New Class; Scout (D&D 4e)

“There will be an open way, even if I have to use some arrows to find it...”

Role; Controller. You manage the battlefield, denying enemies access to areas and punishing them for taking specific actions. Your ability to deal damage to enemies accurately and repeatedly allows you to act as a striker as a secondary roll, however you are most effective at dealing with larger numbers of enemies.

Power Source; Martial. Your talents depend on extensive training and constant practice, personal determination, and natural coordination.

Key Abilities; Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom

Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, Leather

Weapon Proficiencies: Simple ranged, military ranged.

Bonus to Defense: +2 Reflex

Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution score

Hit Points per Level Gained: 4

Healing Surges per Day: 6 + Constitution modifier

Trained Skills: Perception or Stealth. From the class skills list below, choose four trained skills at 1st level.

Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex), Athletics (Str), Bluff (Cha), Diplomacy (Cha), Dungeoneering (Int), Heal (Wis), Insight (Wis), Nature (Wis), Perception (Wis), Stealth (Dex), Streetwise (Cha), Thievery (Dex),

Build Options:

Class Features:

Scouts wander the far byways of the wilds and run the back streets of cities. Their personalities are as varied as the weapons they use, but they know the nooks and crannies wherever they are found, having ferreted out the secret ways and best places with unerring instincts. As water finds the cracks in a cobblestone road, Scouts find what they need to remain prepared.

As a Scout, you will be a guide. Whether you are a nimble pathfinder that leads the way into danger with blade ready or a battle wizened sage providing less physical direction. This attitude extends into the way you view combat- it is a maze through which you can shepherd your allies safely and where your foes can be drawn into blind alleys that promise only death.

With your weapon at the ready you have no fear of the unknown. The next horizon is not a goal to be reached, but a milestone on a journey. Will you come back to show others the way, or is your path ever onward?

Creating a Scout

All Scouts rely on Dexterity for their exploits, though both Wisdom and Intelligence help them get more from their powers and class features. Scouts are primarily differentiated by the weapons they choose to focus on, though choices in other key abilities will strongly influence where the Scout positions themselves in a battlefield and how they effect the ebb and flow of combat.

Archer

You wield the most iconic of weapons for an Scout, and will likely gravitate towards the longbow or, if you're small, shortbow. You should attempt to control the battlefield from its edge. Dexterity is the absolute center of your power, followed by a strong second in Wisdom, Intelligence or both.

Suggested Feat; Far Shot (Human Feat; Action Surge)

Suggested Skills; Insight, Heal, Nature, Perception, Stealth, Thievery

Suggested At-Will Powers: Distracting Fire, Driving Shot.

Suggested Encounter Power: Follow the Arrows

Suggested Daily Power:

Crossbowman

Crossbows were invented to be an easier weapon to learn than the basic bow, generally at the expense of range. While you must be closer to your foes you use a the additional accuracy a crossbow provides you to pour out damage.

Suggested Feat; Far Shot (Human Feat; Weapon Focus(crossbows))

Suggested Skills; Acrobatics, Heal, Insight, Perception, Stealth, Thievery

Suggested At-Will Powers: Distracting Fire, Sting.

Suggested Encounter Power: Draw and Stab

Suggested Daily Power:

Slinger

Sometimes called a peasant archer, your unending supply of ammunition allows you to pepper the field with abandon while the ability to very your focus' benefit allows you flexibility to customize your response to the situation at hand.

Suggested Feat; Far Shot (Human Feat; Defensive Mobility)

Suggested Skills; Acrobatics, Heal, Diplomacy, Perception, Stealth, Thievery

Suggested At-Will Powers: Sting, Swift Shot.

Suggested Encounter Power:

Suggested Daily Power:

Knife Thrower

Somewhat unusual among Scouts, you use thrown weapons. Because of the range of your chosen weapons, you often find yourself in the fray. Possibly looking to  multiclass as a rogue, you pepper your foes with attacks, often placing your Ambit near yourself rather than at a greater distance. Because you get so close to the battle, you may consider a higher Constitution so you can take more damage.

