1-No, you aren't in the same boat as there are no feats that would allow you to turn yourself into an undead type while for artificers there is a feat that can turn you into a construct type! Artificers have excellent build plasticity when it comes to self heal options. No other classes have that level of build plasticity for self healing options! Wizard comes close until you realize that they only have harm spells. Artificers can self heal via curative admixtures (Positive healing), or take construct essence and self heal via repair spells!
3-Irrelevant as warsoul/warpriest builds already get armor proficiency and my stance is either/or on medium armor vs Dodge improvements. The dodge cap for Alchemist needs a little bump, not much of one though.
4/5-No, The answer was to switch to using daggers and the vistani knife fighter tree.
6-"Just because" is not a valid support for any position, a more valid support for your position though may exist in the source material they are taking this Alchemist class from. Also if we tally up classes that can heal people via negative energy, positive energy, and repair and then compare those which one has less classes that have spells to heal such through? For repair you only have artificer, wizard, and sorcerer but for positive and negative you have a lot more people who can heal through such. Meanwhile the warforged race have a feat that allows them to forsake positive healing in favor of some increased defenses in which reduces their healing opportunities even further if they choose to take such.
After the system changes to a multiclassed toon of mine that had a supreme tome used on him made his build obsolete and defective without a free heart to fix it I've lost my taste for multiclassing, so no to any solution requiring multiclassing until there is at least a way to earn +1 or greater lesser hearts of wood in game or the developers agree to give lesser hearts for multiclass builds their updates ruined.
You are focusing on "choice" when you should be accepting that people enjoy different playstyles and are unable to enjoy other playstyles in which isn't a choice but simply is. You should also be paying attention to matters of reason rather than illusions of choice in which from your position would require you to assume less and ask more. People do not choose to enjoy something or choose to not enjoy it, the choice you claim exists doesn't, why not try stepping outside of your bubble and realize people's preferences differ from person to person?
DDO has too many weapons that offer bonuses for using via two weapon fighting style, for once we need something that is great for single weapon fighting styles without trying to convince people to use it in two weapon fighting styles.
Single weapon fighting is crisp, swift, and effective in such a way that satisfies far more than the clumsy feeling I get from two weapon fighting or the clunky feeling I get from two handed fighting. Optimizing a single weapon's effects while having an offhand orb, buckler (If a swashbuckling bard), or runearm is where the satisfaction is at for me.
Single class build, No sneaking/hiding centered builds, Melee, SWF, and self heals via repair or negative energy is my style!
My preferred weapons vary based on class!
Longswords, Daggers, Bastard Swords, and sometimes sickles or warhammers are my preferences
Favorite item effects: Effects that debuff enemies or buff/heal you and effects that give you free items like soul gems or tasty hams
My favorite to least favorite classes in order:
Artificer
Wizard
Alchemist
Warlock
Bard
Sorcerer
Rogue or Fighter
Cleric
Favored Soul
Paladin Or Ranger
Monk
Druid
I designed a universal enhancement tree that would allow me to adequately enjoy all of the above classes with the exception of druid while not even being required for Wizard or Artificer......... unfortunately the Druid Wild forms requiring to use positive energy healing only just kills the enjoy-ability for me!
Some of these may seem in a rather odd order to you, but some classes simply can not make a decent balance between self healing and DPS
My preference of repair healing or negative energy healing is about specific utility compatibility......
Now let's say that my Vampire Universal Enhancement tree was created as I have represented it here on the forums, there is actually a chance that I might call for it to be nerfed depending on how well it does, but the reality is that nerfing would likely have some relation to specific class builds that could be made. Looking at the tree, I think the nullification spellpower provided through this tree would be a primary target for nerfing!
https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...ree?highlight=
What I have is the understanding on what I enjoy that would be required for elaborating what I enjoy very intricately, a build being overpowered does not tempt me to use it...... hence why I've been able to ignore the inquisitive tree so easily. If this tree existed, my suggestions would be reduced to possibly nerfing the tree, cosmetics and stuff for my wife
I challenge you to elaborate what makes a build enjoyable to you at least in as great of detail as I myself have provided!