Random Drow Arty Idea!?!

[Failedlegend]

So yeah I've noticed drow are quite a popular as arties so I looked into when my friend asked me to make her an arty w/ "pointy ears"...personally I don't see anything special especially since their restricted to 28pt BUT they do have the unique trait of being able to have high Dex/Int/Cha the first two are naturally great for arties but the last stat isn't really utilized by them in any way beyond maybe diplo and UMD.

I figured it might be interesting to splash 2 Pally levels for a nice boost to saves than tale the Shadowdancer ED in epic for all the awesome Int-based goodies and of course the sneak attack not mention evasion to synergize with the pally saves and high dex. Not sure whether its worth it but I figured I'd put the build up here

Lawful Good Drow Arty18/Pally2

Str 8
Dex 17
Con 10
Int 18 (Lvl ups here)
Wis 8
Cha 16

Level Order: Arty 1-6, Paladin7-8, Arty 9-20

1 Point Blank Shot
3 SF: Evo
4A Precise Shot
6 Augment Summoning
8A Rapid Shot
9 Mental Toughness
12A Maximize
12 Empower
15 GSF: Evo
16A IC:Ranged
18 Improved Precise Shot
ED Shadowdancer
21 Combat Archery
24 ESF: Evo
26 ESP: Elec
27 Epic Reflexes
28 Hellball



Enhancements:

Enhancement: Drow - Spell Resistance (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Drow - Drow Intelligence (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Drow - Spell Resistance (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Drow - Drow Intelligence (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Arcanotechnician (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Palliative Admixture (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Thaumaturgical Battery (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Lightning Bolt (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Energy of Creation (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Energy of Creation (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Energy of Creation (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Uncaring Master (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Spell Critical (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Wand and Scroll Mastery (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Wand and Scroll Mastery (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Wand and Scroll Mastery (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Imbued Defender (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Imbued Defender (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Imbued Defender (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Spell Critical (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Shocking Vulnerability (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Shocking Vulnerability (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Shocking Vulnerability (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Automated Repairs (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Automated Repairs (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Automated Repairs (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Intelligence (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Arcane Engine (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Arcane Engine (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Arcane Engine (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Arcanotechnician (Art) - Intelligence (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Battle Engineer (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Infused Weapons (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Infused Armor (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Infused Weapons (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Infused Armor (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Crossbow Training (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Field Engineer (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Field Engineer (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Field Engineer (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Thermal Venting (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Thermal Venting (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Thermal Venting (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Crossbow Training (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Thaumaturgical Conduits (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Thaumaturgical Conduits (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Thaumaturgical Conduits (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Crossbow Training (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Arcane Capacitors (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Intelligence (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Crossbow Training (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Endless Fusilade (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Rune Arm Overcharge (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Arcane Capacitors (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Intelligence (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Weapon Attachment (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Rune Arm Overcharge (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Battle Engineer (Art) - Tactical Mobility (Rank 1)

[unbongwah]

Sacrificing CON & HPs for saves feels a bit...odd. But since you're already dropping arty capstone, why not take a monk 2 splash? I know you said you're going SD, but my impression is FotW or maybe Shiradi is better for ranged arties; in which case, having Evasion helps as do two more feats to make up for not being pure (Precision and...something else).

[Rakuda13]

Dump Dex and bump Wisdom,so you can use nothing is hidden.Why a high Dex? Dont need it on a Arti unless you wear light armor and walk through traps.

Only traps i gotta walk through i prepare before i go into the quest. But you might want Dex for some reason,everybody plays different.

Nothing is hidden is really worth it just to speed up the quest and so you dont have to type TRAP every time.

[CThruTheEgo]

Your friend had better be a very experienced player to be running around with only 10 base con. The only real advantage that drow have for an arti are the higher base dex/int. I would guess that warforged are the more popular choice for artis because of the superior self healing from quickened reconstruct, which is a huge advantage, much more so than higher base dex/int imo. While it's true that drow can scroll heal, you have to drop out of combat to do so. You can keep yourself up in the middle of combat with quickened recons, which means you lose minimal dps with it and the whole party benefits. So my first suggestion is to go WF instead of drow. Check out the Dubbell O'Seven link in my sig for a WF arti if you're interested. It's built for endgame so it may or may not suit your friend's goals, but it should at least give you some things to consider.

