Character Creation Help: Mounted, Whip-wielding Pixie Defender

[Highfeather]

Hi everyone! Been doing some research on 4e in general for a while now, including looking at this forum (and some others, including the WoTC forums in the Wayback Machine). But now I need help with a character build I just can't get right.

The current campaign I'm in is the only one I've been in, and my character died in the last session (due to a rather silly houserule, but that's besides the point). So it's up to me to create a new character now, which I need help with.
By now I'm experienced enough at creating characters to be able to come up with something, as I ended up coming up with build concepts in my free time. Trouble is, I've had so much fun just 'making builds' that I completely forgot to actually create a "character". You know; the thing behind a build and its stats. I'd pick a class and then picked the optimal race, weapon choice, etc. And at this point, just picking something I built and retroactively trying to add some character to it feels weird, and I don't really get the drive to actually play anything.

So, here I am trying to do it the other way round. The character I want to create is in the title: a whip-wielding Pixie Defender using a mount.


There's quite a few (semi-)important things to keep in mind, for anybody who wants to read them. You could also just throw me some advice on some build ideas below.

Spoiler

Show

-The current party is already... very odd. Not a group of heroes anybody would rely on, yet due to them being the PCs the DM pretty much has to let it happen anyway. I've already tried the more 'serious' (or 'generic') character in my previous LG Human Warlord, which didn't work out well. For reference, out of the other 4 party members, we have 2 people playing children and 1 person playing an elderly lady, all three of which have at least something related to cats. In the end, I figured out that a Pixie - whom are intrinsically childlike - would fit well given the circumstances, and even then it might be funny to be the 'voice of reason' at times when you least expect it. That, and I like the idea of a Tiny character being able to hit things 10 feet away with a Whip. By coincedence, the easiest way to get a mount for it is with the Fey Beast Tamer theme. Which gives me a Displacer Beast [now I have my own kitty], who of course also has tentacles [ahum, whips].

-The party lacks in a few areas. Melee, Defenders and general battlefield control, mostly. People have effectively requested I go Defender, since that's the only role we're missing. The entire party is effectively ranged (except a Druid who darts in and out of Melee), so a Melee Defender would likely have to endure a lot of pain coming their way. We have two strikers, a Infernal Warlock and a Storm Sorcerer. They don't really have any 'novas' to speak of, but they do have solid DPR, especially if both are at the table (with the Sorcerer triggering the Warlock's Hellish Rebuke punishment with some redirected damage from Lightning Strike). However, our area coverage and overall damage output drop through the floor when the Sorcerer isn't at the table, which happens at times, such as when my previous character died. The other person I haven't mentioned is a Shaman - and is effectively a pretty effective party-wide healbot. But not much more than that. The Druid is, sadly, pretty bad in-combat with the rare exception of some dailies that apply (save ends) dazed/blinded.

-New characters start at lower EXP and less GP than other characters. Basically, I'll start somewhere between level 9 and 10 (though closer to 9). Another party member is nearing 10, two others are well through 10 and the final player is nearing 11. I will also start with 3400 GP, the equivalent of a level-1 item. This was done by the GM to limit people 'switching characters', apparently. Which, silly me, didn't stop me when I was a complete beginner joining their campaign. My first character was badly made, so I retired it. Then I made a Warden, but without knowledge of the game (ahum, 18 starting Str, Expertise feat...) and the fact that I couldn't buy a level appropriate weapon, I found I was literally never hitting anything unless I rolled 15 or higher. So basically, as much of a fool as I was, the rule itself did end up making things worse. But now that I have more experience, I'm obviously sticking to this character. The good thing is that I might be able to grab some +2 Rimefire Plate as that was dropped recently, so that at least makes up for the worse starting GP.

-...Yeah Plate Armor dropped in a party of Warlord/Shaman/Druid/Warlock/Sorcerer. The DM loves random loot, and for some mysterious reason some of the players do too (but not all). This pretty much means we can't use the majority of the items that are dropped. Can't do anything about it except make complaints about how nobody has appropriate defenses (and in some cases to-hit) for their level. I suppose that's another thing, everybody else but the Sorcerer is coming damn close to an autohit against AC. The Con/Wis Shaman especially (which is moreso a problem of the class and not gear, but it doesn't help), with the DM recently realizing his level 9 monsters had to roll a 3 to hit the level 10 Shaman. I hope support is on the way, but I wouldn't count on it.

