Level 3 Optimized Controller with Stealth.

[Tegu8788]

Hey all. I'm in all Drow game, Tempest Fighter, Bow using Scout, Avenger, Warlord. No one else made their own sheet. No one is optimized.

And we are facing a lot of rough spots. We can sneak our way through a lot of troubles, but at some point, having three strikers in the party and mostly minion enemies makes things slow. I currently have a Warlock|Executioner that spams a boosted Eldritch Strike. But there is a decent chance he'll get killed sometime soon, and as the tactical player, I figure bringing a Controller will be helpful.


Game info worth mentioning. Everyone has Midnight Stalker. It was suggested by the DM, and without knowing anything the other players gobbled it up. Stealth is pretty much the go to strategy for the game, sneak in and kill before we get killed. We are also facing a heaping helping of undead. I've been the only one with any manner of Arcana check. Some refluffing is allowed, as I'm mechanically a Tiefling, so there is some leeway. In general, we seem to only have one or two fights per day. This game will not go past lvl 10, and magic items are very rare.


So, with these things in mind, can anyone think of a real good Controller I can play that will fit in this game? I can make up fluff for anything, but mechanics I'm stumped.

Edit: TLDR-game cap lvl 10, now 2, stealth important, controller needed, undead common.

[Kurald Galain]

The wizard is probably the best controller in the books, is hands-down the best at minion wiping, and gets a cantrip that lets you make Arcana checks instead of Stealth checks. Consider taking the Arcane Familiar feat to have a stealth scout at your side. The Spellscarred theme lets you become invisible once per encounter, which further helps your stealth.

Glorious Presence (L1) and Color Spray (L3) are good picks against undead. Of course, standard control tricks like Sleep (L1) or Visions of Avarice (L5) work fine against undead, too. Spells like Incendiary Detonation (L1) will completely devastate minions.

If you want to boost your damage, consider evoker/pyromancer. To boost your defenses, take Staff of Defense. To focus more on battlefield control, enchanter/illusionist is good. In any case, don't forget Enlarge Spell!

[Zaq]

Gnome Psions have a feat called Unseen Dread that can be totally character-defining. Basically, if you're hidden from someone and then hit them with a Psion power, you can slide them two squares. I played a gnome Psion who was constantly hiding and using that feat, and it was a blast. Level 3 might be a little tricky to pull off, but I think it can still be done. If nothing else, Mind Shroud gets you superior cover (and thus a guaranteed hiding spot) for two rounds, and it's just a level 2 power.

[GPuzzle]

This is going to be interesting. I think that a Gnome Wizard|Psion is going to be the best choice. Combine with classic Wizard debuffing such as Sleep and Visions of Avarice with a Spellscarred Gnome that can qualify as having total concealment for 4 rounds, I think, to add a few slides around. My personal pick list would be Betrayal retrained from Dishearten from level 1 and Color Spray, with Sleep. I don't know, I just find Betrayal more fun than Dishearten. Hybrid Talent goes to the Tome of Readiness, because Cha is better than Wis for Psions and you'll be able to switch stuff around. Enlarge Spell is mandatory too.

[Tegu8788]

I don't think I can turn a Gnome into a Drow, unfortunately. And being hidden in combat isn't the goal, it's being able to sneak around between fights that's key.

I know, I'm not making it easy. If it was, I wouldn't need your expert help.

[GPuzzle]

Well, that's easy!

Shadar-Kai Invoker|Cleric!

Loads of Radiant powers that allow you to spread the damage around the enemies. And you can teleport, becoming insubstantial! Gets a +2 to Stealth and a +2 to Dexteritry! Get that Shadar-Kai feat that allows you to prone everyone you hit while Insubstantial due to your Racial!

[dariathalon]

My gut reaction was a drow druid. Good racial stats. Dex secondary and a bit of training should get you a pretty decent stealth, and as I recall a few of the druid utility powers can help with it even more. May not have quite as much minion popping potential as some other controllers, but shouldn't be too bad at it.

[Nightgaun7]

First thing I thought of was Invoker of Lolth. No idea how good that would be, but it ought to be pretty flavorful and if nobody else is optimized anyway you should do ok even if it's not on the level of a twinked-out wizard.

[Zaq]

Ah, sorry, missed the "all Drow" part. Hmm. Well, the controllers with DEX as a secondary are the Wizard (who then ends up with two low NADs), the Druid, and the Seeker. So if you want to have the stats to back up your Stealth checks, Druid is probably going to be your go-to choice, unless you're okay with having low Fort AND medium-low Will. That said, there IS a Wizard power to use Arcana instead of Stealth, but it's an encounter power, so it'll only be good for you if your GM only calls for a single roll between combats. Some GMs are okay with a single roll, and some require you to keep rolling and rolling. I don't know how your GM works, so that's a call you're going to have to make for yourself.

At level 3, there aren't a hell of a lot of choices after you pick your class and your features. You'll obviously want to be a Predator Druid if you go with a Druid, and a Wand Wizard if you go with a Wizard. Then just pick good powers that work with your stats and have at it, I guess.

[tcrudisi]

My gut reaction was a drow druid. Good racial stats. Dex secondary and a bit of training should get you a pretty decent stealth, and as I recall a few of the druid utility powers can help with it even more. May not have quite as much minion popping potential as some other controllers, but shouldn't be too bad at it.

Seconding this. There are some good feats and powers for druids who utilize stealth, although some of them might be paragon. I remember my wife's predator druid was better at stealth by a substantial margin (like 4 points) than the Rogue we used to run around with. Just make sure to pick up Thorn Spray (level 3 enc power) and your party will start off combats with a dead enemy. (Also, Claw Gloves.)

The Wizard is a nice secondary option - but the cantrip is an encounter power. If you ever have to roll multiple stealth checks, you're in trouble. At this point, you should know how often you have to roll and therefore if its feasible.

[Tegu8788]

And see, that's the rub. Right now, he's not making us make checks, because our group stealth is so high we beat everything's PP. But I got a feeling if I was limited to an encounter power he might start enforcing the rolls. He's enforcing encumbrance, so I have a feeling he might not accept that. Wizard lets me keep making Arcana checks. No one has a solid Nature, but we already have good Perception. And with 2 other Wis/Dex based classes, I'm hesitant to duplicate that. Which is a shame, because I love Druids.