Best Powers for Each Role?

[Hawk7915]

So this thread had me thinking - if you could take any power you wanted and have all powers key off of one primary ability score of your choice and all riders off of one secondary of your choice, what are the best powers for each role at each level?

For example, based on my meager opti-fu and opinion, looking only at Leaders...

At-will: A Leader generally really wants Enabling as one of their at-wills. The other big priority from an at-will is great buffing. All things being equal I think Spirit Infusion (Shaman, PP) is the best enabling power out there with +2 Attack, +SECONDARY to damage, and minimal risk to the leader themselves. Commander's Strike (Warlord, PH1) is a strong second choice while Staggering Note (Bard, Dr383) works for Implement-focused ones (although requiring your own hit first sucks). Buffing is also key for an at-will. Magic Weapon (Artificer, PGE) is nice because it can be used with melee or ranged weapons, although positioning requirements are a little lame. Lance of Faith (Cleric, PHB) is probably superior for Implement or Weapliment Leaders. Pre-Errata Intuitive Strike (Warlord, MP2) is probably the actual best power out there.

[bloodshed343]

For Controller: Dishearten and Eyebite at-will. Why Eyebite? Well, it's decent damage, charm and psychic, and protects the controller. These are all important for situations where you wouldn't just use Dishearten instead. Encounters in heroic: All the Sand, and Color Spray. Both are AoE dazes. Honorary mention to Dimensional Vortex and Dazing Rebuke. They're both off-action control with an easy trigger. For dailies, pick your favorites from Wizard, plus maybe Mind Blast and Living Missile.

For Strikers: Twin Strike. Wait you get two? Pick twin strike again. Or Eldritch Strike if you need an MBA. For Encounters pick Low Slash and any other multi-attacks or off-action attacks. That's it, really.

[Dimers]

I'm impressed with beast switch as an at-will controller power. Prevent OAs, knock prone, slide, and deal damage that isn't negligible for a 1st-level power. It's psychic, too, so you could add Psychic Lock. I think it sees little use because it's a melee wizard power and wizards aren't supposed to be in melee. Good one to pick up via multiclassing for a tougher character with high Intelligence -- swordmage, avenger and warlord are obvious candidates.

Charm beast has a lot of control potential too. A domination effect as an encounter power at level 7? Hook me up wit summadat, yo! It even dazes on a miss.

[georgie_leech]

Charm beast has a lot of control potential too. A domination effect as an encounter power at level 7? Hook me up wit summadat, yo! It even dazes on a miss.

I seriously have no idea what they were thinking with that one. Like, maybe if it were restricted to certain creature types, but instead it's just extra accurate against them!

[GPuzzle]

Charm Beast falls on my list of "absurdly disgusting".

For Leaders, Glyph of Warning from the Invoker PP Keeper of the Nine is absurd - 2+Int for to hit and to damage, no roll, causes enemies to run away causing OAs. Greater Magic Weapon from the Battle Engineer PP is as grand as War Chanter's or Flame of Hope's AP Functions. Powerful Warning is top 5 in terms of Immediate Interrupts. Hail of Steel, Pincer Maneuver, Impromptu Attack, A Plan Comes Together, Insightful Assault - those really shine in the hands of pretty much everyone. Reorient the Axis, Mantle of Unity, Invisible Troupe, Rush of Battle, Climatic Chord, Note of Agression, Tactical Orders, Insant Planning and Rallying Deflection are all probably amongst the best when it comes to Utilities.

Strikers that don't go for Twin Strike (more of the exception than the rule, really) have a few options. Ripose Strike can actually have more DPR if you're not fighting tofu. Howling Strike if you get a bunch of charges. Overwhelming Strike and Eldritch Strike switch around thanks to their controlling abilities, which are both very good. As for Encounters - Rain of Blows, Shocking Twister, Storm of Blades, Hurricane of Blades - all grand. Shadow Fire and Flurry of Talons can work if you follow the rather obtuse readings. Also, in Dailies, Cruel Cage of Steel and Blade Cascade are amazing.

[masteraleph]

In addition to what's been mentioned before- Flame Spiral and the Demonskin Adept PP. Any CHA based class can be made into a competent striker with those two things- even a Vampire suddenly becomes a competent striker simply by pretending to be a FS/DS Adept Sorcerer.

[Dimers]

(Dis)honorable mention to augmented brutal barrage for making four weapon attacks with a single action. It's not much by itself, but it's abusable, particularly for a critfisher.

How about Defender powers? Glowering threat is a level 2 encounter utility which applies a penalty considerably stronger than making all your allies invisible*, on multiple enemies, as a minor action. Bloodshed343 already mentioned dimensional vortex and dazing rebuke. Paladin's price of cowardice seems good in the same ways that dimensional vortex does. What else?

* Since there are plenty of creatures unaffected by invisibility, burst/blast attacks ignore invisibility anyway, and it stacks with any penalty for actual invisibility.

[Kurald Galain]

Best controller powers? Thunderwave and Beguiling Strands. Aside from the tactical options of repositioning, these powers break grabs, throw enemies into fires and off cliffs, group them together for an area attack, or push them back into a zone you've made. Plus you can move your allies in a pinch if needed.

