Tiefling Reach Fighter concept... Does it look good enough to use?

[wolfstone]

So the idea is to turn a Tiefling into a tank with reach. Here's what I came up with...

Class: Fighter
Race: Tiefling
Starting Level: 5
Initiative: +6
Speed: 5 (-1 for Scale Armor)
HP: 55
Weapon - Flaming Greatspear
Armor - Plate
Fighter Option: Combat Agility (see below)
Defenses: AC: 22, For: 18, Ref: 16, Wil: 15
Stats approved by DM: STR: 19(18+1), CON: 16 (14+2), DEX: 19 (18+1), INT: 7, WIS: 16, CHA: 8 (6+2)

+12 atk bonus (+14 with Flaming weapon + Infernal Prince theme + Hellfire Blood feat, Spear Expertise feat, and +4 STR mod at Lvl. 5)

STR and DEX are my strongest stats, followed by WIS, then CON with INT and CHA as the dump stats.

Powers:

A-W: Knockdown Assault (weak, but fits the theme) + Footwork Lure (for extra mobility)

E: 1= Spinning Sweep, 3= Dance of Steel

D: 1= Driving Attack, 5= Crashing Assault

U: 2= Pass Forward

Strategy: Knock Prone from 2 squares away and repeat to keep them locked in place. I went with Combat Agility over Combat Superiority because I don't plan on being adjacent to enemies, so opportunity attacks will be rare, plus I can stop outside 2 squares away from the target and knock them prone, which fits the overall strategy better and gives me CA for my next turn unless the target has a way to counter it. As teamwork has never been a factor in my play group, this seems like a better strategy to go with.

Any thoughts on this? It feels fairly reliable in theory, but I'm uncertain due to my lack of D&D experience.

At Lvl. 6, I'm thinking of Deadly draw to combo with Footwork Lure.

[Dimers]

I went with Combat Agility over Combat Superiority because I don't plan on being adjacent to enemies, so opportunity attacks will be rare, plus I can stop outside 2 squares away from the target and knock them prone, which fits the overall strategy better and gives me CA for my next turn unless the target has a way to counter it.

Part of that makes sense and part of it doesn't. Combat Agility requires that you be next to the enemy in question, just like Combat Superiority does. You're right that knocking a creature prone off-turn is a good way to set yourself up for CA on your own turn.


Knock Prone from 2 squares away and repeat to keep them locked in place.

Someone you're not adjacent to can stand as a move action and charge as a standard action -- not charge at you, sure, because you'll generally be the wrong distance away, but they're hardly locked in place. This will contribute to the table millieu of "every man for himself". You'll survive a little better, but someone else will be taking the hit for you (probably someone with lower defenses, surges-per-day and hit points).


A-W: Footwork Lure + Wicked Strike

E: 1= Spinning Sweep, 3= Dance of Steel

D: 1= Driving Attack, 5= Crashing Assault

U: 2= Pass Forward

Pass Forward doesn't do anything against a foe you've already put two squares away from you, but that's fine, it's a flavorful and useful way to get into position in the first place. Wicked Strike, god no -- you want accuracy, and this power has a built-in -2. Your encounter powers aid your lockdown-at-a-remove motif but aren't very strong -- that's "good enough to use", sure. Driving Attack looks good but Crashing Assault is not much stronger than an encounter power. I'd swap out Wicked Strike and Crashing Assault.

[wolfstone]

Part of that makes sense and part of it doesn't. Combat Agility requires that you be next to the enemy in question, just like Combat Superiority does. You're right that knocking a creature prone off-turn is a good way to set yourself up for CA on your own turn.



Someone you're not adjacent to can stand as a move action and charge as a standard action -- not charge at you, sure, because you'll generally be the wrong distance away, but they're hardly locked in place. This will contribute to the table millieu of "every man for himself". You'll survive a little better, but someone else will be taking the hit for you (probably someone with lower defenses, surges-per-day and hit points).



Pass Forward doesn't do anything against a foe you've already put two squares away from you, but that's fine, it's a flavorful and useful way to get into position in the first place. Wicked Strike, god no -- you want accuracy, and this power has a built-in -2. Your encounter powers aid your lockdown-at-a-remove motif but aren't very strong -- that's "good enough to use", sure. Driving Attack looks good but Crashing Assault is not much stronger than an encounter power. I'd swap out Wicked Strike and Crashing Assault.

Updated the At-Wills as I didn't see the -2 atk on WS. Since the groups is each out for themselves, I can protect myself from harm better.

[Kurald Galain]

The main feat for a proning build is Polearm Momentum (which, yes, works on spears).

Unstoppable Advance is much better than Driving Attack (generally speaking, take only dailies that are stance/summon/save ends or otherwise last for all of the encounter). For the same reason, at level 5 a power like Rain of Steel or Pinning Smash would be better than Crashing Assault.