My first Character - THF Dps Fighter

[Valfalos]

Hello Everyone,

I recently started playing the D&D Pen&Paper game with a group of people from work and inbetween our sessions I want to play DDO.
I watched some Tutorials and Forum posts about the game already and decided to start with a fighter. (Might do a Paladin and/or Druid next)
I purchased the 32 point build and decided to play a Human. From the Tutorials and Forums I have looked at I would build him like this at Level 1.

Attributes:
Str 18 (for dps)
Dex 10 (I think this is for AC only)
Con 16 (Obviously for HP)
Int 8
Will 10 (Many people did this I can only assume its for the Will-saves?)
Cha 10 (I had 2 points left over so I dumped them in here for Intimidate, didnt find any THF 32 Point Fighter Build)

Skills:
Jump 4
Intimidate 4

Feats:
Toughness
Two Handed Fighting
Weapon Focus: Slashing Weapons

(I heard you can go for Power Attack instead of Toughness but I also heard you should always go for Toughness at lvl 1)

Allignment:
Either Lawful Good or Neutral Good. (I saw most people going for Lawful Good...does that affect anything?)

Enhancement:
Not needed at lvl 1 as far as I can see but I have no clue what to get here later (only saw that Kensei is supposed to be my section)

Any advice or tip is appreciated.
Also I don't know how to build him from here. Is there any chance someone can post me a decent THF Fighter Build that I can just level along? I also heard there are tomes and enhancements you get later in the Game and that people take them at certain levels but I have no clue where to get them or when to use them...

PS: I appreciate any help and I am really amazed by the amount of customization that can go into a character in this game.
Also I heard you can re-roll your character later so should I just start my character and re-roll him later if he sucks?

[Lonnbeimnech]

About toughness. Once upon a time you had to take the toughness feat to unlock toughness enhancements, so you would get 22 hp from the feat by level 20 and another 30 from racial enhancements and another 40 from class enhancements. That made a huge difference. Now you do not need the feat to access the enhancements, so it only gives the 22 hp. Its a very expensive feat for what it actually gives. The plus side is that as a human fighter you have more feats than you know what to do with, so it's ok.

You can 're-roll' in several ways.
1. delete the character and make a new one.
2. lesser reincarnate - this allows you to start over at level 1 with the same character without losing any xp, and just go through the level up process assigning feats skill points and enhancements any way you want.
3.True reincarnate - start over at level one stronger than before but with no xp, so that you can play through the game again as a stronger version of the same character, or as a completely different build, such as wizard, or paladin or whatever. This option requires you to reach level 20 first. Characters that have done this have wings next to their name and are referred to as TRs.

As far as enhancements. At level 1 under kensai enhancements there is an ability called haste boost. This gives you 30% faster attack speed for 20 seconds. As a human you will also gain access to human action boosts, the best one to pick would be damage boost, which gives 20% more damage for 20 seconds, and can be used at the same time as haste boost.

Alignments plays a minor role in this game, it does not effect the story line. But some spells (cleric spells such as unholy blight, chaos hammer, and orders wrath) will effect one alignment but not the other and do half damage against neutral characters. There are also some weapons that require a specific alignment to use, such as pure good (a damage type that appears on some weapons) requiring good alignment, this can be bypassed if you train the use magic device skill). Alignment can also restrict you from multiclassing with other classes, such as paladin requiring lawful good and barbarian requiring being not lawful.

About your build. for a thf build, take the feats: two handed fighting, improved two handed fighting, greater two handed fighting, cleave, great cleave, improved critical slashing, greater weapon focus slashing.
I would recommend putting points into the stalwart defender tree, and picking up strong defense, tenacious defense, and swift defense.
Putting points into human for improved recovery 2 and damage boost
and the rest into kensai for weapon group specialization, keen edge, haste boost and alacrity at level 20.

[Valfalos]

Thanks for the reply, but I do have more questions.

1. My Ability Points at Level 1:
Are they okay the way they are or should I spent them differently.
Also what would I skill from there and where and when should I use skill tomes? (I could also go for 18 Str and 18 Con and nothing else)

2. My Skills at Level 1:
Is Jump and Intimidate at 4 okay or should I go for something else and do I just keep spending my points on those per Level up?

3. My Feats at Level 1
I can't find 3 of the feats you named at Level 1 (only Two-Handed Fighting and Weapon Focus: Slashing Weapons, which you didnt name but I assume I need it for the Greater Weapon Focus)
Also do I only get 7 Feats, I thought I got one per Level and I heard you should definitly take Stunning Blow and Improved Sunder as a fighter or is that out-dated too?)