Charisma can easily be a dump stat on an arti. Artificers get several bonuses to UMD so it is easier for them than other classes. My 6 base cha WF arti can use level 9 scrolls with no problem. My advice is to dump cha and go with 14 con.

Personally, I prefer Fury of the Wild for my arti. Shadowdancer is very defensively oriented ED, which is nice, but not really necessary. The damage output from Fury is well worth it imo.

As far as evasion, it is not needed for the majority of traps in the game. For those where it is useful, Mario skills can get you through them. Evasion is basically the easy button for trapping.

When considering a splash on an arti, figure out which level 6 spells you will want to always have access to and then you will know how many levels you can safely drop. The number of level 6 spell slots are the limiting factor for a splashed arti.

Dump Dex... Why a high Dex? Dont need it on a Arti unless you wear light armor and walk through traps... But you might want Dex for some reason,everybody plays different.

Dex is a requirement for several ranged feats. You need 19 for IPS and 21 for combat archery, and only base plus level ups plus tomes count for those requirements. Dex is definitely not a dump stat for a ranged arti, or a ranged anything for that matter.

[Failedlegend]

To clarify I actually think this is a dumb idea, I always have...I was hoping someone would prove me wrong so I could finally show someone a build that makes Drows 28pt limit not so crippling to the race...guess not...sorry Drow you still suck...now to go Elf or Sun Elf (she likes elves...its annoying :P)

@Rakuda: High Dex is required for both to-hit and alot of ranged feats whilst wisdom means nothing to an Arty no reason to boost it.

[CThruTheEgo]

To clarify I actually think this is a dumb idea, I always have...I was hoping someone would prove me wrong so I could finally show someone a build that makes Drows 28pt limit not so crippling to the race...guess not...sorry Drow you still suck...now to go Elf or Sun Elf (she likes elves...its annoying :P)

Drow is a better choice than elf. Elf has the biggest drawback of drow without the benefit (6 con but only 8 int).

If your friend is committed to pointy ears, I would go drow or helf. Drow for the higher base dex/int, helf for the human damage boost and maybe heal amp if you can afford it. If going helf, don't expect to be able to spend much on the dilettante though, it's too expensive for too little gain.

If going drow, just go with the stats I suggested above, dump cha and start con at 14. It's a valid option.

[Rakuda13]

@Rakuda: High Dex is required for both to-hit and alot of ranged feats whilst wisdom means nothing to an Arty no reason to boost it.

I dont use any ranged feats and still dont miss,I use insightful for damage but have no feats in ranged. I dont have any problems surviving and trap faster than anybody else that inst an ELF.
I used construst essence/quicken and dont have trouble dying because of toughness and the armor i wear.
If mobs are not dropping fast enough i paralize at low levels and pick them off.Not to mention improved smiting and all the other fun stuff found in xbows.
Epic Elite i dont go at alone so i have even less to do,and as I self heal I dont need to be standing next to anything deadly.Plus I automatic heal,havent looked for a cleric in ages.

People play different ways but Dex isnt so important these days not for an Arti anyway.

If you are grouping and your an Arti you are expected to handle traps,more than handle DPS.

[unbongwah]

To clarify I actually think this is a dumb idea, I always have...I was hoping someone would prove me wrong so I could finally show someone a build that makes Drows 28pt limit not so crippling to the race...guess not...sorry Drow you still suck...now to go Elf or Sun Elf (she likes elves...its annoying :P)

Actually, I think there is some merit to a pally splash on an arty (or any any other class that can take it) just for Divine Grace; I just wouldn't sacrifice so much CON & HPs to get it. Does your friend have monk unlocked as well? Arty 16 / monk 2 / pal 2 is good for more than just Juggernauts. The main drawback to splashing an arty, as has been pointed out, is you lose lvl 6 spell slots: a pure arty has 4, which is enough for Blade Barrier, TacDet, Deadly, and Reconstruct; an 18/2 or 16/2/2 split only gets 2.

I dont use any ranged feats and still dont miss,I use insightful for damage but have no feats in ranged.

