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  1. #1
    Build Constructionist unbongwah's Avatar
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    Default Revisiting the Classics: the Axesinger for New Players

    One of the earliest bard builds I encountered when I first started playing DDO was Thanimal's Axesinger: a TWF dwarven Warchanter. With the recent buffs to Kensei, I thought it was time to dust off this old classic and come up with...something quite different, actually. I'm just stealing Thanimal's name because I can't think of anything better and he's not around to stop me. However, the core premise is still the same: a self-healing melee DPS toon with Warchanter party buffs which can be done on a first-lifer.

    While still a bard / ftr split, mine uses greataxes instead of dual-wielding battle-/dwarven axes; this helps make it more newbie-friendly. It also takes a much deeper fighter splash for Kensei bonuses; ftr 8 gets you Greater Weapon Focus feat (+2 Melee Power) and access to full Kensei Weapon Specialization line. This build equips medium armor with WC Armorer (which negates ASF w/med armor) so it can benefit from Tenacious Defense (+20% HPs) as well as gain some extra PRR.

    The downside is I sacrificed Evasion and trap skills, at least in the first iteration. I also lose Inspire Heroics+Excellence, which requires at least 15 bard levels to take. But hopefully you'll be too busy lopping off heads to care too much. For those interested in bard / ftr / rog split, I recommend checking out my update on the Dwarven Defender parody.
    Code:
    Kundarak Axesinger
    12/8 Bard/Fighter
    True Neutral Dwarf
    
    
    Level Order
    
    1. Bard            6. Fighter        11. Fighter        16. Bard
    2. Fighter         7. Fighter        12. Fighter        17. Bard
    3. Fighter         8. Bard           13. Bard           18. Bard
    4. Fighter         9. Bard           14. Bard           19. Bard
    5. Fighter        10. Bard           15. Bard           20. Bard
    
    
    Stats
                   28pt     Level Up
                   ----     --------
    Strength        18       4: STR
    Dexterity        8       8: STR
    Constitution    18      12: STR
    Intelligence     8      16: STR
    Wisdom           8      20: STR
    Charisma         8      24: STR
                            28: STR
    
    Skills
              B  F  F  F  F  F  F  B  B  B  F  F  B  B  B  B  B  B  B  B
              1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
             ------------------------------------------------------------
    Perform   4                       2  4        2  4  2  1  1  1  1  1  23
    Concent   4              ½  ½           ½  ½        2  3  3  3  3  3  23
    UMD       4                    5  3  1        3  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  23
    Heal      2  ½  ½  ½  ½                                                4
    Balance   2                                                            2
    Tumble    2                                                            2
             ------------------------------------------------------------
             20  1  1  1  1  1  1  5  5  5  1  1  5  5  5  5  5  5  5  5
    
    
    Feats
    
     1        : Power Attack
     2 Fighter: Cleave
     3        : Weapon Focus: Slashing
     3 Fighter: Two Handed Fighting
     5 Fighter: Great Cleave
     6        : Weapon Specialization: Slashing
     7 Fighter: Improved Two Handed Fighting
     9        : Improved Critical: Slashing
    12        : Greater Weapon Focus: Slashing
    12 Fighter: Greater Two Handed Fighting
    15        : Empower Healing Spell OR Extend Spell
    18        : Quicken Spell
    21 Epic   : Overwhelming Critical
    24 Epic   : Stunning Blow OR Bulwark of Defense
    26 Destiny: Perfect Two Handed Fighting
    27 Epic   : Epic Damage Reduction
    28 Destiny: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting OR Elusive Target
    29 Destiny: Dire Charge OR Deific Warding
    30 Epic   : Tactical Combatant
    30 Legend : Scion of: Arborea OR Plane of Earth
    
