Airhummer - F2P/New-player Drow Bard 2/Sorcerer

[C-Dog]

(edit: 2020: The EK pass has definitely made the original AP split sub-optimal, and as yet I haven't fully reworked it. The important step, putting more pts into the EK tree, is listed in the "AP split" section but not reflected in the Leveling guide.

Many of the advantages of Bard are now included w/ EK, so unless you want the bells and whistles offered here (or are just a rebel), go with a cookie-cutter Sorcerer build and simply go pure Sorcerer, spend 41 AP in your main tree, 31 in EK (for the cores for +Spell Power, mainly), and spend the last 8 as you please.

Note also that some of the EK tree has changed from what you see below (I should pro'ly update that too :/).


This build still has some advantages over a pure Sorci which can be important to a new player:

• early Fascinate for Crowd Control
• early 2nd SLA supported by Air spellower
• (small) healing ability
• full ranks in UMD
• Sprint
• some added survivability, etc.

If those are attractive, follow the build w/ the following changes to AP's: dump weak Fire Savant tree and spend those in EK, getting 21 for that core. That will leave you with a few to spare, which can fill in anywhere. You could also dump Drow if you don't need that last +Cha (tho' that's cheap to take and respec back out of as you level, to keep Charisma even). Not enough to get 31 in EK, not without cutting Warchanter.

So note that the below has not been updated to reflect those new EK changes, and haff fun stomin da cassul!)

---

(edit: updated Dec '18)

(For brand new players, Drow is not hard to earn via Favor, and many have it by the time their first character is Level 6 or so - see this article, etc. That character can then be used as a mule (aka for storage) for this one.)


A true F2P account won't be going on in to Epics*, so losing the Sorcerer capstone isn't a big deal - hit Level 18, bank 20, TR, repeat. This unexpected build grabs a lot more survivability in exchange for 1 caster level, so I feel is great for someone learning the game and Sorcerer class. (Like me, at least re the latter; a veteran sorcie player will just use DPS and jumping to crush all opposition, but until you learn that dance... this.)

(* Buying Menace of the Underdark (at least when it's on sale) is highly recommended, especially the better of the 2 versions. So much bang for the buck, and still less than you'd pay for most games. But that's a diff discussion.)

I think it ~could~ work to 30, but the benefits of Bard 2 become less noticeable beyond Heroics (i.e. in quests of Level 20+), and the loss of the Level 20 capstone will be felt in both DPS and survivability - so doable, but not enthusiastically recommended.


For comparison with a pure Sorcerer build, see this dependable standard - recommended if that's what you're after.


What s/he gains w/ Bard 2...

• Bard survivability: Light armour and shields for defense, plus another +6 PRR/MRR, +15 HP, +60 Spell Points, +1 Con, etc.
• early emergency CLW (which can consistently heal ~20-25/ later w/ gear boosts, before crits. This is not "good" as far as healing goes, but it's nice to have in a Sorcerer's back pocket, and it has saved more than one party.)
• full ranks in UMD for early Raise Dead/Heal/Resurrection/etc. scrolling (vs. half-ranks for pure Sorcerer).
• early low ranks in misc utility skills - Jump, Haggle, Swim, etc.
• some boost to Sonic spells via Perform (Sonic spells do not use Spellcraft)
• late +1 Evocation DC from Spellsinger Tier 2 (@ Lvl 14)
• @ end-Heroics, +35% Sprint Boost for true expeditious retreating, faster in-city travel, super-<racial> kiting, or just catching up w/ the party. "Fast" is always useful.
• some other bells and whistles - like 1 use/shrine of Inspire Courage, just for randomness. Every little bit helps your meatwall.
• With chain armor, a light shield and a sword (instead of a scepter/orb etc.), a very non-standard sorcerer with several unexpected tricks up their sleeve, for those who don't want something totally predictable.

What s/he gives up...

• Any 2nd tree Savant enhancements, so no Firewall love.
• Bard 1 means all Sorcerer levels and spells delayed by 1 level until Lvl 15*, then delayed 2 levels compared to a pure build. Again, this drops DPS a bit compared to pure, but the #1 goal is to survive and get to Level 20 (and have fun doing it!), not try to lead the kill list or be the fastest to get there.

(* see notes, at bottom)

• Airhummer (mark III, edited June '19)
  18/2 Sorcerer/Bard
  True Neutral Drow
  
  
  Level Order
  
  1. Bard. . . . . . 6. Sorcerer. . . .11. Sorcerer. . . .16. Sorcerer
  2. Sorcerer . . . .7. Sorcerer . . . 12. Sorcerer . . . 17. Sorcerer
  3. Sorcerer . . . .8. Sorcerer . . . 13. Sorcerer . . . 18. Sorcerer
  4. Sorcerer . . . .9. Sorcerer . . . 14. Bard. . . . . .19. Sorcerer
  5. Sorcerer . . . 10. Sorcerer . . . 15. Sorcerer . . . 20. Sorcerer
  
  
  Stats
  . . . . . . . .28pt . . Level Up
  . . . . . . . .---- . . --------
  Strength. . . . 10. . . .4: CHA
  Dexterity . . . 10. . . .8: CHA
  Constitution. . 12. . . 12: CHA
  Intelligence. . 14. . . 16: CHA
  Wisdom. . . . . .8. . . 20: CHA
  Charisma. . . . 20. . .
  
