Electric Critzilla

[C-Dog]

What, if any, difference does the RM tree make to this build, particularly on Reaper? Is investment in RM worthwhile for this build and how far should it go?

Well, since the OP makes it clear that this "build" is not restricted to specific races or even class split, and further leaves a lot of AP open to the builder, a lot of that is up to you...

...Feel free to move a few levels around or even a class, lots of varieties work.

Any Race...
...

Enhancements

Evolve enhancements as needed. Level 1-19 get what is useful out of AT, with air savant crit, sorc crit, and harper after you are done.

This is a good spread for level 15:
40 AT T5C4 everything useful
8 Air Savant
8 Harper (get this before you hit gh/vale for repeater use on lightning immune)

From 15-20 pick what you think is best based on the class spread you picked!...

A quick glance at RM shows that there is a lot of good low-hanging fruit for Defense for about 10 points - extra PRR, AC, immunity to Magic Missiles* - but after Tier 2 or so, it's all melee boosts, which does zero for this build.

(* Actually just a QoL pick - you can scroll (Night)Shield all day long for cheap.)

So, the question is - as with any such exchange - what are you giving up, and is RM better? 56 points gets you the "Critzilla package" - and the rest is variable. So take a look at what else you could get w/ those slop 24 points, and decide what's the best bang for your buck.

Cuz without knowing your playstyle, and what exact build/class mix you ended up choosing - no one can say for sure.

[Gavman]

Thanks C-dog for your response,
I was asking especially in terms of reaper builds as there is less room for extra aps. The RM tree especially needs you to be wearing armour for most of its benefits, which clashes with monk; so I guess what I am really asking is: is it worth swapping monk for rogue (for evasion and light armour), or dropping evasion altogether (my gut says no) and investing in the RM tree for Hamp and PRR? If so, how high should i go and at what level? Is it worth heading for the shielding construct or just take it as far as reinforced armour (+50% AC is hard to pass up)?

[xenon211]

If you take some RM, take 11 points for the CLW sla and core3's CSW. Fully meta'd cure serious (max, emp, & emp healing) with decent Hamp will self heal for nearly 200 in r1 for 3 spell pts. CLW is around half that, for 1 mana. The cd on these are a bit overlong (4 and 8s) so if you are healing someone that is taking a lot of damage, you'll need to toss a scroll into the mix. That cure serious though is a party saving spell. Annoying to try heal the ones that run away from you due to the arcing of the spell, not your problem though, just pick their soulstone up on your way past after you fry whatever killed them.

[C-Dog]

I was asking especially in terms of reaper builds as there is less room for extra aps

Well... this is not a "reaper build".

The Reaper version of this build eschews armor and enjoys Evasion, so RM is not attractive there. The version(s) suggested in the OP do the opposite, so it is a viable option for those.

[cru121]

With Ravenloft medium armor and tower shield, imho going without evasion is a solid alternative.

I can see spending few points into RM in early heroics, for example while waiting for the Blast Rod SLA around levels 4-5. And then again later.

I have done few arcanotechnician lives recently, I even went pure to pick up higher level spells like Prismatic Ray, Tactical Detonation, and Deadly for minions. I can see going up to 4th core for pureish artificers.




edit oct 2018: posting on request what I play on Ghallanda:
Gnome Illusionist Arcanotechnician CC caster/healer

Feats
1 Maximize
3 Completionist
4 Quicken
6 PL:Wiz
8 Empower
9 Dragonmark of Scribing (+2 umd for heal scrolls if needed)
12 SF:Evo
12 Heighten
15 GSF:Evo
16 Empower Healing Spell

Starting stats: Max INT, then max CON, then whatever. Strength to carry stuff or Charisma to hit no-fail UMD scores on important scrolls sooner.

Skills: Almost all

Leveling:
1-2: Pick up Conjure Bolts. Pick up Barbarian hireling and dog. Heal via maximized curative admixture SLA. Repair minions. Shoot things with a vorpal or nicked repeater.

3-7: If you have group, get Color Spray and Curative SLAs, let party do the killing. If you need to kill stuff, put 12 AP into Harper and shoot stuff dead. Second arcanotechnician core for temporary HP and SP.

5: 3piece abishai set if you're using electric SLAs at this point. Start scrolling Stoneskin.

6: Quickened Scorching Turret!

8: This is where stuff comes together: 23 AP in Arcanotechnician for Blast Rod and all other SLAs. 8 AP in Gnome for Color Spray. Racial past lives can make it work earlier. Keep abishai set for 8-9. Add Slaver's 5 piece if you have.

