Character Feedback: Ranged/Melee Jack of All Trades

[tlrieslt]

Hello everybody :)

I'm looking to get some feedback on the character I've posted below.

Currently I'm switching characters alot, and I figured out why. I tend to make 1-trick-ponys who excell at 1 thing, but can't do nothing else. This gets boring fast.

So with that in mind I've tried to make a character who can do alot more, and who I can get a bond with and level all the way up to infinity! I've written a background and everything too, but below I'll just jot down the stats.

I've had the following in the back of my mind while making it:
- Poisons are cool
- I want to be able to melee and ranged
- I want to be able to be useful in combat and outside of combat
- Only PHB1/2/3, AV1/2 and the Power books are allowed
- Level 8 character creation
- I like having a rare combination of Race/Class
- I don't have to be all-powerful, just very useful in any situation

For paragon path I've looked at Jack of All Trades, but the flavor text just didn't give me that 'awesome' feeling. Master of Poisons did, so I'm going there.

Well this is the character I've come up with, any feedback is appreciated. I'm hoping I didn't give in to my blind spot again (the 1-trick-ponys). But I'm pretty sure you guys can tell me that :D Looking forward to your responses!

General
Name: Tumbledorus Greenfoot
Race: Gnome
Class: Hybrid Rogue|Ranger

Other
Initiative: 11
Speed: 5
Pass. Insight: 19
Pass. Perception: 19

Languages
Common
Elven
Draconic
Dwarven
Secret Language (Thief's Guild Code)

Abilities
Strength: 14
Constitution: 14
Dexterity: 20
Intelligence: 14
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 14

Defenses
HP: 61
AC: 23
Fortitude: 19
Reflex: 22
Will: 18

+5 vs Illusions
4 Poison resistance

Skills
Acrobatics: 14
Arcana: 10
Athletics: 8
Bluff: 8
Diplomacy: 8
Dungeoneering: 6
Endurance: 8
Heal: 6
History: 8
Insight: 9
Intimidate: 8
Nature: 6
Perception: 9
Religion: 8
Stealth: 16
Streetwise: 11
Thievery: 14

Feats
Fade Away (Racial)
Fey Origin (Racial)
Master Trickster (Racial)
Reactive Stealth (Racial)
Trickster's Cunning (Racial)

Hunter's Quarry (Hybrid) (Class)
Hybrid Ranger Fortitude (Class)
Sneak Attack (Hybrid) (Class)
Cunning Sneak (Hybrid) (Class)
Rogue Tactics (Hybrid) (Class)

Jack of All Trades
Quick Draw
Linguest
Weapon Expertise (Light Blade)
Hybrid Talent

At-will Powers
Gloaming Cut
Twin Strike
Hunter's Quarry
Fast Hands
Perfect Balance

Encounter Powers
Shadow Strike
Parting Strike
Shadow Boxer
Fade Away
Ghost Sound

Daily Powers
Spinning Blade Leap
Snarling Wolf Stance

Equipment
Poison Gloves
Magic Shortbow +1
Amulet of Health +2
Cat Tabi (Heroic Tier)
Addergrease Leather Armor +2
10x Bloodstinger Poison (level 8)
Acidic Dagger +2

[Tegu8788]

If you are interesting in jack of all trades, that can attack at range and melee, a bard is what you want. Grab a songblade so you can use both melee and caster powers, and some of the skill boosting feats. A couple MCs to fill out your missing skills, and have fun.

[GPuzzle]

Bard MC Sorcerer, use Daggers.

[Kurald Galain]

I'm a fan of pure rogue; they get plenty of skills as well as skill-boosting utility powers, and can switch between ranged and melee at will by using daggers.

While it's a fun exercise to get trained in as many skills as possible, in practice this doesn't add much to your character and isn't worth the investment (4E rewards specializing in a handful of skills and relying on your teammates for the rest). The feat Jack Of All Trades is likewise a trap option.
For example, rather than putting 14s in almost all your ability scores, it's much more effective to put an 18 in (say) charisma and focus on using charisma skills. Remember that your character can generally choose what he or she is doing!!! If you've got only average intelligence, don't volunteer to make history skill checks but instead use some other skill.

[tlrieslt]

Hey all,

Thanks for the replies! :)

I've been looking at Bard before I created this character, but I just didn't feel it when reading through the powers. Singing to buff people and such.. That just isn't my style.
Also there's already 1 Bard in the party and another player has a Bard as backup. I'm not sure if a 5man party consisting of 3 Bards would be useful? But that might be me?