  
  Skills
  . . . . . B .S .S .S .S .S .S .S .S .S .S .S .S .B. S. S. S. S. S. S
  . . . . . 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
  Spellcr . 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
  Perform . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5. . . . . . . . . . .9
  Jump. . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
  Haggle. . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
  Swim. . . 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
  Heal. . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
  Tumble. . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
  . . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
  . . . . .32 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .8. 4. 4. 4. 4. 4. 4
  
  
  Feats
  
  .1. . . . : Maximize Spell
  .3. . . . : Enlarge Spell
  .6. . . . : Heighten Spell
  .9. . . . : Force of Personality
  12. . . . : Spell Focus: Evocation
  12 Swap. .: Quicken Spell replaces Enlarge Spell
  15. . . . : Greater Spell Focus: Evocation
  18. . . . : Empower Spell
  
  
  Spells
  
  Sorcerer
  1. Jump (2) (2), Sonic Blast (2) (2), Detect Secret Doors (3) (3), Shield (4) (4)
  2. Web (5) (5), Invisibility (6) (6), Knock (8) (8), Scorching Ray (10) (if not in a guild (10)
  3. Displacement (7) (7), Fireball (8) (8), Haste (10) (10), Chain Missiles (12) (12)
  4. Wall of Fire (9) (9), Dimension Door (10) (10), Stoneskin (12) (12), Fire Shield (15) (15)
  5. Ball Lightning (11) (11), Eladar's Electric Surge (12) (12), Teleport (15) (15), Cyclonic Blast (17) (17)
  6. Chain Lightning (13) (13), Greater Heroism (15) (15), True Seeing (17) (17)
  7. Delayed Blast Fireball (16) (16), Otto's Sphere of Dancing (17) (17), Prismatic Spray (19) (19)
  8. Otto's Irresistible Dance (18) (18), Incendiary Cloud (19) (19)
  9. Meteor Swarm (20) (20)
  
  Bard
  1. Cure Light Wounds (1) (1), Sonic Blast (14) (14)
  
  
  Enhancements (81 of 80 AP) Errors
  
  Air Savant (40 AP)
  • Air Savant, Air Affinity, Greater Air Affinity, Conduction, Light on Your Feet
    1. Shocking Grasp III, Spell Critical, Electrocution II
    2. Efficient Maximize II, Spell Critical
    3. Spell Critical, Charisma
    4. Electric Loop III, Feather Fall, Spell Critical, Charisma
    5. Lightning Bolt III, Awaken Elemental Weakness, Wind Dance, Evocation Focus
  
  Fire Savant (0 AP) - EDIT: Put these into EK
  Eldritch Knight (Sorcerer) (22 AP - not all listed atm)
  • Eldritch Strike, Spellsword, Imbue the Blade, Subtle Force I
    1. Toughness III, Battlemage I
    2. Shield Training, Wand and Scroll Mastery III
    3. Arcane Barrier, Charisma
    4. Offhand Defenses I
  
  Spellsinger (8 AP)
  • Spellsinger
    1. Studies: Magical II, Sonic Blast III
    2. Marigold Crown: Violet
  
  Warchanter (6 AP)
  • Skaldic: Constitution
    1. Rough and Ready III, Focused I
    2. Sprint Boost I
  
  Drow (5 AP)
  • Spell Resistance, Charisma
    1. Arcane Fluidity II
  • 1. (respec into EK once covered by EK tree)
  
  Leveling Guide
  1. Spl0 Spellsinger; Spl1 Sonic Blast I, II, III
  2. Air0 Air Savant; Air1 Shocking Grasp I, II, III
  3. Air1 Spell Critical; Air1 Electrocution I, II
  4. Air0 Air Affinity; Air2 Spell Critical
  5. Air3 Charisma; Air3 Spell Critical
  6. Air2 Efficient Maximize I, II; Spl1 Studies: Magical I
  7. Reset Spellsinger
     • Air Savant: Greater Air Affinity
       1. (none)
       2. (none)
       3. (none)
       4. Electric Loop III
     • Spellsinger: Spellsinger
       1. Sonic Blast III
  8. Air4 Charisma; Air4 Spell Critical; War0 Skaldic: Constitution
  9. Dro0 Spell Resistance; Dro1 Arcane Fluidity I, II; Fir0 Fire Savant
  10. Fir1 Spell Critical; War1 Rough and Ready I, II
  11. War1 Rough and Ready III; Air4 Feather Fall; Air1 Acrobatic I
  12. Reset Spellsinger
      • Air Savant
        1. (none)
        2. (none)
        3. (none)
        4. (none)
        5. Lightning Bolt III, Awaken Elemental Weakness, Evocation Focus
  13. Air5 Wind Dance; Air0 Conduction; Spl0 Spellsinger; Spl1 Sonic Blast I
  14. Spl1 Sonic Blast II, III; Spl1 Studies: Magical I, II
  15. Spl2 Marigold Crown: Violet; Fir1 Burning Hands I, II
  16. Fir0 Fire Affinity; Dro0 Charisma; EKs0 Eldritch Strike
  17. EKs1 Toughness I, II, III; EKs1 Battlemage I
  18. Reset Drow
      • Eldritch Knight (Sorcerer): Spellsword, Imbue the Blade
        1. (none)
        2. Shield Training, Wand and Scroll Mastery III
        3. Arcane Barrier
  19. EKs3 Charisma; War1 Focused I; War2 Sprint Boost I

