Big Rock Candy the Mountain (Warforged 18f/2rog Evasion Stalwart Defender)

[Anthios888]

2012 H-ELF ROCKCANDY IS HERE!

Big RockCandy the Mountain
Warforged ac intimitank
18 fighter/2 rogue, Stalwart Defender

Constructed with sugar, spice, and an eye for raid tanking, this hulking green brute is just the character to catch the attention (and appetite) of DDO's bosses. Formerly at the vanguard of tank builds, RockCandy is now outpaced by easy-to-heal half elves and human tanks. However, if you're wanting your warforged to become a tank, this remains one of the great autonomous automaton warforged builds.

Using the stalwart defender PRE line, this 18 fighter/2 rogue build is supremely survivable. With a potential for 90-100 AC in a raid party, evasion, standing DR 6/- with a shield (more blocking, of course), nofail intimidate on every raid boss, and the ability to be reconstructed through healing curses, she makes a mean raid tank. In a typical raid party, half of the party members may be able to help heal with equal benefit from reconstruct and healing.

But that’s not all! This wall of warforged is more flexible than she appears. When intimitanking isn’t needed, she has greater two handed fighting, power attack. There is enough UMD for nofail reconstruct scrolls and shield 10 wands, and pick lock just for fun!

Fun, flexible, mean and green, this tank is no longer the flavor of the month, but may yet re-emerge if DDO introduces better docents, warforged repair amplification, curses or other boss effects requiring warforged immunity, or other warforged boosts.

in the big rock candy mountains, all the cops have wooden legs,
and the bulldogs all have rubber teeth, and the hens lay soft boiled eggs.
The farmers trees are full of fruit, and the barns are full of hay,
Well I'm bound to go where there ain't no snow,
where the rain don't flow and the wind don't blow,
in the big rock candy mountains.

SUMMARY

• 120% healing amplification, healable by repair
• 946 hit points
• Evasion
• 25% damage reduction (improved shield mastery)
• 6 passive DR from stalwart defender
• 95+ armor class
• Nofail intimidate
• Healable by clerics, favored souls, bards, artificers, sorcerers, and wizards
• Not just a turtle hiding in its shell -- decent DPS mode with 2-handed weapons

ALIGNMENT: doesn't matter

STATS

Here are the stats for a basic 32 point build with DDO store tomes. Tanks are great candidates for TR, because they benefit from every extra stat point, whether you are getting more intimidate or armor class or hit points. The only minimum stat requirement is 13 INT and 13 DEX to qualify for Combat Expertise and Dodge. If you don't have access to tomes, just raise these stats enough that you can qualify for the feats with the tomes that you can get.

(48) STR: 16 Base + 3 Inherent + 6 Enchantment + 3 Profane + 3 Exceptional + 6 Stance + 5 Level + 2 Boat + 2 Fighter Strength + 2 yugoloth
(30) DEX: 15 Base + 3 Inherent + 6 Enchantment + 1 Rogue Dex I + 1 Exceptional + 2 Boat + 2 yugo
(42) CON: 17 Base + 3 Inherent + 7 Enchantment + 3 Exceptional + 6 Stance + 2 Boat + 2 Racial + 2 Yugoloth
(12) INT: 10 Base + 3 Inherent - 1 Baphomet
(20) WIS: 06 Base + 3 Inherent + 6 Enchentment + 2 Boat - 1 Baphomet
(24) CHA: 10 Base + 3 Inherent + 7 Enchantment + 2 Boat + 2 yugoloth

FEATS
1 mithral body
3 toughness
6 toughness
9 power attack
12 improved shield mastery
15 skill focus: intimidate
18 bullheaded

1 two handed fighting
2 dodge
4 mobility
6 shield mastery
8 improved critical: slashing
12 improved two handed fighting
14 greater two handed fighting
16 combat expertise
18 exotic weapon proficiency: bastard sword
20 improved sunder

Suggested past life feats:

• Barbarian (10 HP. Active feat: +2 intimidate, +20 HP)
• Fighter (+1 to-hit, +1 tactics. Active feat: +1 max dex bonus, +2 intimidate)
• Paladin (+5% healing amplification. Active feat: +3 hit/damage)
• Rogue (1 sneak damage. Active feat: +1 to all skills, 3/day 60 second +10 sneak damage)

SKILLS
It doesn't matter what level you take your skills. You need

• Enough in Tumble to use while wearing a tower shield (very important)
• Max Intimidate
• Max UMD (so you can use heal scrolls, shield wands and other buffs)
• 10 ranks in Jump (jump is the best skill in DDO)
• Remainder in Balance (so you can get back up

ARMOR CLASS BREAKDOWN

Can I use all of this dexterity? Here's how you figure out how much dexterity you can benefit from in all this heavy armor.

10 max dex bonus in red dragon docent

5 mithral body
3 Enhancement fighter armor mastery III
2 Mobility

10 max dex bonus in alchemical tower shield

4 alchemical tower shield
3 stalwart defender III
1 tower shield mastery I
2 Mobility

Self-buffed AC

10 Base
01 Dodge feat
05 Combat Expertise Feat
10 Dexterity Modifier
03 Stalwart Enhancements
04 Stalwart III Stance
05 Mithral Body
10 Armor bonus +7 red dragon docent
01 Alchemical Armor Ritual
05 Protection
04 Insight (Heightened Awareness IV alchemical shield or weapon)
02 Dodge Goggles
03 Dodge Bracers of Wind
01 Dodge Bracers
02 Stalwart Defender Tower Set
10 Alchemical Tower Shield
01 Alchemical Shield Ritual
03 Abishai set
04 Natural armor wisdom yugoloth potion
01 Haste
02 Airship
87 AC

Raid Buffed

01 Ranger Barkskin
04 Bard Song
02 Recitation
01 Artificer
95 AC (2 more with Epic Templar's Bulwark instead of Mithral Tower Shield)
05 Blocking
100-102 typical raid ac if actively blocking

114 max AC: Stars aligned with Siberys Paladin, Favored Soul, and Fighter Armor Class Boost

HIT POINTS

20 Heroic Durability
10 Draconic favor
200 Fighter 20
44 Toughness feat 2x
30 Fighter toughness III
30 Racial toughness III
30 Greater False Life
20 Toughness item
20 Large Guild Augment
45 Greensteel
320 +16 constitution modifier
20 Yugoloth potion
20% Stalwart Defender
946 HP

INTIMIDATE

23 ranks
3 skill focus: intimidate
2 bullheaded
2 400 coin lord favor
7 charisma stat modifier
4 intimidate IV enhancement
6 stalwart defender
1 spider cult mask
5 gloves of the claw
6 greensteel
4 Large Guild Augment
15 enhancement intimidate item
2 luck
2 bard song
83 Intimidate (nofail for current endgame)

Future proof: Want to increase your intimidate even more? Consider Epic Brawn's Spirits for another +5. Increasing charisma by getting a +7 item, +1 exceptional, +2 exceptional, tomes, more starting CHA will get you even higher. Past life feats suggested above can also get you many more. I have stopped with 83 because that is the mark to intimidate both Epic Lord of Blades and Epic Lailat.

How to use intimidate. It might take some practice, but first understand how intimidate works. You make a roll that is added to your skill, and that is compared with the monsters around you to see if you succeed.

A successful use of the intimidate skill sets your threat with a monster equal to the highest threat opponent, plus a small buffer based on your size-modified intimidate skill. Additionally, you gain a +50% threat multiplier to all attacks (melee, ranged, and spells) for 6 seconds after successful intimidation. If you have a shield equipped, you will instead gain a +100% threat multiplier for 12 seconds. These effects are applied as a buff to the character and are called Intimidating Presence and Intimidating Presence (Shield), respectively. Note that some rare monsters do not follow the normal threat mechanics.

So don't be afraid to let your allies whack on the raid boss, because you will benefit by grabbing their aggro the next time you hit intimidate. Better to risk letting aggro turn for one moment than make the raid take all night.

