Post by deepscout999 on Mar 5, 2010 18:22:59 GMT
The Undying Elvish Blood Fire Mage:
This is a re-post of my original BFM Build back in December 09, The original build BFM was somewhat dated with the recent Feb 2010 changes to the BFM class. Since the Class has changed significantly I'm taking the time to annotate changes to this build that would be more in-line with updates to the class.
This build is meant as a reincarnation build for a person wishing to move to a more fine tuned build from the Burinator Build. As such the feats and skill points are built around reincarnation.
Corrections and annotations are in-line
This BFM is a Sorc CC based BFM using the Undying Elf. But could be built with "any subrace" Going with a subrace that caters to Sorcerers would be an obvious plus. But if you wanted to build a BFM with a Minotaur... you could. There would be some pain but it could be done. Same build rules apply below.
This build does not take Auto Still 1,2,3 as you will not benefit from it enough to make it worth the feats.
This build takes the approach that you are a Damage Mage to it's logical conclusion. You are a glass canon....once you accept this fact and play like your naked you will start to play at range ...which is where you are supposed to be.
Since you are a DMG MAGE you need 4 Meta FEATS Silent,Still, Empowered and Maximized. Remember You are a BFM, you are supposed to be standing with the AA way behind the partybranding at range. Casting various ranged spells to include Brands/Fire and force orbs.
With the recent changes to the BFM to include a degradation to the brand spell, branding isn't as effective as it used to be. The problem with brands was that 35 brands could be cast at a mob, or at 1 target. The act of branding a single target with 35 brands caused an impressive amount of damage. Many would say too much damage. Weather you agree or not the fact remains that changes have been made and branding is now part of a larger collection of spells that are used.
Why not extended spell? Extended buffs are nice for lots of reasons, but when it domes down to it the majority of the buffs BFMs have are elemental, magic and melee soak buffs. Those run out after x points of damage have been applied. Why extend them....plus you should not be getting hit in the first place. If you want a rock that can brand go get a burinator. If you want finesse, and the ability to maximize your damage across a wide range of areas then you need to forget your AC and play like your life depends strategy.
This example toon is built at the reinc pedestal from the open Race Yuan Ti. Feats are taken with no focus on low level needs since I'm going from 1 to 60 in a couple of hours. If building this toon from scratch I'd suggest taking the meta feats and spell pen feats in the LL early and get the last few GhaCha points last.
29 Sorc, 10 RDD, 1 Paladin
Elf, Undying
STR +2, DEX +2, CON +4, INT +2, CHA +2
Free feats: Dodge, LOH, GF, IW, LF +3 SP per ll
Lawfull Good alignment
Before/After Subrace Edits
STR 8/10
Dex 10/12
Con 10/18
Wis 8/10
Int 16/18
Cha 18/20
All Ability Points Into Charisma
All Skill Points are taken at 5,39/40 and 60
1: Sorc - Spell Focus: Evoc,
2: Sorc - ---
3: Sorc - Greater Spell Focus: Evoc
4: Sorc - ---
5: Sorc - ---[Green] Skills Lore +8[/green]
6: [red]RDD[/red] - Spell Penetration
7: [red]RDD[/red] - ---
8: [red]RDD[/red] - ---
9: [red]RDD[/red] - Greater Spell Pen
10: [red]RDD[/red] - ---
11: [red]RDD[/red]
12: [red]RDD[/red] - META Still Spell
13: [red]RDD[/red] - ---
14: [red]RDD[/red] - ---
15: [red]RDD[/red] - META Silent Spell (with the HGE Spell Vocalize avail you could go with armor skin or some other feat)
16: Sorc - ---
17: Sorc - ---
18: Sorc - Resist Fire
19: Sorc - ---
20: Sorc - ---
21: Sorc - Epic Spell Penetration [red](Become a BFM)[/red]
22: Sorc - ---
23: Sorc - ---
24: Sorc - Great Charisma I
25: Sorc - ---
26: Sorc - ---
27: Sorc - Great Charisma II
28: Sorc - ---
29: Sorc - ---
30: Sorc - Epic Spell Focus: Evoc
31: Sorc - ---
32: Sorc - ---
33: Sorc - Great Charisma III, Exta spell Slot (lvl 9)
34: Sorc -
35: Sorc - ---
36: Sorc - Great Charisma IV, V
37: Sorc -
38: Sorc - ---
39: Sorc - Great Charisma VI,VII [green]Skill points: Max, Concentration,lore,spellc,CraftA@35points [/green]
