Elven Tempest Build Advice

[black112]

I recently created a tempest ranger toon using the DDO guide from
http://compendium.ddo.com/wiki/Path:Tempest

Thoughts n advice welcome,... Thanks in advance

lvl3 elf ranger
28pt build
STR:16
DEX:16
CON:14
INT:8
WIS:10
CHA:8

Currently lev 3 my goals is to achieve a high DPS & AC toon, my current tactics is to range hit-n-run tough monsters to soften them up then slice-n-dice em with TWF b4 they take too much hp off me. But i know this tactic wont last last long when i get up to the house quests fighting magical monsters.

Question 1: Should i take up some fighter levs for extra armour feats for higher ac, or... should i take up some rogue lvl for extra DPS from sneak attack & skill pt bonuses once i hit lev6 ranger n have taken the tempest I enhancement? If so, what will i lose? what else will i gain which i haven't mentioned?

Question 2: I know that with a base stat of 10 wis will limit my spell casting from lev 4 onwards, for a ranger spells are if not almost all of a rangers survivability. What can i do to make up for this besides the fact i'm already investing pts in UMD to use healing wand/scrolls? or should take a feat for toughness?

Question 3: Ancient forum battle scimmys vs long/short sword vs khopesh to suit my twf elven ranger/ fighter or rogue? go on son,... crunch those numbers or... a reason why is enough.

[Brennie]

Question 1: Should i take up some fighter levs for extra armour feats for higher ac, or... should i take up some rogue lvl for extra DPS from sneak attack & skill pt bonuses once i hit lev6 ranger n have taken the tempest I enhancement? If so, what will i lose? what else will i gain which i haven't mentioned?

18 levels is all you really need of ranger. You can do 2 fighter, for a couple extra feats and +1 strength enhancement, or you can do 1 rogue at level 1 for sneak attack and trap-handling (You will have toruble with traps with 8 int though. At the very least you could have open lock i suppose). You could even splash a level of barb for a couple extra hitpoints, move speed, and a rage 1/rest. Its kind of up to you.

Question 2: I know that with a base stat of 10 wis will limit my spell casting from lev 4 onwards, for a ranger spells are if not almost all of a rangers survivability. What can i do to make up for this besides the fact i'm already investing pts in UMD to use healing wand/scrolls? or should take a feat for toughness?

10 wis is more than enough. All you need to be able to cast is a +1 wisdom item by level 4, and better wisdom items as you level (Which should be easy to find or purchase). Starting at 10 means eventually you can save slots by getting a wisdom 4 of power # for extra spellpoints and full casting capabilities.

Also, you don't need UMD. You can use every healing wand from level 1, as a ranger. The only thing you can't do is use Healing scrolls. But with 8 charisma, and UMD being crossclass, I woudl suggest you do *not* invest points in it.

Toughness is an awesome feat, well worth taking.

Question 3: Ancient forum battle scimmys vs long/short sword vs khopesh to suit my twf elven ranger/ fighter or rogue? go on son,... crunch those numbers or... a reason why is enough.

Khopesh is right out. Its a great weapon, but as an elf, you have feats to help longsword, rapiers, and scimitars. Plus you don't have the feat to spare. Rapiers and Scimitars are equally as good, and you'd do fine specializing in either one of them. Scimitars are less coveted than rapiers, so you can get better deals on them *BUT* the rapier enhancement for elves also makes you good with longswords, which allows you to use a "Super uber awesome longsword" that you may have looted for a level or two.

Between scimitars and Rapiers, i'd say its a matter of personal preference. Keep in mind that in late levels, if you are geared towards scimitars, you might notice that a -4 to hit isn't that big of a deal, and you can swap in Khopeshs (Since they are also slashing weapons) and get some good benefit out of them (possibly more than your elven-enhanced scimitars... who knows!)


My additions in yellow

[Brahmina]

Although I'm only a level 6 ranger and can use the weapons mentioned, I found using the shortsword to be faster and able to kill a lot faster then scimitars, long swords, khopeshs, or what-have-you. Try looking into using short swords.
:)

[black112]

Although I'm only a level 6 ranger and can use the weapons mentioned, I found using the shortsword to be faster and able to kill a lot faster then scimitars, long swords, khopeshs, or what-have-you. Try looking into using short swords.
:)

scimitars has 15% crit and is my weapon of choice for this build for now due to the lack of feats for a TWF elven ranger, i'd go khopesh if i was a human ranger. Shortswords are more effective if your a dex based ranger and have also weapon finesse feat. I will still look forward to using my uber lowbie shortsword n longsword once i hit lev 4 n respeced my enhancements or short/long swords.

That being said i think that TWF chars has always been a feat drainer due to the many TWF feats u have to take to reduce penalties.

[Brennie]

Although I'm only a level 6 ranger and can use the weapons mentioned, I found using the shortsword to be faster and able to kill a lot faster then scimitars, long swords, khopeshs, or what-have-you. Try looking into using short swords.
:)

Uhm...what? I believe you are working off false assumptions here.

All single-handed weapons have the exact same attack speed. From bastard swords to daggers, a character will swing both the same number of times per minute.

Rapiers are superior to shortswords, especially on an elf. Elves have enhancements for to-hit and damage with rapiers, and rapier have the same damage type, same damage range, are finesse-able, but have a larger crit range. The only way shortswords are better than rapiers is that they are "light" weapons, and thus give less penalty when held in the offhand while dual-weilding.

Scimitars are the same as rapiers, having the same damage and crit range, a different damage type, but are also bette rin elven hands, with specific elven enhancements. They are not, however, finessable.

