Striking Awesome(ly)

(Oh boy, Strikers. This list is going to be hard. No matter where I place these eight classes, someone is going to be offended. Use the comment box to argue why I'm wrong.)

The Striker is, in my experience, the most popular role for players to fill and its easy to see why; Controllers have to deal with clusters of enemies, Defenders have to protect squishies, and Leaders have to make sure no one dies. But the Striker only has to worry about picking an enemy and making its HP total zero. Its an easy job, but also very important. After all, a dead monster is the second best kind of monster (The best kind is, of course, a pet monster). What makes the Striker awesome? It's not just the damage, it's how you dish it out. Each Striker has its own unique way of bringing down their foes, be it the artful dexterity of the Rogue or the raw smashy-smash of the Barbarian. All Strikers are awesome, some just happen to be a little more awesomer than others.

Number Eight: The Sorcerer

"Cantrips? I'm sorry, I'm more of a 'blow stuff up' kind of mage."

The Sorcerer is an old favorite of mine from 3.5 edition. Back then, they were universally reviled because of their notoriously unstable connection to magic. People were excited to see the local Wizard, but a trip to the local Sorcerer usually ended in head-on-fire. In 4.0, the Sorcerer is judged much more on his or her individual merits rather than some blanket understanding of them or their powers. The Sorcerer's source of power is extremely customizable as well. Your powers can come from a dragon, a storm, the stars, or the power of RAW CHAOS.

But it gets better: When the Seeker made its infamous decision to become not fully Controller, yet not fully Striker, it shared its notes with the Sorcerer. Unlike that primal archer, however, the Sorcerer is able to stride that line with confidence. Your extra damage comes in the form of your secondary ability modifier which is added to all of your arcane damage rolls. In addition, the Sorcerer is surprisingly good at Controller-esc blasts and bursts. If its clustered in a room, you can probably make it dead. If you choose Chaos Magic, you can do so while cackling manically about TRUE POWER!

Awesome Powers: Chaos Bolt, Lightning Cuts, Winds of Change, Overpowering Lightning, Cosmic Vengeance

Number Seven: The Warlock

"CRAAAAAWLING IN MY SKIIIIIIN, I CAN NOT REGAIN THESE HIT POINTS!"

The Warlock is probably the most misunderstood of the Strikers. Sure, they made a deal with a powerful Nature Spirit/Demon/Lovecraftian Horror but that doesn't make them evil. So what if all their powers call upon the power of slumbering monstrosities bent upon bringing down the natural order. That doesn't mean they can't work in a team, or fight for truth, or hang out sometime... guys? Flavor wise, the Warlock is pretty damn sweet. Its just a shame that their powers are a little... lacking in the umph department.

But it gets better: The Warlock's curse is one of the cooler damage mechanics in 4.0. Not only do you get a bonus to damage that lasts until the end of the encounter, you also get a neat little bonus each time a cursed enemy bites the big one. After a few rounds of cursing, you can put out a lot of damage to everyone in the room. It does raise the question as to why, upon seeing you standing on top of a pile of your broken enemies praising Cthulhu, your party doesn't slip out the back door.

Awesome Powers: Eldritch Blast, Your Delicious Weakness, Thief of Five Fates, Banish to the Void, Caiphon's Abominable Melody

Number Six: The Assassin

"Now you see me, now you're dead."

The Assassin has been significantly changed since its days as an Evil-only prestige class in the 3.5 edition Dungeon Master's Guide. For one thing, you can no longer watch someone for three rounds and then turboshank them dead. Now, the Assassin traffics in shadows, a fact that would prompt more emo-kid jokes if I hadn't used them all on the Warlock. The Assassin's power comes from The Raven Queen, patron deity of brooding antiheroes, and oh man does this guy everyone's least favorite fan character. The Assassin can not only create weapons from shadow, but can also jump inside and/or steal another creature's shadow.

But it gets better: The Assassin's Shroud is one of the more interesting extra damage abilities. Normally, you use a free action to put one shroud on one creature (some powers/paths/destinies let you do more) to a maximum of four shrouds on a single target. When you attack, you decide if you will invoke your shrouds on the target. If you hit, you roll the damage for your shrouds. If you miss, however, you roll the damage for all but one of your shrouds. That's right, even when you miss you can still deal damage. It makes sense though, any ruthless killer worth his salt isn't going to let a silly thing like a bad swing keep him from fulfilling his contract.

Awesome Powers: Inescapable Blade, Nightshade's Kiss, Black Garrote, Ambush from Thin Air, Intent to Murder

Number Five: The Monk

"Weapons? What sort of namby-pamby nonsense is that?"

The Monk has always kicked ass. In 3.5, your flurry of blows was a pummeling maelstrom of hurt (followed by a few inevitable misses). In new version 4.0, the Monk is the most amazingly mobile Striker ever. All of your powers are split into two parts: how you hit them and how you get there. The Monk is the only Striker who can spot an enemy on the other side of the room, run Prince of Persia style across a wall, and then land on their head without a series of skill checks and some hasty bargaining with the DM.

But it gets better: Flurry of Blows is back and it's more reliable than ever. No more rolling thirty thousand attacks, now people around you just take damage from your thrashing limbs of fury. Flurry of blows is a free action whenever you hit an enemy and it just does damage, no questions asked. As you level, you can take powers, feats, and equipment that make that damage rather sizable. Nothing says "Monk" quite as well as doing a back-flip to kick someone in the face and then knocking out the two guys next to him.

Awesome Powers: Crane's Wings, Springing Drake Assault, Finishing Move, Storms Fall without Warning, Titan's Mighty Grasp

Number Four: The Avenger

"Foolish monster, now I will show you my true power! OATH OF THE FINAL DUEL!"

