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Post by starlandra on Jan 14, 2007 22:15:08 GMT
figured it was my turn to post a build and figured there had to be a better use for dragonblooded than just making big red dragons with spears... well here we have it, a level 2 bard, 10 rdd, 28 AA bard at level 1, then all your rdd and aa all you want, and finished at 40 with bard again for tumble,pp, umd etc dump never have made an AA yet other than test mode so not sure if the dc on the death arrow I have in the picture is any good or not... so you got an AA with 100% fire immune, good saves (they could be alot better, didn't really take any save feats except one for fort) with a great ab and ac like all archers do... gimmie some feedback here. Be brutal
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Post by starlandra on Jan 14, 2007 22:16:00 GMT
oh and she has prot from evil for those hell's runs lol
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Post by chainlink on Jan 15, 2007 9:36:02 GMT
I did think about building one of these but was a bit put off by the lack of standard AA defences such as Evasion, Improved Evasion, Self-Concealment, Epic Dodge, etc. I'm not sure whether the 10 RDD level bonuses compensate you enough for these losses.
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Post by starlandra on Jan 15, 2007 14:37:58 GMT
the main idea of an aa though is to stay back and not tank... so why is evasion and epic dodge really needed... especially in LL areas you need to be able to soak up kb (DB hells and sissy and pyramid), and this seems a way to be able to do that
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Post by phalthallus on Jan 15, 2007 14:43:17 GMT
Ever been on a Xul run and tried to hang back? I know that's only one part of the game, but I could see other places (say, the Hells) being tight-quarters/corners and/or fast backspawns, so it would be a problem there. I don't know that you NEED to plan for that though; just my thoughts on the matter. I like the idea though. Let me know if you try it, and how it works out for you. I'm still waiting to start my AA, so I check on Balduvard's, Chainlink's, and anyone else's I come across. I have wraith, so it's time to start one, I just have too many other toons on my plate right now.
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Post by khaine on Jan 15, 2007 16:17:14 GMT
AA's... not in cc? impossible. Seriously, I have found when your in a 40's party in the maze doing 45 dmg a round to *every* enemy in a cone gets you alot of incoming attacks... *sigh*. One thing I like about my aa is that he can usually wade into ombat and not be insta-killed, but if I do that I cant get any damage, xD.
I like it though, xD
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Post by chainlink on Jan 15, 2007 16:25:30 GMT
I took a Flurry AA to the Hells and he did OK even with the big sudden spawns as he was able to run around like a nutter before opening up on them, big party though which obviously helps. KB in Avernus was not proving an issue with the right combination of equipment. I have also seen somebody play a Dark Archer effectively in the Pyramid which was impressive as my AA's are one trick ponies there. I'm not saying this build is a bad idea just that I'm not convinced about the sacrifices you have to make.
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Post by starlandra on Jan 15, 2007 19:25:39 GMT
well I am trying it out now... am at level 13 so far and it is doing well but of course there are no real challenges yet.
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Post by bort on Jan 16, 2007 12:44:21 GMT
Evasion is great, but you can do without it (i've played staffmasters and RDDs without it and although you miss it in some places, you can still do pretty well). AC / conceal is near vital for an AA imo, because you can't hide the whole time, everywhere - mobs aren't that stupid (Illithids comes to mind). You're losing 5 AC vs. a Flurry of arrows - Flurry gets +9 AC from it's maxed Wisdom modifier. You get +4 AC from RDD. And you have no conceal either You could always turn the build on it's head slightly and try something like this: 27 Bard, 10 RDD, 3 AA. You could use Ethereal Visage for conceal, you'd have 3/4 attack progression with bard and bardsong to boost everything. This thread might be useful if you're interested: highergroundpoa.proboards3.com/index.cgi?board=builds&action=display&n=1&thread=1165822163
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Post by chainlink on Jan 16, 2007 12:56:40 GMT
Snap my thoughts exactly, fire immunity and half-decent bard abilities not a bad mix although you miss out on being able to use a book as you don't quite manage 30 bard levels pre-LL.
