Sword and spell series guide for FTP

[zeroth777]

Attain 400 favor, start a drow char

First Life:

Classes mix (end) : Paladin 6/ rogue 2/ Sorcerer 12

Stats: Dex 16, wis 11 (lvl 1 pala cure spell) con 12 (14 recommended), intel 14, Cha for rest

Take first level in rogue to max out skill points, invest in search, disable device, umd, jump, tumble
Feat lvl 1: toughness

Next 4 levels take pala, max out only search and disable device skills,
Spell: cure light wound,
Feats, lvl 3: weapon finesse, lvl 6 : shield mastery
lvl 9: maximise spell , lvl 12 : empower spell lvl 15 empower healing, lvl 18: spell focus evo

Then take lvl 1 sorc at lvl 6,
Arcane doesnt work in armor, take this sorc level to receive sp and cast cure light wound
Arcane spell w/o somatic cpd will work in armor, ff suggested if u are a poor ftp like me w/o ff item.

Next 2 lvl (7-8) in paladin,
Suggestion: always take fighting classes first in multiclass builds to increase hp early and prevent deaths

Items from korthos, take wrath set for more ab, spearblock bracer + furor hide work well (if u can buy it in ah)

Enhancement:
Take smite feats required for exalted smite I,
Take divine sac,
Take devotion
Take drow summon scorpion enhancement, the summon helps at low lvls.
Start taking arcane fluidity from lvl 6 onwards,
Elven dex feats
Weapon enhancement rapier
Rogue skill boost for traps+UMD later

Equipment:
Heavy armor and shield,
Wands (cure), stone skin wands works at lvl 7 for that 1 lvl of sorc if u have cash to buy it in AH
-> keep a look out for mithral gear, small shield and chain shirt, medium mithral shield at lvl 10,

Take next
3 lvls in sorc,
Spells suggested .. hynopsis, charm, expeditious retreat, lvl 2 : blur, web
*note: cast hynop first to hit them with -3 to will saves, then charm them subsequently, it works for me.

at lvl 12, take rogue, max out umd, farm for Sora Kell gear at diplomatic immunity, framework, eyes of stone.
Evasion will work better now with +cha item, UMD at 50% i remember for raise dead scrolls.
from now onwards, put all ur skills points in UMD, search and dd should be sufficient at around 40 then stop investing in it and use +12 gear instead.

Sp pool is better now to use maxmised feats for cure with spell potency from kora.

Rest of lvl in sorc,
I went acid, with acid rain and ice storm then ice at lvl 11 sorc. GH and summon undead for mummy

Saves arnt spectacular, but u have divine grace +stats boost and investment for cha, +dex

Use only damage spells, Monster SR means other spells that need sr check will not work.
frost lance at lvl 11 is potent, (maximised/empowered)

Style of fighting
Smite with rapier (if u havent GS/greensteel, greater outsider bane weapon is ok for me) at close combat use it whenever CD done and use divine sac when all smite used up,
active block when boss aggro on u (do have stoneskin), try not to aggro at all, ur hp is paper.
AOE spells acid and ice (together, they stack) and keep jumping for hordes of monster
Do traps with +12 search and disabling items, +5 tools, and GH, prayer
Raise teammate with UMD scrolls, use heal scrolls at lvl 18, it work comfortably, or if u wan mass cure scrolls (but do wand and scroll mastery if u do for more effect)

Good luck, Next 3 lives will be with wizards, all at 12 wiz, for spell penetration TR feats for other multi later..

I am currently at 3 fighter, 2 rogue and 12 wiz (necro) in this life, ending build is 6 fighter/2 rogue/12 wiz, with shield mastery, two handed fighting (bastard sword) and vampy.. (vampy hurts like hell when light hits u..).. will describe how to lvl it in next post..

[zeroth777]

The first two adventure pack i got was Gianthold (2) and Vale of twilight (1), start 2 char in every server to soak the TP points (100 favor on each server X2 char)

At your previous life as a pala 6/rogue 2/ sorc 12, i forgot to add, i used artificer scroll : enchant elemental weapon for extra damage as well.

