Post by csivils on May 17, 2009 0:20:38 GMT
Open Incinerator
Since the beginning of time, there have been those who pursue the quest to wade into the masses of vile opponents swinging their weapon of destruction and then suddenly nuke the begeebers out of everything. The elusive tankmage, hated by purists, demonized by roleplayers and beloved by munchkins everywhere. This build is a RDD (Red Dragon Disciple) based tank with devestating critical that uses BFM (blood fire mage) quasi class magic to add offensive power and buffing spells.
This build was inspired by the incinerator build highergroundpoa.proboards3.com/index.cgi?board=builds&action=display&thread=9780 that requires BUR (Beyond Ultra Rare) subraces. As a new player, I did not have these subraces... but as a unrecovering minmaxer who always wants it all... I wanted to play it anyways. This was the build that got me hooked playing higher ground.
The number of feats required to qualify as a BFM with empower/maximize, a full fledged RDD and obtain devestating critical is one more than what is available through leveling and class bonus feats. This is an important fact because one of the requirements of a proper tankmage is that they don't appear to be possible. If it was easy, then it wouldn't be a proper tankmage. There are three possible ways to resolve the lack of feats:
1. Use a human based race/subrace for the bonus starting feat
2. Use a dragon blood to obtain a bonus feat
3. Use a race with the needed bonus feats
All the races with the correct bonus feats are secret races that must be found later in the higher ground playing experience. This build will focus on the first option (using a human based subrace) with additional instructions on how to use a dragon blood, or some of the more advanced races.
Build Overview:
Pros:
Cons:
Background Information
This build is based upon many features unique to higher ground. Understanding these features will in understanding the build itself.
QUASICLASS
Higher grounds has a feature called Quasiclasses (non-traditional class combinations which receive special benefits). The full description of all possible quasiclasses can be found here: highergroundpoa.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=info&action=display&thread=6677 Blood Fire Mages are a combination between Red Dragon Disciples and Sorcerer. The franchise spell for a BFM is firebrands. When cast by a BFM, multiple firebrand arrows can hit a single target allowing for very high damage from a single cast. An important feature of the BFM quasiclass is that both RDD and Sorcerer levels count towards the casting level of a spell. I recommend reading all of the quasiclass documentation, but there is no need to repeat all of it here.
Red Dragon Disciple
Higher grounds has made numerous improvements to the red dragon disciple class. The list of higher ground class changes can be found here: highergroundpoa.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=info&action=display&thread=9518 Some of the highlights are that RDDs continue to receive stat increases after RDD level 10, RDDs are required to take epic toughness 1-10 to receive full RDD benefits at higher levels and at RDD level 30 the character transforms "taking on a larger and scalier form". Along with this new form the character gains a dragon fear aura and a wing buffet capability. At later stages of the game, the dragon fear aura is used to lower enemy saves and becomes an important part of the characters job. I also recommend reading the full RDD documentation to understand the changes happening to you as your RDD goes through puberty... er, hits RDD level 30.
Devestating Critical
On higher ground, Devestating Critical does not insta-kill, but simply increases the weapon critical multiplier by 1. Since many of the high end weapons do large amounts of elemental damage, Devestating critical is still a powerful tool for the meele fighter. Here is a short writeup on these changes: highergroundpoa.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Tavern&action=display&n=1&thread=3086
Build Details
Base Race: Human
Subrace: Yuan-Ti
CHA +2, INT +1, DEX +1, WIS-3, STR -1, +5 Spellcraft, sr5 +1/lvl, speaks Draconic, speaks Yuan-ti
STAT Base (With Subrace Modifiers)
STR 15 (14)
DEX 13 (14)
CON 10 (10)
INT 15 (16)
WIS 09 (06)
CHA 14 (16)
The Subrace is case sensitive. If you type it correctly, then a few seconds after you first arrive at the docks your character appearance will change into a female form. This was quite a suprise for my first (male) Yuan-Ti character. If you reinc at level 45 or higher, the female form will be over-written with the RDD character models providing a more gender-neutral appearance. Both the Yuan-Ti and RDD models have several different appearances that can be selected using the PC Scry (the magnifying glass in your inventory).
Begin with a Lawful Good alignment to allow you to take a paladin level at level 2.