-The DM says he mixes monsters from all books, but it's been predominantly MM1 math. I feel this is fine since the others would get demolished with their defenses if we were playing with higher damage/lower HP monsters, but it does mean combat drags on a lot. Especially since the Shaman doesn't deal much damage but does heal a bunch, which is a bit of a problem with healers and combat length in general. Basically, solid at-will options are going to be a must, as I'll be relying on them a lot.

So, the build options.
Race, Theme and Weapon choice are spoken for. Pixie, Fey Beast Tamer (Displacer Beast) and Whip.
With the party having no other characters that are consistently in melee, my defenses need to be top-notch. I'll likely have to make use of the +2 Agile Rimefire Plate that was dropped recently, as nobody else in the party can currently use it and I can't buy proper armor with my starting funds.

I like having the mount, since it also very much synergizes with the Pixie's Teeny Target feat, which would already help my defenses quite a bit against Melee and Ranged attacks. However, even if the mount is a part of my health pool, it doesn't share my defenses. So it's a prime target for other people in melee with me, which is likely to be a lot of enemies, especially as I'm (unrealistically...) expected to be the 'tank', not necessarily the 'defender'. With the cover my companion will give me (and other potential tricks), I feel like my own defenses will be fine enough to take quite a few blows. But if I can't punish -everybody- around me, they'll just start hitting the kitty and cutting through my HP/surges pool that way. Because of this, I started looking at the aura defenders.

Important to note is that I've already discussed the matter with the DM, and the Whip counts as a Flail. This is likely going to be an integral part of the build due to Flail Expertise tricks.

-Berserker seemed funny enough, but it requires Strength and Dex. Not ideal.

-Knight seemed a bit better and can be fixed with Melee Training. I'd go 22 Dex (at level 9) and Melee Training. I'll get Whip proficiency to get additional penalties Then, come Paragon, I'd immediately pick up both Lashing Flail and Dragging Flail to prone+slide everything all day. Trouble is, I'd mostly not want to move them out of my aura, but I'd need to do that to get any action denial going. On top of that, between a 1d4 weapon die and nerfed Melee Training only adding half the modifier to damage, I feel like I'd not be doing significant enough damage on my punishment actions (especially prior to level 11) considering they still need to hit in the first place as well. But the main problem I have is the lack of Encounter and Daily powers. Power Strike really doesn't count: an extra d4 is laughable, and I can't even swap it out with a feat because the Fighter's base encounter powers use Str. I'd also have trouble selecting a Paragon Path for the same reason.

-Cavalier initially seemed like a bad option. Which it is, but the fact that it's the only aura defender with a Hybrid option opens up a world of options. If only because the Hybrid rules for Essentials characters are so awkwardly written. Of course, it does mean I pretty much HAVE to Hybrid. It does seem like the most potent option, however. I'd either have to mix it with another Defender (Swordmage is the only one where the race's stats fit, though other options are open) to keep my defender level hit points, but it does seem very interesting to Hybrid Warlock (as is rather common). This gives me Eldritch Strike so I can already start proning things. Unfortunately, my HP progression drops to 5/level which is annoying, particularly because I doubt I can get the DM to approve the HP-stat swapping backgrounds. Still, this is the option I'm considering the most, but I know next to nothing about Warlocks. Plus, we already have a Warlock in the party which might end up being a mess to track which of us cursed something. I'm aware you can apply cursed damage to any cursed target, but whose curse it is can affect the other Warlock's Pact Boon.

Paragon Path on a Warlock|Cavalier is also up in the air. Evermeet Warlock is a hilarious one, but until I can take my mount with my on my teleport (level 16) I'd have to trick it out a bit to do anything. With the Rules Compendium nothing there are 'other' uncommon ways to get up on a mount, I should be able to get a teleport booster to teleport myself straight up above my altitude limit, which me (logically) safely descending on my mount at the end of my turn.

Another problem I have is simple: feat starvation. I cannot get the Whip Training MC feat with this Hybrid, and to get Dragging Flail I'd have to Fighter MC and then pick it up. But my feats up until level 10 are already spoken for, pretty much. Teeny Target (cover), Flail Expertise (proning), Hybrid Talent (armor), Weapon Proficiency (Whip), Mindbite Scorn (damage), Devout Protector Expertise (some help with ally defenses and also makes my implement attacks worth something). That all fits in. However, there's a lot more things I'd want at Paragon. Superior Will is a no-brainer, Hero's Poise is amazing, Starfire Womb would be neat, Twofold Pact/Curse, Psychic Lock (if that works with Mindbite Scorn), White Lotus fun... I'd even need an Arcane Familiar at first for the teleport boost. I just can't decide on what I should go for.