Is my intimidate going to be enough? The DDO Wiki contains intimidate thresholds for most DDO raid bosses on most difficulties. Example: Lailat

POSSIBLE GEAR EXAMPLE

Armor class tanking gear, sword and board
Good in Elite Vision of Destruction, Elite Tower of Despair, N-E Lord of Blades, N-E Master Artificer, and other non-epics

Weapons: Epic Templar's Justice, Alchemical Bastard Sword, Holy burst <metal> Bastard Sword of Greater x Bane
Shield: +5 Lifeshield Mithral Tower Shield (Large Guild Augment: +4 intimidate)
Armor: Epic Red Dragon Docent (blue: +7 enhancement, colorless: +1 str)
Bracers: Bracers of wind (LV 16 version: 3 dodge, air guard, blurry, craftable: +1 dodge)
Goggles: Large guild augment (+2 dodge, 20 HP) (Greensteel 6 cha skills swap)
Helm:Epic Helm of frost (7 cha, yellow: Greater False Life)
Neck: Stalwart necklace
Trinket: Epic Gem of many facets (yellow)
Cloak: Envenomed cloak (7 con, 5 resist, blue: Toughness)
Belt: Greensteel Mineral II (45 HP, heavy fort, protection 5)
Gloves: Epic Gloves of the claw (30% healing amplification, 5 intimidate)
Boots: Epic Boots of corrosion (green: 2 luck, colorless: 6 dex)
Ring: Stalwart ring (20% healing amplification)
Ring: Epic Ring of baphomet (15 intimidate, +2 con, +2 str, yellow

Epic Hate/Intimidate Tanking (no AC needed)

Armor: Epic Red Dragonplate (blue: Greter Nimbleness, colorless: 1 str)
Bracers: Epic Bracers of the Claw (+2 con)
Goggles: Greensteel Lit II (+6 cha skills)
Helm:Epic Helm of frost (7 cha, yellow: Greater False Life)
Neck: Stalwart necklace/Shintao Cord
Trinket: Epic Brawn's Spirits (green: +1 cha)
Cloak: Envenomed cloak (7 con, 5 resist, green: Toughness)
Belt: Greensteel Mineral II (45 HP, heavy fort, protection 5)
Gloves: Epic Gloves of the claw (30% healing amplification, 5 intimidate)
Boots: Epic Boots of corrosion (green: 2 luck, colorless: 6 dex)
Ring: Stalwart ring (20% healing amplification) or Kyoshu's Ring (20% healing amplification)
Ring: Large Guild Augment HP Ring, Circle of Hatred (+30% hate) or Epic Ring of the Stalker (Seeker 6)

DPS equipment

Weapon: Epic Sword of Shadow, Alchemical Falcion (earth/air/air), Greensteel Maul vs. Undead (Pos/Pos/Pos)
Armor: Epic Red Dragonplate (blue: greter nimbleness, colorless: 1 str)
Bracers: Epic Bracers of the Claw (+2 con)
Goggles: Tharne's Goggles
Helm:Epic Helm of frost (7 cha, yellow: Greater False Life)
Necklace: Shintao Cord
Trinket: Litany of the dead or Bold Trinket
Cloak: Envenomed cloak (7 con, 5 resist, green: Toughness)
Belt: Greensteel Mineral II (45 HP, heavy fortification, protection 5)
Gloves: Epic Gloves of the claw (30% healing amplification, 5 intimidate)
Boots: Epic Boots of corrosion (green: 2 luck, colorless: 6 dex)
RingEpic Ring of the Stalker (6 seeker, sneak attack)
Ring: Kyoshu's Ring (20% healing amplification)

ENHANCEMENTS

Fighter Armor Class Boost III
Fighter Item Defense II
Rogue Damage Boost I
Fighter Haste Boost II
Fighter Armor Mastery III
Fighter Tower Shield Mastery I
Warforged Brute Fighting I
Improved Intimidate IV
Fighter Stalwart Defender III
Rogue Dexterity I
Fighter Strength II
Warforged Constitution II
Racial Toughness III
Fighter Toughness III
Rogue Wand and Scroll Mastery I
Warforged Healer's Friend II
Warforged Inscribed Armor III
Warforged Power Attack II
Rogue Sneak Attack Training I

LEVELING
Rogue levels at 1 and 8. I liked having evasion around those levels. To maximize skill points, take rogue later.

