Current inquis build split?

[Jastarn]

I've decided I want to keep a dedicated capped raid toon, and since I have hallowed splinters on one of my alts, an Inquis xbow user seems the logical way to go.

A split I'm thinking of is arti 2/rog 3/Paladin 15, Inquis capstone, KotC core 4, Stalwart stance, then low hanging fruit from other available trees. Artificer for rune arms, rouge 3 for the seconds sneak attack die (think thats better than the 16th paladin level, since I don't see anything specifically important that I get from 16 paladin?), and paladin for survivability, healing, dps, Holy Sword.

Thinking of this split because it should give me reasonable (if not tippy top end) DPS, backup healing capabilities (with LoH, especially if I go Aasimar), trap skills, and survivability (via evasion/paladin stance). I'm not a power gamer or anything, so I'm not looking for advice on how to squeeze every last drop of damage out of an inquisitive build, but if anyone has advice on how to hammer out this build idea I'd welcome it

EDIT: Another thought I'd had would be 12 ranger/6 paladin/2 arti, would lose out on holy sword, and some light dps/utility from the level 12 kotc core, but would gain favored enemies/DWS enhancements... so many options

[cru121]

Holy Sword doesn't stack with the inquisitive crit enhancements and is fully irrelevant.

[Jastarn]

Ah! Good to know. So it would make more sense to do a 12 paladin/6 rouge/2 arti split then, for the first option. I could still go 15/3/2, if i wanted restoration? hmmm...

[cru121]

Not sure why are you so married to the Paladin.

When building an inquisitive, consider first deciding which ability do you want to use for hit and damage. The standard option is INT via Harper; that kinda forces you into 41 Inquisitive / 12 Harper, leaving 27 AP free. People usually take at least 2 Artificer for rune arms, and the rest usually involves Rogue or Ranger, because their class trees offer some extra DPS.

An alternative defensive choice is to go heavy into Favored Soul and pick up Wis or Cha to damage from the class, along with lot of free HP and great heals.

Another fun choice is wizard inquisitive, with extra damage from eldritch knight and self healing of a pale master.

My favorite split is 4 Artificer, 15 Ranger, 1 Barb. Highlights are CSW and FoM from Ranger, as well as Evasion, bunch of favored enemies, and Deepwood Stalker, a good secondary tree to spend AP. Ranger and Artificer also give you a bunch of free feats. Barbarian is just for the run speed. Also this gives you PL:Ranger, i.e., +2 ranged damage, in case you decide to do it again.

[Jastarn]

Aha, harper had slipped my mind, good looking out thanks!

I like paladin for the saves, aura, quick self healing, and light damage from KotC. Since I'm not necessarily the best player, staying alive is more a priority than maxing my dps.

So something like 41 inquis, 14 harper (int hit+damage, favored enemy). That leaves me 26 aps+3 RAP (I have a +1 UAP tome for this character), so 6 paladin would get me smite, paladin immunities, level 6 deity ability. 11 AP's in KotC would get me 2d6 light damage (200% scaling), Ghost Touch, greater restoration (from remove disease), bonuses to hit vs evil, +2/+5 to saves vs just about everything. 11 in Sacred defender would get me +25 prr/mrr, +3 saves, 3 extra LoH's.

That leaves me 4 AP's+3 RAP's to fill out low hanging fruit, and the curve should be fine enough.

Thats my reasoning at least. Rune arms are obvious, and I have a good amount stockpiled from my arti lives. the 2 arti splash is a non negotiable for this plan.

I guess my question would be, why would I go fvs or wiz, since war soul doesn't give me much, LoH seems faster/more reliable than getting interrupted out of healing spells, and PM/EK would both require decently heavy investment in spell power/AP's? I guess the advantage of FvS is I could double as a backup healer for raids?

[Stoner81]

Two options spring to mind:

1. 9 Ranger, 4 Arti and 7 Rogue.

You get all the ranged feats for free pretty much aside from Point Blank Shot which you take at level 1 anyway. You get IPS by level 12 and a bunch of Sneak Attack dice. 41 Inquis, 12 Harper and at least 25 in to Deep Wood Stalker for Sniper Shot, Thrill of the Hunt and Killer (any remaining points spends as you will (I pick up Ranged Power from Harper usually). Trap skills etc out the wazoo and lots of utility.

2. 18 Rogue, 2 Arti.

Arguably the highest DPS Inquis split there is due to Sneak Attack dice, the down side is that you have to take all the ranged feats rather than them being auto granted. I ran this build as a Mechanic using Great Crossbows and it was nice indeed so I can imagine the DPS on this being off the chart (almost).

My preferred one is option 1 and it is what I am using to do all my racial lives with.

Stoner81.

