Lightswitch - Deva Artificer|Cleric/Spell Commander/Chosen of Ioun
Complete with feathers, a drow-reclaimed sword and a glacial gaze
Science and faith can meet in the modern 4e? Will we finally be able to build a decent cleric that isn't really focused on healing? This build isn't probably the finaly reply, but isn't so far away.
The complete build
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Deva Artificer|Cleric/Spell Commander/Chosen of Ioun
Level 1
Str 12 Con 12 Dex 10 Int 18 Wis 18 Cha 8
Level 30
Str 14 Con 14 Dex 12 Int 28 Wis 28 Cha 10
Defenses
AC 45 = 10+15+4+6+9+1
Fort 43 = 10+15+6+2+2+1+7
Ref 48= 10+15+6+7+1+9
Will 45 = 10+15+6+4+9+1
HP 183 Bloodied 91 Surges per day 8 Surge Value 45
HP Int based for the Auspicious Birth (D 366) Background
Initiative +31
Speed 8
Powers
At Wills Magic Weapon (EPG) - Brand of the Sun (HotFL)
Encounter 1: Spike Wire (EPG)
Daily 1: Punishing Eye (D 374)
Daily 2: Resurgent Strength (HoTFL)
Encounter 3: Hymn of Resurgence (EPG)
Daily 5: Inspire Fervor (HoTFL)
Encounter 6: Energy Conversion (D 381)
Encounter 7: Searing Light (DP)
Daily 9: Blade Barrier (DP)
Daily 10: Healing Figurine (EPG)
Encounter 11: Spell Tracer (D 381)
Utility 12: Alter Spell Power (D381)
Encounter 13: Barbed Automation (EPG) retrains out Spike Wire
Daily 15: Brilliant Censure (DP) retrains out Inspire Fervor
Encounter 16: Astral Shield (PHB)
Encounter 17: Winds of Fury (HotFL) retrains out Hymn of Resurgence
Daily 19 no changes
Daily 20: Living Gate (D 381)
Daily 22: Diminutive Bodyguard (EPG)
Encounter 23: Prismatic Strike (EPG) retrains out Searing Light
Daily 25: Brittle Frost (PHB) retrains out Blade Barrier
Utility 26: Unerring Foreknowledge
Encounter 27: Healer's Reproof (DP) retrains out Barbed Automation
Daily 29: Simulacrum (EPG) retrains out Punishing Eye
Feats
1 Weapon Proficiency: Drow Long Knife (EPG)
2 Versatile Expertise (PHB3)
4 Battle Intuition (D 374)
6 Hybrid Talent (Channel Divinity: Healer's Mercy) (PHB3)
8 Improved Defenses (HotFL)
10 Potent Restorables (retrained to Enhanced Resistive Formula at level 11, EPG) (EPG)
11 Gambler's Word (D 379)
12 Superior Implement Proficiency (Accurate Holy Symbol) (PHB3)
14 Rapid Infusion (D 378)
16 Psychic Lock (PHB)
18 Shield Proficiency (Light) (PHB)
20 Superior Will (HotFL)
21 Divine Mastery (DP)
22 Quickened Spellcasting (Magic Weapon) (AP)
24 Defensive Enchanting (EPG)
26 Supreme Healing (DP)
28 Epic Fortitude (PHB2)
30 Epic Reflex (PHB2)
Items: +6 Githyanki Silver Drow Long Knife (MoTP), +6 Accurate Symbol of Victory (PHB), +6 Shared Valor Starleather Armor (AV2), Headband of Intellect (Heroic Tier, AV), Gloves of the Healer (Epic Tier, AV), +6 Torc of Power Preservation (AV), Boots of Speed (AV), Light Shield (PHB), Iron Armbands of Power (Epic Tier, AV), Ring of Action Reversal (AV2), Ring of Wizardry (PHB), Diamond Cincture (paragon tier, AV), Battle Standard of Healing (AV)
Total Spent Budget: 13,755,680/14,000,000 GP
Analysis of the build characteristics:
This is an experiment around
Auspex7 Killswitch build (ty Auspy :*). Basically this build takes the better from these two classes and fits them in a quite decent mix.
