Iconic Builds for New Players

[pappo]

DEX-based TWF Assassin builds are also pretty straight-forward. Mine is very similar to slarden's halfling DEX build.


SDK Daggerdruid: This is a fairly straight-forward flavor build: DEX-based TWF druid 15 / rogue 5 using daggers (hence the less-than-spectacular name). Requires druid, obviously, and a WIS item to start to cast spells; you'll need WIS 18 by lvl 20 from whatever combo of gear, tome, shipbuff, etc. you can manage. Decent melee DPS, a little bit of caster DPS (partly for flavor, partly for Arcane Warrior stacks), plus plenty of heal & buffs from druid spells + Sacred Ground, ofc.

SDK Daggerdruid
15/5 Druid/Rogue
Neutral Good Shadar-kai


Level Order

1. Rogue           6. Druid          11. Druid          16. Druid
2. Druid           7. Druid          12. Rogue          17. Druid
3. Druid           8. Rogue          13. Druid          18. Druid
4. Druid           9. Druid          14. Druid          19. Druid
5. Druid          10. Druid          15. Rogue          20. Rogue


Stats
               32pt     Level Up
               ----     --------
Strength         8       4: DEX
Dexterity       20       8: DEX
Constitution    14      12: DEX
Intelligence    16      16: DEX
Wisdom           8      20: DEX
Charisma         6      24: DEX
                        28: DEX

Skills
          R  D  D  D  D  D  D  R  D  D  D  R  D  D  R  D  D  D  D  R
          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
         ------------------------------------------------------------
Spellcr   2  2  2  1  1  1  1     2  1  1     2  1     2  1  1  1  1  23
Disable   4  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  23
Search    4  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  23
Spot      4  1  1     2     2     1  2  1     1  2     1  2  1  1  1  23
UMD       4                    7           4        3              5  23
Open Lo   4        1           2           5        6              1  19
Heal      2              2              1                    1  1      7
Balance   4                                                            4
Jump      4                                                            4
Swim      4                                                            4
Tumble    4                                                            4
         ------------------------------------------------------------
         44  7  7  7  7  7  7 11  7  7  7 11  7  7 11  7  7  7  7 11


Feats

 1        : Two Weapon Fighting
 3        : Precision
 3 Druid  : Wild Shape 1: Wolf
 6        : Quicken Spell
 6 Druid  : Wild Shape 1: Bear
 9        : Improved Two Weapon Fighting
10 Druid  : Wild Shape 2: Winter Wolf
12        : Improved Critical: Piercing
14 Druid  : Wild Shape 2: Dire Bear
15        : Greater Two Weapon Fighting
17 Druid  : Wild Shape 3: Fire Elemental
18        : Empower Healing Spell
21 Epic   : Overwhelming Critical
24 Epic   : Two Weapon Defense OR Hamstring
26 Destiny: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting
27 Epic   : Epic Damage Reduction
28 Destiny: First Blood OR Elusive Target
29 Destiny: Arcane Warrior OR Dire Charge
30 Epic   : Blinding Speed OR Epic Reflexes
30 Legend : Scion of: Plane of Fire


Spells

Druid

Ram's Might, <Any>, <Any>, <Any>, <Any>
Barkskin, <Any>, <Any>, <Any>, <Any>
Sleet Storm, <Any>, <Any>, <Any>, <Any>
Freedom of Movement, Cure Serious Wounds, <Any>, <Any>, <Any>
Death Ward, Greater Vigor, Stoneskin, Cure Critical Wounds, Panacea
<Any>, <Any>, <Any>, <Any>
Regenerate, Mass Greater Vigor, Body of the Sun
<Any>, <Any>


Enhancements (80 AP)

Assassin (37 AP)

Knife in the Darkness, Dagger in the Back
Poison Strikes: Heartseeker, Shiv III, Sneak Attack Training
Venomed Blades III, Sneak Attack Training, Damage Boost III
Sneak Attack Training, Dexterity
Execute, Killer III, Sneak Attack Training, Dexterity
Measure the Foe III, Deadly Strikes, Knife Specialization

Thief-Acrobat (23 AP)

Staff Control, Stick Fighting
Thief Acrobatics III, Sly Flourish II, Fast Movement
Haste Boost III
Shadow Dodge III, Dexterity
No Mercy III

Nature's Warrior (13 AP)

