When they added the Seeker class, they made sure that the Ranger and Seeker powers didn’t stack too easily.  That being said, there are still a few pathways to success.  Mostly involving Stances or other ‘Until the End of the Encounter’ abilities.  In this case, I am mostly focusing on Flying Steel.  It is an ability that lets you take a free basic attack on them at the end of the enemies turn (as long as they don’t have cover).  Tack on that the Seeker has ranged attacks that count as Basic Attacks (Grappling Spirits in this case) and you have some fun times there.

The main focus is to just dole out the damage at long ranges.  Forcing the target to either run after you while it’s slowed, try to run away while it’s slowed, or attempt ranged attacks on you.  Anyway you slice it, it won’t make it fun at all for the enemy.  This is the other side of the Hybrid Combo with staying far away instead of keeping near.

System: DnD 4.0
Class: Hybrid Ranger and Rogue
Level of Build: 8
Books Required: Players Handbook 1 & 3, Martial Power 1 & 2
Build Requirement:  Class Feature – Marauder’s Fighting Style (Hybrid)
Example Character Sheet: Thorn the Sharp

Combining the powers of Sneak Attack and Hunter’s Mark keep the damage rolling out with this character.  A combination of Ranges and Mele attacks that brings in a capable Striker.  Mobility and quick strikes are the focus while trying to keeping in the sweet spot for range.

The three encounter powers go all together to just reap the damage onto a target.  Hurling Charge lets you do a ranged attack with the Trantyr into a Charging Attack.  Jumping Blade Assault lets you replace the basic attack of a charge with it’s own attack.  It also has an effect of knocking the target prone even if you miss.  As they are an attack of each class, you can apply both Sneak Attack and Hunter’s Mark.  Tack on an action point and you can continue the combo with Finishing Cut.  An well named ability as it deals 2 [W] damage normally but adds a 2 [W] more if they are bloodied or prone.  A fine setup, though you use all of your encounter powers in one round.

“I thought about those works of Art that had moved me most deeply. I found most of them had one thing in common: Through them I was able to learn more about the experiences, thoughts and feelings of other people. My empathy was engaged. I could use such lessons to apply to myself and my relationships with others. They could instruct me about life, love, disease and death, principles and morality, humor and tragedy. They might make my life more deep, full and rewarding.

Not a bad definition, I thought. But I was unable to say how music or abstract art could perform those functions, and yet they were Art. Even narrative art didn’t qualify, because I hardly look at paintings for their messages. It’s not what it’s about, but how it’s about it. As Archibald MacLeish wrote: A poem should not mean, but be.

I concluded without a definition that satisfied me. I had to be prepared to agree that gamers can have an experience that, for them, is Art. I don’t know what they can learn about another human being that way, no matter how much they learn about Human Nature. I don’t know if they can be inspired to transcend themselves.” -Ebart

Out of the post, this was the Core argument of it.  What Defines Art to him and how it applies to games.  Oddly I have to agree with him for the most part.  True Art is there to touch upon your emotions, thoughts or ideas in some way to move you.  Something that will make you stop and think about it even if it is just for a slight moment.  But for each person this is a different thing.  So while this definition of what Art is seems to fit well enough.  What becomes Art is for each individual to decide as what will really impact us is different.

For Ebart, he is moved by the classical styles of art.  Paintings, Sculptures and Stories (books/movies).  Those are the things that get to him past the cursory value of imagery or entertainment.  He isn’t as affected by music or gaming as they involve more than a pure Visual experience.  It’s just how he see’s the world and there isn’t a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to go about it.

Personally, I have grown up in a mix of the older Arts and the new age Entertainment.  My parents and teachers had instilled the understanding to seek meaning beyond the face value.  Family vacations to US parks to see the amazing things the earth can Create, museums of Art and History to find deeper meaning in everything around me, a plentiful book supply to immerse myself in Story and the craft of song and voice that brought meaning to Music.  Each of these things holds a deeper meaning and has made me stop and ponder.

