2H Non-Smiter CHA-Paladin [4 Fighter/31 Paladin/5 Harper]

[Deleted]

I built Gold Poliwhirl as my first primary tank toon and played it a lot over the last few months; in that time I received many questions about the build from people who saw it in action. Now that I've reincarnated and am no longer using the build, I figured I'd post it up along with some basic advice on how to make the most of it.

Mileage will vary greatly based on skill/gear/levels. Compared to other viable 2Hers, IMO this build takes a fair amount of extra effort/focus to pull off. For my part, I've played this build heavily through all endgame areas and have found it extremely effective as a melee-damager everywhere from Hell to Limbo.

The first obvious hurdle is that there are relatively hefty minimum requirements. Like most 2Hers, this build NEEDS Paragon levels and a couple of demi-iterations to work. There are a fair few Paragon builds on the forums that attempt to tweak their stats to 'work' as a Level 60 x0, but that is simply a terrible idea and only adds fuel to the 'tanks suck' argument. Big, red text for clarity:

DO NOT CREATE THIS BUILD FROM SCRATCH.

The original Gold Poliwhirl was tailored for a minimum of Level 74, though I've also attached a variant that should come to life at around Level 70. You certainly need at least x2 Demi for both options, but you will get hit often enough that more demi-iterations are extra helpful. In terms of required items:

*You need to be tagged with the Pharlan BUR subrace.
*You NEED a Strongheart and a decent Solar Forged Plate (ie: randomized to 18 AC + at least x2 Level 5 slots).
*I HIGHLY RECOMMEND having access to Wrap of the Dark Prince and Abyssal Vestiges/Solar Mote.
*Temporal Autocaster and Augmenter of the Salamander are luxury options which can make playing/gearing a lot smoother.

TL;DR - if you don't have a Level ~70 x2 Demi CC-Paladin toon, with a spare Strongheart + 18 AC Solar Forged Plate with 2x Level 5 slots ready to go, DO NOT try to make this build as posted.

-> Pre-emptive answer to: "Can I build this without Pharlan?" The answer is NO! The build is *extremely* feat-tight and stat-tight and needs LSA: Listen, in my opinion using any race other than Pharlan is crippling for the toon.
-> If you lack the required high-end gear, make/play/master a Cleric or Druid to carry runs and get rich quick.
-> If you already have the required high-end gear but need to create a toon from scratch, make a 1H Paladin-CC Uni-Tank (I'd advise focusing on a Bludge weapon, to be effective against Pit Fiends). Get it to Level 70+ with as many demi-iterations as you can, then reincarnate. [Edit: Added a build for this, see Post #3]

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DEFENCES
The most important determinant of 2Her viability is whether you can survive the defensive drop from not having a shield. Surviving Hell is generally simple, but areas such as Elysium/Abyss and especially Limbo will put any toon's defence to the test. With high levels + good gear + smart play this build is sturdy, but not a true face-tank for challenging areas. Relative to other viable 2H classes:

-> You lack the last few points required for it's AC to be considered 'decent' (eg: Ranger/Monk/Barbarian)
-> You lack high conceal options (eg: Staffmaster/Warchanter/Monk/Fighter)
-> You lack a good Expertise/Disarm option (eg: Weapon Master/Fighter/CoT)
-> You lack Epic Dodge (eg: Rogue/Fighter/Battle-Cleric)
-> You lack huge Soak/auto-restore (eg: Battle-Cleric/CoT)

Having said all that, you DO have:
*Overall high immunities, especially to Exotic damage
*AC of ~134, borderline passable when combined with your immunities - I would not plan to go any lower though
*Critical hit immunity - similar to other 2Hers, though yours is arguably more limited in flexibility
*Stellar saves, though lacking Evasion slightly limits how useful this is
*Easy access to Greater Restoration potions

In short, this isn't a Leeroy tank that you can play while you're doing school-work in another window, but if you play and gear with awareness and intelligence (more on that later), you really shouldn't be dying much.

PROS
DAMAGE: 
The main reason you choose this build. In terms of DPS, you are absolutely top-tier against crit-immune targets (aka: many 'tank targets'), and still deal very respectable damage to crit-vulnerable mobs as well. 
Holy Sword:
The effectiveness of on-hit Dispel varies from run to run, but in some places it is a *really* nice bonus.