    
    Spells
    
    Bard
    
    
    1. Expeditious Retreat, Focusing Chant, <Any>, <Any>
    2. Rage, Blur, <Any>, <Any>
    3. Displacement, Haste, Cure Serious Wounds, <Any>
    4. Dimension Door, Freedom of Movement, Cure Critical Wounds
    Enhancements (80 AP) Kensei (34 AP)
    • Kensei Focus: Axes, Spiritual Bond, Strike with No Thought
      1. Extra Action Boost III, Weapon Group Specialization, Haste Boost III
      2. Weapon Group Specialization
      3. Weapon Group Specialization, Strength
      4. Opportunity Attack, Weapon Group Specialization, Liquid Courage, Strike at the Heart, Strength
      5. A Good Death: Melee, Weapon Master, One with the Blade, Keen Edge
    Warchanter (26 AP)
    • Skaldic: Constitution, Weapon Training, Song of Heroism, Fighting Spirit
      1. Enchant Weapon, Rough and Ready III
      2. Words of Encouragement III, Arcane Shield Chant III, Sprint Boost III
      3. Ironskin Chant III
      4. Reckless Chant III, Armorer
    Stalwart Defender (13 AP)
    • Toughness, Stalwart Defense
      1. Item Defense I, Durable Defense III
      2. Resilient Defense III, Instinctive Defense I
      3. Tenacious Defense III
    Swashbuckler (7 AP)
    • Confidence
      1. Blow By Blow: Melee III, Tavern Shanties I
      2. Fast Movement
    [/color] Leveling Guide
    1. War0 Skaldic: Rage; War1 Enchant Weapon; Dwf0 Dwarven Toughness
    2. Ken0 Kensei Focus: Axes; Ken1 Haste Boost I, II, III
    3. Ken1 Weapon Group Specialization; Ken2 Weapon Group Specialization
    4. Ken0 Spiritual Bond; Ken1 Extra Action Boost I
    5. Ken1 Extra Action Boost II, III
    6. Ken3 Strength; Ken3 Weapon Group Specialization; (Bank 1 AP)
    7. Ken0 Strike with No Thought; Ken4 Opportunity Attack; Ken4 Strike at the Heart
    8. Ken4 Liquid Courage; Dwf1 Iron Stomach I, II
    9. Dwf1 Iron Stomach III; Dwf1 Axe Training
    10. Dwf2 Axe Training; Ken4 Strength; SD0 Toughness
    11. Reset Warchanter
      • Stalwart Defender: Stalwart Defense
        1. Item Defense I, Durable Defense III
    12. Reset Dwarf
      • Kensei
        1. (none)
        2. (none)
        3. (none)
        4. Weapon Group Specialization
        5. Weapon Master, One with the Blade, Keen Edge
      • Warchanter: Skaldic: Constitution, Weapon Training
        1. Enchant Weapon, Rough and Ready II
        2. Arcane Shield Chant II, Sprint Boost I
    13. War2 Arcane Shield Chant III; War3 Ironskin Chant I, II
    14. War0 Song of Heroism; War3 Ironskin Chant III; War1 Rough and Ready III; War2 Words of Encouragement I, II
    15. Reset Stalwart Defender
      • Warchanter
        1. (none)
        2. Words of Encouragement III, Sprint Boost III
        3. (none)
        4. Reckless Chant III, Armorer
      • Stalwart Defender: Toughness
        1. Item Defense I
    16. SD1 Durable Defense I, II, III; SD0 Stalwart Defense
    17. SD2 Resilient Defense I, II, III; SD2 Instinctive Defense I
    18. SD3 Tenacious Defense I, II, III; Swa0 Confidence
    19. Swa1 Blow By Blow: Melee I, II, III; Swa1 Tavern Shanties I
    20. War0 Fighting Spirit; Swa2 Fast Movement; Ken5 A Good Death: Melee
    Destiny (24 AP) Legendary Dreadnought
    1. Legendary Tactics III, Extra Action Boost III, Strength
    2. Momentum Swing III, Imp. Power Attack
    3. Lay Waste
    4. Anvil of Thunder
    5. Advancing Blows, Devastating Critical
    6. Master's Blitz, Headman's Chop
    Twists of Fate (26 fate points)
    1. Sense Weakness (Tier 4 Fury)
    2. Grim Precision (Tier 3 Shadowdancer)
    3. Rejuvenation Cocoon (Tier 1 Primal)
    4. Brace for Impact (Tier 1 Sentinel)
    Since I front-loaded the fighter levels to get Kensei bonuses ASAP, early on bard is just for access to Expeditious Retreat, Skaldic Rage, Enchant Weapons, and Cure wands. [EDIT: use Rage potions until you pick up the spell at lvl 10.] The Enhancement order looks confusing, but the goal is to have both tier-5 Kensei abilities and Armorer (eliminates ASF w/medium armor) by lvl 15, since that's when you get Haste, the first important spell w/a somatic component (and thus subject to ASF). [Either black dragonscale or Fleshshapers would be my recommendation for that level range.]

