Drunk / Dronk Build

[Bargol]

I have had druid for some time and finally decided to make a go at it, but any builds I saw looked boring, or seemed like if your going to cast might as well be a sorc or wiz. So I am looking at making a druid monk. Mainly a casting build that can do some CC, spell damage, heal, can stun stuff, and do some melee DPS. I took a bank toon and LRed him into a sorc for the +1 evo past life. Even though druid gets spells from different schools, since its feat starved, evo seemed like the best school to pump.

Starting Stats: 34 point build
Str 12 - Felt like it needed some strength. Wish I could have put more here
Dex 14 - +4 tome will be 18 base for TWF line and even number for saves
Con 14 - Min. I always use. Wish it could be a little higher
Int 10 - Bumped just for extra skill points (Want UMD)
Wis 18 - Casting stat maxed and everything here
Cha 8 - Dumped....wish it could be higher for UMD

He has +4 tomes in all states
All level ups into wisdom

Level split is where I am not sure about. It seems like you would want to be at least 17 druid for the second elemental form, but honestly druid doesn't seem to get to much after level 14 except spell slots and monk 6 would give so many fun things. So either 17 druid / 3 monk or 14 druid / 6 monk.....not sure which is better.

Feats:

9 normal feats - 2 monk 1 human extra

TWF feat line (TWF, ITWF, GTWF)
Maximize
Empower
Quicken
Spell focus evocation
Stunning Fist
Greater evocation
Heighten

3 Epic Feats
Empower Healing
Epic Evocation
Improved Critical

The empower healing feat seems unneeded and might be switched for something else (dodge, stance, etc.).

I made the build and he is currently level 5 and a blast to play. I am just wondering how he will do at level 20+ in epic hard / elite.

[Munkenmo]

I prefer 17druid/2monk/1wiz.

If you're serious about DC casting you'll really want the level 9 spell



Mantle of the Icy Soul (http://ddowiki.com/page/Mantle_of_the_Icy_Soul)
Evocation (Cold)
Valid Forms: Water Elemental. You are shrouded in the mantle of the icy soul. The targets of your cold spells take a 25% penalty to movement speed, a 10% penalty to attack speed, and a -4 penalty to reflex and fortitude saves.



The +4 effective DC it provides to your earthquake is often the difference between earthquake landing or missing in EE content.


1 druid Maximise, (H) Power Attack
2 druid
3 monk Mental Toughness, (M) TWF
4 druid
5 druid
6 druid Quicken
7 druid
8 druid
9 wizard Empower Healing (W) Spell focus : Evocation
10 druid
11 druid
12 druid I Twf
13 druid
14 druid
15 druid Improved Crit Bludgeoning
16 druid
17 druid
18 druid G TWF
19 druid
20 monk (M) Stunning fist
21 epic Great spell Focus Evocation
24 epic Epic Spell focus Evocation
26 Perfect TWF
27 Improved Mental Toughness
28 ED

[unbongwah]

The Storm of Vengeance SLA is great, b/c like all true SLAs it can be meta'ed for free; the 2-min. cooldown sucks, though. So on any DPS-caster-focused druid, I would definitely want druid 18.

If you've filled out your Arcane EDs, you could take just one Spell Focus and Twist in the DC bonuses from Magister & Draconic; that frees up a couple of feat slots.

[Bargol]

I prefer 17druid/2monk/1rogue.

If you're serious about DC casting you'll really want the level 9 spell



Mantle of the Icy Soul (http://ddowiki.com/page/Mantle_of_the_Icy_Soul)
Evocation (Cold)
Valid Forms: Water Elemental. You are shrouded in the mantle of the icy soul. The targets of your cold spells take a 25% penalty to movement speed, a 10% penalty to attack speed, and a -4 penalty to reflex and fortitude saves.



The +4 effective DC it provides to your earthquake is often the difference between earthquake landing or missing in EE content.



Ok, I can see why you would want access to level 9 spells just for the Mantle of the Icy Soul. However, why 1 level of rogue?