40: [yellow]Paladin [/yellow]- [green]Skill Points: Max Discipline +1 Concentration,lore,spellc, Max Parry, Discipline, save any left over points[/green]
41: Sorc - ---
42: Sorc - Great Charisma VIII
43: Sorc - ---
44: Sorc - ---
45: Sorc - Great Charisma IX
46: Sorc - ---
47: Sorc - ---
48: Sorc - Great Charisma X
49: Sorc - ---
50: Sorc - ---
51: Sorc - Meta Maxamize Spell
52: Sorc - ---
53: Sorc - ---
54: Sorc - Legendary Spell Penetration
55: Sorc - ---
56: Sorc - ---
57: Sorc - Legendary Spell Focus: Evocation
58: Sorc - ---
59: Sorc - ---
60: Sorc - META Empower Spell Skill Points: Max, Conc,lore,spellc,crafta,discpline,parry, search)
Saves: (naked@L60):
Fort 52
Relfex 46
Will 52
Misc Stats (naked @l60):
Imm Fire 70% absolute
AC 15
HP 510
Imm Poison, paralysis, disease, sleep
Used*
Orb of Dragonkind +2 CON perm +8 regen
Immunity to poison
Dragon breath once/5 minutes, reduces enemy fire immunity by 50%
Used Epic Transmutation Tome
Epic Transmutation Feat (epic wall)
Final Stats (naked @ L60) / Geared +12
[STR] 24 (36)
[DEX] 12 (24)
[CON] 16 (18*) (30)
[WIS] 10 (22)
[INT] 20 (32)
[CHA] 52 (64)
Skill points final @ 60 missing due to changes on paper to the build by moving RRD to level 6 from level 11. The build was tested in the chamber to make sure that the build is still accurate but skill points havent been calculated out.
Palid Scales are a must for an Immortal BFM and you need to conquer the Dragon Uroboros in order to get a set of Palid scales. Palid scales are Med Armor and should hold you in good shape until you reach hells. In which point you will find other better options. Optionally you could wear Heavy armor and a Tower Shield and use only Still'd spell slots. Which does work well. But with medium armor there is no spell pen failure. It's something to think about.
Spells: Brandsare were the word of the day in most areas. However the recent changes made them less effective. Having said that they are still powerful in their current state. Detonate is a quite powerful touch spell that is now used often Followed by lots of grabbies, ms, ORBS and dont forget the Fire or acid clouds (which have been given a boost recently). Time Stop is a great spell to have especially if you are a solo artist. But be aware of the recent 30 second cool down timer added to TS when soloing... You have 3 meta ranges above your normal spell levels which puts about 150-200 brands at your disposal(depending on spell slot gear). Use them....
Epic spells: Wall or Epic Grabbie. I will say this about epic grabbie. You can grab one mob.... Epic walls can be used until they dissipate. Wall is my choice. (however as of this update I'm starting to focus more on my ability to grab targets before I burn them to death with one spell or another.
Hells: You will be in for a surprise if you think you can wander into hells and just brand at your leisure like in the LLs. Its time to start targeting in earnest. Bust out the grabbies and really start to move into a role of the grabby mage because until you have "uber" gear you can NOT take the kb that will pour down you like rain in hells. Learning your targets is the biggest challenge you will have in hells. USE the range your spells allow. Support the party and you will find before long that you will be ready to face the boss man himself..
All in All I think this is a very good alternative Primary build example for the BFM quasi for those that just can't get a hold of a Radiance Genasi.
I spent a lot of time deliberating over a 2nd reincarnation into the Rad Gen or Half-Celestial BUR Class,
So lets take a look what we got for the top BURs for BFM:
Undying (BUR) Str+2 Dex+2 Con+4 Int+2 Wis+2 Cha +2 * Dodge, Luck of Heroes, Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes +3 skill points per legendary level
When I initially upgraded to Undying , its all I had. But now in the act of reviewing BURS I could shift into I'm really liking the Undying overall. The Feats are an awesome base to build upon. Ability & Skill point bonuses really help all over the build in everything from piles of gear in inventory to having just enough skill points to be flexible. Sure its not like a PM with skill points left over ...but Its a good collection of skills. All in all if your willing to be 4 points low in CHA Undying is my #1 pick for the BFM Race of choice.