Pre-Epic Levels
Level 1 Sorcerer
Feat: Spell Focus Evocation, Greater Spell Focus Evocation
Skills: Max Concentration, save the rest
Spell Focus Evocation and Greater Spell Focus Evocation are two of the pre-requisite feats needed to become a blood fire mage.
Level 2 Paladin
Skills: Max Concentration and Discipline, save the rest
Taking a paladin level early opens access to a larger variety of armor and weapons. If you are reincarnating from a higher level, then you might consider the alternate reinc level pattern discussed later.
Level 3 Sorcerer
Feat: Weapon Focus (Mace, or Weapon of your choice)
Skills: Max Concentration, save the rest
Level 4 Sorcerer
Stat Point: Strength (15)
Skills: Max Concentration, save the rest
Level 5 Sorcerer
Skills: Max Concentration and Lore.
Raising Lore to 8 enables you to take Red Dragon Disciple on your next level
Level 6 Dragon Disciple
Feat: Power Attack
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
Power Attack is a pre-requisite feat for devestating critical. This feat is taken to enhance the meele damage of the build.
Level 7 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
This is your 2nd dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your strength will be raised 2 points to 17
Level 8 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (17)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry, raise Tumble to 5.
Every 5 points of base tumble skill grants an additional point of AC.
Every third dragon disciple level grants an additional point of AC.
Taking this level should increase your AC by two points.
There is a limit on how tumble and draconic armor can combine, but this build does not exceed that limit.
Level 9 Dragon Disciple
Feat Metamagic (Empower Spell)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
This is your 4th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your strength will be raised 2 points to 20
Empower Spell will allow you to cast more potent versions of your damaging spells. The primary use will be to case empowered firebrands.
Level 10 Dragon Disicple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
Level 11 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
Level 12 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (21)
Feat: Improved Critical (Mace or weapon of choice)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
Improved Critical will increase the critical range of the selected weapon. This allows the build to do more meele damage.
This is your 7th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your constitution will be raised by 2 points to 12 granting you more hit points.
Level 13 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
Level 14 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
This is your 9th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your intelligence will be raised by 2 points to 18. Since the bonus stat points are granted after the level is taken, you do not receive an additional skill point until the next level.
Level 15 Dragon Disciple
Feat: Resist Energy (fire)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
This is your 10th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your charisma will be raised by 2 points to 18. This increase will let you use 8th level sorcerer spell slots to cast maximized fire brands.
Level 16 Sorcerer
Stat Point: strength (22)
Skills: Max Concentration
Level 17 Sorcerer
Skills: Max Concentration, raise tumble to 10
Level 18 Sorcerer
Feat: Metamagic (Maximize spell)
Skills: Max Concentration
Maximize spell will allow you to cast more potent versions of your damaging spells. The primary use will be to case maximized firebrands, and to cast maximized tensers to use level 9 spell slots and save level 6 spell slots for other uses.
Level 19 Sorcerer
Skills: Max Concentration
Level 20 Sorcerer
Stat Point: strength (23)
Skills: Max Concentration
Epic Levels
Level 21 Sorcerer
Feat: Epic Toughness 1
Skills: Max Concentration
Congradulations, you are a blood fire mage! Be sure to pick firebrand as your spell for this level.
Epic toughness is taken to meet the requirements for additional dragon disciple stat bonuses.
Level 22 Sorcerer
Skills: Max Concentration
Level 23 Sorcerer
Skills: Max Concentration
Level 24 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (24)
Feat: Epic Toughness 2
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
Level 25 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
Level 26 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
Level 27 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (25)
Feats: Epic Toughness 3 and 4
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, raise tumble to 15
Level 28 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor
This is your 15th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your strength will be raised by 2 points to 27
Level 29 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor
Level 30 Dragon Disciple
Feat: Epic Toughness 5
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor
Level 31 Dragon Disciple
Feat: Epic Toughness 6
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor
Level 32 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (28)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor
Level 33 Dragon Disciple
Feat Epic Toughness 7
This is your 20th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, Your strength, constitution and intelligence will all be raised by 2 points.