    Greataxes: naturally Carnifex is your best option early on, which becomes 17-20/x4 when you get Strike w/No Thought. After that, I'd aim for Riftmaker, which is 18-20/x5 with SwNT, IC:Slash, and Keen Edge. After that, the usual suspects: i.e., eAGA, Cleaver, eRiftmaker, tier-3 Thunderforged weapons.

    Note that NONE of the Twists are actually necessary to make this build work; all of them are long-term goals which boost DPS or survivability. However, you will need to max out a Primal ED in order to take PTHF+PTWF ED feats; you need two Martial EDs to take Elusive Target; and you need to max out all three Martial EDs to take Dire Charge. So factor that into your long-term epic / ED leveling plans.

    And to forestall all the inevitable LOL Y NO HUMAN U N00B?!1! here ya go:
    Code:
    Axesinger
    12/8 Bard/Fighter
    True Neutral Human
    
    Stats
                   28pt     Level Up
                   ----     --------
    Strength        18       4: STR
    Dexterity        8       8: STR
    Constitution    16      12: STR
    Intelligence    10      16: STR
    Wisdom           8      20: STR
    Charisma         8      24: STR
                            28: STR
    
    Skills
              B  F  F  F  F  F  F  B  B  B  F  F  B  B  B  B  B  B  B  B
              1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
             ------------------------------------------------------------
    Perform   4                       6  3        3  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  23
    Concent   4                          3           5  3  4  1  1  1  1  23
    UMD       4                    7  1  1        3  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  23
    Heal              1     1            1  ½     1     1     1     11
    Search    2         ½  ½  ½              ½           ½  1  2  1  1  11
    Balance   4                                                        2   6
    Jump      4              2                                             6
    Tumble    4                                                            4
             ------------------------------------------------------------
             28  3  3  3  3  3  3  7  7  7  3  3  7  7  7  7  7  7  7  7
    
    
    Feats
    
     1        : Power Attack
     1 Human  : Cleave
     2 Fighter: Weapon Focus: Slashing
     3        : Stunning Blow OR Extend Spell
     3 Fighter: Two Handed Fighting
     5 Fighter: Great Cleave
     6        : Weapon Specialization: Slashing
     7 Fighter: Improved Two Handed Fighting
     9        : Improved Critical: Slashing
    12        : Greater Weapon Focus: Slashing
    12 Fighter: Greater Two Handed Fighting
    15        : Quicken Spell
    18        : Empower Healing Spell
    21 Epic   : Overwhelming Critical
    24 Epic   : Tactical Combatant OR Bulwark of Defense
    26 Destiny: Perfect Two Handed Fighting
    27 Epic   : Epic Damage Reduction
    28 Destiny: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting OR Elusive Target
    29 Destiny: Dire Charge OR Deific Warding
    30 Epic   :
    30 Legend : Scion of: Arborea OR Plane of Earth
    
    Enhancements (80 AP)
    
    Kensei (33 AP)
    