[unbongwah]

Holy Sword won't stack with Inquisitive bonuses but Zeal's +10% Doubleshot should work.

That said, I wonder if a better "Holy Inquisitive" wouldn't be something like, say, Favored Soul 12 / ranger 6 / Artificer 2: Close Wounds SLA, Heal spell, WIS to-hit and damage (Knowledge of Battle + Divine Inquisition), extra feats + Sniper Shot from ranger.

Max WIS, just enough DEX for IPS, and enough INT for the skill points you need. Not sure what the ideal heroic levelling order would be - maybe just Arty 1-2 for Runearms, FvS 1-12 to get Heal spell ASAP, then rgr 1-6 for bonus feats and more skill points? - but you wind up with something pretty self-sufficient which can still contribute in groups.

Just a quick proof-of-concept partial build to get started:

Inquisitive WarSoul
12/6/2 Favored Soul/Ranger/Artificer
Human




Level Order


1. Artificer       6. Favored Soul   11. Favored Soul   16. Ranger
2. Artificer       7. Favored Soul   12. Favored Soul   17. Ranger
3. Favored Soul    8. Favored Soul   13. Favored Soul   18. Ranger
4. Favored Soul    9. Favored Soul   14. Favored Soul   19. Ranger
5. Favored Soul   10. Favored Soul   15. Ranger         20. Ranger




Stats
               36pt     Tome     Level Up
               ----     ----     --------
Strength         8                4: WIS
Dexterity       14       +5       8: WIS
Constitution    12       +2      12: WIS
Intelligence    16       +4      16: WIS
Wisdom          18               20: WIS
Charisma         8               24: WIS
                                 28: WIS


Skills
          A  A  F  F  F  F  F  F  F  F  F  F  F  F  R  R  R  R  R  R
          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
Heal      2     3  2  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
Disable   4  1                 1  1  1  1  1  1  1  2  2  2  2  2  1  23
Search    4  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  23
Diplo     2        1  2  2  3  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  23
Spot      2  3                                      1  1  1  1  1  3  13
UMD       4  1                                                         5
Open Lo      1                                                         1
Tumble    1                                                            1
         ------------------------------------------------------------
         32  9  7  7  7  7  8  8  8  8  8  8  8  8 12 12 12 12 12 12




Feats


 1        : Point Blank Shot
 1 Human  : Maximize Spell
 3        : Empower Spell
 6        : Empower Healing Spell
 9        : Precision
12        : Improved Critical: Ranged
15        : Quicken Spell
18        : Improved Precise Shot
21 Epic   : Combat Archery
24 Epic   : Overwhelming Critical
26 Destiny: Holy Strike
27 Epic   : Epic Damage Reduction
28 Destiny: Doubleshot
29 Destiny: Embodiment of Law OR Deific Warding
30 Epic   :
30 Legend : Scion of: Ethereal Plane


15 Ranger : Favored Enemy: Evil Outsider
19 Ranger : Favored Enemy: Elemental


 4 FavSoul: Knowledge of Battle
 9 FavSoul: Stout of Heart


 7 FavSoul: Energy Absorption: Electricity
12 FavSoul: Energy Absorption: Fire


 3 Deity  : Follower of: Olladra
 8 Deity  : Luck of Olladra




Enhancements (Spent: 80 +0r +0u / Max: 80 +0r +0u AP)


Inquisitive (41 AP)
Inquisitive, Hit the Streets, Mind Like Iron, True Seeing, Undaunted, Master Inquisitive
Dual Shooter, Conjure Bolts III, Law on your Side
Crossbow Adept, Observation, Improved Law, Action Boost: Skills I
Crossbow Adept, What First?: Shoot First, Improved Observation, Stop in the Name
Crossbow Adept, What Later?: Ask Questions Later, Inquisition Style: Divine Inquisition, Greater Law
No Holds Barred, Arresting Assault, Improved Uncanny Dodge, Inquisitor's Path: Optimistic, Diplomatic Immunity

War Soul (16 AP)
Smite Foe: Ranged, Resilience of Battle, Sanctuary
Divine Will III, Righteous Weapons
Smite Weakness, Wall of Steel III, Haste Boost III

Beacon of Hope (11 AP)
Pleasant Disposition, Beacon of Grace, Shining Light
Good Hope I, Divine Durability I, Spell Critical
Close Wounds III, Divine Durability I

Deepwood Stalker (11 AP)
Far Shot, Sneak Attack, Sniper Shot
Favored Defense II, Stealthy III
Melee/Range Power Boost III

Human (1 AP)
Damage Boost

I guess my question would be, why would I go fvs or wiz, since war soul doesn't give me much, LoH seems faster/more reliable than getting interrupted out of healing spells, and PM/EK would both require decently heavy investment in spell power/AP's?

