Build Review: Lord of the Blades Favored Soul

[Goldeneye]

I'm trying to make a WF Favored Soul that has a good mix between Melee + Casting Ability. What do you think?


Level 20 Neutral Warforged Male
(20 Favored Soul)
34pt (TR from barb)

16 STR
14 CON
10 INT
16 WIS + 5 Ranks
8 CHA

Skills:

1. UMD
2. Concentration
3. Balance (Lvl 8+)

Level 1 (Favored Soul)
Feat: (Selected) Adamantine Body
Feat: (Diety) Favored by the Lord of Blades
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Barbarian

Level 2 (Favored Soul)

Level 3 (Favored Soul)
Feat: (Selected) Power Attack
Feat: (Automatic) Child of the Lord of Blades


Level 4 (Favored Soul)


Level 5 (Favored Soul)
Feat: (Favored Soul Bonus) Energy Resistance: Fire


Level 6 (Favored Soul)
Feat: (Selected) Extend Spell


Level 7 (Favored Soul)


Level 8 (Favored Soul)


Level 9 (Favored Soul)
Feat: (Selected) Quicken Spell


Level 10 (Favored Soul)
Feat: (Favored Soul Bonus) Energy Resistance: Cold


Level 11 (Favored Soul)


Level 12 (Favored Soul)
Feat: (Selected) Empower Spell
Feat: (Automatic) Beloved of the Lord of Blades


Level 13 (Favored Soul)


Level 14 (Favored Soul)


Level 15 (Favored Soul)
Feat: (Favored Soul Bonus) Energy Resistance: Sonic
Feat: (Selected) Maximize Spell


Level 16 (Favored Soul)


Level 17 (Favored Soul)
Feat: (Automatic) Leap Of Faith


Level 18 (Favored Soul)
Feat: (Selected) Toughness


Level 19 (Favored Soul)


Level 20 (Favored Soul)

Level 1 (Favored Soul)
Skill: Concentration (+2)
Skill: Tumble (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+2)


Level 2 (Favored Soul)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 3 (Favored Soul)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 4 (Favored Soul)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 5 (Favored Soul)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 6 (Favored Soul)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 7 (Favored Soul)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 8 (Favored Soul)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 9 (Favored Soul)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 10 (Favored Soul)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 11 (Favored Soul)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 12 (Favored Soul)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 13 (Favored Soul)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 14 (Favored Soul)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 15 (Favored Soul)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 16 (Favored Soul)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 17 (Favored Soul)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 18 (Favored Soul)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 19 (Favored Soul)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 20 (Favored Soul)
Skill: Concentration (+3)

Level 20 (Favored Soul)
Enhancement: Favored Soul Ascendency: Lord of Blades
Enhancement: Bladesworn Transformation
Enhancement: Favored Soul Greatsword Specialization I
Enhancement: Favored Soul Greatsword Specialization II
Enhancement: Favored Soul Improved Empowering I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Racial Toughness III
Enhancement: Favored Soul Life Magic I
Enhancement: Favored Soul Life Magic II
Enhancement: Favored Soul Life Magic III
Enhancement: Favored Soul Life Magic IV
Enhancement: Favored Soul Energy of the Scion I
Enhancement: Favored Soul Energy of the Scion II
Enhancement: Favored Soul Charisma I
Enhancement: Favored Soul Charisma II
Enhancement: Favored Soul Wisdom I
Enhancement: Favored Soul Wisdom II
Enhancement: Favored Soul Toughness I
Enhancement: Favored Soul Toughness II
Enhancement: Favored Soul Toughness III
Enhancement: Favored Soul Wand and Scroll Mastery I
Enhancement: Favored Soul Wand and Scroll Mastery II
Enhancement: Favored Soul Wand and Scroll Mastery III
Enhancement: Favored Soul Wand and Scroll Mastery IV
Enhancement: Warforged Constitution I
Enhancement: Warforged Damage Reduction I
Enhancement: Warforged Damage Reduction II
Enhancement: Warforged Damage Reduction III
Enhancement: Warforged Healer's Friend I
Enhancement: Warforged Power Attack I
Enhancement: Warforged Power Attack II
Enhancement: Warforged Power Attack III

[rezo]

You do know FS get sp from chr. right??? With that said. You can't get past life feats intill lvl 3 i think. Also addy is good at low lvl but, remove and get something else at higher lvl's.