Nature's Warrior
Extra Wild Empathy III, Shifting Rake I
Flight III, Vengeful Hunter II
Fatal Harrier III

Shadar-kai (7 AP)

Shadar-kai Grit, Dexterity, Shadow Phase, Shadow Jaunt


Destiny (24 AP)

Divine Crusader

Bane of Undeath, Interrogation, Purge the Wicked
Consecration III, Flames of Purity II
Sacred Ground, Empyrean Magic, Blessed Blades
No Regret, Crusade
Castigation, Celestial Champion
Strike Down

Twists of Fate (35 fate points)

Sense Weakness (Tier 4 Fury)
Grim Precision (Tier 3 Shadowdancer)
Balanced Attacks (Tier 3 Primal)
Rejuvenation Cocoon (Tier 1 Primal)

I delayed the last rogue level to lvl 20 in order to squeeze out more skill pts; but the downside is you don't get tier-5 Assassin enhancements until then, so your heroic leveling will be slower / more of a PITA due to lower melee DPS. If you have a +2 INT tome to start, divide the extra skill pts between Open Lock and Heal. If you have Harper, you can ditch SDK enhancements for Know the Angles.

EDIT: due to low DCs, fire spells like Body of the Sun and firewall are just there to help build stacks of Arcane Warrior and Empyrean Magic, which in turn help melee DPS and Consecration, respectively.

Wondered if you had given any thought to a Shadar Kai that uses the Visanti Dagger enhancement tree .
Thanks for all these builds you provide us.

[unbongwah]

Wondered if you had given any thought to a Shadar Kai that uses the Visanti Dagger enhancement tree .

There's some build discussions here:

https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...ng-Vistani-SWF
https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...-Knife-Fighter

Also some Blood of Vol build ideas, but those require an Eberron (non-Iconic) race.

https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...50-Vistani-FvS
https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...of-Vol-Vistani

Disclaimer: I don't own Vistani yet, so all of my VKF builds are theory-crafted only.

[kendo]

[QUOTE=unbongwah;6052204]That is because (A) wizards can inscribe every available scroll so your leveling choices don't matter that much (usually I focus on spells which can't be bought from vendors), (B) because you can change spells at taverns / shrines, you will respec your available spells based on content you run (unlike sorcs, who have to pick their spells more carefully to match their Savants), and (C) I'm lazy when it comes to stuff I don't enjoy like compiling gear lists or picking best spells.


thank you for replying, sorry I wasn't very clear with my question. in your posts about the DG illusionist, you mention different items to look for to boost negative damage, impulse damage, acid damage and cold damage. was trying to see what you thought the best fit was for secondary damage but maybe it's a little bit of everything and just swap out spells and equipment

[unbongwah]

was trying to see what you thought the best fit was for secondary damage but maybe it's a little bit of everything and just swap out spells and equipment

Yes, one of the primary advantages of wizards vs sorcs is being able to swap out their spell lists at will. Acid is a good all-around pick and DG starts out with Corrosion gear, but it's not optimal for all situations; hence why I suggest looking for other Spellpower items. I don't bother with specific gear lists, though, because it's a PITA to keep them up-to-date with every update and I have way too many build threads to maintain.

If you need to know what spells / elements are best for which quests, well, that's what the wiki is for.

[PrinceMyshkin]

Eldritch Knight (non-lousy DPS edition) - this is an update on a build I've been using off & on for the last couple of years. Basically, it trades the extra melee DPS from the last two KotC cores for extra survivability from Eldritch Knight PrE plus two bonus wizard feats. In particular, I like Arcane Barrier: both a handy defensive buff and a visual reminder you forgot to Reconstruct yourself.
...
Bladeforged (18 AP)

• Improved Fortification
  
  
  1. Mechanist III
  2. Communion of Scribing III
  3. Improved Power Attack I
  4. Communion of Handling, Weapon Attachment, Power of the Forge

I don't know if they've changed the Enhancements tree or what but the BF4 tier requires 15 AP spent which I don't see--only 11 AP spent up to that point. In fact, I had to spend an extra point to get Communion of Scribing. I created this toon a long time ago but have been using him for favor farming. He's now starting to level and I've not been very successful in modifying builds. Since this is a "newbie" thread, would you mind taking a look at this? Thanks!

Edit: Looking at the leveling guide, my guess is that Mechanist used to cost 2 AP each. So, how would you suggest modifying it?

