4E DND: "Fighters: Stick to 'em like glue!"

OVERVIEW

If you are new to DND, you'd think that fighters are a boring bunch. Those that played previous installments of DND know better. Fighters, probably since the day Gary Gygax gave birth to DND, have been one of the most versatile and open class in the game, and the same goes for 4E.

There are so many ways to build the Fighter. They are a great class to multiclass or hybrid into, they have so many viable builds with Martial Power 1 and 2 entering the game and if you are into roleplaying, they are one of the easier classes to form a background with. There are indeed many different styles to build your Fighter towards and they are all very strong, but that is because all fighters share the same root. And because the root is solid, the branches become solid as well.

So here, we'll not go through the branches and styles of play. That's up to you to read up, discover and explore. No, here, we are simply looking at what makes ALL Fighters one of the most solid, easy to play and reliable Defenders in the game. We are simply going to take a look at the 'root'.

If you are unsure of what to expect of Defenders, you can take a quick overview at this post.



THE CLASS

Fighters are one of the most sticky defenders, if not THE most sticky defender in 4E DND. Having one in your party really makes life easier for everyone. It's also an easy, yet versatile class, so playing a Fighter can be pretty fun both for newbies and veterans alike.

So here we are going to cover the key points of the Fighter and what makes him such a lovable meat shield.

Stickiness - As mentioned above, Fighters are incredibly sticky one-to-one thanks to his Combat Challenge and Combat Superiority abilities.

According to Combat Challenge, if the target of the Mark shifts or hits anyone that is not you as a target, you make a basic attack as an IMMEDIATE INTERRUPT. This means that it is a PREVENTIVE move.

On top of that, Combat Superiority states that if you hit an opponent during his Move Action via an Opportunity Attack, he doesn't get to move and would have used up his Move Action.

With these two abilities, it means that if a target tries to move OR shift, he would get hit anyways. And fighter's DPS isn't something you'd want to deal with. And soon you'd realize that the target might as well try to hit you anyways as the safest and most logical option.

With good Wisdom modifier to boost the Combat Superiority ability, Fighters seemingly 'roots' everyone within his threatening range, allowing your party to happily do whatever they want.

Durability - Well, Fighters don't really have anything that makes them especially durable. Compared to other defenders, he's pretty average and simple. He comes with proficiency in Scale Armor and having a solid amount of Hit Points and Surges. He has what it takes to be a meat shield, no doubt, but he doesn't have anything special.

Damage - I mentioned before in the Defender Overview post that damage is important as a Defender because having a painful Opportunity Attack gives all mobs second thoughts before they make their move.

Fighters have great damage, if not the best damage, amongst all Defenders. Not only that, they also have one of the better To-Hit compared to other Defenders. Just by looking at their Player's Handbook 1 At-Will Powers should give you an idea about their damage:

Cleave - Does damage to 2 opponents at once.
Reaping Strike - Does damage even though it misses.
Sure Strike - A lot higher To-hit

Fighters' Powers most revolves around dealing damage, with a handful that buffs himself or helps his allies. In fact, they are quite comparable to Strikers in terms of damage output.

Battlefield Control - Aside from their incredibly sticky mark, fighters have more tool to help n battlefield control. Some of the Fighter's Power have the push/knockdown/slowed effect as well as allowing him or his allies to shift. This makes him a mini-Warlord/Controller.

Just look at the Player's Handbook 1 At-Will 'Tide of Iron'. It allows the Fighter to push a target smaller or one size larger (this is very important) 1 square away AND allows you to shift into the space he occupied. This opens up tons of options for the fighter. He can shift in to get into better position for his Stickiness and he can push and knock the target into another object making him fall prone. The fact that he can push one size larger creatures (you know, those that occupy 4 squares) makes it even more valuable.

But that is only an At-Will. If you look at his Encounters, Dailies and Utilities, you'd realize that Fighters not only do good damage, but is also able to manage the battlefield much like a Warlord (to a lesser extent) is also able to knock opponents down here and there.


WEAKNESSES new!
Thanks to Lester for pointing this out. Fighters DO have some weaknesses after all.

