Solo WF Build Help

[Tarrick]

I just reinstalled the game and wanted to give it another try (no previous characters left). I tried searching for a build that I am thinking about but couldn't find it. Have no idea how/if this build will work, so I am reaching out for help. I plan on playing on Kyber.

I wanted to create a Character that can solo when I can't find a group that is melee focused but has a touch of rogue and can cast. My thought was Fighter/Rogue/Wiz (no idea of ideal level breakdown). I was thinking that he would go around wielding a two handed weapon and then use extend spell to cast the spell "shield" for better AC (or is it better to just use a one handed weapon/shield) and then just cast repair spells with wand. I would use skill points for Open Lock/Disable/Search/Spot. I am figuring stats will have to be balanced Str/Int/Dex/Con and then Wis/Chr as dump. For Feats, I was not sure if Adam Body or Mithral Body would be best and was planning on taking the two handed weapon feats and extend spell.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you Tarrick

[snyval]

You will find lots of solo builds in the various class discussion threads, my preference is the stealthy WF/Wizzy - a la Ghoste.

With what you say you're looking for in a character I'd recommend a melee oriented Ranger(14)/Rogue(1)/Wiz(1) MC.

You'll likely have trouble with handling rogue responsibilities in Hard/Elite upper lvls, but I take it that your trap-monkey emphasis is second fiddle to your melee'ing. You could go Rogue (15)/Wiz(1)... just a bit squishier skills up be decent and sneak attack damage would be awesome.

WF: Rogue(1 @ Lvl 1)/Wiz(1 @ Lvl 5)/Ranger 14
Stats (28pt) Str 16; Dex 14; Con 16; Int 12; Wis 8; Char 6.
Feats: (1) Mith Body; (3) EW: Kopesh; (5) Wiz MM: Extend; (6) Weapon Focus: Slash; (9) **Open - I'd take 'Power Attack' but your BAB will be -2 v melees at the same level**; (12) Improve Crit: Slashing; (15) Oversized TWF.

Level up stats in Str (+4) and use your race/class AP to up dex and con.

Your big weak point will be will saves, but fortunately WF have 'hold' immunities. Pick up a BAM helmet as soon as you can and pick up a decent wisdom item - and you'll be ok.

Sure there are folks with better insight than mine, but I notice no one had responded yet.. Didn't want to leave ya in the lurch.

Cheers!

[Daemonis]

Hey Tarrick,
Please check out the WF Build Compendium for solutions/starting templates to consider. You can click on my signature line. Good luck!

Regards, -Daemonis.

[Tarrick]

Thanks for the responses - Very Much Appreciated

[Angelus_dead]

I wanted to create a Character that can solo when I can't find a group that is melee focused but has a touch of rogue and can cast.

Cleric15/rogue1 or cleric14/rogue2.
Str 16 and wis 16 would be nice. But depending on how many rogue skills you want, you might need to raise Intelligence instead. And of course being a WF makes it hard to have that wisdom, but you could be elf or drow instead (which gives you melee bonus with rapier).

Many people fail to realize how effective a pure cleric is if you want a melee soloer.

Be warned that taking just a few levels of a casting class is not worth it, especially if you already had rogue levels and could get UMD anyhow.

[wolfy42]

Cleric is the obvious answer, but you are posting in the warforged board so you might want to think about a melee wizard character.

You can splash 1 level of rogue to get some better skills, but this isn't that worth it unless you have 32 point builds already (and you don't).

Since you can search with detect secret doors spells and open locks with knock as a wizard you don't really need the rogue nearly as much as other classes would. For traps you have elemental resistance, jump spells (to avoid the trap all together) haste (also helps avoid traps), DR, spells to boost your saves and the ability to heal damage with reapair spells.

For a fresh warforged without any equipment transfered over you might want to go with a pure melee wizard.....all wizard levels and nothing else. Starting stats should be:

Str 18
Dex 10 (gets boosted by lvl 3 with cats grace wands and by lvl 5 with +2 dex boots for full ac boost)
Con 16 (need the hp more then the 12 dex)
Int 12 (gets boosted by lvl 2 to 14...which is high enough to get through most normal difficulty int runes)
Wis/cha 6.

Level up stats into strength.

First non-bonus feat is adamantium armor, bonus feat is extend spell.

There are many advantages over even a cleric using this build. You can end up with permanent 6/adamantium DR (5 without using any feats) very fast this way...which is better then having stoneskin on permanently.

But wait...what about the spell failure chance?

Well for your first few levels you'll obliterate everything anyway with your strength + high base ac and shield going, so the high spell failure chance isn't a big problem. Later on you drop it down to 20% with enhancements and you can drop it further with a docent bonus (Lowest I got mine to was 10% but that was not a big problem).

