request for build: Turtle Cleric

[smyter]

I do not know if this can be effectively done, but an intimidating cleric. I was wondering if a cleric could get his AC, HP, DR and Intimidate high enough so that he could fill another roll in the party. Running in, turtling up, allowing the rogues to get all their backstabs in, holding aggro only by shield blocking and intimidating (maybe even a blade barrier). Would have to have excellent concentration to cast spells. So I was thinking either Dwarf (for the con and armor mastery), Warforge (for the con and DR), or Human (for the intimidate and healing to self bonus). Let me know what you number crunchers come up with. Don't put crazy-to-get gear in the build, like the chatterng ring. I have been out for one of those since it first dropped. Any reaver gear is fair game tho, and I already have daggertooths belt. I am a min/max'er.. all or nothing. So sacrifice on anything to make the theme work. Still has to be a good healer.

[Gunga]

This build idea gives me a turtle.

[PurdueDave]

http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=161300

[Anthios888]

Here's a build I made a few months ago, before mod 8. Obviously there would be some changes I would make with mod 9, but I'll post it as-is if you'd like to look at the concept.

Looking for a creative healer build to try?

Rockshield the Gargoyle
Stalwart Healer and Defender
(15 cleric/1 fighter) -> (18 cleric/2 fighter at cap)

This is a concept build that I am not yet rolling up because I know I will get made fun of for having too many clerics. Still, it is an extremely promising, yet nontraditional twist on the healbot cleric, and I wanted to throw it up here in case anyone is considering rolling a healer cleric but wants to try something different.

First of all, this is not a battlecleric! This is a healer cleric built for survivability and blocking DR. What it will do is significantly mitigate damage done to the party by serving as a intimidate gargoyle and letting the rest of the party flank. It will buff the party, run into the fight, round up the mobs with intimidate, and block with an impressive DR and decent AC. This is a good build to roll up with a rogue or barbarian friend because you can let the melees do what they do best.

Unconcerned about DPS since he or she is blocking, the player is free to watch the health bars of the party (including his or her own) and top them off as needed. Combat expertise remains an option to toggle on and off depending on the healing needs of the party.
The build will be usable throughout its career as long as you keep current intimidate and fortification items.

Even in the toughest quests and raids, this type of build can stop a lot of damage from ever being dealt to the party, which makes up for its clearest downside: a lower spell point pool. In places like the Shroud part 4, the hound raid, and vision of destruction, you can always default to a survivable healer welcome in any party. But you get really good at it, you can do far more - kiting the elite red named orthons in VoD away from your party, hold aggro on the lieutenants in parts 2 and 5 of shroud.

Because this build is designed to shine in a full party as the healer and tank, its second downside is that it is a terrible solo build for the most part (although high AC and blade barrier will help).

Note: this build would be WAY EASIER as a 14/2 cleric/fighter split, but I avoided multiclassing as much as I could because I support clerics being as pure as possible. After all - being a cleric is this build's central identity.

Level 16 Lawful Good Dwarf Male
(1 Fighter / 15 Cleric)

Hit Points: 342 easily with minos legens and improved false life trinket
(room for increase via enhancements, shroud item, or jerky)
Spell Points: 1363 with shroud item


Strength 10
Dexterity 10
Constitution 16
Intelligence 12
Wisdom 17
Charisma 10
Level up points into wisdom
Tomes Used
+1 Tome of Constitution used at level 1
+1 Tome of Wisdom used at level 1
+2 Tome of Intelligence used at level 1
+2 Tome of Charisma used at level 16
+2 Tome of Dexterity used at level 16
+2 Tome of Constitution used at level 16

Skills (Level 1) (Level 16)
Balance 5 9
Concentration 7 22
Intimidate 2 22
Jump -1 7

Level 1 (Cleric)
Feat: (Selected) Toughness
Level 2 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Combat Expertise
Level 3 (Cleric)
Feat: (Selected) Extend Spell
Level 4 (Cleric)
Level 5 (Cleric)
Level 6 (Cleric)
Feat: (Selected) Shield Mastery
Level 7 (Cleric)
Level 8 (Cleric)
Level 9 (Cleric)
Feat: (Selected) Empower Healing Spell
Level 10 (Cleric)
Level 11 (Cleric)
Level 12 (Cleric)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Shield Mastery
Level 13 (Cleric)
Level 14 (Cleric)
Level 15 (Cleric)
Feat: (Selected) Quicken Spell
Level 16 (Cleric)

FEAT NOTES:
When you get minos legens, you can switch out toughness for skill focus: intimidate and still qualify for the enhancements, but I would not as this build does not really need to cross 50 intimidate as it will likely not need to tank suulomedes, atraekos, and the hound. But it could quite reasonably, and you can make that swap, if that becomes your goal.
At level 18, maximize, dodge, skill focus: intimidate, or bullheaded, depending on what you feel is most important as you develop your role - offensive casting, armor class tank, or intimidator. Take a second fighter level before 20 for dodge or improved trip, if you like, and still receive level 9 spells.