Half-Celestial: (BUR) Wis +6 CHA +4 SpellFocusEvo,GreaterSpellFocusEvo,EpicSkillHeal,SR10+1/lvl,Strider
When I look at this I see a close race between this class and the undying.... The BFM could clearly be done with this race and I've seen them. Strider is really nice for that second ring slot. And if you pick your feats correctly I see you'd have your saves right on par with the Undying. But in the end I wanted my skill points. So I still have Undying.
Radiance Genasi: (BUR) Str-2 Dex+2 Con+2 Int+2 Cha+6 * 25% Immune (Fire), Empower Spell, Silent Spell, Maximize Spell
This is the traditional BFM Class. The Race base is human so you loose some skill points, but you pick up 25% fire immunity, coupled with the new lowbie 6% immunity bonus your looking at 106% hard immunity to fire and 4 more points in CHA than the undying build.
Half-Eladrin (BUR) Str+7 Cha+5 Great CHA I&II, Divine Shield (3/day if no Turn Undead)
Well you can carry a lot... wonder how Divine Shield would work out.. The feats would almost be the same as above....but your skills and saves would be lower.
After the recent changes to the BFM in Feb 2010 I thought that.. this was the end for the BFM.....Nerfed into uselessness. It's not. The class is undergoing changes but the good news is that the DMs are working with us BFM lovers to find the "right balance" between the appeal that the build has and the amount of damage it produces.
Stay flexible.... the build has a lot of nuances that take time to learn and contrary to popular belief it was "never" a one trick pony.
********************************************************************************************************
By Request Spells:
[red]Sorcerer level 1[/red]
Burning Hands
Endure Elements
Expeditious Retreat
Lesser Orb of Fire
Magic Missile
Grease
[red]Sorcerer level 2[/red]
Combust
Flame Weapon
Ghostly Visage
Resist Elements
Vocalize *
False Life
Notes:
[yellow]Vocalize [/yellow] can be quite usefull if you don't take the meta silent spell feat. I have meta silent but took the spell at the ped only to check it out. Since I like to spend a lot of time on Uro runs I desire the simpler meta silent as i can just QB slot my spells and cast away without messing with a prep-spell. If you drop Meta Silent you need this spell.
[yellow] False Life [/yellow] doesnt do a lot for BFMs but its a level 2 spelland I'm not really in a need of L2 spell slots so I use it when I buff.
[red]Sorcerer level 3[/red]
Clairaudience and Clairvoyance
Displacement
Fireball
Gust of Wind
Protection from Elements
[red]Sorcerer level 4[/red]
Elemental Shield *
Evards Black Tentacles *
Orb of Fire
Wall of Fire
Isaacs Lesser Missile Storm
Notes:
[yellow]Elemental Shield[/yellow] As much as I hate tanking..Sometimes I just have to cast this...and spam heal while a critter beats itself to death trying to kill me...Its an effort of last resort. But has saved me quite a few times in a few specific locations.
[yellow]Evards Black Tentacles[/yellow] is a must have for some LLs of the mod and I strongly suggest you grab it.
[red]Sorcerer level 5[/red]
Cloudkill
Firebrand
Freezing Fog
Mind Fog
[red]Sorcerer level 6[/red]
Acid Fog
Bigbys Forceful Hand
Tensers Transformation
[red]Sorcerer level 7[/red]
Bigbys Grasping Hand
Delayed Blast Fireball
Greater Orb of Fire
[red]Sorcerer level 8[/red]
Etherealness
Incendiary Cloud
Mind Blank
[red]Sorcerer level 9[/red]
Black Blade of Disaster
Meteor Swarm
Mordenkainens Disjunction
Detonate
I'm still not sold on Detonate yet. As a thin skinned caster I don't often desire to reach out and shake hands with the critters I'm trying to kill. I'd like to see the Detonate with a ranged option.. Something along the lines of when cast ranged... it only affects the target critter.... when used as touch spell the effects are target and aoe.