[unbongwah]

Edit: Looking at the leveling guide, my guess is that Mechanist used to cost 2 AP each. So, how would you suggest modifying it?

Probably +1 CON from the core. I think they also reduced the cost of Imp Power Atk to 1 AP per tier so you should be able to afford to max it out now for +6 dmg total.

[Dulcimerist]

I recently bought Shadowfell, and a friend on Cannith has me trying to start up characters there to quest with him. Creating an iconic level 15 character might help me to farm up BtA items for my poorly-geared, new level 7 character. Which of the Shadowfell iconics is my best choice for an easy-to-play solo character that doesn't need to invest in a lot of new gear? The Bladeforged Paladin probably best fits that description, due to survivability and self-heals. Purple Dragon looks slightly more interesting to me, though. How would the PD Kensei Knight build compare to the BF Pally for survivability and solo play? I do like bards, and have heard that PD bards can be decent; but am unsure what route to go with a PD bard.

I know I'd have a ton more fun with a ranged character, but would have a tough time farming up a repeater right off the bat for the SDK Mechanic.

Thanks for posting these builds! I've enjoyed several of your other builds from the past!

[kendo]

I recently bought Shadowfell, and a friend on Cannith has me trying to start up characters there to quest with him. Creating an iconic level 15 character might help me to farm up BtA items for my poorly-geared, new level 7 character. Which of the Shadowfell iconics is my best choice for an easy-to-play solo character that doesn't need to invest in a lot of new gear? The Bladeforged Paladin probably best fits that description, due to survivability and self-heals. Purple Dragon looks slightly more interesting to me, though. How would the PD Kensei Knight build compare to the BF Pally for survivability and solo play? I do like bards, and have heard that PD bards can be decent; but am unsure what route to go with a PD bard.

I know I'd have a ton more fun with a ranged character, but would have a tough time farming up a repeater right off the bat for the SDK Mechanic.

Thanks for posting these builds! I've enjoyed several of your other builds from the past!

I am playing the BF Paladin build and have some decent equipment but definitely not top of the line in most slots. he easily soloed heroic hard to elite and is on his second pass through levels 20 - 30 after an Epic reincarnation and handles epic hard to elite pretty easily as well. if you have, or get, the new Ravenloft pack, just go in there at level 15 and pick out your weapon of choice. can go in on normal for a quick run as you are too high to affect any bravery bonus and if you do it first thing, it wouldn't matter any way. that level 10 weapon works very well. for my BF, I used the falchion from there until level 20+, when I could pull out some stored weapons that were finally better.

next up in my plans for iconic reincarnations is the SDK mechanic build, lucky enough to have a divine artillery sitting in the bank (just pulled it this past week) and can't wait to use it

[unbongwah]

Which of the Shadowfell iconics is my best choice for an easy-to-play solo character that doesn't need to invest in a lot of new gear?

Personally I would go either BF or ML, depending on whether you prefer melee or caster. Air, Earth, Fire, or Sun domain would all work well; remember that Air and Earth let you use Light spellpower for your lightning / acid spells, so you don't even need new Spellpower gear. [EDIT: though in the case of Air / Earth, I think your crit chance is still based on Magnetism / Corrosion Lore, so you'll probably want to add that to your gear.] Good domain is also fine if you like spamming Blade Barrier, but remember ML doesn't start with Impulse gear, so you'll want that ASAP.

How would the PD Kensei Knight build compare to the BF Pally for survivability and solo play?

Kensei Knight tries to straddle the DPS / survivability divide between pure ftr and pure pally. I.e., better survivability than pure ftr, better DPS (I hope) than pure pally. The downside is at lvl 15 you're only ftr 6 / pal 9, so you don't have Zeal yet and for healing you only have LoHs + CLW. Also you'll want to upgrade from longsword to khopesh ASAP, presuming you stick with SWF. But if you think that's good enough, it should be fine.

I didn't bother posting a build, but PDK ftr 1 / pal 14 S&B would probably work fine too: tier-5 Vanguard + lvl 12 core (+10% atk speed), Holy Sword, etc. Use the starter longsword until you acquire a decent b.sword. EDIT: also you'll need WIS item or a bunch of Owl's WIS potions to start.

I do like bards, and have heard that PD bards can be decent; but am unsure what route to go with a PD bard.

