Melee Shapeshifter - Druid/Barbarian/Fighter

[ormsbygore]

(Still don't have a name for the build...and Barbearian just sounds silly)

The goal of this build is to try and put out as much DPS as I can with a Dire Bear. This is a 32 point concept/test build for a TR with at least one Monk past life later on(probably swap Stunning Blow for the Monk PL, but with a different feat order).

As for weapons to be used with this build, you'll want to have a Sword & Board type approach. Your main hand weapon can be whatever you want, as long as you're proficient with it, the only things that will transfer over to animal form are the enchantments on it. In your off hand you will want a non-metal shield of some sort, probably crafted with Seeker on it. I believe Madstone Shield(Crystal) and Alchemical Shields(Once changed to Crystal) will work as well.

To my folly, I didn't realise that the Druid Animal Form Spells or "Innate Attacks" are still considered spells...duh!...lol Not a huge set back, but it's sad that a Raging Dire Bear can't use Shred, Maul or Rising Fury(Doesn't make any sense!).

My standard benchmark for a new build is always to see if it has the ability to solo The Pit on Elite at level 9. This one passed! No hirelings, No Res Cakes, No Deaths. 50 Minutes, plus all optionals; Caster behind the secret door, Top of Inferno 2/3 and the Avatar(Avatar not included in the completion time).

Got this build to level 11 so far and I'm loving it!

Level 20 Chaotic Neutral Half-Orc Male
(9 Druid \ 7 Barbarian \ 4 Fighter)
Hit Points: 388
Spell Points: 514
BAB: 17\17\22\27\27
Fortitude: 20
Reflex: 6
Will: 12


Abilities Points:
Strength           18        (+2 Tome)(+4 level ups)
Dexterity           8        (+2 Tome)
Constitution       18        (+2 Tome)
Intelligence        8        (+2 Tome)
Wisdom             14        (+2 Tome)
Charisma            8        (+2 Tome)


Level and Feat Progression:
Level 1 (Druid)        (Selected) Toughness
Level 2 (Druid)        (Druid Wild Shape) Wild Shape: Bear
Level 3 (Druid)        (Selected) Power Attack
Level 4 (Druid)
Level 5 (Druid)        (Druid Wild Shape) Wild Shape: Wolf
Level 6 (Druid)        (Selected) Cleave
Level 7 (Druid)
Level 8 (Druid)        (Druid Wild Shape) Wild Shape: Dire Bear
Level 9 (Druid)        (Selected) Natural Fighting
Level 10 (Barbarian)
Level 11 (Barbarian)
Level 12 (Barbarian)    (Selected) Improved Critical: Bludgeoning Weapons
Level 13 (Barbarian)
Level 14 (Barbarian)
Level 15 (Barbarian)    (Selected) Natural Fighting
Level 16 (Barbarian)
Level 17 (Fighter)    (Fighter Bonus) Shield Mastery
Level 18 (Fighter)    (Fighter Bonus) Improved Shield Mastery, (Selected) Natural Fighting
Level 19 (Fighter)
Level 20 (Fighter)    (Fighter Bonus) Stunning Blow


Enhancements:
Barbarian Damage Boost III
Fighter Haste Boost II
Barbarian Sprint Boost II
Barbarian Extend Rage II
Barbarian Extra Rage II
Barbarian Hardy Rage II
Barbarian Power Attack II
Barbarian Power Rage II
Barbarian Frenzied Berserker I
Druid Aggravate II
Druid Beastial Nature I
Druid Fatal Harrier
Druid Hide of the Crocodile I
Druid Nature's Warrior I
Druid Reaving Roar
Druid Shifting Rake II
Druid Vengeful Hunter II
Fighter Critical Accuracy II
Fighter Strategy (Stunning Blow) II
Orcish Extra Action Boost III
Orcish Fury I
Orcish Power Attack I
Orcish Power Rage II
Orcish Strength I
Racial Toughness II
Druid Strength II
Druid Toughness III

[ormsbygore]

Found one bug with the build so far(and I have reported it)....and it's kinda depressing, I had hopes for this build...lol

So I've just reached lvl15 with the build and was able to take Frenzied Berzerker I. Trying to test the damage on my build's airship dummy. While in animal form Frenzy doesn't work as intended. It does not add the extra vicious damage, but it does add the penalty damage for vicious. I also tried multiple combinations of entering Frenzy and Animal Form, as well as testing the other Animal Forms. It even works correctly if while in animal form you enter frenzy then exit animal form.

