The Tempest Ranger, by Illuminati

[Illuminati]

Wow, I this build needs modernizing!

[Roaringdragon]

The Tempest Ranger, by Illuminati

It's been so long and after seeing all the new options, content, this is how I would make it.

Class: Ranger
Race: Drow Elf
Alignment: Neutral Good

Exlanation: Elf/Ranger for the Dex enhancements as this version will wear robes. Robes? Heck yeah. They quick switch instantaneously and you get the best attributes on them. Divine Power, Greater Fire/Cold, etc. all appear on robes. Neutral Good so that you can use ANY weapon without negative level and with Rangers Action Boost, you can UMD most items within the game.
Why is this better than a pure fighter?
Evasion – No Damage on a Reflex Save
Healing – When you get in trouble, just wand yourself up
Barkskin - +5 Natural Armor Bonus that stacks with everything
Robes – If you can get your AC high enough (see below) they have the best attributes

Begin Stats:

12 - Str (4 Pts)
20 - Dex (16 Pts)
11 - Con (5 Pts)
10 - Int
11 - Wis (3 Pts)
10 - Cha

End Stats:

16 - Str (+4 Str/-1 Dex ,Static Reward: Linen Handwraps)
34 - Dex (+4 Enhancement, +2 Enhancement, +3 Lvl’s 4/8/12, +3/4 item/buff, -1 Linen Handwraps)
14 - Con (+3 Item)
10 - Int
14 – Wis (+3 Item) *You are able to cast 4th level spells in DDO with an item modifier.
10 - Cha

Enhancements: Rangers Action Boost, Elven Dexterity II, Rangers Dexterity IV, Favored Attack III

Skills: Max UMD, Max Tumble, Move Silently, Hide, put points in Jump and Spot.

Note: UMD at Level 12 (+7 Rank, +6 Action Boost, +3 Item, +4 Greater Heroism) = 20. This is enough to equip anything in the game.
Tumble at Level 10 (+7 Rank, +12 Dex Bonus, +10 Spell (u cast), +7 Tumble item) = 36. Back/Side and Front Flip Time!

Feats:

Lvl 1 = Weapon Focus: Piercing, *Bow Strength, *Favored Enemy: Giants
Lvl 2 = *Rapid Shot, *Two-Weapon Fighting (TWF)
Lvl 3 = Weapon Finesse
Lvl 4 =
Lvl 5 =
Lvl 6 = Precision (+4 to attack, base damage is halved), *Many Shot, *Improved TWF, *Favored Enemy: Elves, *Precise Shot
Lvl 7 =
Lvl 8 =
Lvl 9 = Improved Critical: Piercing, *Evasion
Lvl 10 = *Favored Enemy: Evil Outsiders
Lvl 11 = *Improved Precise Shot, *Greater Two-Weapon Fighting
Lvl 12 = Improved Critical: Ranged


Attack Bonus (Level 12): Normal/Common Potential

+12 BaB
+12 Dex (Weapon Finesse)
+1 (Stat Damaging Weapon)
+1 Weapon Focus: Piercing
+4 Precision
+0/+4 (Greater Heroism)
+0/+3 (Favored Attack)
+0/+1 (Haste)
------------
+30, +30, +35, +40
+38, +38, +43, +48


Damage (Level 10): Normal/Common Potential
Weapon of Choice: Rapier (Puncturing even better)

1d6+5
+3 Strength
+0/+6 Favored)
+0/+1 Haste
-------
13/20 per hit (no elemental damage or con damage applied)

Crit Range = 15 – 20 so you get a x2 damage roughly 1 out of 4 hits.

Armor Class:

+10 Base
+12 Dex
+7 Shield (Heavy Steel or Mithral)
+6 Barkskin (at lvl 12)
+4 WW Bracers or MageArmor potions
+3 Deflection (Static Loot)
+2 Dodge * if you find the Chaosgarde bracers (buy mage armor potions)
---------
44 (Very Respectable)

*a +1 Dex tome and you hit 32. Cast Cats Grace to offset the -1 from Linen Handwraps and you add a +1 AB and +1 Armor Bonus.

My personal build has stats 22, 26, 16, 8, 16, 8 (w/ items only). It is great to pull the levers etc. but I believe it would have been better with a higher Dex. The ability to hot swap robes is awesome.

Scenarios:

Xorion Cypher: (Elves and Undead)
With a simple +1 Holy Mace and Rapier you will own this quest.

Tempest Spine (Elves, Evil Outsiders and Giants)
With a Puncture Rapier you will own this quest. I use a +5 Rapier on the Blackguards and they go down fast. The rest are squishy.

