The Cannon Fodder Tank, The Kensai/Stalwart Build

[Rusty_Can]

1 minute

Thx. 3 minutes are enough to handle several fights.

[dredre9987]

Do you still have the original build around? looking to try this with a 32 pt build

[MrWizard]

Do you still have the original build around? looking to try this with a 32 pt build

I am still working on finishing this one up with full notes. It is a lot more work than I thought to really flesh out a well built toon....

I did add what I thought starting stats would be for a 32 pt build with the starting stats post.
You would not have the benefit of the free fighter past life feat, and the purchasable one would not be available either. But other than that it is about the same.

[MrWizard]

Do you still have the original build around? looking to try this with a 32 pt build

If I was a 32 point build and not a 34 I would start at 11 intel and 11 charisma banking on getting +2 tomes for my needs at 7th level. However, at lower levels I would lose access to combat expertise and force of personality.

[Rydlic]

I like the build, I just have to ask:

At what level does this build really start to shine?

[Bolo_Grubb]

I tried playing with this build in the Character planner and it was showing that in order to take Stalwart defender I needed Least Dragonmark of the Sentinel. Is this correct?

Also showing for level II defender you need Lesser Dragonmark of the Sentinel.

And for Defender III need Greater Dragonmark of the Sentinel. 3 feats for these 3 enhancements seems like a lot.

Just wanting to make sure and I admit I may have missed it in your posts above.

[vyvy3369]

The SD Feat requirement lists are ORs, not ANDs. For example, SD1 says:

Fighter Stalwart Defender I
Usage: Passive
Cost: 4 action points
Spent: 16 action points
Requires One of: Dodge, Combat Expertise, Shield Mastery, Least Dragonmark of Sentinel, Diehard
Requires All of: Toughness, Fighter Armor Class Boost I, Fighter Intimidate II

SD2&3 you can get by with just enhancements.

Fighter Stalwart Defender II
Usage: Passive
Cost: 2 action points
Spent: 42 action points
Requires One of: Fighter Armored Agility II, Lesser Dragonmark of Sentinel, Fighter Tower Shield Mastery II, Fighter Armor Mastery II, Fighter Toughness II
Requires All of: Fighter Item Defense I, Fighter Armor Class Boost II, Fighter Stalwart Defender I

Fighter Stalwart Defender III
Usage: Passive
Cost: 2 action points
Spent: 66 action points
Requires One of: Fighter Armored Agility III, Greater Dragonmark of Sentinel, Fighter Tower Shield Mastery III, Fighter Armor Mastery III, Fighter Toughness III
Requires All of: Fighter Item Defense II, Fighter Armor Class Boost III, Fighter Stalwart Defender II

[Bolo_Grubb]

The SD Feat requirement lists are ORs, not ANDs. For example, SD1 says:


SD2&3 you can get by with just enhancements.

Ah thank you, I figured I was missing something. I try it again on the character planner and maybe even try it in game.

[Quikster]

I like the build, I just have to ask:

At what level does this build really start to shine?

level 1

[MrWizard]

I like the build, I just have to ask:

At what level does this build really start to shine?

level 1

It is hard to remember. However it was very early on in the build, level 1 - 7, that I noticed I was the one barely taking damage and the clerics started healing me only to get us through the quests.

Gianthold would have been super easy, but I was running elite stuff at 10 and 11th level with groups that were 13th and 14th...but I was able to really stay with them without many problems.

It was just dreary leveling up though, so my thoughts on taking notes went out the window as the levels dragged on forever.

Once I got my DT armor at 16th, along with most other gear (the gear really matters) I was hitting the raids vod, hound, shroud, etc...
At 17th I was tanking the vod guy..and for me that was unreal. I had never done that with a character before. I also had to hero shroud 5 once, and duo shroud 5 once at 17th.

All I can say is right away you notice not getting hit at all or very little. intim keeps things off the party at all levels, but early on it was just awesome to not be the one to die, need much healing, and usually bringing a pug through. Quite fun indeed.


