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Post by uncanny on Jan 6, 2010 22:57:53 GMT
Small thing.. Not sure if it's a good thing to have a build reliant on highly prized item (aka not easy to get for a new player). But otherwise looks like a darn interesting build to try out This build isn't any more reliant on a form focus book than any decent shifter build is. The book just gives shifters more versatility like epic spell focus tomes give to spell casters. Agreed.. though I'd say the spell focus tomes are somewhat less of a prized item than an epode is. Unless you'd willingly trade me a dragon epode for, say, two epic spell focus tomes?
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Post by tyranlthixis on Jan 7, 2010 1:43:40 GMT
Locathah is a non fugue area. It is not an unrealistic goal for a new player to complete a run there. A challenge yes, but players need to learn to build anticipating bumps on the road like this. I only had to swap a single feat to gain the potential to use an epode for an extra focus. The character is fully playable without the extra focus.
Tyranlthixis
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Post by uncanny on Jan 13, 2010 0:34:52 GMT
True, and I agree. Um.. I let my mouth (fingers?) run a bit faster than my head there :s. I've been playing something like this using Zeny for the feats and stats (no Anarch). My only "gripe" in general with shifters is the Essence Points kinda suck until you reach enough levels and stats that you can use abilities reliably. With the high saves on mobs I find even at epic I have to use melee forms more than abilities since its 6 points a shot which normally gets saved anyhow... But I'm hopeful that later shifter life may be fun, I may even get to stone a full mob
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Post by maljin on Jan 13, 2010 23:09:43 GMT
... My only "gripe" in general with shifters is the Essence Points kinda suck until you reach enough levels and stats that you can use abilities reliably. ... That is an unfortunate side-effect which occurred when the changes were implemented. Most of your dc's (at level 60) are comparable to a mage with spell foci. But unlike a mage who can select spell focus feats all the way until LL's a shifter gets nothing until you can select the legendary form focus feats at lvl 42 onward. So once you've spent a few feats into these foci and managed to get a better wis from legendary ability points, your dc reliant attacks will be much more effective. I'd even hold off LSA: tumble till level 52 just to get your LFF: Wildshape 3 as fast as possible (and being able to read an epode earlier is great too). Imho the tumble ac won't make a big difference at early LL's as you don't get much shield ac until later anyway. For my shifters it was best to not get hit while in a party using clever movement, cover the elemental immunities for whatever area you're in and pile on as much physical immunity as possible to survive a few hits until you've shoved off your attacker and quaffed a heal pot. Until then you just gotta figure out what forms work. I've been on many runs where I had to curse, which will work great if you've got some gear with animal empathy (will improve damage of nearly all forms as well). Beholder rays and manti spikes do quite a bit of damage on different LL runs (as well as the various drow areas if you can hit them) and neither of them are directly influenced by your wis score or dc feats. And then there are various damage abilities with "... save for half". As long as you're dishing out the right damage, it's not that bad if it's only half damage.
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