This build does not have the skill points to do traps. Maybe at very low levels, but not at mid high levels. The 1d6 sneak? seems like not as valuable as what you get for monk 3rd level - Still Mind (passive): Training and meditation have improved the monk's resistance to mind-affecting attacks, granting you a +2 bonus on saving throws against enchantments, Fast Movement (passive): While centered (unarmored, unencumbered, and wielding monk weapons), a monk runs faster for every three monk levels he possesses, and Choice of Philosophy: You have advanced far enough that you must make a choice – whether to follow the Path of Harmonious Balance and seek to be at peace with the world, or to follow the Path of Inevitable Dominion and seek to dominate the world. This choice will affect enhancement choices open to you and will affect what finishing moves you receive.

....or am I missing something?




1 druid Maximise, (H) Power Attack
2 druid
3 monk Mental Toughness, (M) TWF
4 druid
5 druid
6 druid Quicken
7 druid
8 druid
9 wizard Empower Healing (W) Spell focus : Evocation
10 druid
11 druid
12 druid I Twf
13 druid
14 druid
15 druid Improved Crit Bludgeoning
16 druid
17 druid
18 druid G TWF
19 druid
20 monk (M) Stunning fist
21 epic Great spell Focus Evocation
24 epic Epic Spell focus Evocation
26 Perfect TWF
27 Improved Mental Toughness
28 ED

I am also confused about your feat suggestions.

My strength is planned at 12. To low for power attack. Eventually it would be high enough but still a lower strength build and TWF doesn't get as much as a boost from power attack. Why do you recommend this over other options?
Also why all the mental toughness feats. All you gain is a higher max spell point pool. Why not empower for more spell power? or heighten to increase the spell level of spells lower then level 9? Also in the feat list you have more feats listed then you would actually get. Also you list wizard when you first said rogue......I am very confused?

[Bargol]

The Storm of Vengeance SLA is great, b/c like all true SLAs it can be meta'ed for free; the 2-min. cooldown sucks, though. So on any DPS-caster-focused druid, I would definitely want druid 18.

If you've filled out your Arcane EDs, you could take just one Spell Focus and Twist in the DC bonuses from Magister & Draconic; that frees up a couple of feat slots.

The sla's are awesome, but in this case I didn't think it important because that is a conjuration spell so my DC would be quite low and it is a reflex save so mobs would take the acid and half the electric.

[unbongwah]

Also why all the mental toughness feats. All you gain is a higher max spell point pool. Why not empower for more spell power? or heighten to increase the spell level of spells lower then level 9?
Mental Toughness also boosts your spell crit chances by +1% per feat. However, I agree with you that extra metamagics are more useful, esp. since Season's Herald gives up to 6 SLAs, all of which can be meta'ed for free.

[Bargol]

The Storm of Vengeance SLA is great, b/c like all true SLAs it can be meta'ed for free; the 2-min. cooldown sucks, though. So on any DPS-caster-focused druid, I would definitely want druid 18.

If you've filled out your Arcane EDs, you could take just one Spell Focus and Twist in the DC bonuses from Magister & Draconic; that frees up a couple of feat slots.

Wait....so really what are you giving up by going 17 druid verses 18 druid? A sla?

[Munkenmo]

However, why 1 level of rogue?

I am also confused about your feat suggestions.

My strength is planned at 12. To low for power attack. Eventually it would be high enough but still a lower strength build and TWF doesn't get as much as a boost from power attack. Why do you recommend this over other options?
Also why all the mental toughness feats. All you gain is a higher max spell point pool. Why not empower for more spell power? or heighten to increase the spell level of spells lower then level 9? Also in the feat list you have more feats listed then you would actually get. Also you list wizard when you first said rogue......I am very confused?

Sorry the rogue was a misstype, I've been posting in too many build threads simultaneously >< definitely meant 17druid/2monk/1wizard.

