U9 builds, who's planning what? What's your FOTM?

[Darkrok]

Same reason why I wont TR my capped bard, heh. Its the easiest toon to get into raids and groups, and is really useful to have around even on a frst life.

Yeah, and if you're warchanter people really don't care about the build beyond that. If you're spellsinger like I was playing and you're aiming at doing CC then you have thresholds you have to meet to do your job. If you're a melee Warchanter you simply do the most damage you can possibly do while adding damage to the group. The most stressful thing I have to do now is plan my madstone rages to make sure I can still rage/haste the group. If I can luck into an arcane willing to do it then the most stressful thing I need to do is remember to sing and pay attention enough to cancel my madstone if things go badly.

I was raid healing on the Spellsinger version and while it's fun that's a lot of work for a pretty much thankless job. I carried quite a few PuG clerics through Shrouds only to have the raid say, "WOW! Great job solo healing <<useless_PuG_cleric_42>>". Now I just hit things with my big (wish it was a falchion instead) axe while whistling a tune.

[Daunth]

I'm currently curious to try a wiz12/monk7/rogue1 to combine vampire form with healing amps

[voodoogroves]

I'm running up another bard, since I TR'd my only one.

I have the following in various states of progress that are "new".

(1) Half Elf Monk 2 / FVS 18 (dilettante paladin, past life monk) - will start this TR in about a week - scimitars
(2) Half Elf Monk 2 / Sorc 18 (air) (dilettante paladin - first life) - in progress now
(3) My Tukaw, which is looking like he'll get an LR to 12 Sorc (earth) / 6 Paladin / 2 Monk and become a Hate Savant


Beyond that, I've got a pure WF Sorc that's in the mid-teems some where I'll Cap and go Water savant and I need to bring up a Bard. I may also TR my Rogue once I make progress on the first above. Bard may end up being a TR of the rogue, wizard or clonk I have now. I'm hesitant to put a blue bar on the rogue though, since that toon's pretty well melee geared / madstones / etc. and I should keep at least one pure melee at cap.

Plus the rogue can open Shadow Crypt.

I'm staring at what to do with an Elf Wizard too. Not sure yet. I've not finished fleshing out the idea yet (or unfleshing it) but I'm staring at something funky on the "Undying" theme as an 18/2 Pale Master split.

[maddmatt70]

Same reason why I wont TR my capped bard, heh. Its the easiest toon to get into raids and groups, and is really useful to have around even on a frst life.

I do not think tring benefits wc bards very much if any. A stunning bard build was pretty intriguing for trs, but now stuns have less meaning in update 9. The difference in dps between 14 bard 4 rogue 2 fighter and 14 bard 4 fighter 2 barb or rogue with pally past life feat is pretty negligible. Feats are so tight for bards that fitting in rogue or pally past life feat means dropping another dps feat or feat like extend or toughness. A case can be made for a cc/healing bard to go bard then wiz then bard again, but that is about it.

[thwart]

I am going to make a broccoli pure pally with an adamantine stalk!

[Beethoven]

I am going to make a broccoli pure pally with an adamantine stalk!

This could be taken wrong in so many ways ...

U9 is probably not going to change a lot in my choices for a final build, but I probably will TR my FvS into a Sorcerer to play around with things and the back into FvS. Also thinking of doing two more TRs on my Wizard to max out the Past Life Spell Penetration bonuses.

So, basically things I meant to do anyhow but kept putting off and now will likely do them rather sooner than latter.

[thwart]

This could be taken wrong in so many ways ...

[zed1]

I am going to make a broccoli pure pally with an adamantine stalk!

That build is way too overpowered... expect a nerf in U10!

[wax_on_wax_off]

I'm currently curious to try a wiz12/monk7/rogue1 to combine vampire form with healing amps

When you're in form you are only healed by negative energy so no healing amp.

However, I'm not sure how being in form interacts with, for instance, vampiric stonedust handwraps. Does anyone know for sure?

Edit: stupid iPhone autocorrect

[voodoogroves]

I'll have to check. I've got a death's touch somewhere.

[Xyfiel]

2Monk/18Fs Half Elf with Pal dil
High Ac/Saves/Offensive spells

Sorc once people get a good feel for the spell pass. Half Elf air or something Water.

[QuantumFX]

As I said elsewhere: I’m looking forward to a 2 Monk/18 Cleric with Stunning Fist. I use the Prestige Class Consortium HakPak for Neverwinter Nights and loved rolling as a Sacred Fist.

[wax_on_wax_off]

As I said elsewhere: I’m looking forward to a 2 Monk/18 Cleric with Stunning Fist. I use the Prestige Class Consortium HakPak for Neverwinter Nights and loved rolling as a Sacred Fist.

