Post by tritone on Jan 28, 2021 19:41:58 GMT
A two-handed battlecleric with monk splash for ac and hide dump. Probably my favorite character! Now in a neighborhood near you. Has excelled everywhere in the module, except limbo p2hard where I'd say it merely held on.
Warning: This build is quite hard/expensive to gear adequately, and I've only ever played it as a lvl 80 reinc. Not for the faint of heart etc etc yadda yadda
I use a scythe because I have a usable OC/DC item for it and because it's a slashing weapon for limbo. Maul is the obvious 2h choice given battlecleric set items and bludgening damage for hell/abyss.
I go for hide because I have gear to support it. If you don't have gear planed out to come close to 116 hide, just beg for displacements instead.
43 (levels) + 50 (magic) + 13 (dex) + 10 (esf) = 116, which translates to 64% conceal when buffed with mass camo from a pure druid/ranger.
The 50 magic comes from: bard song (21), demi wins (10), gear (19).
This is built as a selfish damage tank. You can also change some feats and schools around and go for a more support oriented build with girding and iof. I've played it like that for a while, and would probably keep it that way if it wasn't already x7 demi x5 prince wins. I would drop great fortitude, lsf and psf abj to get a third school to epic and go with psf div, epic trans, epic enchant. That way it covers major cleric buffing duties and you can go without a caster cleric on many runs (ie if you trust your druid/arcane to gust/disintegrate winds/machines etc). This way it provides great added value even if it isn't the highest damage dealer -- even a bit of damage is more than a caster cleric.
- Can hit 64% conceal (116 hide) with uber gear
- 134 AC / 107 ab is good enough for anywhere
- Divine power is still strong after haper scout nerfs
- 5 dice fire and cold buffs to yourself
- 1x miracle
- Evasion, epic dodge
- Crit immunity and excellent gate soak
- High packet damage with divine might, battletide, and divine favor buffs. (hits +110 on sheet)
- Large aoe battletide with 69 SP
- Can use holy sword wands and wear the dispel helm
- High focus augury protects from aoe mords etc
Cons
- Very buff dependent
- Low dex checks
- Not the highest saves
Race: Half-elf Pharlan
Alignment: Any (has to be lawful to take monk)
Stats
Take STR on every level up
Str. Creation: 15. Maxed: 68Dex. Creation: 14. Maxed: 36
Con. Creation: 10. Maxed: 32
Wis. Creation: 14. Maxed: 42
Int. Creation: 14. Maxed: 36
Cha. Creation: 10. Maxed: 36
Levels
Pre-epic: 3 fighter / 17 cleric
Epic: 18 cleric, then 1 fighter (on any level with a regular feat). Monk at 40 for skill dump.
Skills @ 80
- 26 spellcraft for epic mage armor
- 20 concentration
Skill dump at 40:
- 43 Hide
- 43 Discipline
After LSA:
- 63 Listen
- 60 Tumble
Allocate as you can. Need 57 to hit 120 buffed on fonts or under Greater Restoration. The last couple of points can shore up missing points from gear or be added to concentration for a little extra buffer.
- 57+ Craft Armor
- 57+ Craft Weapon
Artifact: Strength
Tome: Abjuration or divination
Pandect: Sneak / CA / CW / energy resist
Spell schools:
- Divination gives us gate soak. Absolutely necessary. Also upgrades augury and gives a good listen buff together with the knowledge domain.
- Abjuration gives us 100% elemental immunity buff and +20 armor bonus with the magic domain's mage armor.
Cleric domains:
- Knowledge: clairaudience/clairvoyence provides a great listen buff
- Magic: together with abjuration focus, mage armor gives you +20 armor bonus
- (Earth): If you can't fit elemental resists and soak on gear, stoneskin and energy buffer will help
Feats
Level 1: Blooded
Fighter bonus feats: Exotic weapons, weapon focus
Pre-epic feats: Extend spell, SF Divination, Lightning Reflexes, Great Fortitude, GWF, Improved Critical.