I guess when I finally hit 20 and figured out the feats properly and started doing some shroud pieces it really started to be awesome...and still getting there. When UMD finally got to 30 buffed, boost to 33, I found self healing, raising, etc, an incredible thing as a tank.
Leviks defender giving you that once in a while 'heal' is mostly all you need in any melee except a high level raid.

Also, at level 20 as I finished getting some of the gear I wanted I was able to self buff to a very high ac, use umd for shield wands, and basically come close to my shield AC while TWFing...
That is when you feel awesome. TWF and you are near 80 and untouchable.


This has been without any doubts, the most fun leveling a melee I ever had.
I used to hear 'geez, are you wearing your heavy fort item' from the clerics in the groups.
When Leveling this one I heard...'let cannon do it, he'll carry us through the dungeon' by the clerics.
New players are usually like 'wow, what's your ac?' because they are taking massive damage every second and my bar stays full, it freaks them out, and me too.

Careful though, once you get an untouchable toon, it is disheartening to go into the vale with your other toons and get hit by scorpions.

I like to solo sins on any difficulty with this guy as it is a bruiser dungeon and it is completely cool to beat your way through those things without dying.

In raids, My toons used to be in the group doing the dps, hoping not to embarass my self. Now I have the privilege of getting to tank Vod, Hound, ToD, DQ, and shroud 4, sometimes shroud 5. Its a big responsibility, but at end game it is nice that your toon is okay enough to hang with the really elite players and even tank their raids.


It is, without a doubt, just pure fun. Better if you are a TR for the added benefits and the weapons/armor waiting for you.


Worst part about the build....

If you mention high ac and intimidation you are facing a stereo type of someone who spends the entire dungeon shield blocking and intimidating...
It can be hard until you prove yourself to get in with some good groups and show you are not a rock, but a fighter.

[vyvy3369]

Worst part about the build....

If you mention high ac and intimidation you are facing a stereo type of someone who spends the entire dungeon shield blocking and intimidating...
It can be hard until you prove yourself to get in with some good groups and show you are not a rock, but a fighter.

You don't really see any of that on Sarlona - we have the population pretty well trained

[Quikster]

It is hard to remember. However it was very early on in the build, level 1 - 7, that I noticed I was the one barely taking damage and the clerics started healing me only to get us through the quests.

Gianthold would have been super easy, but I was running elite stuff at 10 and 11th level with groups that were 13th and 14th...but I was able to really stay with them without many problems.

It was just dreary leveling up though, so my thoughts on taking notes went out the window as the levels dragged on forever.

Once I got my DT armor at 16th, along with most other gear (the gear really matters) I was hitting the raids vod, hound, shroud, etc...
At 17th I was tanking the vod guy..and for me that was unreal. I had never done that with a character before. I also had to hero shroud 5 once, and duo shroud 5 once at 17th.

All I can say is right away you notice not getting hit at all or very little. intim keeps things off the party at all levels, but early on it was just awesome to not be the one to die, need much healing, and usually bringing a pug through. Quite fun indeed.


I guess when I finally hit 20 and figured out the feats properly and started doing some shroud pieces it really started to be awesome...and still getting there. When UMD finally got to 30 buffed, boost to 33, I found self healing, raising, etc, an incredible thing as a tank.
Leviks defender giving you that once in a while 'heal' is mostly all you need in any melee except a high level raid.

Also, at level 20 as I finished getting some of the gear I wanted I was able to self buff to a very high ac, use umd for shield wands, and basically come close to my shield AC while TWFing...
That is when you feel awesome. TWF and you are near 80 and untouchable.


This has been without any doubts, the most fun leveling a melee I ever had.
I used to hear 'geez, are you wearing your heavy fort item' from the clerics in the groups.
When Leveling this one I heard...'let cannon do it, he'll carry us through the dungeon' by the clerics.
New players are usually like 'wow, what's your ac?' because they are taking massive damage every second and my bar stays full, it freaks them out, and me too.

Careful though, once you get an untouchable toon, it is disheartening to go into the vale with your other toons and get hit by scorpions.

