Are you a tank or a finess oriented warrior? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Are you a tank or a finess oriented warrior? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Canadian_Samurai
10-08-04, 10:49 AM Are you a tank or a finess oriented warrior? What kind of Warrior do you play? By this, I do not only mean the class you play, but more the orientation you give to your Warrior. I love to play light armored finess warrior, what about you?

Your character...
Is he a tank or a more finess oriented character? Do you prefer heavy or light armor? Do you prefer heavy or light weapons? Range or melee specialist? What is your favorite weapon?
Sucineri
10-08-04, 10:56 AM So you are asking what kind of melee types we play when we play melee types?

Well, if you stick with just one kind you are kinda lame. :P

I sometimes go with a tank character, and sometimes I go with the finesse character.
CzarGarrett
10-08-04, 11:29 AM Yeah, I'm an either or type.

Although I do tend to multiclass with tank vs finesse mentality in mind.

A fighter/cleric I tend to make more of a combat tank, and a fighter/rogue tends to be more of a finesse fighter.

But I can mix it up at any time.
Bacon and Eggs
10-08-04, 11:34 AM Finesse. The less I have to heal afterwards, the better.
thugpoetry
10-08-04, 11:40 AM For the most part, when I play melee based classes, I'm not playing something that is going to be able to tank. That's what the dwarven fighter is for.

I usually play stuff that's gonna be effective in a different way. Grapple. Trip. Disarm. Sunder.

Currently, I've got a druid who just got his wildshape abilities. I'm gonna have fun finding out the most effective way to play him that's not "I'm a honking big bear." ;)

Sticking to one style is boring in my book. The only reason I'm playing this druid again is that the first druid was unable to play due to real life reasons. I've got about four more ideas that I've been playing with, but will have to wait until I roll up a new character.
Fiery_Fighter_Drake
10-08-04, 11:59 AM Well, I've tried both the tank warrior(half-orc barbarian) and the finesse warrior(halfling rogue) and I find I prefer to be a tanker. Frankly, I love dealing tons of damage while being able to soak up damage. My halfling rogue basically does 1d4+1 damage when not sneak attacking but my old half-orc barb could do 2d6+6 damage or more depending on whether he used Power Attack or not.

Hopefully, I'll be able to do all that damage and more with my halfling rogue once I've multiclassed him into a fighter and gotten some good ranged feats. However, I'll most likely retire the character once the quest that is centred on him is completed (which won't be soon, from what I reckon) and go back to good old tanking. Most likely a dwarf this time since I prefer to be tougher then stronger.
Board_Rider
10-08-04, 12:08 PM I usually always play a character that doesn't deal that much damage. Is that a finesse player? I don't think so. I love playing Rangers with either Rogue (favorite) or Cleric. I usually try to balance any combat by protecting myself with spells or whatever and effectively helping the tank in the party, or anyone else, with spells,flanking,summoning etc. Two of my best characters were not damage dealers at all. They had spells that helped them.

Usually, it seems to me anyways, that the big tank is always taking the blows and the most damage. I wouldn't ike that. When I play a mage I always look for an enemy tank to CHARM and it goes that way when I DM an NPC mage. Why not..the Will save for a fighter sucks. Suddenly the tank in the party is a threat not an ally. This could happen to ANY PC or NPC I suppose but the damage dealers usually get picked on. Who wants that?
The Man from Uncle
10-08-04, 12:15 PM I've played armour plated tanks, damage at the expensive of defence warriors, accurate archers, hit and run tech fighters, finesse based two-weapon fighters and damage soaking barbarians. Its not really a matter of either or, its a matter making a good character.