IMO the forte of PDK bard (vs other races) is the DC bonus from Cormyrian Knight Training (CKT) which applies to Warchanter freeze abilities (Frozen Fury + Spinning Ice). See the Icebreaker. But the downside is you need to swap the PDK starter sword / shield / armor for Swashbuckler-compatible gear; or you go the less-conventional (and lower DPS) Kensei / Warchanter approach, but that still requires bard-compatible gear.

I know I'd have a ton more fun with a ranged character, but would have a tough time farming up a repeater right off the bat for the SDK Mechanic.

Well, for future reference, here are the named xbows I would recommend to start:

http://ddowiki.com/page/Itemivine_Artillery
http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:The_Fatal_Flaw
http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Light_Boltslinger

[Dulcimerist]

Thanks! I'll go with the BF Pally, since I'm used to melee. My level 7 is a human THF pally, so I hope the two don't compete with each other for weapons.

I've never played a real caster before, and am learning the ropes with an aura/burst warlock on my main server. Is the ML a good build for those who have never played a DPS caster before?

I'm positive I'll eventually roll up the SDK Mech! Does The Fatal Flaw get a damage bonus from the superfluous and grammatically incorrect apostrophe in its flavor text?

*Edit*
I didn't get the pre-order bonus items, since I did not pre-order Shadowfell Conspiracy. Therefore, I can't do the BF Pally.

[Dulcimerist]

I created the ML, the first of the two listed. What spells do you recommend for someone going Air Domain? Also, which spells and SLAs are the "bread and butter" of the build, deserving hotbar priority for easy spamming? Any cool strategy tips? Thanks!

[unbongwah]

What spells do you recommend for someone going Air Domain? Also, which spells and SLAs are the "bread and butter" of the build, deserving hotbar priority for easy spamming?

Apart from your domain and DiDi SLAs, things worth slotting IMO:

• CC: Sound Burst, Greater Command, Cometfall
• single-target: Energy Drain, Destruction, Divine Punishment, Searing Light, Nimbus of Light - for the last two, I use the regular spells un-meta'd to complement the (fully meta'd) SLAs, to finish off weakened enemies
• AoEs: Implosion, Firestorm (situational, targeting is wonky and it has a slow cast time), Blade Barrier (need Impulse gear ASAP), also the regular spell versions of Holy Smite and Flame Strike (kinda like Firestorm, it's really slow, so it's situational - basically when you're sure mobs won't move outta harm's way)

Plus any buffs, curatives, etc. you need like Death Ward and Restoration, ofc.

Any cool strategy tips?

Don't get killed, that's really embarrassing for a healer. Especially if it's because you forgot Death Pact.

[Garthog77]

PDK Vanguard: Turbine finally got around to buffing fighters in U31, so let's add a proper S&B tank at long last.

PDK Vanguard
Fighter 20
Chaotic Good Purple Dragon Knight


Stats
               28pt     32pt     Tome     Level Up
               ----     ----     ----     --------
Strength        16       16       +2       4: STR
Dexterity       12       12       +1       8: STR
Constitution    16       16       +5      12: STR
Intelligence    12       12       +1      16: STR
Wisdom           8        8               20: STR
Charisma         8       12               24: STR
                                          28: STR

Skills
          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
         ------------------------------------------------------------
Intim     3  2     2     2     2     2     2     2     2     2     2  23
Heal      1  1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1  11
Balance   2     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     11
UMD       2     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     11
Jump      1                                                            1
Tumble    1                                                            1
         ------------------------------------------------------------
         16  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4


Feats

 1        : Shield Mastery
 1 PDK    : Power Attack
 1 Fighter: Cleave
 2 Fighter: Two Handed Fighting
 3        : Exotic Weapon: Bastard Sword
 4 Fighter: Great Cleave
 6        : Stunning Blow
 6 Fighter: Improved Two Handed Fighting
 8 Fighter: Improved Shield Mastery
 9        : Improved Critical: Slashing
10 Fighter: Improved Shield Bash
12        : Tactical Mastery OR Improved Sunder
12 Fighter: Greater Two Handed Fighting
14 Fighter: Heavy Armor Champion
15        : Toughness
16 Fighter: Tactical Supremacy
18        : Improved Trip OR Magical Training
18 Fighter: Combat Expertise
20 Fighter: Precision
21 Epic   : Overwhelming Critical
24 Epic   : Bulwark of Defense
26 Destiny: Perfect Two Handed Fighting
27 Epic   : Blinding Speed
28 Destiny: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting OR Elusive Target
29 Destiny: Dire Charge OR Embodiment of Law
30 Epic   : Epic Damage Reduction
30 Swap   : Epic Toughness replaces Bulwark of Defense
30 Legend : Scion of: Arborea OR Feywild OR Plane of Earth


