Trying to figure out a new character

[Herschel]

I'm playing in a Scales of War campaign and we're currently at 13th level. Current party:

Dwarf Shaman
Dragonborn "Balanced" Paladin (slightly favoring Charisma)
Deva Wizard (Enchanter)
Halfling Pursuit Avenger
Genasi Thaneborn Barbarian (elemental chaos-based theme/powers, etc.)
Warforged Warlord/Warden (Warlock MC)

The Paladin player changes between that character and a Gnome Sorcerer. Before it was no big deal because there was a Dragonborn Fighter in the party but that player left and now we have the Warforged. The Avenger plays his character like a "solo" and my Barbarian doesn't have the AC to form the Front Line with the Warforgedso I'm trying to keep my story points as close as I can while changing characters to be more versatile and play like a Striker when he's the Paladin and Defender when he's the Sorcerer.

Sticking with Genasi I'm thinking Swordmage/Warlock. Where it's breaking down for me is Shielding/Assault and Paragon Path.

His story is basically his "original" plane has been all but destroyed and he's been part of the resistance before being transported to this plane/reality. He's been trying to channel the forces of the Elemental Chaos and use it against those who are trying to use it to destroy the worlds. He basically infiltrated the forces of evil as a spy and gained power there until he was found out and expelled/pursued, then actively lead skirmishes against those he had spied on.

So here's the rub: I'm trying to figure out what's effective and evocative. I'm thinking Assault is more versatile while Shielding is probably a little better straight defender. This comes in to play because of potential PP choices and a power. I'm planning on using Eldritch Strike a lot and probably Sword Burst as my other at-will, lots of interrupts and stances. Twofold Pact with Infernal and Vestige pacts.

Background (this one is probably good):
Member of a Sinister Cabal (I originally gained my Warlock abilities as a spy, channeling the powers of Akadi and Kossuth)

Theme: Windlord (again, really fits with my character so probably as good as any)

Paragon Path: This is where things get weird.
Elemetal Tempest: cool, but attack powers suck.
Coronal Guard: Sent by the Elves/Eladrin to infiltrate the enemy? Better for Shielding but Transposing Lunge is too.
Malec-Keth Jannisary: overall pretty cool, but It's just missing something for me (Maybe just artwork as it's not a PHB path?)
Academy Master: It's all about the learnin' to make things better.
Godfragment: A whole lot of cool but the powers are all ranged.
Freedom Fighter: I don't have the spare feats for the Warlord multiclass.

Any others I'm missing?

 

[Breaks]

Genasi are one of my favorite races to play a race-based, rather than class-based character with. The Desert's Voice paragon path is pretty awesome, and bearing multiple elemental racial encounter powers fits in nicely with the elemental chaos theme you're looking for.

Combined with some feat support, Earthshock and Firepulse can be pretty great once you get the 16F, with Earthshock being a CB1 vs Fort Prone, cannot stand EONT (extra feats can grant more accuracy and damage, though most of the feats for it are str-mod, which is useless for a swordmage/lock), and Firepulse becoming a CB1 immediate reaction to being hit, AND dealing splash damage. Both can give you 10 temps with Manifest Healing. Or you could take Windwalker to get at-will flight that grants you 10 temps.

Of course, doing all that on top of a hybrid might be prohibitively feat intensive.

 

[Herschel]

Yeah, if I go Desert's Voice I'd probably stick with Windsoul and get non-provoking flight at 16 with a feat. Then again, that would help me mark and kite....hmmmmm.......using Infernal Pact I can get temp HP but every time I fly I can get +1/+4, that could be nice.

 

[Breaks]

And marking and kiting is precisely what swordmages do!

Shielding is the better defender, but assault gets more out of the hybrid with warlock by far, and makes your punishment *really* brutal. So when you want to be more defendery alongside the half-warden, simply give monsters the option of obeying your mark, and when you want to be more of a striker, put them and yourself in positions where that's simply not possible, and then you get to smack them.

It's also worth reiterating that "Prone and cannot stand up EONT" is a powerful, versatile tool. It can be used to increase your own stickiness tenfold, to assist the stickiness of one of your defenders, when you're playing as a striker, or as a poor man's stun, against a cluster of melee brutes (though as levels go up, it does become less and less common that even brutes and soldiers have no ranged options).

You'll also want to pick up some of the White Lotus support (riposte, maybe master riposte), because it heightens the catch-22 you provide. Attack me and I smack you again with WLMR. Attack my ally and I smack you again with Aegis of Assault. Win/Win for you, lose/lose for the enemy. With both punishments equally painful, many intelligent enemies will choose the path of least resistance and go for the squishies, and this is when things like earthshock keeping them stuck next to you (among the dozens of swordmage and warlock control mechanisms) come in handy.

 

[Herschel]

I have a 19th-level Earthsoul Assault Swordmage (Freedom Fighter) I play in LFR and I find Earthshock hasn't scaled well but is otherwise great fun. The thing I like about Assault is it allows me to mark something, teleport myself with a utility power, swapping places with an endangered ally, then be able to teleport right back out when my mark is triggered. When it comes up it is highly awesome and no other character has the toolkit of get-out-of-jail-(almost) free cards.

WLMR is well down the line though as I'm really feat starved wanting Greater Swordmage Warding, Twofold Pact, Double Aegis, Protective Hex and the double-hexing feats just in Paragon and Hybrid talent (Warding), Hide Armor (carryover from Barbarian and AC bump), WL Dueling Expertise, White Lotus Riposte, Toughness and Improved Defenses in heroic. That leaves me without Windwalker, Weapon Focus, Killing Curse, and the two manifestation-boosting powers. With Greater Warding I could probably retrain Improved Defenses and Toughness for temp generation but man, it's still short feats.