unbongwah
09-20-2013, 03:21 PM
After a really long hiatus, I've decided to revive my Weekend Warriors series . . . because you demanded it!
*crickets chirp*
*tumbleweeds blow thru*
You're killing me here, guys, seriously. :cool:
Like the first two Weekend Warriors (Shadow Princess (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/368321-Weekend-Warriors-1-Shadow-Princess-(elf-THF-ftr-12-barb-6-rogue-2)), Jorasco Medic (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/369024-Weekend-Warriors-2-Jorasco-Medics-(halfling-ftr-12-rogue-2))), the goal is to come up with 28-pt F2P-friendly builds which are a bit more interesting & versatile than the usual bog-standard minmaxed builds. The Faithsworn Hunter (http://dnd-wiki.org/wiki/Faithsworn_Hunter_%283.5e_Prestige_Class%29) is a PnP 3.5E prestige class intended for multi-classed paladin / ranger characters. To be honest, I didn't borrow too much from the PrC, other than being a rgr / pally mix; I just like the name and can't come up with anything better. :o
The core concept here is TWF melee + Manyshot w/Improved Precise Shot for burst ranged DPS. An idea which has been around for ages, of course, going back to the original Monster, at least. But the U19 changes to Enhancements has made this particular split uniquely attractive. Basically, both rgr & pally had some of their nicer abilities become more front-loaded, meaning you don't need as many levels of both classes to access them.
So why'd I go fighter 12 / ranger 4 / paladin 4? Glad you asked!
Pally 4 gets you Divine Grace to boost saves; fear & disease immunity; as well as Divine Might (now an insightful STR bonus), Exalted Smite, and Divine Sacrifice from KotC tree. It also gets you access to Empower Heal feat, which we'll want for Rejuvenation Cocoon someday (doesn't everybody?).
Rgr 4 gets you a few free feats (namely Bow STR, Rapid Shot, Precise Shot, TWF, and Diehard just to round things out), +10% offhand proc from Tempest tree (meaning 90% offhand once you have GTWF), and Ram's Might (+2 STR, +2 dmg). You can also pick up various perks from AA & DWS trees, like Conjure Arrows, Magical Training (EotW), up to +3D6 sneak atk, and Devotion (about to be nerfed, but it looks like (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/425546-Massive-Nerf-to-ranger-DwS-positive-energy?p=5104816&viewfull=1#post5104816) it's still worth up to 40 Positive Spellpower in U19.2).
Ftr 12 gets you 7 more feats (4 go to Weap Foc/Spec feats for Kensei pre-reqs), core enhs thru Power Surge (+8 STR action boost), and DPS bonuses inc. Keen Edge (+1 bonus to crit range).
Drawbacks:
No Evasion (unless you make Shadowdancer or Primal Avatar your primary ED).
Not terribly self-sufficient: can use rgr/pally wands while leveling, has 11 ranks of UMD, and will get Rejuv Cocoon someday, but that's about it. [Lay on Hands will help a bit at low lvls, but since it won't scale beyond pal lvl 4, it's not much good later on.]
No tactics or extra survivability feats (like Toughness or Dodge), unless you rejigger feats a bit.
No trap skills, no stealth - Heal & UMD are the only skills I maxed, with extra pts of Spot, because why not? [It's a bit unusual for me to invest in skills which don't pay off until very late, actually, particularly on what's intended to be newbie-friendly.]
A bit more tome-intensive than a lot of my "F2P-friendly" builds: human version needs +2 DEX tome by lvl 7 (for ITWF & Manyshot), +2 STR tome by lvl 20 (for OC), and +2->+3 DEX upgrade tome by lvl 24 (IPS).
Not Yet Another Centered Earth Stance Monk / Kensei Build. Oh wait, is that a perk instead? :p
Now onto the basic build. This is using the old builder, which hasn't been updated for U19 yet, but the feat pre-reqs haven't changed. Plus it shows you how I planned to max out UMD & Heal (boosts Pos Spellpower for Rejuv Cocoon).
Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 03.16.01
DDO Character Planner Home Page (http://www.rjcyberware.com/DDO)
Level 25 Lawful Good Human Female
(12 Fighter \ 4 Paladin \ 4 Ranger \ 5 Epic)
Hit Points: 337
Spell Points: 40
BAB: 20\20\25\30\30
Fortitude: 22
Reflex: 16
Will: 8
Starting Feat/Enhancement
Abilities Base Stats Modified Stats
(28 Point) (Level 1) (Level 25)
Strength 16 23
Dexterity 15 19
Constitution 14 16
Intelligence 8 8
Wisdom 8 8
Charisma 12 14
Tomes Used
+2 Tome of Dexterity used at level 7
+2 Tome of Strength used at level 20
+2 Tome of Constitution used at level 20
+2 Tome of Charisma used at level 20
+3 Tome of Dexterity used at level 23
Starting Feat/Enhancement
Base Skills Modified Skills
Skills (Level 1) (Level 25)
Balance 4 11
Bluff 1 7
Concentration 2 8
Diplomacy 1 7
Disable Device n/a n/a
Haggle 1 7
Heal 3 26
Hide 2 9
Intimidate 1 7
Jump 7 15
Listen -1 4
Move Silently 2 9
Open Lock n/a n/a
Perform n/a n/a
Repair -1 4
Search 3 8
Spot 3 14
Swim 3 11
Tumble 3 10
Use Magic Device 2 18
Level 1 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+2)
Skill: Heal (+4)
Skill: Jump (+4)
Skill: Search (+4)
Skill: Spot (+4)
Skill: Tumble (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Human Bonus) Cleave
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Undead
Feat: (Selected) Power Attack
Level 2 (Paladin)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Level 3 (Paladin)
Skill: Heal (+2)
Feat: (Selected) Point Blank Shot
Level 4 (Paladin)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Level 5 (Paladin)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Level 6 (Ranger)
Skill: Heal (+3)
Skill: Spot (+3)
Feat: (Selected) Great Cleave
Level 7 (Ranger)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Spot (+3)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Level 8 (Fighter)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Heal (+1)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Improved Two Weapon Fighting
Level 9 (Fighter)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Slashing Weapons
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Manyshot
Level 10 (Fighter)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Level 11 (Fighter)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Greater Two Weapon Fighting
Level 12 (Fighter)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Heal (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Ranged Weapons
Level 13 (Fighter)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Weapon Focus: Slashing Weapons
Level 14 (Fighter)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Level 15 (Fighter)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Greater Weapon Focus: Slashing Weapons
Feat: (Selected) Weapon Specialization: Slashing Weapons
Level 16 (Fighter)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Heal (+1)
Level 17 (Fighter)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Precision
Level 18 (Fighter)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Empower Healing Spell
Level 19 (Fighter)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Greater Weapon Specialization: Slashing Weapons
Level 20 (Ranger)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Heal (+6)
Level 21 (Fighter)
Feat: (Selected) Overwhelming Critical
Level 22 (Fighter)
Level 23 (Fighter)
Level 24 (Fighter)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Precise Shot
Level 25 (Fighter)
Lvl 26 ED feat: Perfect TWF
Lvl 27 feat: Blinding Speed or Epic DR or maybe Epic Reflexes
Lvl 28 ED feat: Toughness or Elusive Target
CHA: base 12 + 2 tome + 8 item + 3 insightful item + 3 Action Surge = 28 -> +9 Insightful STR bonus (Divine Might)
STR: base 16 + 6 lvl-ups + 2 tome + 3 enhs + 8 item + 3 Exceptional + 2 Ram's Might + 2 Rage spell + 8 Power Surge + 9 Insightful (DM) + 3 Action Surge = 62 (+26)
That's a rough estimate on my part; I'm sure there are even more bonuses which could be added to both stats.
Enhancements: this is only a partial list of what I consider the must-haves, which will leave several APs to tweak things with.
Kensei: at least 31 APs spent - core enhs thru Power Surge (6 APs), max Haste Boost (3 APs), max Extra Action Boost (6 APs), full Weap Specialization (8 APs), STR x2 (4 APs), Keen Edge (1 AP), 3 APs on filler
KotC: at least 15 APs spent on core enhs (2 APs), extra Smite & TUs (4 APs - filler), max Divine Might (6 APs), Divine Sacrifice (1-3 APs), Exalted Smite (2-6 APs)
Tempest: at least 6 APs spent on 1st two core enhs (+10% offhand), Whirling Blades 1 (2 APs), Imp Reaction x2 (2 APs - filler)
Human: at least 7 APs spent on Dmg Boost (1 AP), +1 STR (2 AP), Action Surge STR (2-3 APs), Action Surge CHA (2-3 APs)
DWS: 6 APs on Pos Spellpower boosts (+40); not until you have Rejuv Cocoon, tho, so those pts can go elsewhere until then
That leaves up to 15 APs left over to beef up whatever you like; e.g., 6 APs for 30% heal amp (20% human 10% KotC), 9 APs in AA for max EotW (grants Magical Training), Conjure, Morphic, and Force or Corrosive Arrows.
