Epinephrine
2014-03-13, 10:12 AM
I am planning to play a stealth-loving barbarian, a sort of guerrilla tactics ambusher. Rather than the usual thief/assassin type, he's a bugbear with a large 2H weapon, but he creeps along as quiet as the rogue, attacking from shadows and slipping back into them again. Since Dexterity is both a racial bonus and a decent secondary for a barbarian he'll do ok in that regard, and bugbears have a racial bonus to stealth, so that's a nice as well. A background that grants stealth as a class feat (Forest Hunter, +1 to stealth and perception, and they are class feats) will work to get him a bit more stealth.
Sneaking up on an enemy is easy, if there is cover/concealment, so a surprise round charge from hiding can work fine. First actual round he'll likely unload a non-charge attack, and may then go invisible (theme power from Unseelie Agent - I like the feel of it, the shadow-wrought Gouge he can materialise when he wants one, seeing in complete darkness, invisibility) - not hidden, just not a great target.
Where it gets trickier is that if he's going to do some charging he will end his turns after those. Boots of Adept charging allow a shift 1 after a charge, which serves to get movement, which I think can allow him to hide. I was looking at Armour of the Charging Wind to get an ability to go invisible as a free action during a charge (1/encounter), which would presumably allow him to charge a foe, hit, shift away invisibly (allowing a hide check), and assuming he has a way to generate concealment, he is now hidden (how cheesy is is to carry Bottled Twilight?).
I'm hoping others may have some ideas of how to help him get more of that kind of effect; he wants surprising charge so he can maul things, so his multiclass feat is either rogue or fighter (fighter being a stronger option in terms of support, but rogue is very suitable). I'm really looking for more ways he can vanish mid combat, preferably able to sidle up to enemies and take an OA if they provoke from the hulking bugbear they didn't realise was right behind them.
I'm looking at Nocturnal for the paragon path in part because of charge support, but also for the feel of it - phasing on a charge is great, and captures the idea of his being able to get anywhere. With the ability to manifest a weapon from shadows, stealth abilities and invisibility, and the ability to pass through objects, he can get nearly anywhere - lock him up in a dungeon with no gear and he can be back out stalking through the hallways, ready to finish his mission with his black blade in hand.
Sneaking up on an enemy is easy, if there is cover/concealment, so a surprise round charge from hiding can work fine. First actual round he'll likely unload a non-charge attack, and may then go invisible (theme power from Unseelie Agent - I like the feel of it, the shadow-wrought Gouge he can materialise when he wants one, seeing in complete darkness, invisibility) - not hidden, just not a great target.
Where it gets trickier is that if he's going to do some charging he will end his turns after those. Boots of Adept charging allow a shift 1 after a charge, which serves to get movement, which I think can allow him to hide. I was looking at Armour of the Charging Wind to get an ability to go invisible as a free action during a charge (1/encounter), which would presumably allow him to charge a foe, hit, shift away invisibly (allowing a hide check), and assuming he has a way to generate concealment, he is now hidden (how cheesy is is to carry Bottled Twilight?).
I'm hoping others may have some ideas of how to help him get more of that kind of effect; he wants surprising charge so he can maul things, so his multiclass feat is either rogue or fighter (fighter being a stronger option in terms of support, but rogue is very suitable). I'm really looking for more ways he can vanish mid combat, preferably able to sidle up to enemies and take an OA if they provoke from the hulking bugbear they didn't realise was right behind them.
I'm looking at Nocturnal for the paragon path in part because of charge support, but also for the feel of it - phasing on a charge is great, and captures the idea of his being able to get anywhere. With the ability to manifest a weapon from shadows, stealth abilities and invisibility, and the ability to pass through objects, he can get nearly anywhere - lock him up in a dungeon with no gear and he can be back out stalking through the hallways, ready to finish his mission with his black blade in hand.