Post by dodrudon on Jan 2, 2007 23:58:28 GMT
This is a extremely experimental build. I doubt it will be very playable, but who knows?
I set the standards very high for this build, I wanted it to have it all. I've done the best I can, unfortunately it doesn't have enough feats/wisdom to get more than the one epic spell from a book.
The concept is to build the perfect tank (I've been told a better term is "brick" or "wall"). As such, all (and I do mean all) offensive abilities have been sacrificed for defensive abilities. This includes the benefits of Dex builds, Con builds, and Str builds, adding on elemental and exotic immunity/resists.
Play strategy is basically wade into battle and distract everything, letting your casters nuke and rezzing people when necessary. You also get several nice party buff spells as a cleric.
Defensive Abilities
Cleric's Aegis Epic Spell (30/- exotic resists for 40 rounds, or 4 minutes)
High Constitution (22, 34 max buffed)
Epic Damage Reduction III (9/- damage reduction)
Epic Dodge
Self Conceal V (50% permanent conceal)
Wears Full Plate/Tower Shield for high damage immunity and reduction
50% permanent immunity to elements (except for sonic)
Race: Human Prismatic HD (easily obtainable secret race)
Subrace Abilities: +2 Str, -2 Dex, -1 Int, +2 Cha, 25% immunity to Fire/Cold/Acid/Elec, 25% vulnerability to sonic
Starting Stats
Str 8->10
Dex 16->14
Con 17
Wis 14
Int 9->8
Cha 8->10
Cleric Domains
Choose two domains. For the first one, pick either Earth or Fire. Both give Energy Buffer, Earth gives Stoneskin and Fire gives Wall of Fire (which turns into Wall of Stone later). The problem with Stoneskin is its low effectiveness due to it being a low level spell and your low caster level.
For a second domain, maybe choose Plant for Barkskin for an early boost to natural AC at low levels (you'll probably be wearing the necklaces that give Wisdom so you can use higher level spells, more on that later), and Creeping Doom, a no-save less useful spell until maybe the Hells.
Levels
L1-20 Cleric Alertness, Dodge, Iron Will, Mobility
Level-up Ability Points: +4 Con, +1 Dex
Grab the skills for HS here, and feats for HS and SD as well. You get 8 general feats, 4 of them are used on Dodge, Mobility, Iron Will, and Alertness (in any order, for SD and HS). Put 4 points into Discipline, 6 into Lore, 8 into Persuade, and 4 into Search for HS prereqs. Due to your lack of skill points, you won't be able get all the skills until level 12. For the four remaining feats, pick up Toughness and anything else you'd like, probably Lightning Reflexes and Great Fortitude. You might pick up Extend Spell to make your buffs last longer.
L21-25 Harper Scout Epic Damage Reduction I, Great Dexterity x3
+1 Dex
Pick up EDR I at level 21. Use the other feats to pick up Great Dexterity. Put 10 points into Hide, 8 into Move Silently, and 18 into Tumble.
L26-35 Shadowdancer Great Dexterity x3
+2 Dex
Put enough points into Hide and Tumble to get them both up to 30.
L36-40 Cleric Armor Skin, Epic Dodge, Epic Damage Reduction II
+2 Dex
Pick up Epic Dodge first at level 36, then Armor Skin with the Cleric's bonus feat at level 38, and finally EDR II at level 39. At level 40, you have 38 remaining skill points. They're probably best put into Concentration so you can cast buffs while in battle. Hopefully you won't be taking too much damage anyways.
L41-60 Cleric Epic Damage Reduction III, Great Dexterity, Self Concealment V
+3 Dex, +1 Con, +6 anything
Pick up EDR III at level 42. Boost Dexterity with your first three ability points. At level 45, pick up Great Dexterity. At level 48, put the ability point into Constitution and pick up SC I. For the rest of the ability points, dump them into whatever you'd like (probably Wisdom if you want don't want to rely on items with Wisdom boosts to cast level 9 spells, or Constitution if you want to be a better tank, or Dexterity if you want attempt to actually hit enemies, though that isn't recommended), and the remaining feats pick up SC II through SC V.
