Hello, I’m an Avengevoker

For D&D Encounters, I opted to try out the PHB3 Hybrid character class, mostly for the renown points, but also for a change of pace.  I’ve been playing my Hybrid for 7 weeks now, and I wanted to take a few moments to share my thoughts.

Creating my Avengevoker

I did a little bit of research on the Hybrid class before I made a decision on what to play.  I opted for an Avenger/Invoker Hybrid; the divine nature of the two halves and the similar stat-requirements seemed like a good start.  I also wanted to combine the controller and striker roles; I like my Wizard controller, but I wanted a striker option too.  The pieces all fell into place.

In addition to selecting a PHB3 class for the renown points, I also opted to use Character Builder & a PHB3 feat.  I don’t usually use Character Builder; I roll up characters with pencil & paper.  But hey, for renown points, I’d give it a go, and I’m very glad I did.  I found the rules and options for rolling up a hybrid a bit complicated, mostly when sorting out which, and how many, options were available.

For my feat, I opted for Battle Caster Defense (PHB3, p.177) to give me a bonus to defense against attacks of opportunity; with the spell-casting Invoker features and melée Avenger attacks, the possibility of provoking opportunity attacks seemed pretty high and a little extra protection seemed like a good idea.

In keeping with the nature of the Hybrid, I selected a mix of Avenger & Invoker powers.  One each of At-Will powers: a melée power for the Avenger part of me, a ranged power for the Invoker part.  Then I selected a melée Avenger power for my Encounter power and a ranged Invoker power for my Daily.

If I Had It to Do Again…

There are a few things I would have done differently.  Having selected my Encounter power as a melée power, I would have selected a different feat; I would have selected the Hybrid Talent Feat to take the Avenger’s Armor of Faith feature for the bonus to my AC.  As it is, I’m a little too squishy to really use my Encounter power without tempting death.

So why would I make these changes?  In the D&D Encounters environment, where there is little chance for an extended rest, the Encounter power becomes very, very important.  Being too squishy to stay in melée combat, I either need to have a better AC or stay out of combat.

Final Thoughts on the Hybrid

I really like the idea of combining two different classes.  The min-max-er in me sees the fun in trying out new combinations.  But I truly feel as if the Hybrid is a class that really needs to be a few levels older before it becomes effective.  From the vantage point of Level 1, my Hybrid is pretty ineffective, but I know she’s got great potential for the future!