The Demon Hunter [Ranger 12/Paladin 6/Monk 2]

[Vissarion]

So, in light of the changes coming in Update 5, I decided to try and put together a build that combined excellent TWF DPS and survivability. This is what I came up with:

The Demon Hunter
Warforged 12 Ranger/6 Paladin/2 Monk
Lawful Good

Race Selection

Warforged was chosen due to the excellent immunities, which with Paladin fear immunity makes you impervious to many of the most common negative effects in the game. Warforged also provide the best choice for hit points (along with Dwarves) and useful power attack enhancements for end-game DPS. Other races would presumably work just as well.

(Heck, go human female and call it Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Level Breakdown

With Tempest I no longer being as compelling a stopping point, Tempest II becomes to logical new stopping point for multi-class TWF builds. Tempest II gives you the entire TWF line (freeing you from dedicating so many build points to Dex), 30 point elemental resists, full Barkskin, and three Favored Enemies.

Paladin 6 gives the build Knight of the Chalice I, further rounding out DPS against evil outsiders and undead. Other potential options would be Barbarian 6 or Fighter 6, but Paladin 6 lets you get much high saves compared to the alternatives. Given that this build is intended to be able to solo, the higher saves (and AC) comes in handy. Paladin 6 also gives you Prot. Evil and Divine Favor for extra buffage.

Monk 2 obviously fills the roll of evasion, Wis to AC, good saves, and the +1 centered bonus to AC.

Stat Breakdown

Str: 16 (6 item + 5 levels + 2 tome + 2 Ram’s + 3 exceptional = 34)
Dex: 13 (6 item + 2 enhancement + 2 tome + 1 exceptional = 24)
Con: 16 (6 item + 2 enhancement + 2 tome + 2 exceptional = 28)
Int: 8
Wis: 11 (6 item + 2 tome + 1 enhancement = 20)
Cha: 12 (6 item + 2 tome + 2 enhancement = 22)

Hit Points

20 HD
112 Ranger/Monk
60 Paladin
22 Toughness
40 Racial Toughness
20 Pally Toughness
20 Minos
180 Con
45 Shroud
10 Draconic
30 GFL

559 Unbuffed

AC Breakdown

10 Base
2 Composite Plating
5 Docent (Dragontouched)
2 Reinforced Plating
1 Alchemical Dodge
1 Dodge Feat
7 Dex
5 Wis
2 Paladin
1 Monk
5 Barkskin
5 Protection
2 Chaosgarde
4 Insight (Greensteel)
3 Tempest II
3 Dodge (Sovereign Rune)

58 (60 vs. FE) Self-buffed

High 60s-low 70s Raid-buffed potential.

Saves

Fortitude:

8 Ranger
5 Paladin
3 Monk
9 Constitution
6 Charisma
2 Aura
5 Resistance
4 GH
2 HoGF

Total: 44

Reflex:

8 Ranger
2 Paladin
3 Monk
6 Dexterity
6 Charisma
2 Aura
5 Resistance
4 GH
2 HoGF

Total: 38

Will:

4 Ranger
2 Paladin
3 Monk
6 Wisdom
6 Charisma
2 Aura
5 Resistance
4 GH
2 HoGF

Total: 34

Feats

1 Toughness
2 Dodge (Monk Bonus)
3 OTWF
4 Mobility (Monk Bonus)
6 Khopesh
9 Spring Attack
12 IC: Slashing
15 Power Attack
18 Extend (This could be something else)

Skills

This is more player preference. I put mine into Balance, Spot, Jump, and UMD.

Summary of Build Benefits

* 100% offhand attack
* Great saves
* Good AC
* Excellent DPS with Khopeshes (especially against FE)
* Exalted smites and divine sacrifice
* Extensive immunities
* Evasion
* Bow skills (when needed)
* +9 damage versus FE (+10 + 1d6 against Undead and Evil Outsiders)
* Good self-buffs (30-point resists, Ram's Might, Barkskin, Prot. Evil, Divine Favor)
* Reasonable self-healing (a couple LoH and wand usage)

Enhancements are listed below in the character planner export, as well as when the levels were taken. No final gearing provided, besides Chaosgarde and DT docent. I imagine the Shintao or FB set would be good, plus other obvious, good gear (Spectral Gloves, Bloodstone, etc).