Level 34 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor
Level 35 Dragon Disciple
Feat: Epic Toughness 8
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor
Level 36 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (31)
Feat Epic Toughness 9
Level 37 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, raise tumble to 20
Level 38 Paladin
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Parry and craft armor (Listen is not a paladin skill)
Level 39 Dragon Disciple
Feat: Epic Toughness 10
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor
This is your 25th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your strength will be raised by 2 points to 33
Level 40 Paladin
Stat Point: strength (34)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Parry and craft armor (Listen is not a paladin skill)
Legendary Levels
Level 41 Dragon Disciple
Levels past 41 are taken at the alter of legands. Since we have 25 dragon disciple levels, the control class will be dragon disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 42 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (35)
Feat: Epic Weapon focus (Mace or weapon of choice)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Epic weapon focus improves your chances to hit with the selected weapon.
Level 43 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 44 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (36)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 45 Dragon Disciple
Feat: Epic Weapon Prowness
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
This is your 30th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your strength, constitution and charisma will be raised by 2. You will not receive this bonus until you seek out a secret place in the game to claim the bonus. At this point, your character appearance will change and you will be come size large allowing you to wield large weapons in a single hand.
Epic weapon prowness improves your chances to hit with the selected weapon
Level 46 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (39)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 47 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 48 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (40)
Feat: Legendary Weapon Focus (Mace, or weapon of your choice)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Legendary weapon focus improves your chances to hit with the selected weapon
Level 49 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 50 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (41)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
This is your 35th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your strength 2 points to 43. You will not receive this bonus until you seek out a secret place in the game to claim the bonus.
Level 51 Dragon Disciple
Feat: Cleave *** Unless you have uros blood ***
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
*** If you have a uros blood, then as an open subrace you can drink it to obtain the cleave feat for free. I recommend selecting armor skin as a replacement feat to help obtain a satisfactory armor class. Toughness is another possible replacement option.
Level 52 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (44)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 53 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 54 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (45)
Feat: Great Cleave
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Great Cleave is a pre-requisite feat for devestating critical.
Level 55 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
This is your 40th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your strength, constitution and intelligence will be raised by 2. You will not receive this bonus until you seek out a secret place in the game to claim the bonus.
Level 56 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (48)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 57 Dragon Disciple
Feat: Overwhelming Critical
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Stop training tumble at this point, 30 is the limit for AC bonuses that we can receive from tumble with this build.
Overwhelming critical will increase the critical threat range of the selected weapon. This will enable you to make critical hits more often.
Level 58 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (49)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 59 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 60 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (50)
Feat: Devestating Critical
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, dump the rest into craft weapon
This is your 45th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your strength 2 points (52). You will not receive this bonus until you seek out a secret place in the game to claim the bonus.
Devestating critical increases the threat multiplier of the selected weapon by 1. This will enable you to do more damage on a critical hit.
Build Summary:
Pre-Epic Feats
Spell Focus Evocation
Greater Spell Focus Evocation
Power Attack
Weapon Focus
Improved Critical
Empower Spell
Maximize spell
Resist Energy
Epic Feats
Epic Toughness 1-10
Legendary Feats
Epic prowess
Cleave (or Armor Skin)
Great Cleave
Epic weapon focus (weapon of choice)
Legendary weapon focus (weapon of choice)
Overwhelming critical (weapon of choice)
Devastating critical (weapon of choice)
Skills
Craft Armor 63
Every 40 points of craft armor will grant you 1 AC. Your skill points spent + your intelligence modifier + bard song and/or gear should easily get you over 80 points granting you 2 AC.
Craft Weapon 63
Every 40 points in this skill will add 1 attack bonus to your overall AB score. With bard song this skill will grant you 2 AB.
Discipline 63
There are many discipline checks in the game. High discipline is necessary for any frontline tank.
Parry 63
The parry skill will reduce the damage on any critical hits that land on you. Parry score over 100 will also make you immune to devastating critical.
Tumble 30
Every 5 points of tumble will grant you 1 point of AC.
Concentration 63
Concentration is used to continue casting spells even when hit by enemies
Listen 63
Listen beyond 60 points will reduce the concealment of your enemies making them easier to hit.
