Looking to make a staff using build with health regen (undead/arti etc)

[wolfy42]

Ok, I'm doing research myself, but help would really be appreciated. So much has changed and there is new equipment, new skills (swords to plowshares for instance) and other stuff that I don't know about.

Brief history. I have played a ton of different builds over the years, but even before there was enhancement trees and things like thief acrobat bonuses, I have loved melee staff builds lol.

My previous build before this pally/arti setup (Gleep on Ghal)....was a thief acro/monk split and I loved him, but he had almost no healing (other than scrolls) at all.

I went arti for the auto-repair healing from Renegade, and it does totally absolutely rock. I LOVE not having to heal myself or pay attention to my health that often. I DON'T love my repeating xbow though (not like a q-staff). I might want to eventually make a dual crossbow character, but I don't think that will be my main.

I wanna melee with staves again especially with swords to plowshares giving +2 to your crit range!!! OMG that is so awesome. The strikethrough bonus from two handed feats is also insane (think by the end you have over 200% so naturally hit 3 enemies each swing for full damage (so much better than glancing blows).

I can't wait to play q-staff again!!

But....I'm so spoiled......I love the auto-hp regen and really really want to keep that in some form. Pale master was my first thought, going with the death auras AND with vampire for heal on hit. That should really work well and I wouldn't need THAT many wizard levels so I could still go mainly thief for acrobat bonuses (and even get the additional crit multiplier AND another crit range (so I think my base crit range would then be 17-20..and I think on some staves 16-20 which is amazing (with x3 crit). Possibly if I went wizard/rogue/fighter I might even be able to use kensie to get another bonus!!

I "think" I need 7 wizard levels to get death aura, which should be enough regen (2d4 +3 at that point).

If I took 6 fighter for kensie (and the bonus to crit range), I would have 5 rogue levels total left I could get.

I need 5 rogue exactly for tier 5 thief AB and staff specialization. I think with swords to plowshares that gives me +3 to crit range and +1 to crit multiplier.

Kensi 6 would give another +1 bonus to crit multiplier but i'm not sure if 2 compentancy bonuses stack (if not, no point in kensi/fighter really then (although I could get weapon spec etc).

My main focus for sure is to get both health regen, and good damage with my staff attacks, I have the fey enhancements to avoid damage to my staves for cheap as well.

I have not checked if I can figure out something with a cleric, to use the staff and get health regen/healing that way (instead of being undead). The vampire setup though looks good, getting both regen from death aura all the time, and healing from hitting monsters (which should be more and even faster!).

Anyway, any advice help would be appreciated, my main gleep is 18 but enough exp to level to 19 already and heading to enough for 20 fast. I need to farm tokens of 12 at this point and i'll be ready to reincarnate!!

[Discpsycho]

Any reason you're averse to Eldritch Knight?

Personally, I'd go 18 Wiz / 2 Rogue, and have been wanting to try that split for a long time. That's ~38 points EK (Core 5 and most of T5), 12 Harper (KTA + Int to Damage), 8 TA (Quick Strike), 3 Feydark, with the remaining 19 split between PM (8 is probably enough) and VKF (doublestrike, deflect arrows, haste boost).

Your base weapon damage won't be quite as good as a fighter with Weapon Specialization feats, but you'll have:
- Two cleaves from EK
- Base 5d10 spellsword dice that scale with spellpower
- +1 Competence Range/Multipler (same as Kensei)
- Evasion, trapping from Rogue 2
- Self-heals and Fortification from PM, with an optional lever-pulling skelly
- Self-buffs and several free metamagic feats from wizard (freeing the remainder for Precision, Swords to Plowshares, IC: Bludg, THF x 3, and Completionist / your favorite feat)
- One-stat wonder (Int) and its trance

[wolfy42]

Any reason you're averse to Eldritch Knight?

Personally, I'd go 18 Wiz / 2 Rogue, and have been wanting to try that split for a long time. That's ~38 points EK (Core 5 and most of T5), 12 Harper (KTA + Int to Damage), 8 TA (Quick Strike), 3 Feydark, with the remaining 19 split between PM (8 is probably enough) and VKF (doublestrike, deflect arrows, haste boost).