The final problem I have with this as a defender is that I'd still be relying on the Cavalier's aura. Which is not a good thing. Sure I might be able to pick up a sanction here and there. That would normally be enough, but I doubt it is for our group since combat drags on so long. I'd go for 22 Cha at level 9 as to get an aura violation of 9 Radiant damage, but the only real damage upgrade I could get on it with this build is grabbing some Lancing Gloves to get it to 11 Radiant Damage when I get more GP. At some point, enemies will just start shift/charging away. I could try and stop that once a day in a zone caused by the Warlock's Assassin's Bane Utility 2 power, but that's just about it. Though it might very well be enough considering I'll try to keep one enemy consistently proned next to me and I can't really expect to keep everybody next to me.


So yes, I suppose I've mostly been thinking about the latter option (and I already built a Knight but I don't quite think that'll be something I'd enjoy), but I'm up for hearing other ways I could get this to work. The main reason behind the post is that I just can't make up my mind on how to make this happen in the most effective way possible that won't become boring.

[masteraleph]

I need to take another look at what you're planning, but you should be aware that whips were changed to be the sole member of the Whip group, rather than part of the Flail group, so they don't qualify for any of the Flail feats. Something like a Scourge would work for that, though.

[Highfeather]

I need to take another look at what you're planning, but you should be aware that whips were changed to be the sole member of the Whip group, rather than part of the Flail group, so they don't qualify for any of the Flail feats. Something like a Scourge would work for that, though.

I'm aware. I believe I mentioned it somewhere, but I did already discuss it with the DM. It's a bit iffy since one of the core Flail feats is in MME, which has it printed as 'Weapon Group Whip', but at the same time, the other published Whips have never been errata'd as far as I'm aware.

A Scourge would be the only backup option for a small character, and even then I'm not a big fan of +2 proficiency weapons. Besides, it would just be a 'backup Flail' instead of an actual backup for the character idea. But for now, we're going to assume it can work.

[masteraleph]

I'm aware. I believe I mentioned it somewhere, but I did already discuss it with the DM. It's a bit iffy since one of the core Flail feats is in MME, which has it printed as 'Weapon Group Whip', but at the same time, the other published Whips have never been errata'd as far as I'm aware.

A Scourge would be the only backup option for a small character, and even then I'm not a big fan of +2 proficiency weapons. Besides, it would just be a 'backup Flail' instead of an actual backup for the character idea. But for now, we're going to assume it can work.

Errata is irrelevant; things in 4e are superseded by later printed works. So, for example, the rules for charging from PHB1 were later changed, the rules for flying were later changed, rapier was reprinted as a martial weapon, etc. In particular, WotC thought that a +3, one handed flail with reach was too powerful to keep around.

[Highfeather]

Errata is irrelevant; things in 4e are superseded by later printed works. So, for example, the rules for charging from PHB1 were later changed, the rules for flying were later changed, rapier was reprinted as a martial weapon, etc. In particular, WotC thought that a +3, one handed flail with reach was too powerful to keep around.

All of which were also added to updates/errata, which the Whip wasn't to my knowledge.

Either way, I'm not here for a 'is this RAW or a houserule' debates. Regardless of what it is, the Whip has already been decided to count as a Flail at our table. So that's what I have to work with, and need help building on. Mostly expanding on the Warlock|Cavalier idea for now, but I really need ideas of where to take it at Paragon (which Paragon Path) and which Dailies/Encounters to take.

[Crivens]

I know this was over a week ago, but it may still be relevant to you, so here's a possibility for you to consider:

Make your Pixie Defender a Hybrid Cavalier | Warlock (Binder) with the Fey Pact from Dragon Magazine 406. For your first level at-will powers, take Fascinating Shadows and Virtuous Strike.

Binders get a +1 to strike against targets that don't have any other target adjacent to them, IIRC, instead of Warlock's Curse, but the plus side is that the bonus applies independently of class powers (it's just a bonus). That'd reduce some of the confusion between you and the other Warlock, anyway, and reduce the amount of busy work you would have to do to be effective on your turn.

Then, instead of Mindbite Scorn, pick up White Lotus Riposte, to get some of that damage back / double up on your Catch-22 punishment.