Spells
Level 6 - Tensers*
Level 5 - Fire Brand* and Energy Buffer*
Level 4 - Elemental Shield*, Stone Skin*, Wall of Fire*
Level 3 - Fireball*, Keen Edge*, Weapon of Impact*, Needle Point*
Level 2 - Flame Weapon*, Combust*, Invisitbility, Knock, Ultravision
Level 1 - Burning Hands*, Negative Energy Ray*, any four others
* Denotes a blood fire mage spell
Non-blood fire mage spells will have a casting level of 12 v.s. a casting level of 57 for blood fire mage spells. Thus, the blood fire mage spells will tend to be much more useful. The one BFM spell that I did not pick up was fire arrow, this is because it is pure fire damage and did not seem to perform well with the builds low charaisma. I opted instead to be able to keen any kind of weapon.
Pre-Epic Stats
Fort = 2 (1 Pal) + 3 (9 Sorc) + 7 (10 Rdd) = 12
Ref = 0 (1 Pal) + 3 (9 Sorc) + 3 (10 Rdd) = 6
Will = 0 (1 Pal) + 6 (9 Sorc) + 7 (10 Rdd) = 13
AB = 1 (1 Pal) + 4 (9 Sorc) + 7 (10 RDD) = 12
Stats at 60 with UR equipment
str = 14 base + 18 rdd bonus + 20 levels + 12 gear = 64 (27 mod)
dex = 14 base + 12 gear = 26 (8 mod)
con = 10 base + 8 rdd bonus + 12 gear = 30 (10 mod)
wis = 6 base + 12 gear = 18 (4 mod)
int = 16 base + 6 Rdd bonus + 12 gear = 34 (12 mod)
cha = 16 base + 4 Rdd bonus + 12 gear = 32 (11 mod)
Fort = 12 Base + 10 Epic + 5 Legend + 10 Con Mod + 20 Items + 11 Divine Grace = 68
Ref = 6 Base + 10 Epic + 5 Legend + 8 Dex Mod + 20 Items + 11 Divine Grace = 60
Will = 13 Base + 10 Epic + 5 Legend + 4 Wis Mod + 20 Items + 11 Divine Grace = 63
HP = 582 Class +200 Epic Toughness+ 600 Con = 1382 (More with Tensers)
AB = 12 Base + 7 Weapon Feats + 10 Epic + 15 Tenser Lbab + 2 Craft Weapon - 1 Size Large +20 Items/Buffs = 92
AC = 10 Base + 22 Armor (+17 Medium armor) + 15 (light shield) + 18 Natural (Tensers) + 16 Deflection + + 8 Dex Mod + 20 Dodge/Haste + 2 Craft Armor + 14 Draconic Armor/tumble -1 Size Large = 124
Reinc Notes
For reinc builds past level 40, the build can squeeze a few more skill points by taking RDD levels as soon as possible. Be sure to delay taking RDD level 25 until you have obtained the pre-requisite epic toughness feats. By taking 10 sorc and 10 RDD as your pre-epic levels, you lose one point of fortitude saves (your highest) for an additional point of will save (your second highest). This trade does not change the AB of the build.
Other possible races include:
Hound Archon - 3 More AB, 1 more AC, 120 additional HP and the great smite feat
Baseborn Titan - Same AB, Same AC and the extra smiting feat
Half-Celestial - Same AB, 2 better AC, 180 additional HP and the ability to walk on quicksand
Radiance Genasi - Same AB, 2 better AC, 420 additional HP and the still spell feat
*Comparisons are made to the non-uros blood version of this build.
For this build, the benefits of BUR races is much less than what I have seen for other builds.
Many thanks to zerragon and Yue for the original build thread, and to Tyranlthixis who's posts served as an example for how to document my build (I even used some of his descriptions word for word).
Craig
Since the beginning of time, there have been those who pursue the quest to wade into the masses of vile opponents swinging their weapon of destruction and then suddenly nuke the begeebers out of everything. The elusive tankmage, hated by purists, demonized by roleplayers and beloved by munchkins everywhere. This build is a RDD (Red Dragon Disciple) based tank with devestating critical that uses BFM (blood fire mage) quasi class magic to add offensive power and buffing spells.
