Post by arek on Jun 30, 2008 1:47:49 GMT
This is the Staffmaster build I'm currently working on. The name comes from the fact that this is a half-guardinal staffmaster, and that guardinals are (according to Forgotten Realms lore) native to the plane of Elysium.
This build is was originally based on Retribution's Koly build, but has had many modifications since then.
Notes on build choices:
This is a pure STR build. H-G rather than Koly means I'm down 1str and 1dex. Getting that dex point back would cost me 1AB, which the original build couldn't afford to lose, and having less than 40 dex seems like a waste of good feats/stats, so I abandoned the idea of going Hybrid for this build.
This build takes LSFs in both Divination and Abjuration. Divination provides him with +16 soak on premonition, and Abjuration gives Mage Armor and Energy Immunity. The price is a single point of AB.
Base race: Half-Elf
Subrace: Half-Guardinal
Base Stats/Racially Adjusted Stats
STR: 16/20
DEX: 12/16
CON: 14/14
INT: 16/18
WIS: 8/8
CHA: 8/10
Level Progression: 15 Wizard, 25 Weapon Master
All Ability Increases to STR.
Make sure you take 4 ranks in Intimidate on or before level 15, in order to qualify for Weapon Master.
Pre-Epic Feats:
1. Luck of Heroes
3. WF: Quarterstaff
5. Extend Spell (Wizard)
6. Mobility
9. Expertise
10. Spell Focus: Abjuration (Wizard)
12. Spring Attack
15. Whirlwind Attack, Greater Spell Focus: Abjuration (Wizard)
16. Weapon of Choice: Quarterstaff (Weapon Master)
18. Improved Critical: Quarterstaff
Epic Feats:
21. Power Attack
24. Cleave
27. Great Cleave
28. Epic Prowess (Weapon Master)
30. Epic Reflexes
31. Epic Weapon Focus: Quarterstaff (Weapon Master)
33. Iron Will
34. Armor Skin (Weapon Master)
36. Great Fortitude
37. Overwhelming Critical: Quarterstaff (Weapon Master)
39. Greater Weapon Focus: Quarterstaff
40. Devastating Critical: Quarterstaff (Weapon Master)
Legendary Feats:
42. Legendary Weapon Focus
(eat a Divination tome)
45. Legendary Spell Focus: Divination
48. Epic Spell Focus: Abjuration
51. Legendary Spell Focus: Abjuration
54. Legendary Fortitude
57. Legendary Will
60. Legendary Luck
Paragon Feats:
63: Paragon Weapon Focus: Quarterstaff
66: Paragon Spell Focus: Abjuration
69: Paragon Balance (+4 to all dex checks)
72: Paragon Anchoring (+4 to all str checks) OR Environmental Adaptability I.
75: Waterbreathing
78: Levitation
Waterbreathing and Levitation can be swapped out for the Paragon fort/will feats if it turns out that fort/will saves need to be that much higher in PLs, and taken earlier, as well. Of course, if you want more AB, you can take Great Strength feats instead of the last 4 Pargon feats for +2 AB.
Another option for this build would be to switch out Great Fortitude and Iron Will for the Epic versions, then take 2x Great Strength in LLs for 1 more AB, since the AB on this is rather low (maxing at 97). This, however, puts your L60/pre-demi fort/will at 59, which is not even recommended in Hell, much less Abyss/Abos, or the EEs. Leaving the save feats in also allows you to get even better saves in Paragon levels if they wind up being needed (as mentioned above).
As for skills, After making sure you have 4 ranks in intimidate at level 15, Take tumble cross-class on all levels, Take Craft Weapon, Craft Armor, and Concentration on all Wizard levels, and take Discipline and Listen on all pre-LL WM levels. In LLs, max Craft Weapon, Craft Armor, Discipline, Parry, Listen, and Tumble (cross-class). All remaining points go in Concentration. In PLs, take Tumble and Concentration.
Finally, I recommend the CON arty on this, or perhaps the Saves arty if you decide to drop the save feats for more AB.
Any comments on this build would be greatly appreciated.
Edit 4/12/2013 Updated build, taking Abjuration instead of Illusion and GWF instead of Blind-Fight. More to come .
Edit 4/12/2013, round 2: Cleaned up the build, adding paragon feats and skills, also dropped LSA: Tumble to improve the saves at the cost of some AC (you're barely gonna break 110 AC on this with full ranks in tumble....your defense is your conceal and soak, so don't let 'em drop).
Edit 4/17/2013 Indicated the option to take Adaptability instead of Anchoring. Also, I previously fixed the wisdom score on this, but forgot to mention the edit.