CONS
Harper Boots: 
These get a special mention, since they are a MAJOR frustration and a large part of why I've reincarnated out of the original build. The effect is amazing... when it's active. At 2 uses/day and a 5 minute duration, it is very common to see it go to waste. Usability will vary from party to party, but PUG-style runs are notorious for burning your buff's duration. 
Get familiar with activating them and then seeing the Bard or Druid type "amni'd, gonna rest", or "brb bio". Simply take a deep breath and type "RIP boots" while you resist the urge to punch your monitor.
Short-duration buffs: 
Very similar to the above Harper Boots example, though usually a little more forgiving since you tend to have more casts/uses per day. Even so, there is a lot of stuff for you to cast and none of it lasts very long. Divine Shield, Divine Might, Divine Favor, Holy Sword, Death Ward, Wrap of the Dark Prince, Harper Boots...
Make sure you stagger the buffs, or you're going to be standing still for 30+ seconds rebuffing every ~5 minutes mid-run. You are very mediocre without your buffs, so you have to be very on the ball about never letting yourself get dispelled.
Low Dexterity:
'Low' might be an exaggeration (you have effective 40 Dexterity for checks at Level 80), but it definitely isn't high. You can make the basic checks, but any Dex-check big boys will cause you trouble - don't even dream of facing a Balor head-on.
Have a Greater Nimble Circle quick-slotted and ready to swap whenever you need it. Asmo Belt is a wearable option, but IMO the lazy-mode gain does not justify the loss of immunities from Asmo Gloves.
Low AB: 
You are the quintessential "Paragon toon in a non-Paragon run", needing levels in the high 70's to achieve acceptable AB. It's easily sufficient for Hell, but sometimes in the Abyss and often in Limbo you will be feeling the burden of low AB, especially with so many attacks per round. You can't really Disarm anything worth Disarming, though you're so feat-tight that its very hard to fit it in anyway. 
In slated future areas (ie: EE's), the AB will almost certainly be build-breakingly low.
No Self-Cast Conceal:
Not a major issue, and it's one that many other 2Hers face as well. Conceal makes a big difference to your survival, so get used to bugging the Bard for Displacement (though the good ones will give it to you before you ask). Alternatively, stock up on Gnomish Exploration Goggles.

Weapon Selection
The previous patch introduced changes to weapon stats, along with the removal of dual-damage weapons and the addition of Paragon Weapon Alternate. This has made weapon selection much more diverse, with the ability to focus in multiple types (though one of them will be weaker). The 'best combination' is subjective and depends on where you want to play. 

I chose to focus in Slash with PWA Bludge (Greatsword + PWA Maul) and haven't regretted my decision at all. For players who plan to spend a lot of time in Abyss/Elysium, there is probably a decent argument to focus in Pierce with PWA in Bludge (or vice-versa). Overall, I think having *any* two of the three will make you much more effective, though I would probably advise that one of the two is Bludge.

Remember: the 'best' weapons are always in high demand and thus much harder to acquire. If you aren't a richboy, don't be afraid to use a 'low tier' weapon. For example, Falchion has a tiny disadvantage when compared to Greatsword, but is 10x easier to find a seller for.

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BUILD
At Level 80 in appropriate gear, Gold Poliwhirl ends with:

AB: +104/+99/+94/+89/+104/+99/+94/+89 (8 APR including Harper Boots/Wrap of the Dark Prince)
AC: 134
Saves: 92F/87R/88W
Damage: Depends on how you calculate it, but it's always a lot

-> If you can hit 120 Craft Weapon/Armor, you gain +1 AB/AC respectively
-> If you choose Greater Weapon Focus as your 'spare feat', you gain a further +1 AB

The original build relies on having earned *both* Paragon stat points for Charisma and Strength, which requires at least Level 74 (or more if you rolled poorly). I've also added a 'younger' version which comes to life at around Level 70 instead (the difference between Level 70 and 75 is ~30 million XP). I feel that the younger version ends up slightly inferior, but it's not necessarily build-breaking.