Enhancements (80 AP)

Vanguard (41 AP)

To the Fore!, Shield Combat I, Vicious Shield I, Shield Combat II, Vicious Shield II, Shield Champion
Shield Specialization, Shield Smash III
Shield Specialization, Brutality III, Stunning Shield III, Missile Shield III
Shield Specialization, Follow Up III, Fatal Bulwark, Shield Riposte III
(none)
Shield to the Face, Disorienting Smash II, Shield Charge III, Armored Strength

Kensei (23 AP)

Kensei Focus: Heavy Blades, Spiritual Bond, Strike with No Thought, Power Surge
Extra Action Boost III, Weapon Group Specialization, Exotic Weapon Mastery, Haste Boost III
Ascetic Training: Conditioning III
Shattering Strike I
Strike at the Heart

Stalwart Defender (13 AP)

Toughness, Stalwart Defense
Item Defense I, Durable Defense III
Resilient Defense III, Instinctive Defense I
Tenacious Defense III

Purple Dragon Knight (3 AP)

Damage Boost
Improved Recovery

Leveling Guide

PDK0 Damage Boost; PDK1 Improved Recovery; Van0 To the Fore!
Van1 Shield Specialization; Van1 Shield Smash I, II
Van1 Shield Smash III; Van0 Shield Combat I; Van2 Stunning Shield I, II
Van2 Stunning Shield III; Van3 Fatal Bulwark; Van3 Follow Up I
Van3 Follow Up II, III; Van2 Shield Specialization
Van0 Vicious Shield I; Van3 Shield Specialization; Van2 Missile Shield I
Van2 Missile Shield II, III; Van3 Shield Riposte I, II
Van3 Shield Riposte III; Van2 Brutality I, II, III
SD0 Toughness; SD1 Durable Defense I, II, III
SD1 Item Defense I; SD0 Stalwart Defense; Ken0 Kensei Focus: Heavy Blades
Ken1 Exotic Weapon Mastery; Ken1 Weapon Group Specialization; Ken0 Spiritual Bond
Ken1 Haste Boost I, II, III; Ken2 Ascetic Training: Conditioning I
Ken0 Strike with No Thought; Van0 Shield Combat II; Van5 Shield to the Face
Van5 Armored Strength; Van5 Disorienting Smash I, II
Van5 Shield Charge I, II, III; SD2 Resilient Defense I
SD2 Resilient Defense II, III; SD2 Instinctive Defense I; SD3 Tenacious Defense I
SD3 Tenacious Defense II, III; Ken2 Ascetic Training: Conditioning II, III
Van0 Vicious Shield II; Ken3 Shattering Strike I; Ken1 Extra Action Boost I
Ken1 Extra Action Boost II, III
Van0 Shield Champion; Ken0 Power Surge; Ken4 Strike at the Heart


Destiny (24 AP)

Divine Crusader

Bane of Undeath, Interrogation, Purge the Wicked, Strength
Consecration III
Sacred Ground, Empyrean Magic, Blessed Blades
No Regret, Crusade
Castigation, Celestial Champion
Strike Down

Twists of Fate (15 fate points)

Legendary Shield Mastery (Tier 2 Sentinel)
Momentum Swing OR Improved Combat Expertise (Tier 2 Dreadnought)
Rejuvenation Cocoon (Tier 1 Primal)
Brace for Impact (Tier 1 Sentinel)

You have a lot of flexibility with feats; I tried to find a good compromise between DPS, tactics, and survivability. Likewise with EDs: I think Div Crusader offers the best tradeoff between DPS and healing for a tank; but Dreadnought and Sentinel are viable alternatives, depending on whether you wish to boost DPS or tankability more. The +2 and +5 tomes are from Favor; the +1s are from loot drops or bought from Auction House. I designed this to use PDK starter gear, including the longsword until you obtain a bastard sword, like Charoush, First Blood, or Retribution. I went CG for Blessed Blades' alignment bypass; plus just to be different from paladins.