Here's the character planner export:


Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 3.34
DDO Character Planner Home Page (http://www.rjcyberware.com/DDO)

Level 20 Lawful Good Warforged Male
(6 Paladin \ 2 Monk \ 12 Ranger)
Hit Points: 374
Spell Points: 232
BAB: 19\19\24\29\29
Fortitude: 27
Reflex: 21
Will: 16

Starting Feat/Enhancement
Abilities Base Stats Modified Stats
(32 Point) (Level 1) (Level 20)
Strength 16 23
Dexterity 13 17
Constitution 16 20
Intelligence 8 8
Wisdom 11 14
Charisma 12 16

Tomes Used
+2 Tome of Strength used at level 20
+2 Tome of Dexterity used at level 20
+2 Tome of Constitution used at level 20
+2 Tome of Wisdom used at level 20
+2 Tome of Charisma used at level 20

Starting Feat/Enhancement
Base Skills Modified Skills
Skills (Level 1) (Level 20)
Balance 3 18
Bluff 1 3
Concentration 3 12
Diplomacy 1 3
Disable Device n/a n/a
Haggle 3 6
Heal 0 2
Hide 1 3
Intimidate 1 3
Jump 7 21
Listen 0 2
Move Silently 1 3
Open Lock n/a n/a
Perform n/a n/a
Repair -1 -1
Search -1 -1
Spot 4 19
Swim 3 6
Tumble 2 4
Use Magic Device 2 13

Level 1 (Ranger)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Undead
Feat: (Selected) Toughness


Level 2 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Dodge


Level 3 (Ranger)
Feat: (Selected) Oversized Two Weapon Fighting


Level 4 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Mobility


Level 5 (Paladin)


Level 6 (Ranger)
Feat: (Selected) Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Khopesh


Level 7 (Paladin)


Level 8 (Ranger)


Level 9 (Ranger)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Evil Outsider
Feat: (Selected) Spring Attack


Level 10 (Ranger)


Level 11 (Paladin)


Level 12 (Ranger)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Slashing Weapons


Level 13 (Ranger)


Level 14 (Ranger)


Level 15 (Ranger)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Construct
Feat: (Selected) Power Attack


Level 16 (Ranger)


Level 17 (Ranger)


Level 18 (Paladin)
Feat: (Selected) Extend Spell


Level 19 (Paladin)


Level 20 (Paladin)
Enhancement: Ranger Sprint Boost I
Enhancement: Way of the Clever Monkey I
Enhancement: Paladin Courage of Good I
Enhancement: Paladin Bulwark of Good I
Enhancement: Paladin Focus of Good I
Enhancement: Paladin Focus of Good II
Enhancement: Paladin Resistance of Good I
Enhancement: Paladin Divine Sacrifice I
Enhancement: Paladin Exalted Smite I
Enhancement: Paladin Extra Lay on Hands I
Enhancement: Paladin Extra Smite Evil I
Enhancement: Paladin Extra Smite Evil II
Enhancement: Paladin Knight of the Chalice I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Racial Toughness III
Enhancement: Racial Toughness IV
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Attack I
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage I
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage II
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage III
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Defense I
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Defense II
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Resistance I
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Resistance II
Enhancement: Ranger Tempest I
Enhancement: Ranger Tempest II
Enhancement: Paladin Energy of the Templar I
Enhancement: Paladin Charisma I
Enhancement: Paladin Charisma II
Enhancement: Ranger Dexterity I
Enhancement: Ranger Dexterity II
Enhancement: Monk Wisdom I
Enhancement: Paladin Toughness I
Enhancement: Paladin Toughness II
Enhancement: Paladin Divine Might I
Enhancement: Warforged Constitution I
Enhancement: Warforged Constitution II
Enhancement: Warforged Construct Thinking I
Enhancement: Warforged Hardiness I
Enhancement: Warforged Healer's Friend I
Enhancement: Warforged Power Attack I
Enhancement: Warforged Power Attack II




Feedback is very welcome, as this is my first attempt to post a build, and probably missed some important stuff. :)

[gwlech]

This looks like it would be pretty fantastic to play. Good build, I like your reasoning behind everything.