I like to solo sins on any difficulty with this guy as it is a bruiser dungeon and it is completely cool to beat your way through those things without dying.

In raids, My toons used to be in the group doing the dps, hoping not to embarass my self. Now I have the privilege of getting to tank Vod, Hound, ToD, DQ, and shroud 4, sometimes shroud 5. Its a big responsibility, but at end game it is nice that your toon is okay enough to hang with the really elite players and even tank their raids.


It is, without a doubt, just pure fun. Better if you are a TR for the added benefits and the weapons/armor waiting for you.


Worst part about the build....

If you mention high ac and intimidation you are facing a stereo type of someone who spends the entire dungeon shield blocking and intimidating...
It can be hard until you prove yourself to get in with some good groups and show you are not a rock, but a fighter.

while our builds are a little different, i thought it was awesome to have decent saves, great ac, high intim, and be able to kill right out of the gate.

[Khuul99]

Hi

I'm new so would like to ask if you have any kind of list in what order you took your feats?

How soon did you take the twf ones and kopesh?

[Khuul99]

Ok, I played around abit but any comments on the build here?

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 3.34
DDO Character Planner Home Page

Level 20 Lawful Good Human Male
(20 Fighter) 
Hit Points: 352
Spell Points: 0 
BAB: 20\20\25\30\30
Fortitude: 15
Reflex: 9
Will: 7

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
Abilities        Base Stats          Modified Stats
(32 Point)       (Level 1)             (Level 20)
Strength             16                    25
Dexterity            15                    17
Constitution         15                    17
Intelligence         11                    13
Wisdom                8                    10
Charisma             11                    13

Tomes Used
+1 Tome of Strength used at level 3
+1 Tome of Dexterity used at level 3
+1 Tome of Constitution used at level 3
+1 Tome of Intelligence used at level 3
+1 Tome of Wisdom used at level 3
+1 Tome of Charisma used at level 3
+2 Tome of Strength used at level 7
+2 Tome of Dexterity used at level 7
+2 Tome of Constitution used at level 7
+2 Tome of Intelligence used at level 7
+2 Tome of Wisdom used at level 7
+2 Tome of Charisma used at level 7

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
                 Base Skills         Modified Skills
Skills           (Level 1)            (Level 20)
Balance               3                     8
Bluff                 0                     1
Concentration         2                     3
Diplomacy             0                     1
Disable Device        n/a                   n/a
Haggle                0                     1
Heal                 -1                     0
Hide                  2                     3
Intimidate            4                    36
Jump                  7                    30
Listen               -1                     0
Move Silently         2                     3
Open Lock             n/a                   n/a
Perform               n/a                   n/a
Repair                0                     1
Search                0                     1
Spot                 -1                     0
Swim                  3                     7
Tumble                n/a                   7
Use Magic Device      1                    15

Level 1 (Fighter)
Feat: (Selected) Dodge
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Khopesh
Feat: (Human Bonus) Weapon Focus: Slashing Weapons
Enhancement: Fighter Armor Class Boost I
Enhancement: Human Versatility I
Enhancement: Fighter Item Defense I
Enhancement: Fighter Intimidate I


Level 2 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Two Weapon Fighting
Enhancement: Human Improved Recovery I
Enhancement: Fighter Strength I


Level 3 (Fighter)
Feat: (Selected) Toughness
Enhancement: Fighter Armor Mastery I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness I


Level 4 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Weapon Specialization: Slashing Weapons
Enhancement: Fighter Intimidate II
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness II


Level 5 (Fighter)


Level 6 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Resilience
Feat: (Selected) Skill Focus: Intimidate
Enhancement: Fighter Stalwart Defender I
Enhancement: Fighter Strength II


Level 7 (Fighter)
Enhancement: Human Improved Recovery II


Level 8 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Combat Expertise
Enhancement: Fighter Armor Mastery II


Level 9 (Fighter)
Feat: (Selected) Greater Weapon Focus: Slashing Weapons
Enhancement: Fighter Armor Class Boost II
Enhancement: Human Versatility II