The spell masters touch (believe thats the name) allows you to use all martial weapons right from the start, and of course you use two handed weapons since you have the shield spell. Damage is quite high and you will pretty much always get a spell that compensates for the lower BAB wizards get as you level up.

lvl 3 = bulls strength and blur, lvl 5 = haste + heroism and displacement etc.

Long term you can switch out your adamantium armor and DR feats for more SP (in fact it's best to take mental toughness and improved mental toughness with the two slots post lvl 14 or so). At that point your displacement is all that will matter when avoiding melee attacks and your reconstruction (When not tensor'd).

Hp are a bit low, but it's not to bad especially once you get displacement going and have a medium or better fortification item on (preventing sneak attacks and crit hits).

While your int is never super high you can still do severe damage with spells that don't have save DCs like magic and force missiles and of course your wall of fire is still very useful as well.

Fun class that can solo well early on, still is one of the better characters to solo with later, and is useful in a party (hastes, heroism, displacement, can tank, deal good melee damage, heal other warforged etc).

No need for expensive armor as you level up, just docents which are far cheaper and no repairing your armor like melee types have too. You can use wands just as well as any other wizard as well so boosting your wand damage (and possibly DC) is quite worth it. Eventually you can get divine power clickies as well allowing you to still cast spells while being a melee machine (tensor prevents the use of scrolls, wands or spells but gives you full fighters BAB (including all the attacks) and boosts your stats including additional AC which is nice through most of the game.....in fact your AC will be comparable to the top end of two handed weapon users throughout the game AND you'll have displacement going making you quite a good tank).

While you don't get healed by clerics as much as other characters even with just the first healers friend you heal 66% as much but take only 50% dmg from melee due to displacement compared to them. Add in your constant 6/adamantium DR an clerics could probably keep you healed up easier then most barbarian types.

Damage is actually superior to a pure barbarian without clickes or buffs from another character (of course the barb would normally have them, but if solo unless house buffs are used damage advantage goes to you.

Largest weakness is low hp that can't be increased that easily (no dwarven or class based toughness enhancements...no clue why warforged don't have a toughness enhancement line...they should be tougher then dwarves).

Till you get a decent fortification item crit hits are going to be your bane. Even a light fort item means you will only be crit hit 50% of the time though (warforged have an innate 25% chance to avoid crit hits) and once you get blur thats reduces 20% more and by the time you get displacement you can get a mod fort item and be pretty much immune to crit hits and sneak attacks (And very hard to hurt in melee at all at that point...one of the more defensive characters in the game at lvl 7 between displacement, 5 DR (2 base +1 feat + 2 enhancement), Decently high AC especially for a 2 handed weapon user, immunity to crit hits and sneak attacks, paralization, poison etc and the ability to heal yourself in a pinch.

Fun character to play both solo and in a party. Far better early on with little to now equipment when partied as you can participate constantly.

If you are building it with a 32 point build and use a +2 int tome you can add 1 rogue level and keep up a decent number of skills quite well. The 32 point build looks like this:

Str 18 (16)
Dex 08 (00) (spell boosts it to 12 anyway..and you'll have enough equipment to get through the early levels easily).
Con 16 (06)
Int 16 (10)
wis/cha 6 (00)

+2 int tome at lvl 1 gives you 6 skill points per wizard level allowing you to max disarm traps, Use magic Device and Spot. Bonus to int will let you boost your concentration skill later on to max as well.

Search is handled with Detect secret doors. Open locks works with knock.

Takes 1 level longer to get all your spells, but you have the equipment to make up for it.

The 32 point build is better, but the 28 point build is still quite good solo to start off with.

[Tarrick]

Thank you that is very detailed, I am going to give it a try. I have never really played a spell caster so this should be fun

[wolfy42]

My pleasure, it's one of my favorite starting builds actually.


For the 28 point build you have 3 skill points per level early on. I suggest you max concentration (although quicken makes it less important later on) and possibly repair to save on mana a bit (not actually that important though.

Maxing UMD even with a 6 base cha and it being cross classed can be quite useful long term. You can boost your skill with greater heroisim and equipment later on and reach a 30 or so UMD which is high enough to wear some useful equipment and to be able to use raise dead scrolls in a pinch.

Boosting Balance even as a cross class skill is also a good idea. Bane of the Warforged wizard is being knocked on your but and unable to reconstruct yourself. Later in the game you'll ditch adamantium armor and the balance will start being far more effective (especially with Greater Heroism going etc).

If I could change anything on my character it would be switching repair for balance.......the heal bonus from repair isn't large enough to matter later on and I can always wand up those hp anyway if need be. On the other hand having a higher balance could help alot.

So for skills I suggest:

MAx Concentration, Balance and UMD.

And have fun!!! This build is great as it lets you try higher level spells without being super squishy and gives you time to get specialized equipment for other builds you might want to play. One of my favorite starting off builds since the difference between a 32 point build and a 28 point build isn't that huge.