March of the Bladesingers!

[Eryhn]

would like some clarification on that Knight's Training Feat as I havent gotten around to test it yet:


• Battle Axes critical threat range is increased by 1. Increased by 2 if you have slashing improved critical
• Heavy Maces, Morning Stars & War Hammers critical threat range is increased by 1

For the battle axe when the player has both knight's training and improved crit we will give an additional bonus to equalize it. [...]

We're not inclined to do that with the blunts because of dreadnought.

-T

the bolded parts confuse me...

do I read that right that basically for warhammers, the bonus from Knight's Training DOES NOT stack with Imp.Crit. BLudgeon? cause of LD shenanigans?


the context of this question is a warforged 18wiz EK/2 arti renegade splash using https://ddowiki.com/page/Category:Re...pion_set_items.

so, if stars allign, get a lot of itemization synergies from the effects on that set for a forged,
use that nice warhammer from the set, get the set bonus to crit multi on 19/20
boost warhammer crit range by +1 with knights training
stack imp crit bludgeon atop that

BUT

does it stack or not?

[Daahly]

Ended up with a more tanky version with traps, what are your thoughts ?

DalyEKpalemaster
18/1/1 Wizard/Barbarian/Rogue
True Neutral Drow


Level Order

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


Stats
. . . . . . . .28pt . . Tome . . Level Up
. . . . . . . .---- . . ----. . .--------
Strength. . . . .8. . . . . . . . 4: INT
Dexterity . . . 12. . . .+1. . . .8: INT
Constitution. . 14. . . . . . . .12: INT
Intelligence. . 20. . . . . . . .16: INT
Wisdom. . . . . .8. . . . . . . .20: INT
Charisma. . . . 10. . . . . . . .24: INT
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28: INT

Skills
. . . . . R .B. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W
. . . . . 1 .2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
Spellcr . 2 .½. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 2. 2. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 22½
Concent . 2 .½. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 2. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 21½
Spot. . . 4 .1. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 19
Open Lo . 4 .1. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 16½
Search. . 4 .1. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. 14
Disable . 4 .½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. 13½
Balance . 4 . . ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. 13
Listen. . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Diplo . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Jump. . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Swim. . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
UMD . . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Heal. . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
. . . . .52 .9. 7. 7. 7. 7. 7. 8. 8. 8. 8. 8. 8. 8. 8. 9. 9. 9. 9. 9


Feats

.1. . . . : Insightful Reflexes
.3. . . . : Shield Mastery
.3 Wizard : Extend Spell
.6. . . . : Spell Penetration
.7 Wizard : Quicken Spell
.9. . . . : Knight's Training
12. . . . : Precision
12 Wizard : Enlarge Spell
15. . . . : Greater Spell Penetration
17 Wizard : Heighten Spell
18. . . . : Improved Shield Mastery
21 Epic . :
24 Epic . :
26 Destiny:
27 Epic . :
28 Destiny:
29 Destiny:
30 Epic . :
30 Legend :


Enhancements (80 AP)

Eldritch Knight (Wizard) (40 AP)

• Eldritch Strike, Spellsword, Imbue the Blade, Subtle Force, Subtle Force II
  1. Improved Mage Armor III, Arcane Siphon III
  2. Improved Shield III, Mystic Wards I
  3. Eldritch Accuracy, Critical Mastery III, Intelligence
  4. Knight's Transformation, Shield Striking III, Force's Point, Intelligence
  5. Improved Knight's Transformation, Knight's Striker, Force's Edge, Eldritch Tempest III

Pale Master (23 AP)

• Dark Reaping, Zombie Form, Vampire Form, Wraith Form
  1. Deathless Vigor III, Negative Energy Conduit III
  2. Bone Armor III
  3. Cloak of Night III, Intelligence
  4. Intelligence

Harper Agent (17 AP)

• Agent of Good I, Intelligence, Agent of Good II
  1. Harper Enchantment, Traveler's Toughness II
  2. Know the Angles III
  3. Versatile Adept II, Strategic Combat, Intelligence

Maybe should drop Enlarge/Heighten for Spell focus Evocation.. need to test it a bit.
The build is mostly into Melee with spells for AoE, slowing monsters, etc

Am I missing something or it sounds good?