Gwayland’s Stand: (Elves, Minataurs, Goblinoid)
Any of the Monstrous Humanoid types are squishy.

Von 1-4: (Beholders, Mephits, Elves, Trolls)
Grab a Deathblock Robe of Light/Mod Fort and you own these guys fast. A puncture wep on all the drow, and a Flaming Rapier takes out the trolls. Whatever you wish on the Beholders, they go down fast.

Von 5: (Undead, WF, Dwarves)
The Undead here are like butter. Your damage bonus takes them out fast. Find a +1 Holy Rapier and you get 1d6+1 (+6 Favored Enemy), +2d6 (Holy). The key to WF is an Adamantium Wep or Puncture. Sure its hard to punch through their DR, but they have low Con (8-12). Usually two criticals and they go down.

Threnal: (Evil Outsiders, Giants, Various)
Puncture the Giants, and the rest are squishy. No problems here.

Enjoy. Comments welcome.

Now I feel bad about throwing away my bull strength robe and my deathblock robe with mod/light fort :/
Also, this ranger doesn't actually use the Tempest Prestidge right? I also want to know the hp/sp on this character build. Great build, just got my punc rapier , looking forward to more updates.
*Why favored enemy giants first? I would swap for undead and swap elves for giant (gianthold+ all those giant quests). Just some of my ideas

[Roaringdragon]

Illuminati, I'm still wondering why do you have giant for first favored enemy? I rather get undead for most of the low level content are undead. Then, you could swap elves for giants for the next favored enemy. IMO, I think those choices are better, I'm still not sure why you chose those. Also, I would like to know the hp/sp, since I'm too lazy to calculate it, ( I haven't read this thread fully, so if someone posted it please let me know, thank you ). Other then that, I think this build is great until lvl 20 epics... since you use puncture to kill your enemy, they have epic ward and that negated the effect 90% of the time (on ddowiki.com). This is a great build anyway.

*I would like to have more con/wis, should i lower dex?

[GimliTakeTwo]

I also had a few questions, haven't read every post yet here so please bear with me. Some may just be rule changes from SPs since this build was posted. But it's very intersting and has already made me start shopping at the AH for some puncturing rapiers

First question then, what is the lowest level at which you can use a weapon with puncture? The lowest I've seen so far is 6th and I've only seen one weapon with that level.

I was thinking of making a human version so most of my questions are really just to ask for a critique of the differences I had in mind. I was going to replace WF: Piercing and Precision feats with Dodge and Mobility and take Spring Attack with the human bonus feat. Then I can actually make a Tempest (love the build but why is it called Tempest when it doesn't use that Enhancement line at all?).

It seems to me since you're going for accuracy and AC, Tempest will give the AC bonus and also give a +2 bonus to hit from each weapon, plus offer extra strikes. Dodge lowers AC by 1, Mobility lowers it by 4 more when tumbling and Spring Attack adds to accuracy when you're moving around (which I imagine a light/finesse ranger would do for melee all the time).

For accuracy, why wouldn't you take the enhancements for elves for rapiers? Just can't sync that in my mind with taking the WF: Piercing and Precision feats.

I realize I will not have a 20 Dex to start with, but Humans can raise Dex as a stat the same as Elves. Also a Human ranger won't need to take the Ranger skill boost, he can take Human Versatility which can also be used for more melee accuracy or for AC. Also I can make a 32 point build (can't with Drow).

[Osharan_Tregarth]

Now I feel bad about throwing away my bull strength robe and my deathblock robe with mod/light fort :/
Also, this ranger doesn't actually use the Tempest Prestidge right? I also want to know the hp/sp on this character build. Great build, just got my punc rapier , looking forward to more updates.
*Why favored enemy giants first? I would swap for undead and swap elves for giant (gianthold+ all those giant quests). Just some of my ideas

This build was written originally a long time ago. Almost none of the recommendations are current, and the game has changed significantly since then. Tempest prestige class didn't exist, and so on.

Illuminati, I'm still wondering why do you have giant for first favored enemy? I rather get undead for most of the low level content are undead. Then, you could swap elves for giants for the next favored enemy. IMO, I think those choices are better, I'm still not sure why you chose those. Also, I would like to know the hp/sp, since I'm too lazy to calculate it, ( I haven't read this thread fully, so if someone posted it please let me know, thank you ). Other then that, I think this build is great until lvl 20 epics... since you use puncture to kill your enemy, they have epic ward and that negated the effect 90% of the time (on ddowiki.com). This is a great build anyway.

*I would like to have more con/wis, should i lower dex?