ENHANCEMENTS (change to fit your style):
Enhancement: Dwarven Armor Mastery I
Enhancement: Dwarven Armor Mastery II
Enhancement: Dwarven Armor Mastery III
Enhancement: Dwarven Constitution I
Enhancement: Dwarven Faith I
Enhancement: Dwarven Shield Mastery I
Enhancement: Dwarven Shield Mastery II
Enhancement: Dwarven Shield Mastery III
Enhancement: Dwarven Spell Defense I
Enhancement: Dwarven Toughness I
Enhancement: Dwarven Toughness II
Enhancement: Dwarevn Toughness III
Enhancement: Fighter Intimidate I
Enhancement: Cleric Prayer of Life I
Enhancement: Cleric Life Magic I
Enhancement: Cleric Life Magic II
Enhancement: Cleric Life Magic III
Enhancement: Cleric Life Magic IV
Enhancement: Cleric Energy of the Zealot I
Enhancement: Cleric Energy of the Zealot II
Enhancement: Cleric Energy of the Zealot III
Enhancement: Cleric Charisma I
Enhancement: Cleric Charisma II
Enhancement: Cleric Wisdom I
Enhancement: Cleric Wisdom II
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness I
Enhancement: Cleric Divine Vitality I
Enhancement: Cleric Extra Turning I
Enhancement: Cleric Wand Mastery I
Enhancement: Cleric Wand Mastery II

Reasonable level 16 gear:
Axe – pos/pos/pos +6 cha, greater devotion VI, true resurrection, 4 insight AC
Armor - +5 mithral full plate - MFP of defender
Shield - Levik's defender
Bracers – Chaosguardes
Goggles - air/air/air - wiz VI, 150 bonus SP, haste, +6 cha skills, air guard
Helm - minos legens
Necklace - Lorrik's necklace (Wiz VI, +6 wisdom, improved empower healing)
Trinket - dusk heart (20 hp/10% blur)
Cloak - +5 protection
Gloves - +6 dex
Boots - striding and golden greaves (15% striding/DR3) - consider boots of the innocent or gyroscopic
Belt - 6 con
Ring1 - 13 intimidate ring
Ring2 - 4 resistance ring
> swap out if you get chattering ring and use nightshield. Switch back in when you get MFP of defender

Shroud 20th run:
Concordant opposition necklace (pos/neg/pos) with 35 hp, 6 wisdom, superior healing lore, +str and con skills for jump/concentration

AC breakdown
10 base
7 +5 shield - Lorrik's champion
19 +5 mithral full plate
3 dwarven armor mastery - 22 dex
2 chaosguardes
5 protection item
1 alchemical bonus to shield
1 alchemical bonus to armor
4 insight bonus - shroud pos/pos/pos dwarven axe for +6 cha/greater devotion VI/4 insight AC
=49 AC unbuffed

The ideal world: chattering ring = 52 AC

Buffed:
3 barkskin potion
1 haste
2 recitation

=57 self-buffed healing AC (54 w/o chattering ring)

Periodical:
1 haste air guard proc
5 combat expertise
=63 AC (60 without chattering ring)

Maximum AC: Leting the paladin, ranger, and bard flank:
5 paladin
2 ranger bark skin
5 bard song
=75 potential tanking AC

BLOCKING DR
15 Lorik's champion
3 shield mastery feat
3 improved shield mastery feat
3 dwarven shield mastery
3 golden greaves
=DR 27
And if you're serious:
5 bloodrage symbiont trinket or MFP of axeblock (DR5)= DR 30

INTIMIDATE
19 skill ranks
5 charisma modifier (20 cha)
1 fighter enhancement
13 intimidate ring or helm
6 shroud item
4 greater heroism
=48
Boosting that number
+3 skill focus intimidate
+1 prayer (or +2 head of good fortune)
+2 15 intimidate ring
=55 potential (feat and head are not worth it on this build imo)

[smyter]

Purdue Dave:
This is more of a battlecleric build. I don't care about dishing out damage. I just need enough STR to carry around MFP and a tower shield... and wands and scrolls. I just want to be able to run in, get aggro, keep aggro, and cast heals on myself as needed. Kinda like Crowd Control... keeps them bunched up for AOE spells, 2H fighting, all backstabs going off (cuz everyone has 2 levels of rogue). The suggested build is a good start. the saves are nice... it is just geared slightly more for swinging a sword. I also want to have access to Heal + either BB or cometfall. And eventually Holy Aura by 20, because I doubt this build can be made pure.

[smyter]

Athios: I like your build

[Junts]

smyter, some feedback for you:


This build is headed towards the 50s in armor class, a range in which ac is useful but where every point is very very valuable. I play a pally intimitank and hence wanted to give you some feedback on the ac/intimidate thresholds the build is near.

