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3 years ago ::
May 11, 2010 - 11:22PM
#41
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Date Joined:
Mar 31, 2008
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Thanks, Auspex7 (and thanks for taking the time to pore over the build with me and help me make a couple of hard choices on it). 
I was happy to. I like practical optimization quite a bit. I'd rather do this all day than crank out builds that bloom at Epic and suck through the first 1/3 of their careers.
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3 years ago ::
May 12, 2010 - 7:12AM
#42
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Actually it really is a non issue to me. Especially since you pointed out that you can use Blood Fury with Heavy Blades.
Yeah, really not an issue. If a DM told me I couldn't do it, I'd just swap the Drow Long Knife for a Handaxe to get mechanically the exact same effect. I would then, as politely and cordially as possible, tell the DM he's being kind of a dink.
This use of the Drow Long Knife is actually not a bad idea. I play a Half-orc Fighter / MC Ranger that carries a Drow Long Knife for flavour reasons. He's not proficient with it, and as of yet (level 8) he has never used it in battle. This enchantment could actually give me some bit of use for the knife to trigger Half-Orc Resilience for some Temp HP. Not sure how much I'd use it even then, though, due to action economy. Two minor actions to get the THP is a bit steep, and I don't have anything else that benefits from being bloodied, unless you count the cleric in the party with Healer's Mercy. Could be useful on occasion, though.
But back to the topic at hand... I really like this build. I'd play it over the Pit Fighter build any day.
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3 years ago ::
May 12, 2010 - 8:25AM
#43
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Date Joined:
Jul 18, 2009
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Oh come on. No L30 daily ??
You gotta figure it out! Perhaps Ultimate Confrontation ?
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3 years ago ::
May 12, 2010 - 8:40AM
#44
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Date Joined:
Nov 16, 2007
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I have to say I like the practical build too. My compliments.
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3 years ago ::
May 12, 2010 - 8:58AM
#45
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Date Joined:
May 26, 2009
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A wonderful, practical build. Just the sort of thing I'd actually use in a game. The only part that sticks in my craw is the use of the Blood Fury Weapon. I assmue you walk around wielding it so it is ready to use and drop at the beginning of a fight? If not, how are you avoiding action use to draw and stow it?
I realize simply holding it until a fight starts and then dropping it would work, but it is definitely a behavior my DM would find a way to punish. I also get that 680g is chump change in Epic, but that doesn't mean you have ready access to new enchanted blades everywhere you go. Carrying multiple copies in case you lose one also seems to run afoul of the "trusty knife" schtick.
Yeah, it can work. I just don't like it. Am I missing something where you actually stow this thing when not in use?
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3 years ago ::
May 12, 2010 - 9:36AM
#46
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I am confused by your choice of a Blood Fury weapon in this build. Did you take it simply to trigger the Shifter ability? Why did you move away from the paired Bloodcrazed weapons in your Pit Fighter build, monetary reasons?
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3 years ago ::
May 12, 2010 - 9:41AM
#47
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Date Joined:
Mar 22, 2009
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I tried to calculate flux on Twin Strike, but I wasn't sure what a couple of the terms were in your calcs.
(0.70)*(33) is obviously main hand hit rate. The flux on it is easily calculated at 1.65 (.05*33)
+ (0.10)*(77) crit main hand, ignored
+ (0.10)*(0.70)*(47) is this a free attack on a crit?
+ (0.10)*(0.10)*(95) Some kind of thing that triggers on two crits?
+ (0.70)*(32) off hand attack, flux = 1.6
+ (0.10)*(76) off hand crit, ignored
+ (0.80)*(0.70)*(6) something that happens when your main hand hits and your offhand hits but doesn't crit?
+ (0.80)*(0.10)*(10) no clue what this is
+ ([0.70]2 + 2*[0.20]*[0.70])*(15) I think this is harmony blade's effects, but I'm not sure what it does. If not, then it's HQ, but idk why you're using this formula
+ (1-[1-0.10]2)*(24) something that happens if you miss once?
+ (1-[1-0.80]2)*(7) I think this is slashing storm, and the tangential flux on it is 2.8
So I'm getting a total flux of 6.05 off of what I can figure out in the DPR calcs. It took me about a minute to calculate, and that's only because it's not my build, so I don't know what's coming from where.
For those of you following along, that means if this character went up against an enemy of 1 AC higher than normal, he'd lose about damage on average. If a warlord were to drop a buff on him that granted him +1 to attack, you could know very quickly that he'd gain about 6 DPR. To me, that's very handy information to know when you're actually playing the character.
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3 years ago ::
May 12, 2010 - 10:07AM
#48
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Date Joined:
Sep 27, 2009
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Is there a variant here at all for the Melee Beast Ranger, since durability is foremost on the brain? Clearly it would be weaker, but I'm curious if it works out, as we have a player in our group who constantly flirts with the idea but won't pull the trigger.
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3 years ago ::
May 12, 2010 - 11:17AM
#49
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Date Joined:
Jun 22, 2009
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Is there a variant here at all for the Melee Beast Ranger, since durability is foremost on the brain? Clearly it would be weaker, but I'm curious if it works out, as we have a player in our group who constantly flirts with the idea but won't pull the trigger.
The pathfinder paragon path requires the Two-Blade Fighting Style as a prerequisite, and you have to drop that to become a beastmaster. So, per RAW, there's no way to mix the two.
San Francisco Bay Area D&Der.
Loyal fan of the Birthright campaign setting.
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3 years ago ::
May 12, 2010 - 8:21PM
#50
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Date Joined:
Aug 17, 2007
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Yeah, Beastmasters miss the gravy train big time on this one. Pathfinder (as is the case with the Stormwarden) is Two-Blade Style only. Battlefield Archer also has this restriction, but for Archer Rangers (noticing a pattern?).
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