Suggested Feat; Quick Draw (Human Feat; Defensive Mobility)

Suggested Skills; Acrobatics, Athletics, Dungeoneering, Heal, Perception, Stealth

Suggested At-Will Powers: Anklebiter, Swift Shot.

Suggested Encounter Power: Receiving the Charge

Suggested Daily Power:

Javaleneer

Sometimes called a heavy scout, you require the largest range of good abilities since you place emphasis on Strength for your base attacks and damage and should strongly consider Constitution so you can engage in melee to further benefit from that close range and Strength. You might be looking to multiclass as a Fighter or Warlord.

Suggested Feat; Quick Draw (Human Feat; Far Throw)

Suggested Skills; Athletics, Bluff, Heal, Insight, Perception, Stealth

Suggested At-Will Powers: Line of Fire, Running Shot.

Suggested Encounter Power: Heart of the Daisy

Suggested Daily Power:

Scout Class Features;

Ambit;

As a move action, you can establish an area as your Ambit. This zone has no visible or physical manifestation, but is central to defining your area of influence.

At first level this area is any 2 square by 2 square space. The size of this zone increases as you gain experience, becoming one square longer on each side at 11th (3x3), and 21st level (4x4). Any part of the Ambit which reaches beyond your current weapon's reach or range is negated, however. Treat the edge of your range or reach as the edge of the Ambit in this case, and ignore the remainder of the zone for benefits or effects that cover your Ambit. This includes effects which block line of sight or effect.

As a minor action you can move this zone a number of squares equal to your Intelligence or Wisdom modifier +1. As a free action you can dismiss your current zone. Your Ambit remains in place unless you move or dismiss it, even if your position entirely nullifies it because you have moved out of range.

You receive a +1 bonus to hit targets within this zone with attacks that do not have the Ambit keyword, including ranged and melee basic attacks.

New Keyword: Ambit

The Ambit keyword means that the power is tightly connected with the Ambit class feature of a scout, often modifying attacks made within that space or granting attacks. Attacks granted by an Ambit power must target individuals or areas that are within the character's current Ambit, but if any part of a creature is within the character's Ambit they are a valid target. If the character does not currently have an active Ambit they cannot use the power.

Combat Fletcher;

If you take a short rest on the site of an encounter where your party expended ammunition you can reclaim half the ammunition used. At the end of any short rest where you do not reclaim ammunition you can produce 15 arrows, 10 bolts, or 10 sling stones. At the end of an extended rest you can produce 60 arrows, 40 bolts, or 40 sling stones. This ability cannot increase the amount of ammunition in your possession above the amount you have purchased.

Scout Combat Focus;

While you can use any weapon Scouts specialize in a particular type of combat which they use to get the drop on enemies and manage a battlefield. Choose one of the following focuses and gain its benefit.

* Bow;

When using a bow you add 5 squares to short range and 10 squares to long range. You can also use a shield when wielding a bow that is a smaller size than you, however carrying a shield still provides no benefit unless you are proficient.

* Crossbow;

When using a crossbow you gain +1 to hit. You may treat one handed crossbows as off-hand weapons.

* Sling;

You are always on the lookout for good stones, pebbles and other items that will work for ammunition, and never run out of bullets. You may also treat a one handed sling as an off-hand weapon. Finally, at the beginning of your turn you may choose one of the following benefits and use that with your sling until the beginning of your next turn: increase short range by 5 and long range by 10, gain a +1 bonus to hit, make a ranged basic attack as a move action, increase the damage die size by one step, or add the trait Brutal 1 to your weapon.

* Light Thrown Weapons;

You can make a ranged basic attack with a light thrown weapon as a move action. You are proficient with shuriken and if you use them increase the damage die size by one step.

