Some thoughts on a Martial Controller...

[Klaus]

Maybe a class focused on heavy thrown weapons and alchemical grenades? Hitting a foe at range and knocking him and all adjacent creatures prone, etc?

As for Cavalier, I agree that it's a great controlling archetype. But its usefulness in the dungeon is limited.

 

[Cadfan]

Well, I'll say it once and then bow out.

I think a lot of martial controller ideas, including some of those in this thread, suffer too much from attempting to fill in a gap on a grid. Come up with a good idea in terms of thematics, and then if it fills the gap, great. Don't take every mechanical option that fits into the gap and then jam it into one class.

If what you end up designing turns out to be more of a, I dunno, striker with some control elements, or whatever, then great. At least you designed a coherent, interesting class. Don't mangle that idea until its a pure controller.

 

[Dragonhelm]

As for Cavalier, I agree that it's a great controlling archetype. But its usefulness in the dungeon is limited.

Which is why the paladin's warhorse became a spirit companion in 3.5.

 

[Leatherhead]

Well, I'll say it once and then bow out.

I think a lot of martial controller ideas, including some of those in this thread, suffer too much from attempting to fill in a gap on a grid. Come up with a good idea in terms of thematics, and then if it fills the gap, great. Don't take every mechanical option that fits into the gap and then jam it into one class.

If what you end up designing turns out to be more of a, I dunno, striker with some control elements, or whatever, then great. At least you designed a coherent, interesting class. Don't mangle that idea until its a pure controller.

I honestly think the ranger could have been an excellent martial controller if they didn't try to shoehorn it into a striker.

 

[Klaus]

I honestly think the ranger could have been an excellent martial controller if they didn't try to shoehorn it into a striker.

A "Trapper"?

 

[cmrscorpio]

Every time I think of the concept of a martial controller and how it would work, I think of Jackie Chan. He doesn't so much attack his enemies as he prevents them from using their abilities while using impromptu weapons to manipulate the form of the battlefield.

 

[Upper_Krust]

A "Trapper"?

Exactly what I was going to suggest, then I got down to your post and saw you'd already thought of it Klaus.

A character who could perhaps sneak onto an encounter map and set some traps. Every trap you set takes a certain amount of time and the more time spent, the higher the possibility of detection. Tripwire could be one of the at-wills. How about a mechanized crossbow that auto-fires once every round (yes I am thinking Aliens: Special Edition here). One of those rope snares that grabs you by the ankle and hoists you up in the air, Bear-traps (nasty!). Rambo (First Blood) style impaling traps, Spring traps that send you into the air, Traps that can collapse a wall or tree to fall the way you want them to.

At higher levels they could have magic items that create makeshift traps on the fly (portable holes as pits, carpet of trapping and so forth).

I also like the idea of tying this into grenadier type sub options (for when you get discovered and have to make a hasty exit as well as during the fight), with caltrops, smoke bombs, poison gas clouds (sleepy gas or damaging gas), flasks of greek fire or acid, bolas, nets, harpoons, whips, gold coins (to distract a crowd?), whatever the fantasy equivalent of a flash/bang grenade is (?), oil - to make a floor slippery and/or flammable, glue, hives (summons bee swarm or ant swarm), honey (attracts swarms to certain targets).

Thats all I can think up off the top of my head.

 

[Klaus]

Hmmm...

Maybe -- just maybe -- a Martial Controller doesn't have to be a full class, but rather a secondary role that all martial classes could dabble in...

(runs off to write Dragon article proposal)

 

[Leatherhead]

A "Trapper"?

You wouldn't even have to go that far (although it would help to get a few utility/daily powers like this). Rangers, as they stand right now, have a multitude of "Trick Shots" designed to hamper enemies, more than a few multi-attacks, and even the potential to get their own "minion" to act like a walking obstruction.

Personally, I blame Drizzt for WotC making them into strikers.