[unbongwah]

I would rearrange feats a bit so you could take Imp Crit at lvl 9; push back either OTWF or khopesh, take SA at lvl 6.

[Vissarion]

I would rearrange feats a bit so you could take Imp Crit at lvl 9; push back either OTWF or khopesh, take SA at lvl 6.

I was considering ways to get IC to level 9 as well, but didn't really stress it too much. I like the benefits of OTWF during the early levels, so I'd probably be inclined to push Khopesh to 12 and use Scimitars until then.

Thanks for kind comment, gwlech!

[Mangloid]

Looks to be very similar to Rachna's build: The Savage Crusader http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=213144

[Vissarion]

Looks to be very similar to Rachna's build: The Savage Crusader http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=213144

Insofar as they're both 12/6/2 builds, I suppose, but this build isn't really designed for AC or hate tanking, as Rachna's build seems to be. No Defender of Syberis, no Combat Expertise, etc, etc. It benefits from a lot of the same things that the Savage Crusader does, but is designed to be straight DPS.

I think of it more like a post-Update 5 Monster build with Pally instead of Fighter for saves, AC, and fear immunity.

[Bracosius]

With AC being so meaningless are the two monk levels needed? Doesn't a 9 ranger already get evasion?

[Mangloid]

Insofar as they're both 12/6/2 builds, I suppose, but this build isn't really designed for AC or hate tanking, as Rachna's build seems to be. No Defender of Syberis, no Combat Expertise, etc, etc. It benefits from a lot of the same things that the Savage Crusader does, but is designed to be straight DPS.

I think of it more like a post-Update 5 Monster build with Pally instead of Fighter for saves, AC, and fear immunity.

As stated above, If you're going to make the argument of ignoring AC then why even add 2 monk levels.

14 ranger would give you another favored enemy and added damage to it. It also would give you access to the freedom of movement spell.

Or go 13 ranger/1 rogue. Still get the added favored enemy. The rogue adds situational sneak attack and unlocks full access to UMD. The added rogue level and added Favored enemy both give you much more DPS than 2 monk will give you.

Personally I feel that Rachna's build build gives you far more flexibility than the one you currently propose.

If i wasn't happy with a monster build and was going to TR it and still wanted a 12/6/2 split. I might explore 12 ftr 6 pally 2 monk. Kensai II, Defender or KoTCH I or a 12 ftr 6 ranger 2 rogue.

[Geonis]

As stated above, If you're going to make the argument of ignoring AC then why even add 2 monk levels.

2 feats, and +3 to all saves. Could trade the 2 Monk for 2 Ftr, and basically trade a few2 points of save (+3 Ref and Will) for full +20 BAB, but I think Monk is worth the trade.



14 ranger would give you another favored enemy and added damage to it. It also would give you access to the freedom of movement spell.

Uh.....no it wouldn't add a FE, and FoM? Really? For 2 feats, no thanks.



Or go 13 ranger/1 rogue. Still get the added favored enemy. The rogue adds situational sneak attack and unlocks full access to UMD. The added rogue level and added Favored enemy both give you much more DPS than 2 monk will give you.

May be worth it for UMD, but this build can't afford the feat loss.




Personally I feel that Rachna's build build gives you far more flexibility than the one you currently propose.

Rachna's build trades top end DPS for "hate tanking" which is useful in like 2 raids. Not more flexibility from my perspective.

[Vissarion]

As stated above, If you're going to make the argument of ignoring AC then why even add 2 monk levels.

14 ranger would give you another favored enemy and added damage to it. It also would give you access to the freedom of movement spell.

Or go 13 ranger/1 rogue. Still get the added favored enemy. The rogue adds situational sneak attack and unlocks full access to UMD. The added rogue level and added Favored enemy both give you much more DPS than 2 monk will give you.

Personally I feel that Rachna's build build gives you far more flexibility than the one you currently propose.

If i wasn't happy with a monster build and was going to TR it and still wanted a 12/6/2 split. I might explore 12 ftr 6 pally 2 monk. Kensai II, Defender or KoTCH I or a 12 ftr 6 ranger 2 rogue.

