Halfling Intimi-tank multi-class advice

[augie]

Wanted to bounce a build off the halfling groupies here since I haven't created one yet. Lookin to break out of the plain old cookie-cutter builds and mix it up a little by creating a self-buffing intimidate/tank build. What I'm shooting for is a finesse-based fighter which eventually will have 5 levels of WIZ for self-buffing of displacement, blur, haste and resists to help aid the cause. This is what I was thinkin:

At work at the moment so don't have the character creator so the following stats are approximate:

Lvl 1 Fighter
Stats:
STR 9 (+1 tome) = 10
DEX 20
INT 13 (+1 tome) = 14
CON - whatever I had left
WIS - 9 (+1 tome) = 10
CHA - 9 (+1 tome) = 10

Feats: Weapon Finesse and Toughness

I have decent low-level twink gear with various lesser reptilian/undead/goblinoid banes for lvl 1, along with the Maelstrom waiting at lvl 2. Plus I should be flagged for fighter gear so loot should be a little better. (Maybe it's not proven but my fighter and barb pull all my best loot. I'm superstitious.)

Lvls 2 thru 6 - Figured it's gonna be best to get my self buffs ASAP so I'd go 5 levels of WIZ, pickin up Extend Spell, SF: Intimidate and another feat or two along the way. I'd probably resort to being the spellcaster of the group thru these levels and just wear robes, occasionally gettin up front with a mithral shield.

Lvl 7 thru 14, all fighter levels - focusing on AC boosts like Dodge and Combat Expertise. Splash in a Weapon Focus feat or two so I can still hit things w/ CE runnin.

I'd be wearing robes for pretty much the whole time, aside from level 1. Not really a fan of swappin to robe, casting, and then swappin to fighting armor, especially with time being so critical with Haste and Displacement lasting a brief time, even while extended. Plus by focusing on raising DEX along the way, robes should be about the best for AC at high levels.

I know this isn't the most exact build and without being able to list all the enhancements and other feats along the way, it's subject to quite a bit of your own interpretation. But that was done somewhat intentionally so I can get feedback.

I was also thinking of maybe splashing in 2 levels of pally for added saves or perhaps 2 levels of rogue for evasion since I'd be wearing robes anyways.

Ultimately, I'd like 5 levels of Wizard for self-buffs and the rest of the levels are up in the air, but I want to focus on Intimidate and Armor Class. Not lookin to be a DPS build at all since I have 2 maxed toons that are specced out for that.

Comments? Thanks for your time.

Augie

[Tenkari_Rozahas]

with a 10 cha, going pally wouldnt be worth it. as you need at least a 12 inorder to get the aura bonus. also, what would your final intimidate be? remember, halflings take an intimidate hit against larger creatures, so against giants, i htink you wouldnt do well... reminds me of Intimidating Halflings (http://ddo1liners.co.uk/archives/017.htm)

[augie]

LOL, nice cartoon. :) Didn't realize that halflings took a penalty to intimidate but I guess it makes sense. Hmm... perhaps an elf would be a better race then... Have to take a look at it when I get home tonight.

Thanks for the input!

[Gennerik]

Even as a Halfling, it's possible to get a good Intimidate, however, like Tenkari Rozahas said, you'll need a much better Charisma score. Luckily, with most of your levels in Fighter, you can afford to pick up Extend Spell, because you're going to need it. For a Dex-based fighter, you probably won't be killing things that quickly, which means that the longer you can stay Hasted and Displaced, the better.

Personally, if you're going to be wearing a robe, I wouldn't bother with Dodge. Considering you'll probably have a Mithril Light Shield and a Robe, you're AC is going to be less than spectacular, meaning that short of maybe levels 8-10, the +1 from Dodge isn't going to play too much of a role in protection. I'd pick up Mental Toughness and Improved Mental Toughness before I got Dodge. Combat Expertise might make a difference, though it's still kind of difficult to say. It may be more useful just as a way to get Improved Trip by level 14, but it's possible that you can see some use out of it for the mid-levels.

You might even pick up a 6th level of Wizard, just so you can also prepare Heroism. It's got the added benefit of lasting 12 minutes if you extend it, meaning that it won't be a big drain on SP like Displacement and Haste will be (Which you'll still want to keep up almost all the time).

Anyway, here's what I worked out (assuming a 32-point character, if you've already got 2 capped characters):


Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 2.70
DDO Character Planner Home Page (http://www.rjcyberware.com/DDO)

Mishmash the Here-and-there
Level 14 Chaotic Good Halfling Male
(8 Fighter \ 6 Wizard)
Hit Points: 198
Spell Points: 505
BAB: 11\11\16\21
Fortitude: 11
Reflex: 15
Will: 8

Starting Feat/Enhancement
Abilities Base Stats Modified Stats
(32 Point) (Level 1) (Level 14)
Strength 9 12
Dexterity 20 25
Constitution 14 14
Intelligence 13 16
Wisdom 9 10
Charisma 9 10

Tomes Used
+1 Tome of Strength used at level 1
+1 Tome of Intelligence used at level 1
+1 Tome of Wisdom used at level 1
+1 Tome of Charisma used at level 1

Starting Feat/Enhancement
Base Skills Modified Skills
Skills (Level 1) (Level 14)
Balance 7 15
Bluff 0 0
Concentration 2 21
Diplomacy 0 0
Disable Device n/a n/a
Haggle 0 0
Heal 0 0
Hide 5 9
Intimidate 4 23
Jump 4 7
Listen 0 2
Move Silently 5 9
Open Lock n/a n/a
Perform n/a n/a
Repair 2 3
Search 2 3
Spot 0 0
Swim 0 1
Tumble n/a n/a
Use Magic Device n/a n/a