4. Enhancements
I find the enhancements you stated but they are higher up enhancements and I need to spend 10 Points or more to even get them what to I get inbetween?

PS: A good information would be: How many Feats and Enhancements can I get from start to finish?

[Lonnbeimnech]

Characters get a feat at level 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18

Humans get a bonus feat at level 1

Fighters get a bonus feat at levels 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20

So as a human fighter you have a ton of feats to play around with.

You get 4 ability points per level, by level 20 that's 80 AP.

skill points, having 40 jump is very helpful in some places, allowing access to shortcuts. But as a strength based character you will reach the cap of 40 (it can go higher, but you don't actually jump any higher) eventually without putting any points into it. You may or may not want to put points into it any way, to allow you some more maneuverability at lower levels.

I don't know if you want to build the perfect toon on the first try and leave him at cap without altering him, but if you do want that... this game doesn't really work that way. My main character for example has been reincarnated about 92 or 93 times, and redone his enhancements at least 200 more times than that. Basically, I wouldn't worry about it too much if I was you. You can change it later. Try out the different things and see if you like them or not.

I will say this though, take umd. It offers nothing at first, but with a little gear it will let you use scrolls and wands to heal yourself, teleport, give buffs like energy resistance, true seeing, fire shield, greater heroism, etc. It's the best skill in the game.
And one point in tumble to reduce the amount of damage you take from a fall.

[Valfalos]

Okay with that information I just made my character and I guess I will goof around a bit and see what happens.
I do have 2 more questions though^^

1. Just one point in Tumble? and just at some point or already at level 1?
2. Same thing with Use Magic Device? Just one point and already at level 1?

That should be everything and thank you very much!

[Lonnbeimnech]

Okay with that information I just made my character and I guess I will goof around a bit and see what happens.
I do have 2 more questions though^^

1. Just one point in Tumble? and just at some point or already at level 1?
2. Same thing with Use Magic Device? Just one point and already at level 1?

That should be everything and thank you very much!

Just one point in tumble at some point.

Try to max out umd, as a fighter you will only be able to put half a point into it per level, and that works out to 11 by level 20, but that is increased by your charisma score, buff like greater heroism, good luck, umd items epic levels. Eventually you will be able to use many wands and scrolls, and they are easily bought in game for platinum.

[EllisDee37]

There's a new player friendly 12/8 fighter/cleric linked in my signature: Kensei Warpriest. He plays just like a regular THF fighter, plus he has a bunch of self-healing. Maybe worth a look just for ideas even if you decide to stay with a pure fighter.

[Hobgoblin]

i know you made the char already and the stats look ok but consider a couple of different ideas

16 str vrs 18 - it is -1 to hit and damage, and gives you 6 more points to put into something else

so you could boost up your cha and get a better intimi and umd

not critical but something to think about

hob

[the_one_dwarfforged]

looks like you built a pnp char. pro quid pro tip #1: ddo is not dnd. things like +1 hit (weapon focus) at level 1 are unnecessary. also, im unclear how much of your build was influenced by "stuff"...but you should really check the date and source because the game is way different than it was, and also some people are just going to give you bad and/or impractical advice.

as far as stats go, if you arent going str/int/con (which would mean buying the harper tree or earning at at much higher levels but not getting the dps benefit until then, as well as wearing an sp item or taking an sp feat) i would recommend 18 str 16 dex 14 con and building for manyshot (which would require +1 dex tome at some point depending on feat progression, though most likely not before 12 in any case). adding ranged to a pure fighter is pretty easy and absolutely worth it.

better level 1 feats (assuming still human): power attack, cleave, stunning blow.

damage is the most important thing in this game, and to hit for the most part doesnt matter. at level 1 unless you are twitching you wont have any problems with to hit. (pa > wf)

cleave is a good feat the entire game, and completely amazing at level 1. at level 1 you are going to have no sustained alacrity and a low bab (higher bab = faster attack speed) and only the standard number of damage dice from your weapon. cleave interrupts the pitiful attack sequence (so, instant dmg!!!) and deals extra damage (+1[w], [w] means weapon dice. so if you are using a falchion, +1[w] is an extra 2d4 dmg) and does it to multiple enemies if theyre grouped up. it also procs glancing blows (only half of your auto attacks proc glancing blows, 3/4 if you have the greater two handed fighting feat).

