Help with making a High AC intimitank please!

[xiaomai]

I've had a really hard time getting any of my three characters into groups because the only spaces left were for tank-like characters. I'd enjoy playing one, and there seems to be demand for one (everyone likes to make TWF that are all DPS and there are few good tanks around) I have a really hard time arranging feats for fighting-type characters (my cleric is pretty easy, same with my wizard) and I usually end up making some mistake and want to start over (I have soooo many under 5 characters) Plus I don't really know just how to get high AC. So I'd like some help with making a reliable tank that I won't have to start over again. Thanks in advance!

[Deathseeker]

Here are a few pointers from my experience with my Intimitank (which is super fun to play by the way)...

1. Don't focus so much on AC without focusing on saves, and very importantly, shield blocking DR. You want to be good at all 3, not sacrificing one for the others.

2. I went 10 ftr / 6 pally. I originally planned on going with 3 levels of pally, but those last 3 levels had a couple of nifty enhancements (the 1000 point heal every 10 minutes is awesome) and id rather have those then another fighter feat. Just an opinion though.

3. Max intimidate! Without intimidate, your very useless as your DPS will be lacking in comparison. I pumped up Charisma to get the added saves and intimidate bonus.

4. To evade or not to evade, that is the question...do you give up a little on AC and BAB to get evasion? I didn't, but one can definitely make the argument that evasion is huge and key. I'd say that's one of your big decisions in the build. I can attest that it isn't mandetory (as some will say), but I certainly wouldn't argue that it's a bad choice either.

5. Don't underestimate the value of trip/stunning blow. I tried to max the tactics as much as possible (max strength, most of the enhancements) and it was fantastic. In the raids its no big deal, but when you are in a normal quest and have to do more than just turtle up, its awesome.

6. Don't go light on Strength...just cuz yer a turtle, don't assume you wont be smacking things. You can get decent HP (350 to 400) without going nuts on Con. You dont need a ton of Dex if you dont go the evasion route. So you can pump strength big time and still turtle up.

7. Don't get too hung up on HP. If you have strong Shield blocking DR, and decent AC (right now Id say in the 60s when buffed at the beginning of a quest), you wont burn through HP that fast.

That's my advice. My intimitank is my favorite toon to play right now...just don't look at the kill count, ever. Find a couple of rogues and group with them, and just consider half of their kills are really yours!

[xiaomai]

do paladins get charisma to saves at any point?

[Deathseeker]

do paladins get charisma to saves at any point?

Yep, Divine Grace at level 2.

[Aeneas]

The current popular build has a level or two of monk paired with high dex and wisdom, generally splashed with at least 6 ranger levels for tempest, but filling with ranger levels isn't unusual as it grants barkskin and resists as well as bow and twf feats and evasion if you decide not to take the second monk level, and rounded out with fighter levels for feats.

Halfling will give a small AC boost over other characters, but suffers in the intimidate department. IMHO a human 12 ranger/1 monk/3 paladin would be able to do a whole lot and have a very high AC in robes while taking advantage of both monk and human healing enhancements. Saves would be high all around and you could really run a balanced character in terms of stats, with just a slight tilt toward dexterity. Not to mention you'd be immune to fear and disease, have a couple LOH's, be able to self cast barkskin, resist energy, ram's might, and jump.

My stat choices would look something like this (Off the top of my head):

Str 12
Dex 16
Con 14
Int 12
Wis 14
Cha 10

(+1 int tome makes you eligible for combat expertise feat.)

By level 16, assuming you feed all 4 level up stat points into dex, you'd have 30 dex (+10 - with a +6 item, ranger dex 3, human dex 1) , 20 wisdom (+5) for a quick 15 AC from stat points alone.

Other sources of AC for a character like this one.
15 stat bonuses
10 base
1 monk level 1 bonus
2 tempest ranger
2 paladin aura
6 white dragon robe
2 chaosguardes
5 protection item
5 combat expertise
5 barkskin
4 shroud weapon
1 alchemical armor bonus
1 dodge feat
---------------------------
59 AC with no short term buffs and no outside help or raid gear


Feats
Toughness (at least once)
Combat expertise
Imp critical whatever
dodge (monk feat)
mobility
spring attack
weapon finesse

skill points
fill up on intimidate and whatever else you like


As a disclaimer, i would never build this toon, it's too cookie cutter and flavor of the month for my liking, but it does seem to be pretty effective. If nothing else take some the ideas away from this and build something that feels fun to you.

[binnsr]

Just a point on Aeneas' build, you lose the "1 monk level 1 bonus" AC bonus when you're not centered, so that potential AC goes down by 1.