I made my first complete GS with a goggle, Air air air, Spell power for all, +6 to charisma skills to boost UMD for subsequent lives. I made only a GS bastard at tier 2 only, i suggest holy and acid instead of acid and pure good (more damage on spider) which was the one i made.

Second life: reincarnate as a elf,
Stats are :
Str 16, (always start at 16 for two handed weapon feats +1 tome later to reach 17)
Con: 15 (+1 tome and +6 item later)
Intel : 18 + rest of stats

First level in rogue, max out skills in search, disable, UMD, jump, tumble, balance

Take the next 12 levels in wizard,
feats at lvl 1: toughness,
lvl 2 : extend spell,
lvl 3: Arcane prodigy (sorc past life),
Lvl 6: Maximise/spell focus necro,
lvl 9: Empower, Lvl 11: Greater spell focus necro,
*note: at lvl 8-9 i bought witching hour necro staff from AH, it works fine at low lvl, kobolds die with a blast of negative burst, empower and max, really evil, fun but sap mana fast.


Lvl 12: Swap extend spell for spell pen (do the arcania quest in market and get free feat respec token), and take greater spell pen,
*monsters start having SR at lvl 11 and above, so take these along with elven arcanum enhancement for spells to work.

At lvl 13, Take wiz enhancements pale master and do vampire form.
*note: Important Spells you should use,
*Vamp = +2 DC to enchant spell,
Lvl 1: hynop (a fan of this spell), exp retreat
lvl 2 : otto dance (I think there is some bug here! i actually danced some orange boss with this, hold monster doesnt work as well, i do suspect some monster might have -? vs this spell type, any1 can verify?), invisibility (spam this to avoid drawing cleric monster aggro, light spell kills u OUTRIGHT, with no saving throw, 280 damage vs my HP 300 now, i took false life spell)
Lvl 3 : Frost lance (i tried it max and empower in gianthold tor, it splatters giants on cri, get a arcane lore armor with 10 elven relic, its easy to get, all enhancements on ice damage)
Suggestion spell is pretty good too for solo and drawing aggro ahead when invis, Cast it after hynop immediately (spell combo)
Lvl 4 : death aura, NEB, stoneskin, Hold monster, (i took dimension door instead of stoneskin as i had a GS bastard sword with stoneskin)
Lvl 5: Frost bite (this is deadly on boss when u stack it empower/max X3)
Lvl 6: Summon undead (mummy have paralyzing aura), Greater heroism, Circle of death

Then take 1 fighter lvl, (rogue 1/wiz 12/fighter 1 now)
Lvl 14: Exotic weapon: bastard sword,
lvl 15: Shield mastery, Two handed weapon fighting

Lvl 16: Take rogue 1 level, max out UMD, 15 to search/disable, concentration, (i took intimidate in fighter levels)
* i tried tanking the acid dragon on gianthold tor normal, i survived Shield blocking active with death aura/NEB and continously Ice Dotting him, just dun stand on the acid geyser or aggro both the giant and dragon at the same time.
*evasion still doesnt work properly,
*UMD start to work now, i could use Heal scrolls at lvl 15, I did a +3 UMD ring buying off shard of persuasion at AH, my crafting is at 0 level. Sold essences to buy the 2 LDS needed for my tier 3 googles.

-> i am currently lvl 17 at Khyber server : Zyorl the Dark Elf
Current Spell caster lvl is 23 (vs monster SR : 25, 30 for elite vale quests), I could hold monster pretty well in vamp form, dc around 30, death them with circle of death, or just frost lance them (this drains more mana)

Planned:
Lvl 18: Insightful reflexes, improved TH weapon

lvl 20 : (fighter bonus feat: take greater TH weapon.)



End build : 6 fighter/ 2 rogue/ 12 wiz.

Planning for next life, Rogue 6/monk2/wiz 12 (Human/dwarf, i havent decided yet, any advice?)
Making a quaterstaff greensteel cheaply with Earth/earth/earth, (this only needs 2 large devil scale/LDS), hopefully earth grabbing them +sneak with Two handed weapon feats will work.

[Kmnh]

+1 rep for the cool diary.

Thread title is a bit misleading, and I'd love to read these with more polished grammar/punctuation, but a good read anyway.

May I suggest trying a pure class the next time? These multiclass builds are fun onn their own way, but you are missing out on a lot of the powerful stuff from 3rd tier prestige enhancements and capstones.