This build was inspired by the incinerator build highergroundpoa.proboards3.com/index.cgi?board=builds&action=display&thread=9780 that requires BUR (Beyond Ultra Rare) subraces. As a new player, I did not have these subraces... but as a unrecovering minmaxer who always wants it all... I wanted to play it anyways. This was the build that got me hooked playing higher ground.
The number of feats required to qualify as a BFM with empower/maximize, a full fledged RDD and obtain devestating critical is one more than what is available through leveling and class bonus feats. This is an important fact because one of the requirements of a proper tankmage is that they don't appear to be possible. If it was easy, then it wouldn't be a proper tankmage. There are three possible ways to resolve the lack of feats:
1. Use a human based race/subrace for the bonus starting feat
2. Use a dragon blood to obtain a bonus feat
3. Use a race with the needed bonus feats
All the races with the correct bonus feats are secret races that must be found later in the higher ground playing experience. This build will focus on the first option (using a human based subrace) with additional instructions on how to use a dragon blood, or some of the more advanced races.
Build Overview:
Pros:
- The build simplifies many early equipment choices.
- 3 Paladin levels improves saves and provides disease/fear immunity
- RDD provieds 100% Fire immunity, BFM buffs provide 50% cold immunity
- Self stat buffing allows stat equipment to be less of a priority - The build is sturdy
- Over 1K hit points unbuffed at 60
- All saves 60 or above (fully equipped at 60)
- RDD armor bonuses + tumble provides good AC for a STR tank - The build has offense
-Able to equip large weapons in one hand
-Dev crit with 92AB and maxed listen (to help hit conceled opponents)
-Fire Brands for things you do not wish to meele
Cons:
- The build depends on using tensers buff to meele
- The low DC on spells means they are not useful against anything with high saves and evasion
- Late game equipment choices needs to balance spell casting and tanking
- You will never be quite as tankish as a pure STR tank, and you will never even be close to the raw offensive spellcasting of a BFM.
Background Information
This build is based upon many features unique to higher ground. Understanding these features will in understanding the build itself.
QUASICLASS
Higher grounds has a feature called Quasiclasses (non-traditional class combinations which receive special benefits). The full description of all possible quasiclasses can be found here: highergroundpoa.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=info&action=display&thread=6677 Blood Fire Mages are a combination between Red Dragon Disciples and Sorcerer. The franchise spell for a BFM is firebrands. When cast by a BFM, multiple firebrand arrows can hit a single target allowing for very high damage from a single cast. An important feature of the BFM quasiclass is that both RDD and Sorcerer levels count towards the casting level of a spell. I recommend reading all of the quasiclass documentation, but there is no need to repeat all of it here.
Red Dragon Disciple
Higher grounds has made numerous improvements to the red dragon disciple class. The list of higher ground class changes can be found here: highergroundpoa.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=info&action=display&thread=9518 Some of the highlights are that RDDs continue to receive stat increases after RDD level 10, RDDs are required to take epic toughness 1-10 to receive full RDD benefits at higher levels and at RDD level 30 the character transforms "taking on a larger and scalier form". Along with this new form the character gains a dragon fear aura and a wing buffet capability. At later stages of the game, the dragon fear aura is used to lower enemy saves and becomes an important part of the characters job. I also recommend reading the full RDD documentation to understand the changes happening to you as your RDD goes through puberty... er, hits RDD level 30.
Devestating Critical
On higher ground, Devestating Critical does not insta-kill, but simply increases the weapon critical multiplier by 1. Since many of the high end weapons do large amounts of elemental damage, Devestating critical is still a powerful tool for the meele fighter. Here is a short writeup on these changes: highergroundpoa.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Tavern&action=display&n=1&thread=3086
Build Details
Base Race: Human
Subrace: Yuan-Ti
CHA +2, INT +1, DEX +1, WIS-3, STR -1, +5 Spellcraft, sr5 +1/lvl, speaks Draconic, speaks Yuan-ti
STAT Base (With Subrace Modifiers)
STR 15 (14)
DEX 13 (14)
CON 10 (10)
INT 15 (16)
WIS 09 (06)
CHA 14 (16)
The Subrace is case sensitive. If you type it correctly, then a few seconds after you first arrive at the docks your character appearance will change into a female form. This was quite a suprise for my first (male) Yuan-Ti character. If you reinc at level 45 or higher, the female form will be over-written with the RDD character models providing a more gender-neutral appearance. Both the Yuan-Ti and RDD models have several different appearances that can be selected using the PC Scry (the magnifying glass in your inventory).