I also had a few questions, haven't read every post yet here so please bear with me. Some may just be rule changes from SPs since this build was posted. But it's very intersting and has already made me start shopping at the AH for some puncturing rapiers

First question then, what is the lowest level at which you can use a weapon with puncture? The lowest I've seen so far is 6th and I've only seen one weapon with that level.

I was thinking of making a human version so most of my questions are really just to ask for a critique of the differences I had in mind. I was going to replace WF: Piercing and Precision feats with Dodge and Mobility and take Spring Attack with the human bonus feat. Then I can actually make a Tempest (love the build but why is it called Tempest when it doesn't use that Enhancement line at all?).

It seems to me since you're going for accuracy and AC, Tempest will give the AC bonus and also give a +2 bonus to hit from each weapon, plus offer extra strikes. Dodge lowers AC by 1, Mobility lowers it by 4 more when tumbling and Spring Attack adds to accuracy when you're moving around (which I imagine a light/finesse ranger would do for melee all the time).

For accuracy, why wouldn't you take the enhancements for elves for rapiers? Just can't sync that in my mind with taking the WF: Piercing and Precision feats.

I realize I will not have a 20 Dex to start with, but Humans can raise Dex as a stat the same as Elves. Also a Human ranger won't need to take the Ranger skill boost, he can take Human Versatility which can also be used for more melee accuracy or for AC. Also I can make a 32 point build (can't with Drow).

It was called the tempest ranger because at the time it was created, tempest spine was the end game raid. Some of the enemies in there had a higher than normal armor class, and a lot of classes couldn't reach the required numbers to hit them on a regular basis.

It was made a drow after they added the drow class to the game, because they get racial bonuses to rapiers/shortswords.

I have a ranger lying around that was loosely based on this build's concepts, but he's been a mule for the last 2+ years. The game has changed significantly since then, and there really isn't any good reason to make a character based on this build concept currently.

[Doxmaster]

HMM. Yes. *puffs pipe* Necromancy strong here.

[Garund]

Now I feel bad about throwing away my bull strength robe and my deathblock robe with mod/light fort :/
Also, this ranger doesn't actually use the Tempest Prestidge right? I also want to know the hp/sp on this character build. Great build, just got my punc rapier , looking forward to more updates.
*Why favored enemy giants first? I would swap for undead and swap elves for giant (gianthold+ all those giant quests). Just some of my ideas

You do realize this thread was created back when the level cap was 12 and prior to the PRE system was even in place?!?

There are other more up to date builds out there in the Ranger forums. I'd suggest looking those up, if you can navigate through the new restructuring that is

Edit, someone beat me to it. Nevermind.

[Roaringdragon]

Forgot that this thread was made way before PrE enhancements. Just made one today, got it to lvl 3. Some questions I ask...
Starting Stats
Str:12
Dex:19
Con:12
Int:8
Wis:14
Cha:10
as a drow, did I mess up anything? Since I lowered one dex, I added more points to wis, but can this effect me very much? I've followed your feats, just switched the feat progress for wep finesse and wep focus: piercing. I see m to crit not very much...probably just because I'm lower level, but it does bother me when I only hit 5-7's, no elemental rapiers yet since none on AH. Any advice? I probably will level to 9, but if it still doesn't do to well for me I think i might scrap it.

[BattleCircle]

Forgot that this thread was made way before PrE enhancements. Just made one today, got it to lvl 3. Some questions I ask...
Starting Stats
Str:12
Dex:19
Con:12
Int:8
Wis:14
Cha:10
as a drow, did I mess up anything? Since I lowered one dex, I added more points to wis, but can this effect me very much? I've followed your feats, just switched the feat progress for wep finesse and wep focus: piercing. I see m to crit not very much...probably just because I'm lower level, but it does bother me when I only hit 5-7's, no elemental rapiers yet since none on AH. Any advice? I probably will level to 9, but if it still doesn't do to well for me I think i might scrap it.

Holy Thread Necro Batman!

No a tempest ranger should always be strength based.

[Roaringdragon]

Holy Thread Necro Batman!

No a tempest ranger should always be strength based.

I based this ranger off Illuminati's build, with a few changes of my own. This ranger doesn't need strength, all it really needs is dex, since it is a critting machine. So rapier of puncturing is its main dps weapon. When it crits all those times and hits that fast, the enemy's con will drop down like a stone. So in your tempest theory, not ALL tempest rangers should be strength based. Although I might actually rebuild mine to do that.

