I have often written in the past about my typical default character in 4th edition (when I actually get to play) is either a defender or a leader given that there is rarely a shortage of strikers at the game table. This is understandable as the strikers have become the glitterati of the D&D world, where massive damage and eviscerating enemies in one shot has driven the rogue and ranger to Brangelina status. That’s fine; let them have their sparkling mountains of damage dice. If the strikers are the glitterati, then the defenders are the everyman, and as John Lennon once sang “a working class hero is something to be”. I thought I would make this post about how I embrace the defender role, so “if you want to be a hero, well just follow me”.
The mindset I have gotten into when I create and play a defender is that I will be the rock that my enemies break themselves against. For this I favor the straight up sword and board fighter. As for race, I have dabbled with a few, but have settled on the Dwarf for a few reasons. Firstly, there are few things as iconic and rock like as a Dwarven fighter, and secondly being able to use your second wind as a minor action is sublime for a guy that is 
planning on getting kicked in the nads a lot. Oh and being able to resist a square of forced movement is uber rock like as well. When I craft the rock I take a three prong approach of jacked up defenses, self-healing (let the leaders save their healing for the squishy prima donna strikers), and punishing those that disobey my mark. There is nothing like seeing the look of frustration bordering on madness in the DM’s eyes when he can’t hit me, and he has to try cause god knows I’ve marked just about everyone I can see; and if he does hit me he can’t drop me because I soak up the damage like a sponge; and then he can’t move his bad guys around the field like he wants to because they are stuck to me like glue. That look of madness in his eyes makes me as giddy as a school girl.
My current defender incarnation is Markus Laggerbelly, a Craghammer wielding Dwarven fighter. I play him as a sarcastic and wise-cracking (it’s funny how art imitates life 
) nut job that launches himself maniacally into the fray with reckless abandon. He constantly taunts the enemies to come get a taste. His response to getting pummeled is a lot of 3 Stooges dialogue. For me, in 4th edition, I think the key to playing a defender is embracing the masochism.
How about you guys, how do you play the working class hero?
Yeah, I’m slowly starting to emerge from the darkness of complete ignorance, and not scratch my head so much over the phrase “role playing; not roll-playing,” which one of the glitterati at our table bequeathed to me early in my noob initiation. At first I thought role-playing was all about acting and theatrics; like this dwarf dropping 3 Stooges lines along with enemies.
While the amateur acting can be amusing and enrich the experience, I’m also getting the idea that role-playing is far more than doing a great immitation of Schemp/Curly. It’s also considering how the role applies to the character, as much or more than how the role applies to the player.
I tend to worry about what sort of convincing lines I can say at the table, which everyone will find ever so cleric-like. While this isn’t a bad thing per se, I’m not spending much time thinking about the cleric himself. Snappy dialogue doesn’t drop a whole lot of foes.
Thinking about how to make my cleric the best cleric he can be, on the other hand, might result in a few more bad-guy bodies hitting the floor.
And look Mom! I’ve actually learned something! Those bodies will not hit the floor because I personally dropped them with my own attack. The glitterati will provide the weapon strikes; I’ll be lowering the defenses of the baddies, and enhancing the hit points of the squishy-but-cutting/hitting/blasting/poking/pinching strikers.
What I do continue to find mystifying is the level of effectiveness which you, my MiddleAged friend, can take your stubby granite stooge to. Somehow I imagine that hours of analysis and optimization of poor ol’ Kaz would not reward me with the giddy-schoolgirl feeling you enjoy by frustrating hapless DMs.
I can see adding to the overall effectiveness of my glittery, squishy, pokey comrades; but I just don’t see your eyes beginning to glow with the light of either tears of frustration, or growing insanity. There’s still a major difference between Kaz and Mr. Laggerbelly; and I’m not talking about height, weapon proficiency or TV preferences. I’m still in the darkness of ignorance about… something…
Ah well. My eyes were beginning to shine with madness; but I think I’ll take advantage of a limited attention span, and go take a leak.
leaders can be super frustrating with their annoying healing and buffs and debuffs, I am just more sith like than you and plot out ways to neutralize you and whoever needs some come uppings. You should see what I do to the power gamer who plays the bow ranger in my online game. Being more sith like I might not always impart the ways to optimize your guy in play or say anything when you are picking powers and feats
my young apprentice. you are doing just fine, you have only had 6 game sessions in your entire life, I have been playing for 27 years. you are trying hard to figure out what a cleric would do and say instead of what Kaz would do and say. you guys also don’t play enough to really have solid tactics which is okay as it makes my job easier.
Ahhhh, I feel all warm and fuzzy. Which is probably exactly what you intended, to lull me into a sense of security and complacency before you slaughter Kaz and all the rest on the 30th!
Still, I appreciate the perspective. As I appreciate your tutelege (sp?) in all things DnD.
And being quite middle-aged myself, I’m solidly influenced by Star Trek. I’ll draw on Klingon mantras such as: “It will be a good day to die!” and “I’ll die with honor; in battle!”
Defenders are like the offensive line in football. They get none of the glory the striker running back gets, but they do most of the work to allow the striker running back to do his damage.
My favorite class in 3.5 was the cleric, and I love the defender and leader roles in 4th and 4.5. I get it is not as glamorous, but if something happens and I am taken out of the battle, there is a good chance everything goes down hill. Take out the striker and the fight will last longer, but it doesn’t mean anything has hit the fan. I would readily take a party of only leaders and defenders over one that is purely strikers and controllers.
So far, my favorite defender and overall class, by a long shot, has been the Shielding Swordmage. It took a long time to convince myself to give it a shot, a defender class who if wears anything above leather armor would get severe penalties, blasphemous. But when I am in battle dropping marks left and right, and then teleporting away, pure beauty. The monsters can’t get to me, so my marks keep going off, reducing damage to nil or next to nothing on the whole party. Talk about pissing off a DM. Besides, I am all about the teleporting. Tackling a monster off a cliff just to teleport away before I impact is great fun.
I love the concept of the SM, but I was leery about how they would do in actual combat. I have never seen one in play before either. I haven’t played, but did make a hybrid SM/psion named Ken Benobi whose sword is a sword hilt that extends with blue arcane energy when he enters battle