Plea from a Melee/Ranged DC Caster

[pjw]

I am a sucker for punishment and play 2 combat DC casters (one ranged, one melee). They are great fun to play until Level 29. Up to that point I cast and hit/shoot continuously. The weapon DPS isn't huge but its fun, and good for finishing off stuff.

At 29, the Ravenloft and Sharn gear happens, and specifically weapon sets, and the Nightmother's Sceptre. It's hard to pass up +11 to all DCs. Problem is, it's a light club. Joy.

I understand that looting caster variants of all weapons sucks big time for everyone. I don't want that. But these weapons are all clones (except the sceptre).

So, can we get a trader of some kind (for RL and all future content) that would enable me to bring a Nightmothers Sceptre and *any* other Nightmother's weapon, and turn that other weapon into a caster variant? Of course, it would lose the 27d6 of other damage but gain the caster stuff.

This is not a request to have my cake and eat it too, this is a request to have a build that is viable from 1-28 remain viable at 29+. By going melee/ranged you are already giving up some caster goodies, and that is fine. But strictly choosing between the two at 29 is *really* un-fun.

[cru121]

You can find spell focus mastery in other slots

Spell Focus Mastery +7 items
Cloak of the Mountain • Legendary Arcsteel Brim • Nightmother's Sceptre

Insightful Spell Focus Mastery +4 items
Clouded Dreams • Nightmother's Sceptre • The Legendary Mistfallen

Profane Spell Focus Mastery +2 items
The Legendary Shattered Onyx

Quality Spell Focus Mastery +2 items
Band of Diani ir'Wynarn • Docent of the Celestial Sage • Epic Increased Potential • Gauntlets of the Arcane Soldier • Legendary Black Satin Waist • Legendary Creeping Dust Conduit • Legendary Firestorm Conduit • Legendary Mutilator of Minds • Legendary Spinneret • Sigil of Regalport • The Zarash'ak Ward

However, in the end you probably discover that even with this gear, it's hard to fit in melee DPS and still have spell DCs for high reaper end game. Good luck.

[pjw]

You can find spell focus mastery in other slots....

The +7 hat clashes with other sets as does armour (clashes with pretty much all sets), the +4 ring is raid only and would clash with shattered onyx (which I already use) and only have the One ring slot spare.

The basic issue is there's:
- armour (no good, clashes with almost every set)
- hat (conflict with many Sharn sets)
- ring/cloak (raid only, but viable).

And that's it. No other items. Would be nice if caster gear from normal quests did not shoehorn into a single style.

[slarden]

Completely agree, would love to see caster stats available on all weapons. Maybe it's not too late to do this with the sharn craftable weapons since the caster stats haven't yet been added.

Cru listed some good options if you can't slot it in a weapon slot;. My thinking is 5-6 dc from the caster set is too goo to miss unless you go 5 piece slavers. Even without a good dps set or maxed out dps gear martial damage beats casting damage in reaper and you don't run out of sp. With the upcoming changes I plan to play an aracane warrior PM in magister with the caster set - using martial damage primarily for boss dps, but I will need clouded dreams to pull it off.

[Dragavon]

You know you can swap weapons?

[Enoach]

If you are looking for weapons that can be used by melee DC casters have you looked at these?

Thunderforged Weapons
https://ddowiki.com/page/Thunder-Forged

Legendary Green Steel
https://www.ddocrafting.info/lgs/

Alchemical Crafting
https://ddowiki.com/page/Alchemical_Crafting

Also, it seems the devs have been hinting that casters may see some additional "love" in U44.

[pjw]

You know you can swap weapons?

Lol. Yeah. Casting every 3-5 seconds, swapping weapons every 3-5 seconds. That's fun.

If you are looking for weapons that can be used by melee DC casters have you looked at these?
...

Yes, these were once good caster weapons. LGS probably still is. But it's raid-only ... again.

To restate the problem: recent (good) caster weapons from general quests are shoe-horning players into a single weapon type. This is most likely for the same reason as most random weapons are no longer caster gear: people hated pulling every second great-axe with spell power on it.

What I would like is that RL and any future 'caster' weapons no longer be so tightly constrained, while at the same time avoiding the Spell-power-great-axe problem. Hence the request for a trader of some kind.