Though if i had to pick two qualities that i particularly like it would be having extra attacks or damage reduction. Don't know why, but each physical beast i make has one or the other.
MortalPlague
10-08-04, 12:18 PM I prefer finesse characters myself, but more for their image than their actual functionality. My characters generally tend to be swashbuckling rogue types, who are great at sneaking around and avoiding being hit. I just wish there were better ways than armor to up your AC... such as non-armor defense feats and the like?
shirasaya25
10-08-04, 12:22 PM I have to say that I lean more towards the tank side of combat - heavy armor, large weapons and the whole bit. However, I have yet to play a fighter that does not have some of the Combat Expertise tree feats. Even a heavily armored (and therefore slow) fighter with a lot of hit points does not need to be locked into "I power attack at maximum" every round. If I'm up against an opponent who seems to be a lumbering brute, I'll dump some attack into defense and go for the trip or disarm. If I'm up against the little guy dancing around me in leather armor with a rapier, I'll keep my attack roll high and simply try to pummel the snot out of him or attempt a grapple. I've always believed that versatility is the fighters greatest asset.

However, if you are not playing a fighter you're options get somewhat more limited because you are not picking up the fighter's bonus feats and are more likely to be using your normal feat selection on options other than purely combat-oriented feats. I suppose that is when the question of specialization into a pure tank or finesse-oriented combatant becomes much more important.
Canadian_Samurai
10-08-04, 03:26 PM I prefer finesse characters myself, but more for their image than their actual functionality. My characters generally tend to be swashbuckling rogue types, who are great at sneaking around and avoiding being hit. I just wish there were better ways than armor to up your AC... such as non-armor defense feats and the like?

That is a good point, we need more non-armor defense feats. I also love to play finess type for their image.
Tehril
10-08-04, 10:57 PM My current character is somewhere in the middle of the road...

A barbarian/ranger/rogue... yes, he fights with a great axe and power attackm but he also dual wields daggers and has a whip. Feats? Power Attack is the most recent feat and I was loathe to take it... Combat Reflexes and Quick Draw ...along with a decent strength and a great reflex followed by a good fortitude... he's a fricken monster!.

He wears a chain shirt... but would go with lighter armor if that wasn't available. His archery, while not great, is something to be reckoned with... especially with sneak attack added in.

I guess he leans more to the Sneaky/Finesse side rather than the straight up tank... but he can be a half decent tank when called on.

Dammit! Have I mentioned he's a monster already? (funny thing is, I never planned it that way... it just sort of happened... funniest character I've ever played)
DwarvinJedi
10-09-04, 12:20 AM That is a good point, we need more non-armor defense feats. I also love to play finess type for their image.
Check out UA's Class Defense rules, and to contribute:
I love playing DEX type swashbucklers, but i jsut wish either the quarterstaff or some spears were finneseable.
My favorite character to make(but never got to play :weep: ) was my Xeph gestalt psion/swashbuckler then duelist/elocater
Callista
10-09-04, 12:28 AM I usually prefer finesse-oriented characters--usually rogues with a few fighter levels--but recently, for something different, I'm playing a human barbarian with normal intelligence and low charisma. It's rather fun to just sit back and wait until the party leader says it's time to smash things. :)

Armor? Usually I go light.
Dragontooth
10-09-04, 01:11 AM I usually prefer to tank. My current character is somewhere between. I can dish out mega damage, but I'm not armored very well. Currently working to get whirlwind attack. I'm playing a Half-ogre Barbarian/Fighter working for Weapon Master from the Sword and Fist.

Wearing Breast-plate armor, and welds a Large Scythe. Love the criticals on that monster 8d6+60. And also spring attacking is fun also.
BOK2
10-09-04, 06:09 AM If the choice was between high damage vs high AC, I'd go with high AC anytime.
It's not much fun being hit all the time and then the cleric becomes irittated bec he wastes most of his spells just healing you.

My finesse character is human bard3/fighter4/Rogue2/Duelist7(3.0 version), and to buff his AC his got: dodge, combat expertise, canny defense, boots of speed, buckler +4, and elaborate parry.

He may have a high AC but his damage dealing sucks with 12 Str and a +3 rapier of speed. he deals about 1d6+4(without precise strike) per hit, so his style is to use defense feats and wear down his opponent with quick strikes with his weapon. :)
darczero
10-09-04, 09:38 AM Overall, I prefer the tank type. I enjoy having high survivability, and not having to rely on a few good rolls at the beginning of combat to achieve that. My personal favorite tank type is actually the Paladin; as long as you can maintain the required alignment/faith, and remain in your element (fighting evil), you're virtually unstoppable.

