Build questions: THF

[ChakatSilvermane]

So, after getting owned on an elite quest (which I was 6 levels higher than), I am questioning my build. I take a huge amount of damage pretty fast and I am wondering if this is a problem with my build, or (much more likely I think), my equipment.

Level 11 Fighter
Feats
Power Attack
Die Hard
Cleave
Great Cleave
Improved Critical: Bludgeoning
Improved Two Handed Fighting
Stunning Blow
Toughness
Two Handed Fighting
Weapon Focus: Bludgeoning
Weapon Specialization: Bludgeoning

Enhancements
Fighter AC Boost 1
Fighter Attack Boost 1 and 2
Fighter Haste Boost 1
Kensai Maul Mastery 1
Fighter Critical Accuracy 1 and 2
Fighter Kensai 1
Fighter Strategy (Stunning Blow) 1 and 2
Fighter Maul Mastery 1
Human Adapdibility Strength 1
Fighter Item Defense 1
Racial Toughness 1
Improved Jump 1
Fighter Strength 1, 2, and 3
Fighter Toughness 1, 2 and 3

Total Health: 227

Equipment (This is the part I think is the problem)
Weapon: +4 Icy Burst Maul (1d6 Cold + 2d10 Cold on crit)
Hat: Admiral Tricorne (+13 Jump, Seeker +4 [+4 to confirm crits, +4 damage to crits before multiplier])
Goggles: Blindness Ward Goggles (Immunity to blindness effects)
Armor: +4 Adamantium Full Plate (DR 3/-)
Bracers: Axe Bane (DR 5/bludgeoning, piercing)
Ring 1: Charismatic Ring of Resistance (+2 Charisma, +2 resistance to saves, tiny augment slot)
Ring 2: Acrobats Ring (+5% movement speed, +3 comp jump, +3 comp tumble)
Boots: Feather Fall Boots of Swimming (Feather Fall effect, +3 comp swim)
Gloves: Linen Handwraps (+4 enhancement strength, -1 dex, Immunity to disease)
Belt: Health Belt (+1 con)
Cloak: Envenomed Cloak (+2 save vs poison, Poison Guard, +3 enhancement bonus, part of the Might of the Abishi set)
Trinket: Voice of the Master (+5 EXP bonus, +1 luck saves)
Necklace: Underwater Necklace of Preforming (Water breathing effect, +3 perform skill)

Stats
Str: 27
Dex: 14
Con: 18
Int: 8
Wis: 9
Cha: 10
Armor Class: 23
BAB: 11
Fort Save: 14
Reflex Save: 8
Will Save: 5

I am VIP, but I haven't done a lot of farming for equipment or anything.

[Shade]

Not really seeing any major problems asde from a lack of any fortification.

You just need to understand that elite isn't just a scaling system.

It's a difficulty setting.

Ulimately, it's designed to challenge you as a player, and not be simply beaten by having more stats, but rather more skill.

The most important factor in reducing the damage you take in elite quests is skill.. Especially with THF play.

Moving around while attacking will massively reduce the damage you take, or even nullyfy it completely.

That said there are a couple minor issues I saw:
Feats;
Die hard - get rid of it. It's dumb to pick up a feat that relies on you getting incaped to work. It's like telling the game - yea I suck, so maybe when I get almost killed i could live. Don't give up so easily and pick such a bad feat lol.

Cleave/Great cleave - NEVER take these or use these, horrible choices.
Toughness - HUGE waste of AP at that level. No matter what you hp is, if your builds gimpy with too much ap wasted, your gonna die. Put AP in damage boosting skills and kill faster, so your enemy dies sooner and you die less. The feat itself doesn't hurt, since fighters get lots.. But dont spend any AP on its enhancements until ver high lvl.
Spec: Semes to be a blunt spec, yet you have slash feats too?
Just pick one for now, you can probably do both at higher lvl, but not at lvl11.

Recommended Feats:
Improved trip (if you can get a 13 base int for its prereq..)
Quickdraw
Greater Weapon focus/Superior eventually (needed for kensai III)

Enhancements:
Drop all the ac stuff and toughnes junk
Get haste boost maxed out
Get your trip and stun dc maxxed out
get as much dmg enhacnements you can on kensai

equipment:
Get rid of the pirate hat and get a minos legens so you stop dying so much. heavy fort = less dying. Must have.

