Dwarf Tempest: Enhancement Pass Revamp

[CountBabcula]

Hi guys!

So just days before the new pass, I finally got my first Epic level character in my PermaDeath guild. He's a Dwarf Ranger 18/Fighter 2, and pretty dang awesome -- the DPS on him rocks, and he's very survivable. The update raised his sustained DPS by a little bit thanks to Kensai, his burst DPS by a ton thanks to the various maneuvers, and his HP by just a little bit. I'm satisfied with his new power level, but I think I can squeeze a little more out of him... But I need help!

My PD guild has decided to allow the +20 Hearts of Wood to be used this time; so I want to take the time to rebuild my little dwarf from the ground up. My goals are simple: Two weapon fighting with Dwarven axes; maximum sustained and burst DPS possible; usability in low Epics (so a build that isn't viable until I unlock a Twist won't be very useful; PD leveling takes a while, and I'm only a few enhancements into Fury of the Wild). Finally, I want to keep his HP and saves as high as they currently are, or even higher; I don't mind losing AC, so long as my dodge remains strong to pick up the slack.

One last challenge: He is the character I unlocked 32 Point Builds on, so he himself is a 28er. OTOH, he has +2 Con, Str, and Wis tomes and a +1 Dex tome.

The way I see it, I've got three real options:

1) Abuse the fact that I no longer need Dex for Tempest. Get 4 levels of Fighter for more Kensai weapon buffs, max out the Tempest and Dwarf tree, pick up Cleave and Improved Cleave so I can get Overwhelming Critical next level. OWC on a Dwarven axe is very nice, so this is quite tempting. Also, the character already has a +2 Str tome, which means that I can put the minimum amount of Strength necessary to hit 23 into the build while maxxing Con. Then I'll pick up Throw Your Weight Around. This build would hurt my Reflex save, buff my Fort save, and give me many, many more HP. It would cut down on my To Hit but raise my damage. It also hurts my Tactical maneuvers.

2) Pick up a few levels of Barbarian (not sure how many), with maybe a splash of Fighter thrown in. If 6 or less levels of Barbarian (I do want to get 4th level Ranger spells) can get me a usable level of Rage, I should be doing even more damage. Especially if I go Con focused with TYWA; Rage increases Con, after all. The max amount of DPS I can see potential for is Ranger 14/Fighter 2/Barbarian 4; top of the Tempest tree, some Kensai, and Rage plus barbarian enhancements could mesh nicely.

3) Head into Rogue for a couple of levels, enough to get some bonus SA dice from Assassin. Maybe even enough to handle trapping. This will definetely boost my saves and maybe even burst/party DPS, but I like the character's current soloability and "charge into battle swinging wildly" mentality, as most of my other characters are Rogues or Casters.

4) I guess I could also go pure Ranger, or stay with 2 Fighter. Not sure if that's a good idea.


Thoughts?

[CrackedIce]

Hi guys!

So just days before the new pass, I finally got my first Epic level character in my PermaDeath guild. He's a Dwarf Ranger 18/Fighter 2, and pretty dang awesome -- the DPS on him rocks, and he's very survivable. The update raised his sustained DPS by a little bit thanks to Kensai, his burst DPS by a ton thanks to the various maneuvers, and his HP by just a little bit. I'm satisfied with his new power level, but I think I can squeeze a little more out of him... But I need help!

My PD guild has decided to allow the +20 Hearts of Wood to be used this time; so I want to take the time to rebuild my little dwarf from the ground up. My goals are simple: Two weapon fighting with Dwarven axes; maximum sustained and burst DPS possible; usability in low Epics (so a build that isn't viable until I unlock a Twist won't be very useful; PD leveling takes a while, and I'm only a few enhancements into Fury of the Wild). Finally, I want to keep his HP and saves as high as they currently are, or even higher; I don't mind losing AC, so long as my dodge remains strong to pick up the slack.



Thoughts?

One - One of the best Sustained Melee DPS is 12 ranger 8 fighter and obtain tier 5 with fighter - 100% offhand plus +1 threat increase. You can then max out your weapon damage in fighter, ranger, and dwarf for 12 damage. I would only put points in the upper dwarf weapons if you want to use the other dwarf abilities - like throw your weight around.

That should leave you with 7 AP to put into Deepwood for positive healing and 2d6 SA.

Two - Cross between AA and Tempest; tier 5 in AA for Slaying arrows, 21 points in Tempest for 100% offhand. Follow up with either 7 or 8 rogue for SA (8 for improved uncanny) and finish up with fighter 1 for feat.

Three - 15 ranger and pick up fighter 4 and barbarian 1; three extra feats, run speed, and PA +3 from barb.

Four - 13 Rogue 6 ranger 1 fighter could net you 14d6 SA damage at level 20 - but you would want to go 21 dex for extra 3d6 SA in epic feat. Acrobat gets you +30% to helpless and defensive roll benefits should you want it. Your heals will be dependent on UMD and a regenerating cocoon.

[unbongwah]

One - One of the best Sustained Melee DPS is 12 ranger 8 fighter and obtain tier 5 with fighter - 100% offhand plus +1 threat increase.

OP said he wanted lvl 4 spells, which means at least rgr 14, so this isn't an option for him; neither is your 2nd or 4th suggestion.

I'd be tempted to suggest LRing into pure rgr; the Tempest capstone is nice (+25% offhand doublestrike) and an extra FE doesn't hurt. Feats: Power Atk, CL, GC, IC:Slash, Overwhelming Crit, PTWF; the rest can go into, say, Toughness + eToughness, or Dodge + TWD, or a couple of metamagics (Quik+Emp Heal+Rejuv Cocoon FTW!), or some ranged feats (e.g., PBS + IC:Ranged) - maybe even the DM for the heck of it, because who doesn't like glowing tattoos? Then it's just a matter of deciding if you're going STR- or CON-based (TYWA) and tweaking your stats accordingly.