Gingerspyce's caster/healer/quasi-tank build

[Vooduspyce]

First of all, I really enjoy this thread, and the build

Second; this might be a stupid and n00bish question, but where does the insightful wis +2 on your cloak come from?
Cant seem to find on pages like http://ddowiki.com/page/Insight_bonus

Hope u can clarify this for me...

Hey Seawolf, I'm glad you've enjoyed the thread and build thanks for saying!

A diamond of insightful stat +2 is a an augment found in random loot. There aren't any static drops or places in the game to trade or purchase them from. Try searching the AH and SE or get from friends. I think they were purchasable in the DDO store at one time, but I don't see them there now.

[Hobgoblin]

Hey Seawolf, I'm glad you've enjoyed the thread and build thanks for saying!

A diamond of insightful stat +2 is a an augment found in random loot. There aren't any static drops or places in the game to trade or purchase them from. Try searching the AH and SE or get from friends. I think they were purchasable in the DDO store at one time, but I don't see them there now.

found em today - 195 tp

[Vooduspyce]

found em today - 195 tp

weird, I still don't see them even when searching by name.

[Hobgoblin]

weird, I still don't see them even when searching by name.

i typed in wisdom and it popped up.

i also tried diamond and they popped up as well

[Vooduspyce]

i typed in wisdom and it popped up.

i also tried diamond and they popped up as well

Something isn't working right for me then. I type in wisdom and the only augment that comes up is a diamond of wisdom +5.

[Hobgoblin]

Something isn't working right for me then. I type in wisdom and the only augment that comes up is a diamond of wisdom +5.

hmm what level are you?

maybe click show all?

[Vooduspyce]

hmm what level are you?

maybe click show all?

I remember there being a show all option in the old store, but I don't see one in the new store. Where is it?

[Dranyer]

Hi! Thanks so much for your build. I really love the concept!

I have a few questions though:

1. If I wanted to go with a tank-Y caster build, but not necessarily a tank, what changes would you make? I imagine things like Intimidate would not be as important.

2. What is the difference between a Winter (Cold-based?) build vs. a Summer (Fire/Light?) build in terms of performance, DPS or otherwise? I see that the other major builds on this forums are light-based, e.g. the Helios and CC Summer builds.

[Vooduspyce]

Hi! Thanks so much for your build. I really love the concept!

I have a few questions though:

1. If I wanted to go with a tank-Y caster build, but not necessarily a tank, what changes would you make? I imagine things like Intimidate would not be as important.

If you're new I'd recommend going with it as-is and then after you go through it once you can make adjustments based on your personal playstyle and experiences, e.g. you can ratchet down the tankyness to a level that fits your needs. Another suggestion is to go with everything as-is and just run in a higher dps destiny like Shiradi or Draconic. Intimidate is a handy skill to have, even if you don't use it regularly, but if you're skill point starved then you can do without if you don't want to tank proper. Alternatively you could still run in Sentinel but swap feats like Toughness, Epic Toughness, Shield Mastery, Improved Shield mastery and Heavy Armor Proficiency for feats that are more caster focused. Toughness and Epic Toughness are the first feats you'd want to lose.

2. What is the difference between a Winter (Cold-based?) build vs. a Summer (Fire/Light?) build in terms of performance, DPS or otherwise? I see that the other major builds on this forums are light-based, e.g. the Helios and CC Summer builds.

I don't have experience with those kinds of builds, so I cannot say for sure... I'm too in love with Mantle of the Icy Soul, lol. Hopefully others here can help to explain the important distinctions in performance. I know there are folks here that have done both fire and cold druids.

If you decide to give the build a try, I hope you will enjoy it!

[Hobgoblin]

Hi! Thanks so much for your build. I really love the concept!

I have a few questions though:

1. If I wanted to go with a tank-Y caster build, but not necessarily a tank, what changes would you make? I imagine things like Intimidate would not be as important.

2. What is the difference between a Winter (Cold-based?) build vs. a Summer (Fire/Light?) build in terms of performance, DPS or otherwise? I see that the other major builds on this forums are light-based, e.g. the Helios and CC Summer builds.

first off what content are you talking?

if there are no resistances, fire is slightly ahead, but behind on cc.

a lot of the end game content is devils which are immune to fire so.........

[Dranyer]

first off what content are you talking?

if there are no resistances, fire is slightly ahead, but behind on cc.

a lot of the end game content is devils which are immune to fire so.........

Thanks for your reply, Hobgoblin!

