Organ Grinder w/ monkey!

[kingzanus]

I have this idea and it sounds great in my head but i can't figure out a good way to work it mechanically. I would love feat/power recommendations. For the most part i'd be a controller part leader maybe?
Multiclass BeastMaster Ranger/Bard
Depending on how GM would let me play it I'd either be a) A simian race with a human 'beast' or b) i'd be the human 'beast' and the simian would just work the organ.
My original idea was just a regular organ grinder and his monkey distract and seduce with the organ and the monkey would thieve and/or do small DMG. The group i mentioned it to thought it would be a fun twist to have the 'monkey' be in charge with a small human or halfling as the 'monkey'. much harder to play this way but yea fun to RP.

[Gavran]

Rather than messing with an ineffective hybrid, why not use a theme (fey beast tamer, that animal one) or a familiar (I bet there's actually a monkey one >.>) and fluff accordingly?

[Tengu_temp]

I don't know, I can see this working as a hybrid focusing on charisma and wisdom.

[Gavran]

Rangers are Dex/Str Primary though? Am I missing something? And beastmaster ranger is pretty bad in general. And is a striker, not a controller.

[kingzanus]

Rangers are Dex/Str Primary though? Am I missing something? And beastmaster ranger is pretty bad in general. And is a striker, not a controller.

Not missing anything friend, i haven't made a multiclass/hybrid character yet. and am very open to class options. ranger/bard was the first thing that came to mind when I thought Organ grinder with monkey.

[kingzanus]

Rather than messing with an ineffective hybrid, why not use a theme (fey beast tamer, that animal one) or a familiar (I bet there's actually a monkey one >.>) and fluff accordingly?

Wow, yes something like this would work. I hadn't found this information yet. So with this I could be a bard with Fey Beast Tamer theme, and fluff one of the beasts into a simian type. Great suggestion. I will delve more into this immediately

[Gavran]

An understandable first thought, but hybrids are frequently a trap. :p

I'd definitely endorse a Bard with either the Animal Master theme or the Arcane Familiar feat. Either can get you a little monkey pal. I'd probably go with the theme because the level 2 At-Will utility will give you full control over the monkey for basically any out of combat situation, and you'd have to take extra feats to make a familiar able to interact with the world in a meaningful way. Sounds fun. :)

Edit: Definitely Fey Beast Tamer is the strongest mechanical option, though it offers you less mechanical roleplaying options.

[kingzanus]

Being so new to this game and its many options i had no real clue on themes. Including how much diversity and even power they can give a player. I wasn't planning on playing this character anytime soon but another player in our group wants to role the same class as my current one. I figured i'd try to roll up a character right quick before game night on thursday.
Thanks for all the tips. Keep them coming!

[Tengu_temp]

Rangers are Dex/Str Primary though? Am I missing something? And beastmaster ranger is pretty bad in general. And is a striker, not a controller.

Be a beastmaster ranger, pick powers where only your animal companion attacks, and you don't need strength or dexterity.

I wouldn't call beastmaster rangers bad. Beast powers are pretty weak, yes, but you don't have to take them and having an animal companion to tank hits for you is a better deal for an archer than +2 AC against opportunity attacks.

[Gavran]

Be a beastmaster ranger, pick powers where only your animal companion attacks, and you don't need strength or dexterity.

I wouldn't call beastmaster rangers bad. Beast powers are pretty weak, yes, but you don't have to take them and having an animal companion to tank hits for you is a better deal for an archer than +2 AC against opportunity attacks.

Well that's true, if you don't plan on taking Battlefield Archer PP (or playing til Paragon for that matter.) Beast powers still use your attacks rolls though don't they? Never actually played one but...

Edit: Ah okay, some don't at least. I think a lot of the encounters/dailies are you and the beast attacking and so require ranger primaries but you might be able to make something work there with careful power selection. My apologies.

[Inevitability]

First, remember that you aren't only giving up your ranger fighting style by being a beastmaster, you're also giving up prime shot, which can eventually give you +6 DPR. Seems a bit harsh to give up.

Second, there are some beast powers that can be used while you're at range.
There is a level 1 daily, partnered savaging, which lets your beast attack. If the attack was against your quarry, you can make a basic attack against it. It does not have to be a melee basic attack, so you could pull it off. I don't recommend it, since there are so many other ways to get a companion.

[Tegu8788]

I'm a massive hybrid lover. This is a fun idea, and a hybrid could definitely work. A Dex/Cha Beastmaster mixed with a Songbow Bard is a functional way to build out this character.


Is it a Leader? Not really.
Is it a Controller? Heck no.
Is it a Striker? Decently so.


A Bard with a Fey Beast is a great option.



But I've got a better one.

Invoker MC Shaman. The Invoker is a very strong controller, and you get almost the entire Shaman feature set for two feats. This set gets a solid set of Control powers, a encounter heal, and spirit companion to be your monkey.


Hybrids are very complicated, and one of the few ways to really make an unplayable character. The Beastranger is very inferior to any other Ranger, but given how strong the Ranger is that may or may not be saying anything. The Bard is not the strongest Leader, but it can be built with a bow which helps. Neither one could count as more than a secondary Controller at best.

If you are new, they Hybrids probably look really shiny to you right now. They are not. A rare, rare few do well, but the majority of them are trash.

[OracleofWuffing]

Yeah, I was gonna suggest something Shaman, too. I mean, their whole thing is that they have an animal* that dances around the battlefield and either distracts enemies or buffs allies, right out of the box. The book even says go ahead and make your companion look like whatever you want it to look like.

*Yes it's not really an animal but it's an animal and you know what I mean.

[kingzanus]

Awesome I love the shaman idea mainly because no one in our group has played one yet (i believe). I am not necessarily chomping at the bit to make a hybrid, it looks like unless they are built just right they generally don't work well from a combat mechanics angle. However it allows for very diverse and indepth character ideas. I like coming here and shooting off character ideas, and getting your help turning them into playable characters.

[Dimers]

Be a Cunning Bard, and refluff your race as "monkey" ... goblins, gnomes, kobolds and halflings are all Small, all get +2 Charisma, and are all annoying :smalltongue: Boost Charisma (who can resist the adorable little monkey?!) and Intelligence (you'll show those fools! show them all!). Multiclass into Psion, which also likes Cha+Int. Take the Thrallherd paragon path. At level 11, you get a mindless grunt; fluff this as your organgrinder.

[GPuzzle]

A lot of races buff both Dex and Cha, and you can always buff Wisdom.

I can see this Hybrid working a bit, actually.