Your base weapon damage won't be quite as good as a fighter with Weapon Specialization feats, but you'll have:
- Two cleaves from EK
- Base 5d10 spellsword dice that scale with spellpower
- +1 Competence Range/Multipler (same as Kensei)
- Evasion, trapping from Rogue 2
- Self-heals and Fortification from PM, with an optional lever-pulling skelly
- Self-buffs and several free metamagic feats from wizard (freeing the remainder for Precision, Swords to Plowshares, IC: Bludg, THF x 3, and Completionist / your favorite feat)
- One-stat wonder (Int) and its trance

Woot, see that is why I posted to get additional ideas. I was going to take some EK for sure, but didn't notice that I could get the compentence range/multiplier from that!!

Also how do you get int to damage as harper, I know about the .5 bonus from KTA and int to hit bonus tier 1, but am I missing an int to damage later on? That was another big issue I was having was getting the damage up since I couldn't figure out how to get int for damage (Without using arti spell).

Since THF now gives a bigger multiplier from your stats (gets over 2x now I think), that is a HUGE deal long term. With a 60 int eventually (maybe higher now), that is a freaktone of damage I could get added to each hit. IF I can get int to damage AND know the angles boosting it another .5, that could be insane!!

I did also just see that barbarian frenzy 5 can give you health regen while raging. IT's not as much (only ever 4 seconds) and it also takes tier 5 from anything else...but it could let me have a q-staff build that regens (which is what I really want).

Still 18 wizard/2 rogue would be pretty awesome, and does cover everything I need since I could still do vampire + death aura.....so plenty of regen all the time, tons of spells with high caster level (and very long buffs), still can trap, and most importantly I can rock with my qstaff!! Thanks

[wolfy42]

OMG I just saw the enhancement that gives int to damage !! Wooot!! I missed that somehow, that will help a ton with the int build setup I want!! Soooo awesome. So now I so can just got wiz/rogue PM/EZ/TA and Harper!

[wolfy42]

Hmmm, I was looking into it a bit more, and pure wizard would let me get embrace the void.

That would double my healing (and aoe damage) and also gives +4 int.

Without the rogue levels I lose trap skills which might make traps super deadly throughout the game though, so it's a hard choice.

Also not sure on the race. In theory if I could find enough points I could get evasion with tabaxi and with insightful reflexes possibly avoid all damage from most traps that way. It would also boost trap saves by 6 (reflex by 7), so traps probably wouldn't be a problem anymore (just I wouldn't be disarming them).

That would make the # of enhcancement points too low for both pale master and EK though I think (at least getting the tier 5 bonus to crit range/multiplier from knight stance).

I think you only get 80 enhancement point total. You need 41 to get the PM capstone (which doubles healing aura, boosts int etc), and 32 just for improved knights.

I really want to get knights tempest as well since that looks awesome. If it stacks with knights transformation and swords to plowshares bonus (and improved crit). That would be like a 5-20 crit range on that with x4 damage to all enemies around you. Only every 30 seconds but still that would be amazing.

I.....guess, I could go with just a few PM feats, 2 points into fey (for shadowstaff), the 16 points into tabaxi for evasion and snag eldritch blade instead. That would cost me 41 enhancement points in EK, 2 in Fey, for 43, then 16 for tabaxi is 59 total, leaving 21 points.


21 points into PM would be JUST enough to get undead augmentation II. I'd REALLLY like to get at least 3, but with 2 choices I could get the damage one (Weariness) and ghost in the wind. Go with wraith form for another 20% miss chance (having displacement up as well).

Should make me extra tanky.

Anyway I think that ismy plan right now.

Then for feats I'll focus on THF, swords to plowshares, improved crit (Bludgeon Iguess it is), Maximize/empower/extend, insightful reflexes, power attack.

I think that will be my plan. Gonna make it with a new char though so no 36 point build etc. Hard part will be getting the strength without any tomes though sigh.