Both versions end up with a spare Paragon feat at Level 78. Apart from Greater Weapon Focus mentioned earlier, Inherent Waterbreathing can be pretty useful if you are going to be playing a lot of Abyss/Aboleths, while Environmental Adaptivity is a generic safe choice which will always be useful in Hell/Abyss/Limbo.

Gold Poliwhirl (Level ~75+)

SPOILER: Click to show

4 Fighter/31 Paladin/5 Harper Scout, Lawful Good

Half-Elf:
STR 16
DEX 14
CON 8
WIS 8
INT 14
CHA 15
-> Pharlan (Free Great Strength 1/2, Divine Might)
STR 22 <- Add 1 point here
DEX 14
CON 8
WIS 12
INT 14
CHA 19 <- Add 19 points here
*From Levels 1-60, put 1 point into Strength and 19 points into Charisma

Skills:
You need a little bit of Discipline/Lore/Persuade/Search to unlock Harper Scout.
After that, you definitely want to max Discipline/Listen, take at least 60 Tumble, and then divide the rest between Craft Armor/Craft Weapon with a little Concentration. The specific distribution will vary from player to player.
*Tumble can be left at only 60, but there are a few mobs with Tumble checks where the extra 3 points might be useful.
*In theory, you only need enough Craft Weapon/Armor to hit 80 points. The exact amount you need will depend on how much you get from your gear or typical parties/penalties.
*The amount of required Concentration is personal preference, based on the rest of your gear and where you are going to play. I have seen successful tanks with 0-40 Concentration points.

Sample Skills @ 70: (Don't feel the need to copy these exactly)
Concentration 15
Craft Armor 63
Craft Weapon 63
Discipline 63
Listen 63
Lore 6 (Harper Scout)
Persuade 8 (Harper Scout)
Search 4 (Harper Scout; costs 8 due to cross-class)
Tumble 63

*You get another 30 Paragon points by Level 80, if you aren't hitting the +50 cap to anything (notably Listen and Craft Armor) then you can pad them with the Paragon points instead. Definitely a case-by-case decision to make for yourself.
*If you can hit the +50 cap to Craft Armor and are a high-demi toon, consider using the Craft Armor Pandect to hit 120 for an extra +1 AC.

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Pre-Epic Leveling/Feats:
1-2 Fighter
3-20 Paladin

1 Blooded
1 Power Attack [Bonus Fighter Feat]
2 Cleave [Bonus Fighter Feat]
3 Weapon Focus
6 Iron Will
9 Alertness
12 Great Cleave
15 Divine Shield
18 Improved Critical

Epic Leveling/Feats:
21-20 Paladin
23-24 Fighter
25-29 Harper Scout
30-40 Paladin

21 Epic Weapon Focus
24 Weapon Specialization
24 Epic Weapon Specialization [Bonus Fighter Feat]
25 Great Charisma 1 [Bonus Harper Feat]
27 Armor Skin
29 Great Charisma 2 [Bonus Harper Feat]
30 Great Strength 3
32 Epic Prowess [Bonus Paladin Feat]
33 Great Strength 4
35 Overwhelming Critical [Bonus Paladin Feat]
36 Great Strength 5
38 Devastating Critical [Bonus Paladin Feat]
39 Great Strength 6

[Note: you can actually shuffle the feats around a little and take Great Smiting feats instead of Great Strength, just to have the 'style' factor of a weak Greater Smite. I didn't post this variant since it's a bit clunkier to type/build, but there is no disadvantage to it.]

Legendary/Paragon Feats:
42 LSA: Tumble
45 LSA: Listen
48 Legendary Weapon Focus
51 Legendary Weapon Specialization
54 Great Strength 7
57 Great Strength 8
60 Great Strength 9
---
63 Paragon Weapon Specialization
66 Paragon Weapon Alternate
69 Paragon Balance
72 Metamagic: Extend Spell
75 Paragon Weapon Focus
78 +1 [eg: Greater Weapon Focus, Inherent Waterbreathing, Adaptivity]

^ I took Greater Weapon Focus on mine

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'Young' Gold Poliwhirl (Level ~70+)

