Turning my Spellsinger into a Warchanter Advice

[BoBoDaClown]

Hey guys,

My first toon was a 15 Bard 1 Fighter. She was meant to be a 'balanced' bard, but in all honesty ended up more of a Spellsinger. Due to the capstone I have created a new bard, trying to eke everything out of enchanting that I can, so this character has become somewhat obsolete.

So with the advice of some, I have changed her into a Warchanter. It will be interesting to see if she is fun playing. What I would like is some goals for gear, enhancements and feats to make her as viable as possible. My current, mediocre gear is probably a reflection of my future gear (so nothing too 'grindy').

In terms of content - Shroud on normal is the raid I would run most.

*** What should I take over the next 4 levels? Bard 18 Fighter 2 seems a good mix to me?

Stats:
Str: 16 base + 2 tome + 1 enhancement + 6 item =25
Dex: 12 base + 3 tome
Con: 12 base + 1 tome +1 enhancement + 6 item = 20
Int: 8
Wis: 8
Cha: 16 base + 4 levels +1 enh +1 tome + 6 item = 28

Hitpoints: 316 unbuffed (in gear) + 16 Rage + 35 temp hp
SP: 786

*** is this hp total enough for a secondary dps? Should I be shroud crafting a hp item ASAP? Would I be able to go in and dps in the Shroud (on normal)?

Skills: one vital for this convo is UMD: 41 ---- pretty sure unbuffed (going from memory), so 45 total,

Feats (not in this order):
empower healing
extend
WF: slashing
PA
Toughness
IC: Slashing
SF: UMD
THF

***Should I swap out Emp Healing or SF: UMD for more THF lines - I'm nervous about doing this because atm I retain good auxilary healing utility.

*** Any spells other than the obvious you think I should take?

Enhancements Currently:
Fighter Haste Boost 1
Bard Ins Att 3
Bard Ins Brave 2
Bard Ins Dam 3
Linger Song 1
Ironskin
Human Str
Human Con
Human Vers 1
Racial Tough 3
Lyric Song 3
Incredible Song 1
Song Magic 4
EOM 1
Bard Cha 1
Fght Tough 1
WandS Mastery 2

*** Enhancements look OK?

Gear (please don't laugh... ):
Minos L swap with Superior Devotion 5
Golden Cartouche swap divine power
Head of Good Fortune
Charismatic Cloak +6
Proof Poison Grtr False Life Belt
Ring Of Resistance 4------------ obviously want 5
Gauntlets of Eternity
Feather falling/Striding
Health Ring +6
Ogre Power Bracer +6
Dragon Touched Leather Armour with nothing useful on it yet
GreenSteel Goggles: +150 sp +1 Cha Skills exceptional
Greensteel Great Axe - planning on Min 2 but haven't done it yet
plus regular collection of weapons/items

***Any advice on gear? Slots to swap? What to put on armour?

Thank you very much for taking the time to read. Feel free to tell me she won't cut it as a Warchanter (I know she won't compare to the purpose built WC), or whatever I can do to improve.

Cheers

BoBo

p.s. how to I add a signature down at the bottom of my posts?

[Noctus]

*** What should I take over the next 4 levels? Bard 18 Fighter 2 seems a good mix to me?

Yeah, go 18/2.

Str: 16 base + 2 tome + 1 enhancement + 6 item =25

Put the level 20 abilityraise into STR, and as you should keep yourself raged 24/7 anyway and you will have a STR of 28 once Mod 9 hitsm which is okay.

[332 HP in 99% of the content.]
*** is this hp total enough for a secondary dps? Should I be shroud crafting a hp item ASAP? Would I be able to go in and dps in the Shroud (on normal)?

In general quests this is enough to be the 2nd melee who joins the slashing.

If yuo get yourself a Shroud HP item for another +45HP you can go in and DPS Harry, especially if you have Human Healing Amplification Tier 2. 377 HP with a moderate ref-save is good enough to melee Harry.

***Should I swap out Emp Healing or SF: UMD for more THF lines - I'm nervous about doing this because atm I retain good auxilary healing utility.

Yes, you should.
Even without these you can still do some noticeable spot healing if someone is about to be killed.

Also you will be in melee killing monsters --> they die faster that if you stood back and did the watch-mostly-and-so-some-moderate-healing bard style --> they deal less damage to your party --> less party healing required --> the utility of these feats is going down anyway.

My late GTHF Warchanter dealt about 20 extra glancing blow damage on every 2nd swing. Thats nothing trivial.

*** Any spells other than the obvious you think I should take?

Obvious?
Really good: GH, Rage, Blur, Haste, Displacement (primarily yourself), Focussing Chant.
Cure Crit, Cure Serious, Mass Light.

DD for some quests.

Rest doesnt really get used on my Warchanter.

Greensteel Great Axe - planning on Min 2 but haven't done it yet

Definetly do this and go for the Tier3 way of crafting Mineral II that also gets you +2 exceptional CON.
--> 393 HP is on par with many tanks you get in pugs.

(I know she won't compare to the purpose built WC), or whatever I can do to improve.

Yeah, she wont reach the niveau of a purpose build Warchanter, (in the end you are short 6 points of STR and 2 points of CON) but she will be able to reach a level of melee capability where only you would notice the difference.

If you properly buff yourself up (dont forget to renew Focussing Chant, Rage and Displacement) you can even on her leave Power Attack active almost all the time.

[BoBoDaClown]

Hey,

Thanks Noctus for all the awesome advice - much of it was along the lines of what I was thinking, but without experience you become worried you will be wasting your time - so thanks for the words!