Also, this build is actually not a PrE tempest ranger just incase if you didn't about that

[Anthios888]

I based this ranger off Illuminati's build, with a few changes of my own. This ranger doesn't need strength, all it really needs is dex, since it is a critting machine. So rapier of puncturing is its main dps weapon. When it crits all those times and hits that fast, the enemy's con will drop down like a stone. So in your tempest theory, not ALL tempest rangers should be strength based. Although I might actually rebuild mine to do that.

Also, this build is actually not a PrE tempest ranger just incase if you didn't about that

You just made it today... how do you know enough about "this ranger" that you can so confidently turn away advice?

This build has nothing to recommend it for "critting" or con damage over many other builds, including fighter kensei (increased crit range), rogue (crippling strike), or, I hate to say it, an actual tempest that swings more often. Not that con damage is all that useful in the scheme of things, but I won't go into that. Even if you were interested in a con damage build, a pure ranger without tempest has one of the slowest swing speeds of any melee because many out there have haste boosts or other bonuses to swing, and is perhaps one of the least able to take advantage of the autocrit situations while using rapiers.

Unless by "critting machine" you mean that critting is the only time this build will do much damage?

There's nothing wrong with a drow ranger or even a dex-based drow ranger, but I feel you might be operating under some assumptions that, while great back in mod 2, will ultimately push you toward a build that is not what you are expecting.

[Roaringdragon]

Since Illuminati said that the main dps of this character is the crits, making con loss/ elemental dmg. Most of the time now I'm lvl 4, I added some enhance and got Ram's Might. Which makes this old build alot better, and it does crit a bit. (Every one -three hits). I was not expecting a very good result at the beginning, just not expecting to die in 2 hits or so :/

[Roaringdragon]

I'm debating to reroll, or stay like that and feat change here and there to remake it better. Of course, if I made dex 17/18 I could boost the build str, con, and wis a bit. Which makes the build more fun and better to play. A barb and cleric also intrests me... but those are different classes for different threads. :S I'm also still wondering do those bonuses and the build stack with today's mod?

[Roaringdragon]

Holy Thread Necro Batman!

No a tempest ranger should always be strength based.

I just cannot say that all tempest rangers have to be strength based that's all.

[PopeJual]

Wow, I this build needs modernizing!

This quote is from February, 2008. It might be best to let this thread return to its well deserved rest.

[Anthios888]

Since Illuminati said that the main dps of this character is the crits, making con loss/ elemental dmg. Most of the time now I'm lvl 4, I added some enhance and got Ram's Might. Which makes this old build alot better, and it does crit a bit. (Every one -three hits). I was not expecting a very good result at the beginning, just not expecting to die in 2 hits or so :/

Try something like this. More conceptually similar to your vision of an elven ranger, and a build originally inspired by Illuminati.

http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=254975

It's using scimitars, but you could just as easily substitute rapiers if you like that idea.

[Roaringdragon]

The thread you posted Anthios888 is good. Just that now I got more of the hang to play with this toon around more. He can literally just be a regular ranger, by ranging monsters, and nobody can tell the difference. Then, just pop out his rapiers when in dps. Somehow though, I find myself using my +1 Greatsword of Lesser Reptillian Bane more often then my rapiers. Since in WW, the rapiers only do minimal damage, so I resort to my greatsword more often and then suddenly pop up in the kill ranks. Probably because of my style though, and greatswords just have a higher base dmg...I'm still looking for a elemental rapier I somehow cannot find on the AH to enhance my dps and not always hoping for a crit.

[yawumpus]

I just cannot say that all tempest rangers have to be strength based that's all.

It is close enough to being true. The amount of knowledge needed to plan a non-strength ranger to not hit a dead end is considerable. Then the non-strength based ranger will be always less powerful than the strength based ranger except for a narrow window of quests when he has an adequate AC (typically at below level). Only through a great deal of grind can a well planned ranger work, and that requires great skill, planning and patience. Anyone who builds a "tempest ranger" without dodge, mobility and spring attack isn't there yet.

If you must build a dex-based melee, try using something that causes extra damage through something other than strength. Rogues are a good choice (although power gamers *always* choose strength rogues). Paladins are another choice (although a rare build, they need the strength).

[Roaringdragon]

Well, he was saying ALL tempest rangers must be strength based. I do agree now that most should be, but not everyone has to be strength based, though it is sensible to be strength based.

Meh...enough with me on this thread. I'm going to do a pseudo Shaman cleric build posted by Sigtrent. Great beginning, and a good healer/caster at the end with slight dps (1 DA axe)

[artentix]

i think you illuminaty, think the most whit ac, you are an tempest ranger and the weapon damage is also important
i aint saying that you r built is a bad choise but i think having also big STR will help