Edit: Constitution points taken during legendary levels will NOT give bonus hitpoints.
Stats
At level 40:
HP 550 unbuffed, 790 buffed
Saves (with pre-epic feats, fully buffed) F/W/R: 55/52/52
Stats: Str 10/Dex 26/Con 21/Int 8/Wis 14/Cha 10
At level 60:
HP 790 unbuffed, 1170 buffed, or 180 more w/ +6 Con at LLs
Saves (with pre-epic feats, fully buffed) F/W/R: 61/57/59
Saves at level 60 will be higher depending on where you spend your last six stat points.
Stats: Str 10/Dex 30/Con 22/Int 8/Wis 14/Cha 10 (with +6 to any stat)
Equipment
Wear Full Plate and use Tower Shields for the most immunities, resistances, and reductions. The Harper Scout secret will give you 25% immunity to all five normal elements (cold/fire/elec/acid/sonic) in the form of a boot (http://www.hgwiki.com/wiki/index.php/Boots_of_the_Wanderer). You should be wearing it most if not all the time. It only gives +12 Dodge AC, +16 counting Haste, so you should always be buffed with Undeath's Eternal Foe for the remaining 4 points of Dodge AC.
You might wear the mord ring as well if you want to keep your own buffs up, such as the two Regeneration Spells.
Analysis
This build can get the BAB of a fighter with spells, and can easily get up to +20 cap on AB with buffs. However, most meleers have around 60 strength/dexterity (buffed), while you only get 42 here. Also, you don't get Weapon Focuses and Epic Prowess, for a total penalty of 14 AB (assuming you get Weapon Finesse). However, most fighters only get about +13 enhancement on weapons (with mages around), ignoring AB bonuses from items such as Sheath of Blessing, which don't last long. The penalty falls to 7 AB.
Wisdom stays at 14 until late Legendary Levels (if it is raise then). This means you'll have to rely on items that give a boost to wisdom to cast higher level spells.
Because of the low caster level, you'll be mostly useless against any creatures with spell resistance. Also, spells will be significantly weaker. Harm and Earthquake (though you'll be doing low damage) will probably be your most important spells. Healing Circle and Mass Heal will also be very good spells to cast at random times. Resurrection will give temporary bonus HP starting at level 55 (eek). Your main spells, however, will be buff spells, preferably cast with Extend Spell. Your worst enemy will probably be morders that mord the buffs you place on your party.
A portion of the final 38 skillpoints can be placed into Tumble as well if you save the 10th level of SD for level 40. You'll have to delay taking Epic Dodge until Legendary Levels and take Great Dexterity there instead. You theoretically shouldn't be taking too much damage so your concentration needn't be too high. You might even place those skill points into heal instead, to increase the damage Cause Critical Wounds and such spells do.
The HS secret boots and the Prismatic's innate elemental resistances give you 50% immunity to cold, fire, electricity, and acid, and no immunity but no vulnerability either to sonic. Keep Energy Buffer up to soak anything else that gets through. For the harder runs, you might want to acquire potions or scrolls of Elemental Shield (the potions can be found in several places as static drops, I don't know if the scrolls are sold somewhere). That will give you 100% immunity to fire and cold. A ring of Quaternary Union gives an additional 25% immunity to fire/cold/elec/acid, for a total of 75% to those. With 30/- elemental resistance from items, that lets you soak 120 elemental damage. Even with only 20/-, that soaks 80 total. Energy Buffer gives 40/- soak for 25 points per caster level, and bonuses at Legendary Levels boosts that to 45/- and a total of 1500 points at level 60 (for this build). With 75% immunity, 40/- soaks 180 damage. Dachy's 100% sonic immunity ring should also be kept on you at all times.
