Ranger /Wizard uberness build.

[Riggs]

The base concept is for a warforged, but any race can work but drow pretty much (low con = meh).

12 Ranger, and either 8 Wizard, or 7 wizard and a couple variants.

1 rogue for umd/locks, maybe basic traps. Probably the best option as this is mostly a 'utility melee'.
1 fighter for tower shields and intimidate enhancements
1 monk for ac - but stats are already spread, so it would be a low benefit.
Going 1 rogue could umd heal/res, fighter a bit more melee focus, and monk maybe 4-5 more ac.

Basic idea is a two weapon warforged ranger, with evasion, haste, rage, displacement, firewalls, d-doors, stoneskin, maybe enervation, and repair spells. Ranged as appropriate.

Not the ultimate dps - but 12 ranger with self buffs and standing in a firewall is not shabby either (not for devils but hey cant have everything). Not the ultimate ac - but perma displace and stoneskin will reduce a lot of damage (few wizards will re-cast it on you once one wears off - they are either busy or running out of mana over time). Not a prime caster, but even a level 7 or 8 maximized firewall with potency will do some nice area damage while your swinging, and super useful on things like ghosts and scorps and bats....

So mostly a build that can handle a lot of content, solo if needed, add a bunch of utility spells, and be a half decent trap monkey if needed, and keep itself and others alive also as needed.

Max strength mostly, good con, decent dex, just enough int to cast level 4 spells (start with a 12 probably). Strength will be around a 30 say, add divine power clickies and your set.

Hit points will be mostly ok, wf con and toughness enhancements will help to balance out the lower wiz hp.

Armor class can be decent, DT docents and some lucky rolls will get you a 50ish ac at least, raid buff to 60ish.

Other races work too, halfling can get your heal marks and better ac, human for skill boosts and the feat, elf using scimitars and better dex, even dwarf works for the con and hp. Drow gets rapier bonuses and int, but int is barely a prime stat, and base elves get 32 points over drow 28 points, as cha is a non-issue - so regular elves would be better point wise than drow.

Obviously I havent crunched the final numbers - but it would be a fun build, useful for a gimp basically.

[Riggs]

Bump for newness...and someone posted a request about a similar build.


1 rogue, 12 ranger, 7 wiz is overall probably the best utility.

[Darkgnoll]

I'm actually running a ranger/wiz combo at the moment. Still low level, at Ranger 4/Wiz 1, but she soloed Catacombs, on Hard at 3/1. My initial idea was tempest III, going with a 19/1 split and I took Wiz basically for the extra SP and extend. But, now that I've been playing her a bit, I've been pondering adding more Wiz. Maybe going AA with a 15/5 split.

Is 7 to 8 wiz worth it? Is the gain for pushing that many wizard levels better than losing out on more BAB, ranger spells, and FEs?

[Thrudh]

I've done it...

I have a 12/5 ranger/wizard on Thelanis... And he's a 13/7 ranger/wizard on Lamannia...

It's a very self-sufficient build... especially if you go halfling for dragonmarks (Ranger devotion along with Wizard Maximize feat makes for some strong healing), or grab a level of rogue for UMD and heal scrolls...

Ranger buffs (Ram's Might, Resists, Protects, Barkskin) and all the good wizard buffs (Shield, Jump, Blur, Haste, Displacement, Rage, Stoneskin) AND evasion make for a very defensive character...

Your point about team casters not keeping displacement up on all the fighters, all the time is spot on... Being perma-displaced by casting it yourself is HUGE for a melee..

I could solo just about anything...

However... There is now a plethora of clickables in this game... You can make long-lasting haste, displacement, and stoneskin clickables in the Shroud... There's a 15 minute (x3) Jump clickable available now. Tempest now gives an AC bonus that doesn't stack with Shield... You can find or make a permanent blur item...

Turbine has basically destroyed any point of an arcane melee in this game... My barbarian and paladin both have multiple stoneskin, haste, displacement clickables from the Shroud and the Jump clickable... They get all the good low-level wizard spells for free...

Turbine has also made level 18 pretty powerful with the PrEs, forcing many builds to get 18 levels in one class or lose a lot of power... When the cap was 16, a 11/5 ranger/wizard made a lot of sense... You didn't give up much from losing ranger levels 12-16...

Giving up ranger levels 13-20 is a lot more painful... Giving up barbarian or fighter or paladin level 18 is insane... Turbine has destroyed the arcane melee multi-class...

As for firewall... I've discovered it's pretty pitiful at 7th level... Firewall is 2d6 + caster level...

At 7, that is 7 (3.5x2) + 7 = 14
At 20, that is 7 + 20 = 27

Almost half as strong.... plus a pure wizard will have Empower and Maximize on (you'll probably only have Maximize), plus another 10% from enhancements... so you end up with a firewall that's about 1/3 as strong as normal...

40-50 a tick just isn't very much in high level content...

Don't get me wrong... my ranger/wizard was my favorite character, by far... But now my 18/2 paladin/rogue with Shroud clickables is just as survivable, just as versatile and does a LOT more DPS...

[Riggs]

Yeah it is certainly not an 'endgame build'.

If it wasnt for all the clickies now and top tier enhancements etc, mixing it up would be more viable.

However for pretty much everything other than devils and the 18-20 stuff - if someone was planning on mostly playing at a slower pace, or not worrying about the endgame raids etc - it would be a viable self-sufficent build.

Run into a room, drop firewall, start swinging with all the buffs up - maybe its half as much as a full wiz - but 40-50 damage a tic on 6 monsters is still pretty nice.

Mostly I posted the idea as a guide to newer players looking to be able to solo or run most normal content in poor pugs - if your doing all your own buffs, and can heal, and still have some boom magic going on while swinging some tempest blades - while getting traps and such - well that can go a long way.

Esp since there are a lot of really bad multiclasses out there as people just seem to pull random stuff out and think they can do everything. "hey my pally/4 sorc/1 cleric is really uber!"

But if someone is looking for an endgame raid/elite build then no dont do this heh.