Silverdance - Advanced TWF Cleric Build

[guardianx2009]

PREFACE:
Posting my build in response to request here. I do not consider this is a beginner's build. It is not intended to work with 28pt builds and requires, at least a +3DEX tome. You should be familiar with playing the cleric class and game mechanics beforehand.

Objectives:

• A versatile advanced cleric build capable of healing, casting, and melee.

• No Splashing. Goal is to maximize the cleric class abilities. Splashing is considered compromising the class.

• Solo epic elites

• Bonus with 1-2 CLR past life: Turn undeads in Epic Elites (CR34-36 variety).

20 Human Cleric
Base Stats:
        34pt  36pt
   STR     8    10 
   DEX    13    14
   CON    13    13
   INT     9     8
   WIS    17    17
   CHA    16    16

- All level-ups in WIS.

Feats:
  - Empower Healing
  - One of (Toughness / Quick Draw / Empower)*
  - Maximize
  - Quicken
  - Heighten
  - Improved Crit: Pierce
  - Two Weapon Fighting
  - Improved Two Weapon Fighting
  - Greater two Weapon Fighting
  - Spell Focus: Evocation
  - Epic: Ruin 
  - Epic Destiny: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting 
  - Epic Destiny: Forced Escape

 * Toughness/QuickDraw/Empower depends on your playstyle/preference.  Quick Draw is useful for reducing action boost lag, if you do a lot of weapon swapping and tactics involving weapon swaps.  Empower is decent for the slightly stronger spell damage .  Toughness for better survivability in extra hp. 

Skills:
  Max UMD, Max Heal, Rest in Balance, Concentration. 1pt in tumble.

STATS:

• Primary: WIS
  You are first and foremost a cleric. Starting at 17 (instead of 18) to save build points and because you can use +1 WIS from Human Versatility Enhancement to compensate.

• Secondary: CHA, CON
  For plentiful turns and for UMD. UMD is important: it gives you of versatility and martial weapon proficiency. Charisma powers the number of turns you get and also Divine Might. You can flip a few points into CON instead if you prefer, though I wouldn't go any lower than 14.

• Tertiary: DEX, CON
  Start CON at an odd score (13) with expectation that you are going to compensate for it with +1 CON from Human Versatility Enhancement. You need minimum 17 DEX to meet GTWF feat requirements. This means you need to start with either 13(+4 Tome) or 14(+3 Tome) DEX.

• Other:
  INT, ideally you should have at least a +2 INT tome for the necessary skill points to pump into UMD, Heal and to some extent balance/concentration. I would strive for a base INT (after tomes) of 12. STR is 8 - 10.. yes it's not a typo. I can already hear the naysayers already: "OMG YOU DUMPED STR! YOU CAN'T MELEE YOU GIMP!!!"... Please, get over it. Melee DPS comes from feats, gear and ED here.

MELEE:
Piercing weapons: Daggers, Heavy Picks, primarily Rapiers. You use Master's Touch scrolls to gain proficiency. Use different weapon combinations to achieve different melee effects. For example: Radiance/Edrain, edrain/imp. paralyzing, DPS/radiance combo. My current main set is Celestia/Rebellion combo.

GEARING:
Other than your standard cleric must haves (+wis, +DC, +sp, +hp), here are other notables:

• Healing Amp - ideally all 10, 20, and 30%. It is absolutely necessary to power an aura that heals you for 70-100/tick and for your burst to heal effectively

• Devotion - Highest devotion stick you can find for off combat casting. Idealy should have 80+ devotion gear for in-combat casting.

• Impulse/Arcane Lore - This should go without saying, you should have high impulse/arcane lore stick/set to swap in when casting Blade Barrier.

• Radiance Weapon - You should have a radiance weapon (GS Rad II Rapier, Celestia, etc). At the very least have one as your offhand weapon. Blinded mobs miss 50%, lowers mob AC so you'll land more hits, AND works on EE thanks to no save. I swear by it.

• Guards - The best guard effects are the defensive ones. Namely, Stone Prison, invisibility and earthgrab guard. Stone Prison and Earthgrab provides CC when you most need it while invisibility guard works great against mobs/archers that can't see invis (you can hit them, but they can't hit you). These guards work well even in EE.

• Melee - Needless to say, any gear that enhances both your melee strikes is ideal: seeker, sneak attack, etc.

• PRR - Very important if you want to survive EE! Wear heavy armor with +14PRR augment.

EPIC DESTINIES:

• Exalted Angel
  Twists:
  - Rej. Cocoon, Evo. Specialist, Sense Weakness
  - Precise Evo, Evo. Specialist, Sense Weakness
  
  Use this destiny for general questing, raid healing and destroying undead. Will not afford you great melee DPS, but you gain:
  . Mobility in Wings
  . Extra Spellpoints
  . Enhanced spell power/caster levels mean your aura can tick upwards of over 100hp.
  . Up to +3 DC from investing in WIS.
  . Renewal
  
  
  - T3 Balanced Attack, Pin, Rej. Cocoon
  
  This is a fun combination to use with Radiant/Warpriest (Warpriest with Aura). Pin is fantastic no fail CC. T3 Balanced Attack is auto knockdown no-fail CC on vorpal - procs often enought to be effective (~1 in 10sec).
  
  EA Strike Down ability (it works now, yay!) is a free 1000+ light damage smite (500 damage per weapon proc) every 15 seconds - though it takes some skill to manage the required 10 stacks of Righeous Fervor. (hint: use eternal cure minor wounds to load stack). In EE quests with lots of big undead (EE madstone), I would bring this ED/twist. Ascendance w/Dual Drow Rapiers does top notch DPS against them.

• Fury of the Wild
  Twists:
  - Brace for Impact, Pin, Evo. Specialist/Grim Precision
  - Rej. Cocoon, Pin, Evo. Specialist/Grim Precision
  
  Use this destiny for EE content, particularly when attempting to solo. Pin and Adrenaline are no fail CC. Rej. Cocoon and your Aura allow you to stay on vertical while you hack away. Grim Precision is effective when combined with armor piercing gear for bypassing fort on Bosses and undead.
  
  [Update]
  - T3 Balanced Attack, Pin, Rej. Cocoon
  - Echoes of the Ancestors: Fury of the Wild, Pin, Rej. Cocoon
  
  With this setup, you have a ton a no-fail CC option in Pin, Adrenaline and Balanced Attack. If more HP is desired, Echoes is a good option, particularly if you have an odd CON. It can grant over 50 extra HP.

• Primal Avatar
  Twists: Precise Evo, Evo Specialist, Sense Weakness/Acute Instincts
  
  Lots of synergies here. You can use this destiny for general questing in place of Exalted Angel.
  
  [Update]
  Tree twitching trick, appears to no longer work. You will want to invest 3 tiers into Balanced Attack.

• Grandmaster of Flowers
  Twists: Rej. Cocoon, Evo Specialist, Sense Weakness
  
  You can grab a pair of handwraps and go into this destiny for some fast and furious DPS and with high WIS, you can land a mean EIN. Use for fun general questing. Not recommended for EE because you won't have the defenses (no PRR from robes, low dodge %) to survive.
  
  [Update]
  I haven't played with this destiny again since U19. But now with all the extra PRR options from Enhancements, I imagine this ED could be EE viable with the following twists:
  - T3 Balanced Attack, Pin, Rej. Cocoon

SCREENSHOTS:
Unleashing Unbridled Fury on Sobrien


Dual Drow Rapiers in Angel Form destroying a Bebelith