    
    • Kensei Focus: Axes, Spiritual Bond, Strike with No Thought
      1. Extra Action Boost III, Weapon Group Specialization, Haste Boost III
      2. Weapon Group Specialization
      3. Weapon Group Specialization, Strength
      4. Opportunity Attack, Weapon Group Specialization, Liquid Courage, Strike at the Heart, Strength
      5. Weapon Master, One with the Blade, Keen Edge
    Warchanter (26 AP)
    • Skaldic: Constitution, Weapon Training, Song of Heroism, Fighting Spirit
      1. Enchant Weapon, Rough and Ready III
      2. Words of Encouragement III, Arcane Shield Chant III, Sprint Boost III
      3. Ironskin Chant III
      4. Reckless Chant III, Armorer
    Stalwart Defender (13 AP)
    • Toughness, Stalwart Defense
      1. Item Defense I, Durable Defense III
      2. Resilient Defense III, Instinctive Defense I
      3. Tenacious Defense III
    Swashbuckler (7 AP)
    • Confidence
      1. Blow By Blow: Melee III, Tavern Shanties I
      2. Fast Movement
    Human (1 AP)
    • Damage Boost
    Last edited by unbongwah; 09-30-2016 at 06:41 PM.
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  2. #2
    Build Constructionist unbongwah's Avatar
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    Reserved for whatever
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  3. #3
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    Genuine question:

    Would it not be better to go swf?

    Or are you arguing the dps loss from no swf is offset by medium armour use?
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  4. #4
    Build Constructionist unbongwah's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BoBoDaClown View Post
    Would it not be better to go swf?

    Or are you arguing the dps loss from no swf is offset by medium armour use?
    Kensei bonuses compare favorably with Swashbuckler: +1 crit range & multiplier, +40 Melee Power (Opportunity Atk + One w/Blade) with another +12 MP from feats (THF & Weap Foc/Spec), +12 dmg to 2H weapons and +2 from Weap Spec. Medium armor offers about the same PRR as light armor + buckler without chewing up two feats & Twist slot for Legendary Shield Mastery. But mostly it's about offering an alternative to people who want a majority-bard build which isn't a Swashbuckler. Or who just prefer swinging a big axe.

    One alternative I had considered is bard 11 / ftr 8 / barb 1: you lose Fighting Spirit & Song of Freedom, but gain +10% run speed and access to Improved Power Atk which would be another +6 dmg, which more than offsets losing Fighting Spirit.
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  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by unbongwah View Post
    Kensei bonuses compare favorably with Swashbuckler: +1 crit range & multiplier, +40 Melee Power (Opportunity Atk + One w/Blade) with another +12 MP from feats (THF & Weap Foc/Spec), +12 dmg to 2H weapons and +2 from Weap Spec. Medium armor offers about the same PRR as light armor + buckler without chewing up two feats & Twist slot for Legendary Shield Mastery. But mostly it's about offering an alternative to people who want a majority-bard build which isn't a Swashbuckler. Or who just prefer swinging a big axe.
    Completely understand this
    One alternative I had considered is bard 11 / ftr 8 / barb 1: you lose Fighting Spirit & Song of Freedom, but gain +10% run speed and access to Improved Power Atk which would be another +6 dmg, which more than offsets losing Fighting Spirit.
    Isn't that largely comparing tier 5s rather than combat style? i.e. I can pick up the +40MP on a single weapon fighting toon.

    The crit bonuses favour swashbuckler - their range is multiplied by improved crit while I don't think keen edge is. With certain weapons you can also pick up the kensai crit multi. However, it is quite close if you are going tier 5 kensai rather than exploit weakness:
    So Falchion = 14-20/3 (14crit hits).
    Pick = 17-20/5 (16)
    Handaxe = 15-20/4 (18)
    Khopesh 16-20/4 (15)

    It seems you can pick up stuff from kensai and swash if swf, plus I feel that swf gives you more. Reason I think this is because I actually transitioned a build through the 3 fighting styles and it became dramatically better with swf, although this was prior to the kensai changes (most of which benefit the swf as well).

    Note re: defences, a swashbuckler gets dodge into the 30s, so I'd probably want higher PRR to offset that loss (unless you can get medium armour dodge high - never tried?)