SPOILER: Click to show

4 Fighter/31 Paladin/5 Harper Scout, Lawful Good

Half-Elf
STR 16
DEX 14
CON 8
INT 14
WIS 8
CHA 15
-> Pharlan (Free Great Strength 1/2, Divine Might)
STR 22 <- Add 4 points here
DEX 14
CON 8
INT 14
WIS 12
CHA 19 <- Add 16 points here
*From Levels 1-60, put 4 points into Strength and 16 points into Charisma

Skills:
You need a little bit of Discipline/Lore/Persuade/Search to unlock Harper Scout.
After that, you definitely want to max Discipline/Listen, take at least 60 Tumble, and then divide the rest between Craft Armor/Craft Weapon with a little Concentration. The specific distribution will vary from player to player.
*Tumble can be left at only 60, but there are a few mobs with Tumble checks where the extra 3 points might be useful.
*In theory, you only need enough Craft Weapon/Armor to hit 80 points. The exact amount you need will depend on how much you get from your gear or typical parties/penalties.
*The amount of required Concentration is personal preference, based on the rest of your gear and where you are going to play. I have seen successful tanks with 0-40 Concentration points.

Sample Skills @ 70: (Don't feel the need to copy these exactly)
Concentration 15
Craft Armor 63
Craft Weapon 63
Discipline 63
Listen 63
Lore 6 (Harper Scout)
Persuade 8 (Harper Scout)
Search 4 (Harper Scout; costs 8 due to cross-class)
Tumble 63

*You get another 30 Paragon points by Level 80, if you aren't hitting the +50 cap to anything (notably Listen and Craft Armor) then you can pad them with the Paragon points instead. Definitely a case-by-case decision to make for yourself.
*If you can hit the +50 cap to Craft Armor and are a high-demi toon, consider using the Craft Armor Pandect to hit 120 for an extra +1 AC.

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Pre-Epic Leveling/Feats:
1-2 Fighter
3-20 Paladin

1 Blooded
1 Power Attack [Bonus Fighter Feat]
2 Cleave [Bonus Fighter Feat]
3 Weapon Focus
6 Iron Will
9 Alertness
12 Great Cleave
15 Divine Shield
18 Improved Critical

Epic Leveling/Feats:
21-22 Paladin
23-24 Fighter
25-29 Harper Scout
30-40 Paladin

21 Epic Weapon Focus
24 Weapon Specialization
24 Epic Weapon Specialization [Bonus Fighter Feat]
25 Great Charisma 1 [Bonus Harper Feat]
27 Armor Skin
29 Great Charisma 2 [Bonus Harper Feat]
30 Great Strength 3
32 Epic Prowess [Bonus Paladin Feat]
33 Great Strength 4
35 Overwhelming Critical [Bonus Paladin Feat]
36 Great Strength 5
38 Devastating Critical [Bonus Paladin Feat]
39 Great Strength 6

Legendary/Paragon Feats:
42 LSA: Tumble
45 LSA: Listen
48 Legendary Weapon Focus
51 Legendary Weapon Specialization
54 Great Strength 7
57 Greater Weapon Focus
60 Metamagic: Extend Spell

---

63 Paragon Weapon Specialization
66 Paragon Weapon Alternate
69 Paragon Balance
72 Paragon Weapon Focus
75 Great Strength 8
78 +1 [eg: Inherent Waterbreathing, Environmental Adaptivity]

*You will end up at Level 80 with an odd number of Charisma (63 buffed ) - you can spend the final feat on Great Charisma 3 to gain +1 damage, +1% Divine/Positive and +1 Saves, but IMO this is a waste of the feat.

*Ends with +1-2 AB at the cost of -1 AC (also -1 Damage, -2 Saves, -2% Divine/Positive, -1% Phys... but those are minor). I personally value AC significantly more than AB, even though I have highlighted 'low AB' as a downside.

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Wondrous Tome: 
Enchantment - Lets you access +13 Self-GMW. You will probably never cast it.

Artifact:
CON - Safe decision if you will play mostly Hell/Abyss.
STR - Stun immunity is really frustrating to gear; if Poison isn't going to be an issue then you can happily use this one. You will probably want to shuffle your feats around a little (eg: drop 2x Great Strength and pick up Greater Weapon Focus + 1 extra feat)

Pandect:
Spell Resistance - Safe option for a Pharlan, taking you to a handy 79 SR by Level 60.
Craft Armor - Depends on gear/typical party composition/demi-iterations/where you play. As mentioned earlier, if you are confident that ESF will guarantee hitting 120 Craft Armor, this is a great choice for +1 AC.
Sneak Attack - Small amount of bonus damage to the Sneaks granted by Asmo Gloves/Crown of Corruption.
Disarm - I don't really recommend it (your AB is very mediocre), but if you're a Disarm addict and have a spare copy sitting around then go for it.