Epic feat: Epic Prowes, EWF, 3x Great Strength, Epic Spell: Epic Mage Armor. Weapon Specialization (on fighter level)
Epic Cleric bonus feats: 2x Great Wisdom, Armor skin, GSF ESF Divination.
Fighter bonus feat (in epic levels): EWS
Legendary feats: LWF, LWS, LSA Listen, LSA Tumble, LSF Div, LSF Abj, Legendary Reflexes
Paragon feats: PWF, PWS, PSF Div, PSF Abj, Epic Skill focus: Hide, Paragon reflexes
BAB 10
EBAB 15
LBAB 20
Ability 29
Feats: 1+1+2+3+2+1
CW: 3
Magic: 20
AC = 134
Base 10
Dex 13
Wis 16
Armor 20
Dodge 20
Deflection 20
Natural 18
Tumble 12
CA 3
Armor skin 2
Saves
Fortitude: 33+11+2+20 = 66
Reflexes: 26+13+14+20 = 73
Will: 31+16+0+20 = 67
HP: 1136
In spite of powerful cleric buffs, you want to cover everything on gear just like other tanks.
That means mord, breach, physical/elemental/exotic resists, level 6, confusion/daze on runs that require it, and as high %imms as you can. Skills, you're looking for +20 to hide, craft armor, craft weapon, discipline, concentration. In addition you want some bonus to dex checks, and maybe even a spell slots piece if you're trying to be the party's buff cleric. You want to cover +16 to all stats (or at least str/dex/con/wis/int).
Ideally your helm slot isn't too fixed so you can swap in dispel helm when needed.
A planewalker ring + energy immunity buff covers two elementals at 100%+
The limbo battlecleric cloak looks very good, even without a use for the OC/DC feats, but I was unable to find a way to fit it in without giving up too much.
Vestige boots covers breach, physicals, and flesh to stone immunity.
Asmo cloak is good if you have a practical way to cover implosion immunity or are not playing in runs where that's necessary. Asmo belt is also good, covering plode, exotics, and provides much needed +4 dex checks, but you'd need to get your elemental resists elsewhere (or rely on energy buffer from earth/fire/protection domain and pray you dont die/get dispelled too much).
Pelor mote provides much needed +16 to two stats. For me, that was WIS (ac and will saves) and INT (craft armor/craft weapon)
Robe: Limbo p2 robe if you have it, otherwise a well randomized shadow kaftan (covers hide) or dim maks (elemental resists and iron will)
Helm: Graz'zt's abyssal helm is always good, gives %physicals and helps out with skills. Scarlet lenses from aboleths is also an option for confusion immunity, int bonus, and craft weapon.
Amulet: Strongheart or iggwilv or a good heavenly haunt etc.
Bracers: I use xr soak bracers, but I quite like the aboleth daze bracers as well.
Weapon crafting:
I crafted my main weapon with cold and fire to make the most of the extra dice from self-buffing. This is fine in limbo and abyss, but for hells I'd probably stick to the standard CES / AFS split to be effective against pit fiends.
Long term buffs:
Epic Mage Armor*Mage Armor*
Fom
Endure Elements
(Energy buffer)
Medium term buffs (Recast when you see battletide ran out. Use a bio if you're out of these and you can't rest yet. You're worthless without)
Extended Battletide
Extended Holy Aura*
Extended Augury (+recast if you know it's used up)
Extended Divine Power
Extended Energy Immunity*
Extended Clairaudience/clairvoyence*
Gate* (recast when you see it ran out)
Short term buffs (cast every ~2-3 spawns)
Divine Might*
Extended Divine Favor
Extended Greater Restoration
Extended Least Spell mantle (Only when you think you're about to need it)
*Gotchas: A bunch of spells don't work with the autocaster. That counts all domain spells, as well as epic mage armor, gate, holy aura, energy immunity, divine might.