Dex as dump stat for arti?

[blametroi]

I'm doing my arti life on my main and decided to dump wis and dex. Insightful reflexes will handle reflex saves and insightful strikes fixes the too hit pretty cheaply. I give up improved precise shot. Opinions?

Stats are base 11/8/17/18/8/12.

+ 2 tomes everywhere except for +3 con from last life.

She caps and TRs so end game isn't a concern.

Edit: corrected typo in int stat, added note re tomes.

[Hobgoblin]

if you dont dump dex - you can get imps like you said - plus you can still be hitting things and getting massive damage.- my arti tops out aroud 40ish? int. thats +15 to damage per bolt. I would think that would be better.

hob

[uthanak69]

If you're going to range and give up IPS, you're doing something wrong.

[unbongwah]

I'm insightful strikes fixes the too hit pretty cheaply.
Unless I'm mistaken, you can't stack Insightful Strikes & Insightful Dmg simultaneously; so you're lowering DPS right out of the gate if you use IS. I'm also not sure why you think STR & CHA are more valuable than DEX on this build.

[sirgog]

Unless I'm mistaken, you can't stack Insightful Strikes & Insightful Dmg simultaneously; so you're lowering DPS right out of the gate if you use IS. I'm also not sure why you think STR & CHA are more valuable than DEX on this build.

This. Artis hit to-hit issues earlier than most classes.

Con does not need to be 17 on this build either. 14 yes, 17 no.

IPS, while acquired pretty late on an arti, is just so good that you can't skip it.

[wax_on_wax_off]

I dumped dex on my arti and took 16 strength, 15 con and 18 int. Now I swing a bastard sword most of the time and it works quite well (with GTHF'ing).

I have +1 int over what I would have had if I'd wanted IPS and 14 base con due to only being a 34 point build and no +3 dex tome.

I'm enjoying it so far, I'll see how it turns out at level 20 (almost 18 now).

[Jaid314]

on the other hand, if you're just getting to 20 and then TRing, well... heck, you can probably pike your way to 20 with an arti that does nothing more than disarm traps and throw darts at things.

but if you're asking whether i think it's a good idea, or if it's a worthwhile trade-off... then no. unless of course you take particular pleasure in being a millstone around the neck of the other people in your group.

[Dakau]

End game = no

1-20 sure

[blametroi]

Thanks for the feedback. She's an experiment where I can do odd things. If she gets to be a problem, I'll buy a lesser heart and tweak. I know the insightful buffs don't stack.

Re other stat choices ...

- I normally put too little into con, perhaps an over correction on my part

- Carry and jump penalties are a drag, hence strength

- I know some low cha artis who don't have enough umd at high levels so I wanted to see how more into cha works

Learnings from this life will be used to convert my crafter, a first life monk, into an arti.

[Lonnbeimnech]

- I know some low cha artis who don't have enough umd at high levels so I wanted to see how more into cha works.


-1 base 8 cha
23 ranks
4 gh
1 +2 cha tome
3 +6 cha items
6 gs cha skills
4 improved umd enhancement

---------------------

40



and if you really want to over do it

+2 good luck item
+5 seven fingered gloves
+3 epic spyglass
+3 skill focus umd feat
+1 +4 tome
+1 yugo pots
+1 store pots
+2 cookies
+3 alchemical skill pots

--------------------------
61

[wax_on_wax_off]

Yeah I had 95% on heal scrolls at level 13 iirc and it's only got better since then. Heal scrolls at level 13 was kind of overkill but it was good.

(No GS charisma skills item btw).

[deahamlet]

If you gear up for it, even a WF with 6 base CHA can manage no fail Heal scrolls for backup tank healing.

At 16 you can go farm Doublecross Bow that uses either DEX or INT (whichever is higher) as to-hit. And just use that with Insightful Damage.

I personally think it's not a good trade-off to dump DEX IF you're not going melee arti (and I still don't get those, but to each their own). Where you need a lot of HP is in epic raids. You don't plan on being at cap that long. Take some of that CON and put into DEX. I had 14 CON on my artificer and solo-ed 75% of content on hard streak with crazy ease. Whenever I grouped, easy in as the trapper and since I shot everything from far or kitted or diverted mob attention to dog or turret... I never had much healing problems.

Unlike other caster classes that need to splash to get some weapon dmg, you get it for free. Nice damage even. Xbow + rune-arm is very powerful combination before and after BB and turret and lightning motes.

[garlor]

you want dex to hit and int to do damage, you can't have the int-tohit and int-damage at the same time

edit:

6 levels rogue mech prestige. Yes you can!

you can't have the int-tohit and int-damage spells at the same time
/edit:

[Bumbaragum]

you want dex to hit and int to do damage, you can't have the int-tohit and int-damage at the same time

6 levels rogue mech prestige. Yes you can!

[WTFFowler]

I dumped dex on mine and didnt see a big issue until I hit amrath. So for leveling it shouldn't cause major concern. If it is, divine power clickie and the highest +Xbow you can find(conjure arrows will give level appropriate +# bolts now and I'm not sure the values at certain levels). Battle engineer also adds +2 stacking enchanment. So that should ease the pain a bit.

