After looking through range strikers (odd that this build is actually in the leader section of Hall of Heroes, but I guess it is "leadery" in many ways) I decided to take this one out for a spin. One thing I noticed immediately, you can add a light shield for 5g from levels 1-8 for +1AC and ref. At level 8 you pick up DIS and abandon the 5g.
ROFL
This is why I value opinions from all over. Lots of people here probably wouldn't recognize your name, but you just showed me something that I had completely missed.
Glad to help; I used to be good at min/maxing, now it's all I can do to keep up with the errata's to the characters I'm playing and peruse others builds lol.
The Deva "Killswitch" is going to hit 10th tonight, if the encounter/s is/are remotely interesting I'll let you know.
Honestly team monster hasn't challenged our group much (as it should be I guess) I keep expecting the DM to up the XP budget at some pt.
Ok, new to the boards here, so forgive me if this is ridiculous for one reason or another. It seems to me that Dazzling Ray makes a better Daily choice at level 1 than Destructive Surprise, but maybe I'm missing something. The only thing I can think of is to keep the power choice balance between the hybrid classes, so that you can take the better sorcerer powers later. In that case, couldn't you just wait 'til level 5, retrain Dazzling Ray to Destructive Surprise, then take Howling Tempest as planned?
I really like high init as well, so this build is very apeeling to me, however is there anyway to push in a dragonborn/coldspec/coldbreath build in this?
I know I wont get the androit explorer PP, but as I recall there are other ways to get extra ap? just not as early...
I think its possible to retrain Improved defences after level 26 as both superior will and superior reflexes, makes + 4, so they wont get lower ( as imp deff gives + 3 in all)... then you can take great fortitude instead.
Total its 1 more fortitude... not much, but everything counts.
Im still wondering what the name of that feat, that makes it possible for spellcasters to crit on 19/20 is....., as THAT really would make Ruthless Spellfury worth the feat....I mean double the chance of getting a few free acid orb going during an encounter, when you spamm blazing Starfall.
Guess I could go with jagged incendiary daggers.... but really not that big fan of the crit bonuss ( the ongoing damage, I prefer steady here and now damage).
Anyway just a few thougths after running this very fun to play char through.
Most campaigns these days give you Expertise for free. Living Eberron on the ENWorld boards, for instance, plus every home campaign I've ever heard of or been in.
That frees up a feat! For BLITZ, that means you can try one of the many great Dex/Cha races (halflings with Goblin Totem weapons are always fun to strike with) or perhaps squeeze in a fun feat that doesn't directly relate to Attack Roll or Damage Roll:
Jack of All Trades since hybrids have so few trained skills - now you aren't dead weight in a skill challenge!
Another racial or class feat - they tend to be flavorful and cool!
Something from Heroes of the Elemental Chaos to benefit from your heavy use of the Thunder keyword
Skill power of some kind. History and Intimidate have some great skill powers, IIRC. Both of these are class skills for BLITZ!
Similarly, !!!!!MARK OF STORM!!!!! if you're playing a game where Marks are allowed.
Since we're talking about feats, I'll point this out from the Level 30 summary in the OP:
Level 4: Versatile Expertise (retrained to Superior Initiative at Level 21) Level 6: Improved Initiative
I went ahead and fixed that issue, grabbed a quick Theme that looked cool and appropriate (might not be Most Optimal, but I'm pretty sure it's Good Enough). Also, at the level where BLITZ has Improved Defenses, Superior Reflex, and Superior Will, I retrained ImpDef to Epic Fortitude to net a neat +1 bump to Fort.
I added Versatile Expertise as a houseruled free feat to represent that you get it for free in most games. If that's not true for you, heave a deep sigh and give something up. I, however, took advantage of the opportunity to get my hands on Superior Reflexes early in Heroic to improve my T1 nova's accuracy!
Those are just a few minor changes, but BLITZ doesn't appear to use anything that's been nerfed between then and now, so I think he'll be a perfectly fine character for modern-day play. To make best use of the theme I selected, I recommend getting an item or two that gives you some flight capability. Here's the updated build:
====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ====== Blitz, level 30 Human, Warlord|Sorcerer, Adroit Explorer, Demigod Hybrid Talent: Warlord Armor Proficiency Warlord Leadership: Combat Leader (Hybrid) Hybrid Warlord: Hybrid Warlord Fortitude Sorcerous Power: Sorcerous Power Dexterity Ambitious Effort: Ambitious Effort New Power Arcane Admixture Damage Type: Arcane Admixture Thunder Divine Spark: Divine Spark Charisma Divine Spark: Divine Spark Dexterity Versatile Expertise: Versatile Expertise (Light Blade) Versatile Expertise: Versatile Expertise (Wand) Human Power Selection: Bonus At-Will Power Arcane Admixture Power: Blazing Starfall Quickened Spellcasting: Blazing Starfall Background: Lhazaar Principalities (+2 to Athletics)
FINAL ABILITY SCORES Str 10, Con 14, Dex 26, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 28.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES Str 8, Con 12, Dex 16, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 16.