For your level 7 power, "Touch of Command" is perfect (and wouldn't have gotten Curse damage anyway), and happens to add the rider from your Fey Pact.

Whether or not you opt for the above tweaks, when you get to Paragon:

Consider Entrancing Mystic for your Paragon Path. If you want to heighten your defender punishment and radiant powers, and if Amaunator is in your setting / if your DM allows it, there's Morninglord.

For a very different direction, requiring worshipping "The Traveler" from Eberron, there's Traveler's Harlequin (Dragon #382).

If you don't mind retraining and changing whip to net (or reflavoring a net to be a whip and just use the net's mechanics), Net Training will let you slow on any weapon attack. Pair with "World Serpent's Grasp" (from HotFK).

Regardless of what you take for your Paragon Path, or what class combination:

Impenetrable Barding will be the thing to get for your Displacer Beast.

Hi everyone! Been doing some research on 4e in general for a while now, including looking at this forum (and some others, including the WoTC forums in the Wayback Machine). But now I need help with a character build I just can't get right.

Spoiler

Show

The current campaign I'm in is the only one I've been in, and my character died in the last session (due to a rather silly houserule, but that's besides the point). So it's up to me to create a new character now, which I need help with.
By now I'm experienced enough at creating characters to be able to come up with something, as I ended up coming up with build concepts in my free time. Trouble is, I've had so much fun just 'making builds' that I completely forgot to actually create a "character". You know; the thing behind a build and its stats. I'd pick a class and then picked the optimal race, weapon choice, etc. And at this point, just picking something I built and retroactively trying to add some character to it feels weird, and I don't really get the drive to actually play anything.

So, here I am trying to do it the other way round. The character I want to create is in the title: a whip-wielding Pixie Defender using a mount.


There's quite a few (semi-)important things to keep in mind, for anybody who wants to read them. You could also just throw me some advice on some build ideas below.

Spoiler

Show

-The current party is already... very odd. Not a group of heroes anybody would rely on, yet due to them being the PCs the DM pretty much has to let it happen anyway. I've already tried the more 'serious' (or 'generic') character in my previous LG Human Warlord, which didn't work out well. For reference, out of the other 4 party members, we have 2 people playing children and 1 person playing an elderly lady, all three of which have at least something related to cats. In the end, I figured out that a Pixie - whom are intrinsically childlike - would fit well given the circumstances, and even then it might be funny to be the 'voice of reason' at times when you least expect it. That, and I like the idea of a Tiny character being able to hit things 10 feet away with a Whip. By coincedence, the easiest way to get a mount for it is with the Fey Beast Tamer theme. Which gives me a Displacer Beast [now I have my own kitty], who of course also has tentacles [ahum, whips].

-The party lacks in a few areas. Melee, Defenders and general battlefield control, mostly. People have effectively requested I go Defender, since that's the only role we're missing. The entire party is effectively ranged (except a Druid who darts in and out of Melee), so a Melee Defender would likely have to endure a lot of pain coming their way. We have two strikers, a Infernal Warlock and a Storm Sorcerer. They don't really have any 'novas' to speak of, but they do have solid DPR, especially if both are at the table (with the Sorcerer triggering the Warlock's Hellish Rebuke punishment with some redirected damage from Lightning Strike). However, our area coverage and overall damage output drop through the floor when the Sorcerer isn't at the table, which happens at times, such as when my previous character died. The other person I haven't mentioned is a Shaman - and is effectively a pretty effective party-wide healbot. But not much more than that. The Druid is, sadly, pretty bad in-combat with the rare exception of some dailies that apply (save ends) dazed/blinded.

-New characters start at lower EXP and less GP than other characters. Basically, I'll start somewhere between level 9 and 10 (though closer to 9). Another party member is nearing 10, two others are well through 10 and the final player is nearing 11. I will also start with 3400 GP, the equivalent of a level-1 item. This was done by the GM to limit people 'switching characters', apparently. Which, silly me, didn't stop me when I was a complete beginner joining their campaign. My first character was badly made, so I retired it. Then I made a Warden, but without knowledge of the game (ahum, 18 starting Str, Expertise feat...) and the fact that I couldn't buy a level appropriate weapon, I found I was literally never hitting anything unless I rolled 15 or higher. So basically, as much of a fool as I was, the rule itself did end up making things worse. But now that I have more experience, I'm obviously sticking to this character. The good thing is that I might be able to grab some +2 Rimefire Plate as that was dropped recently, so that at least makes up for the worse starting GP.