I am indeed thinking about end-game content, and must admit I did not really think about resistances to fire. The summer build all seem to focus on light SLAs (from Exalted Angel) instead though, so I wonder whether that makes a difference in the viability of either builds?

[Hobgoblin]

Thanks for your reply, Hobgoblin!

I am indeed thinking about end-game content, and must admit I did not really think about resistances to fire. The summer build all seem to focus on light SLAs (from Exalted Angel) instead though, so I wonder whether that makes a difference in the viability of either builds?

well cant you go light on either side? I havn't ran this build in a while (tr'ng for 3 sorc lives and a wiz life) but i the way i ran it in epics was get all the mobs chasing me, eq, icestorm sleetstorm and pick off the harder mobs with light spells while they die in the storm

[Dranyer]

I think the idea in those builds is to make use of the synergy in things like the FvS Angel of Vengeance enhancements (Scourge, Smiting) and destinies such as Empyrean Magic. Those affect both fire and light spells, so it would be a waste to focus on cold instead.

Additionally, focusing on either fire or water element form would cause you to lose the caster level bonuses and gain corresponding penalties by being in the "correct" form. To a lesser extent, this also applies to the bonuses (spellpower, crit) from the "correct" season in the Season's Herald enhancements, but that is less controllable.

Of course, it is not impossible to focus on Winter form and continue using light spells as this build does. I think in the end, it is a matter of efficiency/synergy in the build, spells, and gear that you choose to use, especially if you are aiming for a min/max build, as well as what you are trying to get your build to do.

[theboyftw]

great thread. returning to the game after some time off and I'm ready to run a druid life on one of my toons and I like what I see here. A couple of questions - and I'm sorry if they've been answered in one of the many pages prior.

1. I'm on Cannith server and there are NO dragon scales on the auction house, and as I mostly solo, I don't see myself ever getting a set of dragonscale armor. however, I notice now they have this 'spiritcraft' and 'feycraft' armor which seems to give much higher AC bonuses than your standard run of the mill armors (even medium hide armor persay). Is there still a benefit of medium or heavy armor over these new armor types that is worth the feat? is there a new mechanic in place besides armor class that provides benefits to heavy armor that I'm not aware of....?

2. do any of the early Harper enhancements fit in the build in replacement of some of the class/racial enhancements you've noted on your original build?

3. in what order did you choose your enhancements? do you focus on getting the SLA's early or later?

thanks, and I'm enjoying the build. level 7 thus fair...

[unbongwah]

1. I'm on Cannith server and there are NO dragon scales on the auction house, and as I mostly solo, I don't see myself ever getting a set of dragonscale armor. however, I notice now they have this 'spiritcraft' and 'feycraft' armor which seems to give much higher AC bonuses than your standard run of the mill armors (even medium hide armor persay). Is there still a benefit of medium or heavy armor over these new armor types that is worth the feat? is there a new mechanic in place besides armor class that provides benefits to heavy armor that I'm not aware of....?

Druids can't use metal armor, which means they can't use lootgen med or hvy armor. So one of the incentives for acquiring dragonscale armor is it's non-metallic, which means more PRR. That said, the armor nerf in Update 28 means that using med or hvy instead of lt armor has fewer benefits than it used to. So stick to lt leather armor until you can acquire the better named med/hvy armors.

http://ddowiki.com/page/Druid_equipment

If you have Sorrowdusk, Wharfrat's Plank + Swampscale Armor is a decent druid-friendly ML:8 combo, particularly if you have some augments.

[Vooduspyce]

great thread. returning to the game after some time off and I'm ready to run a druid life on one of my toons and I like what I see here. A couple of questions - and I'm sorry if they've been answered in one of the many pages prior.

1. I'm on Cannith server and there are NO dragon scales on the auction house, and as I mostly solo, I don't see myself ever getting a set of dragonscale armor. however, I notice now they have this 'spiritcraft' and 'feycraft' armor which seems to give much higher AC bonuses than your standard run of the mill armors (even medium hide armor persay). Is there still a benefit of medium or heavy armor over these new armor types that is worth the feat? is there a new mechanic in place besides armor class that provides benefits to heavy armor that I'm not aware of....?

Once you get to about L15ish, farm Tor on hard or elite 3 or 4 times and do all dragons and you will easily have 20 scales. Use your black and white scales to spam market, harbor and Eveningstar trade channels and say you will trade them for blues. I think you will find that there are plenty of people that will make that trade. Or the people in your group that farm Tor with you may trade. The heavy blue dragonscale is really nice for the build, and as Unbonwah said, there aren't good random gen armors that druids can wear during upper heroic levels. Also keep checking the AH in case any pop up. I found that during my "true first life" series, where I went to another server with nothing, that I was able to acquire dragonscale armor, a shield of legends, and all kinds of good stuff. It may take a little hustling though. If you can't get the dragon armor, don't stress, just use the best random gen leather you can find. Especially if you're just doing it for a past life.