Notes:

• For new players, Alignment doesn't really matter - "Neutral" just has the most options when it comes to avoiding alignment conflicts with found loot (from chests), and avoiding extra damage from certain anti-aligned attacks, etc. Recommended for starting players, all things equal.
• 10 Strength is not huge to start with, but points are needed elsewhere; get a Str item asap, or if early Encumbrance is crippling, buy Bull's Str potions in The Marketplace (under the big red central tent) - or just dump all those suits of armor and tower shields you're lugging around. 12 Con is helped via +1 Con from 1 AP in Warchanter core 1 - grab it if you're at an odd-numbered value.
• If you're leveling from 1, use a 2-handed weapon (great axe is best) for Korthos until your spells can carry you, which might be a couple/few levels. (and see next re Fascinate).
• Starting @ 4 Perform is enough for Inspire Courage, but it's also enough for Fascinate, which, w/ 20 Charisma, will be great for Level 1, altho' will become less and less reliable every level beyond that as DC's go up but your Perform does not. Grab a Perform item if you're going to use it until you get your spell DPS up.
• The Air Savant tree also boosts Sonic - hence the various Sonic spells/SLA's.
• Sonic Blast gets dropped, twice, to free up those 4 AP for instant, superior SLA's in the Air tree - once in favor of Electric Loop, then again for Lightning Bolt. Just take it again as appropriate.
• Bard 2 at Char Level 14 gets you to Sorcie 12 asap for Chain Lightning, the ultimate Electric evocation spell. Moving Bard 2 any earlier hurts too much imo, but delaying later is a "ymmv" thing - there are certainly nice new spells calling at every level.
• The Eldritch Knight Shield Training is redundant w/ Bard's shield ability, but it also gives you -5% ASF - use a buckler before that, and a small shield after.
• Take +Cha when you need it depending on your current Gear, when it will even out an "odd numbered" value for Cha. Dump it again if it's not helping. Drow tree is pro'ly cheapest to access/respec.
• re "Arcane Fluidity II" - Bard gets you Light Armor Proficiency, and AF II gets you -10% ASF for Leather Armor, but not enough for Chain. This is for PPR, not Armor Class (few Sorcies will have a great AC), and for PRR all "Light" armor is the same. (You will swap to -15% at end Heroics via Eldritch Knight Core 6, if you want to take advantage of that then. Either way you also get Quick Draw and +10 Universal Spell Power.)
• Altho' "Resistant/Immune to Electrical damage" is rare, it is out there - the Fire/Sonic spells will help, but you won't be completely happy about it when you do run across such. However, at Character Level 12 you get Air Tier 5 "Awaken Elemental Weakness", which removes such defenses (for 30 seconds) if they are present. If a group of mobs is immune, use your Force Missiles/etc.
• For the Level 12 Feat swap, run the Hall of the Mark quest, then talk to Fred.
• For the Level 15 Feat, if(?) you find your spells are landing consistently, take Empower for better DPS and delay Greater Evocation until 18.

I changed some things from the original (and moved that to post, below), based on experience playing this, namely...

• 2 more points in Strength. It's common for new players to have trouble w/ Encumbrance, and that's who this build is specifically for. I'm not happy about the trade-off, but -1 point in Con won't make a difference as often as being Encumbered will.
• Dropped 2 from Int, and so also dropped Perform. Not that many Sonic spells to worry about. (2nd life (30 pt) Drow builds will want this back.)
• Reordered Feats, including Feat swap @ 12. This makes low levels much stronger, and reorganizes before Gianthold. We lose Enlarge, so the Shocking Grasp SLA is no longer ranged, but gain Lightning Bolt, so that's covered. Quicken goes well on all SLA's for faster rotation, and on CLW for in-combat no-fail panic healing.
• Slightly diff spells. (Merfolks? Really? )
• AP Leveling Guide - a LOT of the Bard AP's could be plugged in somewhere else, so tweak to suit, but I think this gets the best survivability (spec PRR) asap. But ~something~ has to go last.
• Added Level 18 respec to Eldritch Knight Cores 3 + 6 (for 10% -> 15% ASF, +20 Spell Power, and Quickdraw, etc.), which I had overlooked. (This late in its life, this not mandatory - if you need the Drow Cha, keep it.) Thx to Xbunny! o7

[xenon211]

[*] The Eldritch Knight Shield Training is redundant w/ Bard's shield ability, but it also gives you -5% ASF. Spellsword also gives -5%, so you can upgrade from buckler to light shield for more PRR. (Not sure, but if you can slot a -5% Sapphire of Spell Agility slotted into a heavy shield, that should(?) allow that, too. Haven't found a (cheap) sapphire to try it out with yet, but by the written description(?) it should(?) work fine.)[/LIST]

-5% augment is not an ideal solution as its an ML 12 augment.

Best solution I found, (esp for a new player), was running Water Works chain till the end reward gives a Mithral Heavy Shield (-5% asf before any enhancements and usable as a craft base). It has the added bonus of being New Crafter friendly since your desired effects are probably a spell power of choice (craft lvl 50, VERY easily reached), and wizardry, deathblock, or false life (all craft level 1) with the materials being easy to obtain. Mithril heavy shields are bound to account so they can be farmed easily with a small investment of time with nearly any level character. Tier 2 EK shield Training would allow use at char lv3. [ML3 crafting is spell power 47 (school specific), and wizardry 41 or false life 8]

At the same time you can craft a mainhand weapon with spellpower of a 2nd school. If you get close to crafting level 100, you can also add spell lore to your weapon, though that would take longer and there are many other options like challenge gears.

