[4e] "The pointy end goes into the other man" - Character concept advice

[Ralfarius]

Well, I've been mulling over my shiny new 4th edition books. One thing that jumped out to me immediately was the simple weapon - spear being one-handed. Although I'm almost certain there are far better/more effective ways to make things dead with weapons in the game, I can't get this monkey off my back.

Basically, I'm trying to piece together a spear fighter. The basis of my idea is a gritty shield-wall combatant, as portrayed in Bernard Cornwell's The Warlord Chronicles trilogy; a shield, a spear, and maybe whatever armour you've pulled from the corpse of someone less lucky than yourself.

So, what I'm interested in seeing is if this idea can spark anything from the rest of you folk that have begun playing the new system. I don't necessarily require specific builds; basic thoughts and guidelines will suffice. Some of the biggest questions I have are:
- First and foremost, can shield and spear even be done effectively as a defender (or even more unlikely, a striker)?
- What sort of armour would be recommended? Can this be achieved with the light armours?
- What sort of stat distribution would be sensible?
- Anything else to consider?

Well, there you have it. Hopefully this will get some creative juices flowing.

[Crow]

It looks like fighters are a bit more effective as two-handed weapon fighters, but I haven't seen anything that would make them useless as shield fighters. Since the fighter is part striker anyways, you can probably avoid bothering with the striker classes. I would probably go for the heaviest armor you can find, but as a fighter you would still be able to invest attribute points into dex if you really wanted to use light armor. I would focus on Strength for the most part, and distribute the rest as you like, unless you're going with light armor, then you will need to put it into dex as well. I would also take a look at the spear powers available to the fighter and see if they mesh wish your image of what you want the character to be.

[Rachel Lorelei]

Spear and shield is actually one of the better combinations! Raise Strength and Dexterity--if you're a human, start with 18 strength (with the +2), 16 DEX, and the rest in Wisdom--use scale armor for the first while, but upgrade to Hide when you have 18 Dexterity (if you don't mind being 1 AC down, use Hide from the beginning; less skill check penalty and no speed penalty).

Armor-Piercing Strike (Encounter 3) is very, very good for its level, and Rain of Blows is another good option. Later on, you get powers like Silverstep, which are very good.

Use the Tide of Iron at-will to help control enemies; combine it with the Spear Push feat, at Paragon levels, and Gauntlets of the Ram (as soon as you can afford them), to be very good at shoving enemies around.

It's a solidly effective combination.

[wodan46]

Here's some stuff. Personally, I'd suggest you take the Glaive. Its similar to the Spear, except with better average damage, counts as both a Polearm and Heavy Blade, and has reach, giving access to more choices. Its pretty much the same thing as a Spear though, and serves the same purpose. If you use a Spear, be an Eladrin so you can grab a feat that gives +2 damage when smacking people with it. The downside is you don't get to use a shield.

Below is stuff for both Spear/Shield and Polearm options

Heroic Feats
Shield Push: Push 1 square to target hit by Combat Challenge attack

Paragon Feats
Shield Specialization: +1 to AC and Reflex when using a Shield
Spear Push: Add 1 square to distance pushed with spear or polearm*
Polearm Gamble: Make opportunity attack against adjacent enemy when they move adjacent, but you grant combat advantage to the enemy until the end of their turn.

You'll need 15 Dex, Wis, and Strength for the full set though. However, you can readily fend enemies, as Polearm Gamble will allow you smack an opponent whenever they try to move closer and potentially stop their movement, while Tide of Iron will ram opponents back 2 squares, occasionally 3.

Tide of Iron is essential. Here are some encounter powers that benefit from weapon choice.
Spear: Armor Piercing Thrust, Rain of Blows, Silverstep, Talon of the Roc, Paralyzing Strike
Glaive: Dance of Steel, Sweeping Blow, Silverstep, Storm of Blows, Fangs of Steel, Paralyzing Strike
Shield: Iron Bulwark, Stalwart Guard, Interposing Shield, Diamond Shield Defense

As for Paragon Paths, Iron Vanguard is best as you do Con damage whenever you push an enemy, and gain Con hp when you kill one. All of its powers also push.

[Ralfarius]

Great stuff, all around. I'm glad that such a concept can work out well. Most of the powers I was looking at were along the lines mentioned above, so it's also good to have some confirmation that I'm not quite as off my rocker as initially suspected. I think it's just a matter of understanding exactly how helpful being able to control enemy movement is in this new edition.