The Avenger is the last in the lineup of awesome divine classes (and the Runepriest), and oh boy is it a good one. Imagine a cross between the Paladin and the Barbarian in robes with access to a wide variety of stabbies and smashies. You are a holy crusader who has become somewhat estranged from the rest of their deity's church. The estrangement apparently turns you into some kind of anime warrior from Hell. You excel at moving across the battlefield and singling out foes, unless you're a Pursuing Avenger. In that case, your ability to traverse combat has long surpassed the limitations of the term "excel" as well as the limitations of most interpretations of land speed.

But it gets better: Avengers get extra damage in a unique way. Unlike other Strikers, the Avenger does not have extra damage built into their powers or through some almighty class feature, they get by being more accurate with weapons (through an almighty class feature). Oath of Enmity lets you single out a foe and roll two d20s instead of the usual boring one. As a result, the Avenger hits twice as often and crits twice as often. When the Avenger makes an oath against you, two things are certain: you will die and it will hurt. Also, the Avenger has a level one daily called, "Oath of the Final Duel." That's so anime it isn't funny.

Awesome Powers: Overwhelming Strike, Oath of the Final Duel, Dismiss the Unworthy, Scatter to the Astral Winds, Cataclysmic Duel

Number Three: The Barbarian

“Me smash you like me smash silly pronoun rules!”

The Barbarian has come a long way since 3.5 edition, and I don’t mean that in the best way. His iconic rages are no long the massive stat boosters they once were, and that also means the hilarious period of exhaustion following each combat is gone. In 4.0, the rages have become attacks that have a persistent effect that lasts for the rest of the encounter. While this does completely reflavor the Barbarian’s bread and butter, it does also make him the one class that can (and should) blow daily powers before the inevitable “final boss” of the day. The Barbarian isn’t exactly the rampaging juggernaut he once was, but he’s still a force to be reckoned with.

But it gets better: The Barbarian is too busy beating the snot out of enemies to deal with some sort of extra damage mechanic, so Wizards wisely built all of his extra damage into his attacks. This makes him a little extra dependant on actually connecting with his attacks, sure, but he’s the freaking Barbarian. You can’t possibly expect finesse from the guy whose axe is the same size as the thing he’s hitting with it. Oh, and there’s Rampage. This nifty little feature congratulates you for scoring a critical hit and suggests you take another swing while you’re at it. Nothing says “Barbarian” quite like never stopping hitting ever.

Awesome Powers: Devastating Strike, Reckless Rampage, Rage of the Death Spirit, Rampaging Dragon Strike, Rage of the Thundering Rhino

Number Two: The Rogue

“Knock knock. SNEAK ATTACK! Oh wait; I was supposed to wait for your answer, wasn’t I?”

The Rogue is the iconic Striker. In every RPG since the dawn of time, there has always been that class that focuses around hiding in the corner until your enemy is distracted before cart wheeling in and dealing of so much damage to the poor slobs. No matter how much D&D changes, the Rogue remains relatively unchanged: she has a dagger and, oh hey! Would you like to see a magic trick? The Rogue can’t traverse the battlefield quite like the Avenger, and no one jumps like the Monk, but she’s still a slippery one. If you ever lose sight of the Rogue in combat, it’s safe to assume that she’s behind you and that you’re about to get hit with a whole lot of…

But it gets better: Sneak attack. Yes, Clerics gotta heal, Barbarians gotta rage, and Rogues gotta stab you in the back. A sneak attack in 4.0 is similar to being stuck in the back by a semi-truck. For the low, low price of one feat, you too can deal 2d8 extra damage every time you hit with combat advantage. Keep in mind that you are a Rogue, so anytime you attack without combat advantage, you and your party have failed. Also, thanks to Rogue Weapon Talent, a Rogue with a dagger basically never misses. Stack on that the “Daggermaster” paragon path and your mere presence will make that nasty mage (Beholder?) start writing her will.

Awesome Power: Sly Flourish, Flamboyant Strike, Not Worth My Time, Perfect Sniper, Assassin’s Point

Number One: The Ranger

“Feel that? It’s the eyes of the ranger. They’re upon you.”

It is a well established fact that anyone with the occupation “Ranger” is a certified badass. Don’t believe me? Well, let’s think of a few Rangers… There’s the Power Rangers, they were cool (if racist and sexist)… There’s that Aragon dude from Lord of the Rings, he did some cool stuff… And there’s that guy, what’s his name? Isn’t it something like CHUCK MOTHER-FREAKING NORRIS? Now you, too can share in the glorious heritage of Ranger baddassery. The best thing about the Ranger is the wide variety of weapons you can use. You can shoot arrows forever, you can duel wield your favorite one-handed weapon, or you can has bear. In 3.5 edition, you could do all of these things at the same time, but 4.0 decided to try and balance the Ranger a little. It failed.

But it gets better: Well, not better than Chuck Norris. I kinda started with my strongest argument. Hunter’s Quarry used to involve picking which specific monster types you were good at killing and gaining some pretty impressive bonuses against them. Now you just pick the closest thing to you and relieving it of its hit points in an endless stream of attacks. The Ranger hands out damage like its candy and, for some reason, the monsters all stand there expecting sweets while completely ignoring the massive amount of blood loss they suffer. Did I mention they can pall around with a bear? Or that said bear deals as much damage as a Waraxe? Seriously, the Ranger is one awesomely cool dude.

Awesome Powers: Twin Strike, Beast Latch, Dire Bear Maul, Death Rend, Ultimate Confrontation