Appreciate it

[spifflove]

It just depends on your temperment. I always reroll a build that isnt optimal because as long as it is not tomed out its worth a reroll. On the other hand you will always be welcome into groups for your warchanter buffs.

[maddmatt70]

If you are going to make a bunch of shroud gear for this character I would probably reroll. At maximum I would just make a single tier 3 hp shroud item and just run this character in the shroud. The 6 less strength is a dealbreaker for me and would always be sort of gimped in my eyes.

[BoBoDaClown]

Thanks for your advice Madd and Spiff.

I do agree with your sentiments. However, it is difficult to let go of this character entirely, due to the fact she is my only Level 16 and I am a relatively casual player.

It does make sense to limit the amount of investment though. I thought I could use this character to run Shroud every two and a half days in order to save up the larges I will need for my characters who are nearing endgame.

However, I want this character to benefit the party. I don't want to be healing much due to the cost, so figure I should dps (remember endgame raids on normal for me - I only pug raids).

I was thinking of a +25 hp Shroud item in order to save on the larges? Is that a good idea - the sacrifice to hp isn't too much? I will change my enhancements to pick up Impr Human Recovery - in order to get maximum mileage out of the mass cures.

In terms of dps - I have a good vorpal great axe for the mobs. I thought a +4 Transmuting of Righteousness Great Axe will do me for the portals and the boss fight. Is that right? Or should I pick up Insurrection for the portals, which is pretty cheap on the AH?

Thanks for your help guys

BoBo

[kinar]

I've got a pretty similar bard...he is pure but was originally rolled to be a spellsinger...at 16 I realized that most people prefer warchanters so I ate a +2 str tome (to meet the 13 required for pa) and respec'd him.

However, mine had more dex and less hp so I spec'd him into a repeater build...It is pretty surprising how much DPS a repeater build can put down on harry with minimal investment.

with pa on, he can put down some pretty **** decent portal dmg as well.

he has a 40 umd (with gh and no shroud item) so he can umd heal scrolls in a pinch but other than that, he isn't a healer...

really though, if yer in the shroud on a warchanter, noone cares if you do anything other than sing....make sure you max out your song duration and your +att +dmg of course...

[Noctus]

really though, if yer in the shroud on a warchanter, noone cares if you do anything other than sing....make sure you max out your song duration and your +att +dmg of course...

Maxed songs, and keeping them up in the fights are the most important duty of a Bard in the Shroud. If you fullfill this you will get reinvited without any fuss.

But many people also look what you do besides singing. (Does he start a staring contest with the portals? Does he go in and melees Harry in Part 4 and 5, or at least helps out the clerics with spot healing? and so on.....) Bards who do indeed participate in the fighting get preferential treatment in the next groups. Even to the point where the group leader even dares to accept such a Warchanter to the group, although there is already another bard in it!

Also showing up with a Breastplate of Destruction or Dragoncrafted Armor, wielding a Mineral II Greataxe or 2 Mineral II Kopeshs also helps...

[BoBoDaClown]

Awesome. Thanks for the advice guys.

Just two more questions, hehe:

1) This toon currently has a +4 Transmuting GA of Right. She also has a +1 Holy Long Sword of Greater Evil Outsider Bane. Which would be better for beating up on these devil bosses(on normal)? I don't know how much the two hander and transmuting helps compared to holy and greater bane.

2) How do I add a signature to my posts?

Cheers

BoBo

[maddmatt70]

A 25 hp item is a worthy investment. Use the transmuter on Harry and longsword on the lieutenants. Play your songs and buff where appropriate as the previous poster mentioned. Pick up some fireshield scrolls and get some melee time on Harry especially after you make your +25 hp item. Quality songs and either melee time or healing time and you are a rock star in DDO.

Edit: by the way if you can swap out a feat and pick up at least ithf do so. The two handed feats do not really become worthwhile until you get at least ithf, but also gthf is very nice to have.

[winsom]

My bard 12/rogue 4 will spend a lot of time in melee with raid bosses. She is a spellsinger that sneak attacks with two weapons.

Only 258 Hit points (before Rage). She always fights carefully (including attacking from flank/rear) so as to conserve those relatively few Hit Points. I do not have a problem staying alive since I am not getting aggro or tanking. She has evasion though, and that probably makes a huge difference in being able to survive with arcane-caster-like hit points.

If she wasn't a rogue I'd use Chill Shield scrolls though as an poor-evasion substitute. My wizard with similar HPs, no evasion, can survive near dangerous opponents and spells because I've learned survivability tactics and come prepared with self-healing and most fixes, buffs.

for feats: Spellsinger enhancement boosts UMD. Shroud item of CHA skills +3. I respeced my Skill Focus UMD and another feat into Improved and Greater Two Weapon Fighting.

For her to turn into a Warchanter, I might have to raise STR at level 20th or find a Tome +4. Probably won't bother as spell-singer provides plenty of power for me and my party. Warchanter is definately a nice little boost for melee, but spell point savings is good too and the song of +1 to spell-save DCs is perhaps under-vauled by a lot of people. Next mod the monsters will have much better saving throws against wiz/sorc crowd-controls and instant-death spells.

I am tempted to take the Toughness feat and racial toughness enhancements, but without the fighter level bonuses that you have, I don't see it possible, yet... I enjoy Empowered Healing and may respec that to Maximized healing.

[honkuimushi]

For Signatures, go to your user control panel and click on signatures. You can make a custom tesxt signature or pick a character signature . However Character Signatures are borked for a large number of players.

[BoBoDaClown]

Awesome. Thanks for all the advice guys - you covered it all.

And cheers Honk re: sigs