-UMD is isn't really that good for you on this build.

[Promethie]

I would replace addy body with toughness once you start getting to about level 8ish. Then, at level 18 take improved critical:slashing, for greatswords. Umd is still realy nice on this build. You can go true neutral to take less damage from evil effects. You can also use invisibility scrolls which can come in handy quite often.

You will also need at least 19 cha to cast all your spells. 10(base)+6(item)+4(action points)+2(tome) will get you 22 cha and let you still be able to cast level 6 spells (heal BB) if you get disjunctioned. I would also advise against getting bladesworn transformation. The lack of being able to cast spells really kills this build. Quickened heals are what keep you going and if you can't heal yourself, well 0 hp=0 dps.

[wax_on_wax_off]

You need a Charisma of 10+level of the spell to cast a spell. If you don't invest any points into it then 6 base +2 tome +6 item +2 FvS enhancements = 16 (or 17, not sure how many ranks of FvS cha enhancements there are).

Either way, you won't be able to cast your best spells (unless you are TRing with some amazing gear like +4 charisma tomes).

Additionally, it's good to be able to cast heal on yourself without any items equipped as there is a raid where it is possible to lose all effects from magic items (abbott) therefore, it's suggested that you start with 12 charisma +2 tome +2 fvs enhancements = 16.

I'm not sure that it is possible to strike a balance between melee and offensive casting on a FvS, too few spell slots to choose offensive + buffing + healing and too little use out of wisdom in that case (only utilising wisdom for offensive spells and then only sometimes as you are meleeing sometimes as well). Additionally, your wisdom will be 3 points lower than on a human and short a few spell casting feats (which are tight on an offensive casting FvS.

[azrael4h]

You need a Charisma of 10+level of the spell to cast a spell. If you don't invest any points into it then 6 base +2 tome +6 item +2 FvS enhancements = 16 (or 17, not sure how many ranks of FvS cha enhancements there are).

It's closer to 6base + 2tome + 6item + 3enhancements + 2capstone = 19

[voodoogroves]

Having tried a CHA 6 FVS, your casting is going to be ... very limited ... in the early levels.

5th: CHA +3 BTA item +1 enhancement +1 tome = 11 if you started w/ a 6 base ... congrats, you can now cast first level spells

7th: CHA +4 BTA/BTC item + 2 enhancement +2 tome = 14 now, ready for 4th level spells

[voodoogroves]

And I'd strongly suggest Adamantine Body initially, but use your Lockania respec on it later. The AC bonus and DR 3 and later 4 are GREAT in the early levels to help zerg. Later though, the AC won't matter and the hit to balance/etc. is probably not worth it.

[Goldeneye]

Great feedback.

Having tried a CHA 6 FVS, your casting is going to be ... very limited ... in the early levels.

5th: CHA +3 BTA item +1 enhancement +1 tome = 11 if you started w/ a 6 base ... congrats, you can now cast first level spells

Ha ha.... yeah. That might be a problem.

6 CHA + 4 Eagle's Spendor (or +3 BTA Item) + 1 Enhancement + 1 Tome + 2 Ship buff.
You could get by... but it might be a challenge.


I'm considering lowering con to 12 (yeah... I know)... in favor it 8 Charisma. That might make leveling a tad more convenient.

[Braegan]

You do know FS get sp from chr. right??? With that said. You can't get past life feats intill lvl 3 i think. Also addy is good at low lvl but, remove and get something else at higher lvl's.

-UMD is isn't really that good for you on this build.

1) The difference to maxing and dumping Cha on a FvS mana pool is largely unnoticed.

2) The Past life feat in the planner is the passive past life feat, which is applied at level 1.

3) UMD Arcane Scroll (Teleport for one) can be handy, and most skills are trash to a FvS anyway so why not?

To the OP:

Looks solid, very close to what I did with my fleshy FvS. Tho if going THF GS I would try and work in Imp Crit: Slashing, perhaps instead of addy body?

[Goldeneye]

Good comments everyone, keep them coming!

Good thinking on the feats. Addy body is 3/- DR. Questionably worth a feat. Getting Toughness earlier could also be very nice.

