Most important of all, none of what follows is original to me. This build is a synergy of at least four different ideas. All the original ideas are pretty clever. The build below just synergizes ideas. CreditsShow
First, I got the specific necessities of the Thunder-glaive from runreallyfast’s very clever "Thunderglaive" - swordmage|wizard controller. Here’s the basic combo of stats/feats/implements you need for the main “Thunder-glaive” trick: ThunderglaiveShow
runreallyfast wrote:
STR 13 CON 10 DEX 15 INT 18 WIS 15 CHA 8 (for Deva or Eladrin at level 2 Wizard|Swordmage) STR 13 CON 10 DEX 15 INT 16 WIS 15 CHA 8 (for Human at level 1 Wizard|Swordmage) Feats: Battle Awareness (heal), Polearm Momentum At Will: Thunderwave Weapon & Implement: Glaive (a heavy weapon and a polearm) As you use your implement glaive on thunderwave, you will wisely knock your opponents back two (or more) squares, triggering polearm momentum, and leaving them prone.
Note: I use Student of the Sword instead of Battle Awareness because the mark that Student of the Sword grants (with a hit OR miss) is more controller-ish than the melee basic attack that Battle Awareness grants (which will probably suck). Here are the feats. Student of the Sword Multiclass Fighter featShow
Prerequisite: Str 13. Benefit: You gain training in one skill from the fighter’s class skill list. Choose either one-handed melee weapons or two-handed melee weapons. Once per encounter as a free action, you can add a +1 bonus to the next attack roll you make with a weapon of that category. Whether the attack hits or misses, you mark the target until the end of your next turn. (PHB)
Heroic Tier. Prerequisite: Dex 15, Wis 15, fighter. Benefit: Whenever you use a polearm or a spear attack to push or slide a target 2 or more squares, you can also knock that target prone at the end of the forced movement. (Martial Power)
So to use the “Thunder-glaive” with the build I have here, I need to get the Implement Proficiency (Heavy Blades) feat as well.
Second, I got the formula for the Immo-bola-zer from ChristopherGroves on mdonais’s super fun Help Mike’s Netizard. Here’s the formula: Arcane Options for the net/bola/whip trickShow
ChristopherGroves wrote:
ARCANE OPTIONS Assuming you want to do Wizard (the controller with the biggest bursts) it would be Hybrid Wizard + Hybrid class what uses a holy symbol + Windrise Ports + martial MC + Bola/Net(/whip) Training (+ Disrupting Bola/Net/Whip)
Hybrid characters can use the implements of either of their hybrid classes for any of their powers (of either hybrid class) with the implement keyword. So a Disrupting Weapon (from Dragon Magazine 364) is a flail, hammer, or mace that can be used as a holy symbol. Holy symbols can be used as implements by three divine classes: Clerics (leaders), Avengers (strikers), or Paladins (defenders). This means a Hybrid Wizard|Cleric can use a Disrupting Weapon as an implement for any wizard AND cleric powers with the implement keyword. The Windrise Ports character background from Dragon 376 has this regional benefit: “You can take class-specific multiclass feats for two classes other than your own, rather than one. You also gain one additional language of your choice.” There’s some disagreement as to the actual meaning of “class-specific multiclass feats,” but Dragon issue 373, page 12 should settle any disagreement:
Weapon Mastery feats have appeared before in “We Who Are About to Die . . .” (Dragon 368, page 56) and “Playing Shadar-Kai” (Dragon 372, page 5). Those articles rightly described the initial training feats for weapon mastery as multiclass feats. They failed to make clear that those multiclass feats—Bola Training, Net Training, Spiked Chain Training, and Whip Training—are class-specific multiclass feats.
The Bola Training multiclass feat comes from Dragon 368:
Prerequisite: Dex 13, any martial class. Benefit: You gain proficiency with the bola. When you hit a target with your bola, you can forgo dealing damage to immobilize the target until the end of your next turn. On a critical hit, the target is also knocked prone.
A bola is also categorized as a “flail” so it can be used as a Disrupting Weapon. The basic technique is to maximize the area of a wizard at-will burst (like Scorching Burst or Chilling Cloud) with feats like Enlarge Spell (Arcane Power), Arcane Admixture (Arcane Power, add the Thunder keyword to the power), and Resounding Thunder (PHB). Then cast that wizard power through the Disrupting Bola. Everthing that gets hit gets immobilized.