[wax_on_wax_off]

The first two adventure pack i got was Gianthold (2) and Vale of twilight (1), start 2 char in every server to soak the TP points (100 favor on each server X2 char)

At your previous life as a pala 6/rogue 2/ sorc 12, i forgot to add, i used artificer scroll : enchant elemental weapon for extra damage as well.

I made my first complete GS with a goggle, Air air air, Spell power for all, +6 to charisma skills to boost UMD for subsequent lives. I made only a GS bastard at tier 2 only, i suggest holy and acid instead of acid and pure good (more damage on spider) which was the one i made.

Second life: reincarnate as a elf,
Stats are :
Str 16, (always start at 16 for two handed weapon feats +1 tome later to reach 17)
Con: 15 (+1 tome and +6 item later)
Intel : 18 + rest of stats

First level in rogue, max out skills in search, disable, UMD, jump, tumble, balance

Take the next 12 levels in wizard,
feats at lvl 1: toughness,
lvl 2 : extend spell,
lvl 3: Arcane prodigy (sorc past life),
Lvl 6: Maximise/spell focus necro,
lvl 9: Empower, Lvl 11: Greater spell focus necro,
*note: at lvl 8-9 i bought witching hour necro staff from AH, it works fine at low lvl, kobolds die with a blast of negative burst, empower and max, really evil, fun but sap mana fast.


Lvl 12: Swap extend spell for spell pen (do the arcania quest in market and get free feat respec token), and take greater spell pen,
*monsters start having SR at lvl 11 and above, so take these along with elven arcanum enhancement for spells to work.

At lvl 13, Take wiz enhancements pale master and do vampire form.
*note: Important Spells you should use,
*Vamp = +2 DC to enchant spell,
Lvl 1: hynop (a fan of this spell), exp retreat
lvl 2 : otto dance (I think there is some bug here! i actually danced some orange boss with this, hold monster doesnt work as well, i do suspect some monster might have -? vs this spell type, any1 can verify?), invisibility (spam this to avoid drawing cleric monster aggro, light spell kills u OUTRIGHT, with no saving throw, 280 damage vs my HP 300 now, i took false life spell)
Lvl 3 : Frost lance (i tried it max and empower in gianthold tor, it splatters giants on cri, get a arcane lore armor with 10 elven relic, its easy to get, all enhancements on ice damage)
Suggestion spell is pretty good too for solo and drawing aggro ahead when invis, Cast it after hynop immediately (spell combo)
Lvl 4 : death aura, NEB, stoneskin, Hold monster, (i took dimension door instead of stoneskin as i had a GS bastard sword with stoneskin)
Lvl 5: Frost bite (this is deadly on boss when u stack it empower/max X3)
Lvl 6: Summon undead (mummy have paralyzing aura), Greater heroism, Circle of death

Then take 1 fighter lvl, (rogue 1/wiz 12/fighter 1 now)
Lvl 14: Exotic weapon: bastard sword,
lvl 15: Shield mastery, Two handed weapon fighting

Lvl 16: Take rogue 1 level, max out UMD, 15 to search/disable, concentration, (i took intimidate in fighter levels)
* i tried tanking the acid dragon on gianthold tor normal, i survived Shield blocking active with death aura/NEB and continously Ice Dotting him, just dun stand on the acid geyser or aggro both the giant and dragon at the same time.
*evasion still doesnt work properly,
*UMD start to work now, i could use Heal scrolls at lvl 15, I did a +3 UMD ring buying off shard of persuasion at AH, my crafting is at 0 level. Sold essences to buy the 2 LDS needed for my tier 3 googles.

-> i am currently lvl 17 at Khyber server : Zyorl the Dark Elf
Current Spell caster lvl is 23 (vs monster SR : 25, 30 for elite vale quests), I could hold monster pretty well in vamp form, dc around 30, death them with circle of death, or just frost lance them (this drains more mana)

Planned:
Lvl 18: Insightful reflexes, improved TH weapon

lvl 20 : (fighter bonus feat: take greater TH weapon.)



End build : 6 fighter/ 2 rogue/ 12 wiz.