2. do any of the early Harper enhancements fit in the build in replacement of some of the class/racial enhancements you've noted on your original build?

There's nothing that is must have from Harper, imo, but there are definitely some useful things in there. I have used Harper Leadership at low levels to have a stronger wolf companion and summons. There's also spell power, hit points, skill points. I think it really just comes down to preference.

3. in what order did you choose your enhancements? do you focus on getting the SLA's early or later?

Definitely get the SLA's as early as possible. They maximize and empower for free, so they represent a big part of your power and sp conservation.

thanks, and I'm enjoying the build. level 7 thus fair...

Yvw, things just start getting warmed up at that point, so I hope you will enjoy it even more once you get Body of the Sun, Earthquake, etc!

[Chewychunga]

Thanks for the build.. im currently lvl 20 and was wondering if you could post a firstlife item chart or something like you did for 1-20 for gear but for 21-28
the existing ones may also want a update with the new item names/drops

and how do you burn so little mana? it seems like 2/3 good fights and im burnt out

[Vooduspyce]

Thanks for the build.. im currently lvl 20 and was wondering if you could post a firstlife item chart or something like you did for 1-20 for gear but for 21-28
the existing ones may also want a update with the new item names/drops

and how do you burn so little mana? it seems like 2/3 good fights and im burnt out

Hey Chewy thanks, I'm glad you're liking it!

A first life gear chart for L20-28 is something I'd like to put together, but that's a bit of a project, so prob won't get to it right away. In the mean time if you'd like some suggestions for specific slots, let me know and I am happy to offer.

There are several mana conservation strategies that are good to use for druid casters and casters in general...

1. Focus on using SLA's. These are super cheap and you can apply all metamagic feats to them for free!

2. Gather groups of mobs together and let your AOE spells chew them down. Don't fall into the trap of wanting to cast Greater Creeping Cold on everything. It's an awesome spell but if you're casting it on every mob you see then you will find you are manaless fast! A little patience goes a long way in terms of conserving mana. Focus on using Greater Creeping Cold on orange named mobs and bosses, or mobs that don't want to be kited into your AOE's like casters and archers.

3. I like to use the Torc of Prince Raiyum de II. When you get hit, there's a chance it gives you spell points. This is not an optimal piece of gear, but I love it! It's lots of fun and procs a lot and can really add up and it works especially well with the tanky style of play that this build focuses on. It comes from the Demon Queen raid. At level 20, you should be able to solo it on heroic elite no prob. If you get to your 20th completion, be sure to do your 20th run on heroic. Doing your 20th on heroic will give you a list of base items. If you do your 20th on epic it will give you a list of shards instead.

4. Make sure you have Efficient Metamagic: Maximize from your enhancement tree. There is also gear with Efficient Metamagic on it. If you can get your hands on a Meridian Fragment, it reduced the cost of Maximize by 6sp, but that is a level 28 augment.

5. Turn off maximize, empower and intensify for certain spells. Earthquake for example, because it doesn't do enough damage to justify using damage metas like empower, maximize and intensify. It's the knockdown ability you care most about. Also turn off all metas for the regular version of Produce Flame. Again, it doesn't do enough damage to justify the cost of adding metas to it, but at 6sp it can be useful to spam at times. I also turn off all metas except for quicken on the regular version of Sunburst because I'm really just going for the blinding effect. Of course you want to keep metas on for your SLA versions of Produce Flame and Sunburst, because metas are free to apply to SLA's.

Hope this helps and if you want some tips on certain gear slots let me know

[Vooduspyce]

I've been asked about a recommended destiny to run in while amassing martial epic past lives. After my experiences with playing melee a bit in the Gingergnome series, I personally would, just for fun and sake of leveling in the martial sphere, replace the toughness feats with Cleave and Great Cleave and have a little fun with the melee enhancements in Legendary Dreadnought. I already have all my martial epl's so I'm afraid I won't get to personally try it, but thought I'd mention.

I just finished a fun trailer for my next series, which will begin right where Gingergnome left off. I am excited to post it very soon... probably Friday.

[Vooduspyce]

The next incarnation officially begins...




I've already added Deep Gnome stats and details to the OP.

Episode 1 will debut in about a week!