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Suggest the last character for this group...

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
estesgibson
Dec 08, 2010 2:39:36 I'm running Dark Sun for my regular group (we take turns DMing) and the group is starting at level 1, shortly to go through the Bloodsands Arena adventure. We have one player in the group that hasn't been able to attend the last couple of character creation type sessions and is "willing to fill the gaps" so I'm wanting to make 3 or 4 characters for him to choose from and am looking for suggestions. At the moment the group has:

Male Human Sorcerer-King Pact Warlock (Templar Theme) - very loyal to Hamanu
Male Halfing Cunning Bard (Asthasian Minstrel Theme) - doesn't like slavers (including the Warlock)
Female Mul "Slayer" (Gladiator Theme) - will do pretty much anything for money

Shortly to be joined by a

Dwarven Two-Weapon Ranger ("Wasteland Fury" power - can't remember the theme)
and whatever pre-gen you nice people inspire me to make. The dwarf and the new character will be travelling together and should already have good connections with each other so if you could keep that in mind that would be great.

Thanks in advance.
#2
diggles
Dec 08, 2010 4:26:07 Lets see, no controller and likely a strikerish leader & defender?

Sounds like you need a good jack of all trades, either Shaman or Druid. Ardent could work too
#3
tavitin
Dec 08, 2010 4:47:00 This party needs a Defender, the Slayer/Gladiator is a mid-term and a good 2nd, but to be the 2nd you need the 1st.

Let's take a look at your options:

Fighter
Battlemind
Warden

The lack of Primal and Psionic source in this party kinda bugs me, so i'll choose between Warden and Battlemind (Warden being my first choice due to its multimarking for free). As a DM i like providing plot-hooks associated to the character's source of power, if every character has a diferent source, every player gets to be the 'protagonist' once in while.

In game mechanics i believe the Fighter is, and always will be, the best 1st defender. Greatweapon Fighters and Battlerager Fighters can dish a fistful of hurt to dungeon masters worldwide. I wasn't able to give the Knight a try, but his multimarking aura seems awesome just as it is.

In game terms (roleplaying), i think the Arena Fighter is a solid choice, but it is a hard to build one though (at least harder than it looks).

The battlemind is only good for a punchbag/cannon fodder/meat shield. (and it is sooooo boring to play one, don't ever suggest this to a new/inexperienced player)
#4
DontEatRawHagis
Dec 08, 2010 9:07:59
The battlemind is only good for a punchbag/cannon fodder/meat shield. (and it is sooooo boring to play one, don't ever suggest this to a new/inexperienced player)

I take offense to this, battlemind was the first character I ever played. And I loved it.

My only gripe is when it comes to swapping out for theme abilities later down the line. Its much more efficient to stick with the at-wills for a battlemind, otherwise you lose an augmented at-will for a single use encounter power. At least thats how it seems to me.
#5
tavitin
Dec 08, 2010 11:30:50
The battlemind is only good for a punchbag/cannon fodder/meat shield. (and it is sooooo boring to play one, don't ever suggest this to a new/inexperienced player)

I take offense to this, battlemind was the first character I ever played. And I loved it.

My only gripe is when it comes to swapping out for theme abilities later down the line. Its much more efficient to stick with the at-wills for a battlemind, otherwise you lose an augmented at-will for a single use encounter power. At least thats how it seems to me.

It wasn't supposed to offend anyone, it was just my personal feedback on the class.

I'm DMing a game that has one Battlemind and the player is close to mediocre defender, the monsters rarely respect his mark and they only does when i'm done bashing the whole party to a pulp. And he has only two to three diferent kind of powers, which sucks (so he says). He barely even shows up in the game sessions due to boredom of the class. The supposed to be 2nd defender (a minotaur Paladin of Bane directed to be more strikery) is the one truly defending.

Maybe i was harsh on my words, but the class was harsh on me and on my friends.
#6
DontEatRawHagis
Dec 08, 2010 13:52:58

It wasn't supposed to offend anyone, it was just my personal feedback on the class.

Its all good i know its an opinion. The way I play it is more of a defender controller. Most of the time I use the abilities that involve pushing targets into environmental hazards. At one point I pushed a guy into some chokedust which ended up killing him. Another time I used the same move to push two guys into slipsand.

As they say "To each his own"; I need to read my players a bit better when it comes to what classes they might be best at. ie my Leader is playing like a striker, while my striker is acting like a defender.
#7
Bera
Dec 10, 2010 0:58:33 I'd echo a decent defender for the group. The warden can be particularly effective, though fighter might be simpler for a novice player. A dwarven Warden could fit well with the ranger (wasteland nomad) you mention as a companion, with just about any theme. The swordmage has some decent defending and control powers, though perhaps not enough if you have 3 characters with low defenses.
#8
estesgibson
Dec 18, 2010 3:34:23 As an update I did up 3 defenders: Goliath Great Weapons Fighter (wilder), Human Warden (elemental priest), Half-Elf Battlemind (wilder) and let the player decide. He went with the Goliath and I think he had a pretty decent time.