Begin with a Lawful Good alignment to allow you to take a paladin level at level 2.
Pre-Epic Levels
Level 1 Sorcerer
Feat: Spell Focus Evocation, Greater Spell Focus Evocation
Skills: Max Concentration, save the rest
Spell Focus Evocation and Greater Spell Focus Evocation are two of the pre-requisite feats needed to become a blood fire mage.
Level 2 Paladin
Skills: Max Concentration and Discipline, save the rest
Taking a paladin level early opens access to a larger variety of armor and weapons. If you are reincarnating from a higher level, then you might consider the alternate reinc level pattern discussed later.
Level 3 Sorcerer
Feat: Weapon Focus (Mace, or Weapon of your choice)
Skills: Max Concentration, save the rest
Level 4 Sorcerer
Stat Point: Strength (15)
Skills: Max Concentration, save the rest
Level 5 Sorcerer
Skills: Max Concentration and Lore.
Raising Lore to 8 enables you to take Red Dragon Disciple on your next level
Level 6 Dragon Disciple
Feat: Power Attack
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
Power Attack is a pre-requisite feat for devestating critical. This feat is taken to enhance the meele damage of the build.
Level 7 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
This is your 2nd dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your strength will be raised 2 points to 17
Level 8 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (17)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry, raise Tumble to 5.
Every 5 points of base tumble skill grants an additional point of AC.
Every third dragon disciple level grants an additional point of AC.
Taking this level should increase your AC by two points.
There is a limit on how tumble and draconic armor can combine, but this build does not exceed that limit.
Level 9 Dragon Disciple
Feat Metamagic (Empower Spell)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
This is your 4th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your strength will be raised 2 points to 20
Empower Spell will allow you to cast more potent versions of your damaging spells. The primary use will be to case empowered firebrands.
Level 10 Dragon Disicple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
Level 11 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
Level 12 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (21)
Feat: Improved Critical (Mace or weapon of choice)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
Improved Critical will increase the critical range of the selected weapon. This allows the build to do more meele damage.
This is your 7th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your constitution will be raised by 2 points to 12 granting you more hit points.
Level 13 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
Level 14 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
This is your 9th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your intelligence will be raised by 2 points to 18. Since the bonus stat points are granted after the level is taken, you do not receive an additional skill point until the next level.
Level 15 Dragon Disciple
Feat: Resist Energy (fire)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
This is your 10th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your charisma will be raised by 2 points to 18. This increase will let you use 8th level sorcerer spell slots to cast maximized fire brands.
Level 16 Sorcerer
Stat Point: strength (22)
Skills: Max Concentration
Level 17 Sorcerer
Skills: Max Concentration, raise tumble to 10
Level 18 Sorcerer
Feat: Metamagic (Maximize spell)
Skills: Max Concentration
Maximize spell will allow you to cast more potent versions of your damaging spells. The primary use will be to case maximized firebrands, and to cast maximized tensers to use level 9 spell slots and save level 6 spell slots for other uses.
Level 19 Sorcerer
Skills: Max Concentration
Level 20 Sorcerer
Stat Point: strength (23)
Skills: Max Concentration
Epic Levels
Level 21 Sorcerer
Feat: Epic Toughness 1
Skills: Max Concentration
Congradulations, you are a blood fire mage! Be sure to pick firebrand as your spell for this level.
Epic toughness is taken to meet the requirements for additional dragon disciple stat bonuses.
Level 22 Sorcerer
Skills: Max Concentration
Level 23 Sorcerer
Skills: Max Concentration
Level 24 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (24)
Feat: Epic Toughness 2
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
Level 25 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
Level 26 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen and Parry
Level 27 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (25)
Feats: Epic Toughness 3 and 4
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, raise tumble to 15
Level 28 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor
This is your 15th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your strength will be raised by 2 points to 27
Level 29 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor
Level 30 Dragon Disciple
Feat: Epic Toughness 5
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor
Level 31 Dragon Disciple
Feat: Epic Toughness 6
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor
Level 32 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (28)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor
Level 33 Dragon Disciple
Feat Epic Toughness 7
This is your 20th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, Your strength, constitution and intelligence will all be raised by 2 points.