Lay on Hands is a finite resource with a very slow regen rate; Endless LoH is one charge every 144 seconds. Beacon of Hope's Close Wounds SLA is very SP-efficient and has a 1-second cooldown so it can be spammed fast.

Also Knowledge of Battle gets you WIS to-hit and damage for free once you take Divine Inquisition. Then you grab Divine Will from WarSoul for 4 APs. Anything beyond that is pure gravy, as they used to say.

[DocTom]

Any suggestions for epic destinies when using the ranger/rogue/arti split? I, too, want to use the inquisitive play style at cap for solo farming and helping friends level. I mean, Shiradi looks good, but what about spending the leftover points?

Thanks!

[jskinner937]

Aha, harper had slipped my mind, good looking out thanks!

I like paladin for the saves, aura, quick self healing, and light damage from KotC. Since I'm not necessarily the best player, staying alive is more a priority than maxing my dps.

So something like 41 inquis, 14 harper (int hit+damage, favored enemy). That leaves me 26 aps+3 RAP (I have a +1 UAP tome for this character), so 6 paladin would get me smite, paladin immunities, level 6 deity ability. 11 AP's in KotC would get me 2d6 light damage (200% scaling), Ghost Touch, greater restoration (from remove disease), bonuses to hit vs evil, +2/+5 to saves vs just about everything. 11 in Sacred defender would get me +25 prr/mrr, +3 saves, 3 extra LoH's.

That leaves me 4 AP's+3 RAP's to fill out low hanging fruit, and the curve should be fine enough.

Thats my reasoning at least. Rune arms are obvious, and I have a good amount stockpiled from my arti lives. the 2 arti splash is a non negotiable for this plan.

I guess my question would be, why would I go fvs or wiz, since war soul doesn't give me much, LoH seems faster/more reliable than getting interrupted out of healing spells, and PM/EK would both require decently heavy investment in spell power/AP's? I guess the advantage of FvS is I could double as a backup healer for raids?

If survivability is your goal, then just a single level of barb would do better to keep you alive. And you can also pick up the fast movement enhancement from acrobat tree thats 1% more speed for every rogue level. 13 rogue/ 6 ranger / 1 barb will be much better DPS and likely more survivable especially if you grab insightful reflexes.

[magaiti]

A good DPS-focused split would be:
17 rogue / 2 arti / 1 fighter
AP:
41 Inquis
7 Kensai (+3 NHB uses)
11 Battle Engineer (+3 NHB uses)
11 Rogue Mechanic (core 3 for INT to damage, expanded sneak range from cores)
3 Thief Acrobat (fast movement)
7-8 Harper (INT to-hit, KtA)

17 rogue gives 12 sneak dice (9 from levels and 3 from epic feat gated by 12 rogue levels)
2 arti gives Rune Arm use and Rapid Reload feat.
1 fighter gives extra feat

If you want some healing-shooting hybrid, try 2 arti / 18 FvS/Alchemist

[Stoner81]

Any suggestions for epic destinies when using the ranger/rogue/arti split? I, too, want to use the inquisitive play style at cap for solo farming and helping friends level. I mean, Shiradi looks good, but what about spending the leftover points?

Thanks!

Shiradi is pretty the only ranged destiny now so that is pretty much a given.

Shadowdancer is almost required due to having Grim Precision plus you can pick some other nice things for not a lot of investment.

For the 3rd tree that is a whole other topic... for me (atm) it is either Primal Avatar for Cocoon or Sentinal(?) for Divine Energy Resistance and Renewal.

Stoner81.

[Hobbelin]

Two options spring to mind:

1. 9 Ranger, 4 Arti and 7 Rogue.

You get all the ranged feats for free pretty much aside from Point Blank Shot which you take at level 1 anyway. You get IPS by level 12 and a bunch of Sneak Attack dice. 41 Inquis, 12 Harper and at least 25 in to Deep Wood Stalker for Sniper Shot, Thrill of the Hunt and Killer (any remaining points spends as you will (I pick up Ranged Power from Harper usually). Trap skills etc out the wazoo and lots of utility.

2. 18 Rogue, 2 Arti.

Arguably the highest DPS Inquis split there is due to Sneak Attack dice, the down side is that you have to take all the ranged feats rather than them being auto granted. I ran this build as a Mechanic using Great Crossbows and it was nice indeed so I can imagine the DPS on this being off the chart (almost).

My preferred one is option 1 and it is what I am using to do all my racial lives with.

Stoner81.

What lvl order would you do option 1 and how are you getting IPS for free without ranger lvl 11?
Would you do it as an INT build?

[magaiti]

What lvl order would you do option 1 and how are you getting IPS for free without ranger lvl 11?
Would you do it as an INT build?