Additional options (not newb friendly):

You can craft -5% asf (Lesser Arcane Dexterity). It is a lvl 250 crafting recipe involving epic level ingredients. [Prefix slot available for gloves, trinket, and armor]

Fanion large shield, inherent 0 ASF (mithril), lv14, greater false life (30), wizardry 200. Requires a complete tome turn in, so many many runs of necro 4 dungeons or a bunch of plat/astral shards to buy the pages off the AH.

Skyvault tower shield from GH tor, lv 12, 13, and 14. Occasionally found on AH. No ASF, proficiency can be scrolled via master's touch if desired.

[C-Dog]

All good suggestions, thanks.

I've run this now to level 17, and the lack of Fire Savant is rarely felt*. With the DC buff, Electric Loop still gets CC effects about 90-95% of the time, and I rarely have to go beyond the 4 SLA's to clean up trash.

(* Noticeably weaker Walls of Fire when kiting for that trick, and can't use the Electric-immune debuff on every threat in a wave of ochre jellies, but other than that, no real problems to speak of.)

[Bullytt]

(For brand new players, Drow is not hard to earn via Favor, and many have it by the time their first character is Level 6 or so - see this article, etc.)


A true F2P account won't be going on in to Epics*, so losing the Sorcerer capstone isn't a big deal - hit Level 18, bank 20, TR, repeat. This unexpected build grabs a bit more DC and a lot more survivability in exchange for delaying spells 1 level, so I feel is great for someone learning the game and Sorcerer class. (Like me, at least re the latter; a veteran sorcie player will just use DPS and jumping to crush all opposition, but until you learn that dance... this.)

(* Buying Menace of the Underdark (at least when it's on sale) is highly recommended, especially the better of the 2 versions. So much bang for the buck, and still less than you'd pay for most games. But that's a diff discussion.)

I think it could work to 30, but the benefits of Bard 2 become less noticeable beyond Heroics (i.e. in quests of Level 20+), and the loss of the Level 20 capstone will be felt in both DPS and survivability - so doable, but not enthusiastically recommended.


For comparison with a pure Sorcerer build, see this dependable standard - recommended if that's what you're after.


What s/he gets...

• Starting 20 Charisma for higher early DC & spellpoints, and Will ST via FoP
• Bard survivability: Chain armour and shields for defense, +6 PRR/MRR, +60 Spell Points, +1 Con
• early emergency CLW (which can consistently heal ~15-20/ later w/ gear boosts, before crits)
• Full ranks in UMD (as well as Concentration/Spellcraft)
• early low ranks in misc skills - Jump, Haggle, Swim
• +35% Sprint Boost for true expeditious retreating (or just catching up w/ the party, or whatever. "Fast" is always useful.)
• late +1 Evocation DC from Spellsinger Tier 2 (@ Lvl 14)
• some other bells and whistles - like 1 use/shrine of Inspire Courage, just for randomness. Every little bit helps your meatwall.
• With chain mail, a light/heavy shield and a sword (instead of a scepter/orb etc.), a very non-standard sorcerer with several unexpected tricks up their sleeve, for those who don't want something totally predictable.

What s/he gives up...

• most 2nd tree Savant enhancements - 90% of the casting enhancements are Electric/Sonic, w/ only a very little Fire boost.
• Bard 1 means all levels and spells delayed by 1 level until Lvl 15*, then delayed 2 levels compared to a pure build.

(* see notes, at bottom)

• Airhummer
  18/2 Sorcerer/Bard
  True Neutral Drow
  
  Level Order
  1. Bard. . . . . . 6. Sorcerer. . . .11. Sorcerer. . . .16. Sorcerer
  2. Sorcerer . . . .7. Sorcerer . . . 12. Sorcerer . . . 17. Sorcerer
  3. Sorcerer . . . .8. Sorcerer . . . 13. Sorcerer . . . 18. Sorcerer
  4. Sorcerer . . . .9. Sorcerer . . . 14. Bard. . . . . .19. Sorcerer
  5. Sorcerer . . . 10. Sorcerer . . . 15. Sorcerer . . . 20. Sorcerer
  
  Stats
  . . . . . . . .28pt . . Level Up
  . . . . . . . .---- . . --------
  Strength. . . . .8. . . .4: CHA
  Dexterity . . . 10. . . .8: CHA
  Constitution. . 13. . . 12: CHA
  Intelligence. . 14. . . 16: CHA
  Wisdom. . . . . .8. . . 20: CHA
  Charisma. . . . 20. . .
  