I have a lot of AOE Spells in my book... and before somebody asks... I like AOE spells. Even casting AOEs as inferior spells from a BFM (non BFM spell) I see the spells as being usefull. Again it's all about flexability in the build. Some things are immune to fire but not other elements (aoe acid/ice cloud) and other aoe clouds are just nice to have and use.
This is a re-post of my original BFM Build back in December 09, The original build BFM was somewhat dated with the recent Feb 2010 changes to the BFM class. Since the Class has changed significantly I'm taking the time to annotate changes to this build that would be more in-line with updates to the class.
This build is meant as a reincarnation build for a person wishing to move to a more fine tuned build from the Burinator Build. As such the feats and skill points are built around reincarnation.
Corrections and annotations are in-line
This BFM is a Sorc CC based BFM using the Undying Elf. But could be built with "any subrace" Going with a subrace that caters to Sorcerers would be an obvious plus. But if you wanted to build a BFM with a Minotaur... you could. There would be some pain but it could be done. Same build rules apply below.
This build does not take Auto Still 1,2,3 as you will not benefit from it enough to make it worth the feats.
This build takes the approach that you are a Damage Mage to it's logical conclusion. You are a glass canon....once you accept this fact and play like your naked you will start to play at range ...which is where you are supposed to be.
Since you are a DMG MAGE you need 4 Meta FEATS Silent,Still, Empowered and Maximized. Remember You are a BFM, you are supposed to be standing with the AA way behind the party
With the recent changes to the BFM to include a degradation to the brand spell, branding isn't as effective as it used to be. The problem with brands was that 35 brands could be cast at a mob, or at 1 target. The act of branding a single target with 35 brands caused an impressive amount of damage. Many would say too much damage. Weather you agree or not the fact remains that changes have been made and branding is now part of a larger collection of spells that are used.
Why not extended spell? Extended buffs are nice for lots of reasons, but when it domes down to it the majority of the buffs BFMs have are elemental, magic and melee soak buffs. Those run out after x points of damage have been applied. Why extend them....plus you should not be getting hit in the first place. If you want a rock that can brand go get a burinator. If you want finesse, and the ability to maximize your damage across a wide range of areas then you need to forget your AC and play like your life depends strategy.
This example toon is built at the reinc pedestal from the open Race Yuan Ti. Feats are taken with no focus on low level needs since I'm going from 1 to 60 in a couple of hours. If building this toon from scratch I'd suggest taking the meta feats and spell pen feats in the LL early and get the last few GhaCha points last.
29 Sorc, 10 RDD, 1 Paladin
Elf, Undying
STR +2, DEX +2, CON +4, INT +2, CHA +2
Free feats: Dodge, LOH, GF, IW, LF +3 SP per ll
Lawfull Good alignment
Before/After Subrace Edits
STR 8/10
Dex 10/12
Con 10/18
Wis 8/10
Int 16/18
Cha 18/20
All Ability Points Into Charisma
All Skill Points are taken at 5,39/40 and 60
1: Sorc - Spell Focus: Evoc,
2: Sorc - ---
3: Sorc - Greater Spell Focus: Evoc
4: Sorc - ---
5: Sorc - ---[Green] Skills Lore +8[/green]
6: [red]RDD[/red] - Spell Penetration
7: [red]RDD[/red] - ---
8: [red]RDD[/red] - ---
9: [red]RDD[/red] - Greater Spell Pen
10: [red]RDD[/red] - ---
11: [red]RDD[/red]
12: [red]RDD[/red] - META Still Spell
13: [red]RDD[/red] - ---
14: [red]RDD[/red] - ---
15: [red]RDD[/red] - META Silent Spell (with the HGE Spell Vocalize avail you could go with armor skin or some other feat)
16: Sorc - ---
17: Sorc - ---
18: Sorc - Resist Fire
19: Sorc - ---
20: Sorc - ---
21: Sorc - Epic Spell Penetration [red](Become a BFM)[/red]
22: Sorc - ---
23: Sorc - ---
24: Sorc - Great Charisma I
25: Sorc - ---
26: Sorc - ---
27: Sorc - Great Charisma II
28: Sorc - ---
29: Sorc - ---
30: Sorc - Epic Spell Focus: Evoc
31: Sorc - ---
32: Sorc - ---
33: Sorc - Great Charisma III, Exta spell Slot (lvl 9)
