Solar Phoenix, updated for Mod 5.

[SolarDawning]

An update of my original build, the discussion thread for which can be found here.

Preface:
This is not an exhaustive guide on what feats, skills, and enhancements to take at each level. There are a lot of aspects of the build which are open to be modified according to personal preference. As always, options are up to the player.

Goals of the Build:
- To create a character capable of fully healing his/herself easily via resources which are renewable without resting, primarily through the use of Fists of Light's Healing Curse, and the Healing Ki finisher.
- To provide competent melee DPS via two-weapon longsword fighting using Smite Evil and Divine Sacrifice.

Race and Levels:
Human 12 Paladin/7 Monk/1 Rogue

Reasoning for Race and Levels:
The main reason for Human is for the Human racial line of Healing Amplification enhancements, which contribute significantly to the main purpose of the build.

Defensively, 12 Paladin allows for Devotion I-IV, and Paladin Hunter of the Dead II, both of which are key to the build. HotD II provides 20% Healing Amplification and immunity to negative levels, while Devotion IV increases the effect of Healing Ki. Also, of course, are the numerous other defensive benefits of the paladin class, such as Divine Grace and Aura of Good.

Offensively, Paladin provides smites and Divine Sacrifice, which are key to this build's offensive damage.

Monk 7 provides Evasion, 20% additional healing amplification, second tier elemental stances and strikes, and most importantly, Fists of Light, which is this build's main source of healing.
Shintao Monk 1 will provide the build with alternate ways to activate Healing Ki, and to do so quicker as an emergency heal.

Rogue 1 provides 1d6+3 sneak attack damage and Haste Boost I, both of which are helpful to contribute towards damage in raid boss target situations. With proper gear and skill allocation, Rogue 1 also provides the ability to handle a good number of traps and locks throughout the game.

Key Benefits of the Build:
-Evasion.
-High Saving Throws
-Excessive healing amplification. (approx. 401%)
-A powerful self-centered AoE cure, which will heal the caster by 245 HP on average, and can be cast once every 9 seconds (Can be cast more often and cheaper with Shintao Monk PrE, coming Update 5), using Ki, which is an easily renewable resource.
-Constant healing while attacking an enemy. 4 or 8 per hit from Fists of Light.
-Capable and steady strength-based two weapon fighting melee damage with longswords.

Starting Ability Scores: 36 Point Buy
16 Strength
15 Dexterity (With a +2 tome, this meets the requirement to take Greater Two-Weapon Fighting)
14 Constitution
12 Wisdom
10 Intelligence (With a tome, this will allow for the use of Silver Flame favor healing potions without self-incapacitation from ability score damage.)
14 Charisma (With a +2 tome, this will allow for Paladin Divine Might II)

Final Unbuffed Ability Scores:
(Note. These scores include +2 tomes, which are easy for me to acquire. They do not presume any higher tomes.
Only permanent scores are included, not temporary buffs.)
34 Strength. (16 base + 1 Racial Enhancement + 5 Level Up +2 Tome + 6 Item +2 Sun Stance, +2 Exceptional [on a ToD ring] )
24 Dexterity. (15 base + 1 racial enhancement +2 Tome +6 Item)
22 Constitution. (14 Base + 2 Tome +6 Item)
20 Wisdom: (12 base -2 Sun Stance +2 Class Enhancement +2 Tome +6 Item)
12 Intelligence: (10 Base +2 Tome)
24 Charisma: (14 base +2 tome +6 item +2 Class Enhancement)

Monk Stance: Sun Stance.
This build will remain in Sun Stance most, if not all, of the time. This will provide exceptional Ki generation, allowing for no difficulty in repeated use of Healing Ki.
Additionally, this will enable the Jidz-Tet-ka bracers to provide +25% Healing Amplification.

Level Progression and Feats:
11 feats in total, including 1 Human Bonus Feat and 3 Monk Bonus Feats.

Level 1, Human Bonus Feat: Luck of Heroes (Shintao Monk Prerequisite)
Level 1, Rogue: Two-Weapon Fighting
Level 2, Monk Bonus Feat: Stunning Fist (Shintao Monk Prerequisite)
Level 3, Paladin: Weapon Focus: Slashing (Whirling Steel Strike Prerequisite)
Level 4, Monk Bonus Feat: Toughness
Level 5, Monk: Path of Harmonious Balance
Level 6, Paladin: Whirling Steel Strike
Level 7, Paladin:
Level 8, Paladin:
Level 9, Paladin: Improved Two-Weapon Fighting
Level 10, Paladin:
Level 11, Paladin:
Level 12, Paladin: Oversize Two-Weapon Fighting
Level 13, Monk:
Level 14, Paladin:
Level 15, Paladin: Greater Two-Weapon Fighting
Level 16, Paladin:
Level 17, Paladin:
Level 18, Monk: Improved Critical: Slashing
Level 19, Monk Bonus Feat: Power Attack
Level 20, Monk:

Healing Amplification:
This is the primary mechanic of the build.
Here are its sources of healing amplification:
30% - Human Racial Enhancements
20% - Hunter of the Dead II
20% - Monk Class Enhancements
10% - Dragontouched Eldritch Rune
20% - Dragontouched Tempest Rune
25% - Jidz-Tet'ka
30% - Greensteel Triple Positive Longsword

Total: Approx. 401% total Healing Amplification.

