Hey Veeky Forums, I'm trying to build a D&D 4e character with the general theme of a winged hussar, and I'm looking for some advice.
Initially I thought it'd be simple, Strength based Spear Paladin with mounted combat and all that good stuff, but it's rapidly proving more complicated than I expected.
Apparently a lot of Paladin's awesome mounted combat was sliced off and locked behind the Essentials Cavalier, which sucks, and the stuff that remains or that I can get access to keys off Cha.
Then there's Spears/Polearms, which key off Dex, on top of also needing Constitution and Wisdom for other Paladin bits and bobs. It's left me in quite a kerfuffle.
So, uh, any suggestions? I'm not aiming for optimisation or top tier builds, but looking to effectively represent the concept as well as possible with the mechanics available to me.
I suppose I should add that we're using the standard Expertise and Improved Defences bonus feats, along with Inherent Bonuses.
Jeremiah Robinson
Well first things first, you need a lance. It'll give you 1[W] more damage on a charge, but -2 attack while not mounted (which you shouldn't be). Then I'd pick Half-Orc for all the juicy melee bonuses and STR and DEX bonuses for using spears. Also, I'd go with a fighter instead of a paladin since paladin won't give you any other mounted bonuses and going fighter will just make you suffer less from MAD. You'll also be less survivable without Lay on Hands, but you should be able to rely on your Half-Orc abilities and the party Leader for that.
Anthony Jenkins
Then what you'll do is open combat with a charge for a bunch of damage, then continue with At-Wills and Encounters.
Joseph Wood
I was pondering just using the Lance for Charges, since it's +2 prof, dropping it and switching to something else with +3 Prof. Also, y'know, having a back up plan for places where bringing a horse is a bad idea.
I'll toy with switching to Fighter though, it might work better overall.
Jaxon Ross
I'd say fighter is your best bet, and I would definitely carry with you a Longsword (which you should reskin as a backsword to keep things thematic). If you pump up your DEX enough you could also bring a bow for ranged engagements (which I would reskin as a Turkish recurve bow), but otherwise keeping javelines for syncronization with you spear feats wouldn't be a bad idea.
The nice thing is with both your sword and spear you'll be looking for STR and DEX so that should help you deal with MAD.
Liam Powell
Oh and if you wanted to be showy you could have your lances explode on impact like a jousting lance if you're just going to drop it anyway :D
Yeah, you can find 4e guides for just about anything.
Since no new stuff is coming out, they stay relevant.
Zachary Scott
Without Mark of Storms, is there a reliable way in Heroic tier to add 1 to a push, so you can reliably trigger Polearm Momentum? Polearm Push is Paragon only.
When using inherent bonuses, do items like the ring of giants and war ring give bonuses based on the enhancement bonus of the weapon you're carrying, or the enhancement bonus you get from the inherent bonuses?
Angel Martinez
I believe it's based on the bonus of the item itself.
Charles Lee
>General theme of a winged hussar
I'm gonna assume it goes mechanically and thematically. The mount I'm gonna assume is mandatory, even though I'm not really a fan.
The Hussars were heavy shock cavalry, which means that they were heavily armored and were supposed to really break through the enemy lines, and they were more about damage than tanking damage.
So, personally, a mounted Barbarian. While this sounds weird, a mounted Barbarian with things like a Dire Boar can really screw things up for the other enemy. You can multiclass Fighter for Surprising Charge and use a Lance, plus Spear Expertise. At level 6, you have a fairly deadly combo in charges, what with being able to do +2d12+2d10+1d6+18 damage on a charge if the target is prone. If you really wanna get creative, mounted Avenger. With a Camel, early on, your DPR is really freaking high (+2d12+4 every goddamn round and you don’t miss), and if you can get your hands on some Rushing Cleats, you can combo really hard with a Dire Boar (Power of Skill, Battle Awareness, Polearm Momentum, Spear Expertise), and you can get enough off-turn strikes for you to actually charge every round. With that, you can quite literally charge, prone the enemy and have your Dire Boar deal additional damage every round. It’s insane.
On the other hand, if the requirement is heavily armored charging, I can't really figure a way out. Maybe a Barbarian that picks up scale early on?
Hudson Walker
You could just hybrid paladin+whatever.
Paladin gets some pretty sweet mount related shit anyway, and then you can just spend the hybrid talent on heavy armor.
Blake Miller
Hey there, not much idea about 4ed mechanics here, but I can offer some degree of insight into RP side of things. If you want to actually do a Hussar then you want to use a Lance on the charge, a spear or a longsword (not sure how sabres are in 4ed, but id guess they are shortsword tier and thats not what you want) in next rounds of combat. You also want to frequently disengage and charge again. Do grab a bow too, alot of people seem to forget Hussars carried ranged weaponry - pistols and bows.
Oh and most importantly - don't look like a fucking peasant. You are a rich nobleman, so you go full bling or you stay home.
Kevin Williams
on the topic of 4e, were there ever any rules for PvP? I checked all the books and the unearthed arcana and there's not a peep. I know the game is not built for PvP but I'm curious if they ever addressed it.
John Butler
Straight up doesn't work. PC math and monster math work differently, to the point that PC vs PC and monster vs monster fights don't really function.
William Carter
I mean, they function, everyone has the same statistics, it's just that in PvP PCs are real glass cannons compared to monsters.
Also, a lot of the game is based around continual attrition of resources with dailies and healing surges, which makes it bad for a 1-off PvP game.
Luis Davis
I know that perfectly well, but I have yet to find a place in the book where it says so.
I'm looking for such statement because recently I was a player in a disastrous 4e session where the DM instead of making an encounter had us fight with PC characters he had leftover from other players from different group and it was dreadful, but he was adamant this should work and we're just shit players for getting stomped (DM had bowranger, warlock, warrior, invoker and a rogue against warlord, cleric, melee ranger and a warrior).
When we caught on that enemies were PCs we all protested because, as we all know, you don't pvp in 4e but >uhh I house rule we do and then the party wiped
and so I'm looking for a reference that says directly that he shouldn't have done that, just for future reference
Gavin Nelson
I'm not sure it's explicitly stated anywhere, but your GM was a fucking idiot.
Angel Green
yes he was the funniest thing is that when we tried to bail he had them mercilessly hunt us down and finish us off because >but that's what they'd do! and so it was a deathtrap and it took over four hours to play out in full, and no one had fun that night
Hudson Brooks
Eh, you need to do a lot of damage real fast, Paladins generally don't. Slayers are good chargers with heavy armors but they don't like being mounted. It's a tough choice.
Jaxon Sanchez
You could hybrid blackguard. They are strikers and get heavy armor, and can pick up Holy Steed.
Easton Adams
I guess, as much as I'd like, liking/playing 4e doesn't make you immune to being a dickhead.
Jonathan Allen
Pick Wild Fields instead
Joshua Rivera
>Wild Fields
Looked it up, and it sounds kinda neat. Know if it ever got a translation?
Wyatt Cook
I think the point is playing a fantasy hussar.
John Moore
this is not a complaint thread you retard
William Jackson
were there any dueling via combat rules though? Or just skill challenges?
