Dream Elf - Can We Build It?

[Alan_Pehnereas]

Within the past 20 minutes, I just woke up (I was up lated, if you're wondering why anyone would wake up at around 2:00 PM). Just before waking up, I had a dream about a robed elf doing combat, and I want to see if we can build this literal dream-character. I really appreciate all help!

Appearance;
He was a rather tall elf, who wore plain, black robes. He held (with both hands) a staff of some sort. However, one end was yellow and pointed, while the other was a deep red and pointed. Away from these end sections, the staff appeared normal.

Actions;
I'm going to relay this as a story. If you'd rather skip this section and read the 'mechanics' part, feel free.

(Acrobatics)
My dream began in some strange prison cell filled with a few captives and our elf. Something (an event prior to the dream) blew the top of the prison open, leaving a large gap to the floor above. Taking full advantage of this situation, the elf ran up the wall several feet (Matrix style), and then bounced off and upwards into a really tall room. His landing was smooth - and would have been the precursor to a great getaway, had he not landed right in the middle of several guards!

(Magic)
Quickly whipping forth the yellow-ended side of his staff, he turned toward the nearest guard and produced a beam of electricity. The beam proceded to chain to the next nearest guard, which in turn chained to the next nearest guard, and repeated until seven surrounding guards were damaged and immobilized. Our elf then jumped directly upward and pointed the red-ended staff downward. Just after the apex of this small bound, he shot a large burst of fire downward, burning all of the guards surrounding him and created another lifting force for our elf. Using momentum from the blast, the elf flew several feet over, landing near several other guards he hadn't managed to attack before.

(Combat)
Once surrounded by these guards, he attacked them with the staff. One by one he smacked them down. No more magic use - just brute force. Any nearby guard running forward took the brute force of our elf smashing his staff into their face, chest or legs. Each one took massive pain, until they eventually were too scared to continue attacking. Our elf, the badass, then walked off.

Mechanics;
Here are the different things I noted;

Is some kind of elf (I don't know if he's half, eladrin, or even drow. Just that he's elf)
Acrobatics Training
Specializes in Lightning/Fire magic (Can do fire at will, has access to lighting magic)
Lightning power that damages/immobilized multiple foes.
Fire power as a close burst.
Uses a staff as his implement.
Doubles as being a martial striker (or maybe Monk - thank you, JessJess!).
Uses a quarterstaff as his weapon.
Is self-sufficient - he went in alone, and came out alone.

I'll add more to the list of mechanics if anyone else notices something.

Build Ideas;
Maybe hybridizing some kind of warlock with some kind of martial striker. Maybe Bard MC with Daring Blade so he can do all his damage with Cha?

Anyone have ideas? I am not really sure how to build this kind of character. Thank you all who can help!

[Tegu8788]

Consider half-elf monk|sorcerer. Get's you a Cha bonus, access to the staff and mobility plus nice elemental powers. That maneuver screams Flurry of Blows. Perhaps an elemental weapon could help some. Too bad there isn't a double weapon for implements, some way to make a staff equal a rod/rod.

[Raimun]

Perhaps you could tie two staffs or rods together?

That or just take any staff you like and describe it like you did and say the two elemental types are shot from different ends.

[Alan_Pehnereas]

Tegu - Ironically, I did end up going with Revenant Sorc|Monk Hybrid - specifically a Desert Wind one.

I think with the whole staff thing, I'm just gonna have to fluff, I think. :P

Is there any way to move around before doing your FoB power?

[Tegu8788]

You have to use it on the target of a monk attack, but I can't think of any reason you couldn't hit, shift, then FoB.

[Adoendithas]

Perhaps you could tie two staffs or rods together?

IIRC, someone once made a Rod of Lordly Might in 4e using seven items from the adventurer's vault and a large amount of sovereign glue.

[Reluctance]

I'm seeing this workable as a straight dragon sorcerer. Self-sufficiency and the ability to wipe out several foes singlehandedly comes from either heavy level mismatch, or the foes being minions; not being able to run in and solo a real encounter is very much a design feature of 4e.

Staff would be cooler if, instead of only having two elemental ends, the ends started glowing with an appropriate color any time any elemental attack is used.

[Dark Elf Bard]

Not a swordmage in leather?

[Tegu8788]

Swordmages start off in leather, but a staff does them no good. They need "- blade" weapons for their features to work.

[Lord Raziere]

why can't you just change the word, so that instead of "blade", its "staff"?

seems easy enough….

[Tegu8788]

That's up the the DM, but feats and magic items around "- blade" and "staff" are pretty different.

[Reluctance]

why can't you just change the word, so that instead of "blade", its "staff"?

seems easy enough….

Because arbitrarily changing implements and class features (warding pointedly favors one-handed blade weapons) will have several knock-on effects, especially when it comes to feat and enchant support.

Even assuming you give a swordmage proficiency with staffs as implements (not hard), most of their abilities are still magic flavored. Dream elf would be spraying magic all over, not slapping heads like a martial character.

[Dark Elf Bard]

reflavoring.

