some ability that lets them avoid attacks, whether by striking from hiding or by turning into an invulnerable statue while regaining strength. They usually deliver one devastating attack every few rounds, while concentrating on defense in between.Synopsis: Rogue type or assassinSkirmisher: Skirmisher monsters use mobility to threaten the player characters. Their combat statistics define the baseline for monsters, but their mobility is their defining feature.Synopsis: Ranger typesSoldier: Soldier monsters specialize in drawing the characters’ attacks and defending other monsters. They have high defenses and average hit points. Their attacks are accurate, but they don’t do exceptional damage.Synopsis: fighter or paladin typeAre the monster roles are useful for the DM? Do monster roles seem to fit better than the players roles, lol? I think they do, the only thing I would change is add the "leader" role to the controller and make them a catch-all for all effects driven roles (buffs and hindering - not just hindering). Still though some character types simply can not be pigeon holed into one of these roles. Discuss.</blockquote>

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