Best leader powers? Favor of the Gods is a good pick (and has several variants for others classes); basically, any interrupt power that gives your ally a bonus or a reroll.

Best defender power might be Footwork Lure combined with polearm momentum and rushing cleats for at-will proning. In fact, this combo can tack proning as a rider onto quite a lot of other attacks.

Best striker power is pretty obvious, it's Twin Strike. Although Riposte Strike is funnier imho, and there's something to be said for Hellish Rebuke and then intentionally getting yourself damaged. Also, a sorcerer specced for the dragonborn's breath weapon can get pretty ridiculous.

[masteraleph]

Not that people generally get up to 27, but anyone who has good Con can make good use of Valorous Charge- giving everyone the ability to use an at will or charge AND +CON to defenses is ridiculous.

[GPuzzle]

(Dis)honorable mention to augmented brutal barrage for making four weapon attacks with a single action. It's not much by itself, but it's abusable, particularly for a critfisher.

How about Defender powers? Glowering threat is a level 2 encounter utility which applies a penalty considerably stronger than making all your allies invisible*, on multiple enemies, as a minor action. Bloodshed343 already mentioned dimensional vortex and dazing rebuke. Paladin's price of cowardice seems good in the same ways that dimensional vortex does. What else?

* Since there are plenty of creatures unaffected by invisibility, burst/blast attacks ignore invisibility anyway, and it stacks with any penalty for actual invisibility.

I'll just say that most Paladin powers that apply Sanctions apply Sanctions as powers, such as Valorous Smite or Call of Challenge. This pretty much means that if you're a Defender with high Charisma (mostly Battleminds), you can get a bunch of free punishment just from the powers themselves. It's pretty nifty, really. It's actually not a really bad idea for Battleminds to go after PMC Paladin. I mean, Hybrids would be better (especially seeing as Virtuous Strike is useful as all hell), but it's not a bad idea completely.

As for Battleminds, Lightning Rush and Forceful Reversal are amazing, and Con-heavy defenders (anyone, really) can make good use of those with, say, the Noble Adept or the Escaped Thrall theme.

Picking up a Warden's form is not a bad idea at all for some Defenders, especially the really sticky ones such as Form of Winter's Herald.

The Fighter's Come and Get It as well as Warrior's Urging are actually fairly good.

Virtue, from the Paladin, is also quite good for someone in the thick of the fight.

[UrsusArctos]

Eyebite is amazing for Defenders. You just hit them with your mark and turn invisible. They can either choose to not do anything or take damage.

[GPuzzle]

Eyebite is amazing for Defenders. You just hit them with your mark and turn invisible. They can either choose to not do anything or take damage.

Paladins, really, since no one else can really use it effectively. You could make an argument for Battleminds, but then again they need all the help they can get on MBAs, probably are spamming one of their several powerful At-Wills from Intellect Snap (another one which is really good, as well) to Brutal Barrage. Everyone else doesn't have an use for Charisma, really.

[georgie_leech]

Paladins, really, since no one else can really use it effectively. You could make an argument for Battleminds, but then again they need all the help they can get on MBAs, probably are spamming one of their several powerful At-Wills from Intellect Snap (another one which is really good, as well) to Brutal Barrage. Everyone else doesn't have an use for Charisma, really.

The conceit of this thread is that everything keys off of whichever ability score you want. As per the OP:

So this thread had me thinking - if you could take any power you wanted and have all powers key off of one primary ability score of your choice and all riders off of one secondary of your choice, what are the best powers for each role at each level?

[Kurald Galain]

Eyebite is amazing for Defenders. You just hit them with your mark and turn invisible. They can either choose to not do anything or take damage.

It's not very good considering how little damage they take, and it works on only one enemy at a time, and doesn't do anything when it misses, and enemies can still hit you if you're invisible. Glowering Threat as noted above is much better.

[MwaO]

Not yet old enough in post count, but do a search for Poachable Powers. The first post that comes up in Google is each stat and the best powers that each class brings to that stat(if they bring any). It also brings up stat-independent powers for each class as well.

[Sol]

Not yet old enough in post count, but do a search for Poachable Powers. The first post that comes up in Google is each stat and the best powers that each class brings to that stat(if they bring any). It also brings up stat-independent powers for each class as well.

It's so incredibly disorienting to be more senior on a forum than you :(

[MwaO]

It's so incredibly disorienting to be more senior on a forum than you :(

lol. Luckily, I made one for enworld a long time ago, but not for gitp. Really weird for me not to be able to simply post a link.

[Sol]

lol. Luckily, I made one for enworld a long time ago, but not for gitp. Really weird for me not to be able to simply post a link.

<-- Nirafelos, not that I was anywhere near as large a presence as you. Still, nice to see the regulars around someplace.

[masteraleph]

It is nice to see Mommy here.

[MwaO]

It is nice to see Mommy here.

Let's keep it MwaO :)

Only reason it was the full-fledged spelling was that WotC screwed up their naming system. Definitely something I won't miss...