This post from alas got my geek wheels a-churning today. The old-school Fighter/Magic-User/Thief - the one man army. As alas points out, "thief" in 4e is pretty different from AD&D. The main reasons for putting the "T" in "FMUT" were sneak attack and skills like Open Lock or Move Silently. Thievery and Stealth are accessible to many classes now and abilities like Curse and Hunter's Quarry provide the extra damage dice.
The FMUT was pretty much a fighter with add-ons, and alas built his updated version on this principle. I wondered what was possible if the sorcery came to the fore - a MUFT, if you will. Warlocks have an advantage over Wizards in this archetype because Thievery is a class skill and leather armor is permitted, so I started there.
I quickly found that a MU-based character doesn't really come into its own until 4th level, when the odd-numbered ability scores can be evened out and some of the armor- and weapon-based feats come into play. AC is a real problem, but it's mitigated somewhat by the warlock's Shadow Walk ability.
Tiefling Warlock (fey pact) 1
Str13 Con14 Dex15 Int12 Wis10 Cha16
26 hp, bloodied 12, surge 6, surges/day 8
AC 14 (leather armor), Fort 12, Ref 13, Will 15
Feat: Warrior of the Wild (taking Stealth)
Trained skills: Bluff +10, Insight +5, Streetwise +8, Thievery +7, Stealth +8
At-Will: Eldritch Blast, Eyebite
Encounter: Witchfire, Hunter's Quarry, Infernal Wrath
Daily: Curse of the Dark Dream
Melee +3 vs AC, d10+1 (morningstar)
Ranged +3 vs Reflex, d10+3 (Eldritch Blast)
At 2nd level, he can upgrade his armor to Hide; at 4th level, he bumps Str and Dex for better melee and AC, and can bump either his AC (with light shield proficiency) or damage (with Weapon Focus). Not too shabby, but not as durable as I'd like.
So I kept thinking - I like that big damage output, but I want better versatility. Maybe magic isn't the right way to go as the primary class. Of the fighter classes, I think the ranger is best equipped for the archetype - he has all the right weapon and armor proficiencies right off the bat, his skill list is good, and he hits hard.
Eladrin Ranger 1
Str15 Con14 Dex15 Int14 Wis13 Cha10
26 hp, bloodied 12, surge 6, surges/day 8
AC 15 (hide armor), Fort 13, Ref 13, Will 12
Feat: Arcane Initiate (scorching burst)
Trained skills: Dungeoneering +6, Stealth +6, Acrobatics +6, Perception +6, Heal +6, Thievery +6
Fighting style: Two-blade
At-Will: Hit & Run, Twin Strike
Encounter: Two-Fanged Strike, Fey Step
Daily: Jaws of the Wolf
Melee +5 vs AC, d8+2 (longsword)
Ranged +4 vs AC, d10 (longbow)
At 2nd level, Two-Weapon Fighting gives him an additional +1 to damage with the longswords, and at 4th he can power-swap his 3rd-level encounter power with the wizard's Fire Shroud for better crowd control. He also bumps Str and Dex at that point for better melee, ranged, and AC values.
I think this build would be a lot of fun to play in a smaller party, where the 4th ed "four combat roles" model isn't necessarily going to work. It's got nice damage output and good flexibility.
Oh yeah, and it was a nice brain-bender to think about. :^)