Not that finesse warriors are all bad; when you do get those few good rolls (mostly initiative), and can keep your advantages (range, flanking, concealment, etc.), you're great.
Lina_Inverse
10-09-04, 11:03 AM well obviously it depends on class.for a finesse fighter rogue is the only real choice,on the other hand theres more options for tanks.barbarians,druids or paladins.so i prefer the tanks more options as well as hitting more often and not more hp and a higher AC are all positives.
Shadowmagyk
10-09-04, 06:09 PM The only time that I ever played a tank was with my Half-Celestial Paladin. He is the only character to ever use Heavy Armor. I had a 3.0 Dwarven RGR 1/FIG 10 that dual-wielded two Greatswords (3.0 Monkey Grip). Sure he had a -6 for each attack, but I rolled luckily enough to have two 18s. One went to STR and the other went to CON. I had a 20 CON, which gave me enough HP to be a lightly armored tank.

Other than that, my favorite character type is the finesse template. ROG X/FIG 4 with TWF.

I also enjoy the image of the finesser. It seems much cooler than the "AAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHH..... Hulk Smash!!!"
Daydreamer
10-10-04, 02:26 AM Ive playd them all but a big factor in what i play is what the group needs.
I play with 3 other ppl. If a see there characters are Wiz, bard, Rouge then i play a tank warrior because the monsters are gonna take us down otherwise.
If i see Cleric, paladin, Barb or druid them im much more inclind to play a finesse fighter ( although id probably play a wizard or sorc in this group).