PD Kensei variant: Based on conversations in this thread and elsewhere, I've been wondering about S&B ftrs who go for T5 Kensei + capstone, rather than Vanguard. Downside is you give up the extra atk speed & shield bashes from higher-lvl VG abilities; upsides are a big boost to Melee Power, +1 crit range, up to +14 dmg from feats & Weapon Master, One Cut's clickie, extra action boosts, and higher doublestrike (which basically offsets the lost atk speed). I'm pretty sure this build has higher AoE DPS and might even have higher single-target DPS, at least under certain circumstances. The only downsides so far are losing the free stun attempts on shield bashes and needing to invest feats into the Weapon Focus / Spec line if you want to Weapon Master.

I'm only going to list the parts which are different from the build above, namely the feats & Enhancements.

PDK Kensei VG
Fighter 20
Chaotic Good Purple Dragon Knight

Feats

 1        : Shield Mastery
 1 PDK    : Power Attack
 1 Fighter: Cleave
 2 Fighter: Two Handed Fighting
 3        : Exotic Weapon: Bastard Sword
 4 Fighter: Great Cleave
 6        : Stunning Blow
 6 Fighter: Improved Two Handed Fighting
 8 Fighter: Improved Shield Mastery
 9        : Improved Critical: Slashing
10 Fighter: Weapon Focus: Slashing
12        : Weapon Specialization: Slashing
12 Fighter: Greater Two Handed Fighting
14 Fighter: Heavy Armor Champion OR Improved Shield Bash
15        : Greater Weapon Focus: Slashing
16 Fighter: Tactical Supremacy
18        : Toughness
18 Fighter: Combat Expertise
20 Fighter: Precision
21 Epic   : Overwhelming Critical
24 Epic   : Bulwark of Defense
26 Destiny: Perfect Two Handed Fighting
27 Epic   : Blinding Speed
28 Destiny: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting OR Elusive Target
29 Destiny: Dire Charge
30 Epic   : Heavy Armor Master OR Tactical Mastery
30 Swap   : Epic Toughness replaces Bulwark of Defense
30 Legend : Scion of: Arborea OR Feywild OR Plane of Earth

Enhancements (80 AP)

Kensei (41 AP)

Kensei Focus: Heavy Blades, Spiritual Bond, Strike with No Thought, Power Surge, One Cut, Alacrity

Extra Action Boost III, Weapon Group Specialization, Exotic Weapon Mastery, Haste Boost III
Weapon Group Specialization, Ascetic Training: Conditioning II
Weapon Group Specialization, Shattering Strike III, Strength
Weapon Group Specialization, Strike at the Heart, Strength
A Good Death: Melee, Weapon Master, One with the Blade, Deadly Strike, Keen Edge

Vanguard (22 AP)

To the Fore!, Shield Combat I, Vicious Shield I, Shield Combat II

Shield Specialization, Shield Smash III
Brutality III, Stunning Shield I, Missile Shield III
Follow Up III, Fatal Bulwark
Shield Charge I

Stalwart Defender (14 AP)

Toughness, Stalwart Defense, Overbalance

Item Defense I, Durable Defense III
Resilient Defense III, Instinctive Defense I
Tenacious Defense III

Purple Dragon Knight (3 AP)

Damage Boost

Improved Recovery

Leveling Guide

PDK0 Damage Boost; Ken0 Kensei Focus: Heavy Blades; Ken1 Weapon Group Specialization
Ken1 Exotic Weapon Mastery; Ken1 Haste Boost I, II
Ken1 Haste Boost III; Ken0 Spiritual Bond; Ken1 Extra Action Boost I
Ken1 Extra Action Boost II, III
Ken3 Strength; Ken3 Shattering Strike I, II
Ken3 Shattering Strike III; Ken0 Strike with No Thought; Ken2 Ascetic Training: Conditioning I, II
Ken4 Strike at the Heart; Ken4 Strength
Van0 To the Fore!; Van1 Shield Specialization; Van1 Shield Smash I
Van1 Shield Smash II, III; Van0 Shield Combat I; Van2 Stunning Shield I
Van2 Brutality I, II, III; Van0 Vicious Shield I
SD0 Toughness; SD1 Durable Defense I, II, III
SD1 Item Defense I; SD0 Stalwart Defense; Ken0 Power Surge
Ken2 Weapon Group Specialization; Ken5 One with the Blade; Ken5 Keen Edge
Van3 Fatal Bulwark; Van3 Follow Up I, II, III
Van2 Missile Shield I, II, III; Van0 Shield Combat II
Van4 Shield Charge I; Ken3 Weapon Group Specialization
Ken4 Weapon Group Specialization; Ken5 Weapon Master; Ken5 A Good Death: Melee; Ken5 Deadly Strike
Ken0 One Cut; SD2 Resilient Defense I, II, III
SD2 Instinctive Defense I; SD3 Tenacious Defense I, II, III
Ken0 Alacrity; SD0 Overbalance; PDK1 Improved Recovery