Other comments about the build / playstyle:
Like a lot of TWF chars, this one is meant to use 2H weapons for the first several levels; hence why I took Cleave & GC ASAP. Carnifex (http://ddowiki.com/page/Carnifex) is your best option if you've got one, otherwise a keen falchion is fine. Switch to dual-wielding once you have ITWF+Tempest (70% offhand).
Exalted Smite & Divine Sacrifice work best with weapons with large crit ranges, which is why I've specced her for scimitars (18-20 x2). If you prefer khopeshes, drop either IC:Ranged or Precision to add khop prof. You could also take Piercing feats to switch to rapiers (Balizarde FTW!) or heavy picks (Deathnips FTW!). Axes and hammers are not ideal because their base crit range is only 5% (20); although Mornh (http://ddowiki.com/page/Mornh,_Hammer_of_the_Mountains) or the various drow / duergar weapons would work well for their expanded crit profiles. [A dwarf / drow / elf variant would most likely spec to exploit their racial weapon bonuses, ofc.]
I delayed rgr 4 until lvl 20 so I could use the skill pts to max out Heal; but that means waiting until then before you have Ram's Might + Prec Shot. You can move it up sooner, but w/out +2 INT tome you won't have enough skill pts on ftr lvls to max UMD & Heal. [If I had to choose, I'd pick max UMD over max Heal; plenty of ways of boosting Spellpower, not so many for UMD.]
Epic Destinies: Fury of the Wild is probably the best overall for melee+ranged builds, but as mostly-fighter, you'll start Legendary Dreadnought. From there, go to Shiradi Champion, then Primal Avatar (just long enough to Twist in Rejuv Cocoon, at which point you'll also add in the DWS Pos Spellpower enhs), then over to FotW to max it out. But if you're planning to pick up Elusive Target as one of your ED feats, you'll also need to max out two Martial EDs; I'd go with LD and Shadowdancer.
*crickets chirp*
*tumbleweeds blow thru*
You're killing me here, guys, seriously. :cool:
Like the first two Weekend Warriors (Shadow Princess (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/368321-Weekend-Warriors-1-Shadow-Princess-(elf-THF-ftr-12-barb-6-rogue-2)), Jorasco Medic (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/369024-Weekend-Warriors-2-Jorasco-Medics-(halfling-ftr-12-rogue-2))), the goal is to come up with 28-pt F2P-friendly builds which are a bit more interesting & versatile than the usual bog-standard minmaxed builds. The Faithsworn Hunter (http://dnd-wiki.org/wiki/Faithsworn_Hunter_%283.5e_Prestige_Class%29) is a PnP 3.5E prestige class intended for multi-classed paladin / ranger characters. To be honest, I didn't borrow too much from the PrC, other than being a rgr / pally mix; I just like the name and can't come up with anything better. :o
The core concept here is TWF melee + Manyshot w/Improved Precise Shot for burst ranged DPS. An idea which has been around for ages, of course, going back to the original Monster, at least. But the U19 changes to Enhancements has made this particular split uniquely attractive. Basically, both rgr & pally had some of their nicer abilities become more front-loaded, meaning you don't need as many levels of both classes to access them.
So why'd I go fighter 12 / ranger 4 / paladin 4? Glad you asked!
Pally 4 gets you Divine Grace to boost saves; fear & disease immunity; as well as Divine Might (now an insightful STR bonus), Exalted Smite, and Divine Sacrifice from KotC tree. It also gets you access to Empower Heal feat, which we'll want for Rejuvenation Cocoon someday (doesn't everybody?).
Rgr 4 gets you a few free feats (namely Bow STR, Rapid Shot, Precise Shot, TWF, and Diehard just to round things out), +10% offhand proc from Tempest tree (meaning 90% offhand once you have GTWF), and Ram's Might (+2 STR, +2 dmg). You can also pick up various perks from AA & DWS trees, like Conjure Arrows, Magical Training (EotW), up to +3D6 sneak atk, and Devotion (about to be nerfed, but it looks like (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/425546-Massive-Nerf-to-ranger-DwS-positive-energy?p=5104816&viewfull=1#post5104816) it's still worth up to 40 Positive Spellpower in U19.2).