Don't forget Aegis, which will cover your exotic resists. Rings with exotic immunity will really increase the effectiveness of Aegis.
I set the standards very high for this build, I wanted it to have it all. I've done the best I can, unfortunately it doesn't have enough feats/wisdom to get more than the one epic spell from a book.
The concept is to build the perfect tank (I've been told a better term is "brick" or "wall"). As such, all (and I do mean all) offensive abilities have been sacrificed for defensive abilities. This includes the benefits of Dex builds, Con builds, and Str builds, adding on elemental and exotic immunity/resists.
Play strategy is basically wade into battle and distract everything, letting your casters nuke and rezzing people when necessary. You also get several nice party buff spells as a cleric.
Defensive Abilities
Cleric's Aegis Epic Spell (30/- exotic resists for 40 rounds, or 4 minutes)
High Constitution (22, 34 max buffed)
Epic Damage Reduction III (9/- damage reduction)
Epic Dodge
Self Conceal V (50% permanent conceal)
Wears Full Plate/Tower Shield for high damage immunity and reduction
50% permanent immunity to elements (except for sonic)
Race: Human Prismatic HD (easily obtainable secret race)
Subrace Abilities: +2 Str, -2 Dex, -1 Int, +2 Cha, 25% immunity to Fire/Cold/Acid/Elec, 25% vulnerability to sonic
Starting Stats
Str 8->10
Dex 16->14
Con 17
Wis 14
Int 9->8
Cha 8->10
Cleric Domains
Choose two domains. For the first one, pick either Earth or Fire. Both give Energy Buffer, Earth gives Stoneskin and Fire gives Wall of Fire (which turns into Wall of Stone later). The problem with Stoneskin is its low effectiveness due to it being a low level spell and your low caster level.
For a second domain, maybe choose Plant for Barkskin for an early boost to natural AC at low levels (you'll probably be wearing the necklaces that give Wisdom so you can use higher level spells, more on that later), and Creeping Doom, a no-save less useful spell until maybe the Hells.
Levels
L1-20 Cleric Alertness, Dodge, Iron Will, Mobility
Level-up Ability Points: +4 Con, +1 Dex
Grab the skills for HS here, and feats for HS and SD as well. You get 8 general feats, 4 of them are used on Dodge, Mobility, Iron Will, and Alertness (in any order, for SD and HS). Put 4 points into Discipline, 6 into Lore, 8 into Persuade, and 4 into Search for HS prereqs. Due to your lack of skill points, you won't be able get all the skills until level 12. For the four remaining feats, pick up Toughness and anything else you'd like, probably Lightning Reflexes and Great Fortitude. You might pick up Extend Spell to make your buffs last longer.
L21-25 Harper Scout Epic Damage Reduction I, Great Dexterity x3
+1 Dex
Pick up EDR I at level 21. Use the other feats to pick up Great Dexterity. Put 10 points into Hide, 8 into Move Silently, and 18 into Tumble.
L26-35 Shadowdancer Great Dexterity x3
+2 Dex
Put enough points into Hide and Tumble to get them both up to 30.
L36-40 Cleric Armor Skin, Epic Dodge, Epic Damage Reduction II
+2 Dex
Pick up Epic Dodge first at level 36, then Armor Skin with the Cleric's bonus feat at level 38, and finally EDR II at level 39. At level 40, you have 38 remaining skill points. They're probably best put into Concentration so you can cast buffs while in battle. Hopefully you won't be taking too much damage anyways.
L41-60 Cleric Epic Damage Reduction III, Great Dexterity, Self Concealment V
+3 Dex, +1 Con, +6 anything
Pick up EDR III at level 42. Boost Dexterity with your first three ability points. At level 45, pick up Great Dexterity. At level 48, put the ability point into Constitution and pick up SC I. For the rest of the ability points, dump them into whatever you'd like (probably Wisdom if you want don't want to rely on items with Wisdom boosts to cast level 9 spells, or Constitution if you want to be a better tank, or Dexterity if you want attempt to actually hit enemies, though that isn't recommended), and the remaining feats pick up SC II through SC V.