Also like the multiplayer version of it : droping undead healing for Archmage.
With hireling or players that heals you it looks way better than palemastering!
Spaming Haste helps making new friends.

Enhancements (80 AP)

Eldritch Knight (Wizard) (40 AP)

• Eldritch Strike, Spellsword, Imbue the Blade, Subtle Force, Subtle Force II
  1. Improved Mage Armor III, Arcane Siphon III
  2. Improved Shield III, Mystic Wards I
  3. Eldritch Accuracy, Critical Mastery III, Intelligence
  4. Knight's Transformation, Shield Striking III, Force's Point, Intelligence
  5. Improved Knight's Transformation, Knight's Striker, Force's Edge, Eldritch Tempest III

Archmage (22 AP)

• Jump, Knock, Haste
  1. Energy of the Scholar I, Traditionalist Caster III
  2. Efficient Quicken III
  3. Spell Penetration II, Intelligence
  4. Intelligence

Harper Agent (18 AP)

• Agent of Good I, Intelligence, Agent of Good II
  1. Harper Enchantment, Traveler's Toughness II
  2. Know the Angles III
  3. Versatile Adept III, Strategic Combat, Intelligence

[unbongwah]

do I read that right that basically for warhammers, the bonus from Knight's Training DOES NOT stack with Imp.Crit. BLudgeon? cause of LD shenanigans?

No, it is saying that the bonus isn't doubled by Improved Critical for those blunt weapon types the way it is for battleaxes, because (in the devs' view) the bonus from Pulverizer makes up the difference. That bugs me because (A) it's like admitting that LD is the de facto ED for all melee builds (which, I mean, it is, but there ought to be more variety IMO, the devs shouldn't just be giving up on other EDs); and (B) battleaxes still benefit from Headman's Chop so why isn't that being nerfed?

But anyway for a EK build like mine if running in LD the final crit profiles would be:

• warhammer: 20/x3 base -> 19-20/x3 Knights Training -> 18-20/x3 IC:Blunt -> 17-20/x4 T5 Eldritch Knight -> 16-18/x4 19-20/x6 Pulverizer+Overwhelming+Devastating Crit
• battleaxe: 20/x3 base -> 19-20/x3 Knights Training -> 17-20/x3 IC:Slash-> 16-20/x4 T5 Eldritch Knight -> 16-18/x4 19-20/x7 Headmans Chop+Overwhelming+Devastating Crit

Add any named weapon bonuses as appropriate. So battleaxes are better in late heroics and technically come out ahead in LD except there don't seem to be any epic named battleaxes on par with Whelm or Guardian's Hammer. Dusk is light-caster-oriented - which seems odd to me, why make a weapon which is so clearly aimed at a divine caster that's not any deity's weapon? - while Axe of Adaxus' extra crit multiplier bonus is great but it can't be Sentient'ed.

Ended up with a more tanky version with traps, what are your thoughts ?

Strongest S&B DPS options are Swashbucklers and Vanguards. And depending on who you ask, even pure Vanguards might not be worthwhile in the current meta anymore. So I am definitely not sold on the relatively modest shield bonuses in Eldritch Knight (+15% shield-bashing procs? really, that's it?) as being worth the twin hassles (i.e., lower melee DPS plus added ASF). It's not even like the Nature's Protector tree, which requires a shield equipped if you want Ursa's Protector bonuses. Here there seems to be literally no upside to S&B EK. But for a dissenting view you should check out Strimtom's EK thread.

[Daahly]

Strongest S&B DPS options are Swashbucklers and Vanguards. And depending on who you ask, even pure Vanguards might not be worthwhile in the current meta anymore. So I am definitely not sold on the relatively modest shield bonuses in Eldritch Knight (+15% shield-bashing procs? really, that's it?) as being worth the twin hassles (i.e., lower melee DPS plus added ASF). It's not even like the Nature's Protector tree, which requires a shield equipped if you want Ursa's Protector bonuses. Here there seems to be literally no upside to S&B EK. But for a dissenting view you should check out Strimtom's EK thread.

Ok thanks!
Yes and the Shield Mastery feat himself is not giving amasing bonus..