I prefer to level as a Kensei and to spec into Stalwart Defender at later levels. There's just nothing to tank when you're running through the lower levels. Remember that as a Kensei, you would need to take weapon focus/weapon specialization feats instead. If you're strapped for cash both in game (dragonshards) or out of game (lesser reincarnation), don't worry about it.

Either way you choose, you can get great armor class with your mithral body and some rudimentary armor class gear. Remember to stock up on protection/barkskin and you'll save on heals.

BUT I'M A NOOB: tomes, reincarnations, epic gear
If you're looking to make your first tank ever so that you can be the best on your server, this isn't the build for you anymore and you should have a look at half-elf, dwarf, or human builds. Playing a warforged tank has become an uphill battle. If you're looking for a flavor tank or you play with robots a lot, maybe you're wanting to make this build but are intimidated by the gear. Don't worry about it so much, because you can do adequately with basic gear and grow over time. If you're planning without tomes, 32 point builds, or whatever, make sure that you can reach the threshold stat requirements for the feats you need (13 DEX, 13 INT, including tomes), and just go from there. Some people starting out throw out armor class and take a lot of toughness or weapon specialization feats instead, so that they can still tank, be healed easily, and start farming some of that armor class gear. After all, if you're making a tank, you're probably making it easy to run raids, so the gear will come in time. I have seen every raid in this game on every difficulty smoothly tanked by 32 point builds. We happily bring this build to epic lord of blades and the healing amplification is not as big of an issue as many whiners will have you believe.

Selected feats:
1 - Mithral body
3 - Toughness
6 - Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Khopesh
9 - Skill focus: Intimidate
12 - Bullheaded (Or Stunning Blow or Improved Sunder)
15 - Mobility
18 - Toughness

Fighter Feats:

2 fighter - Two weapon fighting
3 fighter - Weapon focus: Slashing
5 fighter - Weapon specialization: Slashing
7 fighter - Improved two weapon fighting
10 fighter - Improved critical: slashing
12 fighter - Greater two weapon fighting
14 fighter - Power Attack
16 fighter - Combat Expertise
18 fighter - Dodge
20 fighter - Greater weapon specialization: Slashing

Rogue feats:
8 (rogue) [evasion]

[cforce]

Yeah __ I love the WF Stalwart Defender template. If I were rebuilding mine today, I'd be going 18 Fighter levels, definitely. (I'm tracking to a Stalwart 12/KotC 6/Rogue 2 instead.)

The one thing I rather see more of here is saves -- namely, Will Save. By my calculation, it looks like you've got:

6 base
5 resist item
4 GH
1 ritual
-1 stat
3 stance (situational)
-------
18

While the 'take you out of action' will saves are hardly commonplace, if you're called on to take aggro in a quest where the casters use a will save spell (say, Greater Command, or Symbol of Stunning), it's very hard to do a good job maintaining aggro.

My personal preference would be to give up one point of AC -- that last point of dex bonus is *very* expensive, because you need:

4 stat points for 16 dex vs. 14 dex. (If you're assuming a +3 dex tome, you have what you need for TWF with 14)
1 feat (Mithral Fluidity) OR 6 AP (Fighter Armor Mastery III)
Another 6 AP (Tower Shield Mastery III)

Using the build resources for the 1 point of AC, you could get 4 more points of starting wisdom, Iron Will, and Warforged Construct Thinking III. -1 AC, +7 will save. I'd also try to find a way to fit in the +6 WIS (maybe on a shroud item) for a net +10, getting up to 28. That won't be "save on a 2", but renders you far less vulnerable to casters shutting down your aggro control.

Again, this is "building for the exception", but I generally like to minimize my weak points when I'm building something for aggro control, rather than maximize my strong points.