Third, the Earthroot Staff / Phrenic Crown / Cunning Blade stun-locking combo has been around so long it’s difficult to attribute it, but I will credit the greatly-revered-but-no-longer-with-us lordduskblade for finally giving us a complete build for it in his Orbizard. The math is thisShow
If you have a +6 Cunning Glaive (heavy blade and -4 to saving throws, from Adventurer’s Vault), an epic tier Phrenic Crown (-3 to saving throws with powers that target will, from Adventurer’s Vault), and a +6 Earthroot Staff (-6 to saving throws with powers that impose immobilized, petrified, restrained or slowed conditions, from Adventurer’s Vault), you can impose a -13 penalty to saving throws for a whole lot of wizard daily attacks. Solo monsters get a +5 to saving throws, so you throw in a 1/encounter Orb of Imposition for an additional save penalty equal to your Wisdom mod and you can lock down anything. Of course, this is all at 30th level. But starting at 8th level, with this build you can have a +2 Cunning Glaive (-2 penalty), heroic Phrenic Crown (-1 penalty), a +2 Earthroot Staff (-2 penalty), and a 15 Wisdom (-2 penalty), which all equals -7 penalty. At level 18, you can have a +4 Cunning Glaive (-3 penalty), paragon Phrenic Crown (-2 penalty), a +4 Earthroot Staff (-4 penalty), and an 18 Wisdom (-4 penalty), which all equals -13. The main point is that the stunning capacities of this build progress at a rate that keeps the game challenging, but eventually gives you a way to stunlock a bad guy if you have no other options left. Plus, none of this uses an orb with a bonus and daily power (like Orb of Ultimate Imposition or Orb of Fickle Fate from Adventurer’s Vault), so the penalty bonuses are renewable each encounter and it keeps your costs down (because, with this build, you want to max out your Glaive, Bola, Earthroot Staff, and Phrenic Crown - that’s a LOT of gold).
Fourth, the idea to use the Disembodied Hand familiar from Dragon 374 to get drawing and stowing as free actions came from Kurald_Galain’s [thread= 1116781]Guide to the Utility Belt Wizard: Batman 4E-style[/thread]. Switching from a glaive to use the Thunder-glaive combo to a bola to use the Immo-bola-zer combo, back to an Earthroot Staff and Cunning Glaive and then an orb to stun an enemy. . . all that uses an awful lot of drawing and stowing items. The Disembodied Hand keeps the items coming and going when you need them to.
Fifth, I initially posted this build without a paragon path because I wasn’t quite sure which would be best suited for it. Then, I swear, on my own I settled on Spellstorm Mage from PHBI independent of any other source. But when I was looking up mdonais’s Help Mike’s Netizard thread again to look up the discussion about the Windrise Ports background, I noticed in post #10, he recommends Spellstorm Mage for the same basic reasons why I finally settled on it. So, here’s a nod to Mike for recognizing the strengths in Spellstorm Mage before I did.
Lastly, the idea to embrace the mitigation of stun-locking as an optimization of fun came from Xzylvador’s The Frozen Summoner. It’s not really fun to win the game in a single round. Keeping some chance of failure in the game keeps it exciting.
Okay, you probably get the picture of what this build is by now, so I hereby present to you:
Stunning Thunder-glaive Immo-bola-zer, level 30 Human Wizard|Cleric / Fighter MC / Bola MC / Spellstorm Mage / Demigod Background: Windrise Ports FINAL ABILITY SCORES Str 15, Con 12, Dex 18, Int 26, Wis 22, Cha 10.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES Str 13, Con 10, Dex 15, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 8.
Lvl/bump 4/INT & WIS 8/INT & WIS 11/ALL 14/ INT & WIS 18/ INT & WIS 21/ALL, +2 to INT & WIS 24/INT & WIS 28/INT & DEX
Defenses will be pretty sub-par throughout this character’s life.
Skills are irrelevant to the main point of this build
As you can see, I still need a bit of work on this still. Please lend any helpful advice you have.
Most importantly, what should I do about defenses? This build is pretty MAD and I don’t have room for leather armor proficiency early on (I suppose I could take it later). But I fear this build’s defenses will be pretty sub-par throughout its life.