PD Kensei Knight: Inspired by this thread, this build takes advantage of the recent buffs to Kensei to revive the ftr / pal hybrid. This is a SWF build designed to use khopeshes, but this build can play right out of the gate; use the default PDK longsword until you can farm something better, like a water khopesh or Bleeding Edge. You will eventually need a +6 WIS item, but not until lvl 20 when you take Zeal.

PD Kensei Knight
14/6 Paladin/Fighter
Lawful Good Purple Dragon Knight


Level Order

1. Fighter         6. Fighter        11. Paladin        16. Paladin
2. Fighter         7. Paladin        12. Paladin        17. Paladin
3. Fighter         8. Paladin        13. Paladin        18. Paladin
4. Fighter         9. Paladin        14. Paladin        19. Paladin
5. Fighter        10. Paladin        15. Paladin        20. Paladin


Stats
               28pt     32pt     Level Up
               ----     ----     --------
Strength        16       16       4: STR
Dexterity        8        8       8: STR
Constitution    14       16      12: STR
Intelligence    10       10      16: STR
Wisdom           8        8      20: STR
Charisma        16       16      24: STR
                                 28: STR

Skills
          F  F  F  F  F  F  P  P  P  P  P  P  P  P  P  P  P  P  P  P
          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
         ------------------------------------------------------------
Intim     4  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  23
UMD       1  1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1  11
Heal                                          2     2     2     2      8
Balance   2     1     1     1     1     1                              7
Tumble    1                                                            1
         ------------------------------------------------------------
         12  3  3  3  3  3  3  3  3  3  3  3  3  3  3  3  3  3  3  3


Feats

 1        : Single Weapon Fighting
 1 PDK    : Exotic Weapon: Khopesh
 1 Fighter: Power Attack
 2 Fighter: Cleave
 3        : Weapon Focus: Slashing
 4 Fighter: Great Cleave
 6        : Improved Single Weapon Fighting
 6 Fighter: Weapon Specialization: Slashing
 7 Deity  : Follower of: Amaunator
 9        : Improved Critical: Slashing
12        : Greater Single Weapon Fighting
12 Deity  : Amaunator's Brilliance
15        : Stunning Blow
18        : Quicken Spell
21 Epic   : Empower Healing Spell
24 Epic   : Overwhelming Critical
26 Destiny: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting
27 Epic   : Blinding Speed
28 Destiny: Perfect Single Weapon Fighting OR Elusive Target
29 Destiny: Dire Charge
30 Epic   : Epic Damage Reduction
30 Legend : Scion of: Arborea


Enhancements (80 AP)

Kensei (32 AP)

Kensei Focus: Heavy Blades, Spiritual Bond, Strike with No Thought
Extra Action Boost III, Weapon Group Specialization, Exotic Weapon Mastery, Haste Boost III
Tactics I, Weapon Group Specialization
Weapon Group Specialization, Shattering Strike II, Strength
Strike at the Heart, Strength
One with the Blade, Keen Edge

Sacred Defender (24 AP)

Holy Bastion, Sacred Defense
Extra Lay On Hands III, Durable Defense III
Bulwark Aura III, Resilient Defense III
Resistance Aura III, Tenacious Defense III
Swift Defense, Strong Defense III

Knight of the Chalice (23 AP)

Slayer of Evil, Courage of Heaven, Slayer of Evil II, Improved Courage of Heaven
Extra Turning II, Extra Smite II
Divine Might III, Exalted Cleave III
Divine Sacrifice II, Exalted Smite I
Empowered Smite

Purple Dragon Knight (1 AP)

