Disclaimer: Well it has been over a year since Tank (v2.0): When Push Comes to Shove
was last updated and there have been many new options for him
introduced in Martial Power 2 (MP2) and Player's Handbook 3
(PHB3). This time around I am going to attempt to write Tank as
more of a guide than a specific build, because there are many, many
choices out there depending on what you as a player desire. That
being said, by the end of this "guide" you will see exactly how I
envision Tank and also have a good amount of discussion on other
available options. Because I am writing this as a guide and not
just a build I will be using the standard color rating system; although
you will mostly only see blue, sky blue, and gold
options discussed. Also, because this is more of a guide, Tank is
completely gear independent and has many various options for the player
to choose from so that you can tailor him to your playstyle. That
being said though, no matter what you are going to end up with a
fighter that is tougher than your average bear, smashes his opponents
senseless, pushes foes across the battlefield, and is most importantly
fun to play. Enjoy.
[u]Race[/u]
Dwarf
- In my opinion, dwarf is the strongest choice for Tank, because it
offers the greatest amount of defensive feats especially when playing a
battlerager. Due to all of Tank's pushes though, dragonborn
is also a strong choice because of draconic arrogance. Lightning
breath dragonborns also can get a very nice close burst push with the
right feat selection. If you want to focus more heavily on DPR,
then dragonborns are for you; if you want to focus more heavily on
defense, then choose a dwarf. I also, believe that throughout all
feat selections and racial features, dwarves have a little bit more to
offer and that's why I chose dwarf. You may also want to pick any
of the STR/CON races such as minotaur, goliath, or warforged; although I don't feel any of these have the feat support offer by dwarf.
Class
Fighter (PHB) (Battlerager)
(MP) - Fighter is by far the best choice here; Fighters hit hard,
are sticky, and tough. Also, they have the best feat selection and
a very good array of powers that use pushes and prones.
Furthermore, battlerager vigor makes fighters very, very hard to
kill. Another choice would be one-handed weapon talent
as it raises your attack bonus which is very important and also gives
access to the feat, forceful opportunist, which combines two feats into
one that a battlerager would pick. [color=Purple]Tempest[/color] and [color=Purple]two-handed[/color]
are both not great choices, because Tank needs a shield to make most of
his pushes possible, and his pushes become the most important part of
him. [b]Warden[/b] offers
similar possibilities to a fighter and Tank could be created using the
Warden; however, Fighter just does everything better with the
exception of saving throws.
[u]Paragon Path[/u]
[color=Gold]Iron Vanguard[/color]
(PHB) - Tank uses a lot of pushes and is meant to be both
hard-hitting and tough, thus Iron Vanguard is the best choice. Enduring Warrior actually recovers hitpoints and makes Tank even more survivable, while Trample the Fallen provides Tank with his highest bonus to damage output. While, Frontline Surge lacks in the epic tier, the rest of the class is all very strong. Dreadnought is another strong choice if you plan on focusing more defensively at the expense of your damage, and Unfailing Resorces
is amazingly good, especially if your DM uses a lot of debilitating
effects to deal with defenders. In my opinion though, even if you
plan on a more defensive character, Iron Vanguard is the better choice,
because it gives you more pushes, which means more damage but also more
stickiness and survivability in the epic tier.
[u]Epic Destiny[/u]
Demigod (PHB) - Really Demigod is the best choice here, but I left it sky blue,
because there are so many other choices. And truly, your Epic
Destiny doesn't change nearly as much of your character as your class
and paragon path, so it's hard to say that Demigod defines Tank.
Demigod is such a great choice, because it offers bonuses to both main
attributes, a deathproof feature and a utility power that offers an
insane amount of regeneration; and all of that is before we even
consider Divine Miracle. Adamantine Soldier
is a good choice if you want to play more defensively; however, I would
much rather just wear plate armor to gain damage resistance and save my
epic destiny. Eternal Defender
is another decent choice, but frankly a lot of the features don't match
up any better than Demigod and the utility power is completely wasted
due to Hammer Rhythm. Also, Undying Warrior is a surprisingly good choice. While all the features and powers are meh at best, Undying Stamina
is actually pretty good if you have long days without rest. Tank
also gets many ways to use his healing surges each encounter, so Undying
Stamina wouldn't go to waste. And finally, [color=SkyBlue]Reincarnate Champion[/color] is a great choice that allows you to dip into dragonborn racial feats such as [color=SkyBlue]draconic arrogance[/color],
which are awesome. However, be warned that you will have so many
feat choices available that it might make you go crazy trying to figure
out which ones to cut. Reincarnate Champion is a good choice
if you want to get a little bit more damage potential in your build.