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HOW TO SET UP/PLAY
As with any other tank, staying alive is an acquired skill based on positioning, judicious heals/restorations (luckily Harper Scout can easily do both at once), and clever gearing + gear-swaps - dealing effective damage is also an acquired skill based on intelligent weapon crafting, well-timed weapon swaps, and deep knowledge of target mobs.
Make sure you have read Raj's Guide to Crafting Weapons.

Buff Management:
You are *very* dependent on your buffs to be effective. In theory Divine Shield by itself makes up a large portion of your defence, but Death Ward/Aura of Glory/Endure Elements also add a lot if you're actually taking heavy fire. In terms of offence, you get a significant amount of bonus damage from Divine Might and Divine Favor, and a lot of your APR comes from Harper Scout and Wrap of the Dark Prince.
Rule #1 is "DON'T LOSE YOUR BUFFS" - you aren't a Battle-Cleric with Augury, so keep Mord/Breach/Dispel options ready to hot-swap whenever you need them. Get a feel for the timing of Raja MSDs and make sure they hit the rest of your party instead of you (lol).
Rule #2 follows very closely, and is "KEEP TRACK OF YOUR BUFFS" - many of them have slightly different durations, stay on top of them and make sure they're up and running as much as possible. Use a !voicebind or macro for !effects, or add timers to HGX.

Sample Spellbook:

Level 5: Extended Death Ward (Crit Immunity) <- These slots come from Solar Forged Plate, hence the need for good randomization mentioned at the start
Level 4: Holy Sword (On-Hit Breach)
Level 3: Extended Aura of Glory (Phys% + Pos% Immunity)
Level 2: Extended Divine Favor (+Damage)
Level 1: Endure Elements (Ele% Immunity) + Bless Weapon (Divine Dice Buff)

This is not set in stone at all, and will vary by personal preference and specific needs on a run-to-run basis.
Other spells you might use include Deafening Clang, Greater Magic Weapon, Freedom of Movement, Life's Grace, Lionheart and quick-cast (Lesser)/Restorations.

Sample Gearset:
In most cases your gear choices will be based on what randomized gear you have, but a Paladin like this is quite inflexible with regards to gear. I dislike giving specific gearing advice, so this is only a general suggestion. I use mostly Set Loot on mine, so you don't necessarily need uber randomized stuff (though some Set Loot pieces are arguably rare enough already).

Mainhand/Offhand: Weapon
Armor: Solar Forged Plate + AUG
Helm: [Situational]
Gloves: Reaching for Damnation (Asmo Gloves)
Cloak: Wrap of the Dark Prince
Boots: Harper Boots
Belt: Coil of Grabduk + AUG
Amulet: Strongheart
Ring1: [Situational]
Ring2: [Primary Breach OR Mord Immunity Ring]
Mote: Solar Mote (WIS/INT)

If you don't have a Wrap of the Dark Prince, you can use Baator's Embrace (Asmo Cloak) instead for +16 CHA, which also covers Elemental Resists but unfortunately costs you % immunities and extra Sneak Attack damage.
Main helm options include Visor of Vigilance for poor-boys - if you have an Augmenter of the Salamander for SF/ESF: Listen you can fit in something like Crown of Corruption, Visage of Elemental Chaos, Lifebane Crown etc., depending on the area. Alternatively you can use Helm of Zeal for reliable Elemental Resists (I typically use an Energy Buffer augmenter, since anything else is hard to fit).
For Rings, I often use a Quaternary Exotica + whatever ring is best suited for the run. Regardless of your 'standard setup', ALWAYS keep Breach/Mord/Dispel Rings ready to hot-swap if required.
The Mote doesn't really matter, but Solar Mote gives you easy +16s, as well as some free Immunity %.