Level 34 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor
Level 35 Dragon Disciple
Feat: Epic Toughness 8
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor
Level 36 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (31)
Feat Epic Toughness 9
Level 37 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, raise tumble to 20
Level 38 Paladin
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Parry and craft armor (Listen is not a paladin skill)
Level 39 Dragon Disciple
Feat: Epic Toughness 10
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor
This is your 25th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your strength will be raised by 2 points to 33
Level 40 Paladin
Stat Point: strength (34)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Parry and craft armor (Listen is not a paladin skill)
Legendary Levels
Level 41 Dragon Disciple
Levels past 41 are taken at the alter of legands. Since we have 25 dragon disciple levels, the control class will be dragon disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 42 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (35)
Feat: Epic Weapon focus (Mace or weapon of choice)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Epic weapon focus improves your chances to hit with the selected weapon.
Level 43 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 44 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (36)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 45 Dragon Disciple
Feat: Epic Weapon Prowness
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
This is your 30th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your strength, constitution and charisma will be raised by 2. You will not receive this bonus until you seek out a secret place in the game to claim the bonus. At this point, your character appearance will change and you will be come size large allowing you to wield large weapons in a single hand.
Epic weapon prowness improves your chances to hit with the selected weapon
Level 46 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (39)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 47 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 48 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (40)
Feat: Legendary Weapon Focus (Mace, or weapon of your choice)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Legendary weapon focus improves your chances to hit with the selected weapon
Level 49 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 50 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (41)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
This is your 35th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your strength 2 points to 43. You will not receive this bonus until you seek out a secret place in the game to claim the bonus.
Level 51 Dragon Disciple
Feat: Cleave *** Unless you have uros blood ***
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
*** If you have a uros blood, then as an open subrace you can drink it to obtain the cleave feat for free. I recommend selecting armor skin as a replacement feat to help obtain a satisfactory armor class. Toughness is another possible replacement option.
Level 52 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (44)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 53 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 54 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (45)
Feat: Great Cleave
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Great Cleave is a pre-requisite feat for devestating critical.
Level 55 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
This is your 40th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your strength, constitution and intelligence will be raised by 2. You will not receive this bonus until you seek out a secret place in the game to claim the bonus.
Level 56 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (48)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 57 Dragon Disciple
Feat: Overwhelming Critical
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, and tumble, dump the rest into craft weapon
Stop training tumble at this point, 30 is the limit for AC bonuses that we can receive from tumble with this build.
Overwhelming critical will increase the critical threat range of the selected weapon. This will enable you to make critical hits more often.
Level 58 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (49)
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 59 Dragon Disciple
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, dump the rest into craft weapon
Level 60 Dragon Disciple
Stat Point: strength (50)
Feat: Devestating Critical
Skills: Max Concentration, Discipline, Listen, Parry and craft armor, dump the rest into craft weapon
This is your 45th dragon disciple level. As a bonus, your strength 2 points (52). You will not receive this bonus until you seek out a secret place in the game to claim the bonus.
Devestating critical increases the threat multiplier of the selected weapon by 1. This will enable you to do more damage on a critical hit.
Build Summary:
Pre-Epic Feats
Spell Focus Evocation
Greater Spell Focus Evocation
Power Attack
Weapon Focus
Improved Critical
Empower Spell
Maximize spell
Resist Energy
Epic Feats
Epic Toughness 1-10
Legendary Feats
Epic prowess
Cleave (or Armor Skin)
Great Cleave
Epic weapon focus (weapon of choice)
Legendary weapon focus (weapon of choice)
Overwhelming critical (weapon of choice)
Devastating critical (weapon of choice)
Skills
Craft Armor 63
Every 40 points of craft armor will grant you 1 AC. Your skill points spent + your intelligence modifier + bard song and/or gear should easily get you over 80 points granting you 2 AC.
Craft Weapon 63
Every 40 points in this skill will add 1 attack bonus to your overall AB score. With bard song this skill will grant you 2 AB.
Discipline 63
There are many discipline checks in the game. High discipline is necessary for any frontline tank.