[u]Ability Scores[/u]
Strength
- Obviously the skill that dictates all of your attacks and most of
your damage is the most important. As a dwarf, I start with an 18
here and boost it every chance I get. As a warforged, minotaur,
or goliath you might want to start with a 16 before racial bonuses.
Constitution - Constitution is actually very close to being gold
here, because it benefits your hitpoints, your temporary hitpoints,
your damage, and many of your powers use it. However, it is still
less important than your ability to hit your targets. As a dwarf, I
start with a 14 before the racial bonus (16 after) here and boost it every chance I get.
Dexterity
- It raises one of your defenses and also provides a bonus to
initiative, but none of your feats or powers will use it, and you wear a
shield to help with your reflex also. I start with a 10 here.
Intelligence - This is your dump stat. Absolutely nothing you use will benefit from it. I start with an 8 here.
Wisdom
- Wisdom provides a lot of bonuses for Fighters, and can become a
secondary ability score, but Tank doesn't use any feats or powers that
benefit from wisdom and so I only start with a 11 here before racial bonuses (13 after). Depending on your feat selection you may want to raise this though.
Charisma - Charisma is another dump stat that doesn't benefit you at all and the only reason it isn't red is because some players might want to use intimidate. I start with a 10 here.
[u]Skills[/u]
Athletics
- You'll be using athletics a lot to help navigate the battlefield and
it is one of the better choices for you, especially saying it plays off
your main ability score.
Endurance
- Endurance will help keep you alive in some skill encounters and
provides access to some decent utility skill powers. It also plays
off one of your main ability scores.
Intimidate - Intimidate is my third choice and I choose it over [color=Blue]heal[/color] because of the the level 6 utility power, [color=Gold]Everybody Move[/color].
Everybody Move is an auto-hit, AoE push encounter power, which is just
amazing for Tank to help with minions and also positioning.
[u]Feats[/u]
1: Weapon Expertise (Hammer)
(PHB2) - From using a +2 proficiency weapon to missing your weapon
talent, Weapon Expertise becomes even more important than it already is
in some builds. Taking this as your first feat helps you
immediately balance out your low attack bonus. Also, you must be
using hammers in this build or you're doing something wrong.
2: Dwarven Weapon Training
(PHB) - This feat provides a nice damage bonus for heroic tier and also
allows you to use a craghammer, which really if you're going to use a
hammer, you might as well use the biggest one you can find. You
can retrain this to [b]Weapon Focus (Hammer)[/b]
at epic levels, but I personally just prefer using a craghammer. I
like taking this early on, because damage is always important no matter
what level.
4: Dwarf Stoneblood
(MP) - This is one of the reasons dwarves are a great choice for
Tank. At level 4, you'll be gaining 8 tHPs from your invigorating
powers and at level 30, you'll be gaining 22 tHPs from them. It's a
very nice bonus to your survivability.
6: Shield Push
(PHB) - Shield Push is already good by just allowing you to negate your
opponents attack action against an ally, but at epic levels with the
appropriate feats, it becomes even better. As I've said, Tank
revolves around pushing enemies and this is one more push.
8: Mobile Challenge
(D378) - Mobile Challenge doesn't seem great by itself, but it is
actually very important in this build to erase the biggest drawback of
Shield Push. The drawback of Shield Push is that you are moving
your target to a nonadjacent square and therefore your stickiness
decreases, because you can no longer hit your opponent. Mobile
Challenge remedies this by allowing you to shift after the target and
remain sticky; it provides both stickiness and mobility.