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CONCLUSION

This ended up being a lot longer than I expected, but hopefully that means it'll be informative. Kudos if you made it this far! I typed the bulk of this in one sitting, so will probably be tidying up the post over the next few days. The actual builds were quickly adapted from my old notes, so please let me know if you spot any errors there (most likely in the 'younger' variant which was typed on the fly).

Thanks for reading - I certainly enjoyed learning to play this build effectively over the last few months, and hopefully you will too! 
Happy to answer any questions or give further advice if you need it, simply post below.

[Raj]

Rule #2 follows very closely, and is "KEEP TRACK OF YOUR BUFFS" - many of them have slightly different durations, stay on top of them and make sure they're up and running as much as possible. Use a !voicebind or macro for !effects, or add timers to HGX.

Chiming in to stress a bit over buff importance, and a quick ''how to'' noob guide.

In the ...\hgx2.8.5\data\statusrules.d directory of hgx you can add timers for every spell/ability/item with a recognizable chat message, making your own file or editing an existing one.
For example, in my 'template - divine fighters' file I created a timer for Divine Might ability simply adding some lines:

<timer
text="Divine Might"
description="Divine Might"
player="Raj'zee"
rule="^Raj'zee casts Divine Might$"
duration="00:04:12"
disableOnDeath="true"
disableOnRest="true" />

this is the text that by default is going to be displayed in green in the top right corner of your screen
not important, just something you can add personal notes to, but is ignored for all pratical purposes; I am a boring guy so I type the same thing twice.
use your character name obviously, case-sensitive
this (without the special characters ^ and $) is the line that is getting displayed in the chat screen and makes hgx able to read what you're casting
base duration; despite what's written in hgx notes, do not type the duration in seconds but use the format ##:##:##

To know the duration of your buffs without having to calculate it simply use !effect. If your caster level or, in case of divine buffs, your charisma changes upon levelling up, you'll have to edit that file in future.

In game effect:

[Deleted]

Aug 25, 2016 14:02:19 GMT @ssj2poliwhirl said:

-> If you already have the required high-end gear but need to create a toon from scratch, make a 1H Paladin-CC Uni-Tank (I'd advise focusing on a Bludge weapon, to be effective against Pit Fiends). Get it to Level 70+ with as many demi-iterations as you can, then reincarnate.

Decided I would post a Pharlan version of this 1H option which CAN be made from scratch.

If you lack the race or are using an Open Subrace, Xiayu's Moogle Knight is a good enough alternative. Note that if this is your first ever toon on HG, it is very difficult to farm the required gear by focusing on a tank - you'll be much better off trying a Cleric or Druid.

For this build, I would probably focus in a Bludge weapon and take PWA: Slash for overall Hell effectiveness (though there is also a reasonable argument to swap those two around).

1H Pharlan Uni-Tank (Level 1-70 Option)
This is a theory-craft build that I wrote on the fly, if you notice any mistakes please let me know - I'll double-check it myself later today.

SPOILER: Click to show

31 Paladin/4 Fighter/5 Harper Scout, Lawful Good

Half-Elf:
STR 16
DEX 14
CON 8
WIS 12
INT 14
CHA 12
-> Pharlan (Free Great Strength 1/2, Divine Might)
STR 22 <- All leveling points here!
DEX 14
CON 8
WIS 16
INT 14
CHA 16

Skills @ 60:
Discipline 63
Listen 63
Lore 6 (Harper Scout)
Persuade 8 (Harper Scout)
Search 4 (Harper Scout; costs 8 due to cross-class)
Tumble 60
-> Divide any spare points as desired between Concentration/Craft Armor/Craft Weapon

Pre-Epic Leveling/Feats:
1-2 Fighter (mostly to unlock Cleave ASAP for lowbie shenanigans)
3-20 Paladin

1 Blooded
1 Power Attack [Bonus Fighter Feat]
2 Cleave [Bonus Fighter Feat]
3 Weapon Focus
6 Great Cleave
9 Improved Critical
12 Metamagic: Extend Spell
15 Iron Will
18 Alertness

Epic Leveling/Feats:
21-25 Paladin
26-30 Harper Scout
31-37 Paladin
38-39 Fighter
40 Paladin

