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1 year ago ::
Jun 05, 2012 - 2:18PM
#221
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Date Joined:
Mar 22, 2008
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Just wanted to second that, love the idea and would like to see it updated if possible
I may take some time to get caught up and update things. I'm trying to wean myself off of video games (again), and may have more time.
First, I love this build. I wish I had read it before I made my swordmage, as this would have been great to try. The thing is...
Damage is generally a tertiary concern for a Vader-type build.
I understand you mean your defenderlock|swordmage build, but honestly if you think about it Vader's all about flipping out with the dark side and killing things. So... despite the fact that this is one of the most memorable builds I've seen, I think it fails at being Vader unless you squint your eyes and dont think about it too much. I think Vader would be a Blackguard/Barbarian... community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/758... The thing is... I'm not as good at the whole CharOp thing.
"Vader-type" refers specifically to the type of build herein presented, a swordmage|warlock that uses most of the same tools I used.
I get to use the label because I got my build popularized first.
As for your contention on the legitimacy of the Vader title, I believe the most relevant points were made in your thread.
All I'd like to add is that I did not in fact create this build trying to mimic Darth Vader, but rather came up with the concept then looked for a good name to match it (as I do with all my builds).
To repeat: Darth Vader is not a "who looks most like a movie character" build,
but is rather a fully functional concept that was at the leading edge of practical optimization when I designed him. I consider him my greatest accomplishment in 4e, and enough folks cite the build even now that I feel I can afford to be proud of it.
I named him Darth Vader because it was catchy, the fluff fit the mechanics very well, and Darth Vader is as bad-*** as this build is.
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1 year ago ::
Jun 05, 2012 - 11:18PM
#222
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Date Joined:
Apr 14, 2010
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You could also argue that a psion|avenger best represents Vader. Big sword, psionic powers, and follows some spooky religion. But that build, like the Blackguard|Barbarian, isn't iconic enough to be remembered by anyone. This build, on the other hand, is. It claimed Vader first, and everyone agrees that it is powerful and awesome enough to remain the one true Vader.
Good to see you again Alpha, I enjoyed your earlier work!
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7 months ago ::
Nov 21, 2012 - 11:52AM
#223
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Date Joined:
Oct 25, 2012
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I'm gonna be trying this build friday night, what would you say some good starting items and low level magic items are?
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5 months ago ::
Jan 22, 2013 - 3:15AM
#224
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Date Joined:
Dec 28, 2012
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This build is pretty awesome. I'm playing with the idea of running it/a variant in one of my next campaigns. I have a few questions:
What themes would work best for this type of build? Is there anything that grants more mileage than guardian Order Adept?
What other feats are there to take into consideration, assuming my DM feels like handing out free/extra feats?
Which items are the most important ones to have prior to epic/paragon?
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5 months ago ::
Jan 22, 2013 - 1:32PM
#225
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I like the build but one issue I keep having when building characters, especially feat-intensive ones, is "wasting" Paragon Path powers when I don't have the attack stat to make it at least viable. For example, I tried building an INT/CHA Swordmage/Warlock with the Angelic Avenger PP that fit the flavor of what I was trying to do very well and while the CHA mod damage to bloodied enemies was great, the free Superior Weapon feat was nice, etc. I still hated having "dead" spots on my power list (as well as a brutally bad FORT).
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5 months ago ::
Jan 22, 2013 - 4:19PM
#226
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Date Joined:
May 27, 2011
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I like the build but one issue I keep having when building characters, especially feat-intensive ones, is "wasting" Paragon Path powers when I don't have the attack stat to make it at least viable. For example, I tried building an INT/CHA Swordmage/Warlock with the Angelic Avenger PP that fit the flavor of what I was trying to do very well and while the CHA mod damage to bloodied enemies was great, the free Superior Weapon feat was nice, etc. I still hated having "dead" spots on my power list (as well as a brutally bad FORT).
No room for powerswap?
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5 months ago ::
Jan 22, 2013 - 5:56PM
#227
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I like the build but one issue I keep having when building characters, especially feat-intensive ones, is "wasting" Paragon Path powers when I don't have the attack stat to make it at least viable. For example, I tried building an INT/CHA Swordmage/Warlock with the Angelic Avenger PP that fit the flavor of what I was trying to do very well and while the CHA mod damage to bloodied enemies was great, the free Superior Weapon feat was nice, etc. I still hated having "dead" spots on my power list (as well as a brutally bad FORT).
Do the Bracers of Mental Might not fix this?
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5 months ago ::
Jan 22, 2013 - 6:22PM
#228
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Taking a better PP also fixes that
"Invokers are probably better round after round but Wizard dailies are devastating. Actually, devastating is too light a word. Wizard daily powers are soul crushing, encounter ending, havoc causing pieces of awesome." -AirPower25 Sear the Flesh, Purify the Soul; Harden the Heart, and Improve the Mind; Born of Blood, but Forged by Fire; The MECH warrior reaches perfection. My Guides
Show
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5 months ago ::
Jan 22, 2013 - 10:13PM
#229
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Too feat starved to powerswap and bracers took up already used arm slot for one attack/encounter, which was not worth it. It was a flavor choice that might have been decent but I ended up going in a different direction because the combo really didn't work right.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 22, 2013 - 10:21PM
#230
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Date Joined:
Dec 28, 2012
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I've also been somewhat unsatisfied with the PP, seeing how it takes up an item and a feat slot and I haven't been loving Battle Awareness by itself in testing. Any suggestions for replacements? I'm liking Umbral Cabalist at the moment.
Edit: Nevermind, for some reason I thought Vader doesn't qualify for Sigil Carver. I think I'm going with that.
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