[Kaeper]

Found one bug with the build so far(and I have reported it)....and it's kinda depressing, I had hopes for this build...lol

So I've just reached lvl15 with the build and was able to take Frenzied Berzerker I. Trying to test the damage on my build's airship dummy. While in animal form Frenzy doesn't work as intended. It does not add the extra vicious damage, but it does add the penalty damage for vicious. I also tried multiple combinations of entering Frenzy and Animal Form, as well as testing the other Animal Forms. It even works correctly if while in animal form you enter frenzy then exit animal form.

Aw :\

A seriously ****ed frenzying bear just seems so thematically perfect. Winnie the Pooh with 'roidrage

[SealedInSong]

I've been toying with a similar build and I have some questions:

1) Do the increased critical multiplier effects of FBII/III work while shapeshifted?
2) How often do you leave your shapeshifted form? I find that I don't leave it often, except for when I'm particular frustrated by:
3) my attack animation. Is it just me or does the bear rearing on its hind legs to attack make its attack chain seem a lot more slow and ineffective?
4) Less related to your build: do the defender (stalwart and siberys) stances work while shapeshifted?

I really want this build to be/become viable but Turbine seems to have stacked a lot of things against it, namely the bug you mentioned, the inability to use some core shapeshifting "spells" (that seem more like abilities than spells) that can't be cast when raged, and the hopeless lack of synergy between shapeshifted combat and non-shapeshifted combat.

In particular, I'm irritated that shapeshifted combat uses such bizarre mechanics (natural fighting, no ___-handed fighting feats) that preclude you from building a versatile character that can fight in form and out of form.

Thanks for your help! Hopefully if we generate enough interest in some builds Turbine will take a look at perhaps making Shred/etc "spells" into abilities and fix the Frenzy bug, etc.

[unbongwah]

Based on my own experience, you don't want bear for DPS, you want wolf; bear feels like it's meant to be a guard-based tank (or at least that's how I've tried to build mine), since so many of its abilities are proc-on-hit. That +30% atk speed is just soooo hard to make up for on a bear...

[SealedInSong]

I fear your assessment is more than correct. Unfortunately, I don't think the bear's spells/special abilities quite shore up for its lack of DPS which is, of course, so important in DDO in so many ways.

I prefer for all of my characters to at least be able to two-man epic elite with a hireling if not solo it, and the bear builds that I envision likely won't even be able to do that without a much more powerful (caster) friend.

[ormsbygore]

Still no word...and doesn't look like there is very much interest in a build like this either. Kinda sucks. Even if it's not top-notch a DPSer or Tank, I personally think it's a friggen neat idea. A raged out dire-bear, c'mon.

I'll probably still leave the character alive, not like I don't have enough character slots, but it's still disappointing that it doesn't work when it should.

[unbongwah]

The two problems with heavily MCed bear-based builds like this I've discovered are: (A) bear DPS is sooo far behind wolf DPS it isn't even funny and (B) certain class abilities interact funny or don't work w/animal forms - you discovered the issue w/Frenzy, I've noticed that certain shield bonuses don't carry over (namely the Intim/threat bonus and extra PRR from SD stance).

I've been leveling a dire bear tank - final build was going to be druid 13 / ftr 6 / wiz 1 (NW II / SD I) - and I've had fun so far; but I think I'm gonna take advantage of this week's sale on LRs to switch to pure druid. My suspicion is a WIS-based caster-focused -with-melee bear build will do better than a STR-based mostly-melee-focused bear will; it simply feels like I gave up too much caster DPS for too little melee DPS.

[ormsbygore]

I understand completely. The Bear's DPS is garbage compared to the Wolf. Just trying to point out that it's broken and should be working. This if totally as fluff build , I have many of them...and for the most part they've all had similar mechanical issues that end up getting fixed. I had a TON of issues when I was leveling up my Repeater focused Ranger/Artificer abomination, but it works now(even if it still has issues).

I agree, the WIS based caster will be a better DPSer in the long run(casters usually have better DPS than melee, that's just the way DDO works...I'll probably get a lot of hate for that statement), but I'm just not willing to give up on this character concept. Druids and Barbarians should be able to multi-class without issue, but given the way a lot of the mechanics are made up that multi-class option is semi~broken at the moment. Realistically, the special animal form only "spells" or "innate attacks" should be classified more like the special moves of a monk not a spell, just pulling from the "spell point" pool instead of a "ki" pool, like I said in the OP...

...it's sad that a Raging Dire Bear can't use Shred, Maul or Rising Fury(Doesn't make any sense!).