-...Yeah Plate Armor dropped in a party of Warlord/Shaman/Druid/Warlock/Sorcerer. The DM loves random loot, and for some mysterious reason some of the players do too (but not all). This pretty much means we can't use the majority of the items that are dropped. Can't do anything about it except make complaints about how nobody has appropriate defenses (and in some cases to-hit) for their level. I suppose that's another thing, everybody else but the Sorcerer is coming damn close to an autohit against AC. The Con/Wis Shaman especially (which is moreso a problem of the class and not gear, but it doesn't help), with the DM recently realizing his level 9 monsters had to roll a 3 to hit the level 10 Shaman. I hope support is on the way, but I wouldn't count on it.

-The DM says he mixes monsters from all books, but it's been predominantly MM1 math. I feel this is fine since the others would get demolished with their defenses if we were playing with higher damage/lower HP monsters, but it does mean combat drags on a lot. Especially since the Shaman doesn't deal much damage but does heal a bunch, which is a bit of a problem with healers and combat length in general. Basically, solid at-will options are going to be a must, as I'll be relying on them a lot.

So, the build options.
Race, Theme and Weapon choice are spoken for. Pixie, Fey Beast Tamer (Displacer Beast) and Whip.
With the party having no other characters that are consistently in melee, my defenses need to be top-notch. I'll likely have to make use of the +2 Agile Rimefire Plate that was dropped recently, as nobody else in the party can currently use it and I can't buy proper armor with my starting funds.

I like having the mount, since it also very much synergizes with the Pixie's Teeny Target feat, which would already help my defenses quite a bit against Melee and Ranged attacks. However, even if the mount is a part of my health pool, it doesn't share my defenses. So it's a prime target for other people in melee with me, which is likely to be a lot of enemies, especially as I'm (unrealistically...) expected to be the 'tank', not necessarily the 'defender'. With the cover my companion will give me (and other potential tricks), I feel like my own defenses will be fine enough to take quite a few blows. But if I can't punish -everybody- around me, they'll just start hitting the kitty and cutting through my HP/surges pool that way. Because of this, I started looking at the aura defenders.

Important to note is that I've already discussed the matter with the DM, and the Whip counts as a Flail. This is likely going to be an integral part of the build due to Flail Expertise tricks.

-Berserker seemed funny enough, but it requires Strength and Dex. Not ideal.

-Knight seemed a bit better and can be fixed with Melee Training. I'd go 22 Dex (at level 9) and Melee Training. I'll get Whip proficiency to get additional penalties Then, come Paragon, I'd immediately pick up both Lashing Flail and Dragging Flail to prone+slide everything all day. Trouble is, I'd mostly not want to move them out of my aura, but I'd need to do that to get any action denial going. On top of that, between a 1d4 weapon die and nerfed Melee Training only adding half the modifier to damage, I feel like I'd not be doing significant enough damage on my punishment actions (especially prior to level 11) considering they still need to hit in the first place as well. But the main problem I have is the lack of Encounter and Daily powers. Power Strike really doesn't count: an extra d4 is laughable, and I can't even swap it out with a feat because the Fighter's base encounter powers use Str. I'd also have trouble selecting a Paragon Path for the same reason.

-Cavalier initially seemed like a bad option. Which it is, but the fact that it's the only aura defender with a Hybrid option opens up a world of options. If only because the Hybrid rules for Essentials characters are so awkwardly written. Of course, it does mean I pretty much HAVE to Hybrid. It does seem like the most potent option, however. I'd either have to mix it with another Defender (Swordmage is the only one where the race's stats fit, though other options are open) to keep my defender level hit points, but it does seem very interesting to Hybrid Warlock (as is rather common). This gives me Eldritch Strike so I can already start proning things. Unfortunately, my HP progression drops to 5/level which is annoying, particularly because I doubt I can get the DM to approve the HP-stat swapping backgrounds. Still, this is the option I'm considering the most, but I know next to nothing about Warlocks. Plus, we already have a Warlock in the party which might end up being a mess to track which of us cursed something. I'm aware you can apply cursed damage to any cursed target, but whose curse it is can affect the other Warlock's Pact Boon.