stunning blow will be better if you are soloing or just want to be more responsible for keeping yourself alive (cant get killed if you arent getting attacked). when successfully stunned (you cannot stun everything. immune enemies include skeletons, zombies, oozes, iron defenders...basically non fleshies) enemies become helpless and take 50% extra damage. combined with trip (str based cc feat you gain for free but does not cause helplessness, though it works on more kinds of enemies) you will be able to reduce a lot of incoming damage.

alignment you are going to want to go either true neutral, or possibly chaotic good. only reason to go chaotic good is for marut beaters which might have umd check for non cg chars (idk if that is still around, been a long time since ive had to look). true neutral does not miss out on any alignment based non class benefits because there are hardly any and they arent even good. being good aligned will cause you to take extra damage in some places though.

skills id focus on (in order of importance, you may not have enough points depending on build):
umd stop at 11 ranks, half ranks dont do anything.
balance 11 ranks.
bluff 11 ranks.
tumble 1 rank.
concentration 11 ranks. if you end up heal scrolling and have the skill points to get this up, might as well.
heal 11 ranks. if you want to play epics and use cocoon (cheap sp based hot, requires xp and epic twist slot investment) then youll want this over conc.
intim.

enhancements id want for early levels:
haste boost asap. kensei.
defensive stance w/ prr improvement from stalwart defender. reqs lvl 3.
armor mastery ranks as needed for prereqs for defensive stance. stalwart.
saves improvement to defensive stance as needed for prereqs. stalwart.
extra action boosts. kensei.
tactical dc boost. kensei.
weapon focus line. kensei.

enhancements you want by level 12 (just going to assume pure fighter):
keen edge. kensei.
power surge. kensei.
human action boost: damage. human.
action surge: strength (2 or 3 ranks to even out your str. power surge has 60 sec duration and counts as an action boost). human.


my opinions on feats for fighters:
quickdraw, a must.

improved sunder, a must.

magical training: if you are going int based with harper you probably should grab this. if not going int but planning to play epics and use cocoon then still worthwhile. not critical though.

combat expertise/improved trip: if going int based and you can afford it, might as well pick up the +4 trip dc. ce is mostly just a filler prereq because it turns power attack off...which is bad most of the time.

improved crit: slashing: take this as soon as possible.

precision: if you can fit it itll help you out big time. this also turns power attack off, but when fighting undead itll greatly increase your dps. in epics this should only be used when ranging high fortification enemies.

toughness: dont take this at all. dont be tempted to stack this. excessive hp is not needed. toughness will not even give you excessive hp, it gives you 20 at higher levels which is not much. it costs a feat for a measly amount of hp. ultimately staying alive is not about having lots of hp and getting hjeals, its about your mitigation and avoidance and tactics. hjeals are for noobs. healing on the other hand will be necessary because, well you cant take no damage. so really unless you are getting oneshotted by sneezing kobolds you dont need more hp.

greatcleave. should be taken asap. that means either at 4, 5, or 6 depending on build and progression. cycling cleave/gcleave in heroics makes packs of things dead pretty quick. also when you first pick this up your attack speed is still going to suck, so another clicky attack is a very good thing.

point blank shot, weapon focus: ranged, bow str, rapid shot, improved crit: ranged, manyshot. if not going int based, id recommend dex and picking these up. adds great burst dps and versatility.

insightful reflexes: if going int based and ignoring dex, you should consider this feat. saves and mrr and much better than more health when fighting spell casters.

greater weapon focus. take this at level 12 or sooner. you dont need superior wf.

weapon spec feats. take them when they become available, but they arent a priority so you can wait a couple levels if needed.

thf feats. same boat as ws feats. take em when you can, dont need to rush em.

dodge/mobility: if you can fit em theyre not bad defensive feats. mobility is great because it increases your maximum dexterity bonus, which is useful because it raises your dodge cap while wearing armor.

spring attack/whirlwind: getting whirlwind requires dodge, mobility, spring attack, and combat expertise. and im not sure if its buggy for a thfer or not since ive never had the room to take it. so its an option to consider, but carefully.

power critical: only grab this if you have nothing better to take.

lightning reflexes: same as power crit.


recommended weapons (assuming no special circumstances such as high fort etc):
lvls 1-11 falchion
12-20 numbers favor greataxe, particularly with no seeker. in practice though a falchion will still be fine.
20+ great axe.