Gaming is something that wasn’t taught or shown as ‘Art’.  It was simply Entertainment to have fun and pass the time.   There isn’t any ‘teaching’ behind catching 150 creatures, hiding in a box or saving a princess.  But eventually, there seeped in a few games that brought more to the gaming world than just pure enjoyment.  The first that comes to mind for me was Call of Duty (single player).  I admit to being a shooter fan but this was the first time the Experience of the game became something more than just simple entertainment.  The music, the battles and characters were all there.  You met people, battled along side them, watched them die to help bring victory to those left alive.  For once a game had instilled the emotions of Joy at victory but with the deeper understanding of it’s importance past just winning a game.  Appreciation for those who had to live through those hard times for the sake of our freedoms.  Among many others that I still fell even though I played the first game years ago.

There have been a few others since then and all of them delve into making you experience a Story.  Making me Feel and Think about things not only in the game but real life as well.  To me, this is qualification for it to be an Art.  Not the graphical work, not the entertainment but the ability to Move me.

Lately, the gaming industry has taken a turn away from this in an attempt to assembly line games for sales.  Sequels upon sequels or trying to improve an aspect of game play we really don’t care about.  There really hasn’t been anything recently (that I have played) that goes past Entertainment or Comedy and really involved you into the story.  Thankfully I have a nice weekly dose of dice RPG’s that I play/run right now to sate my need for that…

System: DnD 4.0
Class: Hybrid Fighter and Barbarian
Level of Build: 8
Books Required: Players Handbook 1 & 2, Martial Power 1 & 2
Build Requirement: Class Feature – Brawler Style (Hybrid), Power – Blood Bear Rage, Item – Feral Hide Armor
Example Character Sheet: Melgaroth the Big

Overall, the intention is to grab the strongest looking enemy, pull him out of the crowd or away from your allies, then beat the ever living mercy out of them.  Find something strong enough to take down, you just start up the Blood Bear Rage and just wear the creature you have down.  Why not mark it as a fighter while your at it so it has to hit you out of everyone anyway.

A not required but highly suggested option of this build is to use the Feral Hide Armor, it is found in Dragon Magazine Issue 369.  It grants you Claws as weapons with +3 Proficiency and 1d8 damage.  Use it like a Spiked Gauntlet in your off-hand slot so you can easily switch between the Barbarian two-weapon attacks and the Fighter grapple attacks.  If you don’t have access, then just go for a Spiked Gauntlet.

Feat wise, Inescapable Hold and the item Wrestler’s Gloves make a nice combination.  For this character, any attempted escape is against Fortitude and all items told they have to target a 26.  That and his AC make it a decent struggle against time as to which will down the other first.  An aspect that is taken in great delight by him.

System: DnD 4.0
Class: Hybrid Invoker and Seeker (Multiclass Sorcerer)
Level of Build: 8
Books Required: Players Handbook 2 & 3, Divine Power, Arcane Power
Build Requirement:  Feats – Arcane Prodigy [Multiclass Sorcerer], Item – Armor of Sudden Recovery or Weapon of Transference
Example Character Sheet: Zasheed the Insane

This is probably one of my favorite characters.  I am currently playing a level 4 version in a DnD game right now.  The main focus is that the first set of at-will and encounter powers is all about negating the enemies attacks.  Stack them with other things like a Mark or other debuffs to make your enemy miss.  Use an action point to toss out both the Whispers of Defeat and Flickering Arrow makes for an interesting round.  I verified they stack as one is a Divine power and the other a Primal one.

Step away from the controlling roll and now move to a striker, the other dailies and abilities are intended to kill.  Ongoing damage, ongoing damage and more ongoing damage.  Perfect for setting them up then hitting them with the minus attack powers so they can do nothing but take damage.

The Insane part? Well he is a follower of the Chained One, a god of patient destruction.  He is of the controlled chaos sort, keeping up with random actions so both allies and enemies cannot predict the larger picture of it all.  Well at least that’s his reasoning…