Level 10 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Improved Critical: Slashing Weapons
Enhancement: Fighter Intimidate III


Level 11 (Fighter)
Enhancement: Human Versatility III
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II


Level 12 (Fighter)
Feat: (Selected) Force of Personality
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Greater Weapon Specialization: Slashing Weapons
Enhancement: Fighter Stalwart Defender II
Enhancement: Human Adaptability Strength I


Level 13 (Fighter)


Level 14 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Shield Mastery
Enhancement: Fighter Armor Mastery III


Level 15 (Fighter)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Shield Mastery
Enhancement: Human Improved Recovery III


Level 16 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Improved Two Weapon Fighting
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness III


Level 17 (Fighter)
Enhancement: Fighter Armor Class Boost III
Enhancement: Fighter Item Defense II


Level 18 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Greater Two Weapon Fighting
Feat: (Selected) Skill Focus: Use Magic Device
Enhancement: Fighter Stalwart Defender III


Level 19 (Fighter)
Enhancement: Human Versatility IV


Level 20 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Oversized Two Weapon Fighting
Enhancement: Fighter Weapon Alacrity
Enhancement: Fighter Armored Agility I
Enhancement: Fighter Khopesh Specialization I
Enhancement: Fighter Khopesh Specialization II

Maybe go con 14 and int & cha 12 to get CE abit earlier?

[MrWizard]

str or con...yea...take one point off one or the other.

One point of strength is not going to make or break you at all in this build, but the extra hit points might help depending on where you con lays at end.

12/12 for cha/int, yes.

[MrWizard]

Hi

I'm new so would like to ask if you have any kind of list in what order you took your feats?

How soon did you take the twf ones and kopesh?

I am gonna work on a list of that. It is hard to just say due to the weirdness of fighter feats and regular feats and how you are presented with them. When I did a lesser reincarnate I actually had to go back and switch out a feat with fred due to messing it up.

I would say something along the following... (And I will post a list up there when I get around to it)

Remember, those feats are mostly cap level stuff and you may or may not choose some different ones as you go and switch them out later.

toughness, dodge, and twf for your first feats. This gives you hit points, ac, and damage all at once.

Definitely get force of personality and combat expertise as soon as you can.

get khopesh and your shield feats next. At low level it really does not matter what weapon you are using, so you can wait that out a bit...alternatively you could take khopesh at creation and toughness now...

I would take UMD focus after 14th as it would probably be fairly useless til then. Intimidate focus you could take early on.

Imp crit slash as soon as you can, and if you get some nice rapiers/scimitars grab imp crit slashing quickly too.

The rest is just adding the weapon focus and more damage.

Somewhere in there you will be sorta stuck and have to pick from a small list due to the class feat/regular feat thing. That helps you make decisions.

if you are not a reincarnate, probably good to take bullheaded for the +2 intim and +1 will save instead of the past life feat.

[MrWizard]

Hi

I'm new so would like to ask if you have any kind of list in what order you took your feats?

How soon did you take the twf ones and kopesh?

By 15th I would highly suggest having all the Damage reduction, AC, and hit point feats. Skill focus, past life/bullhead and force personality, and imp crit slash, and at least itwf.

By 17th you will be doing some raids. You need the AC, ,DR, hit points and saves and you should be fine to tank all raid bosses on normal, even horoth should not be too bad.

what server you on?

[Khuul99]

Thanks alot

I'm on Ghallanda with a couple of friends. We are playing fighter/fvs/sorc atm.

[Khuul99]

Ok, new question

How many points should I put in the skills approximately?

Intimidate and UMD is max.

How about jump/balance/tumble?

[worthful]

I've made a toon with this build - problem is, he's doing more damage with a maelstrom (2h axe) than with 2 khopeshes...I took TWF and the prof to make sure I didn't take a huge hit to the weapons. I'm using about +1 khopeshes...

Think this is because the maelstrom is a really solid lowbie weapon while the others aren't?