Yeah the unarmed hybrid is getting a huge boost come U9. The real trick is deciding on race (dwarf gets +3, WF gets +2, half-elf can have +2 if you forgo paladin/rogue dilettante and take stunning blow, gets healing amp and wisdom bonus).

Let me think, a 17 cleric, 1 fighter, 2 monk has 10 feats: maximise, empower healing, toughness, TWF, ITWF, GTWF, stunning fist, quicken, heighten and power attack. No spell penetration though. Maybe I would do it on a character with a wizard PL (or two).

Power Attack vs Weapon Finesse would be tome dependent. If I had a +3 dex tome I'd go power attack and it would look like this (for a 36 point build):

28 strength (14 base +3 tome +7 item + 3 exceptional + 1 AP)
24 dexterity (14 base +3 tome + 7 item)
22 constitution (14 base +2 tome +6 item)
12 intelligence (10 base +2 tome)
40 wisdom (16 base +5 levels +3 tome +4 APs +7 item +3 exceptional +2 water stance)
28 charisma (14 base +4 tome (for DMIII) +2 tome +6 item +2 APs)

Skills: concentration, UMD, extra in tumble (1), balance.

Straight up DC 45 stunning fist. It's possible to get the DC higher if we qualify for enhancements by taking stunning blow. Dwarf would be a very tempting racial choice for this build get a possibly useful stunning blow DC, very high stunning fist DC (49?!) and some extra SP and HP.

Rogue dilettante adds some nice sneak attack but paladin adds some possibly necessary saves. On balance, I'd probably take rogue to level with and hold off on some of the harder epic quests with high reflex saves needed or be ready with the saves boost, gearing up the reflex save will be quite important.

Build would work equally well with a FvS (maybe 18 FvS / 2 monk, not sure what feat to miss).

Unfortunately I don't have a character slot free and the TR's are already allocated but this has been one of my favourite builds up until now so I'll certainly go back to it considering the boost that it has received.

[voodoogroves]

Yeah the unarmed hybrid is getting a huge boost come U9. The real trick is deciding on race (dwarf gets +3, WF gets +2, half-elf can have +2 if you forgo paladin/rogue dilettante and take stunning blow, gets healing amp and wisdom bonus).

Let me think, a 17 cleric, 1 fighter, 2 monk has 10 feats: maximise, empower healing, toughness, TWF, ITWF, GTWF, stunning fist, quicken, heighten and power attack. No spell penetration though. Maybe I would do it on a character with a wizard PL (or two).

Power Attack vs Weapon Finesse would be tome dependent. If I had a +3 dex tome I'd go power attack and it would look like this (for a 36 point build):

28 strength (14 base +3 tome +7 item + 3 exceptional + 1 AP)
24 dexterity (14 base +3 tome + 7 item)
22 constitution (14 base +2 tome +6 item)
12 intelligence (10 base +2 tome)
40 wisdom (16 base +5 levels +3 tome +4 APs +7 item +3 exceptional +2 water stance)
28 charisma (14 base +4 tome (for DMIII) +2 tome +6 item +2 APs)

Skills: concentration, UMD, extra in tumble (1), balance.

Straight up DC 45 stunning fist. It's possible to get the DC higher if we qualify for enhancements by taking stunning blow. Dwarf would be a very tempting racial choice for this build get a possibly useful stunning blow DC, very high stunning fist DC (49?!) and some extra SP and HP.

Rogue dilettante adds some nice sneak attack but paladin adds some possibly necessary saves. On balance, I'd probably take rogue to level with and hold off on some of the harder epic quests with high reflex saves needed or be ready with the saves boost, gearing up the reflex save will be quite important.

Build would work equally well with a FvS (maybe 18 FvS / 2 monk, not sure what feat to miss).

Unfortunately I don't have a character slot free and the TR's are already allocated but this has been one of my favourite builds up until now so I'll certainly go back to it considering the boost that it has received.

I think Power Attack is on my list of feats to cut on 2nd string melee for epics. Yes, it's a damage boost but I find I turn it off on the 2nd tier in epics relatively frequently.

[wax_on_wax_off]

I think Power Attack is on my list of feats to cut on 2nd string melee for epics. Yes, it's a damage boost but I find I turn it off on the 2nd tier in epics relatively frequently.

Power Attack is one of those feats that helps you win in situations where winning is assured anyway. However, it speeds up the winning quite considerably. Especially when using crowd control (hold person/sound burst/greater command/stunning fist) to provide auto hitting the DPS from power attack is really nice to speed up quests I find.

Do you really do that much attacking in epics as a second string melee? If the mobs are free then you probably aren't fighting, you are either healing or trying to control them, it's only once they get controlled that you start attacking and then hitting is usually assured so power attack is quite valuable in speeding up their demise, no?