I think you misunderstood me. I didn't mean to imply I was ignoring AC - simply that I wasn't trying to build a primary AC tank (along with not trying to build a hate tank). The AC on this build would be good for trash monsters and soloing, but wouldn't really hold up to raid bosses. I'm aiming for a moderately good AC to make solo or shortman play more feasible without very high resource expenditure, while also contributing well in group and raid situations.

The Monk levels are good for achieving this moderately high AC with little effort, but as noted by Geonis I'm going for the bonus feats and the better saves as well. If I went the UMD route, I would go 13 Ranger/6 Pally/1 Rogue to get Favored Damage IV and UMD, but I opted not to do that. If I went for ignoring AC, I would go with the fighter levels. However, given my goals, the 2 Monk works nicely.

I won't comment further on Rachna's build beyond saying that it's good, but different from this build. If you prefer the flexibility afforded by it, more power to you. I like to think that mine also offers some flexibility and may appeal to different people than those who prefer traditional Monsters and the like.

Edit: And to respond to Bracosius: I wouldn't go so far as to call AC meaningless. Against raid bosses and in epics, sure, this build isn't going to get much protection, but it will also have the saves and DPS to pull its own weight. However, I do consider AC to be useful in many situations outside of raid bosses and epics, and build accordingly. So long as I don't have to sacrifice too much to get a passable AC, I'll gladly take the extra survivability.

[Mangloid]

Uh.....no it wouldn't add a FE, and FoM? Really? For 2 feats, no thanks.
I was in a hurry and didn't complete my thought on this. You are right, it DOESN"T add a FE. What i meant was it adds another level of Favored Enemy damage. you are correct in that the feats are pretty tight and giving 2 up would be painful


Rachna's build trades top end DPS for "hate tanking" which is useful in like 2 raids. Not more flexibility from my perspective.
While +1 to attack Evil Outsiders and an additional 1d6 additional damage isn't anything to scoff at, I don't think that I'd quite qualify that as "top end DPS".
As I stated it was my personal opinion that her's offered more flexibility. To each their own


Replies in blue above

[Mangloid]

I think you misunderstood me. I didn't mean to imply I was ignoring AC - simply that I wasn't trying to build a primary AC tank (along with not trying to build a hate tank). The AC on this build would be good for trash monsters and soloing, but wouldn't really hold up to raid bosses. I'm aiming for a moderately good AC to make solo or shortman play more feasible without very high resource expenditure, while also contributing well in group and raid situations.

The Monk levels are good for achieving this moderately high AC with little effort, but as noted by Geonis I'm going for the bonus feats and the better saves as well. If I went the UMD route, I would go 13 Ranger/6 Pally/1 Rogue to get Favored Damage IV and UMD, but I opted not to do that. If I went for ignoring AC, I would go with the fighter levels. However, given my goals, the 2 Monk works nicely.

I won't comment further on Rachna's build beyond saying that it's good, but different from this build. If you prefer the flexibility afforded by it, more power to you. I like to think that mine also offers some flexibility and may appeal to different people than those who prefer traditional Monsters and the like.

Edit: And to respond to Bracosius: I wouldn't go so far as to call AC meaningless. Against raid bosses and in epics, sure, this build isn't going to get much protection, but it will also have the saves and DPS to pull its own weight. However, I do consider AC to be useful in many situations outside of raid bosses and epics, and build accordingly. So long as I don't have to sacrifice too much to get a passable AC, I'll gladly take the extra survivability.

Well, said. Very good breakdown of what you wanted vs Rachna's build. Looks like a very fun build that would be enjoyable to play. +1 rep

[Geonis]

Replies in blue above

Trading off 8 points of damage on each hand every hit would qualify as trading away top end DPS to me.

[Bracosius]

Edit: And to respond to Bracosius: I wouldn't go so far as to call AC meaningless. Against raid bosses and in epics, sure, this build isn't going to get much protection, but it will also have the saves and DPS to pull its own weight. However, I do consider AC to be useful in many situations outside of raid bosses and epics, and build accordingly. So long as I don't have to sacrifice too much to get a passable AC, I'll gladly take the extra survivability.