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Post by bort on Jan 16, 2007 19:17:37 GMT
Book? Are you talking about the required 30 caster class levels needed for +10 gmw before using an Enchantment book for ESF? I suppose it would make you more party helpful, but not a build breaker. I'd be more concerned with losing 10 bard levels (+/-) to squeeze RDD in, because of the effect on % conceal and duration of Ethereal visage, not to mention bardsong.
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Post by atomicsomething on Jan 19, 2007 13:22:36 GMT
Here is the Mighty Archer i'm following : Subrace : DragonBlooded Level Progression 1Bard/9RDD/29AA/1RDD Starting stats : STR 14 (16) DEX 16 CON 16 (18) WIS 8 (6) INT 8 (10) CHA 12 (14) 01: Weapon Proficiency Martial 03: Weapon Focus: Longbow 04: DEX+1 06: Toughness 08: DEX+1 09: Point Blank Shot 12: DEX+1, Blind Fight 15: Improved Critical: Longsword 16: DEX+1 18: Rapid Shot 20: DEX+1 21: Epic Weapon Focus: Longbow 24: CON+1, Great Constitution I, Great Dexterity I 27: Great Constitution II 28: CON+1, Great Dexterity II 30: Great Constitution III 32: CON+1, Great Dexterity III 33: Great Constitution IV 36: CON+1, Great Constitution V, Great Dexterity IV 39: Great Constitution VI 40: DEX+1 For skills you should be able to dump tumble to 20, disc and concentration to 43. Naked Stat @40/60 : STR : 24/30 DEX : 26/34 CON : 30/30 WIS : 6/6 INT : 12/12 CHA : 16/16 LL Boosts : Great Dex 5-8 Epic Damage Reduction 1-3 Stat boosts : 6 STR, 4 DEX If i've done my maths right it should reach 75 AB @ level 60. i might switch STR in LL to DEX if this not enough to hit decently, but it would screw up the purpose of this build. my CON may look insane, but it will be my only protection with Damage Reduction. i've decided not to care too much about AC as i will never reach a decent level. Armor or moldavite robes will be in most of the situations my choice. Hope it might help to give some direction for this build .
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Post by starlandra on Jan 22, 2007 19:18:30 GMT
So no bard at level 40 for tumble dump? seems even more ac lacking then the one I started. And epic DR is only /9 physical is it not? Is it really worth it? The hitpoints are needed sure, but the dr seems a waste of feats both for the additional con to get it, and the dr feats themselves.
Other than the RDD strength boosts, why boost STR at all on an AA build? confused, fill me in.
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Post by Balduvard on Jan 22, 2007 22:27:59 GMT
why boost STR at all on an AA build? To make your physical damage output just that much more ridiculous, and make it more impressive for the Hells where elemental damage (an AAs largest damage) is less effective.
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Post by atomicsomething on Jan 22, 2007 23:02:05 GMT
this build is ATM just a theory.... (i'm level 12 right now) As STR goes, i go for a +16 STR bonus, "optimized" for DB bows. (Reasons given above .... except for the hells, i'll have a hard time surviving the drows before thinking about it) I prefer taking the 29 AA over the last bard level for enchant arrow XV. It grants me +1 AB and +1 dmg. i'll loose overall 2AC but it seems a good trade. What i fear, is this toon might do better damage, but hit less often. it would not be a good deal, considering what i've already given up compared to the other AA builds for damage reduction i'll get hit often ... so, IMO, 9/- will help a lot. I'll set up gear for maximal damage reduction and maximal regen, i wont go tanking in front line, but i need to stand up if a couple of mobs find a sudden interest in me. Besides AC, i prefer warning you that will saves are also ridiculously low. Taking Epic Will is advised. Lots of theory, i just hope it will work in practice. Anyway, i think it's worth trying.
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