Planning for next life, Rogue 6/monk2/wiz 12 (Human/dwarf, i havent decided yet, any advice?)
Making a quaterstaff greensteel cheaply with Earth/earth/earth, (this only needs 2 large devil scale/LDS), hopefully earth grabbing them +sneak with Two handed weapon feats will work.

I hope that no impressionable new player reads this ...

In regards to your request for advice. I've thrown around similar ideas and have settled on 18 wizard, 2 monk half-elf with rogue dilettante. This gives +3d6 sneak attack (so only lose out +9 from sneak attack enhancements compared to your build) but gets lich form (extra damage on hit from inflict wounds, more HP, procs healing on self etc), much more SP and better damage from spells.

I'm Wohe on Khyber if you want to look me up and I'll show you what a pure arcane can do

The last quest that I completed (at level 15) was elite Cabal for One which I 85% soloed (because my teammates were slow getting in). I enjoyed using finger of death on all of the orange named mini-bosses and even though I had all my buffs dispelled multiple times they just couldn't kill me despite being mobbed by 10+ mobs at a time.

More wizard levels means a higher caster level on your self healing spells (which is crucial for survivability considering that no one else is likely to heal you).

[zeroth777]

Thanks for the insights,

I find pure classes too boring (but i agree they are powerful in ddo!), i like a bit of everything, jack of all trades, but master in none, (yes i liked bards!) Pity i hadnt half elf yet, i am FTP, saving my precious TP for the druid heart or the next adventure pack, i would love to try half elf someday, the dragonmarks looks cool.

I like doing traps when the rogue explode the box lol, or raising the cleric when he perishes, buffing teammates with stoneskin, or dancing/hold monster while i cri +50% on helpless monsters, and spells that work (death ones especially) are really deadly compared to spells i used in my first life.

the reviewers are right though, 90% of the real multiclassers i see (excluding +2 class splashes) are trashy, they cant do any role in the party, considered a waste of party slot (i had a lot of difficulty finding a party, they are just skeptical, a few are a bit surprised when they adventure with me though)

I do not recommend these sword and spell series for beginners, using the magic at the wrong instance drains ur mana quickly (just dun flaunt ur magic when there is a REAL mage in the party, you only embarrass urself, save it instead to buff or for emergencies), use sword and a bit of magic (dancing) for normal monster, spam empower/max on bosses, and if all fails, grab those stones and Dimension door away!

I did die countless times, all my builds had been real multi classers, numerous failures before i picked up the experience.

Its fun though haha, as multi should always be..

cheers!

[JeffreyGator]

I actually like your build and the progression mostly because I have played it.

My main toon right now is a 16 wiz, 2 monk, 1 rog elven vampire arcane archer. Again dex based-twf. As the other poster mentioned I am going to miss out on lich form, but at least will get 9th level spells this life.

Her first life was 12 sorc, 6 pally, 2 rog as a drow. Dex based TWF.
Her second life was 16 wiz, 2 rgr, 2 rog elven vampire arcane archer. Str-based TWF.

I like being able to get all the traps and really like the level 20 slaying arrows to complement the death magic and buffs.

[zeroth777]

I tr-ed the 6 fighter/2rogue/12 wiz.. i think i wont be doing any undead vampy with an elf after that light spell hit me for 380 damage!!.. haha

I am currently lvl 17..doing a 6 cleric/ 2 rogue/ 9 wiz now.. anyone wanna guess what i am doing?! heehee.. yes.. it was really hard getting into ANY party.. everyone just hates my build ...+_+..

hope i get a guess though.. hahahaa..u will see me running in Khyber server.. Party with me ok!!..give me a chance at least.. well.. i can still do traps if anything..

[cru121]

If you want a F2P self-healing wizard, but not a pale master, you could try a halfling with healing dragonmarks. That one at least does not look gimp on sight.

[zeroth777]

If you want a F2P self-healing wizard, but not a pale master, you could try a halfling with healing dragonmarks. That one at least does not look gimp on sight.

I have actually tried that previously on a toon.. but not worth it for 3 feats.. or without any enhancement lines .. my take..

Catch me as Zyorl in khyber!.. i just hit 20 today.. need people to take me into party.. all VOD raids refused me.. i actually hit 20 without doing a single VOD..