34: Sorc -
35: Sorc - ---
36: Sorc - Great Charisma IV, V
37: Sorc -
38: Sorc - ---
39: Sorc - Great Charisma VI,VII [green]Skill points: Max, Concentration,lore,spellc,CraftA@35points [/green]
40: [yellow]Paladin [/yellow]- [green]Skill Points: Max Discipline +1 Concentration,lore,spellc, Max Parry, Discipline, save any left over points[/green]
41: Sorc - ---
42: Sorc - Great Charisma VIII
43: Sorc - ---
44: Sorc - ---
45: Sorc - Great Charisma IX
46: Sorc - ---
47: Sorc - ---
48: Sorc - Great Charisma X
49: Sorc - ---
50: Sorc - ---
51: Sorc - Meta Maxamize Spell
52: Sorc - ---
53: Sorc - ---
54: Sorc - Legendary Spell Penetration
55: Sorc - ---
56: Sorc - ---
57: Sorc - Legendary Spell Focus: Evocation
58: Sorc - ---
59: Sorc - ---
60: Sorc - META Empower Spell Skill Points: Max, Conc,lore,spellc,crafta,discpline,parry, search)
Saves: (naked@L60):
Fort 52
Relfex 46
Will 52
Misc Stats (naked @l60):
Imm Fire 70% absolute
AC 15
HP 510
Imm Poison, paralysis, disease, sleep
Used*
Orb of Dragonkind +2 CON perm +8 regen
Immunity to poison
Dragon breath once/5 minutes, reduces enemy fire immunity by 50%
Used Epic Transmutation Tome
Epic Transmutation Feat (epic wall)
Final Stats (naked @ L60) / Geared +12
[STR] 24 (36)
[DEX] 12 (24)
[CON] 16 (18*) (30)
[WIS] 10 (22)
[INT] 20 (32)
[CHA] 52 (64)
Skill points final @ 60 missing due to changes on paper to the build by moving RRD to level 6 from level 11. The build was tested in the chamber to make sure that the build is still accurate but skill points havent been calculated out.
Palid Scales are a must for an Immortal BFM and you need to conquer the Dragon Uroboros in order to get a set of Palid scales. Palid scales are Med Armor and should hold you in good shape until you reach hells. In which point you will find other better options. Optionally you could wear Heavy armor and a Tower Shield and use only Still'd spell slots. Which does work well. But with medium armor there is no spell pen failure. It's something to think about.
Spells: Brands
Epic spells: Wall or Epic Grabbie. I will say this about epic grabbie. You can grab one mob.... Epic walls can be used until they dissipate. Wall is my choice. (however as of this update I'm starting to focus more on my ability to grab targets before I burn them to death with one spell or another.
Hells: You will be in for a surprise if you think you can wander into hells and just brand at your leisure like in the LLs. Its time to start targeting in earnest. Bust out the grabbies and really start to move into a role of the grabby mage because until you have "uber" gear you can NOT take the kb that will pour down you like rain in hells. Learning your targets is the biggest challenge you will have in hells. USE the range your spells allow. Support the party and you will find before long that you will be ready to face the boss man himself..
All in All I think this is a very good
I spent a lot of time deliberating over a 2nd reincarnation into the Rad Gen or Half-Celestial BUR Class,
So lets take a look what we got for the top BURs for BFM:
Undying (BUR) Str+2 Dex+2 Con+4 Int+2 Wis+2 Cha +2 * Dodge, Luck of Heroes, Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes +3 skill points per legendary level
When I initially upgraded to Undying , its all I had. But now in the act of reviewing BURS I could shift into I'm really liking the Undying overall. The Feats are an awesome base to build upon. Ability & Skill point bonuses really help all over the build in everything from piles of gear in inventory to having just enough skill points to be flexible. Sure its not like a PM with skill points left over ...but Its a good collection of skills. All in all if your willing to be 4 points low in CHA Undying is my #1 pick for the BFM Race of choice.
Half-Celestial: (BUR) Wis +6 CHA +4 SpellFocusEvo,GreaterSpellFocusEvo,EpicSkillHeal,SR10+1/lvl,Strider
When I look at this I see a close race between this class and the undying.... The BFM could clearly be done with this race and I've seen them. Strider is really nice for that second ring slot. And if you pick your feats correctly I see you'd have your saves right on par with the Undying. But in the end I wanted my skill points. So I still have Undying.