Level 1 (Fighter)
Feat: (Selected) Toughness
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Weapon Finesse
Enhancement: Fighter Strategy (Trip) I
Enhancement: Halfling Luck I
Enhancement: Fighter Intimidate I
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness I

Level 2 (Wizard)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Extend Spell
Enhancement: Fighter Item Defense I
Enhancement: Wizard Concentration I
Enhancement: Wizard Energy of the Scholar I

Level 3 (Wizard)
Feat: (Selected) Skill Focus: Intimidate
Enhancement: Halfling Dexterity I
Enhancement: Wizard Intelligence I

Level 4 (Wizard)
Ability Raise: DEX

Level 5 (Wizard)
Enhancement: Wizard Concentration II

Level 6 (Wizard)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Empower Spell
Feat: (Selected) Mental Toughness
Enhancement: Wizard Improved Empowering I
Enhancement: Wizard Energy of the Scholar II

Level 7 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Combat Expertise
Enhancement: Fighter Critical Accuracy I
Enhancement: Halfling Luck II
Enhancement: Fighter Strength I

Level 8 (Fighter)
Ability Raise: DEX

Level 9 (Fighter)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Mental Toughness
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Weapon Focus: Bludgeoning Weapons
Enhancement: Fighter Strategy (Trip) II
Enhancement: Halfling Dexterity II
Enhancement: Fighter Intimidate II
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness II

Level 10 (Fighter)
Enhancement: Halfling Luck III

Level 11 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Improved Trip
Enhancement: Fighter Strength II

Level 12 (Fighter)
Ability Raise: DEX
Feat: (Selected) Stunning Blow
Enhancement: Fighter Strategy (Stunning Blow) I
Enhancement: Fighter Strategy (Stunning Blow) II
Enhancement: Fighter Strategy (Trip) III
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness III

Level 13 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Improved Critical: Bludgeoning Weapons
Enhancement: Fighter Intimidate III

Level 14 (Wizard)
Enhancement: Wizard Intelligence II

That's using the last level for Wizard, since it doesn't affect your total BAB, gives you more SP and longer lasting spells. I went for Halfling Luck III just because the current Character Planner doesn't let you add saving throw bonuses to everything (like you'll be able to do in Mod5), where I'd probably add Fortitude and Will for two each. I'm also assuming that you'd put your favor tome into Dexterity, but I didn't include it since you could also go for either Strength or Constitution.

I also went Bludgeoning, just because I like having a Weighted weapon and using Stunning Blow. Helps you kill things faster. Overall, I think that the build (no matter how you do it) has potential to be fun and effective. I know I love my Halfling Paladin/Fighter/Rogue (6/6/2) and I kind of built this one similar as far as weapons and feats go (though I went for Khopesh instead of Weapon Finesse, and use them or the Hammer of the Leaden Clouds), though I also went more Strength. Being Halfing lets you improve your saves while still adding to your Dex, so personally I'd stick with Halfling, but that's just me.

Assuming decent equipment by level 14
Head: +4 Wisdom Hat or +10 Intimidate Helm
Neck: +4 Constitution Necklace
Goggles: Spectacular Optics
Armor: Robe of Heavy Fortification
Back: Greater Resistance Cloak
Bracers: +4 Strength Bracers
Belt: Greater False Life Belt
Boots: Striding Boots
Gloves: +5 Dexterity Gloves
Ring: Reaver's Ring
Ring: +4 Intelligence Ring
Trinket: Mummified Bat

gives you the following Ability Scores:
Strength: 16
Dexterity: 32 (with the +2 Tome from Favor)
Constitution: 18
Intelligence: 20
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 10

and Saving Throws:
Fortitude: 13 (15 Heroism, or 17 once Mod 5 comes out)
Reflex: 22 (24 Heroism, or 21 once Mod 5 comes out)
Will: 8 (10 Heroism, or 12 once Mod 5 comes out)

Attack Bonuses
+11 Base Attack Bonus
+5 Weapon
+11 Dexterity
+2 Heroism
+1 Haste
+1 Weapon Focus (Bludgeoning)
------------------------------------
+29 Total or +24 with Combat Expertise

Armor Class
10 Base
+11 Dexterity
+4 Shield Spell
+4 Mage Armor
+3 Spectacular Optics
+1 Haste
+1 Size Bonus
------------------------------------
34 Total, or 39 with Combat Expertise before any buffs that you can't do yourself or using potions. Respectable when you consider being Blurred/Displaced as well.

[augie]

Wow! Thanks for all that work! It's greatly appreciated. I was kinda playin around with the character planner last night and ended up pretty close to what you were thinking. I was a little disappointed with the overall AC as I was hoping/wishing to get the AC into the upper 40's/low 50's somehow but as you pointed out, it's going to be nigh impossible to do as a robe class.

Been playin around with other races but would really like to make a halfling work somehow.

Thanks again!

Augie

[Gennerik]

While I was creating it, I was thinking that it would be fun to play. However, I've already got a Warwizard (Dwarven, as nick_robinsonchia first posted his Arcane Psychoe (http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=116254)), my Nimble Holy Warrior (the Halfling 6Pal/6Ftr/2Rog, which is going for 9/9/2 or maybe 9/8/3 by the level 20), and my newest halfling, the Marked Warrior (Dragonmarked Two-weapon Fighter), so I don't really have enough slots anymore. But hopefully it works out for you and you enjoy the character. Let us know when you get a chance on how it works.