Edit: Constitution points taken during legendary levels will NOT give bonus hitpoints.
Stats
At level 40:
HP 550 unbuffed, 790 buffed
Saves (with pre-epic feats, fully buffed) F/W/R: 55/52/52
Stats: Str 10/Dex 26/Con 21/Int 8/Wis 14/Cha 10
At level 60:
HP 790 unbuffed, 1170 buffed, or 180 more w/ +6 Con at LLs
Saves (with pre-epic feats, fully buffed) F/W/R: 61/57/59
Saves at level 60 will be higher depending on where you spend your last six stat points.
Stats: Str 10/Dex 30/Con 22/Int 8/Wis 14/Cha 10 (with +6 to any stat)
Equipment
Wear Full Plate and use Tower Shields for the most immunities, resistances, and reductions. The Harper Scout secret will give you 25% immunity to all five normal elements (cold/fire/elec/acid/sonic) in the form of a boot (http://www.hgwiki.com/wiki/index.php/Boots_of_the_Wanderer). You should be wearing it most if not all the time. It only gives +12 Dodge AC, +16 counting Haste, so you should always be buffed with Undeath's Eternal Foe for the remaining 4 points of Dodge AC.
You might wear the mord ring as well if you want to keep your own buffs up, such as the two Regeneration Spells.
Analysis
This build can get the BAB of a fighter with spells, and can easily get up to +20 cap on AB with buffs. However, most meleers have around 60 strength/dexterity (buffed), while you only get 42 here. Also, you don't get Weapon Focuses and Epic Prowess, for a total penalty of 14 AB (assuming you get Weapon Finesse). However, most fighters only get about +13 enhancement on weapons (with mages around), ignoring AB bonuses from items such as Sheath of Blessing, which don't last long. The penalty falls to 7 AB.
Wisdom stays at 14 until late Legendary Levels (if it is raise then). This means you'll have to rely on items that give a boost to wisdom to cast higher level spells.
Because of the low caster level, you'll be mostly useless against any creatures with spell resistance. Also, spells will be significantly weaker. Harm and Earthquake (though you'll be doing low damage) will probably be your most important spells. Healing Circle and Mass Heal will also be very good spells to cast at random times. Resurrection will give temporary bonus HP starting at level 55 (eek). Your main spells, however, will be buff spells, preferably cast with Extend Spell. Your worst enemy will probably be morders that mord the buffs you place on your party.
A portion of the final 38 skillpoints can be placed into Tumble as well if you save the 10th level of SD for level 40. You'll have to delay taking Epic Dodge until Legendary Levels and take Great Dexterity there instead. You theoretically shouldn't be taking too much damage so your concentration needn't be too high. You might even place those skill points into heal instead, to increase the damage Cause Critical Wounds and such spells do.
The HS secret boots and the Prismatic's innate elemental resistances give you 50% immunity to cold, fire, electricity, and acid, and no immunity but no vulnerability either to sonic. Keep Energy Buffer up to soak anything else that gets through. For the harder runs, you might want to acquire potions or scrolls of Elemental Shield (the potions can be found in several places as static drops, I don't know if the scrolls are sold somewhere). That will give you 100% immunity to fire and cold. A ring of Quaternary Union gives an additional 25% immunity to fire/cold/elec/acid, for a total of 75% to those. With 30/- elemental resistance from items, that lets you soak 120 elemental damage. Even with only 20/-, that soaks 80 total. Energy Buffer gives 40/- soak for 25 points per caster level, and bonuses at Legendary Levels boosts that to 45/- and a total of 1500 points at level 60 (for this build). With 75% immunity, 40/- soaks 180 damage. Dachy's 100% sonic immunity ring should also be kept on you at all times.
Don't forget Aegis, which will cover your exotic resists. Rings with exotic immunity will really increase the effectiveness of Aegis.