Radiance Genasi: (BUR) Str-2 Dex+2 Con+2 Int+2 Cha+6 * 25% Immune (Fire), Empower Spell, Silent Spell, Maximize Spell
This is the traditional BFM Class. The Race base is human so you loose some skill points, but you pick up 25% fire immunity, coupled with the new lowbie 6% immunity bonus your looking at 106% hard immunity to fire and 4 more points in CHA than the undying build.
Half-Eladrin (BUR) Str+7 Cha+5 Great CHA I&II, Divine Shield (3/day if no Turn Undead)
Well you can carry a lot... wonder how Divine Shield would work out.. The feats would almost be the same as above....but your skills and saves would be lower.
Mar 7, 2010 13:15:30 GMT arek said:
Half-Eladrin's Divine Shield ability is not usable without Turn Undead, in spite of what the description says. Apparently, it was intended to be usable without, but due to some engine quirks it isn't.After the recent changes to the BFM in Feb 2010 I thought that.. this was the end for the BFM.....Nerfed into uselessness. It's not. The class is undergoing changes but the good news is that the DMs are working with us BFM lovers to find the "right balance" between the appeal that the build has and the amount of damage it produces.
Stay flexible.... the build has a lot of nuances that take time to learn and contrary to popular belief it was "never" a one trick pony.
********************************************************************************************************
By Request Spells:
[red]Sorcerer level 1[/red]
Burning Hands
Endure Elements
Expeditious Retreat
Lesser Orb of Fire
Magic Missile
Grease
[red]Sorcerer level 2[/red]
Combust
Flame Weapon
Ghostly Visage
Resist Elements
Vocalize *
False Life
Notes:
[yellow]Vocalize [/yellow] can be quite usefull if you don't take the meta silent spell feat. I have meta silent but took the spell at the ped only to check it out. Since I like to spend a lot of time on Uro runs I desire the simpler meta silent as i can just QB slot my spells and cast away without messing with a prep-spell. If you drop Meta Silent you need this spell.
[yellow] False Life [/yellow] doesnt do a lot for BFMs but its a level 2 spelland I'm not really in a need of L2 spell slots so I use it when I buff.
[red]Sorcerer level 3[/red]
Clairaudience and Clairvoyance
Displacement
Fireball
Gust of Wind
Protection from Elements
[red]Sorcerer level 4[/red]
Elemental Shield *
Evards Black Tentacles *
Orb of Fire
Wall of Fire
Isaacs Lesser Missile Storm
Notes:
[yellow]Elemental Shield[/yellow] As much as I hate tanking..Sometimes I just have to cast this...and spam heal while a critter beats itself to death trying to kill me...Its an effort of last resort. But has saved me quite a few times in a few specific locations.
[yellow]Evards Black Tentacles[/yellow] is a must have for some LLs of the mod and I strongly suggest you grab it.
[red]Sorcerer level 5[/red]
Cloudkill
Firebrand
Freezing Fog
Mind Fog
[red]Sorcerer level 6[/red]
Acid Fog
Bigbys Forceful Hand
Tensers Transformation
[red]Sorcerer level 7[/red]
Bigbys Grasping Hand
Delayed Blast Fireball
Greater Orb of Fire
[red]Sorcerer level 8[/red]
Etherealness
Incendiary Cloud
Mind Blank
[red]Sorcerer level 9[/red]
Black Blade of Disaster
Meteor Swarm
Mordenkainens Disjunction
Detonate
I'm still not sold on Detonate yet. As a thin skinned caster I don't often desire to reach out and shake hands with the critters I'm trying to kill. I'd like to see the Detonate with a ranged option.. Something along the lines of when cast ranged... it only affects the target critter.... when used as touch spell the effects are target and aoe.
I have a lot of AOE Spells in my book... and before somebody asks... I like AOE spells. Even casting AOEs as inferior spells from a BFM (non BFM spell) I see the spells as being usefull. Again it's all about flexability in the build. Some things are immune to fire but not other elements (aoe acid/ice cloud) and other aoe clouds are just nice to have and use.