    I might try to properly run the numbers on this, as I would love to ditch swf.
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  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by unbongwah View Post
    build
    Looks like an ideal build to fit in En Pointe.

    The build would also work as a PDK - perhaps ideally, as you can fit in most crucial enhancements by that point.

    I am currently playing a Kensei-powered swashbuckler and I am fairly happy with her. I went with reverse split 12 fighter / 8 bard with Light Picks.

  7. #7
    Build Constructionist unbongwah's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BoBoDaClown View Post
    Isn't that largely comparing tier 5s rather than combat style? i.e. I can pick up the +40MP on a single weapon fighting toon.
    Well, now we're getting further down into the weeds, aren't we? Because if we're talking two builds with T5 Kensei - say, Axesinger vs this build - then it's more like (both in LD):
    • TF handaxe: 5[1d6] 15-18/x4 19-20/x7 (+24 effective hits)
    • Riftmaker: 5[1d12] 18/x5 19-20/x8 (+18 effective hits)


    Handaxe crits more often, atks +30% faster, and has +18% doublestrike from LSM+SB cores if I'm adding right; Riftmaker crits harder, gets 50% glancing blows, +6% doublestrike from Reckless Chant, and has significantly higher base dmg. My hunch is Axesinger is better for AoE DPS, handaxe SB is better for single-target, but that's just a WAG on my part. Axesinger probably stands out better in FotW: Adrenaline + Good Death on an 5[1d12] x5 weapon? Nice.
    Quote Originally Posted by cru121 View Post
    Looks like an ideal build to fit in En Pointe.
    Interesting suggestion: what would drop to squeeze it in?
    Last edited by unbongwah; 12-20-2016 at 10:50 AM.
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  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by unbongwah View Post
    Interesting suggestion: what would drop to squeeze it in?
    That's for a master build constructionist to figure out :-)
    But yeah it probably involves some painful choices, probably 1 AP from Kensai and 2 AP from Fast Movement

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by unbongwah View Post
    My hunch is Axesinger is better for AoE DPS, handaxe SB is better for single-target
    That would be good - trade-offs and all.

    what about twf? Any hope there? i.e. TWF Khops I assume.
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  10. #10
    Build Constructionist unbongwah's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BoBoDaClown View Post
    what about twf? Any hope there? i.e. TWF Khops I assume.
    It's...fine, I guess? 16-18/x4 19-20/x6 crit profile in LD, so it's a bit behind TF handaxe Swashbuckler, but of course you have a higher atk proc rate. I don't see it as better than pure Tempest, but few if any TWF non-Assassin builds will outperform Tempest, AFAICT.
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  11. #11
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    what do you think about putting in some barb levels? like 12 bard 6 fighter 2 barb or 12 barb 8 fighter? something like that.

  12. #12
    Build Constructionist unbongwah's Avatar
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    Barb 12 / ftr 8 is...no longer a Warchanter build and therefore beyond the scope of this thread.

    Bard 12 / ftr 6 / barb 2 trades some DPS (Gtr Weap Focus + Weapon Master, so you lose +2 Melee Power +5 dmg) for an extra +10% runspeed and possibly access to low-tier barb PrE abilities. Improved Power Atk (which makes up for losing Weapon Master), Ear Smash + Knockout, Extra Action Boost - some good options, but this build is pretty AP-constrained as-is. Recall that I need Warchanter Armorer to negate medium armor arcane spell failure; which means I have to spend at least 22 APs into WC, at which point an extra 4 APs for Fighting Spirit + Reckless Chant seemed like a no-brainer. Likewise I need to spend 13 APs into Stalwart D. for max Tenacious Defense (+20% HPs), which is the whole reason I went with medium armor in the first place.