The build: Deva for +int/wisdom bonus is mandatory. I considered Githzerai but the feat that combined weapon proficiency and weapon focus didn't apply to Drow Long Knife. Plus, deva has a nice racial feat, Battle Intuition, which is fairly useful to raise Initiative.
16/16 intellect/wisdom is fairly obvious, probably you can safely dump strength and raise charisma.
The cleric part of the build brings Healer's lore (nice for Battle Surge and for Healing Word/Healer's Lore)
The artificer part of the build brings Resistive Formula, which is probably the best healing feature among all leader "Words", that makes this build able to skip the Shared Healing cleric epic feat to be able to have a shared pool of surges from level 1.
From level 6 we get another "OMG" (to be well-mannered) button, which is healer's mercy. Causes you to be weakened, but most people don't care about it since damage is secondary to what this build can do.
Auspicious Birth raises our HP pool from level 1 to decent levels but can be skipped easily.
Good Initiative (+31 at 30th level) and Speed (8 at level 30) makes this build quite mobile.
Power Selection:
At wills: at wills are surely incredibly strong. Magic Weapon is well known as one of the most powerful at wills in the game. Brand of the Sun, from Heroes of Fallen Lands, is the best save-enabler at will in the game and frees literally us from the saving enabling probems.
Encounters:
Level 1: Spike Wire is a good alternative to Magic Weapon spamming when positioning is an issue
Level 3: Hymn of Resurgence is an incredible DPR increaser, CA and Save generator, coupled with a large area and no targeting problem
Level 7: Searing Light is a no asked encounter blind. Blinding is one of the most gruesome conditions and being able to apply it from level 7 quite consistently is really strong
Level 11: Spell Tracer is our second enabling power (the first is a daily, though). Fits well the theme "i can do everything of this build"
Level 13: Barbed Automation can raise party damage, with a little pushing tactic (which is fairly common in defenders/controllers), in an incredible way.
Level 17: Winds of Fury is an incredible movement enabler, prones and pushes. A great starter for your party
Level 23: Prismatic Strike is a beast of a power: It does everything you may want from an encounter: enemy penalty to attack rolls (increased by psychic lock), prones, can't stand up from prone and slides a little bit
Level 27: Healer's Reproof: aoe stunning. Do you really want something else? You have it. Surge+3d6+Wisdom Healing.
Dailies:
Level 1: punishing Eye: kept till level 29, this is one of the most incredible damage buffers in the game. Little positioning, can't literally be destroyed and +int to damage. Incredible.
Level 5: Inspire Fervor: having no charisma bonus, Consecrated Grounds can't be used. So i went to Inspire Fervor as Party movement and MBA enabling, plus decent damage.
Level 9: Blade Barrier: i'm quite fond of this power. Incredible damage, useful blockade and autohit. What do you want more?
Level 15: Brilliant Censure: here's our other blind. Aoe Save-End Blinding + 2d6 extra radiant damage? What do you want more? Control, precision and damage.
Level 19: We want to keep our three dailies since this level offers no better alternatives
Level 20: Living Gate: basically until the end of the encounter you can move who you want where you want.
Level 25: Brittle Frost: single target weakening + a couple of nova rounds with an extra +5 damage.
Level 29: Simulacrum: repeat your encounter powers again and re-use one of your dailies. Great capstone power.
Utilities:Level 2: Resurgent Strength: extra cleric healing + extra damage.
Level 6: Energy Conversion is not only a very strong damage interrupt, but a font of extra THP
Level 10: was quite undecided between battle surge and healing figurine. I chose healing figurine because it is an extra source of saves in case i'm really starved and works as extra free healing. Being able to free my action also improves party damage for the encounter, and the figurine itself can be the target of attacks (basically wasting them)
Level 12: Alter Spell Power is not only a source of extra damage, but a way to finish resistant enemies and to add damage-type cheese to a power
Level 16: Iron hide infusion has to be considered. But a +2 to AC bonus encounter long is better than a +4 for 1 round. So, Astral Shield
Level 22: Diminutive Bodyguard is able to do everything: resist 5 aoe and denies an attack each round. Incredible.