  Skills
  . . . . . B .S .S .S .S .S .S .S .S .S .S .S .S .B. S. S. S. S. S. S
  . . . . . 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
  Spellcr . 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
  Haggle. . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5. . . . . . . . . . .9
  Jump. . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
  Swim. . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
  Perform . 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
  Heal. . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
  Tumble. . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
  . . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
  . . . . .32 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .8. 4. 4. 4. 4. 4. 4
  
  Feats
  .1. . . . : Maximize Spell
  .3. . . . : Force of Personality
  .6. . . . : Heighten Spell
  .9. . . . : Extend Spell
  12. . . . : Quicken Spell
  15. . . . : Spell Focus: Evocation
  18. . . . : ~tbd~ (Greater Spell Focus, Empower Spell, Mental Toughness are just a few options)
  
  Spells
  
  Sorcerer
  1. Magic Missile, Jump, Detect Secret Doors, Merfolk's Blessing
  2. Invisibility, Web, Knock, Scorching Ray (alt: Resist Energy if you're not in a Guild. Join a Guild.)
  3. Fireball, Displacement, Haste, Chain Missiles (alt: Protection from Energy)
  4. Wall of Fire, Dimension Door, Stoneskin, Force Missiles (alt: Fire Shield, which also reduces cold or fire damage by 50%)
  5. Ball Lightning, Eladar's Electric Surge, Teleport, Cyclonic Blast ((alt Protection from Elements if you did not take Lvl 3 PfE)
  6. Chain Lightning, Greater Heroism, True Seeing
  7. Delayed Blast Fireball, Otto's Sphere of Dancing, Prismatic Spray
  8. Otto's Irresistible Dance, Incendiary Cloud
  9. Meteor Swarm
  
  Bard
  1. Cure Light Wounds (& Sonic Blast @ Lvl 14 for more rapid-fire box breaking than just the SS SLA)
  
  
  Enhancements (80 AP)
  Air Savant (40 AP)
  • Air Savant, Air Affinity, Greater Air Affinity, Conduction, Light on Your Feet
    1. Shocking Grasp III, Spell Critical, Electrocution III
    2. Spell Critical, Alternating Current III
    3. Spell Critical, Charisma
    4. Electric Loop III, Feather Fall, Spell Critical, Charisma
    5. Lightning Bolt III, Awaken Elemental Weakness, Wind Dance, Evocation Focus
  
  Fire Savant (6 AP)
  • Fire Savant, Fire Affinity
    1. Burning Hands II, Spell Critical
  
  Eldritch Knight (Sorcerer) (15 AP)
  • Eldritch Strike, Spellsword: Shock
    1. Toughness III, Battlemage I
    2. Shield Training, Wand and Scroll Mastery II
    3. Arcane Barrier III, Charisma
  
  Spellsinger (7 AP)
  • Spellsinger
    1. Studies: Magical II, Sonic Blast II
    2. Marigold Crown: Violet (+1 to Evocation DC's)
  
  Warchanter (6 AP)
  • Skaldic: Constitution
    1. Rough and Ready III , Focused I
    2. Sprint Boost I
  
  Drow (6 AP)
  • Spell Resistance, Charisma
    1. Arcane Fluidity III (-15% ASF from armor only)

Notes:

• For new players, Alignment doesn't really matter - "Neutral" just has the most options when it comes to avoiding alignment conflicts with found loot (from chests), and avoiding extra damage from certain anti-aligned attacks, etc. Recommended for starting players, all things equal.
• I don't love the low Strength, but points are needed elsewhere; get a Str item asap, or buy Bull's Str potions in The Marketplace (under the big red central tent). 13 Con is helped via +1 Con from 1 AP in Warchanter core 1.
• If you're leveling from 1, use a 2-handed weapon (great axe is best) for Korthos until you're level 2 and can grab Magic Missile plus the Sonic Blast and/or Shocking Grasp SLA's - and maybe even a while after that (but see next re Fascinate).
• 3 Perform is just enough for Inspire Courage - ignore it if you prefer (tho' I'm not sure what else you'd put the points into). But it's also enough for Fascinate, which, w/ 20 Charisma, will be great for Level 1, altho' will become less and less reliable every level beyond that. Grab a Perform item if you're going to use it until you get your spell DPS up.
• The Air Savant tree also boosts Sonic - hence the various Sonic spells/SLA's.
• Bard 2 at Char Level 14 gets you to Sorcie 12 asap for Chain Lightning, the ultimate electric evocation spell. Moving it earlier hurts too much imo, but delaying later is a "ymmv" thing - there are certainly nice new spells calling at every level.
• The Eldritch Knight Shield Training is redundant w/ Bard's shield ability, but it also gives you -5% ASF. Spellsword also gives -5%, so you can upgrade from buckler to light shield for more PRR. (Not sure, but if you can slot a -5% Sapphire of Spell Agility slotted into a heavy shield, that should(?) allow that, too. Haven't found a (cheap) sapphire to try it out with yet, but by the written description(?) it should(?) work fine.)
• Altho' "Resistant/Immune to Electrical damage" is rare, it is out there - the Fire/Sonic spells will help, but you won't be completely happy about it when you do run across such. However, at Character Level 12 you get Air Tier 5 "Awaken Elemental Weakness", which removes such defenses (for 30 seconds) if they are present.

Hi

Do you have any advice on where to spend the AP earlier on?

I am lvl 7 at the moment pure sorc, but find that it is far too squishy (I must be playing it wrong!!) but I am happy to do a +1 reincarnate to be more survivable...

THanks,

Bullytt

[C-Dog]

Glad you posted here - I haven't looked at this in a long time, and probably need to make some changes - not how I'd do it now.

And you're pure Sorc, right? Not this build? I offered this for exactly the sort of reasons you're experiencing, but I'll throw some stuff out...

Do you have any advice on where to spend the AP earlier on?

I am lvl 7 at the moment pure sorc, but find that it is far too squishy (I must be playing it wrong!!)...

Sorcies ~are~ squishy - they're glass cannons who must rely on overwhelming firepower, gunslingers truly living by the motto "kill or be killed". (And if(?) Drow, that -2 Con isn't doing you any favors, altho a -1 Hit Point/Level diff would probably not be a life saver very often.)

