Krythan II: TWF Warforged Kensei III

[Goldeneye]

Thanks Petrov! Well said! I totally agree.

[Goldeneye]

Lame. For some reason I can't buy a Lesser Re-incarnation from the Lammania DDO store... and +3 LR's are 200pts more then I have.

Anyway, here is what the build is probably gonna be:

18 Strength
15 Dexterity
16 Constitution (down 1 point)
12 Intelligence (up to points = only need a +1 INT tome for CE)
(32pt builds can either drop con, or int)
(I'm trying to hit my 20's so that I might get a +3 DEX or +3 INT tome before I LR)

Level 1 (feat) Stunning Blow (fighter) Power Attack
Level 2 (fighter) Weapon Focus
Level 3 (feat) Two Weapon Fighting
Level 4 (fighter) Exotic: Khopesh
Level 5
Level 6 (feat) Toughness (fighter) Weapon Specialization
Level 7 +2 INT Tome, +2 DEX Tome
Level 8 (fighter) Improved Critical: Slashing
Level 9 (feat) Improved Two Weapon Fighting
Level 10 (fighter) Greater Weapon Focus
Level 11
Level 12 (feat) Greater Two Weapon Fighting (fighter) Greater Weapon Specialization
Level 13
Level 14 (fighter) Combat Expertise
Level 15 (feat) Oversized TWF
Level 16 (fighter) Superior Weapon Focus
Level 17
Level 18 (feat) Skill Focus: UMD (fighter) Improved Trip
Level 19
Level 20 (fighter) Quick Draw

Skills (in order of priority)

1. UMD
2. Balance
3. Haggle
4. (2 tumble)
5. Jump

(send me a pm if you want the exact skill progression - I always like level up and make sure my builds work before I post the details assuming I know everything)

[Vengenance]

Lame. For some reason I can't buy a Lesser Re-incarnation from the Lammania DDO store... and +3 LR's are 200pts more then I have.

Anyway, here is what the build is probably gonna be:

18 Strength
15 Dexterity
16 Constitution (down 1 point)
12 Intelligence (up to points = only need a +2 INT tome for CE)
(32pt builds can either drop con, or int)

Level 1 (feat) Stunning Blow (fighter) Power Attack
Level 2 (fighter) Weapon Focus
Level 3 (feat) Two Weapon Fighting
Level 4 (fighter) Exotic: Khopesh
Level 5
Level 6 (feat) Toughness (fighter) Weapon Specialization
Level 7 +2 INT Tome, +2 DEX Tome
Level 8 (fighter) Improved Critical: Slashing
Level 9 (feat) Improved Two Weapon Fighting
Level 10 (fighter) Greater Weapon Focus
Level 11
Level 12 (feat) Greater Two Weapon Fighting (fighter) Greater Weapon Specialization
Level 13
Level 14 (fighter) Combat Expertise
Level 15 (feat) Oversized TWF
Level 16 (fighter) Superior Weapon Focus
Level 17
Level 18 (feat) Skill Focus: UMD (fighter) Improved Trip
Level 19
Level 20 (fighter) Quick Draw

Skills (in order of priority)

1. UMD
2. Balance
3. Haggle
4. (2 tumble)
5. Jump

(send me a pm if you want the exact skill progression - I always like level up and make sure my builds work before I post the details assuming I know everything)

One correction, CE only requires a 13 Int, not 14, allowing you to take CE at level 4 with a +1 tome. This will allow you to take improved trip at level 6, giving you access to this feat much earlier. Improved trip is incredibly useful throughout the early levels and still shines in all but epic content. A tripped monster can not hurt you and with improved trip monsters can stay down for as long a minute.

[Goldeneye]

Good point. Imp Trip is very powerful early on. Feel free to make that change.

I just grabbed it later, since I'm most likely gonna TR into this new feat list - so level order doesn't matter to me.

[karl_k0ch]

If I wanted to do a Heavy Pick Kensai, could I use the build you used in the starting post or are Picks not worth building a kensai around it?