The shield mastery feats are not very effective; as long as you are blocking with a hound shield, you do not need them. I would drop one for maximize (lets you be a functional cleric when you want to be with BB and mass heals), and with the second, I would offer you two good options:

#1: if you want this character to be a main-tank-caliber intimidator, ie, someone who could intimitank vod on normal (hard is out of its reach, no matter what), you could replace the other shield mastery feat with skill focus: intimidate. that will move its max achievable intimidate up to where, with bardsong, you could intimitank vod normal. However, this would require you to do basically everything else as well - a 15 intim item, a 6 cha skills shroud item, a 2 cha tome and static charisma item, et cetera.

In my opinion, this is not the best direction for the build; cleric intimidate synchronizes much better with support intimitanking - intimidating trash into your bbs/symbols of stunning and holding it while the melees pound. A better vod role with both a lower ac threshold (the 70 needed to not be hit on normal is not within reach) and more flexible effect is the secondary intimitank role (hold the orthons while maintank holds suulomades). I have run with another variation of cleric intimibuild (samho's nightward build) which excells in this area. I use vod as an example because it is the quest in which intimimdate is most powerful and its role can be clearly illustrated; i would not make the build sacrifices required to maintank this quest as a cleric intimitank, as you can gain much more elsewhere.

this leads me to

#2: drop the fighter level (and the feat associated, which becomes the 2nd shield mastery) for a paladin level: you gain 1 armor class, spell points, and 1 to all your saves, at the cost of 11 points of intimidate (10 ranks, and 1 fighter enhancement), and a feat that is already difficult to use properly (and might well be spent on mental toughness if you keep fighter levels!). This brings your max intimidate down from the low 50s to the low 40s; however, as someone who runs a 58 intimidate and frequently takes off his 15 item (hence running a 43 intimidate), I can tell you that this intimidate level is acceptable to grab every non-red named mob in the game, plus nearly every red name (damasze in the shroud will not be nofail, as he has too large a size penalty), including in vod on difficulties above normal (you can take the orthons with a 45 intim, easily, even on elite) and in the shroud on hard and elite (where intimidate is primarily useful for trash and damage mitigation).

As this build is in a position where every ac is extremely valuable, and as a dwarf cleric is going to be hurting for reflex saves, this is the path I would take.

Your ac breakdown works out something like this:

10 base
15 dragontouched full plate
9 Levik's defender
4 max dex bonus (dt fp 1 + 2 daggertooth's belt + 1 dwarven armor mastery I, reaching the tower shield's mdb level)
5 protection
2 alchemical bonuses
= 45

at this point you have two options:

shroud insight ac 4
chaosgarde

or

levik's defender tier 3: insight ac 5

the levik's is very attractive for the healing amplification and str slot saved; however, you may find that the first option is better because you are, as you can see, moving quickly into the range where you need every ac you can possibly get. also, its probably easier to do

shroud/chaosgarde=51
barkskin potion =54
haste = 55
recitation = 57
combat expertise = 62

chattering ring = 65

This is where I get back to the paladin level, as that 1 ac is very valuable in the mid to high 60s, especially as it helps keep you above 60 when you do have to cast (and if you were making a toon that wasn't going to cast, there would be no reason to make a cleric; having a functional ac without ce up is essential to having a useful ac cleric type, imo)

It is worth noting that the paladin level would remove the tower shield prof feat; however, as a 10 str base cleric, it is clear this build is not designed for effective melee, so the etxra -8 to hit penalty is quite academic; I would not use a tower shield as you level, however.

However, at the minimum, be sure to get maximize; there is no reason to be a cleric if this build cannot switch into a cleric mode if needbe; there are other variants of intimitank that do the other jobs much more easily, so I would not sacrifice the clerical contribution to the group for them.

If you want an intimitank who's party support role is much more limited and infrequent, I would investigate a umd paladin intimitank (like my build), as that may be more to your liking if that is your goal. Since you chose a clerical variant, I'm going to assume you want to be able to throw a bb or symbol of stunning, then intimidate everything into it and throw a massheal on yourself every so often if the group's taking some damage as they take out the mobs you're holding.

In fact, as an afterthought, you could just swap empower heal for maximize (I think maximize is a superior feat, if you can learn to spend your sp wisely) and still have a feat available, especially with vod gloves etc (and if you build this kind of cleric, you would rock in vod)

[PurdueDave]

Purdue Dave:
This is more of a battlecleric build. I don't care about dishing out damage. I just need enough STR to carry around MFP and a tower shield... and wands and scrolls. I just want to be able to run in, get aggro, keep aggro, and cast heals on myself as needed. Kinda like Crowd Control... keeps them bunched up for AOE spells, 2H fighting, all backstabs going off (cuz everyone has 2 levels of rogue). The suggested build is a good start. the saves are nice... it is just geared slightly more for swinging a sword. I also want to have access to Heal + either BB or cometfall. And eventually Holy Aura by 20, because I doubt this build can be made pure.

I just posted it for the discussion. The issues, gear, give-and-take, etc. will be similar.

It might be a good idea to hold out for the warpriest PrE before you invest too much into a deep multi-class BC.