Any other helpful suggestions about what could make this build better?
I find it symptomatic that all three of the core (ab)uses in this build derives from a single basic mechanic; that is, being able to use weapons as implements.
I find it symptomatic that all three of the core (ab)uses in this build derives from a single basic mechanic; that is, being able to use weapons as implements.
Spot on. I'm not quite sure how I feel about defending that basic mechanic. . . but it makes for some very nifty combinations. Plus, some game designers (like mdonais Help Mike’s Netizard) apparently like the mechanic.
Level 9: Retrain Enlarge Spell for Hybrid Talent: Orb of Imposition ????? Level 10: Enlarge Spell ?????
Not quite sure what your question is, so I'll clarify all parts included in your message.
From the Compendium:
Enlarge Spell Heroic Tier Prerequisite: Wis 13, wizard Benefit: Before using an arcane attack power, you can choose to take a -2 penalty to each die of damage rolled with the power to increase the size of its blast or its burst by 1. You can’t use this feat on a power that doesn’t roll dice for damage. First published in Arcane Power.
Also, from the Compendium:
Hybrid Talent Heroic Tier Prerequisite: Hybrid character Benefit: You gain a hybrid talent option from one of your hybrid class entries. You can’t choose an option that you already have. First published in Dragon Magazine 375.
Hybrid classes do not have all the features that their non-hybrid counterparts do. For instance, my hybrid wizard|cleric in this build does not have the Implement Mastery class feature. However, that feature is available through the Hybrid Talent feat. If I take the Hybrid Talent feat, I can select the Orb of Imposition Implement Mastery class feature that a wizard has.
I want this character to have Orb of Imposition at level 9 when he gets the wizard Face of Death daily power.
From the Compendium:
Face of Death You create a vision of the reaper of souls before your foes’ eyes, and they freeze in terror of their impending death. Daily Arcane, Fear, Illusion, Implement Standard Action Area burst 1 within 10 squares Target: Each creature in burst Attack: Intelligence vs. Will Hit: The target is immobilized (save ends). First Failed Saving Throw: The target is helpless (save ends). Aftereffect: The target is slowed (save ends). Miss: The target is immobilized (save ends). Aftereffect: The target is slowed (save ends). First published in Arcane Power.
Face of Death is basically an upgrade to Sleep. It combos nicely with save penalty items (like the Cunning Glaive, Earthroot Staff, and Phrenic Crown) and with the Orb of Imposition.
Retraining is a basic game mechanic to allow players to switch out feats, powers, and skills. From the PHBI, p. 28:
Every time you gain a level, you can retrain your character: change one feat, power, or skill selection you made previously. You can make only one change at each level. When your class table tells you to replace a power you know with a different power of a higher level, that doesn’t count as retraining—you can still retrain an additional feat, power, or skill as normal.
In the selection you queried, I use retraining at level 9 to replace the feat Enlarge Spell with the feat Hybrid Talent (and I select Orb of Imposition as the class feature I gain). Then at level 10, I take the feat Enlarge Spell again.
I thought Windrise Port allowed you to take two multiclass feats that are specific to a CLASS.
It does not let you take a weapon-based multiclass feat as far as I know.
I also was not quite sure about the exact ruling until just today. I found this in Dragon issue 373, page 12:
Weapon Mastery feats have appeared before in “We Who Are About to Die . . .” (Dragon 368, page 56) and “Playing Shadar-Kai” (Dragon 372, page 5). Those articles rightly described the initial training feats for weapon mastery as multiclass feats. They failed to make clear that those multiclass feats—Bola Training, Net Training, Spiked Chain Training, and Whip Training—are class-specific multiclass feats.
(bold added by me)
I found this specific clarification referred to in this thread: Kerrus' Whiplement caster (which has a debate on this particular topic in posts #10 through #20). Plus, one of the game designers, mdonais, uses the Windrise Ports bachground in this way in his similar build that uses a net instead of a bola loacted here: Help Mike's Netizard
So if a 'weapon training multiclass' that has nothing to do with any class counts as a 'class-specific multiclass', then WHAT THE HECK is a NON-class specific multiclass!?!
Seriously... why introduce such a worthless term as 'class-specific multiclass'?
My Sorc Guide Link: http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19649162/Joes_Sorcerer_Guide_AP_update_51509