I forgot to mention: this character has a MinII Greatsword from the previous life. That's why I left out the Imp crit.

For UMD: I was hoping to be able to cast: Teleport, Fireshield, DDOOR, GH... etc. However, I am concerned about the 35% penalty from Addy body. My instinct is to go w/ UMD, since it's by far the best skill in the game.

In terms of CHA, ever 2 points in Charisma = 29sp at level 20. I'm not too worried about starting low. Getting 19 CHA at level 20 won't be a problem - it's just leveling up where it might be inconvenient.

[Aegnore]

since you're considering casting.. i think it would be nice for you to drop the adamantine feat in exchange for heighten... it lends you land your spells more at high level content.

[wax_on_wax_off]

6 base charisma + 3 FvS + 2 tome + 6 item = 17

Do you have exceptional charisma items? +3/4 tome?

Either way, Favoured Soul Charisma III is a huge AP investment (12 points) that could be much better invested elsewhere but just starting with a slightly higher Charisma.

Also remember that you want to be able to cast spells without magic items if you want to run Abbott raid (which you should). Therefore, having 16 charisma without items is usually desirable to be able to click heal still. Alternatively, 12 charisma without items is an option, just keep eagles splendour in your spell list.

[aristarchus1000]

Good comments everyone, keep them coming!

Good thinking on the feats. Addy body is 3/- DR. Questionably worth a feat. Getting Toughness earlier could also be very nice.

I forgot to mention: this character has a MinII Greatsword from the previous life. That's why I left out the Imp crit.

For UMD: I was hoping to be able to cast: Teleport, Fireshield, DDOOR, GH... etc. However, I am concerned about the 35% penalty from Addy body. My instinct is to go w/ UMD, since it's by far the best skill in the game.

In terms of CHA, ever 2 points in Charisma = 29sp at level 20. I'm not too worried about starting low. Getting 19 CHA at level 20 won't be a problem - it's just leveling up where it might be inconvenient.

Addy body is nice for early levels, but I swapped it out by level 10 or so. If you want 5 DR, just farm up a Bloodrage Symbiont, it isn't too difficult, especially before TR. That coupled with either the Blademark Docent from Sentinels or the Gorgon Docent from the new update 7 quests make for a pretty sturdy build until you get to 20.

Addy body is only 2 DR. 3 DR comes from enhancements which are available to you whether you take the feat or not. 13 vs 15 DR... it'd take 100 separate hits before you take 200 total difference in melee damage... plenty of time for you to cast a heal spell, and probably proc enough spellpoints back with a conn-op/torc. I just can't imagine it making a huge difference. I'm happy with 13 DR, and I can't imagine that there is any content where the 2 extra DR is signficant enough for me to fail or not fail a quest.

Addy body does look better aesthetically.

[K_0tiC]

I contemplated this idea for a 3rd life, 2nd life points just arent enough and your feat choices arent helping it much either just dump the wisdom since youll get some use out of it in normal content from maybe level 10~16 after that your going to start seeing spell pen issues your bb will be the only useful thing though your dcs will still be horribly low like 30~32. Extend is definitly not required after say level 8 when resists etc have plenty of time behind them.

3rd life you could afford 16/8/15/8/16/11 or 10int and 9cha thou I prefer to have 11+cha base for disjunction issues in edq1/abbot.

Feats would need to have Toughness or pl barb since the lower con start would need to work in maximize empower pa ic if you want to use anything esle besides the min2 otherwise its optional, thats 4-5 of your feats gone then you'll be looking at quicken and either heighten/spell pen or a focus id prolly go with heighten over the spell pen because even fully geared at end game your not going to be landing much in the way of instant kills and most of your casting will consist of bb. Really its just not a optimal build and has alot of stuggle to over come the negative to wisdom without really gaining much by doing it. If your looking to cast and have some melee just make a human with longswords or a elf with scims at least they can get you more casting stats/feats and no where near as many negatives. Addy body is good from level 1 till about 10ish but id dump it after that unless you need it to look pretty in a dragonscale docent.

Also forgot emp healing is nice for a wf fvs without much amp since alot of amp takes a decent amount of gear to pull off on a wf either dt with 10 20 + ship buff or a tod ring with 20% even with full healers friend youll only manage about 300~350hps back.