[Dragavon]

Lol. Yeah. Casting every 3-5 seconds, swapping weapons every 3-5 seconds. That's fun.

So, you want to be a good DC caster and a good melee/ranged at the same time without swapping anything.

I do not agree with that. Some level of specialisation and focus should be required to be good at high levels.

If you could be good at DC casting and DPS at the same time without swapping items, or focusing your build then every character would be identical, we would only need one class that did everything. That is not DnD.

[pjw]

So, you want to be a good DC caster and a good melee/ranged at the same time without swapping anything.

Ah, no. Please re-read OP.

[pjw]

Either play a full DC caster or re-spec into full melee EK with buffs like normal people do...

Well, I'm not normal. So, I will try once again to explain:

I am happy to be have poor DPS, and reasonable DCs. What I object to is wielding light clubs (!!) as the ONLY weapon of choice when doing that, because there are no level 29+ non-raid alternatives. Does that make it clearer? For red names I swap 5 pieces of gear already; for the rest I want to hit things with something other than a bloody light club.

[pjw]

Like others have previously suggested use Equipment to slot your DCs...

With a grand total of ZERO non-raid equipment slot items that provide +4 Insightful. Yep. Good plan.

[pjw]

Or you could try to use Legendary Mistfallen Orb in your off-hand .

And that works really well with a ranged weapon. And, if your are at all capable, please try to cut down on the abuse based on your (inaccurate) suppositions about my build.

[pjw]

Wow, what in the what? Three completely different playstyles in one?

lol. From the very first sentence in the very first post in the thread:

I am a sucker for punishment and play 2 combat DC casters (one ranged, one melee)...

[cru121]

With a grand total of ZERO non-raid equipment slot items that provide +4 Insightful. Yep. Good plan.

Well another option (and probably a necessity with current loot) is to use school-specific +4 insightful. There a couple options for enchantment and evo. Future loot will probably increase our options, so I guess we have to wait...

Cannith crafting can yield +3 insightful, school-specific. So that's a fallback.

[Enoach]

...



Yes, these were once good caster weapons. LGS probably still is. But it's raid-only ... again.

To restate the problem: recent (good) caster weapons from general quests are shoe-horning players into a single weapon type. This is most likely for the same reason as most random weapons are no longer caster gear: people hated pulling every second great-axe with spell power on it.

What I would like is that RL and any future 'caster' weapons no longer be so tightly constrained, while at the same time avoiding the Spell-power-great-axe problem. Hence the request for a trader of some kind.

Oh, so a bit of moving the goal-post. I did not get that you wanted only quest loot, which seems to be part of which is hamstringing your concept in that self imposed limit.

As another has posted, since you have this limitation, Cannith Crafting is likely your closest option for filling in this lack you see at this time. However, for weapons that will mean forgoing Sentient.

another possibility is to look into Minor Artifacts to consolidate features so that you can grab gear that would enhance your spell casting abilities.

[pjw]

... I did not get that you wanted only quest loot, which seems to be part of which is hamstringing your concept in that self imposed limit...

Yeah, it's the frustration of the (very good) level 29 gear that only comes in one style (if you are a caster). Equivalent would be if Ravenloft melee gear only came as a Great Club.

So, I view it as a gear-imposed limit; it's pragmatically understandable that they don't want to drop caster gear as much as they drop melee/ranged gear, but my request is that they allow some way for casters to get the weapon of choice in the same way that melee/ranged can.

Re: gearing suggestions, thanks for the help, but I already have a solid gear setup when going pure DC (sets, artifact etc etc); and if I was in a timezone that was raid-friendly, I'd probably run Killing Time to get the ring. But, since the developers seem to have been trying to make a more flexible and interesting set of options for casters of late, I was hoping that (at LEAST in the future), they would consider something other than light clubs as caster weapons of choice! That is the core of my request.

[SirValentine]

The +7 hat clashes with other sets as does armour ...

You can craft +6 onto any of belt, necklace, boots, bracers, ring, trinket. It's only 1 lower, and has plenty of flexibility.

[janave]

Would certainly love to replace Nightmothers sceptre without losing spell DCs :P.

Kinda of a bold wish.