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Post by FunkySwerve on Jun 22, 2006 13:28:49 GMT
What about giving AA's the monk's ac bonus ? Some sort of ac bump on the new bows, along the same line as the bump sorcs got on the helms? Can't add monk ac without monk levels, we tried that on shifters already, remember? As for ac on the bow, maybe, but that wouldn't have too much of an effect (+4 at a full 20). Probably going to go for offensive boost - they shouldn't be as defensive as a str tank. They SHOULD be more offensive, and more flexible because of range. Funky
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Post by FunkySwerve on Jun 22, 2006 14:11:07 GMT
Probably not, though that depends on ac, gear, and area. With sheath of stealth thats only an additional 25% miss chance, and a guaranteed first swing miss. You would have to know what the character's ac would be otherwise, and the ab of the attacking monster/s, in order to calculate the benefits of epic dodge. Assuming for the sake of argument that your ac is high enough for each + of the +7 to detract from the monster's chance of hitting you, thats an increased 35% chance of each attack missing. That's more than the 25% gain from SCV (ignoring the convenience factor of never having to reapply conceal or running out or forgetting). But it's unlikely that a 100% miss rate on the first attack counts less than 10% overall. Most monsters have 5 attacks, so it'd count for roughly 20% of all atacks against them. Against a creature with 10 attacks like Dachy, it'd count for roughly 10%. Thats not giving ED its full due, however, because, unless I am misremembering, ED blocks the first attack each round that actually HITS, so if the the first misses (low probability but at least 5%) it will block a subsequent attack - making it block more than 20% (or 10%). That would stack it above the 35% from the ac.
That would probably not hold true in say, the abyss, for a high-level AA, because Abyss beasties get 10 attacks per round, and few would hit a high-level AA already, because of an added 7 ac. In most other areas, it would.
Further, if the ac was not high enough for each plus to contribute an added chance of every attack missing, it's not worth the full 35% I used as a working figure. If, for instance, the +7 ac only brought your total ac up to 110, it would have no effect on the first attack of say, a gith thrall, ab 111 (at least roughly, thats the default ab for illithid areas). It would have a 5% chance of missing on that attack with or without that added 7 ac. The ac WOULD help in later attacks. Here's the attack progression of a critter with a 111 ab: 111 111 106 101 96 The second top-ab attack comes from haste. The +7 ac (we are assuming without it he'd be at 103, with it 110) would create additional miss chances on attack rolls of 2 or 3 on the third attack, making it worth 10%. On the fourth and fifth attacks it has its full 35% blocking value, because every point added is anotherpoint above monster ab. Thats a total of 80% spread over 5 attacks, only 16%, not 35%.
So, depending on monster ab and number of attacks, and on your ac without the added +7, and on the assumption that you will use a sheath of stealth if you aren't packing SC, ED and SCV are almost always better than the 7 ac. If the sheath of stealth wasn't available, ED and SCV would always be better. You see why I'm not too wrought about adding defense to AAs? Funky
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Post by AndyDeck on Jun 22, 2006 15:51:01 GMT
I haven't been building characters for that long - but this set of calculations seems to presume that a 'pure' AA - 30 levels of AA by level 40 - is not very viable. It maximizes the AA's limited special attacks at a severe cost in defense.
Is there anything that can be done for the pure AA? The best build that I was able to come up with on my own is 8 bard, 2 SD (for evasion and uncanny dodge), 30 AA.
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Post by FunkySwerve on Jun 22, 2006 16:50:04 GMT
I probably wouldn't do 30 AA, simply because the ab is higher than necessary in almost every situation (PvP aside). But no, my calculations certainly didn't presume that, or anything. They were very narrowly directed at the question of 7ac vs ED and SCV. Funky
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Post by fusa on Jun 22, 2006 17:05:39 GMT
ok since their ac isnt exactly horrible with some sort of conceal either sheath of stealth or SC5 could a form of premonition be added? Maybe with Epic spell focus divination they gain premonition spell?
