I need a leader build, stat!

[Drackmoor]

Some friends asked me to join them in a dnd campaign starting from level 1. I found out just last night that it would be 4e and not the 3.5 or pathfinder that I assumed. So now I need a quick leader build that is simple enough (no gimmick feat combos) that I can figure out on the fly.

The party consists of a controller warlock, a standard fighter/defender and a rogue for striker. I was leaning towards bard for thematic reasons but since I have absolutely zero experience with fourth edition I don't know how the classes would interact in this setting.

I don't have a preference between ranged or melee just that it would be effective at keeping the party alive and killing stuff.
Thank you!

[DragonBaneDM]

Some friends asked me to join them in a dnd campaign starting from level 1. I found out just last night that it would be 4e and not the 3.5 or pathfinder that I assumed. So now I need a quick leader build that is simple enough (no gimmick feat combos) that I can figure out on the fly.

The party consists of a controller warlock, a standard fighter/defender and a rogue for striker. I was leaning towards bard for thematic reasons but since I have absolutely zero experience with fourth edition I don't know how the classes would interact in this setting.

I don't have a preference between ranged or melee just that it would be effective at keeping the party alive and killing stuff.
Thank you!

Maybe go Warlord! Str/Int preferably. Given how Rogues work now, you can grant him/her extra Sneak Attack damage by letting them attack outside of their turn!

That said, Bard can be a blast and a half. You have the option of either being Ranged Caster, Archer, or Melee Sword Dude, depending on if you want Int, Wis, or Con as your secondary stat respectively.

[tcrudisi]

Level 1 warlord to lead a rogue? Ehh - it depends on if the Rogue is a brutal scoundrel or not. If it's not, then those free attacks you give him will be for naught as he'll just miss.

Bard is a pretty good choice. I'll throw you together a level 1 Bard really quickly. Though Bard /can/ be redundant if the Warlock is Cha-based.

Actually, screw that. You only asked for a Leader and you put no stipulations on it. You're going to get a Runepriest from me. :p

[tcrudisi]

I present to you: Moo

Link to a spot where you can download the character sheet: Moo (https://www.dropbox.com/s/kujjdtfnjbr1kso/Moo.pdf)

If that link doesn't work, let me know. It's a pdf of this character, which includes things like your attack bonus and damage.

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Moo, level 1
Minotaur, Runepriest
Runic Artistry: Serene Blade
Goring Charge Key Ability: Goring Charge Strength
Background: Auspicious Birth (Auspicious Birth Benefit)

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 20, Con 11, Dex 10, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 8.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 18, Con 11, Dex 10, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8.


AC: 18 Fort: 15 Reflex: 11 Will: 15
HP: 32 Surges: 8 Surge Value: 8

TRAINED SKILLS
Religion +5, Insight +8, Heal +8, Athletics +10

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics, Arcana, Bluff -1, Diplomacy -1, Dungeoneering +3, Endurance, History, Intimidate -1, Nature +5, Perception +5, Stealth, Streetwise -1, Thievery

FEATS
Level 1: Bloodied Ferocity

POWERS
Runepriest at-will 1: Word of Exchange
Runepriest at-will 1: Word of Diminishment
Runepriest encounter 1: Divine Rune of Thunder
Runepriest daily 1: Rune of Endless Fire

ITEMS
Scale Armor, Light Shield, Longsword, Adventurer's Kit
====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======




Backstory: Moo was born about 30 years ago. His adventuring life actually began more as an acting career. When he was a teenager, someone who called himself "Blizzard" came up to him asking him if he'd like an acting job. He quickly accepted.

http://www.d2tomb.com/images/quests/cow_right.jpg

He realized something was wrong when a man in full plate armor brought a real sword and the "acting" gig turned into a slaughter!

http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/diablo2exp/images/quests/cow05.jpg


Moo barely escaped with his life. Since then, he's dedicated his life to tracking down the foul "Blizzard". He doesn't realize it yet, but "Blizzard" is not the final boss. Indeed, the final boss is actually Diablo!

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSt2DCcSzyBTxftN6a0Z8sVy59t-R47p-cy4BqOxN2cXDroy9i8Mw

[Drackmoor]

Glad to see the board so active. The player behind the rogue doesn't seem like a bloodthirsty slayer of all things with loot so I wouldn't go warlord just to buff that character. As for the runepriest, I don't know anything about them but if they're effective at healing and buffing then beggars can't be choosers :D

[tcrudisi]

Glad to see the board so active. The player behind the rogue doesn't seem like a bloodthirsty slayer of all things with loot so I wouldn't go warlord just to buff that character. As for the runepriest, I don't know anything about them but if they're effective at healing and buffing then beggars can't be choosers :D

He's a rogue. Trust me: He'll be good at slaying things. It's his job in 4e.

The Runepriest is a front-line melee character. It heals decently and buffs decently. The fun thing about it is its versatility. Every time it uses a power, it can choose a Rune State. You'll see two options under each power. You get to choose one and do what that says.

Why is that cool? Options. Every single one of your powers has 2 options attached to it. That kind of versatility it awesome.

Keep in mind the feat I chose for you: The first time you become bloodied in an encounter, you get to make a melee basic attack as a free action. The downside? You then grant combat advantage until the end of your next turn. It's a fair trade-off. Don't be afraid to get bloodied because it means you get to punch someone in the face, and that's always fun.

[fallenwarrior]

The Runepriest is a front-line melee character.

I've played a Runepriest, and that's the problem I had with it. My character was fighting to be on the front line with everyone else, and couldn't even activate runestates without being able to make attacks. Granted, that was with a slightly bigger than usual party, and the character didn't have a reach weapon, but it's still something to bear in mind. Against skirmisher style foes I was left running around doing nothing much, as were most of the other melee types. The other problem is that this looks like a party that doesn't have much in the way of skills, except (possibly) for the rogue. And Runepriest won't help with that.

My suggestion is to go Deva Animist Shaman. That's an Int/Wis character that can pick up some skills the party probably desperately needs (namely, Perception and Arcana), can do Warlord style attack enabling (via Spirit Infusion) and can give out some THP almost every round (using the Spirit of Vigor feat - a must have IMO). You can help the front line enormously without having to be on the front line (you do have some exposure via your spirit companion, but it's relatively limited). Plus, if you choose a spirit attack power (I recommend Stalker's Strike), you have a decent ranged attack which works up to 20 squares away if you need it. And as for your skills? There's not much Speak with Spirits + Memory of a Thousand Lifetimes combined can't fix, especially if you also take Arcane Mutterings as your 2nd level utility power (granted, those are all encounter powers, but often that's all you really need).

[Surrealistik]

Attack granting Warlord definitely, especially since you have a Fighter in addition to the Rogue which should likewise have excellent MBAs.

[Newoblivion]

Me and my friends are also playing 4e for the first time and our leader is a dwarf runepriest and he is really cool. He is doing a lot of damage, he's got really cool buffs all the time and he can heal (not very good though). And it works great with our fighter and rogue. (and also the ranger archer who get those crazy damage buffs to his twin strike).