[Vengenance]

I did some testing last night in Epic Von I with my WF Kensai Ftr with trip and stunning blow. I pulled the first minotaur and with a 48 DC trip was able to land trip on 9/10 attempts with the monster staying down for ~10 seconds each time. My trip pretty much reset by the time the monster got back up. I did the same for stunning blow and was a perfect 10/10 with stunning blow. My DC for stunning blow is 44. Good news for all of the tactics guys out there, since they now work in Epic content. I also noticed stunning fist being landed quite frequently by a monk in the party. His DC on stunning fist was a 38.

Trip DC: 15 Improved Trip + 10 Vertigo +3 Kensai III +2 WF tactics + 2 Ftr Trip II + 16 (42 str)= 48

Stunning Blow: 10 Base + 10 Weighted +3 Kensai III +2 WF tactics + 3 Ftr SB III + 16 (42 str)= 44

[Goldeneye]

If I wanted to do a Heavy Pick Kensai, could I use the build you used in the starting post or are Picks not worth building a kensai around it?

Definitely. Swap all the bludgeoning specs for piercing specs, and you have a pretty solid pick build! (Earthgrab picks could be ridiculous

I did some testing last night in Epic Von I with my WF Kensai Ftr with trip and stunning blow

Yup. That's the magic of this build. Stunning Blow is a crazy feat, and Trip is often under-estimated. I haven't really used a vertigo weapon in epics yet, but I imagine not much can make a save that high.

[Asketes]

Definitely. Swap all the bludgeoning specs for piercing specs, and you have a pretty solid pick build! (Earthgrab picks could be ridiculous



Yup. That's the magic of this build. Stunning Blow is a crazy feat, and Trip is often under-estimated. I haven't really used a vertigo weapon in epics yet, but I imagine not much can make a save that high.

I love my imp. trip (hate CE, but it's a fighter, i have feats to spare)

[Goldeneye]

Perma lives!!!

[Vengenance]

If I wanted to do a Heavy Pick Kensai, could I use the build you used in the starting post or are Picks not worth building a kensai around it?

Heavy picks would be fine and with x4 crits 15% of the time would produce some nice dps. I think if you did the numbers khopesh would out do them in dps, but in epic where auto-crits are king they would tear it up. Make two earth grab guard heavy picks and a pair of mineral IIs and you are pretty much set.

[Goldeneye]

Man - Dual earthgrab heavy picks would be nasty.

Depending on buffs my Khopeshes would crit for 175 - 220 damage....
Mathematically, all geared up a heavy pick specced fighter could see crits 260+


Anyhow - I got my Epic Sword of Shadows.... so expect a THF Greatsword LR of this build to be released at some point.

[Grumbarr]

how would this build compare dpswise assuming khopeshes to a 2h greataxe barb using shades build? I'm assuming higher single target but I wasnt sure. I've been working on one of these fighters as a side project for fun and I definitely notice it seems alot slower than the GA barb at lower levels. But I'm going to chalk that up to lack of tohit at early levels while dual wielding.

[Goldeneye]

Ha ha. THF WF Barbarian vs. TWF Khopesh WF Fighter. That isn't a discussion for this
thread. Essentially they are so close that the higher dps depends on the situation.

The major difference is that this fighter looses significant DPS when not using signature weapon (switching to Bludgeoning for skeletons for example)

THF Generally beats TWF in situations where:

• Glancing blows effect 3+ enemies
• Where DR is un-avoidable (portals)

While TWF w/ LitII's is generally going to win:

• 0% Fort
• 50% Fort
• Single target

The exception is Epic Sword of Shadows.

In my opinion, this build (LitII Khopeshes) would come ahead in the most important parts of the game.... but of course I would think that :P

[Grumbarr]

Ha ha. THF WF Barbarian vs. TWF Khopesh WF Fighter. That isn't a discussion for this
thread. Essentially they are so close that the higher dps depends on the situation.

The major difference is that this fighter looses significant DPS when not using signature weapon (switching to Bludgeoning for skeletons for example)

THF Generally beats TWF in situations where:

• Glancing blows effect 3+ enemies
• Where DR is un-avoidable (portals)

While TWF w/ LitII's is generally going to win:

• 0% Fort
• 50% Fort
• Single target

The exception is Epic Sword of Shadows.