As for playstyle, Sorcies want to (literally!) Jump around a lot too while fighting, so you should ~never~ be standing toe-to-toe with an enemy and trading shots. Even against casters, constantly sliding/jumping left/right will avoid a LOT of their more "blasty" attacks (esp Lightning Bolts), and you'll watch them simply shoot past you, aimed over where you just were.

Get used to holding down A+S and/or S+D while running backward in circles and aiming w/ your mouse, hitting Tab w/ little finger to change targets, constantly backpedaling and casting while the mobs chase you (later, thru those WoF's).

(Also, Enemy casters sometimes have a cycle of casting a blast only every other round - if you can hide behind something, you're safe against that, then dodge out, zap once, and dodge back to safety!)

Grab Displacement asap. -50% miss chance is just money. It's short-lasting, so get in the habit of casting as you're going in to combat, and then recasting as necessary for longer fights. Blur is nice, but Displacement is a lifesaver.


For AP, basically, get your SLA's asap, and then fill in w/ quick survivability as you can. If you're X+Y, add in the 2nd SLA for a cheap rotation, but concentrate as much as possible (as much as your AP and Tier progression allows) on one "killer" Savant choice. Imo, the obvious choice is Air (for good damage + CC, + Sonic spells/SLA's), but Fire has its benefits as well (namely early AoE). But the idea is to have a rotation of SLA's + Spells that all get fed by your focused school, whatever that is. Secondary SLA's/spells are exactly that, of secondary concern.

I find that Enlarge is a massive boost to Air Savants, turning Shocking Grasp into a ranged attack (see first point re "never toe-to-toe"!) and extending the wonderful Electric Loop out to max. Having SG at range is a gamechanger. But even w/o Enlarge, the SLA's are your bread-and-butter in your rotation, cheap damage to fill in between the big hammers.

Pure sorcies don't have all the cheap Bard survivability options above, but do have Eldritch Knight. Shield Mastery gets you a Small Shield = +5 PRR, and (if you want) Light Armor gets you PRR = current BAB (either Leather or Chain, doesn't matter). (If Drow, get just enough Arcane Fluidity to remove all ASF. If non-Drow, your options are more limited.) Plus, imo, sorcies look great in armor + shield.

And speaking of PRR, make sure you have a Sheltering item. A little PRR goes a long way. Just 10 points = 100/110 = 91% damage, a 9% savings - and that can easily be a life saver. (I find MRR to be a lost cause - "...Frost Lance hits you for 7 billion points of damage..." - -9% isn't going to help that, but otoh it can't hurt.)

While on gear, you want to make sure you have an Evocation boosting item, as you don't want your targets making saves for half (or no!) damage - search for "blasting" on the AH. You can (rarely!) find +3's by Level 7, so, by now, aim for a +2 at least. And a solid Magnetism/Lightning Lore item in one hand (and Resonating/Resonance Lore (or Fire equiv?) in other).

[C-Dog]

K, I made what I consider "improvements" to the 1st post, changes listed there.

Below is the original, for purely archival reasons.

Airhummer
18/2 Sorcerer/Bard
True Neutral Drow

Level Order
1. Bard. . . . . . 6. Sorcerer. . . .11. Sorcerer. . . .16. Sorcerer
2. Sorcerer . . . .7. Sorcerer . . . 12. Sorcerer . . . 17. Sorcerer
3. Sorcerer . . . .8. Sorcerer . . . 13. Sorcerer . . . 18. Sorcerer
4. Sorcerer . . . .9. Sorcerer . . . 14. Bard. . . . . .19. Sorcerer
5. Sorcerer . . . 10. Sorcerer . . . 15. Sorcerer . . . 20. Sorcerer

Stats
. . . . . . . .28pt . . Level Up
. . . . . . . .---- . . --------
Strength. . . . .8. . . .4: CHA
Dexterity . . . 10. . . .8: CHA
Constitution. . 13. . . 12: CHA
Intelligence. . 14. . . 16: CHA
Wisdom. . . . . .8. . . 20: CHA
Charisma. . . . 20. . . 

Skills
. . . . . B .S .S .S .S .S .S .S .S .S .S .S .S .B. S. S. S. S. S. S
. . . . . 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
Spellcr . 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
Haggle. . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5. . . . . . . . . . .9
Jump. . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Swim. . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Perform . 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Heal. . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Tumble. . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
. . . . .32 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .8. 4. 4. 4. 4. 4. 4

Feats
.1. . . . : Maximize Spell
.3. . . . : Force of Personality
.6. . . . : Heighten Spell
.9. . . . : Extend Spell
12. . . . : Quicken Spell
15. . . . : Spell Focus: Evocation
18. . . . :  ~tbd~ (Greater Spell Focus, Empower Spell, Mental Toughness are just a few options)

Spells

Sorcerer
Magic Missile, Jump, Detect Secret Doors, Merfolk's Blessing
Invisibility, Web, Knock, Scorching Ray (alt: Resist Energy if you're not in a Guild. Join a Guild.)
Fireball, Displacement, Haste, Chain Missiles (alt: Protection from Energy)
Wall of Fire, Dimension Door, Stoneskin, Force Missiles (alt: Fire Shield, which also reduces cold  or fire damage by 50%)
Ball Lightning, Eladar's Electric Surge, Teleport, Cyclonic Blast ((alt Protection from Elements if you did not take Lvl 3 PfE)
Chain Lightning, Greater Heroism, True Seeing
Delayed Blast Fireball, Otto's Sphere of Dancing, Prismatic Spray
Otto's Irresistible Dance, Incendiary Cloud
Meteor Swarm
Bard
Cure Light Wounds (& Sonic Blast @ Lvl 14 for more rapid-fire box breaking than just the SS SLA)