Also the setting influences me alot. WE ran a setting once in a pirate era. it was fun for a while, but finesse figthers were in vogue so to speak.
friedmad
10-10-04, 11:23 AM the problem I encounter the most is I always go for the 'finesse' character and theres always invariably ppl who play only tanks and who think they can bully the rest of the party.
HammerHeart81
10-11-04, 01:45 AM After playing around with both finesse and tanks, I tend to go for tanks. I found pouring on massive damadge to be more fun. Not to mention that in high levels where nothign short of a nautral one is going to miss, a good con helps out more.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Canadian_Samurai 10-08-04, 10:49 AM	Are you a tank or a finess oriented warrior? What kind of Warrior do you play? By this, I do not only mean the class you play, but more the orientation you give to your Warrior. I love to play light armored finess warrior, what about you? Your character... Is he a tank or a more finess oriented character? Do you prefer heavy or light armor? Do you prefer heavy or light weapons? Range or melee specialist? What is your favorite weapon?
Sucineri 10-08-04, 10:56 AM	So you are asking what kind of melee types we play when we play melee types? Well, if you stick with just one kind you are kinda lame. :P I sometimes go with a tank character, and sometimes I go with the finesse character.
CzarGarrett 10-08-04, 11:29 AM	Yeah, I'm an either or type. Although I do tend to multiclass with tank vs finesse mentality in mind. A fighter/cleric I tend to make more of a combat tank, and a fighter/rogue tends to be more of a finesse fighter. But I can mix it up at any time.
Bacon and Eggs 10-08-04, 11:34 AM	Finesse. The less I have to heal afterwards, the better.
thugpoetry 10-08-04, 11:40 AM	For the most part, when I play melee based classes, I'm not playing something that is going to be able to tank. That's what the dwarven fighter is for. I usually play stuff that's gonna be effective in a different way. Grapple. Trip. Disarm. Sunder. Currently, I've got a druid who just got his wildshape abilities. I'm gonna have fun finding out the most effective way to play him that's not "I'm a honking big bear." ;) Sticking to one style is boring in my book. The only reason I'm playing this druid again is that the first druid was unable to play due to real life reasons. I've got about four more ideas that I've been playing with, but will have to wait until I roll up a new character.
Fiery_Fighter_Drake 10-08-04, 11:59 AM	Well, I've tried both the tank warrior(half-orc barbarian) and the finesse warrior(halfling rogue) and I find I prefer to be a tanker. Frankly, I love dealing tons of damage while being able to soak up damage. My halfling rogue basically does 1d4+1 damage when not sneak attacking but my old half-orc barb could do 2d6+6 damage or more depending on whether he used Power Attack or not. Hopefully, I'll be able to do all that damage and more with my halfling rogue once I've multiclassed him into a fighter and gotten some good ranged feats. However, I'll most likely retire the character once the quest that is centred on him is completed (which won't be soon, from what I reckon) and go back to good old tanking. Most likely a dwarf this time since I prefer to be tougher then stronger.
Board_Rider 10-08-04, 12:08 PM	I usually always play a character that doesn't deal that much damage. Is that a finesse player? I don't think so. I love playing Rangers with either Rogue (favorite) or Cleric. I usually try to balance any combat by protecting myself with spells or whatever and effectively helping the tank in the party, or anyone else, with spells,flanking,summoning etc. Two of my best characters were not damage dealers at all. They had spells that helped them. Usually, it seems to me anyways, that the big tank is always taking the blows and the most damage. I wouldn't ike that. When I play a mage I always look for an enemy tank to CHARM and it goes that way when I DM an NPC mage. Why not..the Will save for a fighter sucks. Suddenly the tank in the party is a threat not an ally. This could happen to ANY PC or NPC I suppose but the damage dealers usually get picked on. Who wants that?
The Man from Uncle 10-08-04, 12:15 PM	I've played armour plated tanks, damage at the expensive of defence warriors, accurate archers, hit and run tech fighters, finesse based two-weapon fighters and damage soaking barbarians. Its not really a matter of either or, its a matter making a good character. Though if i had to pick two qualities that i particularly like it would be having extra attacks or damage reduction. Don't know why, but each physical beast i make has one or the other.
MortalPlague 10-08-04, 12:18 PM	I prefer finesse characters myself, but more for their image than their actual functionality. My characters generally tend to be swashbuckling rogue types, who are great at sneaking around and avoiding being hit. I just wish there were better ways than armor to up your AC... such as non-armor defense feats and the like?
shirasaya25 10-08-04, 12:22 PM	I have to say that I lean more towards the tank side of combat - heavy armor, large weapons and the whole bit. However, I have yet to play a fighter that does not have some of the Combat Expertise tree feats. Even a heavily armored (and therefore slow) fighter with a lot of hit points does not need to be locked into "I power attack at maximum" every round. If I'm up against an opponent who seems to be a lumbering brute, I'll dump some attack into defense and go for the trip or disarm. If I'm up against the little guy dancing around me in leather armor with a rapier, I'll keep my attack roll high and simply try to pummel the snot out of him or attempt a grapple. I've always believed that versatility is the fighters greatest asset. However, if you are not playing a fighter you're options get somewhat more limited because you are not picking up the fighter's bonus feats and are more likely to be using your normal feat selection on options other than purely combat-oriented feats. I suppose that is when the question of specialization into a pure tank or finesse-oriented combatant becomes much more important.