21 Overwhelming Critical
24 Devastating Critical
25 Armor Skin [Bonus Paladin Feat]
26 Great Dexterity 1 [Bonus Harper Feat]
27 Greater Weapon Focus
30 Great Dexterity 2
30 Great Dexterity 3 [Bonus Harper Feat]
33 Great Dexterity 4
33 Epic Weapon Focus [Bonus Paladin Feat]
36 Great Dexterity 5
36 Epic Prowess [Bonus Paladin Feat]
39 Weapon Specialization
39 Epic Weapon Specialization [Bonus Fighter Feat]

Legendary/Paragon Feats:
42 LSA: Tumble
45 LSA: Listen
48 Legendary Weapon Focus
51 Legendary Weapon Specialization
54 Great Dexterity 6
57 Great Dexterity 7
60 Great Dexterity 8
---
63 Paragon Balance
66 Paragon Weapon Specialization
69 Paragon Weapon Alternate
72 Paragon Weapon Focus
75 Inherent Waterbreathing
78 +1 [You will have likely reincarnated by here]
-> The above is just a quick suggestion, you don't *need* to take the Paragon feats in that order

*Use Enchantment Tome
*Use the CON Artifact when possible

Ending stats at Level 60/x0/No Artifact, and wearing +14 items
STR 60
DEX 36
CON 22
WIS 30
INT 28
CHA 34

AB: 100 (with +20 magic bonus, assuming +2 from Craft Weapon), 7 attacks per round with Harper Boots
Saves: 67F/66R/63W
AC: 126 (+17 unrandomized BURs, assuming +2 from Craft Armor)
---
+4 (18's to Natural/Armor/Shield/Deflection)
+4 (Girding)
= 134 with better gear and Girding from the party
---
+2 (20 Deflection from Asmo Arti)
+2 (Strongheart)
= 138 at x1 if you can get your hands on a Strongheart

By Level 63, you'll have an effective 40 to DEX checks which climbs to ~50 at x2 Demi while wearing the Asmo Belt (if boosting checks is your goal) - comfortably 'uni-tank' in Hell, even against Paragons. Your DPS is *much* lower than the 2H version, but its generally sturdier and is far more forgiving about sloppy gearing/playstyles.

[mage4]

Hello poli, I'm very new and have been benefitting a lot from the builds you posted. Really appreciate it!

Had a quick question about for the 1H Uni 1-70 Option Build.
What's the reason for starting with 12 -> 16(subrace) wisdom?
I understand that 14 wisdom is required for spellcasting.. is it for stat checks in end game runs?

[Deleted]

Feb 2, 2017 2:49:29 GMT mage4 said:

Hello poli, I'm very new and have been benefitting a lot from the builds you posted. Really appreciate it!

Had a quick question about for the 1H Uni 1-70 Option Build.
What's the reason for starting with 12 -> 16(subrace) wisdom?
I understand that 14 wisdom is required for spellcasting.. is it for stat checks in end game runs?

Not really for stat checks, to be totally honest I don't quite remember... but the most likely explanation is that you need 15 base WIS to use Level 5 slots from gear (notably for Extended Death Ward/Holy Sword); in theory you could reduce pre-subrace WIS to 11 and then have one extra point to spend on something else, doesn't really make a difference either way.

The posted build is just a rough outline of something that would be useable from scratch, if you think there are various tweaks to make it more playable for your needs then you should definitely integrate them. The reality is that *any* Level 60 x0 build seems crippled compared to a reincarnated version after a few Paragon levels/demi-iterations, so no need to stress about getting the starting build perfect - just make sure it's something you enjoy playing

[somes]

Feb 2, 2017 2:49:29 GMT mage4 said:

Hello poli, I'm very new and have been benefitting a lot from the builds you posted. Really appreciate it!

Had a quick question about for the 1H Uni 1-70 Option Build.
What's the reason for starting with 12 -> 16(subrace) wisdom?
I understand that 14 wisdom is required for spellcasting.. is it for stat checks in end game runs?