Paragon Path on a Warlock|Cavalier is also up in the air. Evermeet Warlock is a hilarious one, but until I can take my mount with my on my teleport (level 16) I'd have to trick it out a bit to do anything. With the Rules Compendium nothing there are 'other' uncommon ways to get up on a mount, I should be able to get a teleport booster to teleport myself straight up above my altitude limit, which me (logically) safely descending on my mount at the end of my turn.

Another problem I have is simple: feat starvation. I cannot get the Whip Training MC feat with this Hybrid, and to get Dragging Flail I'd have to Fighter MC and then pick it up. But my feats up until level 10 are already spoken for, pretty much. Teeny Target (cover), Flail Expertise (proning), Hybrid Talent (armor), Weapon Proficiency (Whip), Mindbite Scorn (damage), Devout Protector Expertise (some help with ally defenses and also makes my implement attacks worth something). That all fits in. However, there's a lot more things I'd want at Paragon. Superior Will is a no-brainer, Hero's Poise is amazing, Starfire Womb would be neat, Twofold Pact/Curse, Psychic Lock (if that works with Mindbite Scorn), White Lotus fun... I'd even need an Arcane Familiar at first for the teleport boost. I just can't decide on what I should go for.

The final problem I have with this as a defender is that I'd still be relying on the Cavalier's aura. Which is not a good thing. Sure I might be able to pick up a sanction here and there. That would normally be enough, but I doubt it is for our group since combat drags on so long. I'd go for 22 Cha at level 9 as to get an aura violation of 9 Radiant damage, but the only real damage upgrade I could get on it with this build is grabbing some Lancing Gloves to get it to 11 Radiant Damage when I get more GP. At some point, enemies will just start shift/charging away. I could try and stop that once a day in a zone caused by the Warlock's Assassin's Bane Utility 2 power, but that's just about it. Though it might very well be enough considering I'll try to keep one enemy consistently proned next to me and I can't really expect to keep everybody next to me.


So yes, I suppose I've mostly been thinking about the latter option (and I already built a Knight but I don't quite think that'll be something I'd enjoy), but I'm up for hearing other ways I could get this to work. The main reason behind the post is that I just can't make up my mind on how to make this happen in the most effective way possible that won't become boring.

[Highfeather]

I know this was over a week ago, but it may still be relevant to you, so here's a possibility for you to consider:

Make your Pixie Defender a Hybrid Cavalier | Warlock (Binder) with the Fey Pact from Dragon Magazine 406. For your first level at-will powers, take Fascinating Shadows and Virtuous Strike.

Binders get a +1 to strike against targets that don't have any other target adjacent to them, IIRC, instead of Warlock's Curse, but the plus side is that the bonus applies independently of class powers (it's just a bonus). That'd reduce some of the confusion between you and the other Warlock, anyway, and reduce the amount of busy work you would have to do to be effective on your turn.

Then, instead of Mindbite Scorn, pick up White Lotus Riposte, to get some of that damage back / double up on your Catch-22 punishment.

Thanks for the reply. However, I did indeed already have to come up with something a few days ago.

I ended up going Warlock|Cavalier. That said, I did consider the Binder, mainly for bookkeeping purposes and Fascinating Shadows being able to pull people into my aura. However, I felt (perhaps wrongly) that the prone and extra damage with Eldritch Strike would end up being more valuable overall.

EDIT: I also thought the Binder's +1 to attack rolls only worked with Warlock (PP) powers, and even then it was ranged/area only so none of the powers I picked except one Daily would have gotten it.

For your level 7 power, "Touch of Command" is perfect (and wouldn't have gotten Curse damage anyway), and happens to add the rider from your Fey Pact.

Touch of Command is in the build I ended up with, considering it's still a great power even without the Binder pact rider.

Whether or not you opt for the above tweaks, when you get to Paragon:

Consider Entrancing Mystic for your Paragon Path. If you want to heighten your defender punishment and radiant powers, and if Amaunator is in your setting / if your DM allows it, there's Morninglord.

For a very different direction, requiring worshipping "The Traveler" from Eberron, there's Traveler's Harlequin (Dragon #382).

If you don't mind retraining and changing whip to net (or reflavoring a net to be a whip and just use the net's mechanics), Net Training will let you slow on any weapon attack. Pair with "World Serpent's Grasp" (from HotFK).

I did look at all of those Paragon Paths previously. I ended up not picking enough (save ends) Charm powers for Entracing Mystic to really be worth it in my eyes, and I kind of hate PPs that only come together at level 16 considering that we level quite slowly. That also very much applies to Morninglond, even though its powers aren't bad by any means either. The lack of an easy way to turn my Eldritch Strike into radiant damage (can't really rely on items) made me decide against it however.

