32 Point Drow Sacred Fist - Follower of Vulkoor - 16/3/1 Paladin / Monk / FvS

[dogsoldier]

Edit: This Says 32 point, but Drow is weird insofar as it gets only 28 build points by default, but is unique in getting +2 to three different stats (CHA/DEX/INT), and -2 to CON. Unless you have past lives and that is increased, but never actually becomes 36 point with past lives. That sounds needlessly complicated, but I am just saying that this works well as a first life build, and especially given the stat requirements that are needed for Paladin and Two Weapon Fighting.

I posted this in a thread in general discussion, thought I would put it here in case someone finds it interesting.

One of the cool features of this setup is that it really seems like you could have a solid setup with either Shortswords + Ninja Spy and Drow trees and Sacred Fist, or Daggers with Vistani and Sacred Fist.

Shortswords are centered with just one action point, so that is the obvious starting point to go that route at level 1.

Where it gets interesting is level 12 Vistani Core which gives you the same critical threat and multiplier that you would get from Holy Sword. Pure Paladin does not get that until level 15, multiclass gets it later, but Vistani Level 12 core replaces Holy Sword in the Paladin level 4 spell list, which means that you can take Zeal And Ki Explosion, which is important because you only ever get two level 4 spells.

So probably 1-11 Shortswords, swapping to Daggers at level 12.

If you can live without Ki explosion (its good for burst, but it is expensive on Ki, so you wont be using it all the time), then you could use Shortswords with Holy Sword when you have 15 Paladin levels (level 17 if you push back the last two monk levels). Precision is not all that important until Epic levels, and you probably wont need healing Ki anyway with Paladin cures and Lay on Hands.

Lawful Good Drow 16/3/1 Sacred Fist, Monk, Favored Soul

Edit: Stats adjusted to cut down on Encumbrance for True First Life No Gear or Tomes, based upon my experiences (more details on that at the bottom of this post):
STR 12 (drop to 8 if you have tomes and gear waiting for you)
DEX 16
CON 12
INT 14
WIS 10
CHA 16 (increase to 18 if you have tomes and gear waiting for you)

Skills:
At least one rank in both UMD and Tumble
Max Concentration
Max Heal
Max Diplomacy

On creation, and on second and third monk and and the favored soul levels, boost some of the nice to have things that you cannot get as class skills from Sacred Fist, like Jump on Favored Soul level, and Spot/Jump, etc. on Monk Levels. Concentration and heal are the most important skills, you can take concentration at every level, but on monk levels don't waste skill points on heal when every other level you can take it as a class skill.

Level 1 Monk: Martial Arts Feat: Two Weapon Fighting, Regular Feat Two Weapon Defense (we want the +10 MRR cap from TWD right off the bat, and monk gets more skills, so more on creation)
Level 2: Favored Soul: Follower of Vulkoor, Spells: Nightshield, Cure Light Wounds (we want a Divine Class by level 3, because we do not want to waste a feat slot, and a Divine can take Empower Healing)
Level 3: Sacred Fist: Empower Healing
Level 4: Sacred Fist +1 DEX, ALL remaining level ups in CHA
Level 5: Sacred Fist
Level 6: Sacred Fist: Adept of Forms (we cannot take Improved Two Weapon fighting here, but that is fine because we want the upgrades to monk stances)
Level 7: Sacred Fist
Level 8: Sacred Fist
Level 9: Sacred Fist: Improved Two Weapon Fighting
Level 10: Sacred Fist:
Level 11: Sacred Fist:
Level 12: Sacred Fist: Master of Forms (this is going to sound counter-intuitive, because you are going to want to take imp critical instead, but know that this gives you either passive ki generation boosts, or ki generation on hit, you want it here)
Level 13: Sacred Fist (this is where you get your first major Ki spell, Incinerating wave, you will like the extra Ki for this
Level 14: Sacred Fist (now with 12 levels of Sacred Fist you basically have the main core of the class, 23 AP in Sacred Fist gets you most of what you want)
Level 15: Monk: Martial Arts Feat Precision, regular Feat Improved Critical Piercing
Level 16: Monk: Path of Harmonious Balance: Fists of Light (healing Ki stuff, and you can take the level 3 core in Ninja spy)
Level 17: Sacred Fist
Level 18: Sacred Fist: Greater Two Weapon Fighting
Level 19: Sacred Fist
Level 20: Sacred Fist
Level 21: Grandmaster of Forms (If you are going into epics and utilizing the GMoF tree you probably want this)
Level 22: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting
Level 24: Overwhelming Critical
Level 25: Crush Weakness
Level 27: Quicken (you want it if you are going to do legendary questing at cap)
Level 28: Pierce Adamantine Or Cold Iron (take the other one from GMoF when you pickup extra Ki generation there)
Level 30: Scion of Arborea
Level 30: Epic Reflexes if you are not utilizing Shadowdancer, or probably Intensify if you are (your Cure Mod SLA from Radiant Servant can benefit from it, as well as the Cure Mod Mass SLA from Exalted Angel if you wanted to go into that tree for another healing SLA)

