Reasserting control, help choose a caster.

[KyleG]

Can you help me build a character from one of these ideas for a backup.
*A glamour bard inspired by the xmen character dazzler or the runaways charcter karolina dean. Using light to control the battlefield.
*An air genasi land/shepherd druid, a force of nature mortalised as a genasi.
*A tempest cleric (several characters could slip into this class)

Or the concept I started with before reading thread after thread that it was a blaster build only..
*Young girl who's parents made a pact with a fiend? To bind her wild magic powers. So a sorlock but I wouldnt want to be about the eldritch spam so perhaps left as pure sorcereress who WAS bound (backstory).
(Reading this back she has a jean gray vibe perhaps powers flavoured around telekinesis, wish pheonix sorcery wasnt ua)

Who makes a good controller? turning enemies upon each other, restricting their attacks, ending (not neccesrily preventing) combats without too much bloodshed if at all possible. Basically dominating the field of battle.
Built for a level 5 start in a party of trickster rogue, gloomstalker ranger going scout, storm barbarian, and moon druid.
Yes it lacks healing, no I don't want to be the healing focus, and besides we are missing all forms of magic really. Is there a wizard option that's better?

[Nhym]

I would, and will always suggest the Air Genasi Shepherd Druid. I am currently playing a Water Genasi Shepherd and love it. Good controllers need to have variety in their control, so if something doesn't work for one situation, then you have the option to have a plan B or plan C. Regarding that, I think there is no greater versatility than the Conjure spells. With Conjure Animals, Conjure Woodland Beings and Conjure Minor Elementals, you can cover almost every condition:

Smoke Mephit's can Blind, and you can get 8 of them.
Satyr Pipes can Charm, Fear and knock unconscious, and you can get 4 of them.
SO many beasts can grapple and restrain, like the Constrictor Snake, and you get 8 of that too.
The Meenlock can paralyze, though you only get 1.
And the Stench Kow can poison, and you also get 8 of them.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. When counting fey from Conjure Fey, you can basically have spell batteries that cast for you. And all that just takes your concentration on following turns which means you literally have your whole turn to do whatever you want. You can even continue to CC while concentrating on your summons by casting spells like Plant Growth and Transmute Rock. Even then you don't always HAVE to cast a Conjure spell because you are still have the full druid spell list at your disposal to cast excellent druid CC spells like Entangle or Heat Metal (Pixies and Magma Mephits get those as well for reference, and you get multiple of each).

True Druids don't get the spell selection that Wizards or Bards get, but their sheer versatility and versatility of the Conjure spells definitely makes up for it. Literally the only thing a Shepherd Druid can't do well is be a blaster, as druids don't have good blast spells and are more sustained damage.


Yes it lacks healing, no I don't want to be the healing focus, and besides we are missing all forms of magic really.
You don't need to necessarily be healing-focused to be able to clutch-revive the barbarian from 0hp with a healing word. The moon druid will not want to switch out of wild shape to heal so even if you choose not to, it's really nice having that option available to you, because druids are all about options. Also Healing Spirit is OP.

Here is my Shepherd Druid guide if you are interested:
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?588987-Circle-of-the-Shepherd-Druid-Guide-to-Fuzzy-Fury

PS: If you decide not to go Druid, I'll put my vote in for either Wizard (Enchantment or Illusion for control) or Bard.

[Mikaleus]

As someone who plays a Water Genasi Shepherd, I have to say it’s awesome.

I also recommend the Druid option, Archdruid Nhym pointed out all the benefits of the shepherd :)

[KyleG]

How different do druids play? With a moon druid in the party I dont want to step on any toes.

[BloodSnake'sCha]

How different do druids play? With a moon druid in the party I dont want to step on any toes.

Very different if you use your strength.

The moon will most of the time probably be a beast with a concentration spell up, the Shepard will have an army of summons, super heals and grant THP and the land will probably cast a lot of control spells.

You can play a 4 man party of druid with no problem.

[KyleG]

Very different if you use your strength.

The moon will most of the time probably be a beast with a concentration spell up, the Shepard will have an army of summons, super heals and grant THP and the land will probably cast a lot of control spells.

You can play a 4 man party of druid with no problem.

So you are suggesting Land as the best control class?

[Mikaleus]

Land would be good as they do have Natural recovery which works exactly as the Wizards Arcane recovery. Also instead of being say a shepherd where you will be mostly concentrating on conjure spells cause of the sweet synergy with its totem features, as a land Druid you potentially have more spell options to choose to concentrate on.

So a grasslands might want to concentrate on haste, or a coastal (personal land druid favourite) might cast mirror image (a spell not on the list and requires no concentration) and concentrate on faerie Fire or entangle to assist their party in battle.