In my opinion, this build (LitII Khopeshes) would come ahead in the most important parts of the game.... but of course I would think that :P

Wow fast reply thanks. yeah i wasnt trying to start a ****ing contest between the two - i was more thinking of making this toon my main over my barb since hes a dwarf and half-orcs are p much making him obsolete. Rather than reroll to barb again and do it all over i thought I might spice things up and do a WF. I almost went the stunning route too but I wanted to play with the khopheshes. I can always lr if i want to switch it up i suppose and decide i dont like it later on.

I have to say that going from a 2h barb to this was a change. I got so used to glancing blows and a wider melee range that I wasnt hitting stuff at first, but I've started to adjust. But at the low levels (so far only lvl 5) i definitely was getting my butt kicked in some content my barb would plow through at that lvl. But like I said, I think it just has to do with not having all the 2 weapon feats to get rid of that attack penalty which really sucks at low levels.

Another question if you dont mind also - do you feel that a fighter built like this will be "tanky" enough late game for people to keep up if hes the main aggro soaker? Im a little bit newb in the endgame stuff but planned on at least dabbling in it with my friends. Nobody else really rolled up anything tank-ish and i was a little worried.

[Goldeneye]

He's definitely a good tank.
I get declared tank more then I'd like :P
My approach to tanking, is make sure that you're pumping out the most damage.
Of course that really depends on:

• Good gear
• Ton of HP
• Best weapons to keep aggro.

After Half-orc, the ability to be healed by Arcanes is pretty much the only end-game benefit WF still has.... we'll see.

As of right now, if half-orcs don't see a nerf on Lamannia, there will be no reason for any melee to ever be any other race.... so I'd wait a bit for half-orcs on live before deciding to make something your main character.

[Grumbarr]

so my WF fighter hit 12 last night and so far is coming along awesome. I can see how he will be a real beast now - although he lacks in the AOE dept - his single target is out of control on everything except imm to crit stuff. Once he got that Kensei II str +8 buff and stacks that with fighter haste, hes whirling death.

Heres something I am mulling about on though - I think the other poster might have been on to something with the improved trip. Is stunning blow really worth it later in the game by comparison? Khopeshes can be found with +trip on them, granted its not autocrit, but it seems like it has more synergy to me than trying to brute force stunning blow when you dont get the weighted enchant. Thoughts?

[Goldeneye]

Stunning Blow + Improved Trip: I have them both, and I would encourage any fighter with enough feats to get them both.

I would rather give up Power Attack, Toughness, and Improved Critical before I gave up my Stunning Blow feat... that's how great it is.

Trip pretty much never works in epics, but against Amrath, and all quests below, it works well.

Khopeshes can be found with +trip on them, granted its not autocrit, but it seems like it has more synergy to me than trying to brute force stunning blow when you dont get the weighted enchant.

You don't need a weighted weapon to have a good stunning blow. A pure WF fighter can very easily get over DC 35 with khopeshes. You don't have to choose between Stunning Blow, and Imp Trip. On a fighter you can have them both.

[Vengenance]

After Half-orc, the ability to be healed by Arcanes is pretty much the only end-game benefit WF still has.... we'll see.

As of right now, if half-orcs don't see a nerf on Lamannia, there will be no reason for any melee to ever be any other race.... so I'd wait a bit for half-orcs on live before deciding to make something your main character.

I can think of one big reason to stay WF over converting to Orc, tactics. The half or doesn't have the tactics line, which will put them behind WF and/or Dwarfs in their ability to trip and stun mobs by at least 1 DC if not 2 DC depending on the enhancement line for Half-Orcs. The WF should also have more hit points than the half orc, which I also see as an advantage, especially at end game. They also have all those nice immunities, which save on items.

[Goldeneye]

Horc$ are +2 Tactics (if they get the STR AP)
Warforged are +3 Tactics, but it costs then 12 Action Points

95% of Horc$ are going to be taking the STR AP anyway.
I don't really think this is balancing.

[Vengenance]

I for one will not be re-rolling my WF into a half-orc anytime soon. I like the blanket immunities way too much, I like the extra hit-points especially considering I main tank a lot. The ability to be healed by both arcan magic and divine magic is incredibly useful when main tanking raid bosses. Finally the tactics line, yes it's only one DC, but each DC over 40 is very valuable, especially on EPIC where high DCs are required. I plan on TRing my fighter at least 3 times for the +3 DC to my trip and stun.