What about a Ranged Defender?

[IceFractal]

As the title says, why not? For instance, a heavy-armor crossbow-wielder with abilities to disrupt enemy attacks from a distance. You wouldn't even need any "force enemies to attack you" powers, because after getting their attacks foiled a few times, they'd have plenty of motivation to do so.

Potential Ideas:
Martial - Heavy armor crossbow user, as above.
Arcane - Summoner, strange as it seems. Good personal defense from immediate-action defensive summons, and Defender-ability by summoning creatures to block enemies when they try to attack someone else.
Psychic - Empath; personal defense by body-control/autohypnosis, Defender ability by compelling rage toward themselves.

Crazy, or just crazy enough to work?

 

[mkill]

That class would be a controller by definition, not a defender.
A controller that stops enemies from attacking does fulfill defensive duties, but that does not make him a defender.

So yes, the ideas are viable, but the label is not.

 

[ryryguy]

The thing is, a defender pretty much has to be in the front rank. They prevent enemies from getting into the rear ranks. So I find it pretty difficult to imagine a ranged defender.

From your original list, the only one that I could imagine possibly working is the summoner. The summoner might stay back and work at range, but his summoned creatures could plug up space in the front. Of course, summoning in general is problematic; we don't really have any mechanics for it yet.

 

[generalhenry]

ranged defenders work about as well as melee controllers.

while strikers and leaders can be ranged or melee, defenders are melee and controllers are ranged.

 

[doctorhook]

ranged defenders work about as well as melee controllers.

while strikers and leaders can be ranged or melee, defenders are melee and controllers are ranged.

...In fact, one might even argue that this is the fundamental difference between controllers and defenders; the rest is incidental to fulfilling that role.

To put it another way, controllers and defenders share a lot of characteristics, and it's being melee or ranged that defines them. Things like hit points, defenses, challenges, area of effect powers, and condition-affecting powers are merely traits that make defenders and controllers effective in their roles.

 

[Merdokdrake]

I think they are right about you getting the role definitions wrong (I don't like the new roles system though. It just anoys me although I do understand why it was done but this isn't the place for this)

As for your class though it sounds to me like a ranger with more armor witch would be a striker.