His travelling companion, the dwarven two-weapon ranger, not so much as he got killed in the first encounter of the Bloodsands Arena encounter.

I used the map from the Dark Sun Encounters season and they got themselves penned in but good.

I do have a bit of a reputation for being a lethal DM but, I'm not sure that player knew my rep. Hoping he doesn't take it too personal.

#9
lord_rock
Dec 19, 2010 18:23:02 Our swordmage is killin. He's a ensnaring build but I built him and built him with the rest of the party in mind so he does very well. I DM and use a lot of terrain so his control abilities are huge. Thematically he also fits well I think as a spy from another city state and the Templar background. He defiles only under extream duress.

I you are going brutal darksun a sheilding swordmage could be a lifesaver... Literally. If you have lots of above lvl encounters his damage reduction should keep your PC's alive long enough for a leader to heal them. Makes for great tension.
#10
diggles
Dec 20, 2010 12:57:18
Our swordmage is killin. He's a ensnaring build but I built him and built him with the rest of the party in mind so he does very well. I DM and use a lot of terrain so his control abilities are huge. Thematically he also fits well I think as a spy from another city state and the Templar background. He defiles only under extream duress. I you are going brutal darksun a sheilding swordmage could be a lifesaver... Literally. If you have lots of above lvl encounters his damage reduction should keep your PC's alive long enough for a leader to heal them. Makes for great tension.

How do you fit a sword mage using arcane magic into your Darksun? Wouldnt it be rather obvious if he was a templar of another city and using arcane magic?
#11
Enclave
Dec 20, 2010 14:46:36
Our swordmage is killin. He's a ensnaring build but I built him and built him with the rest of the party in mind so he does very well. I DM and use a lot of terrain so his control abilities are huge. Thematically he also fits well I think as a spy from another city state and the Templar background. He defiles only under extream duress. I you are going brutal darksun a sheilding swordmage could be a lifesaver... Literally. If you have lots of above lvl encounters his damage reduction should keep your PC's alive long enough for a leader to heal them. Makes for great tension.

How do you fit a sword mage using arcane magic into your Darksun? Wouldnt it be rather obvious if he was a templar of another city and using arcane magic?