* Heavy Thrown Weapons;

When you use a heavy thrown weapon to make a ranged attack increase the damage die size by one step, martial weapons also gain the trait Brutal 1. You may also choose to substitute Strength for Dexterity in ranged attacks when using Scout Exploits with Heavy Thrown weapons.

* Melee;

Your training has radically differed from that gained by most Scouts. While the majority of Scouts focus on ranged weapons to manipulate the battlefield, you have been trained specifically to get into melee to be ready to step into a breach in the line or hold a post alone.

You may use ranged Weapon Exploits from this class with melee weapons. When doing this the Exploit changes ranges of “Ranged” to “Melee” and substitutes other instances of the word “range” with the word “reach.” When you choose to do this you must substitute Strength for Dexterity in the power's text unless the weapon has the “off-hand” property or is of the Light Blade type. If the weapon has one of these traits you may choose to use either Strength or Dexterity.

If an effect specifies “short range” or “long range” you may choose the most advantageous to consider as your range, and if there are differing effects for each you may count both. You may not, however, use this ability to gain the same effect twice. For example, if an ability increases your short and long range you may choose either increase, but may not stack both. This ability does not expand your reach unless the Exploit explicitly increases your range.

Finally, at first level you receive +2 hit points and 2 additional healing surges. You also gain an additional hit point each level.

Scout's Melee Weapons;

Every Scout gets some training with melee weapons, whether you use them as last resort holdouts or your focus is melee. What those weapons are depends on your personal or cultural style. Choose one of the following Scout Melee types and gain its benefits;

* Light; Popular among elves, humans, halflings, gnomes, and traditional among archers of many races. You gain proficiency with dagger and short sword.

* Heavy; The traditional weapons for dwarven scouts and some other subterranean races whose close environments often make this training more useful. You receive proficiency with throwing hammer and handaxe as well as hide and chain armor, but your proficiency with simple and martial ranged weapons is limited to crossbows.

* Spear; A particular favorite among small creatures as well as some eladrin and dragonborn, you gain proficiency with the spear and javelin.

* Staves; A sign of peasants and woodsmen, you gain proficiency with club, quarterstaff and hide armor.

* Polearms; You sacrifice your proficiency with simple and martial ranged weapons, as well as the Combat Fletcher class feature. Instead you have proficiency with simple and martial weapons of the polearm type and are proficient with hide armor.

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During the run of 4e there was a particular interest in the idea of a Martial Controller. For whatever reason, WotC was resistant to the idea, insisting that not every slot in every power source needed to be filled. Like many people I took this as a challenge to create my own Martial Controller. I discovered two things swiftly.

The first is that Controllers and Defenders are, effectively, the same thing. The primary function of both is to manipulate the battlefield, particularly the enemies on that battlefield, to make the combat more advantageous for your side of a conflict. Forcing an enemy to pour damage into the damage resistant, self-healing sink of hit points of a tank build has very little tactical or mathematical difference from the presentation of summoned creatures or illusions. The Mark and Combat Challenge features a Defender uses to keep enemies away from the squishier members of the party are effectively identical to the use of a Sleep or Wall of Fire. In all cases you are trading resources (hit points or spell slots) for improved positional and mechanical advantage. Having realized this I saw that the division between melee Defenders and ranged Controllers when both the other two types required no such distinction should have been a tip off, but there I was.

The second realization is that the huge pile of special abilities unique to a specific class was an enormous design task. Frankly, it’s one I never finished. While I have many of these abilities a single class worth of abilities in 4e was easily the size of several classes in most D&D editions. You can see the names of some of these abilities above, and it’s fairly likely that at some point I will post the abilities I have made.

While the idea of an archer controller is very obviously not unique to me, I still think I used some interesting design ideas. For example, the “Ambit” (not a word I made up) provides a literal area of control on the battlefield. In this case, an ability that does not limit the controller’s reach, but does give them an area where they particularly focus and get advantages.