Damage Boost

Leveling Guide

PDK0 Damage Boost; Ken0 Kensei Focus: Heavy Blades; Ken1 Weapon Group Specialization
Ken1 Exotic Weapon Mastery; Ken1 Haste Boost I, II
Ken1 Haste Boost III; Ken0 Spiritual Bond; Ken2 Weapon Group Specialization
Ken1 Extra Action Boost I, II
Ken1 Extra Action Boost III; Ken3 Strength
Ken0 Strike with No Thought; Ken3 Weapon Group Specialization
Ken4 Strike at the Heart; Ken4 Strength; Ken3 Shattering Strike I
Ken3 Shattering Strike II; Ken2 Tactics I; SaD0 Holy Bastion
SaD1 Extra Lay On Hands I, II, III; SaD1 Durable Defense I
SaD0 Sacred Defense; SaD1 Durable Defense II, III; SaD2 Resilient Defense I
SaD2 Resilient Defense II; SaD3 Tenacious Defense I, II, III
Ken5 One with the Blade; Ken5 Keen Edge; KoC0 Slayer of Evil; KoC1 Extra Smite I
KoC1 Extra Smite II; KoC1 Extra Turning I, II
KoC2 Divine Might I, II
KoC2 Divine Might III; KoC2 Exalted Cleave I, II, III
KoC0 Courage of Heaven; KoC0 Slayer of Evil II; KoC3 Exalted Smite I
KoC3 Divine Sacrifice I, II; KoC4 Empowered Smite
KoC0 Improved Courage of Heaven; SaD2 Resilient Defense III; SaD2 Bulwark Aura I, II
SaD2 Bulwark Aura III; SaD3 Resistance Aura I, II, III
SaD4 Swift Defense; SaD4 Strong Defense I, II, III


Destiny (24 AP)

Legendary Dreadnought

Legendary Tactics III, Extra Action Boost III, Strength
Momentum Swing III, Imp. Power Attack, Strength
Lay Waste
Volcano's Edge
Advancing Blows, Devastating Critical
Master's Blitz

Twists of Fate (18 fate points)

Grim Precision (Tier 3 Shadowdancer)
Endless Lay On Hands (Tier 3 Sentinel)
Rejuvenation Cocoon (Tier 1 Primal)

I am confused. I am looking for a PDK fighter build, since I finished my triple epic past lives, and wanting to start on iconics. What I am confused about in these builds is why do you take THF feats and shield feats? You cant do both at the same time can you? Or is it so you have the option to do one or the other depending on group and quest?

[btolson]

I am confused. I am looking for a PDK fighter build, since I finished my triple epic past lives, and wanting to start on iconics. What I am confused about in these builds is why do you take THF feats and shield feats? You cant do both at the same time can you? Or is it so you have the option to do one or the other depending on group and quest?

If you wield either a Dwarven Axe or Bastard Sword in one hand, and a non-weapon in the other (e.g. shield/orb/rune arm) then you will get glancing blows just like a Greataxe or Greatsword would.

Thus the THF line buffs your glancing blows to 50% base damage, and the Shield Mastery feats grant you some PRR and Doublestrike, all of which you can take advantage of simultaneously.

[Garthog77]

Awesome, did not know that, have never used either of those weapons. Thanks!

[flute136]

For the teens I like this falchion, http://ddowiki.com/page/Vampiric_Cleaver

Later on I upgrade to a poor man's SOS, http://i.imgur.com/kH7PR5B.jpg . I'm still looking to see if I can find some new loot-gen to replace it with. I've been stuck on the SOS for years now. Have shard but not the other 2 pieces of the 3 piece meal deal.

Man, i need just shard, got everything else.

Snipedyou of Khyber

[Visty]

i plan on TRing into the Daggerdruid Shadarkai build. does that build still work despite the changed enhancements? (would need to replace twf with natural fighting though)

[crazzyclown24777]

Greetings;

Love the BF Knight 2H weapon build! As I move up levels, I see that the build directs me to select "Tenacious OR Strong Defense III" enhancements from the SD tree; however, the in-tree description of the enhancements mentions that the effect is for when you're using medium/heavy armor (Bladeforged only gets docent?) or a shield (2H weapon build). Am I missing something? (<- Actually, I'm not being snarky! It is VERY possible that I AM missing something, but I'm too much of a noob to know!) If it was an error, can someone suggest good alternatives?

Thanks!

there is a feat to get heavy armor docent

[Gywiden]

@ubongwah Will you be doing an Iconic Tiefling in this thread at some point?

[unbongwah]

@ubongwah Will you be doing an Iconic Tiefling in this thread at some point?

I posted a sample build to the Lamannia forum I could link. I don't think the builder has been updated yet and I am waiting on that.

Which reminds me that I should update Scourge ranger to take the Knights Training feat.