Need 4e controller items

[c0r1nth14n]

So, ladies and gentlemen, I have a slight problem. I made an invoker for a 4e campaign, and things have been going well, except in the area of magic items. I simply cannot find items that enhance controller abilities. For example, I'm currently wearing level 8 Gloves Of The Ram, which add +1 to any push effect I create. However, looking over future magical hand-slot items, it appears that there are no upgrades for this and that there are no other gloves which aid controller powers. The same is true of almost every other type of magic item. My current appraisal suggests that, at level 18, I can wear these gloves and get a ring that does the same. This brings my push effects to +2, giving me between 4 and 6 push depending on the ability... but with magic items and abilities to increase movement speed outstripping my ability to enhance push (and similar effects), the usefulness decreases as level goes up,

The worst area has to be the weapon. I've looked at rods, holy symbols, wands, staffs, orbs, everything, and the only thing I found was a wand that gave enemies -2 to saving throws against your effects. That's it. Now, I don't want to munchkin out and load down with magic items that make me an uber-god. But I feel that already (level ten) I've been left in the dust as far as magical items go, making me slightly less useful than the other party members. Not a big deal yet, but I don't want it to get worse as we go. And frankly, it's not that fun to see your party members crafting items that let them do awesome stuff while you sit there looking at the books and saying "still nothing I want at this level".

So, does anyone know of any good controller-focused magical items? Any advice is helpful at this point. I've got the character builder so I have access to any items in that, plus my group has most of the books between the 5 of us. Thanks!

[Colmarr]

I was preparing my character's wish list the other night and recall seeing at least 2 (maybe 3) items that create walls. Walls are definitely controller territory.

I believe one of them was the Stonewall Shield (which may be of little use to you depending on feat selection). I believe another was Green Thumbs, a hand slot item. Not sure what the third might have been.

I'm AFB at the moment, and am scanning through a list of items prepared with a cleric in mind, but the items that seem like they might be useful to you are:

• Flame bracers: Level 13 arm slot. Add fire damage to attacks. Potentially even more damage for area attacks.
• Feystep lacings: Level 12 feet slot. Excellent mobility aid; useful for getting where you need to be. Notably better in every respect than the lvl 14 earthstrider boots.
• Torc of Fortune: Level 14 neck slot. Allows re-rolls IIRC, although I can't remember whether it allows you to re-roll attacks (useful to make sure that debuff sticks).
• Foestone: Level 12 Wondrous Item. Gives you in-game knowledge about enemies' weaknesses. Excellent for knowing exactly which spell is most useful.

Hope that was of some help.

[c0r1nth14n]

I've been debating between Feystep Lacings and Battlestrider Greaves (+1 to speed) for boots at level 12. They both look pretty useful for getting out of bad situations. The Torc of Fortune isn't bad, but it doesn't help THAT much with offense - daily +2 to attack isn't bad but I have no problems hitting things as it is. Flame Bracers look mostly for melee characters, but that Foestone is pretty nice... and I'll definitely consider those Green Thumb gloves.

Mostly my problem is with the effects of my powers. Like I said, it's just a touch disheartening when every level has one or more items to make our cleric heal better and our strikers hit harder, but few or no items to make me control better. On the other hand, as this is my first controller, I'm very aware that this could be a failure on my part to properly identify things that would make me control better.

[Colmarr]

I haven't really looked at Invokers, but I can offer some general thoughts on controllers.

Being a controller is ultimately about two things: battlefield control and debuffs.

Battlefield control is the easy one to identify. It's walls, difficult terrain, blocking LoS and limiting movement.

Debuffs are just as important, which explains why Illusionary Ambush is such a frequently chosen Wizard at-will.

So look for things that impose penalties to enemies, such as the daily power of the Terror weapon.

You might want to track down Kurald Galain's GitP guide to the 4e batman wizard. Not sure how much use it will be to an invoker, but it certainly has a healthy discussion about utility items.

[Kurald Galain]

So, ladies and gentlemen, I have a slight problem. I made an invoker for a 4e campaign, and things have been going well, except in the area of magic items.

Check the guide in my sig

[c0r1nth14n]

Check the guide in my sig

That's a pretty impressive guide, I may pick up an item or two from there. The difficulty is mostly getting things that will apply to an Invoker as well as a Wizard, and in affording them - in my current campaign magic items are much more expensive than usual, so I wouldn't be able to get THAT many items until level 30 :P