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Post by Master Jaxx on Jun 22, 2006 20:54:50 GMT
Pogue (def) Derogatory military slang used by front line troops to describe staff and other rear echelon or support units/troops...
Pogue, that is what AA's are...lol
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Post by DragonChyld on Jun 28, 2006 6:57:25 GMT
-Second School: choice or preselected (illusion?) (non-retroactive) I would think that Enchantment would be a better choice of second school, considering all of the enchanting that a PM would have to do to prepare the phylactery yada yada yada, OR Transmutation for GMW would be nice. ~ DC
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Post by FunkySwerve on Jun 28, 2006 7:10:21 GMT
GMW is transmutation. Funky
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Post by Besiege on Jun 28, 2006 19:41:30 GMT
I hope this is my last post about Staffmaster . There are two ways. Fighter´s (using full plate and tower shield...nice AC but low conceal + soak) and Mage´s (no armor/shield...low AC but high conceal + soak). Mage´s way has, however, two other ways : 15wiz/25 wm or 15wiz/24wm/1monk LVL 40/40 monk/LVL 60/60 monk AC: Basic- 10/10/10/10 dex- 08 /08 /08 /08 wis- 00 /06 /00 /06 feat- 02 /02 /02 /02 tumble- 04 /08 /06 /08 armor- 16 /16 /16 /16 ring- 15 /15 /16 /16 amulet- 15 /15 /20 /20 dodge- 19 /19 /20 /20 total- 89 /99 /98 /106 Spells: conceal- 70% /65% /90% /85% soak- 30/+11 *30/+10 *50/+15 *49/+14 immune spell- 5th /4th /6th /6th staff- +13 /+13 /+20 /+19 staff- 2d12 pos.+neg. /2d10 magic /2d12 pos.+neg. /2d12 magic health- 40d6 /39d6 /60d6+240 /59d6+228 nat. AC spell- +10 /+10 /+20 /+20 The biggest differences @ 60 are: 15w/25wm (ftr)-118 AC-25% conceal, low soak and spell immune...positive + negative 15w/25wm (mag)-99 AC-90% conceal, maxed soak and spell immune...positive + negative 15w/24wm/1mnk (mag)-106 AC-85% conceal, high soak and spell immune...magic So is better: 118 AC-25% conceal 99 AC-90% conceal 106 AC-85% conceal but lesser staff buffsCan you tell me please which way is better?
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Post by FunkySwerve on Jun 28, 2006 20:22:16 GMT
EV is only 25% conceal wearing plate or shield. Funky
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Post by lala on Jun 29, 2006 12:34:59 GMT
Palemaster-Lich suggestion:
1. Include Tenser Transformation as a spell in their list, this would give a bit of flexibility as they dont have many damage spells.
2. As a 2nd school either Abjuration or Divination; Divinition with Power word kill-word stun sort of goes with a lich idea (would help me with Lord Soth char build as well hehe), abjuration make sense as its magical defensive and magical stripping of spells.
3. Change the Palemaster 30th level summon from a PaleMaster Demi Lich summon (that sucks), to a true demi lich. There is a big difference between the 2. Could this be done by copying the properties of the proper demi-lich into the palemaster summon demi-lich?
Cheers Lala
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Post by DragonChyld on Jun 30, 2006 5:50:35 GMT
lol, make the second school "Choice"
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Post by FunkySwerve on Jun 30, 2006 13:53:00 GMT
We could edit the summon, but PM's already get a special summon. Funky
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Post by lala on Jun 30, 2006 14:00:45 GMT
We could edit the summon, but PM's already get a special summon. Funky I was thinking about that. The demi lich change has different benefits and adds a variation for tactics, sort of would make sense as Clerics can get the Avatar of Doom and also a Dragon Knight (sorry if I am wrong). The Demi lich is probably equal (in some situations) to the Avatar of Doom and does require 30 levels of PM, and importantly differentiates PM from all other classes in terms of a summon. Just a thought anyway. Lala
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Post by FunkySwerve on Jun 30, 2006 14:55:47 GMT
The dracolich already does that, its better than the other class summons by a fair amount. Funky
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