Race/Class Help for a Newb?

[Voice_C]

Hola.

I'm fixing to start my first 4th edition game ever. I played 3.5, but never this one, and so I was wondering if I could have help deciding what class to be.

Now, you see, I WANT to use some kind of terrain manipulation/creation, but I absolutely do not wanna be a wizard. I just hate the name. If that's impossible, then something that has a super cool mechanic or can turn me into a super item user (Magical Batman) would do.

Any help at all is appreciated. :)

[NecroRebel]

Basically any character class of the Controller role can do terrain manipulation and control. That's one of the three main things the role is meant for (the others being disabling effects and crowd control; these three things are all linked). What books do you have available?

I'd suggest a Druid. They've got quite a few zone powers available, though probably not as many as a wizard would. You can completely ignore your beast form and summon powers if you want and still be effective.

Races are pretty open-ended. They seem to matter far less than in 3.5. As long as you get a racial stat bonus to at least one of your class's primary or secondary stats, your race is satisfactory, though naturally getting a bonus to both primary and secondary stats is better.

[Ashdate]

The most obvious choice for a class with "terrain manipulation" would be a Druid. Terrain Manipulation is a controller thing, and of all the non-wizard controllers, a Druid is the one whose powers would often reflect the "terrain" impeding the enemy (rather than say, a Psion, whose effects would be more of a mental thing).

And race that boosts Wisdom would be ideal, the "best" being a race that boosts wisdom and constitution (Wilden, for example).

You probably won't get anything close to a 3.5 "Batman", but you can certainly try and get some utility by taking some feats to make you a heavy implement user. Kurald, on this board, wrote a guide (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97322) that you might find useful. Druids naturally can use staffs and tomes, but you would need to pick up implement proficiencies through feats. 13 Intelligence lets you pick up the Arcane Initiate or Witchcraft Initiate multiclass feats (Wizard MC) that let you use pretty much all the implement in the game.

I don't know if the end result would be optimal but I'm sure you could have fun with it.

[Drglenn]

Further to the druid I would recommend the Protector subclass from Heroes of the Feywild you give up the wild shape (which you can get back with a feat) and extra at-will of the base druid for the ability to create zones of plant-based difficult terrain (that have an extra effect based on your build)

Oh, also your daily power choice is locked to summon natural ally, but its a good power anyway and if you want the choice back you can get it with the same feat that gives you wild shape, though your level 1 power will still have to be summon natural ally.

[Dimers]

TL;DR: Elementalist, druid or shaman.


Druids naturally can use staffs and tomes

Totems, that is. [/quibble]

Druid was also my first thought. Shaman would be a solid choice as well (a Wisdom-based primal class, just as Druid is). Shaman effects center around a spirit that you can move from place to place, and most of their effects are sort of little AoEs around the spirit that are good for allies and/or bad for enemies. Since you're new to 4e, use only one of the Wis+Int shaman builds, not Wis+Con, for reasons of defensibility.

One other decent proposition is the elementalist sorcerer. They're more repetetive to play because you use the same powers over and over, but they do their job well and they do it in a terrain-creating way.

Runepriest would be great too, but they're harder to use and have way less support. Seekers are seriously underwhelming and have little support. Wis+Cha clerics have some pretty decent area effects but suffer a fundamental defense problem just like Wis+Con shaman. Psions, hunters and warlocks are better for single-target effects than AoE.

EDIT: As others have mentioned, race isn't overly important. I like dragonborn or genasi for elementalist, deva for shaman (the stats line up well and you can fluff everything as summoning shades of your own past lives).

RE-EDIT: Whoops, didn't realize that Watcher shamans used Dex instead of Int. Anyway, I recommend a not-Wis-plus-Con shaman build.

[Voice_C]

Thanks for all the help guys! Unfortunately, my college group disbanded bc of class and such, so I'm left with no way to actually capitalize on y'alls ideas. I'm sorry for the trouble, but if anyone can point me to a place to game in Knoxville or a place on the net to play with peeps, I'd be super appreciative.

[Dimers]

Here is pretty good, actually. I'm in two 4e games and a 5e playtest online right now, and I've been considering reviving the idea of playing with my brother and his family in WV now that I know a little about how the PbP process goes.

You'll find people 'advertising' games here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=51). Keep an eye open for new threads opening up for games in systems or settings you'd enjoy.