Enhancements on creation as level 7 Vet II test character:



Edit: Changed Favored Soul Spell Selection: Cure Light + Nightshield, Swap out Cure Light once it stops being useful when you have Level 1 Paladin Spells, and can dedicate a slot to Protection from Evil. Probably at level 8 when you get your second Paladin Level 1 spell Slot

Edit: Changed the stat recommendations for STR and CHA based upon my experience as true first life no gear. I was not getting encumbered all the time, but enough to push me into Fire Stance only 1-5, I still want that option for +2 STR from fire, but I want the extra DPS from Wind stance too sometimes, options basically. And I have no tomes or gear. This will simplify my Gear Tetris as I can basically ignore the STR part of it for now. I used the free Lesser Reincarnation that all new characters get on creation, at level 5 to adjust stats. Slightly less Damage, Significantly less Encumbrance, not a bad trade.

[dogsoldier]

Also, FYI, due to where the Follower of Vulkoor Feat was taken (level 2), it can be swapped out with a Flawed Siberys Dragonshard at Fred for Blood of Vol if you wanted to use Daggers instead at some point. And you can crunch a new Flawed Siberys Dragonshard for just 100 Siberys Dragonshard Fragments at the Stone of Change.

[dogsoldier]

Also, this build can use Shadowblades if you have access to the Feydark Illusionist tree. On a Pure Paladin you would have to grab the Magical Training feat somwhere, but multiclass gets it when they take the Favored Soul Level as an autogranted caster feat. So you would be able to summon a Shadowblade at level 2.

[donblas]

And shadow blades are ki weapons.

[dogsoldier]

And shadow blades are ki weapons.

Yes they are, and they also have native CHA to hit and damage, which wouldn't otherwise kick in until 6 levels of Sacred Fist.

[C-Dog]

On a Pure Paladin you would have to grab the Magical Training feat somewhere...

Or anywhere, and just swap it back out via Fred once you hit L6. 2-Weapon Defense or Precision both seem like a reasonable add to the mix about then, but that's just off the top of my head.

[dogsoldier]

Or anywhere, and just swap it back out via Fred once you hit L6. 2-Weapon Defense or Precision both seem like a reasonable add to the mix about then, but that's just off the top of my head.

You cannot select it just anywhere though, as much as you might want Magical Training at level 1, it limits your feat choices. You cannot take Precision before level 3 for instance.

[C-Dog]

You cannot take Precision before level 3 for instance.

Um, since when? You cannot take it before BAB 1.

More, if your first class choice is BAB 0, then if you take Monk (or Fighter) at L2, Precision is perfectly legit there.

[C-Dog]

Level 3: Sacred Fist: Empower Healing

Pure theorycrafting, but I have to wonder about spell-point use - would Maximize be affordable? If he's not the "party healer" then Max would not be used too often, and he'd get more out of the emergency healing (when he's not using LoH).

[dogsoldier]

Pure theorycrafting, but I have to wonder about spell-point use - would Maximize be affordable? If he's not the "party healer" then Max would not be used too often, and he'd get more out of the emergency healing (when he's not using LoH).

Yeah in heroics maximize is better, but I am thinking ahead for potential usage with Cacoon and / or Renewal which cannot use maximize, but can use empower healing. A feat swap for that is possible is you prefer better cure mod SLA in heroics. Empower Healing works on all three.

[dogsoldier]

It'll be interesting to see how people do with this build.

The theory-craft looks(?!) solid; planning on giving something like it a try next life.

I am going to run this one next life. I have to clear my TR cache, and was kind of procrastinating that because I had hoped for more storage, but will just have to part with some of the might be useful someday type of things to get it done. Thank you both for your feedback on this.

[C-Dog]

I was running with some folk, talking about dropping SF 18 for Monk 3, and they were appalled - not by the loss of SF Core 18, but the loss of Sacred Defender Core 18, namely:

• +25 Healing Amp
• +3 Lay on Hands charges
• +10% Sacred Bonus to Max HP
• +5 to Physical and Magical Resistance Rating

That's a pretty good laundry list. Added to the rest, for 31 AP... attractive.

As shown, this build doesn't specify the AP spread - wondering if you'd dismissed SD or what, and which tree you were considering for Tier V.