Enhancements (80 AP)
Air Savant (40 AP)
Air Savant, Air Affinity, Greater Air Affinity, Conduction, Light on Your Feet
Shocking Grasp III, Spell Critical, Electrocution III
Spell Critical, Alternating Current III
Spell Critical, Charisma
Electric Loop III, Feather Fall, Spell Critical, Charisma
Lightning Bolt III, Awaken Elemental Weakness, Wind Dance, Evocation Focus
Fire Savant (6 AP)
Fire Savant, Fire Affinity
Burning Hands II, Spell Critical
Eldritch Knight (Sorcerer) (15 AP)
Eldritch Strike, Spellsword: Shock
Toughness III, Battlemage I
Shield Training, Wand and Scroll Mastery II
Arcane Barrier III, Charisma
Spellsinger (7 AP)
Spellsinger
Studies: Magical II, Sonic Blast II
Marigold Crown: Violet (+1 to Evocation DC's)
Warchanter (6 AP)
Skaldic: Constitution
Rough and Ready III , Focused I
Sprint Boost I
Drow (6 AP)
Spell Resistance, Charisma
Arcane Fluidity III (-15% ASF from armor only)

Notes that are diff from new (see 1st post edit) version:[*] I don't love the low Strength, but points are needed elsewhere; get a Str item asap, or buy Bull's Str potions in The Marketplace (under the big red central tent).  13 Con is helped via +1 Con from 1 AP in Warchanter core 1.

[xBunny]

Hi! Wouldn't 2Pal splash be better for survival? 5 Lay hands for extreme heal,+8 saves, and you can even wear Heavy Armor with some investments in the EK tree. You can even do some melee with paladins cha-to-str and cha-to-hit from EK tree and EK elemental DMG.

[C-Dog]

That could be another way to go, sure, and the boost to Saving Throws is great (altho' I didn't see that much of a problem w/ good gear). And I've always liked the idea of a Sorcie who can melee just a bit - saves spell points when finishing off helpless trash.

The biggest issue I see is one that is only partly addressed* by Bard 2 - the loss of Caster Levels and Evocation DC. Offense is king - Bard adds a ranged SLA and 2nd offensive spell for Level 1, so 2 Maximized SLA's and a full spell rotation by the end of Level 2 - and I'm not sure if Pali's survivability can offset that.

(* This is not a "power/max DPS build", was never intended to be - it trades 2 caster levels and 1 DC by Level 15 for the Bard's bells and whistles, making early leveling less challenging. Which is why it's more suited for new players who need some flexibility in how they approach surviving quests.)

And you'll still be faced w/ the same issue I had in the original - when do you spend the AP on those non-sorc enhancements? "Real late" is the answer I kept getting, so the enhancements can't be the only reason to trade out the pure-caster power.


(As a side note, Pal 3 is a far better splash, for the +25(!) PRR etc. for 6 AP from Sacred Defence - but not all builds can afford losing Core 18 to a 3-level dip, casters high among them.)

[xBunny]

Hmm just missed those Bard SLas. BTW I don't see second SLa from Spellsinger(shouldn't it be Reverberate?).
Also why did u not take 3rd core from EK tree instead of Arcane Fluidity III? AFAIK it gives u -15% ASF(shield and armor) and +10 SP and costs only 1 point. PL.
Also what about self heals - scrolls?
Is it possible to go fire servant(looks more AOE centerred), or Air is far better?
Is Force of personality vital here? Was thinking to take extend Spell instead for longer Dispel\Rage(+2 Con)\Tenser's Transformation(not sure about last, since it gives -2DC -2Spell pen, but gives u HP and AC)
What for is Force Missiles ?
Is there point to use scrolls for Greater Heroism and True Seeing, and choose something else?

I have very little exp with casters builds. I have such interest to this build, because planing my next TR now and want Sorc

[C-Dog]

? Hmm just missed those Bard SLas. BTW I don't see second SLa from Spellsinger(shouldn't it be Reverberate?).

2nd SLA is from Sorc, Shocking Grasp, which you get before you leave Korthos Island quests. W/ Enlarge it's a nice ranged killer. Add the spell version for more fun.


? Also why did u not take 3rd core from EK tree instead of Arcane Fluidity III? AFAIK it gives u -15% ASF(shield and armor) and +10 SP and costs only 1 point.

No, it actually costs 11 points - you first have to spend 10 to get there, instead of only 3. And I wanted it asap, not at level 15+.


? Also what about self heals - scrolls?

Of course. W/ full ranks in UMD (via Bard), you can use them much earlier.


? Is it possible to go fire servant(looks more AOE centerred), or Air is far better?

Air has CC, Fire has AoE but no CC. For a new(er) player, I recommend the former, which allows an escape if things go badly. Also, Air includes Sonic, which covers the Bard SLA's (and misc. Sorcie spells).