ITEMS Adventurer's Kit, Amulet of Protection +6, Magic Incendiary dagger +6 (2), Magic Elderhide Armor +6 ====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======
If you have better ideas for a theme, or want to further re-optimize the order of feats taken now that I've made some quick changes, or point out significant new options that are good for BLITZ, please do! I may well be playing him soon.
Can anyone please give me input on this variant? Is it acceptable? Do you see anything to drop in order to pick up MC Paladin and Hero's Poise?
I've spent a great deal of time over the past couple days trying to build one that is slightly more aggressive, focusing on double attacks and more attack granting over at-will burst optimization. I am not sure about how the build rates overall. I'm going to be a mostly close range caster, with crap AC. I would probably start playing this build between levels 8-10.
I get 2 extra feats and a theme, so a direct comparison to the original build is not really fair, but that said: Strengths: more double/triple attacks, healing, and Bravura AP feature. Maiden's Waking to bring me back from times when I will inevitably be focus fire stomped Cons: -1 AC, Less movement powers, weaker at-will bursts
Some notes to explain some of the choices and oddities: At level 10, I retrain Hybrid Talent: Warlord Armor Prof to Bravura Presence, and pick up Armor Prof: leather to partially replace it. I would have stopped using light shields once I pick up a secondary dagger implement, and I will lose 1 AC from hide.
I take Admixture: Lightning at 11 for Flame Spiral to hopefully pierce resistances on the best sorc enc power, and replace it with Irresistable Flame at 21 so that resistance piercing can spread to Prime the Fire, then later Inferno Ring (and Blazing Starfall, for those resistant to fire and radiant). I will have a lot of fire powers, though, with no way to pierce immunity.
I took Yakuza for the 2nd lvl utility. I would love to have re-rolls on 1-3, and Infernal Slave is not allowed. The 1st lvl enc power's intimidate feature will be completely wasted with my group, but hopefully I can trigger the -2 to enemy attacks after Flame Spiraling.
I would love to have ensorcelled blade for my 2nd at-will, but I also wanted to keep an area-burst option, and my options on that are more limited as a hybrid (one less sorc enc/daily, and my extra arcane power dmg does not apply to theme powers). So I stuck with Blazing Starfall.
FEATS Human: Hybrid Talent (retrained to Hybrid Talent at Level 10) Level 1: Superior Implement Training (Accurate staff) Level 2: Implement Focus (Staff) Level 4: Improved Initiative (retrained to Combat Commander at Level 11) Level 6: Superior Will Level 8: Dual Implement Spellcaster Level 10: Armor Proficiency: Leather Level 11: Arcane Admixture (retrained to Irresistible Flame at Level 21) Level 12: Fight On Level 14: Superior Reflexes Level 16: Skill Power Level 18: Action Surge (retrained to Arcane Familiar at Level 23) Level 20: Cunning Stalker (retrained to Supreme Inspiration at Level 22) Level 21: Quickened Spellcasting Level 22: Sorcerer Implement Expertise Level 24: Superior Initiative Level 26: Epic Fortitude Feat User Choice: Staff Expertise Feat User Choice: Improved Defenses Level 28: Enabling Shot
POWERS Bonus At-Will Power: Blazing Starfall Hybrid at-will 1: Acid Orb Hybrid at-will 1: Direct the Strike Skill Power: Insightful Riposte Hybrid encounter 1: Vengeance is Mine Hybrid daily 1: Shocking Magnetism (retrained to Orchestrated Offensive at Level 5) Hybrid utility 2: Life's Losing Hand Hybrid encounter 3: Flame Spiral Hybrid daily 5: Thunder Leap Hybrid utility 6: Shake It Off Hybrid encounter 7: Thundering Gust Hybrid daily 9: Prime the Fire Hybrid utility 10: Fog Form Hybrid encounter 13: Cyclone Pull (replaces Thundering Gust) Hybrid daily 15: War Master's Assault (replaces Orchestrated Offensive) Hybrid utility 16: Maiden's Waking Hybrid encounter 17: Pincer Maneuver (replaces Vengeance is Mine) Hybrid daily 19: Lightning Daggers (replaces Thunder Leap) Hybrid utility 22: Rush of Battle Hybrid encounter 23: Inferno Ring (replaces Cyclone Pull) Hybrid daily 25: Wrathful Vapors (replaces Prime the Fire) Hybrid encounter 27: Insightful Assault (replaces Pincer Maneuver)
ITEMS Amulet of Protection +6, Magic Starleather Armor +6, Magic Accurate staff +6, Magic Dagger +5 ====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======
Old Necro is Old. Auspex hasn't been here in 3 years, it's also an unoptimized build, even by the standards of when he wrote it.
The more I see posts by him, I really don't think he understood anything other than Warlords ... not a very good optimizer.
"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.