    So the barb splash is certainly not a bad idea, but I probably would leave the Enhancements basically the same. You could drop SD defensive stance and use barb Rage instead, but (A) you give up a lot of extra HPs & PRR/MRR, (B) barb Rage blocks spellcasting which means no mid-combat heals without dropping Rage, so you lose one of the advantages of being a melee bard in the first place, and (C) barb Rage and Skaldic Rage don't stack and the latter doesn't block spellcasting, so it's arguably a better option (and why I use Skaldic Rage at lower levels).
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    Quote Originally Posted by unbongwah View Post
    snip.
    I see what your saying, I guess i shouldnt dance around the point

    Im currently looking at this build, your iconic bladeforged pally, and your champion of silvanus build to find a 2h weilding, self healing, crit monster.
    ideally for solo, dont care about traps and doors. just want to pummel things.

    without being super complex, and i know its not in the scope of this thread, but there all your builds so i was hoping you could point me in a direction? or give me some simple breakdown of how they differ in playstyle or capability?

    id really appreciate it.

    ps:first life, have acess to 32 pts and all unlocked stuff. no PL.
    Last edited by Akhanus; 12-20-2016 at 11:11 AM.

  14. #14
    Build Constructionist unbongwah's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Akhanus View Post
    without being super complex, and i know its not in the scope of this thread, but there all your builds so i was hoping you could point me in a direction?
    Well, all of the builds you cite are self-healing 2H melee toons, so I guess your question is really: how do they differ?

    Bladeforged pure paladin is about as close to Easy Mode as DDO gets, IMO, particularly for new / under-geared players: good DPS, high survivability. [ While I built mine to focus on DPS, it's pretty easy to tweak enhancements to be more tank-y if necessary: e.g., 41 Sacred D / 23 KotC / 16 BF running in Sentinel makes a good substitute tank if there's isn't a "real" tank around.] A BF Kensei will out-DPS it (Kensei gets a lot more Melee Power, a bit more doublestrike, and One Cut's crit clickie); but doesn't have the high saves nor extra self-healing (LoHs+RCD). Plus you need to LR +1 if you want pure ftr or monk / ftr like Cetus. The other downside is this is "just" a melee toon: not much to do besides buff up, swing your weapon while cycling thru your Cleaves & special atks (Smite Evil etc.), and occasionally hit one of your self-heals so you don't die. For some people, that's sufficient; for others, that's too simplistic to be fun.

    My Silvanus Champions are battlepriests who focus more on the "battle" part of the equation than, say, Axel's build. All of them have the Heal spell, which means at least 11 cleric or 12 FvS levels; all of them have at least 6 ftr lvls so I can add Strike w/No Thought for +1 crit multiplier. Some of them go T5 Kensei for better melee DPS; at least one of them goes for T5 Radiant Servant for auras, making it closer to Axel's build. So depending on the exact build & PrE / ED configuration you select, mauls fall somewhere between 17-18/x4 19-20/x5 and 15-18/x4 19-20/x6. [Add another +2 to crit range if using drow maul.] My expectation is the DPS of these builds is roughly on par with a pure paladin, but with better healing & more buffs for parties; the downside is losing BF immunities, Recon SLA, and high saves. [Plus you're stuck using just mauls, of course.]

    The Axesinger is a melee-DPS / party-support hybrid. It has most WC Chants; I didn't list it as an option, but it would not be hard to respec PrEs so you took T5 WC / T4 Kensei / T3 SD: less personal DPS, more AoE party buffs. It doesn't have Inspire Heroics + Excellence, unfortunately, which requires at least 15 bard levels; so it's not as good in the party-support role as those bard builds. And its best healing spell is CCW, so it doesn't have as much self-healing as the first two. OTOH, it gains some useful arcane buffs the other two don't, like Haste, Blur / Displacement, and Good Hope / Song of Heroism, plus Dimension Door. Also since it's stuck using medium armor, it has a higher MDB than the other two, which also means higher possible Dodge bonus. So it gets hit less often thanks to Displacement + more Dodge; but takes more damage per hit due to less PRR.

