After hearing about 4th ed last summer there was a couple of things that did pop up in my mind. One of those things was how flexible the new classes could be. For instance, in 3.5 I find it really hard to make a decent Fighter that uses light weapons, like a swashbuckler or similar. This still holds true even though later books added some classes and feats to go in that direction.
So, I decided to find out as soon as possible how a decent light weapons-wielding, dexterity-based Fighter would look like in 4th ed.
When the early previews of the classes arrived, I was a bit disappointed. With the advent of roles and sources, the classes felt almost more limited than before. Each class seems to have a specific funtion on the battlefield. A fighter, for instance, is a Defender, being able to hold of opponents with great defensive skills and good attacking capability.
Thing is, that is now how I envision my little swashbuckler. I want him to be nimble and quick and to attack with skill and speed rather than brute force.
So maybe I shouldn't hold on to the names of the classes, but rather what their roles and sources are. Since I don't want him to use any supernatural help (at least in the beginning), I'd use the Martial source.
As for the roles, consider this: the swashbuckler controls multiple opponents at once with speed and skill. With that in mind, my first attempt would be to choose a controller class. Unfortunately there isn't a Martial Controller class described yet, so it seems that I'll have to do with Martial Strikers if I want to build my first swashbuckler. I pick striker because I like the idea that the Swashbuckler is someone that lashes out at an opponent, striking vital parts and then quickly withdrawing. That leaves me with either a Rogue or a Ranger. After reading through the descriptions of both, I'd guess that if you want to do a fast, swashbuckley-type character, then a Ranger could very well be the way to go.
Related links
- A thread on swashbucklers
- The thread is about how Swashbucklers could be a class of it's own. The author looks at them as Martial Controllers, which sounds like a good idea to me.
- A short intro on classes
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