8-11: offense is now great, pick up defensive/healing stuff from Renegade Mastermaker

10: Add Ravenloft goodness. Electric belt. Medium Armor and Tower Shield. 70-80 AC.

12+
T5 Arcanotechnician, but it's expensive and not worth sacrificing too much from RM. Grab evocation DC asap, Lightning Motes later as needed (can also use spell instead). Ending up with 41 AP for capstone.
RM: definitely go up to 4th core. You can grab more AC and max dex. Obviously INT. I usually end up with 23 AP, or bit more for fun.
BE: 0
Harper: 3 AP eventually to pick up INT to hit (can get int to damage via spell), or more for some INT.
Racial AP: Experiment with the Symbol of Stunning from Dragonmark. It's a poor man's replacement for Otto's Ball of Dancing. Unlimited charges, 1 min cooldown.

Later important stuff:
* prismatic ray
* critical admixture
* tactical detonation
* Arcane Insight, Master of Artifice, Burst of Glacial Wrath, Embolden, Scion of the Plane of Air

running in Magister for example.

[Gavman]

The Reaper version of this build eschews armor and enjoys Evasion, so RM is not attractive there. The version(s) suggested in the OP do the opposite, so it is a viable option for those.

Did you read my reply? Only one of the versions I suggested eschews evasion, and even that was more for completeness than any serious suggestion. I am aware that RM doesn't work so well with Light Armor/Evasion, but the question was: is it still worth investing in, and if so how far? Are you saying it's not worth it at all on reaper? I can see a lot of people saying the Core3 power and tier1 CAM SLA are worthwhile on reaper, and I can see a lot of defensive abilities that can be picked up in Tier 1 & 2. Sure, Alchemical Shield wouldn't work, but its still worth +5 HAmp, and +10HP (and +5 Repair Amp). Easily Fixed gives +10Hamp (and +20Ramp), Armor Mastery gives +3 AC (and+3 Max. Dex Bonus) and then Reinforced Amor gives +50%AC. All (except Alchemical shield) would work with a light armored Rogue that has evasion. I honestly can't see anything there that would be a poor investment for reaper, but is it worth giving up the Monk enhancements? Sure you would only have +25Hamp as opposed to +30 from Monk, and you would lose +20PRR from Iron Body, but you would gain CAM:CSW and CAM:CLW. I can see them being a godsend on any reaper build, but is it a reasonable trade?

[Shrimpboy]

I'm playing the 14 Arti/3 Sorc/3 Pal version of the build and I was wondering what ED twists you would recommend while leveling ETRs to get fate points. I currently have 20 on my character. I'm thinking currently:

Tier 4: Energy Burst/Blue Dragon Spell Knowledge
Tier 2: Precise Evocation
Tier 1: ???/Brace For Impact

I was just wondering which of those Tier 4s you prefer and any recommendation for Tier 1 you have. Thanks!

[Tilomere]

Only one of the versions I suggested eschews evasion, and even that was more for completeness than any serious suggestion.

So back when I made the build, RM didn't exist, RL gear didn't exist, and some casterish mobs like Abishai hadn't been nerfed yet, and champion dots hadn't been nerfed yet, and people had fewer hp from reaper points, so evasion was overwhelmingly better. On top of that, positive spell power stacking from newer items was lower, so healing was lower and HAMP more desired, so monk splash for HAMP was much stronger.

Now you can go either way, and it will work out in reaper. They nerfed the ES splash, and they released updated cleric and druid changes since I made build, so I made a more updated version of this build, which is stun-based instead of evasion/hamp or tanky based, and went wisdom primarily and int secondary for instant killing with mass frog and for stuns.

I call it Electric Gibzilla. From my level 15 iconic start all the way through to cap it was able to AoE 1 combo elite or EE mobs. However due to gearing and spell pen requirements, it is aimed towards veterans.

I think 11 ap in RM for some healing SLAs from RM which are uninterruptible you would have a very strong build. You could drop one of the druid trees to do that in the above build. One weakness of the build is the ability to heal under fire, since heal scrolls and admixtures cannot be quickened, and RM does that. Construct essence + improved construct essence + reconstruct SLA seems more of a melee burst healing thing, for when you are face tanking high amounts of damage. There are 6 good support trees for that build: DD for spell pen/power/crit, NW for helpless damage, SH for spell power/crit/caster level, RM for SLA healing, and NP for tankyness, or BE for runearm charging. I haven't figured out which ones to use. I guess just pick some that you think are good, and make it work!
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I'm playing the 14 Arti/3 Sorc/3 Pal version of the build and I was wondering what ED twists you would recommend while leveling ETRs to get fate points. I currently have 20 on my character. I'm thinking currently:

Level 20-23 Play in Draconic, level 24 test in Magistar:

Tier 4: Energy Burst
Tier 2: Precise Evocation
Tier 1: Cocoon

I would do Energy Burst over 3 caster if you had to pick between them, but only after having 10 caster levels added from Master of Artifice. Before that Draconic all the way!