Let's stick with the SWF option finaly. For a first lifer (no Drow available yet) you think we can use Dwarf ?
Here is what I'm thinkink of :

AerologDalySWF
18/1/1 Wizard/Barbarian/Rogue
True Neutral Dwarf


Level Order

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


Stats
. . . . . . . .28pt . . Level Up
. . . . . . . .---- . . --------
Strength. . . . .8. . . .4: INT
Dexterity . . . 10. . . .8: INT
Constitution. . 18. . . 12: INT
Intelligence. . 18. . . 16: INT
Wisdom. . . . . .8. . . 20: INT
Charisma. . . . .6. . .


Skills
. . . . . R .B. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W
. . . . . 1 .2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
Concent . 2 .½. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 20½
Spellcr . 2 .½. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 20½
Spot. . . 4 .½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 16
Open Lo . 4 .1. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. 14
Search. . 4 .½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. 13½
Disable . 4 . . ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. 13
Balance . 4 . . . . . . . . . .½ .½ .½ .½ .½ .½ .½ .½ .½ .½ .½ .½ .½ .10½
Jump. . . 4 .1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Swim. . . 4 .1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Listen. . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
UMD . . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Diplo . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Intim . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
. . . . .48 .8. 6. 6. 6. 6. 6. 7. 7. 7. 7. 7. 7. 7. 7. 8. 8. 8. 8. 8


Feats

.1. . . . : Insightful Reflexes
.3. . . . : Single Weapon Fighting
.3 Wizard : Extend Spell
.6. . . . : Weapon Focus: Slashing
.7 Wizard : Spell Focus: Evocation
.9. . . . : Knight's Training
12. . . . : Improved Single Weapon Fighting
12 Wizard : Quicken Spell
15. . . . : Greater Spell Focus: Evocation
17 Wizard : Maximize Spell
18. . . . : Improved Critical: Slashing


Enhancements (80 AP)

Eldritch Knight (Wizard) (41 AP)

• Eldritch Strike, Spellsword, Imbue the Blade, Subtle Force, Subtle Force II
  1. Improved Mage Armor III, Arcane Siphon III
  2. Improved Shield III, Spellpower Boost III
  3. Eldritch Accuracy, Synergetic Magic, Intelligence
  4. Knight's Transformation, Orb Saves III, Force's Point, Intelligence
  5. Improved Knight's Transformation, Knight's Striker, Force's Edge, Eldritch Tempest III

Archmage (22 AP)

• Invisibility, Blur, Displacement
  1. Energy of the Scholar I, Traditionalist Caster III
  2. Efficient Quicken III
  3. Spell Penetration II, Intelligence
  4. Intelligence

Harper Agent (17 AP)

• Agent of Good I, Intelligence, Agent of Good II
  1. Harper Enchantment, Traveler's Toughness II
  2. Versatile Adept II, Know the Angles III
  3. Strategic Combat, Intelligence

// Possible de trade Archmage for Palemaster if selfhealing necessary (and dodge from wraith form)


Last question : do I really need UMD if I never use wands? lvling chars only lvl 20 for past lifes, don't feel the wands necessary, but maybe i'm missing a point here.

[Eryhn]

perfect summary of relevant aspects

see, thats why I asked that in your thread, thx a bunch

edit: also, it bugs me too that due to pulverizer issues they didnt do something which it sounded like they would otherwise have done. but im not fully mortified as I was running under the worst case scenario that unless battleaxe it basically makes Knight's training a utility feat replacing/unifying various imp crit feats. it DOES add +1 though as you kindly confirmed so it IS a nice improvement. specially with that renegade set ...

edit2:

Last question : do I really need UMD if I never use wands? lvling chars only lvl 20 for past lifes, don't feel the wands necessary, but maybe i'm missing a point here.

off all the wondrous uses UMD has wands might very well be the least important in the list, though, they are what you can use first on lower heroic levels and they DO sure help. never underestimate how happy you can make fellow r1 puggers with indescriminate use of cure serious wand at low lvls...

