What non-"essential" characters do you play?

[Herschel]

So, what do you play that isn't a Fighter, Cleric, Magic User, Thief, Ranger, Rageblood Barbarian or Sorcerer? Those are teh "core" classes for may, but I'm curious as to what's played "outside the box" that people enjoy. And not just one-shots, but actually play in a campaign of repeated games?

For myself:

1. Earthsoul/Causticsoul Genasi Assault Swordmage (Elemental Tempest PP). He's currently at 15th level from level 1and probably my favorite character. Elemental resistances out the wazoo and a "rescue ranger" playstyle that still makes me smile.

2. Deva Avenger (Retribution, Favored Soul PP). She's at 12th level and a lot of fun also.

3. Human Seeker (throwing). Only able to be at second level so far as I've not had the opportunities to play it that I want. Just a really fun character. I have it built to be able to step in to melee and take some heat off the defender or make said defender a star.

4. Half-Elf Bard (Prescient). This one is iffy. The reason I put it here is because of the Prescient build being so much different than many more "traditional" bard builds. I'm also building him as an "Interrupt" bard, which is a lot of fun.

5. Causticsoul Genasi Barbarian (Thaneborn, Warlord Multiclass). This was a flavor choice as my original character concept for this party was the Avenger above but that class was already "taken". The party leader is a Shaman and it's Scales of War and two of the other players prompted me to play the barbarian. I wanted to make a character who could be a "social" leader since there wasn't a party member with a good Charisma score for that roll. I built him as a 'rebel leader from a plane that has already experienced a cataclysm'. I actually dumped Dex and boosted Int to mechanically reflect the guy who 'takes stock of the battlefield before charging in'.

What are some of yours?

 

[Almacov]

I'm stuck DMing the 4e game, so I don't get much opportunity to act as a player.

So, so many I'd like to play though... It takes a concerted effort to find my players' files among all the ones I've fiddled with in the offline Character Builder.

 

[Pseudonym]

I play a goblin night stalker assassin in an Eberron game.

 

[Cyronax]

I've only seen the Essentials Rogue played -- not seen any others yet. My 'classic' 4e PC's are not all are necessarily optimized characters, but they were fun to play:

1) Warforged Swordmage -- Shieldling Aegis build; multiclass cleric of Ioun.

2) Gnome Bard -- Prescient build; multiclass shaman, druid, and warlock.

3) Changeling Hybrid Druid Cleric -- Swarm Druid hybrid talent and Cleric of Avandra.

4) Dwarf Fighter (current) -- completely optimized Great Weapon Build -- Mordenkrad Hammer; multi-class Barbarian.

C.I.D.

 

[Kralin Thornberry]

Human swordmage multi-class warlord
Elven Avenger, pursuit style
Human ardent
dwarven runepriest
half-orc barbarian

Not sure I have any characters lying around that have an essentialized version of them.

 

[Prestidigitalis]

I have a level 13 human Swordmage who turned out to be completely non-Essential in the last combat, due to me rolling a 1 four times and hitting a total of twice for perhaps 25 damage total, the final hit of the combat landing only because I used Heroic Effort to boost my roll.

Aside from that, just a human Tactical Warlord. All of my others have been one of those you called out as common.

 

[Cyronax]

I have a level 13 human Swordmage who turned out to be completely non-Essential in the last combat.

You must not have been using Sword Burst....

 

[Destil]

Human Centered Breath Monk and Human Hunter Seeker. One of these two is awesome, and the other can never find a way to make his powers useful. It's left as an exorcise to the reader to determine which is which.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Currently happy with my Dwarven Starlock/Psion.

 

[the Jester]

Well, I dm, but in my campaign we have a warden on top of what you mentioned, and we've gone through a monk, assassin and bard. (We've had 3 recent pc deaths that the party raised, too, but those are a rogue, wizard and barbarian.)