IPS requires 19 dex,Combat Archery 17 dex, Improved sneak attack (for 12+ rogue builds) 21 dex.
As an INT build, you aim for 19 dex (with a dex tome). So look for best dex tome you can find, and plan your build to have just enough DEX, and max out INT.

Then again, even on a 32pt 1st life halfling its not that hard - 19 dex 14 con 17 int at start, and you are fine.

[Hobbelin]

IPS requires 19 dex,Combat Archery 17 dex, Improved sneak attack (for 12+ rogue builds) 21 dex.
As an INT build, you aim for 19 dex (with a dex tome). So look for best dex tome you can find, and plan your build to have just enough DEX, and max out INT.

Then again, even on a 32pt 1st life halfling its not that hard - 19 dex 14 con 17 int at start, and you are fine.

Thanks!

[Stoner81]

What lvl order would you do option 1 and how are you getting IPS for free without ranger lvl 11?
Would you do it as an INT build?

Sorry I misspoke on getting it for free...

Arti at levels 1 and 2.
Ranger up to and including level 11.
Arti for levels 12 and 13.
Rogue the rest of the way to 20.

You get IPS by level 12 (you take the feat this point).

Full INT based.

Stoner81.

[Hobbelin]

Sorry I misspoke on getting it for free...

Arti at levels 1 and 2.
Ranger up to and including level 11.
Arti for levels 12 and 13.
Rogue the rest of the way to 20.

You get IPS by level 12 (you take the feat this point).

Full INT based.

Stoner81.

Thanks alot!

[Stoner81]

Stats you want to max INT, enough DEX to reach 19 including whatever tomes you have (I start with 14 since I have +8 tomes, this was before the DEX requirements were lowered) and the rest in to CON. Any left over points put in STR for carry capacity at low levels.

Feats:

1. Point Blank Shot.
3. Completionist / Precision and FE:Undead.
6. Precision / Completionist (if you don't have Completionist then take Empower Healing metamagic).
7. FE:Plant.
9. Improved Critical: Ranged.
12. Improved Precise Shot.
13. Weapon Focus: Ranged.
15. Insightful Reflexes.
18. Power Critical.
21. Combat Archery.
22. Holy Strike.
24. Overwhelming Critical.
25. Doubleshot.
27. Epic Reflexes.
28. Harbinger of Chaos.
30. Epic Damage Reduction and Scion of Arborea.

Stoner81.

[droid327]

Shiradi is pretty the only ranged destiny now so that is pretty much a given.

Shadowdancer is almost required due to having Grim Precision plus you can pick some other nice things for not a lot of investment.

For the 3rd tree that is a whole other topic... for me (atm) it is either Primal Avatar for Cocoon or Sentinal(?) for Divine Energy Resistance and Renewal.

Shiradi as main, no question - T5 and Mantle are no brainers

Fatesinger as secondary...11 points gets you +1 stats, and two powerful active attacks, one of which is on a pretty short CD. Its especially well-suited for Inqui since you get two chances to crit-and-stun on each attack, and if the first attack crits, the second one gets helpless damage

Third tree is either Shadowdancer for (Imp) Evasion and Sneak Die, or US for Energy Res+HP+Renewal

[magaiti]

Shiradi as main, no question - T5 and Mantle are no brainers

Fatesinger as secondary...11 points gets you +1 stats, and two powerful active attacks, one of which is on a pretty short CD. Its especially well-suited for Inqui since you get two chances to crit-and-stun on each attack, and if the first attack crits, the second one gets helpless damage

Third tree is either Shadowdancer for (Imp) Evasion and Sneak Die, or US for Energy Res+HP+Renewal

iiuc Fatesinger attacks are Epic Strikes. So do you suggest using them over Hunt't End? And especially with Inquis who has Shoot Later?

[LavidDynch]

Stats you want to max INT, enough DEX to reach 19 including whatever tomes you have (I start with 14 since I have +8 tomes, this was before the DEX requirements were lowered) and the rest in to CON. Any left over points put in STR for carry capacity at low levels.
.

Nah, you want to max Wis. Falconry builds are superior to both trash and red named, the synergy of Nerve Venom and No Mercy vs Trash and Expose Weakness debuff vs Reds. Second reason: Aasimar, arguably the strongest choice of race for Inq, supports Wisdom (+4).

Int builds are better for 1-29 thou.

as for splits goes...
13r/6rgr/1brb -- probably highest dmg.
10rgr/8ftr/2art -- if u focus hp/survival and gear versatility w rune arm.

Destinys.
Shiradi, and then it´s a tie between SD, LD and FS. they all got fancy stuff. I prefer LD (mainly for extra action boosts, you will want a minimum of 12) and SD for SA dmg. Fatesinger is great thou.