Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Mar 13, 2009 11:37:31	Well I'm getting into a new party that my friend just pulled together and I'm a bit unsure of what to choose to compliment it. Should I pick a striker as well to complete the cycle, or should I choose a leader to act as a sort of aircraft carrier? The party, so far: Level 5 Half-Orc Brutal Scoundrel Rogue Level 5 Shifter Avenger Level 5 Gnome Warlock Level 5 Goliath Barbarian So yeah, all strikers so far, and most of them are melee. Should I pick a ranged striker to compliment this team or go for a meleeish Warlord? Or maybe a Paladin? I dunno. I haven't really looked through the PHB2 so I don't know how a lot of the new classes work.
#2 tafkamhokie Mar 13, 2009 11:49:03	Tactically, I would probably play a leader. All those strikers will need someone to help put them in the right positions and patch them up after they get mutilated for wading into melee with no defenders. Non-tactically, play whatever sounds interesting to you. 4e may work better if all four roles are covered, but it is quite possible to have an effective party with some missing pieces. If you really have an itch to play an archer, then do it and don't worry about it.
#3 toshihito Mar 13, 2009 11:51:23	lol, this party is awesome. Probably your best bet for a 5th character would be a Paladin with all the healing abilities he can get or a leader that acts like a defender.
#4 jhanzur Mar 13, 2009 12:22:57	Half Elf Bard. Multiclassed into Cleric and Warlord. Sounds like you're going to need a lot of healing, plus, Misdirected Mark can be helpful in getting a mob off of a severely injured party member.
#5 rodolfomaxi Mar 13, 2009 14:48:26	Bard/cleric/warlord is awesome indeed. Make a laser zapping cleric if the above don't feel nice to you.
#6 borris Mar 14, 2009 9:40:54	A laser cleric is what I'd play, and what seems like the best fit given the party's needs. It can heal, even from afar (something important with so many mobile strikers), and very well if you keep boosting your Wisdom score, it can fight with ranged attacks (you'll have to if you want to keep the party's only healer alive), and can wear heavy armor (same reason as before).
#7 themocaw Mar 16, 2009 16:58:01	This reminds me of the very first D&D party my buddy Jay played in. All humans. 2nd edition. Human Fighter with the Cavalier kit. Human Fighter with the Samurai kit. Human Fighter with the Swashbuckler kit. Human Fighter with the Berserker kit. Human Fighter with the Kensai kit. Human Mage Everyone was specced pure damage, and since this was 2nd edition, most fights didn't last long enough for them to need a cleric. . . In conclusion, you should make a Ranger jump on the bandwagon. :D
#8 DKase Mar 17, 2009 1:33:10	I'm in agreement with themocaw. Make a striker. At this point even if you made a leader, there is no way to keep monster's from taking you out first as no one can mark. The paladin defender route is a bit more viable, but ultimately one defender can't be expected to take care of four high value damage dealers all by himself. Just make up a striker and pray you can dish out enough damage in the first couple of rounds to negate the need for a leader and a defender.
#9 brashnir Mar 17, 2009 2:10:09	Make another Striker. If nobody else in the group cares about complimenting roles, why should you? Make a Greatbow Ranger, and insist on attacking from Max range all the time. That way, you'll be the first one to be able to GTFO when things go bad.
#10 dragonsblood Mar 17, 2009 12:10:40	I'd lobby the group to change one of the strikers into a defender or leader, then make the other of the two. Unless your DM pulls his punches, this party is doomed.
#11 ian_demagi Mar 17, 2009 14:26:04	Smart thing would be to make the bard/cleric/warlord. Fun thing would be to make another striker. Remember in the DMG, the guidelines for healing potions are much different than in other versions. There are only supposed to be 2 or 3 of these "dropped" per level, Ian.
#12 karldark_dup Mar 17, 2009 17:46:13	This party screms Bravura warlord to me... especially if your avenger is using a big **** off weapon like the barbarian. Bravura can do a decent job doubling as defender and dolling out the extra attacks to guys who deal serious damage with say... Bloodclaw Mordencrads.
#13 m4kitsu Mar 17, 2009 21:06:18	or should I choose a leader to act as a sort of aircraft carrier? for that line. And to be honest... play what you want to play. Another striker would work, as would a leader or defender. If you want to be really funny about it, toss an Orbizard into the mix to make the party's mobility mean even more. Whatever you do can be made to work. What you have right now is a party with deficiencies in durability and control, but makes up for it with overwhelming firepower and the ability to run circles around most encounters. This works great, particularly if your GM is adapting encounters and adventures to better suit the party as he should be. On one hand, every team needs Hannibal or the decker waiting in the van and dishing out orders, advice and close air support. On the other, having a big bruiser on the field or a guy wearing an armored car gives the rest of the flighty little strikers someone to revolve around; or, letting them do the work of rounding up all the cattle for the boomstick to burn down is good for efficiency.
#14 splinters Mar 17, 2009 21:50:15	I think a Shaman, with their many multi heals, would be best for your character.
#15 salla Mar 17, 2009 22:32:22	Wow, this is definitely the part of 'kill it before it kills you'. You might consider a controller, so your strikers aren't wasting their damage on minions as you kill them en masse.