Healing Ki:
10d4 = 25 average.
+40% Paladin Devotion IV = 35
+75% Superior Ardor 1 potion = 53.75
53.75 multiplied by 4.01 = 215.5 average healing.

Required Items:
-Dragontouched Vestments or Robe: 10% Healing Amplification from Eldritch Rune, 20% Healing Amplification from Tempest Rune, Sovereign rune property of your choice.
-Jidz-Tet'ka bracers.
-Longswords: Main Hand: Greensteel Min II or Lit II. Off Hand: Greensteel triple positive (Ideal would be Holy/Good Burst/30% Healing Amp)

Skills:
Up to personal preference.
Trap skills and Use Magic Device can be kept at useful amounts.

Enhancements:
Also up to personal preference, these can easily be reset and re-allocated to find the perfect allocation.
The enhancements which are highly desired by the build are as follows:
Hunter of the Dead II and prerequisites.
Shintao Monk I and prerequisites.
Human Healing Amplification: All three enhancements.
Monk Healing Amplification: I and II.
Paladin Devotion I, II, III, and IV.
Divine Might II

-----------------------
To summarize, the build deals solid damage with high strength, access to Greensteel weaponry, Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, Divine Might II, and Divine Favor, while leveraging Smite Evil, Divine Sacrifice, and Shintao Monk's Smite Evil as DPS tools, as well as some sneak attack from Rogue I and Tharne's Goggles.

Defensively, the Solar Phoenix has solid HP, high saving throws, Evasion, and over 400% healing amplification, while able to self-heal easily with Healing Ki.

If you choose to allocate the skills for it and have the proper equipment, the build is capable of disarming traps and picking locks.

Feedback is not only appreciated, but welcome.

[LunaCee]

Offensively, Paladin provides smites and Divine Sacrifice, which are key to this build's offensive damage, which admittedly will be weaker than other paladin builds, due to this build's use of kamas as primary weapons.

Minor fix needed there! You have WSS feat and weapons listed as longswords... maybe you should go back and fix that small little left behind tidbit? Bolded for emphasis.

[SolarDawning]

Thanks, fixing it up now!
I copy/pasted 25% of it from the old build, and re-wrote 75%. Checking it over to make sure there's no other little errors in it.

[Sillk]

If you're not too concerned with AC, you could swap out Combat Expertise for Cleave (by taking Power Attack earlier) and get more damage (and ki) for your effort.

[Eurytos]

Looks like an interesting build now with the addition of longswords. Was "Meh" at best with Kamas. Should be a lot of fun with the amount of mass healing you will be able to provide with shintao monk light attacks and healing curse. Should be able to do a LOT of back to back healing ki mass cures. Granted, it will affect you a ton more than everyone else, but that's fine

[SolarDawning]

If you're not too concerned with AC, you could swap out Combat Expertise for Cleave (by taking Power Attack earlier) and get more damage (and ki) for your effort.

Yeah, that's an option. I thought about it, but Cleave isn't terribly useful with TWF, and this build doesn't have ki issues, as it fights in sun stance. In practice from my kama version of it, I've found that I've typically got a nearly full ki bar.
Combat Expertise, though admittedly not very useful, does have situational use while leveling, if you can out-AC content while soloing.

I'm very excited about the damage capability of this build, as compared to the old kama version. Update 5 will be a huge bonus to this.

[SolarDawning]

Looks like an interesting build now with the addition of longswords. Was "Meh" at best with Kamas. Should be a lot of fun with the amount of mass healing you will be able to provide with shintao monk light attacks and healing curse. Should be able to do a LOT of back to back healing ki mass cures. Granted, it will affect you a ton more than everyone else, but that's fine

Exactly, longswords are a godsend to this build. I'll be reincarnating my main monk into this with update 5, and abandoning my kama version. =)

[Valindria]

Combat Expertise has a req of 13 INT.

I think it's kind of a poor choice in this build since it will be stripped everytime you do a heal finisher. I'd say luck of hereos, just get the +1 to all saves and call it good.

I have updated my HotD with the long sword idea. http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=243270

[Oolung]

Very solid build, again.

I really like it.

Edit: too slow on noticing the kamas thing

[Gnorbert]

A friend is making one of these and even at level 9, the boost to his healing when I use my dragonmarks on him is huge. Very strong char.