If you dump DEX on an arty, you can't pick Rapid Shot (DEX 13), Precision (also DEX 13), Imp Prec Shot (DEX 19), nor Combat Archery (DEX 21). It's up to you whether those feats are worth the stat investment, but it's a decent chunk of ranged DPS you're sacrificing.

[CThruTheEgo]

I dont use any ranged feats and still dont miss,I use insightful for damage but have no feats in ranged.

Those feats do not affect your chance to hit or miss. They allow you to contribute more dps. I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to do better dps.

If you are grouping and your an Arti you are expected to handle traps,more than handle DPS.

Groups want, and should expect, a lot more from an arti than just a trapper. Artis have great dps if built right. Regardless of what others expect, however, the expectation I place upon myself is to contribute as much as I can, in every way that I can, for any character I play. Dps, survivability, self-sufficiency, and party support are things I try to maximize on every build, within the limits of that particular build.

[Hilltrot]

With s 28 point build, instead of 2 TRs, you can expect to do less than other artificers.

Don't try to max out your skills. (I've include the racial bonuses/negatives.)

Str 8
Dex 16
Con 12
Int 18
Wis 8
Cha 16

Keep the Dex at 16. The constitution of 12 will help you far more than the one point in Dex.

The DCs on elite traps are very high. Be sure to look them up.

[Red_Knight]

To clarify I actually think this is a dumb idea, I always have...I was hoping someone would prove me wrong so I could finally show someone a build that makes Drows 28pt limit not so crippling to the race...guess not...sorry Drow you still suck...now to go Elf or Sun Elf (she likes elves...its annoying :P)

The spell resistance alone can be very useful. And to clarify, while drow start with 28 points, they already are a 32 point build. While elves get +2 dex, drow get an extra +2 int and +2 charisma. For a total of 4 stat points 'spent' in advance. this means you can get a 17 or 18 Int score on your artificer cheaper, or if you want you can start with 20 Int. Same reasoning for builds that need charisma, plus being able to get a modest 14 Int fairly cheep for skill points. Plus spell resistance and some kind of handy enhancement options, all for a -2 con. This can be very important. I use the faerie fire spell-like ability for example to bust doors down. This is a Good Thing since my artificer only has 10 strength, and using a flame turret/rune arm may not always be a good idea. Or possible even. My current rune arm can't bust down doors.

Or do you honestly think being able to get +2 Int from racial enhancements and start with 20 Int is a bad thing?

[Violith]

So yeah I've noticed drow are quite a popular as arties so I looked into when my friend asked me to make her an arty w/ "pointy ears"...personally I don't see anything special especially since their restricted to 28pt BUT they do have the unique trait of being able to have high Dex/Int/Cha the first two are naturally great for arties but the last stat isn't really utilized by them in any way beyond maybe diplo and UMD.

I figured it might be interesting to splash 2 Pally levels for a nice boost to saves than tale the Shadowdancer ED in epic for all the awesome Int-based goodies and of course the sneak attack not mention evasion to synergize with the pally saves and high dex. Not sure whether its worth it but I figured I'd put the build up here

Lawful Good Drow Arty18/Pally2

as others have said, drows are actually 32 builds starting out (+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma, -2 Constitution) where as an elf (+2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution), so they are only 4 pts lower then an elf (thus 32 (28+4) the forced 28 pts spending is to make them even in stat pts to 32 pt builds, while still getting their racial bonuses. IMO its actually a good choice for an arti since they get racial intel.

also, what are you getting for the 2 pali splash? how much +to saves? personally I wouldnt splash since I like the arti arcanotech capstone (+2 intel, and makes any non scroll (clicky/wand) cast as if they were staves (basically meaning they cast at your caster lvl rather then what the item is listed as with DCs (10 + your Intelligence bonus + level of spell)) but thats up to you



also, would suggest switching your epic feat 28.

hellball's damage sucks (3d20 + 15 with 4 element (meaning max of 75/element, so 300max without spellpower, with spellpower its probably possible to double/triple but there is a save (20+casting stat mod (if your lucky 16, so 36dc) which means most mobs will save or evade), its possible to do more with an xbow then that. also metamagics increase the cost. would suggest taking Epic Spell Power: Force, elusive target, or doubleshot instead.