[adrian69]

There are some post I scrolled through and read that give great advice but leave out some things. I'm going to try and include it all here.

A fighter is DDO's quasi-almost anything goes build as you like class, but there are a few restrictions when it comes to building Kensei that are generally overlooked or obscured to new players and first time fighters, or Monk-Kensei multiclass, aka, centered with any weapon in the game. A fighter may look simple and fun, but they can become complex, and you may feel like you're sinking between levels 7-12, until you pick up power surge. They really shine at levels 4-7 and after 14-16.

Kensei REQUIRES 3 feats to be taken in from the weapon focus feat line to use the Kensei Weapon Focus Line. You can find the prerequisites listed in tier 2, 3, and 4 for each. These are a big deal on a pure fighter as they are a huge gain in your to hit/damage bonuses. The first for tier 2 access is Weapon Focus (weapon type). If you're going to use axes and swords choose slashing, sticks, fist, and other wooden weapons choose bludgeon, rapiers and short swords choose piercing, and ranged of course choose ranged. This allows you to spend 2 points for tier 2 Kensei Weapon's Focus on your chosen weapon. Heavy Swords and Druid Line allows for the most play in weapons if I recall.

Weapon Specialization unlocks tier 3 and Greater Weapon Focus unlocks tier 4 if I recall. I do not remember if Greater Weapon Specialization is need, but I don't believe it is and taking anymore of these feats would be WASTED FEATS.

If you're going to be using two handed fighting, take the two handed fighting line (thf, itwf, gthf for short) at level 1, and the same as with two weapon fighting or single weapon fighting (twf, itwf, gtwf and swf, iswf, and gswf for short). These 1/4 to half your dps depending on your style. The rest is a math lesson out of the scope of what I am writing. Know that each has either a stat or skill requirement and antirequisite.

THF requires 15 strength
Improved THF requires a bab of 6 (6 levels of fighter or your level 6, 8, 9 feat slot) and 17 strength (starting a min of 16 strength and +1 level up in strength at level 4).
Greater THF requires a bab of 11 and 17 Strength (11 levels of fighter and should be took in your level 12, 14, or 15 feat slot.)

TWF requires 15 dexterity
ITWF requires a bab of 6 and 17 points of dex (levels suggestions as above but going twf gets tricky when using strength to hit/dmg on 28 and 30 life. Typically one starts with 16 and takes their lvl 4 stat increase in dex or uses a +1 tome before taking the feat or starts level 15 and uses a +2 tome before taking feat. Also know that Ranger are autogranted twf, itwf, and gtwf at levels 2, 6, and 11 and should not take two weapon fighting feats).
GTWF requires a bab of 11 and dexterity of 17.

SWF require 2 trained points in balance and only a 1 handed weapon ONLY in the offhand, with the exception to rune arms (2 levels of artificer) or orbs (a caster level). The Bard Swashbuckler PrE line allows the use of swashbucklers.
ISWF requires a bab of 6 and 4 trained ranks in balance.
GSWF requires a bab of 11 and 7 trained ranks in balance.

The bab and suggested level of feats taken assume you stay pure fighter for levels 8 and 14.


There are only a couple of good named great swords in game and they are generally avoided. Falchions and Great Axes are preferred weapons of choice with Improved Critical: Slashing Feat at levels 8 or 9. Requires 8 BaB. There are a lot of named Falchions which allow you to roll criticals, with improved crit feat from a roll of 15-20x2. Great Axes have a slight edge on damage but with fewer, but massive crits.

I also suggest picking up Iron Will later on when you start running out of feats to take. Fighters have low will saves and every little bit helps.

Power Attack should be taken after having enough to hit that it doesn't cause you to miss 1 in 4/5 times.

Cleave and Great Cleave are your friends and require power attack. Spam them when fighting 2 or more.

33 Points in Kensei gives you everything that is worth anything in the tree. You'll need to spend 40 to place 1 in your capstone, leaving you 39 to play with elsewhere. Kensei has one of the only worthwhile capstones now a days.

Don't shy awake from the stalwart tree. 6 points nets you +25 PRR/MRR. That's huge. Wear Medium or preferably heavy armor and another 20-26 points will net you another +6 strength and constitution, which will be needed later on. You're not using a shield, so Vanguard will not offer you anything that I know of.

Going human will net you some goodies and you should spend at least 3 points in it for the 20% damage boost and tier 1 +10% heal amp. Your plat you're spending on pots will love you for it. Healers will love you for it. It may be the 2 best points you spend.