Still theory-crafting here, so the jury's out, but I'm thinking now that this build might(?) be better for Heroic Leveling (i.e. it will get to 20 better), but for going on to 30 it might not be the best mix? Just adding new grist to the mill. :/

[dogsoldier]

I was running with some folk, talking about dropping SF 18 for Monk 3, and they were appalled - not by the loss of SF Core 18, but the loss of Sacred Defender Core 18, namely:

• +25 Healing Amp
• +3 Lay on Hands charges
• +10% Sacred Bonus to Max HP
• +5 to Physical and Magical Resistance Rating

That's a pretty good laundry list. Added to the rest, for 31 AP... attractive.

As shown, this build doesn't specify the AP spread - wondering if you'd dismissed SD or what, and which tree you were considering for Tier V.

Still theory-crafting here, so the jury's out, but I'm thinking now that this build might(?) be better for Heroic Leveling (i.e. it will get to 20 better), but for going on to 30 it might not be the best mix? Just adding new grist to the mill. :/

Oh I can totally see the perspective of that, no question, if you wanted to main tree Sacred Defender, that is the way to go. And it is sound logic in that scenario.

I am not going further into Sacred Defender than 13 AP. I need all of the extra AP that I can get in Drow and Monk Trees, and Vistani if I swap to Daggers. For Daggers + Sacred Fist that is minimum 24/23 AP in those trees, locking out full investment in Sacred Defender. If you go mostly Sacred Fist and Drow trees and pickup nice stuff from Monk, same deal, you are not going to have the AP for getting to 31 AP in Defender anyway.

It is a totally different discussion about how it may be possible to achieve higher defenses with 13 AP in Defender, and Embracing the Zen of the Monk lifestyle. Versus 31 AP in defender with just 1 Monk level, and ignoring the Zen entirely, but perhaps going into Unyielding Sentinal for even more Lay on hands and recharging there. There are some arguments to be made either way.

I am embracing the Zen and with my setup, and I totally do not need the lay on hands outside of emergency situations.

[dogsoldier]

Still theory-crafting here, so the jury's out, but I'm thinking now that this build might(?) be better for Heroic Leveling (i.e. it will get to 20 better), but for going on to 30 it might not be the best mix? Just adding new grist to the mill. :/

Significantly better this way 1-7, just because of the CHA to hit and dmg with Shadowblades.

8-11, meh, kind of about the same.

12-20:
This pulls ahead, no question, due to better Ki management.

20+:
Gets a little better because can make better usage of GMoF.

32: I know the DPS is going to be higher, simply because it is widely acknowledged that the Sacred Fist tree does not have that great of T5 abilities. Not everything has to be top tier DPS though, and if going T5 Defender and T5 Unyielding, my only question is: "What is your MRR at 32?"

[dogsoldier]

The first life no gear except what I find test is parked at level 4. Contemplating what to do for gear. For leveling, I just just get anything that I find, and that works. I also want to put together a decent enough gear set to complete Saltmarsh Saga Elite or R1 without too much difficulty. Initially I was eyeing the Cove Shortwords, but I think I am going to try to get one of or both of hopefully, the Tielfling Assassin's Blade and the Sky Pirate's Dagger.

Here were the Enhancements at level 3, Leaning into Drow to make up for the : 1/1/1 Split:



And then at level 4, with 2 Levels of Sacred Fist, I can now move those Drow AP over there and pickup Exalted Whirlwind. I had not really seen how cool this was on an Iconic, as I started with Incinerating Wave as a Ki spell. But this could be really good as a combo option, as long as you have enough Ki for both the melee attack and the spell attack.



Edit: Pulled the Tiefling Assassin's Blade First try, chalking that up to beginners luck, though I had only pulled one shortsword prior to that, and it was a ML5 one that I cannot use, so I suppose I may be due for a little luck. Checked Runearm and Dagger chests too, for something to sell (or keep in the case of the dagger), no dice.



Now I need something to craft on, and I have that vanilla ML5 shortsword, but I hate to craft on anything that does not have at least one augment slot. For Crafting, lest ye think I am cheating, I am only going to craft level 1ish Cannith recipes, and it is really easy to level crafting up to where you can craft a ML4 item, literally just making a few Min Level Shards. I am not going to pillage my mules' dual slot hoard, that would be cheating. I want to find a shortsword with one augment slot on it, hopefully, or if not, at least Flametouched so it could be a DR breaker too, since I cannot craft the Good Effect, that is way out of reach.

Edit: Ran Haverdasher Elite x2 and Irestone Normal, did not find another Shortsword, but I found this little gem, it has ML4 scaling, same as cannith, and a useful kicker effect, and it is centering. I thought I would need dual short swords, and eventually yeah, but I wont have AP for getting back into the drow tree for a little while anyway. So now, getting all of the essentials on my gear: Fortification, Deathblock, Resistance, Protection, Deadly, Concentration, Feather Falling, Speed, etc. so that I can take on Saltmarsh.