The characters I play are all 20's and all I run are raids and epic so my viewpoint is biased on AC. In the end game content to have a meaningful AC you really have to commit to it. So I will build and equip with DPS and surviveability in mind, unfortunately right now AC does not figure into surviveability. It is much better to be able to UMD a heal scroll then hit a moderate AC.

But this is just my opinion based on the content I run. If you still run vale, IQ, and Amrath on a regular basis AC may be able to help.

Have fun with your build.

[Vissarion]

The characters I play are all 20's and all I run are raids and epic so my viewpoint is biased on AC. In the end game content to have a meaningful AC you really have to commit to it. So I will build and equip with DPS and surviveability in mind, unfortunately right now AC does not figure into surviveability. It is much better to be able to UMD a heal scroll then hit a moderate AC.

But this is just my opinion based on the content I run. If you still run vale, IQ, and Amrath on a regular basis AC may be able to help.

Have fun with your build.

I can certainly understand that. At the moment, I'm only really interested in running Vale, IQ, Reaver's Reach, DD, and Amrath, and don't much care for the idea of epics. Most people I've talked to find them boring, and while I may decide differently, I don't care for their grindy aspect.

If I start running more epics when I'm capped, I imagine I'll take the pointlessness of moderate AC into consideration and go for pure DPS + guard gear.

[kruggh_ddo]

Seems a very solid build to me.

Just wondering if using long sword instead of khopesh would be a good idea with U5.

To achieve this, you d have to swap your feats Khopesh and Extend with Weapon focus slash and whirling steel strike.

Pros :
- better to hit bonus (+1 because of weapon focus and +1 because of Follower of the sovereign host enhancement)
- remain centered : in wind stance 1 this means 7.5% speed (moot if under haste spell as these dont stack) and 2.5% double strike, +2 dex (good) -2 con (not so good lol)

Cons :
- khopesh is better than long sword

[Aganthor]

Seems solid to me as well. I almost did the same thing but instead went with 12 paladin, 6 ranger and 2 monk. So far so good :)

[ElRokken]

Would there be a viable way to do this build with access to only 28 point builds, if so where would you sacrifice the stat points without hurting the build overall?

Or is this one of those builds I should wait until I have 32 points for?

This is definitely something along the lines I've been looking for to match my playstyle, I just haven't been playing long enough to unlock the 32 point builds, and don't really care to spend the TP for it despite feeling like it's worth it. Thanks for the input.

[Vissarion]

Seems a very solid build to me.

Just wondering if using long sword instead of khopesh would be a good idea with U5.

To achieve this, you d have to swap your feats Khopesh and Extend with Weapon focus slash and whirling steel strike.

Pros :
- better to hit bonus (+1 because of weapon focus and +1 because of Follower of the sovereign host enhancement)
- remain centered : in wind stance 1 this means 7.5% speed (moot if under haste spell as these dont stack) and 2.5% double strike, +2 dex (good) -2 con (not so good lol)

Cons :
- khopesh is better than long sword

Pre-update 5, I would have considered long swords briefly, since the bonus of remaining centered would be nice, but with khopeshes having such a better damage profile at endgame, I don't think I'd want to sacrifice them for 2.5% doublestrike.


Would there be a viable way to do this build with access to only 28 point builds, if so where would you sacrifice the stat points without hurting the build overall?

Or is this one of those builds I should wait until I have 32 points for?

This is definitely something along the lines I've been looking for to match my playstyle, I just haven't been playing long enough to unlock the 32 point builds, and don't really care to spend the TP for it despite feeling like it's worth it. Thanks for the input.

It would be tight without 32-point builds, since to get good benefit from lots of the class features, you need to commit points to stats like Wisdom and Charisma. You could dump Wisdom and forget about AC, and just keep Monk for the bonus feats, or you could drop Khopesh and Extend and go 2 Rogue for UMD. But given the multi-stat dependency of the build, I probably wouldn't.

One potential alternative would be to go with an inverted Monster build (12 Ranger/6 Fighter/2 Monk or Rogue) and dump Charisma. I guess it would mainly depend on how much you like the resilience of the higher saves and immunities versus the higher DPS of Kensei I.