4e Char Concepts

[papacola]

So, i will be starting in a new campaign in two weeks, and that means i'll have to create a new char! I'm not used to create chars in 4e, but i played the "common choices" Namely, the dwarf warrior, the dragon born paladin, the half elf bard, the goliath barbarian... you know, the usual.
So for this new campaign, i want to do something different. I remember once, on the 3.5 board, there was a character concept that i played and it was really fun to play. The half orc barbarian that says he's a wizard! One of the best char's I ever played.:smallbiggrin:
So I was looking for something like this, I don't really mind the OMG THE ULTIMATE char, i want flavor. I was thinking about a barbarian with split personality disorder, the change would be made by the holding of the weapon, but the group already have 2 strikers (the only two guys that already made the sheet ¬¬') so i turn to you. Please give me some sugar to flavor my char! :smallsmile:

[OracleofWuffing]

Well, the Berserker Barbarian is built around being a Defender normally, and then when you use a certain power, you become a Striker, so it's kind of sort of got your mood switch built in mechanically.

The other guy that comes into mind would be a Runepriest that you fluff as a Barbarian- Runepriests key off of Strength, so you can be all muscley. You'd be a Leader, and then basically your attacks let you set a protective mode (adjacent allies resist damage) or destructive mode (allies get a bonus to hit adjacent enemies) every round. Normally, you'd do that by spelling letters in the air, you'd just go about doing it by changing the way you hold your weapon.

[Drglenn]

Warlord would fit: IC you try to pass of your abilities as you doing magic, but really you're just hitting enemies and shouting at your allies. Gets access to bluff too IIRC

[Rotho]

Here's a surprisingly easy way to do that for any class : themes. Particularly the Dark Sun Campaign Setting themes (both Templar and Veiled Alliance have the arcane keyword). You can swap out powers and use your highest ability modifier for those powers instead of intelligence (though you will need an implement, so set aside money for that if you're going through with it, or see if there's a weapon you can use for arcane implement attacks). You can pretty much be a muscle wizard, and you get a free encounter power at level 1 to top it off. Also, swapping powers for themes doesn't require a feat, which is really nice.

If they're not allowed, though, you still have options. The themes outside of Dark Sun are also viable, although they give different benefits instead of power swaps (usually), and come from several different sources, so good luck hunting down one you like.

If you want to make an actual barbarian/wizard, go for the Order Adept theme from Dragon Magazine 399, whose level 6 feature lets you pick your utility powers from the wizard class without having to invest in intelligence for a multiclass feat.

Alternatively, if you're playing in paragon tier, make a warlock with the Twofold Pact feat and switch up your powers between both pacts. It's both versatile and schizophrenic, just like your character! Since you have enough strikers as it is, you can afford to focus more on the secondary controller role the warlock is credited with (You get dailies that can knock foes unconscious or petrify them. In heroic tier. And they target multiple enemies. I think there's one that stuns, too). Don't play any of the subclasses, though; they can't use Twofold Pact (and Binder is considered to bring nothing worthwhile to the table; this is what I've heard, mind, not what I believe). If you go that route, I recommend giving the Vestige Pact a long hard look). Just spread your curse and make cursed enemies die to reap the benefits.

If you're dead set on playing a barbarian, then you could hybrid or multiclass to warlock since you might use charisma as a secondary stat and actually qualify for the feats, and they're arcane, like wizards. Bards can work too if you don't mind your split personality being one, since they also use charisma as a primary stat.

I think your character idea is interesting and I really hope you can pull it off with a fair amount of efficacy. Go you!

[Gillric]

If you have access to the Neverwinter Campaign Setting there is a class in there that pretty much fits as well. You are basically a melee wizard, and it works well with half-orc. The Bladesinger.

[Rotho]

If you have access to the Neverwinter Campaign Setting there is a class in there that pretty much fits as well. You are basically a melee wizard, and it works well with half-orc. The Bladesinger.
D'oh, forgot that one. :smallsigh: Half-orc doesn't really have the right stats for it (no, dex is not necessary for this class, only intelligence) but I wouldn't worry about it. Also, it's probably more striker than controller, but your mileage may vary.

It does have the drawback of not getting access to wizard daily powers like the other wizard builds, and treating wizard encounter powers as daily powers.
On the other hand, Bladesong's a pretty sweet buff that scales incredibly, it has at-will powers that trigger on an MBA hitting and they hit automatically, and MBA support is plentiful. Just make sure your non-AC defenses aren't neglected by your stat placement and you can easily pull off your character concept while still contributing a fair amount.

[Vitruviansquid]

I don't quite understand the question.

Do you want a flavorful character LIKE a barbarian who says he's a wizard or a barbarian who has a split personality

or do you want a mechanically viable way to represent a barbarian who says he's a wizard or a barbarian who has a split personality?

My thinking on the latter is that the *less* actual magic or magic-esque abilities on your character, the better. In fact, your character should play so mundanely, I would even suggest switching to a Fighter or other Martial class, since a lot of what Barbarians do are powered by Primal "magic." This way, you not only get to do a non-striker role (if that's a big deal to you or your group) but you also get to really roleplay the gap between your characters' actual actions and his outlandish claims.

[Tegu8788]

You could possibly play a Berserker as prievously, with a Sorcerer multiclass, grabbing a few Str based powers? That would give you the barbarian flavor and mechanics, a few magical abilities, and not always be another striker. Though with 4e, refluffing is each. Any class that has the mechanics you want can be refluffed if flavor is all you want.

[erikun]

You might want to give an Orc Warden a look. They have a bunch of naturely-magical effects, so turning into a tree or stabbing people with icicles could be taken as "Wizard casting".

Other than that, make use of your Barbarian dailies and get creative with your options and other attacks. Barbarian dailies have big magical effects, so yelling "Fireball!" before lighting yourself on fire will work. As for the rest, throwing an axe into an opponent while shouting "Magic Missile!" fits the theme just fine.

[Othniel Edden]

Link? I think I remeber that thread, but need a refresher (also a good laugh :smallwink: )

[Siegel]

So, i will be starting in a new campaign in two weeks, and that means i'll have to create a new char! I'm not used to create chars in 4e, but i played the "common choices" Namely, the dwarf warrior, the dragon born paladin, the half elf bard, the goliath barbarian... you know, the usual.
So for this new campaign, i want to do something different. I remember once, on the 3.5 board, there was a character concept that i played and it was really fun to play. The half orc barbarian that says he's a wizard! One of the best char's I ever played.:smallbiggrin:
So I was looking for something like this, I don't really mind the OMG THE ULTIMATE char, i want flavor. I was thinking about a barbarian with split personality disorder, the change would be made by the holding of the weapon, but the group already have 2 strikers (the only two guys that already made the sheet ¬¬') so i turn to you. Please give me some sugar to flavor my char! :smallsmile:

Hybrid Thaneborn Barb/Dragonsoul Sorc Dragonborn?