    Basically I designed the Axesinger so it could be on the frontlines with the other melees, Cleaving thru mobs while buffing its teammates with songs & Chants & Haste, urging them on to greater glory while occasionally pausing to rebuff or heal itself. Like most hybrids, it's not optimal at any one role, but hopefully it fills its niche well enough to be useful.
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  15. #15
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    Default Barbarian level

    Quote Originally Posted by unbongwah View Post
    Kensei bonuses compare favorably with Swashbuckler: +1 crit range & multiplier, +40 Melee Power (Opportunity Atk + One w/Blade) with another +12 MP from feats (THF & Weap Foc/Spec), +12 dmg to 2H weapons and +2 from Weap Spec. Medium armor offers about the same PRR as light armor + buckler without chewing up two feats & Twist slot for Legendary Shield Mastery. But mostly it's about offering an alternative to people who want a majority-bard build which isn't a Swashbuckler. Or who just prefer swinging a big axe.

    One alternative I had considered is bard 11 / ftr 8 / barb 1: you lose Fighting Spirit & Song of Freedom, but gain +10% run speed and access to Improved Power Atk which would be another +6 dmg, which more than offsets losing Fighting Spirit.
    I love this build! It's going to be my next life and I can't wait to try it. Where would you recommend taking the Barbarian level? I assume it would replace a Bard level, but maybe I am missing something? (I am not a theorycrafter at all.)

  16. #16
    Build Constructionist unbongwah's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hiro_Nogano View Post
    Where would you recommend taking the Barbarian level?
    That's up to you: you could take it at lvl 2 to get your +10% run speed and Imp Power Atk right away; you could delay it until lvl 8-10 (i.e., after you get Strike w/No Thought); or you could wait until lvl 20 so you get all your bard abilities first.
    I assume it would replace a Bard level, but maybe I am missing something?
    That would be my plan, yes. Bard 13 / ftr 6 / barb 1 is also an option: that gets you two lvl 5 spells (e.g., Gtr Heroism + Shadow Walk), but you lose Gtr Weap Focus, Weapon Master, and Tactical Combatant; so you give up a decent chunk of DPS for those two spells.
    Semi-retired Build Engineer. Everything was better back in our day. Get off my lawn.

  17. #17
    Community Member Monkion's Avatar
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    Dec 2015
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    Thank You for the great and fun builds, I am using your ninja drow and dwarven defender builds and love them. I was wondering if you would be up to possibly posting a build like this using TWF, like the original, but updated with the latest enhancment trees. I was thinking I could just follow the build for axesinger you posted, and just change stats to meet the TWF dex requirement and exchange the two handed feats out. i have access to 32 point builds and also tomes. I already have 2 great axe users and the idea of a two handed dwarven axe user is tempting!

  18. #18
    Build Constructionist unbongwah's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Monkion View Post
    I was thinking I could just follow the build for axesinger you posted, and just change stats to meet the TWF dex requirement and exchange the two handed feats out.
    That would be the obvious change, yes. Something like STR 16 / DEX 15 / CON 18 with +2 DEX tome would let you take TWF instead of THF. What you do with remaining build pts is up to you.

    Lower base DEX with a bigger tome (e.g., 14 + 3) would also work but would require you to delay ITWF & GTWF until higher lvls.
    Semi-retired Build Engineer. Everything was better back in our day. Get off my lawn.

  19. #19
    Community Member Thanimal's Avatar
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    Jun 2006
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    Default awesome

    Well, it took me almost two years to notice this, but I just wanted to say:

    BUSTED!

    If I had any internet skill, I'd link a video of the Phineas and Ferb song Busted.

    But seriously, this was fun to find. I was actually demonstrating to my daughter the strange phenomenon of google being to able to find words I made up. Imagine my surprise when the top hit for "Axesinger" wasn't my original build post!!

    I've played a little DDO in the last few weeks as well. Probably will be a short visit, but I hope this game stays around because there really isn't another game with such remarkable build depth.

    Amazing addendum: I tried to give @unbongwah some rep (not that s/he needs it), but it told me I have to spread around some more before I can do that. You would think that like 5 years between me giving the same person points would be OK.

  20. #20
    Community Member WarDestroyer's Avatar
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    Apr 2010
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    Do you think this build would be better with PDK CHA to dmg and WC's freezing stuff?

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