The same way you play any Arcane class in Athas. Carefully.
#12
lord_rock
Dec 20, 2010 16:34:41 He has to make arcana and nature (or Psionics) checks to disguise his encounters and dailies from appearing arcane. So far he's only failed once and most of our adventuring to date has been out of city.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 estesgibson Dec 08, 2010 2:39:36	I'm running Dark Sun for my regular group (we take turns DMing) and the group is starting at level 1, shortly to go through the Bloodsands Arena adventure. We have one player in the group that hasn't been able to attend the last couple of character creation type sessions and is "willing to fill the gaps" so I'm wanting to make 3 or 4 characters for him to choose from and am looking for suggestions. At the moment the group has: Male Human Sorcerer-King Pact Warlock (Templar Theme) - very loyal to Hamanu Male Halfing Cunning Bard (Asthasian Minstrel Theme) - doesn't like slavers (including the Warlock) Female Mul "Slayer" (Gladiator Theme) - will do pretty much anything for money Shortly to be joined by a Dwarven Two-Weapon Ranger ("Wasteland Fury" power - can't remember the theme) and whatever pre-gen you nice people inspire me to make. The dwarf and the new character will be travelling together and should already have good connections with each other so if you could keep that in mind that would be great. Thanks in advance.
#2 diggles Dec 08, 2010 4:26:07	Lets see, no controller and likely a strikerish leader & defender? Sounds like you need a good jack of all trades, either Shaman or Druid. Ardent could work too
#3 tavitin Dec 08, 2010 4:47:00	This party needs a Defender, the Slayer/Gladiator is a mid-term and a good 2nd, but to be the 2nd you need the 1st. Let's take a look at your options: Fighter Battlemind Warden The lack of Primal and Psionic source in this party kinda bugs me, so i'll choose between Warden and Battlemind (Warden being my first choice due to its multimarking for free). As a DM i like providing plot-hooks associated to the character's source of power, if every character has a diferent source, every player gets to be the 'protagonist' once in while. In game mechanics i believe the Fighter is, and always will be, the best 1st defender. Greatweapon Fighters and Battlerager Fighters can dish a fistful of hurt to dungeon masters worldwide. I wasn't able to give the Knight a try, but his multimarking aura seems awesome just as it is. In game terms (roleplaying), i think the Arena Fighter is a solid choice, but it is a hard to build one though (at least harder than it looks). The battlemind is only good for a punchbag/cannon fodder/meat shield. (and it is sooooo boring to play one, don't ever suggest this to a new/inexperienced player)
#4 DontEatRawHagis Dec 08, 2010 9:07:59	The battlemind is only good for a punchbag/cannon fodder/meat shield. (and it is sooooo boring to play one, don't ever suggest this to a new/inexperienced player) I take offense to this, battlemind was the first character I ever played. And I loved it. My only gripe is when it comes to swapping out for theme abilities later down the line. Its much more efficient to stick with the at-wills for a battlemind, otherwise you lose an augmented at-will for a single use encounter power. At least thats how it seems to me.
#5 tavitin Dec 08, 2010 11:30:50	The battlemind is only good for a punchbag/cannon fodder/meat shield. (and it is sooooo boring to play one, don't ever suggest this to a new/inexperienced player) I take offense to this, battlemind was the first character I ever played. And I loved it. My only gripe is when it comes to swapping out for theme abilities later down the line. Its much more efficient to stick with the at-wills for a battlemind, otherwise you lose an augmented at-will for a single use encounter power. At least thats how it seems to me. It wasn't supposed to offend anyone, it was just my personal feedback on the class. I'm DMing a game that has one Battlemind and the player is close to mediocre defender, the monsters rarely respect his mark and they only does when i'm done bashing the whole party to a pulp. And he has only two to three diferent kind of powers, which sucks (so he says). He barely even shows up in the game sessions due to boredom of the class. The supposed to be 2nd defender (a minotaur Paladin of Bane directed to be more strikery) is the one truly defending. Maybe i was harsh on my words, but the class was harsh on me and on my friends.
#6 DontEatRawHagis Dec 08, 2010 13:52:58	It wasn't supposed to offend anyone, it was just my personal feedback on the class. Its all good i know its an opinion. The way I play it is more of a defender controller. Most of the time I use the abilities that involve pushing targets into environmental hazards. At one point I pushed a guy into some chokedust which ended up killing him. Another time I used the same move to push two guys into slipsand. As they say "To each his own"; I need to read my players a bit better when it comes to what classes they might be best at. ie my Leader is playing like a striker, while my striker is acting like a defender.
#7 Bera Dec 10, 2010 0:58:33	I'd echo a decent defender for the group. The warden can be particularly effective, though fighter might be simpler for a novice player. A dwarven Warden could fit well with the ranger (wasteland nomad) you mention as a companion, with just about any theme. The swordmage has some decent defending and control powers, though perhaps not enough if you have 3 characters with low defenses.
#8 estesgibson Dec 18, 2010 3:34:23	As an update I did up 3 defenders: Goliath Great Weapons Fighter (wilder), Human Warden (elemental priest), Half-Elf Battlemind (wilder) and let the player decide. He went with the Goliath and I think he had a pretty decent time. His travelling companion, the dwarven two-weapon ranger, not so much as he got killed in the first encounter of the Bloodsands Arena encounter. I used the map from the Dark Sun Encounters season and they got themselves penned in but good. I do have a bit of a reputation for being a lethal DM but, I'm not sure that player knew my rep. Hoping he doesn't take it too personal.
#9 lord_rock Dec 19, 2010 18:23:02	Our swordmage is killin. He's a ensnaring build but I built him and built him with the rest of the party in mind so he does very well. I DM and use a lot of terrain so his control abilities are huge. Thematically he also fits well I think as a spy from another city state and the Templar background. He defiles only under extream duress. I you are going brutal darksun a sheilding swordmage could be a lifesaver... Literally. If you have lots of above lvl encounters his damage reduction should keep your PC's alive long enough for a leader to heal them. Makes for great tension.
#10 diggles Dec 20, 2010 12:57:18	Our swordmage is killin. He's a ensnaring build but I built him and built him with the rest of the party in mind so he does very well. I DM and use a lot of terrain so his control abilities are huge. Thematically he also fits well I think as a spy from another city state and the Templar background. He defiles only under extream duress. I you are going brutal darksun a sheilding swordmage could be a lifesaver... Literally. If you have lots of above lvl encounters his damage reduction should keep your PC's alive long enough for a leader to heal them. Makes for great tension. How do you fit a sword mage using arcane magic into your Darksun? Wouldnt it be rather obvious if he was a templar of another city and using arcane magic?
#11 Enclave Dec 20, 2010 14:46:36	Our swordmage is killin. He's a ensnaring build but I built him and built him with the rest of the party in mind so he does very well. I DM and use a lot of terrain so his control abilities are huge. Thematically he also fits well I think as a spy from another city state and the Templar background. He defiles only under extream duress. I you are going brutal darksun a sheilding swordmage could be a lifesaver... Literally. If you have lots of above lvl encounters his damage reduction should keep your PC's alive long enough for a leader to heal them. Makes for great tension. How do you fit a sword mage using arcane magic into your Darksun? Wouldnt it be rather obvious if he was a templar of another city and using arcane magic? The same way you play any Arcane class in Athas. Carefully.
#12 lord_rock Dec 20, 2010 16:34:41	He has to make arcana and nature (or Psionics) checks to disguise his encounters and dailies from appearing arcane. So far he's only failed once and most of our adventuring to date has been out of city.