UMD is good for raise dead, ressurect, restore, greater restore, full heal scrolls mainly when on an arcane, while vice versa on a toon not having access to arcane spells allows you to scroll things like greater heroism, fire shield hot/cold, stoneskin, blur, displace.

there is also true seeing and tensers transformation for non caster toons.

getting rid of neg levels or stat dmg, getting a FULL heal off, raising somebody, these are where UMD may even prevent a wipe you otherwise might have faced and that would be why by and large most veteran players consider it a skill absolutely mandatory and never a waste. I listed just the majorly important stuff, there are MANY things you can situationally short term buff with umd scrolls that make specific fights or bosses much easier.


edit3: that being said about its uses, looking at your above skill spread I dont rly see how you could possibly squeeze in UMD without an INT tome while keeping up trapping skills. you DO need balance for SWF feats and your trap skills are already non maxed, so... it is generally not easy to fit it in on first life 28point build. give some thought to making your free 2000 favor +2 tome an INT one for next life, that will help in the future

edit4: another way to phrase it would be to say UMD offers versatility in buffs and survivability in mid to high heroics. these things become more helpful on higher difficulties especially. for a first life player, if you do NOT go for trapping it is worth trying to get in somehow but I think in your case prioritizing trapping is a valid choice. Just, remember it exists next life

[Daahly]

edit2:

off all the wondrous uses UMD has wands might very well be the least important in the list, though, they are what you can use first on lower heroic levels and they DO sure help. never underestimate how happy you can make fellow r1 puggers with indescriminate use of cure serious wand at low lvls...

UMD is good for raise dead, ressurect, restore, greater restore, full heal scrolls mainly when on an arcane, while vice versa on a toon not having access to arcane spells allows you to scroll things like greater heroism, fire shield hot/cold, stoneskin, blur, displace.

there is also true seeing and tensers transformation for non caster toons.

getting rid of neg levels or stat dmg, getting a FULL heal off, raising somebody, these are where UMD may even prevent a wipe you otherwise might have faced and that would be why by and large most veteran players consider it a skill absolutely mandatory and never a waste. I listed just the majorly important stuff, there are MANY things you can situationally short term buff with umd scrolls that make specific fights or bosses much easier.


edit3: that being said about its uses, looking at your above skill spread I dont rly see how you could possibly squeeze in UMD without an INT tome while keeping up trapping skills. you DO need balance for SWF feats and your trap skills are already non maxed, so... it is generally not easy to fit it in on first life 28point build. give some thought to making your free 2000 favor +2 tome an INT one for next life, that will help in the future

edit4: another way to phrase it would be to say UMD offers versatility in buffs and survivability in mid to high heroics. these things become more helpful on higher difficulties especially. for a first life player, if you do NOT go for trapping it is worth trying to get in somehow but I think in your case prioritizing trapping is a valid choice. Just, remember it exists next life

Ok I didn't know UMD included that much things hah, thanks!

Yes the plan is to farm some favor to get 32points build and fix the traps maxing them or getting UMD. Is there a minimum?
It looks like puting few points in it is not worth it, maybe 12 as minimum?
I saw that crazy things happen when you get 20/22 UMD, but seems hard to achieve!

The 2 INT tomes are also a great option, will I keep them after lvl 20 reincarnation?
Could be nice to start at 22int a second life as Drow : P

[Eryhn]

Ok I didn't know UMD included that much things hah, thanks!

Yes the plan is to farm some favor to get 32points build and fix the traps maxing them or getting UMD. Is there a minimum?
It looks like puting few points in it is not worth it, maybe 12 as minimum?
I saw that crazy things happen when you get 20/22 UMD, but seems hard to achieve!

The 2 INT tomes are also a great option, will I keep them after lvl 20 reincarnation?
Could be nice to start at 22int a second life as Drow : P

any tome improvements, be it to stats, skills, PRR/MRR/melee/ranged/spellpower from remnant trader or to xp or racial AP from store are a get once always have thing. next life they are still there. only, for stat tomes, they come into effect incrementally as you lvl up. the build planer you use takes that into account btw.

as for umd, you can read up some more random info here:

https://ddowiki.com/page/Use_Magic_Device

https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...e-Magic-Device
https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...-Magic-Device)

UMD skill is CHA based, so on your planed dwarf you slightly make it lower due to -2 starting stat.