If you decide you like your arti and want to keep it for a while than yes you will need to put an investment into dex, if not for the to-hit than for IPS.

[Kourier]

6 levels rogue mech prestige. Yes you can!

A 6level rogue splash loses you a lot of stuff on an artificer... Anyway the damage will just not be that good from your repeater since you won't be able to use insightful damage and still hit things. I guess that was your choice? The points in strength and cha and extra con don't make sense to me for the reasons others have stated.

[FranOhmsford]

A 6level rogue splash loses you a lot of stuff on an artificer... Anyway the damage will just not be that good from your repeater since you won't be able to use insightful damage and still hit things. I guess that was your choice? The points in strength and cha and extra con don't make sense to me for the reasons others have stated.

And gains you 3d6 sneak attack, extra skill points, Stealthy Backstabbing {i.e. Threat Reduction}.

14/6 doesn't seem a bad choice to me although 13/7 may be even better for the extra sneak attack die.

[wax_on_wax_off]

And gains you 3d6 sneak attack, extra skill points, Stealthy Backstabbing {i.e. Threat Reduction}.

14/6 doesn't seem a bad choice to me although 13/7 may be even better for the extra sneak attack die.

You can get 3d6 sneak attack from dilettante: rogue and subtle backstabbing only applies to melee attacks. 14/6 is NOT a good split (for end game). While leveling; who cares. However, BB at level 15 on a pure Artificer does more for leveling than anything else ever could.

If you want more str/con/cha then just start with more balanced stats rather than the min-maxed thing that most players do. 12/16/16/16/8/10 (drop con on a 32/34 point build) is perfectly fine and gives nice cushion in a few different places. If you want to dump dex completely then look at either of me melee artificer builds and try one (here (http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?p=4028191&posted=1#post4028191) and here (http://forums.ddo.com/showpost.php?p=4005954&postcount=2)), I'm playing the human one atm and my xbow still works great for times that it's appropriate and the rest of the time I'm putting the strength/con to work mixing it up in melee.

[FranOhmsford]

subtle backstabbing only applies to melee attacks.


/Facepalm.

My Rogue Mech needs yet another enhancement respec - How did I miss this?

[Jaid314]

/Facepalm.

My Rogue Mech needs yet another enhancement respec - How did I miss this?

perhaps you dump-statted dex like the OP wants to and as a result have a poor to-hit modifier ^^

[blametroi]

6 levels rogue mech prestige. Yes you can!

Not something I'll do this life but it's interesting to contemplate for another toon or life.

[FranOhmsford]

perhaps you dump-statted dex like the OP wants to and as a result have a poor to-hit modifier ^^

Funny - I don't remember dumpstatting dex

http://my.ddo.com/character/cannith/sylveria/

Especially as until I decided to add the Arti levels I was a 2 weapon fighter on this toon - Yes she was UBER-SQUISHY.

The strange thing is that I never noticed the word Melee next to Threat on the enhancement list {even after taking Tier II}.

Oh well what's another enhancement respec anyway?

[Lifespawn]

Funny - I don't remember dumpstatting dex

http://my.ddo.com/character/cannith/sylveria/

Especially as until I decided to add the Arti levels I was a 2 weapon fighter on this toon - Yes she was UBER-SQUISHY.

The strange thing is that I never noticed the word Melee next to Threat on the enhancement list {even after taking Tier II}.

Oh well what's another enhancement respec anyway?

i think you missed the joke there

[FranOhmsford]

i think you missed the joke there

No, Sorry, Just saw an insult.

Jokes btw are purely subjective - We are all different and as this game is worldwide you should perhaps refrain from attempting jokes that could look like insults.

[Lifespawn]

No, Sorry, Just saw an insult.

Jokes btw are purely subjective - We are all different and as this game is worldwide you should perhaps refrain from attempting jokes that could look like insults.

just looked like a light hearted play on words to me even if it was an insult do you really care?

[FranOhmsford]

just looked like a light hearted play on words to me even if it was an insult do you really care?

Yes actually and why shouldn't I?

Anyway enough of the thread derail - At the end of the day Op it's completely up to you how you build and play your character.
Enough Dex for Imp. Precise Shot seems to be a majority vote and of course to hit is based on Dex for X-Bows unless you're constantly going to have Insightful attack running.
If you however wish to play an Arti with low dex then by all means go ahead - My Halfling Arti on Thelanis has had no issues so far:

http://my.ddo.com/character/thelanis/logie/

[goodspeed]

I suppose you could do a 14/6 splash and dump dex but then hell you just gave up ur high level spells and some rune arm dmg. If your focusing on just the ranged repeater then why even have most of the levels as an arti. Better to take rogue splash arti for the pre then basically become a repeater ranger switching from ranged to 2 weapon fighting.

Either way insightful dmg is pretty much where a great deal of ur dmg comes from using the int mod for dmg. The boost is more then apparent, especially when you tack on something like divine favor. The other bulk of your dmg comes from the insanely easy to buff BB the arti gets, as well as rune arm dps.

It's not so much ips although it is nice when everything isn't everywhere around the room. But more that dex is your to hit unless buffs aren't enough then ud need to use to the int mod for hits in which case dex still plays a great roll cause one way or the other id be like a dex monk that dumped str. Why even bother to swing?