Ftr 12 gets you 7 more feats (4 go to Weap Foc/Spec feats for Kensei pre-reqs), core enhs thru Power Surge (+8 STR action boost), and DPS bonuses inc. Keen Edge (+1 bonus to crit range).
Drawbacks:
No Evasion (unless you make Shadowdancer or Primal Avatar your primary ED).
Not terribly self-sufficient: can use rgr/pally wands while leveling, has 11 ranks of UMD, and will get Rejuv Cocoon someday, but that's about it. [Lay on Hands will help a bit at low lvls, but since it won't scale beyond pal lvl 4, it's not much good later on.]
No tactics or extra survivability feats (like Toughness or Dodge), unless you rejigger feats a bit.
No trap skills, no stealth - Heal & UMD are the only skills I maxed, with extra pts of Spot, because why not? [It's a bit unusual for me to invest in skills which don't pay off until very late, actually, particularly on what's intended to be newbie-friendly.]
A bit more tome-intensive than a lot of my "F2P-friendly" builds: human version needs +2 DEX tome by lvl 7 (for ITWF & Manyshot), +2 STR tome by lvl 20 (for OC), and +2->+3 DEX upgrade tome by lvl 24 (IPS).
Not Yet Another Centered Earth Stance Monk / Kensei Build. Oh wait, is that a perk instead? :p
Now onto the basic build. This is using the old builder, which hasn't been updated for U19 yet, but the feat pre-reqs haven't changed. Plus it shows you how I planned to max out UMD & Heal (boosts Pos Spellpower for Rejuv Cocoon).
Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 03.16.01
DDO Character Planner Home Page (http://www.rjcyberware.com/DDO)
Level 25 Lawful Good Human Female
(12 Fighter \ 4 Paladin \ 4 Ranger \ 5 Epic)
Hit Points: 337
Spell Points: 40
BAB: 20\20\25\30\30
Fortitude: 22
Reflex: 16
Will: 8
Starting Feat/Enhancement
Abilities Base Stats Modified Stats
(28 Point) (Level 1) (Level 25)
Strength 16 23
Dexterity 15 19
Constitution 14 16
Intelligence 8 8
Wisdom 8 8
Charisma 12 14
Tomes Used
+2 Tome of Dexterity used at level 7
+2 Tome of Strength used at level 20
+2 Tome of Constitution used at level 20
+2 Tome of Charisma used at level 20
+3 Tome of Dexterity used at level 23
Starting Feat/Enhancement
Base Skills Modified Skills
Skills (Level 1) (Level 25)
Balance 4 11
Bluff 1 7
Concentration 2 8
Diplomacy 1 7
Disable Device n/a n/a
Haggle 1 7
Heal 3 26
Hide 2 9
Intimidate 1 7
Jump 7 15
Listen -1 4
Move Silently 2 9
Open Lock n/a n/a
Perform n/a n/a
Repair -1 4
Search 3 8
Spot 3 14
Swim 3 11
Tumble 3 10
Use Magic Device 2 18
Level 1 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+2)
Skill: Heal (+4)
Skill: Jump (+4)
Skill: Search (+4)
Skill: Spot (+4)
Skill: Tumble (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Human Bonus) Cleave
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Undead
Feat: (Selected) Power Attack
Level 2 (Paladin)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Level 3 (Paladin)
Skill: Heal (+2)
Feat: (Selected) Point Blank Shot
Level 4 (Paladin)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Level 5 (Paladin)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Level 6 (Ranger)
Skill: Heal (+3)
Skill: Spot (+3)
Feat: (Selected) Great Cleave
Level 7 (Ranger)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Spot (+3)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Level 8 (Fighter)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Heal (+1)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Improved Two Weapon Fighting
Level 9 (Fighter)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Slashing Weapons
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Manyshot
Level 10 (Fighter)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Level 11 (Fighter)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Greater Two Weapon Fighting
Level 12 (Fighter)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Heal (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Ranged Weapons
Level 13 (Fighter)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Weapon Focus: Slashing Weapons
Level 14 (Fighter)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Level 15 (Fighter)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Greater Weapon Focus: Slashing Weapons
Feat: (Selected) Weapon Specialization: Slashing Weapons
Level 16 (Fighter)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Heal (+1)
Level 17 (Fighter)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Precision
Level 18 (Fighter)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Empower Healing Spell
Level 19 (Fighter)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Greater Weapon Specialization: Slashing Weapons
Level 20 (Ranger)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Heal (+6)
Level 21 (Fighter)
Feat: (Selected) Overwhelming Critical
Level 22 (Fighter)
Level 23 (Fighter)
Level 24 (Fighter)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Precise Shot
Level 25 (Fighter)
Lvl 26 ED feat: Perfect TWF
Lvl 27 feat: Blinding Speed or Epic DR or maybe Epic Reflexes
Lvl 28 ED feat: Toughness or Elusive Target
CHA: base 12 + 2 tome + 8 item + 3 insightful item + 3 Action Surge = 28 -> +9 Insightful STR bonus (Divine Might)
STR: base 16 + 6 lvl-ups + 2 tome + 3 enhs + 8 item + 3 Exceptional + 2 Ram's Might + 2 Rage spell + 8 Power Surge + 9 Insightful (DM) + 3 Action Surge = 62 (+26)
That's a rough estimate on my part; I'm sure there are even more bonuses which could be added to both stats.