I rly think if you are a new player and still exploring the game it is perfectly fine to not bother with it on first life to 20. as maxing UMD means investment in skillpoints, CHA item, UMD swap item to make use of on low/mid heroics. buying scrolls to use also costs some plat which you may not have super much off on first life. you need to look for items appropriate to your builds main stats, PRR,MRR, fort, ghostly, spellpower, spellcrit, DC, spellpen ... and you also need to look for trap gear on your build - also looking to UMD is just another thing you have to micro manage on your first 20 lvls

however on 2nd life with more build points, less gear troubles since first life provided you some items you can use on your next, then definetly worth it. also, that wiki entry on UMD, at bottom area lists items that help with it. some of those you can look for on first life and then have rdy for use on the 2nd ...


edit: also as an afterthought, dont go and dump a lot of store points on INT or CHA tomes for your fist life now just cause this issue came to your attention here in thread.

take it easy, run the difficulty that feels appropriate to you but dont sweat it. it's great you are giving some thought to details in advance and that mindset will in the long run make your game experience more comfortable and satisfying as all those little details start paying off in increments - but dont try to buy into tomes now, rather, if you do spend favor earned store points, use them to get access to more adventure packs when those are on sale. well that's my 5cents on that anyways

[Daahly]

Ok!
I'll check that list and see what score of UMD I might need for a second life.
Maybe it could be nice to drop traps, but the experience bonus on each quest is awesome while lvling.
Cool links also! thanks

[Eryhn]

Ok!
I'll check that list and see what score of UMD I might need for a second life.
Maybe it could be nice to drop traps, but the experience bonus on each quest is awesome while lvling.
Cool links also! thanks

im no expert on the minimum requirements on trap skills at lvl. unbongwah will be able to judge that more accurately. but I think for normal and hard diff if you get decent items you can get trap bonuses with your skills as above.

speaking of useful items, some time not too far off over summer this annual event will come up: https://ddowiki.com/page/Crystal_Cove

the treasure hunter spyglass trinket from there will be a very nice item both for UMD and trapping to get for other lives and alts

[Daahly]

speaking of useful items, some time not too far off over summer this annual event will come up: https://ddowiki.com/page/Crystal_Cove

the treasure hunter spyglass trinket from there will be a very nice item both for UMD and trapping to get for other lives and alts

Nice tip this event, thx! great reward

[swiftus]

EDIT (3/17/19): The recent Eldritch Knight pass has finally made pure or mostly-pure wizard melee builds viable. Meanwhile the Knight's Training feat makes a bunch of 1H weapons a viable alternative to khopeshes. So time to dust off this thread and post some new builds.

Pure wizard (requires drow, Harper tree, and +1 DEX tome):

Drow Bladesinger
Wizard 20
True Neutral Drow


Stats
               28pt     Tome     Level Up
               ----     ----     --------
Strength         8                4: INT
Dexterity       12       +1       8: INT
Constitution    14               12: INT
Intelligence    20               16: INT
Wisdom           8               20: INT
Charisma        10               24: INT
                                 28: INT

Skills
          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
         ------------------------------------------------------------
Concent   4  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  23
Repair    4  1  1  1  1  1  1                          5  1  5  1  1  23
Spellcr   4  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  23
Heal      2     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     11
Search    1  1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1  11
Spot         1                 1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1     1     1     11
UMD       2     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     11
Balance   2        1     1     1     1     1     1                 2  10
Tumble    1                                                            1
         ------------------------------------------------------------
         28  7  7  7  7  7  7  8  8  8  8  8  8  8  8  9  9  9  9  9


Feats

 1        : Single Weapon Fighting
 1 Wizard : Extend Spell
 3        : Precision
 5 Wizard : Quicken Spell
 6        : Insightful Reflexes
 9        : Knight's Training
10 Wizard : Maximize Spell
12        : Improved Single Weapon Fighting
15        : Spell Penetration OR Greater Spell Focus: Necromancy
15 Wizard : Spell Focus: Necromancy
18        : Improved Critical: Slashing OR Bludgeoning
20 Wizard : Heighten Spell
21 Epic   : Greater Single Weapon Fighting
24 Epic   : Master of: the Dead
26 Destiny: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting OR Perfect Single Weapon Fighting
27 Epic   : Ruin OR Greater Spell Penetration OR Overwhelming Critical
28 Destiny: Hellball OR Perfect Single Weapon Fighting
29 Destiny: Arcane Warrior OR Dire Charge
30 Epic   : Greater Ruin OR Epic Spell Penetration OR Epic Damage Reduction
30 Legend : Scion of: Shadowfell


Enhancements (80 AP)