[SolarDawning]

Combat Expertise has a req of 13 INT.

I think it's kind of a poor choice in this build since it will be stripped everytime you do a heal finisher. I'd say luck of hereos, just get the +1 to all saves and call it good.

I have updated my HotD with the long sword idea. http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=243270

Thanks, and you're probably right. Luck of Heroes is the better feat to use for the Shintao prerequisite. Updating the post accordingly, thanks for the feedback.

[AylinIsAwesome]

Hmm, I'd forgotten that Luck of Heroes can be taken instead of Cleave. Maybe I can fit in Shintao after all. =\

A couple quests on weapons... Against raid bosses where DR is an issue, will you switch to dual Mineral 2s? And what do you think of the Dream Edges (assuming a good enchantment on it)?

EDIT: If I'm taking Shintao, would I need 3 uses of LoH per rest? Or will 2 be sufficient do you think?

[SolarDawning]

Hmm, I'd forgotten that Luck of Heroes can be taken instead of Cleave. Maybe I can fit in Shintao after all. =\

A couple quests on weapons... Against raid bosses where DR is an issue, will you switch to dual Mineral 2s? And what do you think of the Dream Edges (assuming a good enchantment on it)?

Against stand-and-beat raid bosses like Harry, Horoth, etc, you can easily swap in a second Min II instead of the Pos offhand sword. You won't need to rely on healing yourself in a raid situation, and will still have tons of amp regardless. The amp's mostly a "just because I can" thing for small-group questing. It lets you jump solo into elites, take a beating, and shrug it off.

I wouldn't bother with dream edges anymore. The damage is just too low, and as you can't get metals on them, they won't be any good for passing DR.

[AylinIsAwesome]

I wouldn't bother with dream edges anymore. The damage is just too low, and as you can't get metals on them, they won't be any good for passing DR.

You say that after I spent a month farming for good Dream Edges for the original non-Longsword build.

Finally got me a Vorpal one too...

[SolarDawning]

You say that after I spent a month farming for good Dream Edges for the original non-Longsword build.

Finally got me a Vorpal one too...

Heh, sorry.
Always good to have vorpals on hand, regardless!

[AylinIsAwesome]

I think a healing amp Dream Edge (like you mentioned in your first thread) would be a pretty good alternative to a triple pos longsword now. It's 19-20 3x, so it's basically a Dwarven Axe that gives you life. Though the DPS wouldn't be as high as the longsword, because of no Holy and no Burst effects. =\

At least I don't have to make that decision, 'cause I doubt I'd ever pull one of those.

[SolarDawning]

I think a healing amp Dream Edge (like you mentioned in your first thread) would be a pretty good alternative to a triple pos longsword now. It's 19-20 3x, so it's basically a Dwarven Axe that gives you life. Though the DPS wouldn't be as high as the longsword, because of no Holy and no Burst effects. =\

At least I don't have to make that decision, 'cause I doubt I'd ever pull one of those.

There's the base damage and crit range difference, too-
(assuming Improved Crit)
Dream Edge - 1d6 19-20x3
Greensteel Longsword - 1d10 17-20x2 <- Wins by quite a large margin.

I decided to go with a triple pos longsword as the offhand weapon for 30% amp because it's among the cheapest greensteels to craft. Only needs three large stones and scales, in one supreme shard. Holy and good burst on it are helpful against just about everything, as well.

Update 5 just brought so many great things for this build that I had to redo it.

[LunaCee]

One of the things I've been playing with to try to work out is a 13/7 Cleric/Monk.

And one of the things I'm insanely curious about is whether the 1st tier Radiant PrE special's caster level is actually based off cleric level, or just character level like most special enhancement abilities. Either 4 or 6 points of base healing per tick... toss in about 350% heal amp and that is either 14 or 21 points of self healing per tick.

And yes I definitely realize such a build would be much more niche. But hey, I'd be aiming for a battle cleric with such a split anyways. But with a Torc, a regenerative special running, healing curse, healing ki finishers, emergency full power Heals... whoo! Talk about self sufficient.

[sirgog]

There's an error in your calculations.

Superior Ardor 1 and Devotion 4 stack additively, not multiplicatively. (This is easily tested by noting that Clerics generally heal for 285 with Heal - 150 x1.9, 40% for Devotion, 50% for Potency).

[ConnorMacLoad]

Looks like an interesting build now with the addition of longswords. Was "Meh" at best with Kamas. Should be a lot of fun with the amount of mass healing you will be able to provide with shintao monk light attacks and healing curse. Should be able to do a LOT of back to back healing ki mass cures. Granted, it will affect you a ton more than everyone else, but that's fine

In another thread you mention that wraps are better DPS than longswords, even in splashes (at least I think it was you....same avatar ) curious why longswords are used here instead of wraps? This is more a question for dawn I suppose, but since you also had the info on DPS, thought I would ask you too.