? Is Force of personality vital here? Was thinking to take extend Spell instead for longer Dispel\Rage(+2 Con)\Tenser's Transformation(not sure about last, since it gives -2DC -2Spell pen, but gives u HP and AC)


On a 1st life/F2P toon where "+Wisdom gear" is an afterthought, almost certainly. If you have the gear and PL's to cover Will ST's, feel free to change it.


? What for is Force Missiles ?

There are only so many Electric/Sonic spells. If something is immune (and your Tier V debuff is on cooldown), Force Missiles should cover just about anything (less damage, but guaranteed to work).

Pick something else if you prefer.


? Is there point to use scrolls for Greater Heroism and True Seeing, and choose something else?

Convenience, cost (both a consideration for new players). GH includes a Hit Point buff that is a nice buffer, and scrolls are always pain in the middle of combat.

What "something else" would you choose instead?


? ...planning my next TR now and want Sorc

Then you might want to go PURE Sorcerer, and keep it simple and powerful. This build is for a player who only has 28 points to work with, and no bank full of gear, and might want to get creative - and it works well for that. You'll have 34 or 36 points, and (I'm guessing) some toys stashed away. A pure Sorcerer, built on 34+ pts, with the gear to support it, with an experienced player behind it, will out-damage and (probably) out-survive this all day long.

And flat out, this is NOT meant to go into Epics - for the time it takes after hitting 18 to bank 20 and farm your tokens, yes, but the loss of the Sorcerer 20 capstone is just too painful for those 10 Epic levels.

[xBunny]

Thanks for such detailed response.

2nd SLA is from Sorc, Shocking Grasp, which you get before you leave Korthos Island quests. W/ Extend it's a nice ranged killer. Add the spell version for more fun.

I see. U meant Enlarge instead of Extend? Never new its use before.

No, it actually costs 11 points - you first have to spend 10 to get there, instead of only 3. And I wanted it asap, not at level 15+.

U still spend 15 into EK tree so u can switch it it later. U will get -15% ASF for 1 point for both Shield and Armor - this will give u more shields to choose from in case u dont use orbs

There are only so many Electric/Sonic spells. If something is immune (and your Tier V debuff is on cooldown), Force Missiles should cover just about anything (less damage, but guaranteed to work).

Isn't fire spells sufficient for Electric\Sonic immunes?

What "something else" would you choose instead? k).

Tenser's Transformation mby - in case I have enough spell DCs instead of True Seeing. Some Conn and AC to have. Good with Extend spell.

I am on my 5th life atm, wiz melee EK dwarf con build. Don't have much good loot, mostly random + some named loot. Did not dive into crafting, neither slavelord\greensteal nor general one(it is near 110lvl atm). Going to 20 and TR than, running different class each life. Feel more comfortable with selfhealing and good armor, good shield is a plus. Casters looks to be squishy, so I am ok with loosing some DMG to trade off it to some def\healing.

[C-Dog]

I see. U meant Enlarge instead of Extend?...

Yes, derp, "Enlarge" the range, not "extend" the range (which would make too much sense ).

...Never knew its use before.

Right, "common wisdom" is to go Maximize + Empower asap. But I find great utility in Enlarge + Shocking Grasp at lower levels (swapping Enlarge out later). Imo, worth not grabbing Empower until end-Heroics.

Shocking Grasp is a deadly spell by itself, dealing far more damage than any other Level 1 spell. The downside is that it's "Touch" range, and no life-loving sorcerer wants to get that close to a dangerous enemy, much less as a necessity to combat. Enlarge+Maximize turns it (and the spell version) into a medium-ranged killer that can one-shot many mobs, or hand survivors a Stun until you can do it again.

It also turns the Bard SLA (Level 1) and the Electric Loop* SLA (Tier IV) into an AoE spell that you can use at the range of a Lightning Bolt, which is very far, before enemies even know you're there.

(* I had said before that Air savant has no AoE - that's compared to Fire. Fire has Wall of Fire, and the Level 1 Burning Hands, but Electric Loop has a "chain" sort of AoE to nearby targets - plus the CC effect.)

But you have to keep your Evoc DC's up! (That's the "Blasting" effect on droploot/etc.) Without the CC effect landing reliably, it would be better to go Empower and just rely on raw damage (and possibly Fire at low levels, respec'ing to Electric once you have your Tier IV & V, longer-range electric SLA's).

U still spend 15 into EK tree so u can switch it it later. U will get -15% ASF for 1 point for both Shield and Armor - this will give u more shields to choose from in case u dont use orbs

That's a good point. I had designed it to not need -15% so didn't think about it - the armor is mainly for PRR , not AC, and all "light armor" is the same there, leather is the same as chain for that purpose. But every little bit helps, AND that gives +20 spellpower for end-Heroics, so if that gets more juice out of the build, so much the better. Will add a note to that effect above, thx.

Isn't fire spells sufficient for Electric\Sonic immunes?

This build has (almost) no Fire spellpower/DC boosts, AND Fire has a Saving Throw for half (or nothing vs. Improved Evasion). Force Missiles = no ST. Dealer's choice, I chose FM.

Did not dive into crafting, neither slavelord\greensteal nor general one(it is near 110lvl atm)...

This build can benefit from Cannith Crafting, esp a custom Buckler/Small Shield to fill in the equipment tetris. You need (close to) Crafting Level 150 for Spell Lore, so if you don't want to chase that goal, keep your eye out on the AH for a good Dire Electric/Sonic/Fire ring (whichever you think best).