[wolfy42]

Just starting a new electric focused Arti. I always went with repeating xbows in the past.

For now I have gone straight Arti levels (currently level 7), and all points in Acro tree (2 points left over, will probably spend 3 to get int to hit from harper once I get 1 more AP...as backup vs electric immune enemies).

I went Dragonborn for my race as it seems to have alot of nice boosts and it has a breathe weapon as yet another cheap/free lightning attack.

More sp, more spell damage boost, more hp, all seemed like a worthwhile combo.

But I was not planning on taking other classes (thought I was going to go pure Arti for high spells etc.

It looks like from your build, that SLA's max at 10 naturally, so going pure might not be a good idea. Going with Sorc levels/Air, I can boost my SLA's more. Should I get 12 arti first (straight arti levels till 12) to get the lightning SLA as well, then take sorc levels after that? I probably should have gotten more Cha.

If I go with 3 pally levels and 3 sorc levels then more cha makes a ton more sense...but I also might not have enough AP at that point to take anything in dragonborn tree...which makes going gnome or human etc possibly make more sense.

I do have vet 7 opened so I can start from 7 if I want (I didn't with this guy but I can basically remake him instantly at 7...and other then a few AP be back at the same spot.

Right now....I'm one shotting everything with the polar lightning spell. I basically just use that and the AoE one, then the static shock one on single enemies or if something saves and needs a bit more damage to kill. I have quicken/empower/max on everything along with on the polar spell (non SLA version) as backup vs big bosses/groups if I need to cast it twice fast.

That destroys everything.

Lots of info that is useful in your guide, thanks alot

[Maxou69]

I don’t like it anymore. I had great expectations at level 24 with the master of artifice feat. Maybe I’m the problem.

Artificer 12
Sorc 6
Monk 2
I use the level 16 robe that boost casting level by 1

Before taking the feat I was casting artis spells at level 24 and I’m still casting at 24 with the feat.
Energy Burst is 31

No difference between draconic and magister.

450 Spellpower

Soloing EE is tough and long

Any clue of what can makes me shine again?

[Tilomere]

I don’t like it anymore. I had great expectations at level 24 with the master of artifice feat. Maybe I’m the problem.

Artificer 12
Sorc 6
Monk 2
I use the level 16 robe that boost casting level by 1

Before taking the feat I was casting artis spells at level 24 and I’m still casting at 24 with the feat.
Energy Burst is 31

450 Spellpower

Heya, so I'm guessing spell power/gear combined with a lack of electrical storm runearm?

The feat raises your maximum caster level, or damage cap, to match your caster level.

I revamped this to a helpless damage build due to not wanting to heal under a reaper penalty that also deals double damage again on trash from soundburst. There is a trollish bear version here and a partial layout of arti/cleric/(can also add 1 barb) version here.

I haven't fully decided how I want to build soundburst into artificer, but was mostly happy with both builds. I did the bear build back when you could take AT core 5 at 18 character levels, but falconry didn't exist yet, so it does about the same damage now.

[Maxou69]

Heya, so I'm guessing spell power/gear combined with a lack of electrical storm runearm?

The feat raises your maximum caster level, or damage cap, to match your caster level.

I revamped this to a helpless damage build due to not wanting to heal under a reaper penalty that also deals double damage again on trash from soundburst. There is a trollish bear version here and a partial layout of arti/cleric/(can also add 1 barb) version here.

I haven't fully decided how I want to build soundburst into artificer, but was mostly happy with both builds. I did the bear build back when you could take AT core 5 at 18 character levels, but falconry didn't exist yet, so it does about the same damage now.

So the master of artifice feat is useless since I was already casting at level 24 before?

[Tilomere]

So the master of artifice feat is useless since I was already casting at level 24 before?

So, um, ignore the combat log and what it says you are doing. You should have noticed an increase in damage on screen after you took the feat. Are your ED's all maxed out?

[Maxou69]

Yes. Epic completionnist. Gonna work on my spellpower.
Thanks