Favored Soul Inquisitive Build

[Nubicus]

Hello! This build is my first crack at the Inquisitive Favored Soul. I'm currently knocking out my Ranger lives in order to start doing my Racial TR's with the following build. Inquisitive so far seems amazing. Law damage has really surprised me as its acting as beefed up sneak attack that hits whether I have agro or not (Which is a lot). Inquisitive has actually made ranger fun for me, as I get to build into wisdom damage and not have to sacrifice anything into dexterity (Falconry ftw). But, Ranger is just a stepping stone to increased damage via past lives so I can run above reaper 1 with my partner by using the following build.

Concept:
Use the Favored Souls Knowledge of Battle (A Class feat which allows your dieties holy weapon to use Wisdom or Charisma to hit and damage) coupled with Inquisitive's level 4 enhancement Inquisitive Style (Which makes crossbows a holy weapon) to have high spells DC's and some decent DPS using crossbows. This build was talked about in several videos but I haven't seen an optimized build yet, so if you can lend me your build skills in perfecting this leveling build. I'm going to be mixing in 2 Artificer to this build for Rune Arms as they are an inescapable DPS boost which I don't think can be duplicated in Favored Soul's level 19/20.

Goals:
I want to be able to have no issues leveling to 30 by providing decent DPS and heals for the party, with the occasional crowd controls.

Build

2 Artificer/ 18 Favored Soul

A/A/F/F/F/F/F/F/F/F and so on.

Abilities:
Strength - I'll dump here if anything is left over
Dexterity - I have completionist and a + 6 Tome. I need to hit 21 for Combat Archery, so minimum starting for me is 13.
Constitution - 16 Minimum
Intelligence - After so many trapper lives, I'm sad to say, going to push this to a minimum of 10 and leave it. Maybe go to 12.
Wisdom - This will be my high stat unless I'm playing a Charisma heavy race, in which case it will be a low stat
Charisma - See Wisdom.

Skills:
Concentration, Spellcraft, and Diplomacy (once the Int tome kicks in)

Feats:
Level 1 - Rapid Reload (Artificer), Point Blank Shot
Level 2 - Rune Arm Use (Artificer)
Level 3 - Completionist
Level 4 - Knowledge of battle
Level 6 - Precise Shot
Level 9 - Rapid Shot
Level 12 - Improved Critical Ranged
Level 15 - Improved Precise Shot
Level 18 - Precision
Level 19 - Leap of Faith (Favored Soul)
Level 21 - Overwhelming Critical
Level 24 - Combat Archery
Level 26 - Holy Strike
Level 27 - Epic Power
Level 28 - Double Shot
Level 29 - ????
Level 30 - Scion of Arboria

Enhancements:
41 into inquisitive
39 into War Soul

That's pretty much all I have so far, anything you can do to help would be amazing.

[Pilgrim1]

I have also been playing around with the idea in my head. Although for end-game focus more then heroic questing, but ill tell you my thoughts.

You need a ludicrous amount of feets to even get this stuff off the ground. Ranged feets are: precision, PBS, rapid shot, rapid reload, PS, IPS, IC:ranged. Then you need DC boosting stuff: quicken, highten, wiz PL, completionest, spell focus (for twisting DC).

In epics most stuff is full with combat archery, overwhelming critical, embolden, BOGW, doubleshot, mass frog, im sure there is even more.

Any build like these should really be focused on maximizing DC and slowly chipping away at DC to get enough DPS to deal with bosses and champion trash that cant be dealt with else wise. Basically a caster that has umphf when you get to bosses. If you don’t play/build this style then you end up with a toon with decent DPS, self healing, and non-effect DC. In most cases your DC will determine how high you can go on reaper rather then your DPS.

Now thats all just pre-amble to think about for build goals. First off favored souls get a huge increase to DC from there enhancements, especially there capstone, they get +4 DC!! But your gonna have to give that up!

I actually think cleric is the better class to pair with inquisiter. If you go luck domain you get displacement, +2 DC, and some fun saves. You can go 15 cleric levels (maxed out heal) and have 5 more levels to pick up feets and low hanging things in enahcment trees.

Low hanging options:
3 bard: nets you 2 DC and +1 in a school for 11 AP
3 pally: +11 charisma mod to saves and defensive stance, 13 AP
2-4 fighter: 2-3 feets, defensive stance, extra action boosts, haste boost.
2 monk: 2 feets (not as good as fighter IMO)
1 FvS: cheep and better divine might.
2-4 arti: 1-2 feets, trapping, rune arm, extra action boost.
1 wizzy: caster feet.
1 warlock: aura for arcane warrior feet (29)

For you I would suggest 15 cleric luck domain, 4 fighter, 1 monk.
41 AP inquisiter
24 AP falconer
13 AP defensive stance
+2 floating AP.
11 feets.

The big advantage to going FvS is that they don’t need to invest in falconry tree to get wis/charisma to attack/dmg. That free’s up ~12 AP to play around with. And they get cheep divine might! Another hidden advantage of FvS is they can get archon which is quite good at powering arcane warrior (lvl 29 feet).

ATM im thinking that a warforged wizard might be the best base for this, they get lots of extra feets, great self healing, and plenty of great CC spells worth casting (unlike artificer). Probably 17 wizard, then im not sure which of the above splashes are best.

[unbongwah]

[QUOTE=Nubicus;6206904]Level 9 - Rapid Shot[quote]
If you're using repeaters, you may want to skip this, as the DPS boost is negligible at higher levels, IIRC. That gives you room for one more metamagic feat instead.

Level 15 - Improved Precise Shot

Pretty sure your BAB is too low: arty 2 / FvS 13 is BAB 1 + 9 = 10 and you need BAB 11 for IPS.

Level 27 - Epic Power

Not sure what you mean here. Epic Spellpower? That goes into an ED-only feat slot.

Enhancements:
41 into inquisitive
39 into War Soul

If you have Falconry, you may want to go heavy into that tree rather than WarSoul. Divine Will doesn't work with ranged weapons, but Deadly Instinct does, IIRC. Add in the bird attacks + No Mercy for bonus damage vs helpless mobs.

[Nubicus]

[QUOTE=unbongwah;6206969][QUOTE=Nubicus;6206904]Level 9 - Rapid Shot

If you're using repeaters, you may want to skip this, as the DPS boost is negligible at higher levels, IIRC. That gives you room for one more metamagic feat instead.

No, this build uses non-repeaters.

Pretty sure your BAB is too low: arty 2 / FvS 13 is BAB 1 + 9 = 10 and you need BAB 11 for IPS.

You're right. If I go 2 Arti/1 Fighter/12 Favored Soul That would allow me to hit the prerequisite