First Power attack, 2wf feats and stunning fist is a personal preference for me, My build is wis based and thus has a stunning fist DC in the mid 70's, once i've cast ice storm and earthquake I'll jump in with the melee in a party and do my bit to beat down mobs. My melee dps isn't world beating, but I feel it's enough to be worth the investment. If you prefer something else there's no reason you couldn't change them.
(it's worth noting my druid is a 36pt build with +4 tomes, 3fighter, 3monk, 3sorc and 1wiz past life, I did build him specifically to be an effective hybrid.)

The number of feats works out fine (once you ignore my dumb 1rogue comment), 7heroic feats, 3epic feats, 2 ED feats + 1 bonus human feat, + 1bonus wiz feat, + 2bonus monk feats.

I advise Mental toughness's because they now each give a +1% chance to crit. Improved mental toughness at 27 is probably a tad overkill, on my own druid though I don't have it, I took the wiz past life at level 3 and mental toughness at 27.

[Munkenmo]

Wait....so really what are you giving up by going 17 druid verses 18 druid? A sla?

you give up access to the 4th core ability, some SP and 1 level 8&9 spell slot.

Personally I prefer wiz for the feat.

[Bargol]

Sorry the rogue was a misstype, I've been posting in too many build threads simultaneously >< definitely meant 17druid/2monk/1wizard.

First Power attack, 2wf feats and stunning fist is a personal preference for me, My build is wis based and thus has a stunning fist DC in the mid 70's, once i've cast ice storm and earthquake I'll jump in with the melee in a party and do my bit to beat down mobs. My melee dps isn't world beating, but I feel it's enough to be worth the investment. If you prefer something else there's no reason you couldn't change them.
(it's worth noting my druid is a 36pt build with +4 tomes, 3fighter, 3monk, 3sorc and 1wiz past life, I did build him specifically to be an effective hybrid.)

The number of feats works out fine (once you ignore my dumb 1rogue comment), 7heroic feats, 3epic feats, 2 ED feats + 1 bonus human feat, + 1bonus wiz feat, + 2bonus monk feats.

I advise Mental toughness's because they now each give a +1% chance to crit. Improved mental toughness at 27 is probably a tad overkill, on my own druid though I don't have it, I took the wiz past life at level 3 and mental toughness at 27.

I agree with stunning fist and TWF feats, just power attack doesnt add much damage on a TWF build and since your strength is lowish to hit seems like it would be an issue on EE mobs. This build isn't 36 (34) and doesn't have all those past lives, but does have the +4 tomes. The idea would be casting and fighting like a monk using stuns and maybe grandmaster abilities (EIN). As for the feats I see the wiz is for the extra metamagic feat. Hmmm...3 feats for 3% critical chance, I am not sure its worth the feats.

Thank you for the input.

[Munkenmo]

I agree with stunning fist and TWF feats, just power attack doesnt add much damage on a TWF build and since your strength is lowish to hit seems like it would be an issue on EE mobs. This build isn't 36 (34) and doesn't have all those past lives, but does have the +4 tomes. The idea would be casting and fighting like a monk using stuns and maybe grandmaster abilities (EIN). As for the feats I see the wiz is for the extra metamagic feat. Hmmm...3 feats for 3% critical chance, I am not sure its worth the feats.

Thank you for the input.

the 3 spell focus feats aren't for criticals, each one provides a +1 evocation dc.

Power attack provides a +5 damage boost (10 if using a 2handed weapon), your strength doesn't effect power attacks damage. To hit isn't an issue on EH at all, on EE I'm fighting against mobs that are knocked down in an earthquake, once that's done to hit isn't a problem either.

Like I said, I don't have improved mental toughness, let alone epic, another option could be heighten, I don't personally need the 1 extra DC to earthquake, but it may be a compelling option for you.

I can promise you that running primarily in GMOF and fighting like a monk is effective once your dc's are good enough. If you're not planning on EE then you won't need the 3 spell focus evo feats, if you are though I wouldn't give them up.

[Teh_Ghoul]

Just a note, with enhancments SoV will also leave everything shaken after a few ticks.