Just a slight inaccuracy and definitely not build-breaking :)

Personally, I try shy away from splashing paladin into my monk-splash concept builds.. with what Aeneas posted, you have to have 5 stat items on pretty much all the time, plus a protection item, plus a gfl item, plus a fortification item ... that kind of equipment layout is tricky, especially before you start accumulating vast amounts of raid loot :(

Having said that, my Unbreakable (http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=155697) build is in the same boat (except instead of paladin levels, I took a rogue level and am filling with monk levels .. so not really a splash :D) -- she needs that charisma item for intimidating..

[Deathseeker]

The current popular build has a level or two of monk paired with high dex and wisdom, generally splashed with at least 6 ranger levels for tempest, but filling with ranger levels isn't unusual as it grants barkskin and resists as well as bow and twf feats and evasion if you decide not to take the second monk level, and rounded out with fighter levels for feats.

Halfling will give a small AC boost over other characters, but suffers in the intimidate department. IMHO a human 12 ranger/1 monk/3 paladin would be able to do a whole lot and have a very high AC in robes while taking advantage of both monk and human healing enhancements. Saves would be high all around and you could really run a balanced character in terms of stats, with just a slight tilt toward dexterity. Not to mention you'd be immune to fear and disease, have a couple LOH's, be able to self cast barkskin, resist energy, ram's might, and jump.

My stat choices would look something like this (Off the top of my head):

Str 12
Dex 16
Con 14
Int 12
Wis 14
Cha 10

(+1 int tome makes you eligible for combat expertise feat.)

By level 16, assuming you feed all 4 level up stat points into dex, you'd have 30 dex (+10 - with a +6 item, ranger dex 3, human dex 1) , 20 wisdom (+5) for a quick 15 AC from stat points alone.

Other sources of AC for a character like this one.
15 stat bonuses
10 base
1 monk level 1 bonus
2 tempest ranger
2 paladin aura
6 white dragon robe
2 chaosguardes
5 protection item
5 combat expertise
5 barkskin
4 shroud weapon
1 alchemical armor bonus
1 dodge feat
---------------------------
59 AC with no short term buffs and no outside help or raid gear


Feats
Toughness (at least once)
Combat expertise
Imp critical whatever
dodge (monk feat)
mobility
spring attack
weapon finesse

skill points
fill up on intimidate and whatever else you like


As a disclaimer, i would never build this toon, it's too cookie cutter and flavor of the month for my liking, but it does seem to be pretty effective. If nothing else take some the ideas away from this and build something that feels fun to you.

I think this is a good example of one of the key choices you need to make...to focus on shield blocking or not. The build above gives great AC, allows you to fight, and provides evasion. But you lose that monk AC bonus if you put on a shield and turtle up with it. Not saying that's bad or good, just different.

So you'll want to figure out a playstyle...turtle up and spam intimidate with a shield (and shield block DR feats possibly), or foregoe the shield and whack the baddies while intimidating. The shield block route is more the "extreme route" in intimitank play, while the above is a little more balanced.

I personally like to run into a mob, intimidate, hit my 30 DR shield block, and let the rest of my party go to work. But others can find not killing stuff in those cases a little boring.

Hopefully you're getting a good flavor of the options ahead of you in the world of intimitanking! Gotta love D&D flexability!

[maddmatt70]

Paladin, monk and ranger don't get intimidate as a class skill unfortunately Aeneas. I would go with 1 rogue, 2 monk, 13 ranger build or 6 ranger 2 monk 8 fighter. Race either human, dwarf, or warforged so you don't get halflings -4 to intimidate. If you don't care about the intimidate skill go with halfling for sure.

Right now twf is the king of the heap, but sword and board will undeniably get some love in the future. Sword and board builds should probably have mostly fighter levels for the feats so that the player can switch to thf or twf easily, although paladin could have some interesting sword and board intimidate builds depending on how the paladin changes are implemented next mod and mod 9 (example is dwarven paladin with 14 paladin/ 2 rogue this build eventually would probably be 14 paladin/4 fighter/ 2 rogue with dwarven defender prestige enhancement and perhaps paladin sentential prestige enhancement).

Evasion build sword and board intimidate example 12 fighter/ 2 rogue/ 2 paladin and non evasion build examples include either 1 rogue 12 fighter 3 paladin or 14 fighter 2 paladin. Either dwarf or human for either of those builds.

[Aeneas]

I am not looking for the post, but eladrin hinted at a Defender of Siberys prestige class for paladins at some point in the future.