10: Hammer Iron
(PHB3) - This feat gives you another push; this time on opportunity
attacks. While not as beneficial as on combat challenges, it gets
much better with feat support and Trample the Fallen, as you'll
see. As a note, you can retrain this to [color=Gold]Knockback Swing[/color] at epic tier, which does the same thing but also on a miss.
11: Opportunity Sidestep
(PHB3) - Opportunity Sidestep is exactly the same fix for Hammering
Iron that Mobile Challenge is for Shield Push. At this point both
your combat challenges and opportunity attacks are versions of Tide of
Iron.
12: Hammer Rhythm
(PHB) - This is one of your big damage boosts. It also guarantees
that you'll be doing some damage no matter what. One of my
favorite feats, because it makes you feel better about missing.
14: Dwarven Durability
(PHB) - This is a great boost to your survivability by making your
healing surges better and giving you more of them. Another reason
why dwarves are so great.
16: Hindering Shield
(D385) - Here is a great feat. It makes all of your forced
movement slow the target also, which is good enough on its own.
But at epic levels, it becomes much, much better and serves as one of
the must-have feats for this build.
18: Mighty Battlerage
(MP) - This just provides a moderate bonus to your damage. It's
nothing spectacular but helps make Tank a little more threatening.
Also, as a note Defender of the Wild and Crippling Crush
are a great way to get even more damage during the paragon, but their
benefit is lost at epic levels when you will no longer be slowing
enemies. Furthermore, if you don't want to wear chainmail armor
you can take Armor Proficiency (Plate) here so that you can start wearing tarrasque plate and getting damage restistance.
20: Dwarven Recovery (MP2) - Tank suffers from a lack of saving throw support and this feat helps remedy that. This feat gets even [color=SkyBlue]better[/color] at epic levels with the right feat support.
21: Overwhelming Impact (MP2) - This is the best feat this build has, and if there was a color above [color=Gold]gold[/color],
I would use it. At this point, your at-will Tide of Iron,
opportunity attacks, and combat challenges all daze your target.
Daze reduces your enemy to one action per round, which makes you more
sticky and better at surviving, because you'll take less damage.
If your mark tries to move away, you daze it and end its turn without
ever letting it move. It if shifts away, you daze it and ends its
turn. If it attacks your ally, you push it away negating the
attack and daze it ending its turn. Overall, you become very, very
sticky.
22: Epic Recovery (MP) - This gives you a third wind, which has its own benefits, but also synergizes very nicely with Dwarven Recovery.
24: Dual Challenge
(MP2) - As if you weren't sticky enough, you can now mark even more
enemies, which is very nice saying that your powers will tend to
gravitate towards single target attacks.
26: Stoneheart Warrior]
(MP) - It might not seem that great saying you are already only using a
minor action to use second wind, but a free action allows you to use it
on anyone's turn. For example, an enemy can deal a lethal blow
just to have you retort by using second wind immediately before and
either making the attack miss or give you enough hitpoints to endure it.
28: Bludgeon Mastery
(PHB) - Here we have a nice damage boost. Tank doesn't have a lot
of abilitys that trigger off of critical hits, but it is still
beneficial in increasing damage.
30: Martial Resolve
(MP) - A great feat that I wish I could fit in sooner. Daze,
stun, immobolize and weaken are some of the greatest enemies of a
defender and this helps remedy them. Used with Epic Recovery and
Stoneheart Warrior, it becomes even better.
[u]At-Will Powers[/u]
Tide of Iron
(PHB) - Tide of Iron allows for a lot of battlefield control and can
allow you to completely disable enemies by pushing them over ledges or
at least knock them prone. At epic levels, it becomes an at-will
push and daze that deals CON damage. This is your best power, but
at heroic tier you may want to use Brash Strike instead as it will do more damage at the sacrifice of a little control.
Crushing Surge
(MP) - Here is your endless pool of tHPs. At level 4, it will
give you 8 tHPS; and at level 30, it will provide 22 tHPs, which is over
10% of your maximum hitpoints. Some players might stay away from
this and take Brash Strike
instead; however, I believe that if you are going to play a
battlerager, you should try to take full advantage of it by taking as
many invigorating powers as possible.