[ChakatSilvermane]

I have slash feats? Where? All my weapon things are bludgeoning and I didnt see anything typed up as slashing...

Improved Trip: 8 intelligence. So yeah...
Quick Draw: I don't see the usefulness of this. The speed of weapon changing is already pretty fast. I don't change armor ever.
Greater Weapon Focus, ect: Planned, just haven't gotten them yet.
Die hard: Your probably right about this. This is from when I was before level 7 or so when it was still possible to do quests solo without getting trap owned or anything.
Cleave/Great Cleave: I dont see whats so horrible about these feats. I am often being surrounded by 3+ monsters even when grouped up, and the ability to hit all of them at once is great. This being said, this is my first character and I haven't experienced the majority of high level play, so maybe they trail off in usefulness?

Ive been looking for something with heavy fort, mostly a belt because its one of my most useless pieces of equipment. I like the hat for the seeker enhancements, which I will get the Bold Trinket from the event to stack up +8 confirm/damage before the crit multiplier of x3 takes effect.

[TheDearLeader]

I like the hat for the seeker enhancements, which I will get the Bold Trinket from the event to stack up +8 confirm/damage before the crit multiplier of x3 takes effect.

I can't tell you how much I don't care about this.

If you don't have Heavy Fort, then the hat from this event is the quickest and easiest way to get it.

No one cares how much you crit for if you're a Soul Stone. You asked for advice, you have your answer. Fix. It. Even if its only a temporary fix until you find Heavy Fort somewhere else.

You can have Two different hats with different enchantments, if I didn't make that clear earlier. Bank the Seeker one for now.

[ChakatSilvermane]

I did just reset my enhancements. They are now as follows:

Fighter Attack Boost 1 and 2
Fighter Haste Boost 1, 2, and 3
Kensai Maul Mastery 1
Critical Hit Mastery 1 and 2
Fighter Kensai 1
Fighter Strategy (Stunning Blow) 1, 2, and 3
Fighter Strategy (Trip) 1
Fighter Flanking Mastery 1
Human Adaptability Strength 1
Fighter Item Defense 1
Improved Jump 1
Fighter Strength 1, 2, and 3

Should I just forget about the heavy armor because AC obvious doesn't matter unless thats what your gearing your character for? Instead just get a robe or something with maybe an elemental resistance.

[TheDearLeader]

Should I just forget about the heavy armor because AC obvious doesn't matter unless thats what your gearing your character for? Instead just get a robe or something with maybe an elemental resistance.

The static DR 3/- for having Heavy Addy Armor is nice at any level. Stay in Heavy Armor.

If you want an elemental resistance, ditch the cloak. Its not really going to do you a whole lot of good after you upgrade your gear to the aforementioned, anyway.

[TheDearLeader]

Its your gear.

Necklace - get a Nice Constitution necklace here. +4 Con at least. Siren's Charm from Fathom the Depths might be a good start, since at least you know where to farm it. Wear Underwater Action only when you need it - you don't wear Scuba gear 24/7, do you? No, only when Scuba Diving.

You need an Improved False Life item. Belt slot would be good for this, since you don't need some junk +1 Con belt there. Otherwise, you could buy/beg for a Dusk Heart in the trinket slot. They're fairly common.

Heavy Fort - Min Level 11 is the minimum for Heavy Fort w/o restrictions. Notice how that matches up to your level? Awesome. Heavy Fort can be found on non-named items on Ring/Belt/Necklace slots. If you put it in a Belt/Necklace slot, then replace whichever ability you lose (+Con or +False Life) in your ring slot.

That's some basics. Get more HP, ABSOLUTELY get Heavy Fortification. If you find it easier this way, get a second hat from the event, put Heavy Fort on the hat. Or get Minos Legens from the Necropolis, Part 4. Being immune to critical hits is much more beneficial to your character at this point than dealing additional critical damage.

[InSoNiAc]

You have given detailed information on your build and equipment which is good but you need to say which quest you were in and what you were fighting.

I'm guessing that you were taking physical damage from melee hits due to the fact that unless your AC is super high (and from what I can see yours isn't) you might as well be wearing a robe instead of full plate.

Shade's advice is all good - dead enemies can't cause damage. Only thing I would add is energy resists. Apart from the obvious spells that enemies cast, a lot of creatures physical attacks are augmented with elemental damage. Much of this damage can be mitigated with house P buffs or resist potions.

Good luck.