Posted By Sean-Khan on 06/25/2008 12:49 AM
Sooner or later people will want to try different stuff. They may also want to try optimize their Secondary stats, or try different racial specialties with different classes. Humans are versatile and work well with all classes I think.

But it's true that certain races will see more use with selected classes - especially those that you mentioned. Sometimes they could be taken due to effectiveness, sometimes because they are classics.

I'd see dwarves more as fighters than warlords, or perhaps multiclassed; They'd also make good clerics with their wisdom & additional weapon proficiencies. Their con is good for some fighter powers, but it could work well with infernal warlocks too - which is quite unusual combination.

Posted By zenthrus on 06/24/2008 9:54 PM
So, it seems as though there is a real bent in 4e towards certain races always playing certain classes. The three biggest culprits are Dragonborn paladin, Tiefling warlock, and Eladrin wizard. Other obvious matches are Elf ranger, Halfling rogue, and Dwarf warlord.

Are these combinations so powerful/optimal that other combinations seem diminished by comparison? Or are there interesting race/class combinations that are just as optimal as the obvious combos?

Posted By zenthrus on 06/24/2008 9:54 PM
So, it seems as though there is a real bent in 4e towards certain races always playing certain classes. The three biggest culprits are Dragonborn paladin, Tiefling warlock, and Eladrin wizard. Other obvious matches are Elf ranger, Halfling rogue, and Dwarf warlord.

Are these combinations so powerful/optimal that other combinations seem diminished by comparison? Or are there interesting race/class combinations that are just as optimal as the obvious combos?

Posted By Lord_rock on 06/28/2008 11:33
...   after thar the +1 is seldom make or break anymore.

Posted By XAos on 06/29/2008 5:55 AM
But there no point throwing away a +1 advantage by picking a miss-matched class & race.
Playing an Eladrin Paladin would be dumb at any level.

Posted By Kaya Kenobi on 07/12/2008 4:23 AM
I have found the warlock to be mostly useless...

I played the halfling warlock with the fey pact. Meh.. Even with an 18 Cha, I found her to be sorely lacking.. She couldn't hit the broadside of a barn and the party was wiped out with the adventure in the DMG... Even with a 28 point buy, we were wiped out. Warlord, fighter, wizard, and warlock.

Posted By Kaya Kenobi on 07/12/2008 4:23 AM
.... Warlord, fighter, wizard, and warlock.

Posted By XAos on 07/13/2008 6:50 AM

The impression I'm getting is that a ddm-2 party needs at least 2 characters who can trigger healing surges.
With only one, if the GM concentrates on that character first, the rest of the party cannot revive them. And with the healer down, the large number of healing surges potentially available to each character, become worthless. Since the 4e encounters seem to be balenced for the use of PC healing surges, the result can be a TPK.

By comparisson in 3.5e the cleric was often the heaviest armoured character in the party. And AoO made it difficult for the enemy to concentrate attacks on a specific PC. So keeping the healer alive was never a problem. In 3.5e parties put some effort into protecting a sorcerer or wizard but Clerics could fend for themselves. I think it's this tactical assumption that players need to un-learn in 4e. The wizard (with Int doubling for AC boost) can survive without assistance. A cleric is usually the lowest AC in the party.
In 4e AoO is a lot weaker then in 3.5. So a single healer can easilly be swamped. And a warlord is about the worst of the 3 healers in 4e. i.e; It doesn't have the AC of a Paladin, nor the more effective healing of a Cleric.

My guess is you shouldn't use a warlord unless you have have a party that benefits strongly from the flank attacks it's shifting abilities can generate. Which requires multiple "Blitzers" {Rogues, Paladins, TWF rangers}

Posted By Puggins on 06/30/2008 2:52 PM

Though I'd agree that the overlapping ability scores are unfortunate, I have to think that fey step, the extra skill (they get one, don't they?  The compendium claims they don't) and eladrin weapon training (straight-up +2 damage for a feat, or double weapon focus at the same price) would give eladrin paladins some degree of compensation- at least enough where playing one isn't dumb, it's just not the optimal choice.  Being able to jump across the frontline to lay hands on a fallen companion has some thematic appeal, at least.