[u]Encounter Powers[/u]
1: Hack and Hew
(MP2) - Here is a great example of why I started liking battleragers
again after MP2 came out. It's a dual mark and offers two
guaranteed attacks and is invigorating too. A much better choice
than any other low-level invigorating powers, but powers like [color=Blue]Passing Attack[/color] and Shield Bash are still worthy contenders.
3: Bull Charge
(MP2) - Another nice power from MP2. It offers a good amount of
utility by pushing and proning, and it's invigorating. Also, after
Trample the Fallen it deals a good amount of damage. Compared to
all other powers of the level, it is the clear choice.
7: Echoing Assault
(PHB) - Here we have a power that doesn't fit that much
thematically but offers a lot of damage for a level 7 encounter
power especially with a bonus from CON. Bloody the Field is another good choice if you don't feel you need any burst powers; but it loses usefulness while [color=Blue]Come and Get It[/color] gains it at later levels.
11: Frontline Surge
(PHB) - For the next 9 levels, this is somewhat nice, but at epic
levels it becomes just a slightly better version of Tide of Iron.
Alas, it's here to stay though.
13: Crumpling Slam (MP) - Replaces Hack and Hew.
Now this is a power that starts off with nice utility, but after
gaining Trample the Fallen, it becomes very, very damaging for the
level. It's also an invigorating power. Both [color=Blue]Anvil of Doom[/color] and [color=Blue]Appalling Crunch[/color] are strong contenders, but in my opinion neither offers as much bonus through damage and utility as Crumpling Slam.
17: Minotaur's Charge (MP2) - Replaces Bull Charge.
This is just a complete upgrade to Bull Charge without sacrificing
anything. And while there are other push powers at this level,
there are no others with all push, prone, and invigorating.
23: Colossal Strike (PHB) - Replaces Echoing Assault. Another fully beneficial replacement. A strong pushing attack that also prones the target. Both [color=Blue]Behemoth Wrath[/color] and [color=Blue]Warrior's Urging[/color] are worthy contenders.
27: Behemoth Wrath (MP2) - Replaces Crumpling Slam.
It was good at level 23, and it is still good at level 27.
However, if you feel that you need more multitarget attacks then both [color=SkyBlue]Invigorating Fury[/color] and [color=SkyBlue]Cruel Reaper[/color]
are great choices. Cruel Reaper is the most damaging power you
can select at this level, but Invigorating Fury ensures that the
majority of your encounter powers are invigorating.
[u]Daily Powers[/u]
1: Driving Attack
(MP2) - A very nice daily from MP2; double push and prone plus
invigorating. This power is one of the most damaging for the level
and stays competitive once you get Trample the Fallen. [color=Blue]Unstoppable Advance[/color] is a nice choice, but is replaced by feats at level 11, and lacks it's fully usefulness until much later. Also, [color=SkyBlue]Villain's Menace[/color] is very nice, but Tank lacks many of the multiattack powers that make it truly great.
5: Cometfall Charge (MP) - This power has good damage, but that's about it. [color=SkyBlue]Bedeviling Assault[/color]
is probably a better choice for saving against a solo encounter, but I
made the choice aesthetically here as Cometfall Charge is more thematic.
9: Bone Crusher
(MP2) - Here we have a nice power for killing a solo boss.
Here we have another invigorating power too. If you are looking
for a multitarget daily than [color=SkyBlue]Terrifying Impact[/color] provides much more multitarget control. Alternatively, [color=Blue]Victorious Surge[/color] yields a great form of healing, although at this level you'll already be hard enough to kill.
15: Boulder Charge (MP) - Replaces Cometfall Charge.
Here we have a power that takes full advantage of pushing. If
used correctly, it can damage, prone, and daze several targets while
allowing you a direct path to the deadliest target. It's also an
invigorating power, which is nice. [color=SkyBlue]Unyielding Avalance[/color] is another strong choice both defensively and offensively and provides a good amount of control.
19: Relentless Assailant (MP) - Replaces Driving Attack.
Here we have a very nice healing power that still deals adequate
damage. If you are looking for a sticky solo power then pick [color=SkyBlue]Strike of the Watchful Guard[/color]. and if you desire more area of effect then [color=SkyBlue]Devastation's Wake[/color] is a very good choice.
