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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wik" data-source="post: 4657414" data-attributes="member: 40177">Hmm.  What do I think of roles?  Well, I like 'em... but I really don't see them as the be-all and end-all of a character.  For example, in my group, we have three strikers - Kirra, an Artful Dodger Drow Rogue, Seahorse, a Brutal Scoundrel halfling rogue, and Nero, a half-elven Dark Warlock.  While they all have the same "role" (and two have the same class!) they all, in fact, fill different "roles" in the party:*  Kirra is a pretty good damage dealer.  She can get into flanks and drop a huge amount of damage.  But her main ability that I see coming up again and again is her ability to move enemies around the battlefield - and she has another power that lets her allies deal extra damage on a hit.  Because of her ability to Darkfire or Blind an opponent, she can also "solo" monsters, for a short period of time.  Of the strikers, Kirra has the most versatility in a combat.  Her abilities to move enemies give her a bit of "controller", though she can function as a pure striker for a short period of time.  * Seahorse can drop more damage than Kirra, and has some evasion abilities that make her hard to pin down.  Her halfling dodge ability means she can avoid criticals if she needs to, and she's hard to knock out of a fight.  Often, Seahorse is almost a front-line fighter, and she can move in and out of a fight (provoking AoO) if she has to.  She is, really, the only "pure" striker in the group.  *  Nero is an archer, first and foremost, but he has some magical items that let him fight close range.  Plus, as he kills enemies, he can store their souls to unleash if he gets hit by a melee attack for automatic damage.  As a result, Nero focuses on Quantity of kills, meaning he's almost a controller. We also have two leaders who fill COMPLETELY different roles.  Thrane, our Dwarven Cleric, is built entirely for healing, and I've seen him heal a buttload of HP with his Healing Word power... and if he uses one of his dailies, he heals something like 17 HP without costing a healing surge!  He also fills a controller role at times - and when he's a controller, the player is at his happiest.Meanwhile, Tongs, our Eladrin Warlord, is a leader who dabbles in defender.  He's a frontline fighter built to enable sneak attacks, move his allies around, and improve others' chances to hit.  Because there's already a healer in the group, he doesn't really focus on healing, and instead focuses on getting the group into position, and making sure the big attacks hit.  He is also very much a defender.Really, I can't think of any character being pigeonholed into any one role, with the possible exception of Seahorse.  So, even though many of the classes SAY they're built towards one role, most of the classes can sub in for other roles if they have to.  My group:Hammer, Minotaur Fighter:  Defender, with Striker Qualities (Mordrenkards can be brutal)Tongs, Eladrin Warlord:  Leader, with Defender traits.Thrane, Dwarven Cleric:  Leader, with a few controller effects (can create zones)Seahorse, Halfling Rogue:  Pretty much pure striker, though her evasion powers can make her a defender for a few rounds.  Kirra, Drow Rogue:  Striker, who can sub as a controller for a round or two.Nero, Half-elven Darklock:  Striker, who acts like a Controller until he becomes a frontline defender, until he gets hit and uses his Dark Pact, and then he's a very deadly striker again.</blockquote>

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