Is FS viable in epic w/o mass heal

[sCRuLooSe]

I am looking into making a FS 16/Monk 2/Paladin 2 with GoF to allow the character to make saves even on a 1 and boost SR/Dodge. Probably twist in for either healing ro defense depending on situation. Is that viable either in epic hard or epic elite? Are the saves high enough to resist on a 1 on those levels? Would inherent spell resist from Drow and a +2 Cha make drow worth taking over human (healing amp, +1 Cha) or halfling (save bonuses)? Does GoF and Serenity even stack with Drow SR; apparently they did not at one time? Can the character act as a healer w/o Mass Heal in EH or EE (both non-raids and raids)? I would appreciate the thoughts of those that have played FS at these levels before.

Thanks

[Enoach]

As for your saves the only way to figure that out is to Write it out including your stats, equipment and other enhancements and then match those against what people are saying are needed for the difficulty you are attempting.

Heal, Mass is a very powerful spell when it is used on a Group. Even with Quicken it is cheaper and faster than applying individual Heal spells on the group.

However, it is not always the best spell to be employed for handling the situation.

Situations where it is best used...

Raid Healing on Boss Fights where:
1. Damage is Steady and predictable - Shroud part 4/5 for example
2. Poison/Disease are byproduct effects

For faster incoming damage and when byproduct effects are not an issue the Cure, Mass spells are by far more efficient and even more so if Lesser Maximize is used (Noxious Embers; Epic Ornamented Dagger)

Epic Level Healing options like Cocoon and Renewal are good low cost healing options to supplement.

The viability of Healing EE without Heal, Mass does exist but it will require that you have a very good grasp on your abilities as a Heal capable character.

The other roadblock will be perception as many who do not play divines themselves do not understand or even know the Heal, Mass is not the end-all-be-all of healing.

[mikarddo]

My FvS is pure in Exalted Angle. I have done many quests on EE though not all. I have solo healed EH FoT and CitW with only 8 people doing those raids and some of those undergeared. I havent done either on EE though.

I rarely use Mass Heal - mostly when doing Shroud part 4/5 really as the only healer I suspect I could do that with mass cures or just let the truly crappy geared die.

I my experience you would be able to heal decently enough without Mass Heal. Being in GMoF though you would not be able to Renew yourself and being multiclass you would not have the free capstone heal either. Also, not being in EA means you dont have Avenging Wrath which is a pretty nice group heal along with its damage. Finally, you wont have the 100% rez which is very nice but will have to make do with the 50% one.

Apart from the saves I am unsure what GMoF would bring you. If you want the pally levels to matter you need to up CHA so getting high wis as well seems somewhat off. Infact, I would worry more about offensive options than healing with such a build so I am curious what you have in mind.

As for twists you will want Renewal whenever you are not alone. Cocoon when alone and maybe also in groups / raids and likely the one with +40% fort always. That alone is a good deal of ED xp but maybe you that covered?

If you do go max CHA I expect you will be able to save against pretty much anything though assuming proper gear, tomes etc.

[sCRuLooSe]

Thanks for the replies.

The halfling version would have every save at 60+ all the time. Unfortunately I cannot seem to find a set of benchmarks for enemy DCs...only benchmarks for DCs if you want enemies to fail to save.

The character concept is basically to have two fundamental rolls.

Roll 1) Intimidation Tank. The character should have an intimidation that is very high since he will have maxed charisma. The character should be exceptionally resistant to spells and special effects and should have good enough dodge that his midling AC and comparatively low PRR will still hold up against most damage with a little self healing. The character will pull aggro and sit there like a turtle while allies pummel on the enemy.

Roll 2) Healer. The character will stand back and heal if needed or wade into the middle of a combat, pull aggro and use concordant opposition items and Torc to help offset healing costs. The character should have a decent spell pool even though he misses 4 levels due to high Cha.

The character is meant for groups and will really have poor offense in general. He will mostly rely on things like blade barrier for when he wants to do a little dps, or might choose a different ED if I expect to need DPS.

Grandmaster is mainly chosen as a support for the tank role while EA would be chosen if I was going for pure healing for a run. The purpose of GMoF is to boost saves up by +6 and negate failure on 1. It will also boost SR to high enough levels it will be useful in EH (still not good enough for EE) and increases dodge by 6%. Unfortunately there is no way to avoid failing Ref on a 1 outside of GMoF...it cannot be twisted, so if saves are my area of concentration GMoF is my only option. I could also go US as a tank and wear Plate with Shield twisting save boosts. That will lose the character dodge, evasion, and the ability to make Reflex saves on a 1 in exchange for a big boost to AC, PRR, and HP. However, I would only take that option in a mission with comparably little area damage.