20: Indomitable Strength
(PHB) - A power with a push, prone, daze, and a healing surge sounds
good to me. Saying we're stuck with it, it's a good one to be
stuck with.
25: Earthquake Smash (MP) - Replaces Bone Crusher.
We have another nice area control power. Now it's not a great
power saying it doesn't push and therefore daze the secondary targets,
but the main target gets dazed and everyone else is knocked prone.
It's also an invigorating power and the other strong choices are mostly
just other group marks.
29: Force the Battle (PHB) - Replaces Relentless Assailant.
There isn't any question here. Force the Battle is the best daily
power available and although it mgiht not seem like it fits Tank's
theme, you have to remember that it is allowing him to use either an
invigorating at-will or a pushing at-will very often. Sounds like
it fits perfectly.
[u]Utility Powers[/u]
2: Boundless Endurance
(PHB) - A low-level regeneration that scales well through your career
sounds like a perfect choice for your first utility power. Also,
there aren't that many other great choices at this level.
6: Everybody Move (PHB3) - I love this power. It's an auto-hit, AoE push usable each encounter. Unbreakable
is a good choice; however, is viable if your party doesn't like taking
extended rests. Everybody Move has a lot more uses in my opinion
though.
10: Reactive Surge (PHB3) - Helps give you another way to spend a healing surge each encounter, which is much better than Defensive Resurgence,
which was the previous healing utility power for this level. At
this point, you probably won't need a leader to heal you anymore.
16: Fury's Resurgence
(MP2) - Here we have a healing power that gets somewhat overshadowed by
the last two utility powers, but makes up for it by offering a way to
shrug off almost all ongoing conditions. At level 30, you will
only fail your saving throws granted by this power on a 1.
22: Inspired Resurgence
(MP) - Another heal per encounter power. At this point you are
your own personal healer and as long as you have the healing surges to
support yourself, you should not be dying any time soon. [color=SkyBlue]Instant Getaway[/color]
is nice if your DM tries to really disable defenders but no other
utility power at this level matches Inspired Resurgence in terms of
healing.
26: Divine Regeneration
(PHB) - Regeneration 28 all encounter long. Can't beat recovering
1/8th of your life every round for free. And saying we don't have
a choice here, it's a good power to end up with.
Equipment
[color=Gold]Chainmail Armor of Enduring Health[/color]
- By the time you get this, you'll have 3 seconds winds per
encounter. That's a second wind, a third wind, and a fourth wind.
Chainmail Armor of Dwarven Vigor (AV2) - Not a great choice for a dwarf, but still has a slight benefit; it is definitely inferior to Dwarven Armor.
Dwarven Chainmail Armor (AV) - Regaining hitpoints as if you spend a healing surge is way better than actually spending a healing surge.
Chainmail Armor of Resistance (AV) - Nice if you are facing a dragon or anything else that might be using guaranteed elemental damage.
Meliorating Chainmail Armor (AV) - If you can keep moving in a day, this can grant a large bonus to AC.
Wall Chainmail Armor (AV2) - Can help deal a little extra damage with Trample the Fallen and mitigate damage, but nothing special here.
Chainmail Armor of Durability (AV) - Here we have a very nice armor for boosting your healing surge value, which as we've seen you can use a lot.
Distance Throwing Hammer
(AV) - This is eventually a very nice item to have for when you can't
reach your targets and the only choice is to throw a large bludgeoing
object at them.
Aftershock Craghammer (AV2) - Here we can get a free prone, which means extra damage on a critical hit.
Defensive Craghammer
(AV) - With two second winds per encounter this can grant some nice
bonus to defense and allow easier interrupts with stoneheart warrior.
Foemaker Craghammer (AV) - Some nice bonuses to marking enemies and a little extra damage on criticals.
Thundering Craghammer (AV) - A daily push attack for when you don't already push and daze. Not a horrible choice.
Avalance Craghammer (AV2) - A prone on critical hits and a bonus to charges makes this a good choice.