Eldritch Knight (Wizard) (42 AP)
Eldritch Strike, Spellsword, Imbue the Blade, Subtle Force, Subtle Force II, Eldritch Blade
Improved Mage Armor III, Arcane Siphon I
Improved Shield III, Mystic Wards III, Spellpower Boost III
Arcane Barrier, Synergetic Magic
Knight's Transformation, Orb Saves III, Force's Point, Armored Arcana
Improved Knight's Transformation, Knight's Controller, Force's Edge, Radiant Forcefield, Eldritch Tempest III

Pale Master (23 AP)
Dark Reaping, Zombie Form, Vampire Form, Wraith Form
Spell Critical, Negative Energy Conduit III
Spell Critical, Bone Armor III
Cloak of Night III, Spell Critical, Intelligence
Spell Critical

Harper Agent (12 AP)
Agent of Good I, Intelligence
Harper Enchantment, Strategic Combat
Know the Angles III
Strategic Combat

Archmage (3 AP)
Chill Touch
Spell Critical

The main advantage to pure wizard is the Eldritch Knight capstone which has some nice DPS bonuses. The main downside is your BAB is too low to take Greater SWF in heroics, so you have to give up an epic feat slot to take it.

Now let's look at wiz 18 / barb 1 / ftr 1:

Drow Bladesinger Mk II
18/1/1 Wizard/Barbarian/Fighter
True Neutral Drow


Level Order

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


Stats
               28pt     Tome     Level Up
               ----     ----     --------
Strength         8                4: INT
Dexterity       12       +1       8: INT
Constitution    14               12: INT
Intelligence    20               16: INT
Wisdom           8               20: INT
Charisma        10               24: INT
                                 28: INT

Skills
          B  W  W  W  W  W  W  W  W  W  W  W  W  W  W  W  W  W  W  F
          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
         ------------------------------------------------------------
Concent   2  2     2     2     3     2     2     2     2     1  2  1  23
Spellcr   2  3  1  1  1  1  1  1     2     2     2     2     2  1  1  23
Perform      1                    1     1     2     2     2  1  1     11
Heal      2     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     11
Search    2        1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1  11
Spot      2        1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1  11
UMD       2     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     11
Balance   2     1     1     1     1     1                              7
Swim      4                                                        1   5
Repair                                                 1  1            2
Jump      2                                                            2
Tumble    1                                                            1
         ------------------------------------------------------------
         36  7  7  7  7  7  7  8  8  8  8  8  8  8  8  9  9  9  9  9


Feats

 1        : Single Weapon Fighting
 2 Wizard : Extend Spell
 3        : Precision
 6        : Insightful Reflexes
 6 Wizard : Quicken Spell
 9        : Knight's Training
11 Wizard : Maximize Spell
12        : Improved Single Weapon Fighting
15        : Improved Critical: Slashing OR Bludgeoning
16 Wizard : Spell Focus: Evocation
18        : Heighten Spell
20 Fighter: Greater Single Weapon Fighting
21 Epic   : Overwhelming Critical
24 Epic   : Burst of Glacial Wrath
26 Destiny: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting OR Perfect Single Weapon Fighting
27 Epic   : Master of: the Dead
28 Destiny: Hellball OR Perfect Single Weapon Fighting
29 Destiny: Arcane Warrior OR Dire Charge
30 Epic   : Epic Damage Reduction
30 Legend : Scion of: Plane of Air OR Shadowfell


Enhancements (80 AP)

Eldritch Knight (Wizard) (41 AP)
Eldritch Strike, Spellsword, Imbue the Blade, Subtle Force, Subtle Force II
Improved Mage Armor III, Arcane Siphon I
Improved Shield III, Mystic Wards III, Spellpower Boost III
Arcane Barrier, Synergetic Magic
Knight's Transformation, Orb Saves III, Force's Point, Armored Arcana
Improved Knight's Transformation, Knight's Striker, Force's Edge, Radiant Forcefield, Eldritch Tempest III

Pale Master (21 AP)
Dark Reaping, Zombie Form, Vampire Form, Wraith Form
Spell Critical, Negative Energy Conduit III
Spell Critical, Bone Armor III
Cloak of Night III, Spell Critical, Intelligence

Harper Agent (12 AP)
Agent of Good I, Intelligence
Harper Enchantment, Strategic Combat
Know the Angles III
Strategic Combat

Kensei (6 AP)
Kensei Focus: Heavy Blades
Extra Action Boost I, Haste Boost III

The barbarian splash gets you +10% run speed and medium armor proficiencies. At lower levels this lets you equip armor and invest in drow Arcane Fluidity earlier than if you had to spend APs in EK. E.g., farm yourself a ML:5 version of the Only Exception which has only 10% ASF and invest 2 APs into Arcane Fluidity.