Multiclassing into Sorcerer is something I'll look into today, that seems like a nice catch. Kinda reminds me of the 3.5 rogue that uses wands :)

Full Rogue with only dagger is an option I've looked at, but it would seem rather annoying to throw your dagger, run after it, pick it up and throw it again :s (Unless you have a returning dagger of somesort I guess) I'll see if there's something like a returning dagger :)

The 14s in ability scores is something I can't do much about. We roll dice for starting stats, and I've been Lucky enough with it. I did use my level 4 and level 8 both on Dex, but also on Cha and Wis to keep a certain balance. I will see if it's better to put both in Cha.. Thanks for the tip!

I know 4E is build to rely on other characters in your party. But I didn't know the feat Jack of All Trades was a trap?

As an example to what I am playing now:
Minotaur Barbarian with high STR/CON and low other scores (some with negative mods). He's a charging monster, and hits really REALLY hard. But if there's a ranged combattant on a balcony, I can't do anything. If we're out of combat, I'm too stupid to help out with puzzles, most skill challenges or just have an interesting conversation with a NPC. He's actually so stupid the rest of the party makes me sit down in a corner when out of combat, so I don't screw up. I know I RP-ed him into being stupid, but I felt like I didn't have a choice with my 7 INT.

Another character I played, which I liked but felt really useless sometimes:
A Human Cleric of Pelor. Full Healer build. But if nobody got hurt, I was just standing there...

[Kurald Galain]

I'm not sure if a 5man party consisting of 3 Bards would be useful?
That's not a particularly useful combo, no.


(Unless you have a returning dagger of somesort I guess) I'll see if there's something like a returning dagger :)
Every single magical weapon in the game automatically returns, and at level 8 you are pretty much guaranteed a magical dagger.


I know 4E is build to rely on other characters in your party. But I didn't know the feat Jack of All Trades was a trap?
It's better to use the skills you're actually good at, i.e. your trained skills that key off your primary or secondary ability score.


A Human Cleric of Pelor. Full Healer build. But if nobody got hurt, I was just standing there...
That would be easy to fix by retraining a few of your spells. Clerics have some nasty debuffs in their arsenal.

[Inevitability]

If you don't like bards for the singing, refluff! For example, you can make it that Vicious Mockery isn't mockery, but a pure blast of raw psychic energy wrecking your opponent's mind.

[Epinephrine]

Also there's already 1 Bard in the party and another player has a Bard as backup. I'm not sure if a 5man party consisting of 3 Bards would be useful? But that might be me?

That's rather important, yes. What role should you be filling? Are there 2 other strikers?

Rogues are a generally good pick, with a nice selection of skills and a solid place in combat. If you want a bit more control, I'd say that a hybrid seeker/ranger might be an option. Seekers have several powers that are melee or ranged, and while they aren't the best out there at control, they do mix pretty well with ranger. The melee ranger wants Strength, and the thrown weapon seeker's secondary stat is Strength (which it uses for AC in light armour), so it's not a bad pairing. The Seeker has some very decent ranged basic attacks, and the TWF ranger is pretty strong as a melee guy. Wisdom has a bunch of decent skills (perception, insight, dungeoneering, nature) and it doesn't actually take much investment in stealth to be better than the enemy perceptions - it's one of the easier skills that way, since there are a plethora of items and feats to boost it.

The Seeker itself is a nice class (thematically), but unfortunately underpowered and somewhat neglected. Wisdom/Dex is a great set of stats for skills, and I suppose could hybrid with monk if you wanted a melee/ranged using those (and a monk has no issue making melee attacks with a bow in hand, which is handy); monks are strikers that can have a controllery edge to them, and Seekers are poor controllers with decent RBAs, between the two you could half fill both roles, and if you want a "weird" class race/weapon combo, the monk spinning about smacking things with his bow, using close blasts (loads 4 arrows at once and sprays them into a crowd; not much range, but hits multiple targets?) and using nature spirits to imbue his long range attacks with controlling effects could be what you want.

[GPuzzle]

Sorcerer, with Channel Sorcerous Dagger and attacks like Lightning Cuts - or Blast/Burst specialist with Staff Expertise. It's quite good. Can go melee or ranged with ease.