Knockback Craghammer
(PHR:D) - Here is my favorite. It's a push on critical hits,
which means a daze and it also gives you the opportunity to control the
entire battlefield by pushing enemies wherever you want them to go.
Iron Armbands of Power (AV) - Damage on every attack is usually always better than any encounter or daily power available.
Bracers of Defense (PHB) - These can save you 10 damage each day. Nothing special, but not horrible either.
Diamond Bracers (AV) - These things are good. You can gain damage resistance against whatever is hurting you the most in one encounter.
Bracers of Might Strike (PHB) - You'll be making more basic attacks than most classes, but these still are not as good as Iron Armbands of Power.
Boots of Rapid Motion (AV2) - These are nice boots for their level as they can make you faster and help you get out of an ongoing slow effect.
Boots of Free Movement (AV) - These boots are a better version of Boots of Rapid Motion by helping you get out of debilitating effects.
Rushing Cleats (AV) - Typically you won't want to push anyone more than one square, but it can be beneficial in some cases.
Steadfast Boots (AV) - If you have a good spot to defend, these can help increase your defense every encounter.
Battlestrider Greaves (PHB) - A bonus to speed helps make up for being a dwarf.
Boots of Speed (AV) - A +2 bonus to speed is better than a +1 bonus.
Boots of Teleportation (AV) - If you get them, enjoy 'em because they are really good.
Parry Gauntlets (AV) - These provide another bonus to defense whenever you use second wind.
Gauntlets of the Ram
(PHB) - Once again, you usually won't want to push more than one
square, but these can help when it is beneficial to knock someone off a
ledge. Strangely enough, these are my favorite gloves.
Strikebacks (AV) - A bonus to opportunity attacks and an extra MBA each encounter.
Gauntlets of Brutality (AV2) - If you manage to land an attack against one of the creatures you knocked prone, then this is a nice damage boost.
Casque of Tactics (AV) - Your initiative is not great and it helps if a defender has a higher initiative, so this is a good choice.
Helm of Opportunity
(AV) - Due to a lower wisdom score, this helm really helps increase
your stickiness by increasing your chance to hit with opportunity
attacks.
Coif of Mindiron (AV) - This will help you shake off most daze and stun effects, which can be very problematic for you.
Hood of the Wolf (D364) - Gain Darkvision. Enough said.
Coif of Focus (AV) - Similar to Coif of Mindiron in that it helps prevent dazes and stuns.
Amulet of Physical Resolve (AV) - This helps you shake off immobility effects, which can really be a problem for defenders.
Cloak of Distortion (AV) - This cloak can help you mitigate damage from targets you can't reach.
Cloak of the Walking Wounded
(AV) - Here is my favorite choice. Your second wind now heals
over more than half your hitpoints. This gets even better when you
can use it twice per encounter.
Collar of Recovery (AV) - A boost to your healing surge value is always nice.
Life Charm (AV) - Automatically succeeding on death saving throws makes you much more difficult to kill.
Ring of Regeneration (PHB) - An extra healing surge, a bonus to your healing surge value and regeneration makes this a very nice choice.
Ring of Heroic Health (AV2) - A free healing surge and bonus hitpoints whenever you use an action point.
Ring of the Fallen (AV2) - More healing from your second wind and from healing surges during short rests is a nice bonus.
Ring of Ramming (AV) - Another bonus to the distance you can push your enemies.
Iron Ring of the Dwarflords (PHB) - Yet another way to gain a bonus healing surge.
Belt of Vigor (PHB) - A bonus to your healing surge value is nice if you don't already have it from another item.
Belt of Raging Endurance (D380) - An extra healing surge and damage resistance is a nice combination.
Belt of Blood (AV) - A large bonus to your healing surge value while bloodied.
Backbone Belt (AV) - A +4 Bonus to defense after a second wind is better than a +2 bonus.
Sash of Regeneration
(AV2) - This is a really nice belt to gain some extra free hitpoints
while bloodied. A pretty good choice if you're not trying to boost
your healing surge value.