The choice ended up being between Traveler's Harlequin and Evermeet Warlock. Traveler's Harlequin sounded like a lot of fun with the U12 and endless multiclassing is awesome... aside from the fact that the build is already feat-starved right now. As much as I'd like to pick up a Martial MC + Whip MC and an eventual Sorcerer MC (might as well try and poach Blizzard at 20 when you're in Traveler's Harlequin anyway), I didn't see the feat room to succesfully do it.
Evermeet Warlock was the obvious 'catch-22' path (risk a miss against the defender or take damage), so I ended up aiming towards that. Which, in turn, also gave me two issues. The first is the fact that teleporting around whilst mounted is utterly useless, so the Displacer Beast had to go. Kind of. The second issue was aura punishment damage not being that great, so I looked for something to boost it. Resolved both issues quite neatly by refluffing the Werewolf theme into a Were-DB and grabbing some Claw Gloves. Extra speed from the theme helps with compensating for not having a speedy mount, and claw gloves adding 1d10 extra damage to all melee attacks means it also adds to the Righteous Radiance aura punishment, which helps significantly. I need CA for it, but between Evermeet Warlock's F11 and Ethereal Sidestep that should become rather trivial once Paragon hits.

Regardless of what you take for your Paragon Path, or what class combination:

Impenetrable Barding will be the thing to get for your Displacer Beast.

I'll keep that in mind for later. Would still like to get the option of a mount, so perhaps something can be arranged later. If I ever get to level 16 I can get my mount to teleport with me, so at that point I might grab a mount elsewhere, or look at the DM with puppy eyes to allow me to take the Cavalier's Summon Celestial Steed Utility. (I'll never understand why Cavalier Hybrids lose all options to get that power...)



Unfortunately, my limited experience with the character in the one session I had hasn't been overly great. The theme only starts doing something at level 10, with the build only really coming together at 11. Starting at level 9, I'm pretty close, but I'm not doing anything special yet. The combat encounter we had just ended up with me nearly never being missed (vs AC and Will at 26-29 and 22-24 respectively) and turning into a useless status effect christmas tree with blinded, slowed and ongoing damage for effectively the entire encounter, starting from the moment I moved into melee (thanks to readied actions from enemies who beat our initiative). Didn't end up doing much 'defending' as I just melted away without really doing anything, with my attacks missing due to the blinded condition. Enemies didn't violate the aura either because I kept getting hit by every minion on the board anyway, making sure they didn't care to try something else. And a pixie's ability to more easily avoid flanking didn't matter either as the blinded condition makes you grant CA anyway. Defenses should be fine at level 10/11, at level 10 if I can end up gathering enough GP for a Cloak of Translocation (the party barely finds neck slot items to begin with) and level 11 onwards because of the invisibility.

I suppose that wasn't a build problem though, mostly ridiculous DM dice luck. I just ended up being the most squishy person in the party by virtue of every attack easily hitting whatever it was aimed at and me having the lowest HP total in the party. Does make me wonder how you're supposed to counter the (save ends) stack of effects that every enemy at level 9+ seems to have on their MBAs. We don't have any save granting, so my level 10/11/12 feats are pretty much required to be Superior Will, Hero's Poise and Starfire Womb (not sure about the order of Hero's Poise vs Starfire Womb though). Which in turn leaves out Twofold Pact, White Lotus and other fun stuff until later. :/


Thanks for the option rundown anyway! I'll definitely keep some stuff in mind, and perhaps an entire respec might happen as well. Not counting on it, but with the way the previous session has gone and it being the 'easy' start of the Dungeon, I'm not convinced we're not looking at a near-TPK again by the end. Especially if we fight the monsters that killed characters because of silly houserules like last time, which is admittedly likely.

[Crivens]

If you are allowed to respec before Paragon and want to keep your theme, then have I got a build for you.

The premise: A Defender with a Were-Displacer Beast theme (refluffed Werewolf theme)--and high wisdom (like a Fighter) multi-classes into Druid, and at lv. 11 chooses "Coiled Serpent", with its amazing level 11 encounter power, for his/her Paragon Path.

