trouble slotting Impulse

[cru121]

Rangers!
Where do you slot your impulse? I am thinking of using L24 Wall of Wood (for devotion/DR) with an impulse scepter and just turtle inside our mighty AoE DoT.

I don't see many spike growth-focused rangers around these days. It seems that most people don't realize the true potential of this awesome spell. I mean, you can easily meet lame-ass artificers or divines running back and forth through crappy blade barriers. With spike growth, just cast and block and watch stuff die. With barkskin up, not many mobs can hit me anyway. Arguably, the damage might be slightly lower than straight melee, but it's AoE!

I've picked up maximize (for bosses/in mana dump situations) and my damage really picked up, I am now consistently seeing double digits, and that's on a save! Dipping Artificer for Force/Untyped spell power also helps a ton. But perhaps I should have dipped wizard instead, for bonus feat. Quicken would be nice. I guess I'll just pick it up at 21.

I guess this build is better with a bunch of past lives. I can see mobs saving now and then. How would you build your spike-growth-destructo-completionist?

[jakeelala]

wait there's rangers that cast spike growth?

[Glenalth]

Rangers!
Where do you slot your impulse? I am thinking of using L24 Wall of Wood (for devotion/DR) with an impulse scepter and just turtle inside our mighty AoE DoT.

I don't see many spike growth-focused rangers around these days. It seems that most people don't realize the true potential of this awesome spell. I mean, you can easily meet lame-ass artificers or divines running back and forth through crappy blade barriers. With spike growth, just cast and block and watch stuff die. With barkskin up, not many mobs can hit me anyway. Arguably, the damage might be slightly lower than straight melee, but it's AoE!

I've picked up maximize (for bosses/in mana dump situations) and my damage really picked up, I am now consistently seeing double digits, and that's on a save! Dipping Artificer for Force/Untyped spell power also helps a ton. But perhaps I should have dipped wizard instead, for bonus feat. Quicken would be nice. I guess I'll just pick it up at 21.

I guess this build is better with a bunch of past lives. I can see mobs saving now and then. How would you build your spike-growth-destructo-completionist?

Here's what I've been doing when bored...

I had been running Maximize and Empower Healing, but I swapped to plain Empower to see what sort of zaniness could be accomplished with Spike Growth and Shiradi Champion. See my previous Kobold Assault speed record thread for other Spike Growth nonsense.

Grabbed a thaumaturgy staff with Impulse 120 & Radiance 120 to cover the untyped from the growth itself plus the most common force and light damage AOEs that the big Shiradi procs do. The potency on the staff will cover the rest of them and self healing.

You can't just turtle in it though, since only the first hit/entry hit counts for the Shiradi stuff, so there is a bit of kiting if you are specifically trying to maximize the damage per cast. Nerve Venom would seem to act at cross purposes here, but since it causes helplessness, your Spike Growth base damage gets increased while it's stuck and any other mobs that trigger an AOE burst will hurt it more.

It is entertaining to watch everything take 1400 light damage, some getting blinded or petrified, followed by their boss getting banished in a prismatic ray... just from a sad looking bush.



On the theoretical Spike Growth mastery build...
Your transmutation DCs are going to be just awful even if you invested in them heavily, so don't worry about them.

If you're building this up through TRs, just look at getting more SP.

You are going to want Arcane Lore/Greater Arcane Lore slotted somewhere.

[Missing_Minds]

Rangers!
Where do you slot your impulse? I am thinking of using L24 Wall of Wood (for devotion/DR) with an impulse scepter and just turtle inside our mighty AoE DoT.

Emm.. Holy symbol of Lolth?

baring that, could be useful to go after the... dragon cloak. While not 120, it is close as far as potency goes.

[Ape_Man]

A maximized . . . and empowered . . . bush.

Name this build the "Woodstock"

[Ironforge_Clan]

A maximized . . . and empowered . . . bush.

Name this build the "PornQueen"

ftfy