[u]Tips, Tricks, and Strategies[/u]
When to Push 'em All In and When to Hold
Requires
Tide of Iron, Shield Push, Hammer Iron, Opportunity Sidestep,
Mobile Challenge. and Ring of Ramming, Knockback Hammer, Rushing Cleats,
or Gauntlets of the Ram
Obtainable at level 11
A fighter
needs to be close to his marks in order to make the mark very
meaningful. It's important, that is why Tank invests so many
shiftings feats to balance his pushing feats. If you want to
lockdown a target, you will want to shift after a push and stay close to
them. However, sometimes it's more beneficial - or beneficial in a
different way - to actually push an enemy far away from you. That
is why items such as a Knockback Hammer is useful. If you have
the opportunity to push an enemy off a ledge and out of the fight, then
you have the option to. If you push several enemies at a time and
can push them far enough, you'll be able to position them on the
battlefield better. You can push enemies into dangerous zones
around the battlefield or anything else you can think of. It's
important to know when you want to stay with your target or if you can
contribute more by pushing them a few extra squares. Having the
proper feats and item choices helps ensure that you can do either when
it is most appropriate.
When Push Comes to ... Daze
Requires Tide of Iron, Shield Push, Hammer Iron, Hindering Shield, Overwhelming Impact
Obtainable at level 21
Obviously
this is Tank's best trick and really the most defining feature of the
build in epic play. You get pushes on your at-will attacks, OAs,
and CCs. Those pushes also slow the target from Hindering Shield,
and then those slows turn into dazes from Overwhelming Impact. In
short, your at-wills, OAs, and CCs all daze the target. If you can
get a prone in there from either an encounter or daily power or just a
ledge, you are practically stunning the target.
Cancelling Push
Requires Shield Push
Obtainable at level 6
It's
been around forever, but its still great. When an enemy disobeys a
mark and attacks an enemy while adjacent to you, just use shield push
to move him out of range and cancel his attack. It's simple,
effective, and fun.
Rack 'Em Up
Requires Everybody Move, and Gauntlets of the Ram, Ring of Ramming, or Rushing Cleat
Obtainable at level 6
This
trick uses Everybody Move along with bonuses to your push effects to
position enemies where you want them. By pushing certain enemies
further than others you can group them or just spread them all
apart. You can push them into a dangerous zone created by your
wizard or just off a cliff. Dragonborns can do this a little
better with dragonbreath and the right feats, but it's a good control
power in any case.
Rack 'Em Up and Bowl 'Em Down
Requires Everybody Move, Boulder Charge, and Gauntlets of the Ram, Ring of Ramming, or Rushing Cleats
Obtainable at level 15
Here
we have an extension of the previous trick. You can use Everybody
Move to reposition a cluster of enemies into a straight line by pushing
some further than others so that they all line up nicely and then use
Boulder Charge to a much greater effect by hitting them all.
Everybody Move is a minor action so you can even do it all in one turn
and take a move action.
Dodging Attacks with Second Wind
Requires Stoneheart Warrior
Obtainable at level 26
If
your DM just landed a big hit on you that knocked you unconcious, just
use your second wind as a free action before the attack every
occured. Furthermore, if he just barely hit, you can cancel the
attack by boosting your defenses with second wind. And finally,
with Epic Recovery and Armor of Enduring Health, you can do this three
times per encounter. Cloaking of the Walking Wounded makes it even
more effective by recovering twice the hitpoints.
Conclusion
Tank
is a hard-hitting, tough and sticky fighter that revolves around
pushing his enemies. Battlerager Vigor is a nice boost to damage
along with Trample the Fallen and it also provides a consistent source
of temporary hitpoints to provide cushioning while your utility powers
will make sure you can heal any real damage you take in an
encounter. Also, Overwhelming Impact is perhaps his most important
feat because it turns his at-will, opportunity, combat challenge, and
most of his encounter and daily attacks into dazes. Being able to
constantly daze enemies helps control the battlefield, increase
stickiness, reduce incoming damage, and frustrate your DM. Overall
this makes Tank a very good defender.
Finally, I am posting this
here so that you the community can disect it and provide feedback on
how to make Tank even better and also possibly inspire a few
people to use Tank in their own campaign. So any
questions, comments and even criticisms and very much appreciated.
Thank you.
#1
Apr 12, 2010 23:25:49