Parry 63
The parry skill will reduce the damage on any critical hits that land on you. Parry score over 100 will also make you immune to devastating critical.
Tumble 30
Every 5 points of tumble will grant you 1 point of AC.
Concentration 63
Concentration is used to continue casting spells even when hit by enemies
Listen 63
Listen beyond 60 points will reduce the concealment of your enemies making them easier to hit.
Spells
Level 6 - Tensers*
Level 5 - Fire Brand* and Energy Buffer*
Level 4 - Elemental Shield*, Stone Skin*, Wall of Fire*
Level 3 - Fireball*, Keen Edge*, Weapon of Impact*, Needle Point*
Level 2 - Flame Weapon*, Combust*, Invisitbility, Knock, Ultravision
Level 1 - Burning Hands*, Negative Energy Ray*, any four others
* Denotes a blood fire mage spell
Non-blood fire mage spells will have a casting level of 12 v.s. a casting level of 57 for blood fire mage spells. Thus, the blood fire mage spells will tend to be much more useful. The one BFM spell that I did not pick up was fire arrow, this is because it is pure fire damage and did not seem to perform well with the builds low charaisma. I opted instead to be able to keen any kind of weapon.
Pre-Epic Stats
Fort = 2 (1 Pal) + 3 (9 Sorc) + 7 (10 Rdd) = 12
Ref = 0 (1 Pal) + 3 (9 Sorc) + 3 (10 Rdd) = 6
Will = 0 (1 Pal) + 6 (9 Sorc) + 7 (10 Rdd) = 13
AB = 1 (1 Pal) + 4 (9 Sorc) + 7 (10 RDD) = 12
Stats at 60 with UR equipment
str = 14 base + 18 rdd bonus + 20 levels + 12 gear = 64 (27 mod)
dex = 14 base + 12 gear = 26 (8 mod)
con = 10 base + 8 rdd bonus + 12 gear = 30 (10 mod)
wis = 6 base + 12 gear = 18 (4 mod)
int = 16 base + 6 Rdd bonus + 12 gear = 34 (12 mod)
cha = 16 base + 4 Rdd bonus + 12 gear = 32 (11 mod)
Fort = 12 Base + 10 Epic + 5 Legend + 10 Con Mod + 20 Items + 11 Divine Grace = 68
Ref = 6 Base + 10 Epic + 5 Legend + 8 Dex Mod + 20 Items + 11 Divine Grace = 60
Will = 13 Base + 10 Epic + 5 Legend + 4 Wis Mod + 20 Items + 11 Divine Grace = 63
HP = 582 Class +200 Epic Toughness+ 600 Con = 1382 (More with Tensers)
AB = 12 Base + 7 Weapon Feats + 10 Epic + 15 Tenser Lbab + 2 Craft Weapon - 1 Size Large +20 Items/Buffs = 92
AC = 10 Base + 22 Armor (+17 Medium armor) + 15 (light shield) + 18 Natural (Tensers) + 16 Deflection + + 8 Dex Mod + 20 Dodge/Haste + 2 Craft Armor + 14 Draconic Armor/tumble -1 Size Large = 124
Reinc Notes
For reinc builds past level 40, the build can squeeze a few more skill points by taking RDD levels as soon as possible. Be sure to delay taking RDD level 25 until you have obtained the pre-requisite epic toughness feats. By taking 10 sorc and 10 RDD as your pre-epic levels, you lose one point of fortitude saves (your highest) for an additional point of will save (your second highest). This trade does not change the AB of the build.
Other possible races include:
Hound Archon - 3 More AB, 1 more AC, 120 additional HP and the great smite feat
Baseborn Titan - Same AB, Same AC and the extra smiting feat
Half-Celestial - Same AB, 2 better AC, 180 additional HP and the ability to walk on quicksand
Radiance Genasi - Same AB, 2 better AC, 420 additional HP and the still spell feat
*Comparisons are made to the non-uros blood version of this build.
For this build, the benefits of BUR races is much less than what I have seen for other builds.
Many thanks to zerragon and Yue for the original build thread, and to Tyranlthixis who's posts served as an example for how to document my build (I even used some of his descriptions word for word).
Craig