With the changes made in U57 to fighters I have updated the Steelmaiden build.
Please note this is a ZERO DPS Tank Build. Her only purpose is to take the aggro and to survive.
This time around she is Aasimar. The new split is 12 Fighter, 5 Paladin, 3 Artificer.
12 Fighter gets you 10% Quality hit points. Aasimar get you 5% Sacred hit points. Fighter also has the new Second Wind feat that can be an amazing self heal. With 12 levels you get 4 charges of it. Outside of reaper it heals me for 9,546 hit points. In reaper 10 it heals me for 450ish hit points.
5 Paladin because we want the tier 5 Sacred Defender enhancements. I feel that they are better than the tier 5 Stalwart Defender enhancements. 3 Artificer for the 50% Bonus to your Armor's AC rating from Renegade Master Maker.
Base Stats
Strength 14
Dexterity 12
Constitution 18 <- All Level ups here.
Intelligence 14
Charisma 12
Level Ups:
1-8 Take your Paladin and your Artificer Levels.
9-20 Fighter Levels.
Feats: Every General feat is TOUGHNESS.
Fighter Feats: Shield Mastery, Improved Shield Mastery, Greater Shield Mastery, Combat Expertise, Improved Critical, Dodge, Mobility
Epic Feats:
Epic Toughness, Bulwark of Defense (Kind of a bad feat, should probably be Toughness), More Toughness.
Destiny Feats:
Perfect Shield Mastery, Legendary Toughness, More Toughness
All in I took the Toughness feat 11 times.
Gear:
Right now her gear is not quite optimized. I am in the progress of Ironing it out. It may change if I add Isle of Dread pieces into the mix.
Goggles: Collective Sight with Charisma, Insightful Charisma, Masters Gift
Helmet: Crown of Butterflies with Topaz of Swiftness
Neck: Rune Lodestone with Defense, Accuracy, Insightful Dex
Trinket: Heart of Suulomades with Draconic Soul Gem, Globe of True Imperial Blood, Diamond of Constitution 12
Cloak: Cloak of Winter with Sapphire of Good Luck 2
Belt: Direbear Belt with Essence of the Epic Litany of the Dead
Ring1: Celestial Emerald with Diamond of Strength 14
Gloves: Wildwood Gauntlets (Empty Yellow Slot)(This piece of gear needs to be examined for something better.)
Boots: Deepsnow Boots with Topaz of Deathblock
Ring2: Nocturne Ring with Topaz of Feather Falling
Bracers: Cold Iron Bracers with Diamond of Dexterity 12
Armor: Plate of the Winter Solstice with Sapphire of Armored Agility +2
Weapon: Pick anything you aren't doing DPS you just need to Filigree it up.
Shield: Crystalline Ward with Sapphire of False Life 54
So 7 Pieces of winter and a few other miscellaneous pieces. Tempted to use the Ferrocrystal Large Shield for a 2 Piece Summer set bonus but I am not ready to swap to that yet as I am considering moving to a dinosaur bone shield and weapon for 2 of the 5 pieces of a dread isle set. Then if I can find a way to fit 3 more dread isle pieces in (Maybe ring, gloves, goggles ) I would have a 7 piece winter with a 5 piece Isle of dread set. Still considering possibilities here.
A note for the green steel lovers. I tried a 5 piece legendary green steel set and netted 105 more hit points. I felt that the 105 more hit points were not worth all of the lost Augment slots and Mods on the other gear.
Filigree
2x Beast Mantle
3x Grandfather Shield
4x Technomage
4x Bravery Throughout
Enhancements
16 AP in Aasimar for Ascendant Bond
43 In Sacred Defender (Tier 5 and Sacred Defense Goodies)
24 in Stalwart Defender (Stand Fast and Reinforced Armor)
13 in Renegade Master Maker (Reinforced Armor)
1 in Harper for +1 to hit. (Universal AP Tome)
for 97 AP : 80 Standard AP, 16 Racial AP, 1 Universal AP
Destinies:
45 AP in Sentinal, 14 AP in Dreadnaught (Quite a few HP available in Dreadnaught), 12 in Shadowdancer (Immunity to Energy Drain)
for 71 AP Spent.
Reaper:
Fill out Grim Barricade 1st. Then points into the other 2 trees to pick up some Dex and some Charisma.