[Tegu8788]

So, you meant simply calling a stick a sword? That's far easier to do than replace the keyword "- blade" with "staff."

[tarlison]

Hmmm your idea is kinda cool about staff types maybe a high breed ranger/wizard int 16+2 and str 16 get the feats that will make quarter staff a double weapon , or an avenger/wizard might do the trick int 16+2 wis 16 who will specialize in staff instead of blades this build might have a more accurate melee than ranger/wiz but with far less damage, and finally a swordmage/wiz it's more practical and can have more accurate melee( if the sword Mage can use staff as weapon for its intelligent blade master. Over I think the ranger/ wiz will be the coolest to look at in a melee but since it's robe it gonna have far less def than the sword Mage and avenger built :-)

[Tegu8788]

Those are all possible, and if you can develop one of those further, I'd be very interested in seeing what you've done. I've got a hybrid database to build, but they have to be good.

Ranger|wizard has very little in the way of syngery, and requiring feats to make a build even playable is rarely a safe path with a hybrid. Having such a high Int would drop your Dex, which would reduce your agility, something key to the OP.

The Avenger|Wizard does better with AC, but again, Dex will be low. Again, using a staff with "Weapon" powers pretty much nerfs your melee powers. Unarmored Agility comes in handy here.

Swordmage|Wizard is the best of the options. Again, you run into the issue of using a staff for "Weapon" powers, but at least you are using one stat. It's a fairly standard built, up there with the Pallock. Staff leans you towards the wizard side, but it's not inconceivable to get a decent [W] on a "Staff" and refluff teleportation as ninja flips. A really nice DM might let you call a "- Blade" a staff, or perhaps you can find a spear with a "- Blade" on it to capture the feel of the staff while staying within the existing rulesets.

[tarlison]

Those are all possible, and if you can develop one of those further, I'd be very interested in seeing what you've done. I've got a hybrid database to build, but they have to be good.

Ranger|wizard has very little in the way of syngery, and requiring feats to make a build even playable is rarely a safe path with a hybrid. Having such a high Int would drop your Dex, which would reduce your agility, something key to the OP.

The Avenger|Wizard does better with AC, but again, Dex will be low. Again, using a staff with "Weapon" powers pretty much nerfs your melee powers. Unarmored Agility comes in handy here.

Swordmage|Wizard is the best of the options. Again, you run into the issue of using a staff for "Weapon" powers, but at least you are using one stat. It's a fairly standard built, up there with the Pallock. Staff leans you towards the wizard side, but it's not inconceivable to get a decent [W] on a "Staff" and refluff teleportation as ninja flips. A really nice DM might let you call a "- Blade" a staff, or perhaps you can find a spear with a "- Blade" on it to capture the feel of the staff while staying within the existing rulesets.

Hmmm the only class with an at will teleport is a warlock utility at level 10 ethereal side step if I remember the name correctly remind me if the elfin ranger/rogue/cloak sniper of out party who was very Paranoid of being melee that he got a multi class for warlock and acolyte power for ethereal side step to make it worst he even got am eladrin boots and an eladrin ring of passage , hmm maybe a warlock/something but warlock don't have much of the powers he wants

[Tegu8788]

The swordmage has a teleport for those that ignore his marks.

But all this is a bit of a moot, a Sorcerer|Monk fits near perfectly, and it ended up being what he played. The Avenger|Wizard sounds like an interesting mix, I recall a while ago the playground built a new Mystic Theurge, Wizard|Cleric Int/Wis, and it turned out pretty well. Scale plus +2 shield sure helped, but Avenger AC plus Unarmored Agility should do pretty well. Focus on blaster wizard powers, would let you pop any minions around the big bad then wail on him like a proper Avenger.

The image of a ranger stance wizard dual wielding wands is pretty intriguing to me, but for the same feat that lets you do that a warlock could dual wield pact blades in leather, which looks even cooler. Unless you are looking for an Arcane Archer, in which case the Bard, Cleric, Seeker, and even Hunter, would be a better match.

[tarlison]

I was thinking of a sorcerer/ranger combo in hide armor carrying a broad sword (if feats permits it a bastard swork<katana>)in each hand (arcane implement:heavy blade) (hybrid talent:two-blade style) burning fire as he sweep the blades, as masses of minion attack them burning them to a crisp the slashing the leader with his blades but I don't think this build would be functional in a real adventure

[Tegu8788]

Nope. Like I said, warlock with two pact blades gives you almost the exact same look for fewer feats, and it's easy to Half-Elf grab Twin Strike. But a Striker going after minions is normally a wasted turn for a Striker unless it's a mop up round.

To get a Sorcerer|Ranger using twin bastard swords as implements in hide armor, you have to spent 1 feat (hybrid talent) for dual wielding weapons, 2 feats for armor (cloth-leather-hide), another feat for implement usage, and another feat to get both implements going. And that bonus will only work on sorcerer powers. So, 5 feats.

To get a Warlock to do the same thing, you need 2 level three magic items, 1 feat to use dual implements, and one feat for armor. The actual weapons will be smaller, but that's a build reachable at level 2. A pair of matched short swords or sickles would give much the same feel as a "katana."