Edit 5/11/2020 Added a note with the leveling progression and in the skill notes to make sure and take 4 intim on or before level 15, to qualify for WM.
--Arek
This build is was originally based on Retribution's Koly build, but has had many modifications since then.
Notes on build choices:
This is a pure STR build. H-G rather than Koly means I'm down 1str and 1dex. Getting that dex point back would cost me 1AB, which the original build couldn't afford to lose, and having less than 40 dex seems like a waste of good feats/stats, so I abandoned the idea of going Hybrid for this build.
This build takes LSFs in both Divination and Abjuration. Divination provides him with +16 soak on premonition, and Abjuration gives Mage Armor and Energy Immunity. The price is a single point of AB.
Base race: Half-Elf
Subrace: Half-Guardinal
Base Stats/Racially Adjusted Stats
STR: 16/20
DEX: 12/16
CON: 14/14
INT: 16/18
WIS: 8/8
CHA: 8/10
Level Progression: 15 Wizard, 25 Weapon Master
All Ability Increases to STR.
Make sure you take 4 ranks in Intimidate on or before level 15, in order to qualify for Weapon Master.
Pre-Epic Feats:
1. Luck of Heroes
3. WF: Quarterstaff
5. Extend Spell (Wizard)
6. Mobility
9. Expertise
10. Spell Focus: Abjuration (Wizard)
12. Spring Attack
15. Whirlwind Attack, Greater Spell Focus: Abjuration (Wizard)
16. Weapon of Choice: Quarterstaff (Weapon Master)
18. Improved Critical: Quarterstaff
Epic Feats:
21. Power Attack
24. Cleave
27. Great Cleave
28. Epic Prowess (Weapon Master)
30. Epic Reflexes
31. Epic Weapon Focus: Quarterstaff (Weapon Master)
33. Iron Will
34. Armor Skin (Weapon Master)
36. Great Fortitude
37. Overwhelming Critical: Quarterstaff (Weapon Master)
39. Greater Weapon Focus: Quarterstaff
40. Devastating Critical: Quarterstaff (Weapon Master)
Legendary Feats:
42. Legendary Weapon Focus
(eat a Divination tome)
45. Legendary Spell Focus: Divination
48. Epic Spell Focus: Abjuration
51. Legendary Spell Focus: Abjuration
54. Legendary Fortitude
57. Legendary Will
60. Legendary Luck
Paragon Feats:
63: Paragon Weapon Focus: Quarterstaff
66: Paragon Spell Focus: Abjuration
69: Paragon Balance (+4 to all dex checks)
72: Paragon Anchoring (+4 to all str checks) OR Environmental Adaptability I.
75: Waterbreathing
78: Levitation
Waterbreathing and Levitation can be swapped out for the Paragon fort/will feats if it turns out that fort/will saves need to be that much higher in PLs, and taken earlier, as well. Of course, if you want more AB, you can take Great Strength feats instead of the last 4 Pargon feats for +2 AB.
Another option for this build would be to switch out Great Fortitude and Iron Will for the Epic versions, then take 2x Great Strength in LLs for 1 more AB, since the AB on this is rather low (maxing at 97). This, however, puts your L60/pre-demi fort/will at 59, which is not even recommended in Hell, much less Abyss/Abos, or the EEs. Leaving the save feats in also allows you to get even better saves in Paragon levels if they wind up being needed (as mentioned above).
As for skills, After making sure you have 4 ranks in intimidate at level 15, Take tumble cross-class on all levels, Take Craft Weapon, Craft Armor, and Concentration on all Wizard levels, and take Discipline and Listen on all pre-LL WM levels. In LLs, max Craft Weapon, Craft Armor, Discipline, Parry, Listen, and Tumble (cross-class). All remaining points go in Concentration. In PLs, take Tumble and Concentration.
Finally, I recommend the CON arty on this, or perhaps the Saves arty if you decide to drop the save feats for more AB.
Any comments on this build would be greatly appreciated.
Edit 4/12/2013 Updated build, taking Abjuration instead of Illusion and GWF instead of Blind-Fight. More to come .
Edit 4/12/2013, round 2: Cleaned up the build, adding paragon feats and skills, also dropped LSA: Tumble to improve the saves at the cost of some AC (you're barely gonna break 110 AC on this with full ranks in tumble....your defense is your conceal and soak, so don't let 'em drop).
Edit 4/17/2013 Indicated the option to take Adaptability instead of Anchoring. Also, I previously fixed the wisdom score on this, but forgot to mention the edit.
Edit 5/11/2020 Added a note with the leveling progression and in the skill notes to make sure and take 4 intim on or before level 15, to qualify for WM.
--Arek