Ranger: Tempest (Preview)

[Eladrin]

The Tempest is a solid enhancement that many current builds are based around. It may not be especially flashy, but has solid passive bonuses. That theme continues with the advanced tiers of the prestige enhancement.

Here's the whirling storm of blades, the Tempest:

Ranger Tempest I
Prerequisites: Ranger level 6, Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Two Weapon Fighting, Improved Two Weapon Fighting
Cost: 4 AP
Benefit: Your training has turned you into a whirling tempest of steel, granting a 10% competence bonus to dual wield attack speed and a +2 shield bonus to armor class when two weapon fighting.

The bonus to armor class now also actually only applies when you're dual wielding. Both of the bonuses granted by Tempest I have been "typed", to clarify stacking questions that constantly arose.

Ranger Tempest II
Prerequisites: Ranger level 12, Tempest I, Ranger Dexterity II, Greater Two Weapon Fighting
Cost: 2 AP
Benefit: Your training has turned you into a whirling tempest of steel, granting a 10% competence bonus to dual wield attack speed, a +3 shield bonus to armor class when two weapon fighting, and your penalty to hit has been reduced by 1.

Since the initial prerequisites for Tempest I are pretty steep, we made the additional prerequisites for Tempest II (and III) on the cheap side. Remember that Rangers get Greater Two Weapon Fighting for free.

Ranger Tempest III
Prerequisites: Ranger level 18, Tempest II, and any one of: Two Weapon Blocking, Two Weapon Defense, Oversized Two Weapon Fighting, or Lightning Reflexes.
Cost: 2 AP
Benefit: Your skill with two weapons is unequaled - your training has turned you into a whirling tempest of steel, granting a 10% competence bonus to dual wield attack speed, a +4 shield bonus to armor class when two weapon fighting, your penalty to hit has been reduced by 2, and you gain additional attacks when two weapon fighting.

The additional attacks gained at tier III are identical to what we originally had planned for (the not-in-the-game) Superior Two Weapon Fighting.

Edit: Added AP costs. Oops.

[bobbryan2]

Hmm... Didn't touch tempest I at all. That's a little surprising.

I kinda like it.

I'll have to see how many extra attacks are added with the last tier. Will this be akin to perfect TWF (the epic feat) in that all attacks will gain a coupling? With the way attack chains and attack bonuses work in DDO... I would expect this to be true, otherwise BAB 20 is going to once again slow down DPS for TWF. Whereas in PnP... it would only increase (albeit a smally amount).

It seems sort of odd to have all the offensive bonuses in the first tier.. And personally I would have liked to see the last tier become a 15% bonus to attack speed, but the extra attacks may even be better than that.

If BAB 20 does in fact slow DPS down for TWF... does that mean only lvl 18 rangers are going to benefit fully from going full BAB? Will other TWF be better off taking a level of monk or rogue to increase their DPS?

[rimble]

That...is...hawt...

I anticipate moaning about the Tier III req's.

Stackability?

[Aspenor]

ah, so 10% increase in speed, now named competence, and some other fluff stuff.

GOOD JOB, for real.

now they can give us items with sacred and competence bonuses to attack speed for balance, and we don't have that pesky unnamed bonus hanging out there.

[rimble]

Hmm... Didn't touch tempest I at all. That's a little surprising.

I kinda like it.

Yeah they did, changed the AC to a shield bonus...pretty sure it's untyped at the moment...?

[Tolero]

Ow...ow...ow...

I just had to run through the food processor to get in here and say here's another enhancement preview: Tempest!

[Vra]

...and you gain additional attacks when two weapon fighting.

The additional attacks gained at tier III are identical to what we originally had planned for (the not-in-the-game) Superior Two Weapon Fighting.

so, ranger lvl 18 are the only ones who can get what is the equivalent of Superior Two Weapon Fighting... not nice for other twf classes imo...

[Eladrin]

I anticipate moaning about the Tier III req's.

I expect most people that go that far with a two weapon fighting character to have Oversized Two Weapon Fighting. Tier III's almost free. (We added the others as options. You never know what people want to do.)

[Gol]

Is the shield label on the AC bonus new?

And we need full respec. My Ranger is going to cap out at Ranger 17. And don't tell me to reroll. I've only ever had 4 capped toons. I can't re-level in a week like some people.

[CSFurious]

looks like 18 ranger is the way to go unless the capstone is great

although another favored enemy at level 20 might make a 20 tempest ranger the best dps'er in the game

[maddmatt70]

hmm I wonder what "gain additional two weapon fighting attacks" for tier 3 is. By the way thanking for posting this prestige enhancement Eladrin.

[Garth_of_Sarlona]

Time to chuck those shield wands then...

Garth

[Aspenor]

Is the shield label on the AC bonus new?

yes, it was previously untyped.

this will fix that standing bug where tempest AC still works while wearing a shield.

also makes shield clickies and uhh...Titan cookies virtually useless to the tempest ranger.

glad i didn't buy them from teh AH

[Gol]

so, ranger lvl 18 are the only ones who can get what is the equivalent of Superior Two Weapon Fighting... not nice for other twf classes imo...

Or for people that splashed more than 2 other class levels on really old characters.

[BGP]

already talked about.....

[bobbryan2]

I expect most people that go that far with a two weapon fighting character to have Oversized Two Weapon Fighting. Tier III's almost free. (We added the others as options. You never know what people want to do.)

Surprisingly... I know a lot of rangers who don't take oTWF... simply because their attack bonuses are high enough. Also... dex based rangers only have to contend with rapiers in the offhand, and several I nkow simply use shortswords.

All of that to say that I don't think the prereqs are that difficult... but they aren't free.

[Vorn]

The shield clickes/titan cookies still stop mm/force missles, so not totally useless, but all-in-all looks really cool at first look. But,....too bad for old characters who can't get lvl 18 ranger when the only respec options = reroll.

[binnsr]

so, ranger lvl 18 are the only ones who can get what is the equivalent of Superior Two Weapon Fighting... not nice for other twf classes imo...

QFT .. not all TWF characters are rangers

[bobbryan2]

so, ranger lvl 18 are the only ones who can get what is the equivalent of Superior Two Weapon Fighting... not nice for other twf classes imo...

No.. it's especially not very nice for other TWF full BAB classes. As they're going to run into a wall at BAB 20.

[rimble]

I expect most people that go that far with a two weapon fighting character to have Oversized Two Weapon Fighting. Tier III's almost free. (We added the others as options. You never know what people want to do.)

Seems to me like many people ignore it since their ToHit is sufficiently high anyways, but that's a very anecdotal statement just based on what I see on the boards. Of course the premiere two-weapon fighting enhancement will need two-weapon feat pre-reqs, so what else was there for you to use?