[Stanley_Nicholas]

I like the idea of improving the will save here. But alternatively to putting 4 points into wisdom after dropping the starting dex to 14, you could spend 3 more points on cha and one on int, netting you an additional skill point per level and a base 12 cha. Then instead of taking Iron Will, you could take Force of Personality. This would net you one less will save than bosting wis and taking Iron Will once you get a +3 cha tome (assuming you would get a +3 wis tome eventually too, otherwise the will save would both be the same either way), but would have the added benefits of further boosting your intimidate and UMD, and would allow you to put skill points into jump or balance on your fighter levels. Also, the second rogue level could be put off until lvl 10, saving another skill point or two when maxing out UMD at that point. Plus there would be no need to work a +6 wis item into the gear layout.

Of course it is worth mentioning that by doing this, you cannot level up beyond 17 until you get a +3 dex tome without giving up the ability to get Greater TWF.

[jmonty]

don't forget the blocking ac since you can hold aggro with intim. is it +5 for defender III?

[TheJusticar]

I do like this build quite a bit, and I also agree with the posters above regarding will saves (and can be easily fixed by giving 1 AC of dodge). My only concern is that it is extremely gear and +3 tome dependent (Litany, gloves and circle ring, for instance, specially hard to obtain). However, if anyone has access to these, not a bad time investment on this build at all.

Godspeed.

[nbhs275]

HMMMMm...can you use a towershield and have evasion running?

[Stanley_Nicholas]

HMMMMm...can you use a towershield and have evasion running?

Yes. From the compendium:

Evasion can only be used if the character is wearing Light or No Armor and is Not Heavily Encumbered.

There is no restriction on shields.

[Riggs]

Sick build. I almost feel bad I went Kensai with my 2 rogue/fighter....(Kensai is pretty disappointing)

I am a huge fan of Stunning blow, but yeah it is hard to see where it would fit in here with the numbers at key points for various things - like say dropping skill focus umd, and grabbing rogue skill boost 1 for 1 ap - but then that means failing resurrect scrolls on a 1, which in a tight raid might mean the difference between saving and failing a raid.

However if a +4 charisma tome ever drops at some point say....

A 40 str raged up ftr with some combat dc enhancements can hit around a 28-31 stun dc, or up to 41 with a weighted weapon, toss in a big of con damage on heavy monsters and a stun is pretty much death to anything that can be stunned usually. Of course - heavy dps and a high ac also tends to equal dead monsters, so it is not really a big factor.

I was just trying to crunch the math because I love stunning blow though...

[Ranmaru2]

Umm, unless I'm wrong, I would like to point out on the main page, Rocka, that I'm pretty sure the DT Docent and the Mithral Body DO NOT stack, as it's considered an armor bonus unlike the base composite plating.

[SimVerg]

Umm, unless I'm wrong, I would like to point out on the main page, Rocka, that I'm pretty sure the DT Docent and the Mithral Body DO NOT stack, as it's considered an armor bonus unlike the base composite plating.

You're wrong(both mithral and composite are considered armor bonuses. however, the docent enhancement and the DT docent stack with them).

[Junts]

Umm, unless I'm wrong, I would like to point out on the main page, Rocka, that I'm pretty sure the DT Docent and the Mithral Body DO NOT stack, as it's considered an armor bonus unlike the base composite plating.

They do indeed stack; said build is level 20 and has the advertised statistics.

[Ranmaru2]

They do indeed stack; said build is level 20 and has the advertised statistics.

Hrmmm that's interesting, so one could do it with Adamantine Body or no? I was always told they didn't stack, unless it's unique to the Dragontouched Docent?

edit: hrmmm wait I'm mixing up armor bracers with the body I think...that might be where I'm going wrong, my apologies...

[onethreeone]

Hrmmm that's interesting, so one could do it with Adamantine Body or no? I was always told they didn't stack, unless it's unique to the Dragontouched Docent?

edit: hrmmm wait I'm mixing up armor bracers with the body I think...that might be where I'm going wrong, my apologies...

If you wanted to pay for a feat respec at level 8, you could take Adamantine body until then. You can't use Evasion with Adamantine, though. Actually, with the freebie you get from the dragonmark quest, it is probably the preferred way to level this badboy.