Enhancements: this is only a partial list of what I consider the must-haves, which will leave several APs to tweak things with.
Kensei: at least 31 APs spent - core enhs thru Power Surge (6 APs), max Haste Boost (3 APs), max Extra Action Boost (6 APs), full Weap Specialization (8 APs), STR x2 (4 APs), Keen Edge (1 AP), 3 APs on filler
KotC: at least 15 APs spent on core enhs (2 APs), extra Smite & TUs (4 APs - filler), max Divine Might (6 APs), Divine Sacrifice (1-3 APs), Exalted Smite (2-6 APs)
Tempest: at least 6 APs spent on 1st two core enhs (+10% offhand), Whirling Blades 1 (2 APs), Imp Reaction x2 (2 APs - filler)
Human: at least 7 APs spent on Dmg Boost (1 AP), +1 STR (2 AP), Action Surge STR (2-3 APs), Action Surge CHA (2-3 APs)
DWS: 6 APs on Pos Spellpower boosts (+40); not until you have Rejuv Cocoon, tho, so those pts can go elsewhere until then
That leaves up to 15 APs left over to beef up whatever you like; e.g., 6 APs for 30% heal amp (20% human 10% KotC), 9 APs in AA for max EotW (grants Magical Training), Conjure, Morphic, and Force or Corrosive Arrows.
Other comments about the build / playstyle:
Like a lot of TWF chars, this one is meant to use 2H weapons for the first several levels; hence why I took Cleave & GC ASAP. Carnifex (http://ddowiki.com/page/Carnifex) is your best option if you've got one, otherwise a keen falchion is fine. Switch to dual-wielding once you have ITWF+Tempest (70% offhand).
Exalted Smite & Divine Sacrifice work best with weapons with large crit ranges, which is why I've specced her for scimitars (18-20 x2). If you prefer khopeshes, drop either IC:Ranged or Precision to add khop prof. You could also take Piercing feats to switch to rapiers (Balizarde FTW!) or heavy picks (Deathnips FTW!). Axes and hammers are not ideal because their base crit range is only 5% (20); although Mornh (http://ddowiki.com/page/Mornh,_Hammer_of_the_Mountains) or the various drow / duergar weapons would work well for their expanded crit profiles. [A dwarf / drow / elf variant would most likely spec to exploit their racial weapon bonuses, ofc.]
I delayed rgr 4 until lvl 20 so I could use the skill pts to max out Heal; but that means waiting until then before you have Ram's Might + Prec Shot. You can move it up sooner, but w/out +2 INT tome you won't have enough skill pts on ftr lvls to max UMD & Heal. [If I had to choose, I'd pick max UMD over max Heal; plenty of ways of boosting Spellpower, not so many for UMD.]
Epic Destinies: Fury of the Wild is probably the best overall for melee+ranged builds, but as mostly-fighter, you'll start Legendary Dreadnought. From there, go to Shiradi Champion, then Primal Avatar (just long enough to Twist in Rejuv Cocoon, at which point you'll also add in the DWS Pos Spellpower enhs), then over to FotW to max it out. But if you're planning to pick up Elusive Target as one of your ED feats, you'll also need to max out two Martial EDs; I'd go with LD and Shadowdancer.