The fighter splash gets you BAB 11 at level 20 so you can take GSWF, effectively trading your level 20 wizard feat so it's a wash. The advantage is not having to "waste" an epic feat slot on GSWF so you can spend them all on epic-only feats. For variety's sake, I invest in Evocation bonuses rather than Necromancy, which in turn leads to me picking up Burst of Glacial Wrath. The downside is my Necro DCs and Spell Pen suffer compared to the pure wizard EK build, so I'm basically trading Necro instakills for more direct-damage and an extra AoE CC spell (BoGW).

And finally the classic Pale Trapper (wiz 18 / rog 2) in EK form. +2 INT tome is optional but recommended for the extra skill points, otherwise you have to give up one of your secondary skills like Open Lock or Heal.

Drow Bladesinger Trapper
18/2 Wizard/Rogue
True Neutral Drow


Level Order

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


Stats
               28pt     Tome     Level Up
               ----     ----     --------
Strength         8                4: INT
Dexterity       12       +1       8: INT
Constitution    14               12: INT
Intelligence    20       +2      16: INT
Wisdom           8               20: INT
Charisma        10               24: INT
                                 28: INT

Skills
          R  W  W  W  W  W  W  W  W  W  W  W  W  W  W  R  W  W  W  W
          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
         ------------------------------------------------------------
Spellcr   2  2     2     2     3  1  1  1  1  1  1  1     2     2  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
UMD       4  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  23
Open Lo   4                          1     1     1    10     2     1  20
Heal      2     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     11
Balance   4                                            3               7
Repair    4                                                        1   5
Spot      4                                                            4
Jump      4                                                            4
Swim      4                                                            4
Tumble    4                                                            4
Haggle    4                                                            4
         ------------------------------------------------------------
         52  8  8  8  8  8  8  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  9 16 10 10 10 10


Feats

 1        : Single Weapon Fighting
 2 Wizard : Extend Spell
 3        : Precision
 6        : Insightful Reflexes
 6 Wizard : Quicken Spell
 9        : Knight's Training
11 Wizard : Maximize Spell
12        : Spell Focus: Evocation
15        : Improved Single Weapon Fighting
17 Wizard : Heighten Spell
18        : Improved Critical: Slashing
21 Epic   : Greater Single Weapon Fighting
24 Epic   : Burst of Glacial Wrath
26 Destiny: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting OR Perfect Single Weapon Fighting
27 Epic   : Overwhelming Critical
28 Destiny: Hellball OR Perfect Single Weapon Fighting
29 Destiny: Arcane Warrior OR Dire Charge
30 Epic   : Master of: the Dead
30 Legend : Scion of: Plane of Air OR Shadowfell

Edit: Change as I went with the pure Wizard Spellsinger and lesser TR'd my elf tempest ranger to it.

With that... is the tier II Palemaster Bone Armor enhancement still a thing?

I followed the pure wizard spellsinger build closely and do not see Bone Armor on tier II or anywhere. From what I see on DDOWiki, it should be available when I select Lich, Vampire, or Zombie shroud (of which I selected Lich.) Also, I see Cloak of Night has one level (1/1) and is on tier II rather than tier III.

[swiftus]

Edit: Change as I went with the pure Wizard Spellsinger and lesser TR'd my elf tempest ranger to it.

With that... is the tier II Palemaster Bone Armor enhancement still a thing?

I followed the pure wizard spellsinger build closely and do not see Bone Armor on tier II or anywhere. From what I see on DDOWiki, it should be available when I select Lich, Vampire, or Zombie shroud (of which I selected Lich.) Also, I see Cloak of Night has one level (1/1) and is on tier II rather than tier III.

Nevermind. Finally got some time to search around and read about U43 where they changed the tree.

Ok... I'll take a skeletal companion to run me up the tree instead until I figure out what makes up for what may have been lost in the build.