[Anthios888]

Stunning blow

I've seriously considered dropping one of the skill focuses for stunning blow, but I've decided that I'm going to get two weapon defense instead. I have two other main toons specced for blunt & stunning, so I do appreciate how sweet it is, but I think it might just be a bit too much for me to squeeze in RockCandy right now. It certainly could be done, especially if you were playing this character as a main, but I'm always looking for ways to be a better flexible hate / intimidate tank. Feats are tight, APs are tight, and even the gear slots are tight. Always a trade off.

[Lucrio]

Anthios888, since you're actively replying to the thread, I have a query. How do you feel about the ac/will save trade proposed by cforce on the first page? It seems a fair and logical trade on paper, but having actually played the character, do you feel it would benefit from a little more will save? If you were to reroll, would you take cforce's suggestions or leave as is?

[Junts]

I know you didn't ask me but personally I think caring about your will save on an endgame warforged is a huge waste of time, given that the spells that require a will save and you're not immune to are extremely rare (air part of sos, end of bastion of power, and shroud pt 2 being the only places lv 17+ that feature spells that meet those qualifications)

That's a large investment of build resources and action points for 3 situations that aren't particularly difficult.

[Lucrio]

Actually your reply on another warforged build to the same effect prompted my question. Just curious how the builder felt about it.

[Ilklr]

I know you didn't ask me but personally I think caring about your will save on an endgame warforged is a huge waste of time, given that the spells that require a will save and you're not immune to are extremely rare (air part of sos, end of bastion of power, and shroud pt 2 being the only places lv 17+ that feature spells that meet those qualifications)

That's a large investment of build resources and action points for 3 situations that aren't particularly difficult.

^^

[Riggs]

Anthios888, since you're actively replying to the thread, I have a query. How do you feel about the ac/will save trade proposed by cforce on the first page? It seems a fair and logical trade on paper, but having actually played the character, do you feel it would benefit from a little more will save? If you were to reroll, would you take cforce's suggestions or leave as is?

As Junts said - rare to need it, and even failing a greater command...odds are good you will be back up in 6 seconds anyway, so its pretty much not an issue - since raid bosses dont use command - and the build it built for tanking raid bosses.

cforce was suggesting 4 stat points, feats, and ap to boost the nearly unused will save - as also posted - even fitting in 1 feat like stunning blow drops a lot from the build, it is optimized to hit very high targets - and losing feats/stats/ap would negate half the use of the build. The difference between being 90% effective at something and 100% effective at something is a MASSIVE different in say - elite raids. Because after 20 minutes of fighting, thats 2 full minutes of failing to do what you need to.

So long and short - it is completely not worth it for +4 to a will save that will barely be used except in non-critical situations - while you need ac, umd, intimidate in critical situations.

[Anthios888]

I have to echo the same sentiment from Riggs and Jaerlach. Good saves are a nice thing to have, but I'll make that sacrifice if it comes the price of watering down the main function of this build, which is main tanking to help my guild beat very difficult situaitons easier, while maintaining enough flexibility to be useful outside of those situations).

For example, my next challenge is to try epic DQ by intimitanking it. The fact that I have been so hard line about keeping my numbers up (AC, DR, HP, intimidate, reflex) and fitting in evasion should be a strength for me going into it. For a situation like that, every couple of points of AC counts for a lot persistently throughout the raid. I take my obligation pretty seriously when I sign up to have so many resources focused on me (a role I'm not comfortable with - this character is not my main). If I fail intimidate, we risk several other DPS tanks dying then the boss turns around. If my AC is not quite there and I get killed, we lose the advantage of control and further resources/deaths are wasted. The method isn't perfect, but if we can coordinate and get it right at least part of the time, it could help more people contribute, raise our overall DPS, control the chaos built in the raid, and save a lot of mana pots. That's why I am willing to spend a few more feats and dex points to raise my AC and intimidate.

Am I wrong? You decide. The great thing about DDO is how we can tailor things to our needs and preferences.

Hope that was helpful.

P.S. - you mean 16 will save isn't uber?!