Race: Longtooth Shifter fits; Bladeling has Barbed Body and would presumably have a scary looking Hybrid were-form (sharp!); for your group, I would probably pick Elf, with the Wood Elf subrace, even though it doesn't have a racial Str-bonus, because it seems like it would fit more thematically and it would go a long way toward your group being able to roll high initiative with Sense Threat.

Class: Knight. Alternatively, Fighter, but for this case (again, given your listed constraints) Knight would require less effort to make work (with the Agile Plate armor, for one thing). For your level 8 feat, take Martial Cross-Training to get "Come and Get It".

Class Feature and Weapon Specialization: Spinning Deflection and (at lv 7) Bludgeoning Staff.

Feat Selection: Staff Expertise, Harbinger of Nature's Wrath, World Serpent's Grasp (for pairing with the Knight's "Defend the Line" power), Superior Will, Superior Reflexes, Resilient Focus, and the aforementioned Martial Cross-Training.

Power Selection: At lv. 6, "Glowering Threat" can help enemies to focus on you; once you get "Constricting Coils" at lv. 11, you can retrain your level 2 utility to "Forceful Drag" if you want some repositioning to go with the e11 grab.

Tweaks: If you did go Bladeling instead of some other race, their level 10 racial utility power, "Improvised Portal" allows you to... well, play Portal and 4th edition simultaneously once per encounter. You might want to start carrying around a door, though. Once you have a door to slide enemies through, though, "Improvised Portal" lets you connect your door to a space 20 squares up, though anything being slid through would get a saving throw to avoid entering "Hindering Terrain".

Less Rule-Gamey Tweaks: Obviously, Claw Gloves synergize with all of the were-themes. An "Aversion Staff" pairs well with your Defender Aura and role. Bracers of Mighty Striking are less expensive arm-slot items for characters that rely primarily on Melee Basic Attacks.

If you pick up the Mark of Handling instead of, say, Resilient Focus, you could see about a mount, like a Giant Riding Lizard, which would make you take up more space while riding (and spread out your Defender Aura at the same time).

Might be a little weird to see a Were-Displacer Beast riding a giant lizard, but a Were-Displacer Beast is already going to look a little weird.

Oh, and if your DM isn't keen on Auspicious Birth or the other HP boosting backgrounds, and if you were to choose an Elf Were-DB Coiled Serpent, the background "Silent Hunter" will add a little to your perception--and initiative--and also grant you Stealth as a class skill, which would get boosted while in beast form through Coiled Serpent.

Thanks for the reply. However, I did indeed already have to come up with something a few days ago.

<snip>

Unfortunately, my limited experience with the character in the one session I had hasn't been overly great. The theme only starts doing something at level 10, with the build only really coming together at 11. Starting at level 9, I'm pretty close, but I'm not doing anything special yet. The combat encounter we had just ended up with me nearly never being missed (vs AC and Will at 26-29 and 22-24 respectively) and turning into a useless status effect christmas tree with blinded, slowed and ongoing damage for effectively the entire encounter, starting from the moment I moved into melee (thanks to readied actions from enemies who beat our initiative). Didn't end up doing much 'defending' as I just melted away without really doing anything, with my attacks missing due to the blinded condition. Enemies didn't violate the aura either because I kept getting hit by every minion on the board anyway, making sure they didn't care to try something else. And a pixie's ability to more easily avoid flanking didn't matter either as the blinded condition makes you grant CA anyway. Defenses should be fine at level 10/11, at level 10 if I can end up gathering enough GP for a Cloak of Translocation (the party barely finds neck slot items to begin with) and level 11 onwards because of the invisibility.

I suppose that wasn't a build problem though, mostly ridiculous DM dice luck. I just ended up being the most squishy person in the party by virtue of every attack easily hitting whatever it was aimed at and me having the lowest HP total in the party. Does make me wonder how you're supposed to counter the (save ends) stack of effects that every enemy at level 9+ seems to have on their MBAs. We don't have any save granting, so my level 10/11/12 feats are pretty much required to be Superior Will, Hero's Poise and Starfire Womb (not sure about the order of Hero's Poise vs Starfire Womb though). Which in turn leaves out Twofold Pact, White Lotus and other fun stuff until later. :/


Thanks for the option rundown anyway! I'll definitely keep some stuff in mind, and perhaps an entire respec might happen as well. Not counting on it, but with the way the previous session has gone and it being the 'easy' start of the Dungeon, I'm not convinced we're not looking at a near-TPK again by the end. Especially if we fight the monsters that killed characters because of silly houserules like last time, which is admittedly likely.