Fighters don't have any variety of weapon type damage. Paladins have radiant, Wardens have lightning and frost, Swordmage got...everything? So Fighters don't really take advantage or inflict any vulnerability status on the enemy.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Fighters are good damage dealers, incredibly sticky, extremely versatile and has pretty good control over the battlefield. They can help their allies and themselves shift into a good position and knock enemies around.

They are fun to build and use as a newbie and as a veteran alike. It's pretty hard to screw up building a Fighter, even with it being versatile. Definitely worth a look and try. If you are afraid to end up building a screwed up Defender for your party, Fighter is definitely for you.

last update 22/8/10

4E DND: "Archetype Overview: Defenders"

Before I get started with reviewing classes, I'd like to make a overview so that people can expect what a certain archetype is meant to do. Here, we'll talk about Defenders in general. I decided to start off with Defenders because it's the archetype I'm most used to surprisingly, since I always play some sort of support in 3E and MMOs. Also, when I review classes, I try not to talk about Multiclassing or Hybrids. Those are best left for your imagination to dwell upon.

As a Defender, your main role is to protect your party. To be more specific, you are supposed to give your enemies a higher incentive to hit you and your high AC/HP instead of your party member's lower defensive stats. This can prove to be quite difficult, since your party members are usually doing the more painful/annoying stuff and are quite squishy compared to you.


So there are a few points to look out for when creating a Defender of your choice:
1) Stickiness. This is mainly talking about your unique defender's mark. This is the measure of how much incentive there is for your marked opponent to stay at where you want him to be and/or hit you instead of your friends.

2) Durability. Every Defender has more or less the same defenses, but some can pull out a bit more from their pocket change. Remember that every 1AC/Defence can make you 5% harder to hit. Same goes for HP and surges, and any other class features that increases your lifespan.

3) Damage. If you can deal damage, enemies won't look at you as just a great wall between them and their targets. Suddenly, your Opportunity Attacks hurts, giving you a source of stickiness without marking, which is really a great asset to have.

4) Battlefield Control. Defenders are like mini-controllers. Some of them can slow, some of them can teleport, some of them can slide and push. This is a measure of how well they can transverse the battlefield, as well as their ability to make movement painful for their opponents.


Here are a few disclaimers about some topics within upcoming guides I'm making;
1) Class Features. Every defender has something unique that sets them apart from the rest of the cast. It can be really good, it can be situational, it can be ignorable-unless-it-happened. This is usually covered under one of the sections above.

2) Class Skills. Well, I wouldn't talk much about this, seeing that it's mostly for skill challenges. All skills in 4E are useful, although if you are planning to get Skill Powers (Player's Handbook 3), it's good to consider the good ones like Perception, Endurance or even Insight. Otherwise, I won't be covering Class Skills.

3) Powers and Feats. Even though they are quite important to your decision, there's quite a huge list of them that are constantly updating as new supplements arrive, so I'm not going to review them one by one as it can take forever and it will not be updated. At the very most, I will definitely point out a few here and there in the sections mentioned above.


That being said, I think Defenders are the most fun archetype to play next to the Leader. They are also the most important archetype to have in a party, aside from the Leader, because they are the ones preventing damage from hitting the wrong people.

Keep in mind, that being a defender means you have to be highly aware of your party members and enemies around you. You are expected to protect your friends and they are relying on you to keep mobs away from them. To put it in technical terms, your friends are concerned about your Move Action, and where you end your turn will affect the whole flow of the battle.

You are also expected to take hits and eat them bravely. If you are afraid of getting hits or DM rolling dices against you, the Defender is probably not for you. If you grit your teeth at the sign of a critical hit against you, maybe you should play a less stressful class, like Warlock (not to spite that class...I think ^^).

A Defender can make or break a team. Good defenders usually choose the best position to force enemies to attack him instead of his friends. Bad defenders are...well...if you have played MMOs like WoW, you know what it's like when the tank dies. It's usually the cause of death for the entire team.

If you choose to pick up the Defender, I hope you'll have an enjoyable time playing it. The satisfaction I get to play one is a pretty nice feeling to have =)

last editied: 19/08/10