You would have to start with 12 wisdom if you are taking a paladin level first how the base game forces you to start with 11, and you need 15 to cast extended level 4 spells, but I'm seeing the build and he takes a fighter level first like I did with my 2hander. I min/max with mine and my latest version I start with 8 wisdom how I can get away with it with demi bonuses, I also grinded the game where I can have a lot of spell slots for crit immunity, use holy sword wands how I've already done a lot of aboleths and don't really need the breach ability anymore, and abuse the ely gloves every rest I take. You also get +1 to your will modifier if you bump it up to 16 wisdom. It could also be Poli had nowhere else to put the odd point in the build. If you have the Pharlan subrace you can get away with starting with 10, but having extended level 4 spells if you are poor/new is necessary, the extended crit immunity will help a lot with gear you are lacking.

By the way, if you are thinking of making this build + taking it to end game areas, just note this is the ultimate rich boy build, and you'll hit walls very fast. If my paragraph above sounded like complete gibberish, it's probably not time to play this build yet. Not to be condescending, just don't want you to quit the game early. Had to grind the hell out of this game to make this build work without eating all the possums and visiting limbo often (if this sentence is also gibberish, not the time to make this character either). Of course, ultimately play what you want and my sentiment shouldn't matter at the end of the day, but if everything I have now were to be wiped away and had to start with this one, I would need to be the ultimate masochist to get through the leveling experience.

Edit: Ah, Poli beat me to it while I was writing.

[mage4]

Thank you both for the replies. I might start with 15 wis, move the odd point to cha, take 2 Str stat gains to dex, and change two Great Dex feats to ESF:Listen and a Great Cha for another point of physical immunity. Should suffer -1 AB/dam but actually gain 0.5 damage when Divine Might is on, and have more concealment penetration to hopefully offset the AB loss.

As for the need for good gear, this new toon will have lower priority than my other toons (60 cleric, 52 lash and 40 sorc at the moment) so I'll use those toons to procure gear for my pally

[sabregirl]

I'm giving this build a go as a limbo running build, but I would make one suggestion. Considering the high CHA of this build, it's probably worth putting a point or two in UMD in legendary/paragon levels (Harper scout levels allow you to cross class UMD in legendary levels). One it can allow GS scroll use in case of emergency, but more importantly it makes potion alterations by Gremlins meaningless. So you won't die because you couldn't heal from a gremlin check (which is a spot check you probably won't make).

-S

[Deleted]

Mar 30, 2017 3:27:40 GMT sabregirl said:

I'm giving this build a go as a limbo running build, but I would make one suggestion. Considering the high CHA of this build, it's probably worth putting a point or two in UMD in legendary/paragon levels (Harper scout levels allow you to cross class UMD in legendary levels). One it can allow GS scroll use in case of emergency, but more importantly it makes potion alterations by Gremlins meaningless. So you won't die because you couldn't heal from a gremlin check (which is a spot check you probably won't make).

-S

Sure, would not be difficult to fit in. To be completely honest I hadn't noticed that Harpers could access UMD, it's a skill I generally didn't place much value on (apart from the Dispel Immunity helm); I've never really used GS scrolls since there are etherealness potions/items available.

The Gremlin point is interesting and is not something I was aware of - are you saying that having any UMD will nullify their ability? I don't recall seeing any Spot or UMD checks in the logs. Is it something I missed, or is this just some DM-hax?

[sabregirl]

No DM hax. *Chuckle* It's default NWN behavior. Gremlins add a temporary "only usable by fey" property to all of your potions (even HAS ones) causing them to give you the you cannot use this item message. UMD skill allows you to use items with such restrictions. There's no check in the logs, but it's based on item value. I'm pretty sure there's a command to check the amount of UMD required for an item but I haven't been able to find it. I'm pretty sure it's quite low since racial restrictions are the easiest to overcome and potions aren't that valuable. It worked for me with unbuffed 35 points of UMD but common items like the admin belt give 30 bonus points.

-S

[Raj]

Mar 30, 2017 11:16:55 GMT sabregirl said:

No DM hax. *Chuckle*

the admin belt

Lapsus or


The command should be !itemlevel or similar, can't log on atm.

[chirality]

That's the command.

Can't you just create a new stack w/ the breaker?

How long does the transfornation even last...?

[sabregirl]

The effect doesn't last that long but it's just the you go to heal and suddenly it doesn't work.

You can create a new stack with the beaker but that takes time and that doesn't restore harper scout GR pots.

Basically having a few points of UMD means you never have to fiddle with remaking potions or failing to use em.

-S