[Vychos]

Hi again unbongwah,

So I've been running your Pale/Trapper - EK version for the last couple of weeks, and I am now at lvl 12. I am starting to fail every check to find traps on quests levels above level 11 on elite. I have 29 on search. I am starting to feel my problem is my gear - but I have no clue what gear should I look for or where to find it. Any clue on how to tackle my search problems?

I would also appreciate any tips about how exactly do I heal myself with the Pale tree - I tried to google it but I didn't find anything conclusive.

Thanks again.

[Phoenicis]

Hi again unbongwah,

So I've been running your Pale/Trapper - EK version for the last couple of weeks, and I am now at lvl 12. I am starting to fail every check to find traps on quests levels above level 11 on elite. I have 29 on search. I am starting to feel my problem is my gear - but I have no clue what gear should I look for or where to find it. Any clue on how to tackle my search problems?

I would also appreciate any tips about how exactly do I heal myself with the Pale tree - I tried to google it but I didn't find anything conclusive.

Thanks again.

healing a PM involves LDA,DA, NEB and harm scrolls.

[Torkzed]

Hi again unbongwah,

So I've been running your Pale/Trapper - EK version for the last couple of weeks, and I am now at lvl 12. I am starting to fail every check to find traps on quests levels above level 11 on elite. I have 29 on search. I am starting to feel my problem is my gear - but I have no clue what gear should I look for or where to find it. Any clue on how to tackle my search problems?

I would also appreciate any tips about how exactly do I heal myself with the Pale tree - I tried to google it but I didn't find anything conclusive.

Thanks again.

Search skill at 29 is probably 5-10 points below where you want to be by lvl 12. The wiki is not perfect, but there is some information on the likely skill levels (search, spot, disable, open lock) required for various quests. I did a quick review and it would appear that for elite lvl 10 quests, you want 35-38 ish levels for no fail search success.

That said, you should be able to get there. If you are max'ing search (and you really should be), you should have about 15 skill points invested. By that level, you should have an intelligence around 26 or better, for about +8 to search. Crafted gear at that level should provide about +13 to search. And if you have no PL bonuses, you probably should consider some enhancement investments (say +3). So adding these up, 36-39 search should not be out of reach.

If you havent done any cannith crafting, it is not super hard to get to the level needed (~110) to craft a level 11 item (giving a +13 bonus). Search and spot shards are craftable at lvl 1, so you only need to get your ability up to craft the min lvl 11 (or whatever).

If you really don't want to do crafting, then just check the Auction House regularly. Eventually you should find gear that gives +10 to +13 search skill around that level. Named items are not plentiful at this level, but some to consider would be the goggles of perception from tempest spine, or the snakeskin vest from framework (if you can wear light armor).

Personally, i have lvl 5 goggles of spot and search that I crafted (+7), and I use the goggles of perception at lvl 9+. I almost never bother with anything else until cap, but I have lots of past lives giving other bonuses that you may not have access to at this point in your adventuring career.

[Eelpout]

https://ddowiki.com/images/Leather_G..._the_Snake.jpg

Kind of Big Deal. Level 6 quest. Not perfect, but handy...

https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Muffled_Veneer

Tapestry turn ins from Orchard

[unbongwah]

So I've been running your Pale/Trapper - EK version for the last couple of weeks, and I am now at lvl 12. I am starting to fail every check to find traps on quests levels above level 11 on elite. I have 29 on search. I am starting to feel my problem is my gear - but I have no clue what gear should I look for or where to find it. Any clue on how to tackle my search problems?

First off: gear upgrades. You should have at least +12 gear by now: e.g., Keylock Ring. If you don't, time to farm some quests. Second: don't forget buffs like Greater Heroism and Mechanic enhancements.

I would also appreciate any tips about how exactly do I heal myself with the Pale tree - I tried to google it but I didn't find anything conclusive.

Pale Masters heal by using undead forms + Negative energy spells: Negative Energy Burst and the Death Auras. Vampire form also grants "your melee and unarmed attacks have a (10%) chance to heal you for 1d3 Negative Energy damage per Wizard Level." They can also heal with Positive energy now, albeit with a 50% penalty, but that's better than the old days when undead forms completely blocked Cure/Heal spells etc.