Canadian_Samurai 10-08-04, 03:26 PM	I prefer finesse characters myself, but more for their image than their actual functionality. My characters generally tend to be swashbuckling rogue types, who are great at sneaking around and avoiding being hit. I just wish there were better ways than armor to up your AC... such as non-armor defense feats and the like? That is a good point, we need more non-armor defense feats. I also love to play finess type for their image.
Tehril 10-08-04, 10:57 PM	My current character is somewhere in the middle of the road... A barbarian/ranger/rogue... yes, he fights with a great axe and power attackm but he also dual wields daggers and has a whip. Feats? Power Attack is the most recent feat and I was loathe to take it... Combat Reflexes and Quick Draw ...along with a decent strength and a great reflex followed by a good fortitude... he's a fricken monster!. He wears a chain shirt... but would go with lighter armor if that wasn't available. His archery, while not great, is something to be reckoned with... especially with sneak attack added in. I guess he leans more to the Sneaky/Finesse side rather than the straight up tank... but he can be a half decent tank when called on. Dammit! Have I mentioned he's a monster already? (funny thing is, I never planned it that way... it just sort of happened... funniest character I've ever played)
DwarvinJedi 10-09-04, 12:20 AM	That is a good point, we need more non-armor defense feats. I also love to play finess type for their image. Check out UA's Class Defense rules, and to contribute: I love playing DEX type swashbucklers, but i jsut wish either the quarterstaff or some spears were finneseable. My favorite character to make(but never got to play :weep: ) was my Xeph gestalt psion/swashbuckler then duelist/elocater
Callista 10-09-04, 12:28 AM	I usually prefer finesse-oriented characters--usually rogues with a few fighter levels--but recently, for something different, I'm playing a human barbarian with normal intelligence and low charisma. It's rather fun to just sit back and wait until the party leader says it's time to smash things. :) Armor? Usually I go light.
Dragontooth 10-09-04, 01:11 AM	I usually prefer to tank. My current character is somewhere between. I can dish out mega damage, but I'm not armored very well. Currently working to get whirlwind attack. I'm playing a Half-ogre Barbarian/Fighter working for Weapon Master from the Sword and Fist. Wearing Breast-plate armor, and welds a Large Scythe. Love the criticals on that monster 8d6+60. And also spring attacking is fun also.
BOK2 10-09-04, 06:09 AM	If the choice was between high damage vs high AC, I'd go with high AC anytime. It's not much fun being hit all the time and then the cleric becomes irittated bec he wastes most of his spells just healing you. My finesse character is human bard3/fighter4/Rogue2/Duelist7(3.0 version), and to buff his AC his got: dodge, combat expertise, canny defense, boots of speed, buckler +4, and elaborate parry. He may have a high AC but his damage dealing sucks with 12 Str and a +3 rapier of speed. he deals about 1d6+4(without precise strike) per hit, so his style is to use defense feats and wear down his opponent with quick strikes with his weapon. :)
darczero 10-09-04, 09:38 AM	Overall, I prefer the tank type. I enjoy having high survivability, and not having to rely on a few good rolls at the beginning of combat to achieve that. My personal favorite tank type is actually the Paladin; as long as you can maintain the required alignment/faith, and remain in your element (fighting evil), you're virtually unstoppable. Not that finesse warriors are all bad; when you do get those few good rolls (mostly initiative), and can keep your advantages (range, flanking, concealment, etc.), you're great.
Lina_Inverse 10-09-04, 11:03 AM	well obviously it depends on class.for a finesse fighter rogue is the only real choice,on the other hand theres more options for tanks.barbarians,druids or paladins.so i prefer the tanks more options as well as hitting more often and not more hp and a higher AC are all positives.
Shadowmagyk 10-09-04, 06:09 PM	The only time that I ever played a tank was with my Half-Celestial Paladin. He is the only character to ever use Heavy Armor. I had a 3.0 Dwarven RGR 1/FIG 10 that dual-wielded two Greatswords (3.0 Monkey Grip). Sure he had a -6 for each attack, but I rolled luckily enough to have two 18s. One went to STR and the other went to CON. I had a 20 CON, which gave me enough HP to be a lightly armored tank. Other than that, my favorite character type is the finesse template. ROG X/FIG 4 with TWF. I also enjoy the image of the finesser. It seems much cooler than the "AAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHH..... Hulk Smash!!!"
Daydreamer 10-10-04, 02:26 AM	Ive playd them all but a big factor in what i play is what the group needs. I play with 3 other ppl. If a see there characters are Wiz, bard, Rouge then i play a tank warrior because the monsters are gonna take us down otherwise. If i see Cleric, paladin, Barb or druid them im much more inclind to play a finesse fighter ( although id probably play a wizard or sorc in this group). Also the setting influences me alot. WE ran a setting once in a pirate era. it was fun for a while, but finesse figthers were in vogue so to speak.
friedmad 10-10-04, 11:23 AM	the problem I encounter the most is I always go for the 'finesse' character and theres always invariably ppl who play only tanks and who think they can bully the rest of the party.
HammerHeart81 10-11-04, 01:45 AM	After playing around with both finesse and tanks, I tend to go for tanks. I found pouring on massive damadge to be more fun. Not to mention that in high levels where nothign short of a nautral one is going to miss, a good con helps out more.