[C-Dog]

I have a .txt file w/ links to builds I've found "interesting" (at some level, for any reason), and this immediately rang some bells. Kept my links as-written. (These might be older, some stuff may(?) have changed, or not - but they're relevant at some level... )


o Pale Mechanic (weak?) undead vampire wraith https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post6273752

The issue w/ the above is that the OP wanted Rogue 12, which leaves the question of whether the aura can actually do the job of healing without additional Wiz levels (which don't add much, but...).


o "Dwarlock" Dwarven Wizlock gish - SOLO https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post5737937

2 versions in this 2nd thread, a 2HF and a SWF version. Neither is what you're looking for (no quarterstaff love), but the core concept might be helpful to consider.


(Edit - crosspost. If you're going pure (or 18/2) gish...

o 1st Life GISH https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...r-First-Lifers

o Cleave Machine (Warforged Wiz 15 / Arti 4 / Ftr 1) https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post6386166

& https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post6061730

o Gish Deathknight EK https://forums.ddo.com/forums/showth...=1#post6522393

[Gnominal_Aphasia]

https://forums.ddo.com/forums/showth...337&highlight=

It does require a minimum of +4 STR tome and +6 INT tome for the build starting stats (36 points) of STR13 DEX17 CON16 INT14 WIS12 CHA8 Aasimar. If you didn't have tomes, or Aasimar, you'd need to get a little inventive. Aldbar's build is Monk9 Fighter6 Rogue5 and uses Aasimar Hands and Monk Finishing Moves to regenerate health. And of course, UMD (generally) outside combat. The build grants 14 feats (7+3+4) but I think you could get away with less. For no tomes, no Aasimar, I would consider Human (+1 feat, +1 skill point) and for a 36pt build go STR14 DEX16 CON16 INT16 WIS8 CHA8, get 1750 favor and take +2 STR tome (plus 1 level up) to get to the required STR17, and deviate and go Monk12* Barb3 Rogue5 taking THFx3, Dodge/Mobility/Spring Attack, Precision, Formsx3*** and perhaps Dragonmark of Passage for utility. Frenzied Berserker bags you +3 extra action boosts and +40% Strikethrough, you could spend 8AP into Harper for KtA, and 11AP into Human for DD, +1 DEX and another +20% strikethrough.

*Monk12 gets you the abundant step which is imho really nice. I wrote this off the top of my head so apologies for any errors (i did check the AP required for Human tree!).

Whatever you decide to do, I recommend reading this well thought out build. gl!

***EDIT I noticed an error! For a Monk12 variant, you'd get auto granted the first 2 Form feats anyway so you'd have 2 to play with.

EDIT2 if you did follow Aldbar's build (Monk9) another possible deviation would be to drop some AP from Kensai (just Action Boost and extra actions) and spend them in SD (6 min, 13 would be much better) and if possible 11 min into VKF. Even easier if you have some extra racial AP.

[wolfy42]

Wow, thanks guys for the very awesome responses. That quickstaff build looks amazing. No hp regen (other then from the monk curse) but I saw the asimar healing hands before and that should work to deal with healing.

Looks so fun, but I gotta reincarnate to play it since it needs tomes.

[archest]

https://forums.ddo.com/forums/showth...4-Rogue-Cleric

I have a Cleric Rogue staff build here

[unbongwah]

If you want passive health regen on a staff build, then some of the obvious options are:

• Pale Master undead form + Death Auras: e.g., wizard 18 / rogue 2 with tier-5 Eldritch Knight for DPS, 12 APs Harper Agent (INT to damage), 11 APs Acrobat (Quick Strike + Haste Boost), and 11+ APs Pale Master (vamp form + Inflict Weariness)
• Radiant Servant Positive Energy Aura: e.g., cleric 18 / rogue 2 with tier-5 Radiant Servant + Acrobat bonuses + War domain for Holy Sword
• Ravager Blood Strength: e.g., barbarian 18 / rogue 2 with tier-5 Ravager + t3 Berserker (Blood Strength+Angry Arms+Mad Munitions) + T2 Acrobat
• Spellsinger Sustaining Song: e.g. bard 15 / rogue 5 with tier-5 Acrobat + tier-4 Spellsinger

That said, while it doesn't have passive heals, don't overlook pure Aasimar monk: self-heals from Healing Hands + Shadows Cannot Exist Without Light (tier-5 Henshin). Though there are tradeoff between max DPS vs better survivability.