Quote Originally Posted by jmbrown View Post
4E's combat is based solely around the defender, striker, controller, leader setup. The recommendation for creating new classes is to base their powers on previous classes IE defenders should have a way of drawing fire, controllers should have a way of pushing units, etc. If you deviate from the d/s/c/l setup then you'll make an ineffective character.

You can create new powers without copying other powers but a defender that doesn't have a way of getting enemies to fight them without penalty or a controller that has zero area at-will powers is worthless.
This is needlessly restrictive, & indicative of the brain-drain problem that I just pointed out as a flaw. In the minds of WotC (& apparently yours as well), you can only create classes that fit within these narrow cookie-cutter party roles. You can only control, defend, lead, or strike. Classes that focus on anything different are "ineffective".

D&D is a RPG, regardless of edition. In my mind, a RPG is a collaborative experience that can be customized to suit the player's tastes, including the DM's. If I made a new class that did something besides control/defend/lead/strike, why would that class be automatically ineffective or invalid, just because it didn't fit your predefined roles? What if my class was focused on summoning, or illusions, or animating objects? None of those fits neatly into the established roles, & any one of them could be very effective on the battlefield, if built well. But according to your strictures, my attempts are dismissed before I even start.

My chosen analogy is art. WotC says that the only art is painting, sculpture, textiles, & architecture. If I were to submit a poem, or a novel, or a movie, or a digital image, it would be considered ineffective, invalid, & Not Art. It doesn't matter if it's inspiring or insipid, resplendent or repulsive, sublime or sucktastic. My attempts are doomed from the outset. It doesn't matter if my art is awesome or awful, it is already deemed Not Art.

I find this outlook sad & distasteful, & is yet another reason that 4E is anathema to me. You can sacrifice creativity, diversity, & realism on the altar of Unobtainable Balance, but I won't bow to the false idol of 4th Edition.