Tempest/Kensai "Pseudo-Shadowdancer"

[JanusZeal95]

I started playing DDO a few months ago, with a Spellsinger haggle-bard which was kind of a jack-of-all trades. Got it to level 8 (done korthos/harbor/mp and some of the houses quests).

Now, some friends will start playing the game, and i'm planning on creating a new toon to play with them (don't know if i'll switch to the bard when they get to lvl8 or stick with this new one, i gues it will depend of the one i get the most fun from). PS: We will be 4 atm, one of them being a bs twf warrior, and the other two haven't build the toon yet, and have no preferences.

Before starting to discuss a build, i'd like to say that i'm looking for a f2p build with no use of tomes, and i doubt i'll have the time (or patience) to grind various times for the best gear at endgme, if i get there. That should be taken into account. I also try to avoid playing a "standart" build, and although i want the toon to be at least resonably good, the more unique it is, the better. for the sake of RP, i'm choosing a drow for this toon.

That being said, they're two builds i've been eager to try, both of them primarly Ranger builds:

- The first one would be a Ranger 12 / Bard 8 Tempest Virtuoso, a sneaky twf toon able to go ahead of the team and do heavy CC through songs while keeping healing/buffing support (thourhg spells/umd) and good dps once the heads start flying. This would be my preferred build, but i'm not sure i could make it work without tomes/respec (if viable, i'd love to use it though, and will be my focus in that case);

- The second one (the one i'm working on right now) would be a kind of high-bab shadowdancer with trap skills (which can't be made 100%, since there's no shadowdancer here in DDO). I haven't played past the level my bard was, and i'm having some issues while planning it.

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 3.5.1
DDO Character Planner Home Page

Eyrynnhv 
Level 20 Chaotic Good Drow Male
(7 Fighter \ 1 Rogue \ 12 Ranger) 
Hit Points: 304
Spell Points: 135 
BAB: 19\19\24\29\29
Fortitude: 15
Reflex: 19
Will: 6

                  Starting            Ending          Feat/Enhancement
Abilities        Base Stats         Base Stats         Modified Stats
(28 Point)       (Level 1)          (Level 20)           (Level 20)
Strength             14                 14                   16
Dexterity            16                 21                   24
Constitution         14                 14                   14
Intelligence         14                 14                   14
Wisdom               10                 10                   10
Charisma             10                 10                   10

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
                 Base Skills         Modified Skills
Skills           (Level 1)            (Level 20)
Balance               7                    11
Bluff                 0                     1
Concentration         2                     3
Diplomacy             0                     1
Disable Device        6                    25
Haggle                0                     0
Heal                  0                     0
Hide                  7                    14
Intimidate            0                     1
Jump                  5                     6
Listen                4                     8
Move Silently         7                    14
Open Lock             7                    16
Perform               n/a                   n/a
Repair                2                     2
Search                6                    27
Spot                  4                    17
Swim                  2                     3
Tumble                4                     8
Use Magic Device      4                    26

Level 1 (Rogue)
Feat: (Selected) Toughness
Enhancement: Rogue Damage Boost I
Enhancement: Drow Melee Damage I
Enhancement: Rogue Sneak Attack Training I


Level 2 (Ranger)
Enhancement: Ranger Skill Boost I
Enhancement: Ranger Sprint Boost I
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage I


Level 3 (Ranger)
Feat: (Selected) Weapon Finesse
Enhancement: Elven Dexterity I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Ranger Dexterity I


Level 4 (Ranger)
Enhancement: Drow Melee Attack I


Level 5 (Ranger)
Enhancement: Ranger Skill Boost II
Enhancement: Ranger Energy of the Wild I


Level 6 (Fighter)
Feat: (Selected) Dodge
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Mobility
Enhancement: Fighter Haste Boost I
Enhancement: Fighter Critical Accuracy I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness I


Level 7 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Spring Attack


Level 8 (Ranger)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Giant


Level 9 (Ranger)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Piercing Weapons


Level 10 (Ranger)


Level 11 (Ranger)


Level 12 (Ranger)
Feat: (Selected) Skill Focus: Use Magic Device


Level 13 (Fighter)


Level 14 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Weapon Focus: Piercing Weapons


Level 15 (Fighter)
Feat: (Selected) Power Attack


Level 16 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Weapon Specialization: Piercing Weapons


Level 17 (Fighter)


Level 18 (Ranger)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Evil Outsider
Feat: (Selected) Oversized Two Weapon Fighting


Level 19 (Ranger)


Level 20 (Ranger)
Enhancement: Fighter Attack Boost I
Enhancement: Fighter Attack Boost II
Enhancement: Fighter Haste Boost II
Enhancement: Fighter Haste Boost III
Enhancement: Drow Melee Attack II
Enhancement: Drow Melee Damage II
Enhancement: Kensei Rapier Mastery I
Enhancement: Fighter Critical Accuracy II
Enhancement: Fighter Critical Accuracy III
Enhancement: Fighter Kensei I
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Attack I
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Attack II
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage II
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage III
Enhancement: Ranger Tempest I
Enhancement: Ranger Tempest II
Enhancement: Ranger Dexterity II
Enhancement: Fighter Strength I
Enhancement: Fighter Strength II
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness II
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness III

Level progression: i'm having a hard time figuring out how to order the classes. Until lvl9 it's easy enough, rgr6/fit2/rog1 gives me feats and some really useful enhancements (tempest I among them). Then the problems start: i want kensai as soon as possible, but i need evasion (and i really want fighter 7, haste and class thoughness are a very nice thing to have in my drow). tempest II may come into play too late, but if i put it earlier (and reach it by lvl15) the bonus feats from fighter will only be gained past that level, which i think is too late too. Comments on the order posted above would be good.

Weapon finesse: this feat makes stat managing easier, improves some rogue skills and contributes to AC and reflex save for evasion. The problem is that i don't know if this won't make my dps too low to mean something (by not going STR-based), or if the extra AC will be useful at all (since no uber-gear nor extra tomes to play with).

Enhancements: Don't know if the fighter strength enhancements are worth it in this case, and i'm also having doubts about the order of the enhancements i should choose after level 7 (which is why they're all chosen at lvl20, after that level).

Other thing that may be a problem is the weak will save stat (no Slippery Mind makes it worst), although i'm not sure how to boost it (maybe put Iron Will feat somewhere?). In the rogue department, i'm not sure how much is enough to open everything at least in all f2p quests in each skill (i'm aware this is due to lack of more experience at latter levels from my part).

Any help/guidance with this (or hopefully the Virt Rangard i talked) build would be deeply appreciated.

PS: Didn't know where to post (f2p? multiclass?), but since both my ideas were primarly rangers i decided to post here, for more chance of feedback.

(EDIT: Ranger/bard build scrap below)