Khopesh is the best single-handed weapon in the game, due entirely to its crit range and multiplier. The downside is that it takes a feat to use them without a -4 penalty, and they are also not "light" for dual weilding.

[Bosco]

Question 1: Should i take up some fighter levs for extra armour feats for higher ac, or... should i take up some rogue lvl for extra DPS from sneak attack & skill pt bonuses once i hit lev6 ranger n have taken the tempest I enhancement? If so, what will i lose? what else will i gain which i haven't mentioned?

If your going for ac a monk splash is better then a fighter. With your stat allocation I would say stay pure ranger. That 5th favored enemy is huge dps. That is an extra plus 10 damage to another enemy and plus 2 damage to your other four favored enemies.

[Dunfalach]

I'm personally doing a strength tempest ranger based on the same guide that you are, and have him up to level 5 so far. Halfway to 6.

I started with scimitars but ended up switching to longsword simply because there are so many longswords available at low level with so many bonuses. So I took the elf enhancement for longsword, as well as the longbow one (for ranged shots). One thing I would say, if you are going to take the longsword enhancement, is to plan to do the Sharn Syndicate pay2play adventure pack. Right now my primary weapon set (and you will find you end up with multiples as a melee character) is a Nicked Longsword from the Sharn series (1d6 frost damage and +1 Parrying bonus to AC) with a Sickle of Sypheros (1d6 frost) as the off-hand weapon for dual wield. Besides doing useful extra damage, there is something satisfying about watching an enemy turn to an ice sculpture of themselves and shatter when you get the fatal blow :)

I also have the Nicked Longbow from Sharn (1d6 shock damage) and the Guardkiller Bow from Waterworks (human bane). Another set is a battleaxe of goblinoid bane with the sickle of sypheros dual wield. I haven't decided if this is better than just using the Nicked Longsword or not. I suppose it depends whether you need the extra +1 attack against goblinoids to hit; I probably wouldn't have spent money on it, but pulled it from Goldscuttle or one of the other collectors. Also, don't forget to carry a weapon useful against oozes. A muckbane is best, of course, but if you can't pull that, on low levels I recommend just a simple cheap wooden club from the weapon vendor in harbor. If you happen to pull a better club as quest loot later, you can always switch. I need to snag a second club, now that I think of it, and try them dual wield. Especially once I hit tempest. I would also say that at low level it's worth picking up a light shield in spite of being a TWF build, for those occasions where you find an extra 1 or 2 AC can be the difference between being slaughtered and surviving. Or even a heavy if you can get a Mithral. I currently use a +1 Heavy Mithral shield which gives me higher shield AC without skill and dex penalties. Mithral armor is also useful to watch for; I'm using a Mithral Chain Shirt currently.

I find, depending on the enemies and the terrain, some missions I spend 2/3 of my time in ranged and 1/3 in melee, some missions I reverse that with 2/3 melee, and some it's pretty much half and half. Some missions I use only one or the other. I miss more with my arrows than a bow-focused ranger would, but can still get in decent damage with the correct bow. Even when doing melee, there is sometimes a benefit to being able to stand at a distance and pull a single enemy out of a cluster by archery. Even just 2 or 3 hits before they reach you is a little less hp you have to slash through.

Once you get spring attack feat, this will allow you to move around without a penalty to your attack rolls. You get more attacks standing still, apparently, but that ability to move and fight can be very useful for a ranger. With tougher enemies like trolls and such, I sometimes find myself dancing in a circle around them trying to stay behind them as much as possible while slashing away, to reduce return damage. This is also where bows can be useful, as I have more than once survived pulling aggro from a tough monster by running backwards in tight little circles while firing off a continuous stream of arrows. It looks hilarious, but anything that keeps you alive is useful. ;)

One of the big considerations for rangers is your choice of favored enemy. I personally started with kobolds as my very first. I think the guide recommends undead first, and in the long run that may be more useful since there are many kinds of undead. But I found the kobold one invaluable for me in the many kobold missions in Harbor.

[Kralgnax]

*SNIP*

Question 1: Should i take up some fighter levs for extra armour feats for higher ac, or... should i take up some rogue lvl for extra DPS from sneak attack & skill pt bonuses once i hit lev6 ranger n have taken the tempest I enhancement? If so, what will i lose? what else will i gain which i haven't mentioned? Not just no, hell no. You have plenty of feats, so no need for fighter.Since you didn't take rogue at level 1, it's not viable.

Question 2: I know that with a base stat of 10 wis will limit my spell casting from lev 4 onwards, for a ranger spells are if not almost all of a rangers survivability. What can i do to make up for this besides the fact i'm already investing pts in UMD to use healing wand/scrolls? or should take a feat for toughness? Ha ha ha ha! No, seriously, Ram's might is nice, longstrider, jump, resist elements all handy, but a Range who couldn't cast at all would still do fine. You don't need UMD to use heealing wands, you can use them all by level 5. Your UMD will never be high enough to use a Heal scroll.

Question 3: Ancient forum battle scimmys vs long/short sword vs khopesh to suit my twf elven ranger/ fighter or rogue? go on son,... crunch those numbers or... a reason why is enough. Scimitars if you're an elf - you get racial enhancements and save a feat- longswords shoul never be the focus weapon of a ranger - If you like, you can go Khopesh

Welcome to DDO!

[tihocan]

The Tempest version in this thread (http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=232660) may give you some ideas.


Currently lev 3 my goals is to achieve a high DPS & AC toon
If you want high AC there's no real way around the Monk splash with a good enough Wis. It's very hard to do on a 28 pt build with no tome since you also need 13 Int for Combat Expertise, and a good Dex as well.
Otherwise you better not worry too much about AC and focus on DPS instead, in which case the Fighter splash works well :)