Level 26: the reason because i went avatar of Ioun is in this power. Unerring Foreknowledge is the final enabling power, being able to give for a full encounter a serie of standard actions is incredible.
Feats:Went on accuracy/defense.
Most important feats are Gambler's Word, which is really nice with all that multi-attacking powers (getting a critical hit each encounter isn't really hard), psychic lock coupled with Gith silver weapon grants a constant -2 on enemy hit. Enchanced Resistive Formula and Supreme Healing double the effectiveness of our healing encounter powers, being able to have constantly 6 encounter healing + the extra from Gambler's word. Finally Defensive Enchanting covers the artificer ranged problem.
ItemsBasically this isn't really an item dependant build. I've chosen the classical standard leading items (shared valor, gloves of healing) with a couple of nice things that works with psychic powers (the weapon and the head slots), a lot of power recovery (torc and the two rings), a bit of extra damage which isn't really bad
Level Breakdowns Level 5 breakdown
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At level 5 this build starts working as all-around leader, since we get our first enabling power, inspire fervor. Hymn of Resurgence works as main CA generator and control spell. Magic Weapon buffs with a nice +4 to damage for a whole round. A decent +8 to initiative makes you start your combats most of the time among the first in your party and in the battlefield, giving immediately bonus to your slower allies. Spike Wire can be used to fire focus a single dangerous enemy, coupled with battle surge. Full nova could consist in:
Round 1 Move decently, Magic Weapon
Round 2: Move + Spike Wire + Battle Surge AP Inspire Fervor. #MBA + extra Wis + extra possible Wis from the Magic weapon + 4 power from battle surge. Overall that could consist into 2-3 extra MBAs with 8-12 extra damage.
Level 10 breakdown
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At level 10 this build is incredibly better than it was at level 5. Searing Light, coupled with extra damage from spike wire and hymn of resurgence is incredible control. Energy Conversion is great as cushion for a reckless ally. Blade barrier is the definitive leader control spell, dealing huge damage and helping your party. Finally Healing Figurine works when at the end of the day you have little surges left, even if you should be able to use the party pool of surges in a correct way. At level 6, finally, you get an excellent help button as Healer's Mercy
Items: at level 9 you get your first Githyanki Silver enchant and you can use the daily power to send a perilous enemy away for a couple of rounds.
Level 15 Breakdown
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At level 15 this build gets most of its enabling power. Gambler's Word and Rapid Infusions are extra features for your words. Enhanced Resistive Formula is one of the best feat in the game, literally doubling the effect of your Resistive Formula. At level 15 you get your Torc of Power Preservation to recover encounter powers. Brilliant Censure is the final controlling/damage increasing power, great for your party to add extra radiant damage.
Level 20 Breakdown
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Level 15-20 is based on a couple of things: first you gain a lot of extra movement abilities (Winds of Fury and Living Gate), you get psychic lock for free +1 to hit with Headband of Intellect and you gain a solid defense boost (iron will and shield proficiency). Finally Astral Shield covers all the defensive buffing you may want in a very simple way.
Level 25 Breakdown
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The build starts to resemble to its final version. Divine Mastery for simple power reciclying, as the couple of rings, grants that you won't use your at wills unless obliged to save. Defensive Enchanting grants ranged flexibility and the ability to shift from and to melee easily. Quickened spellcasting grants extra free damage for nova rounds and Prismatic Strike is the Summa of leader/controller effects, granting a -12 to enemy hit for one round and CA. Brittle Frost, finally is the right daily in a nova setup, granting vulnerability that stacks with all damage increase effects.
Level 30 Final Build
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Feat list ends with the powerful Supreme Healing, able to double Healing Word effects. We get unerring foreknowledge, THE enabling power, Healer's reproof, THE controller/leader power and finally Simulacrum, a power able to make you repeat your used encounters and daily power at the end of a difficult combat.
Changes Log
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Switched Improved defense (now level 8) and Hybrid Talent (now level 6)
Changed Battle Surge with Healing Figurine
Switched superior implement proficiency (now level 12) and Rapid infusion (now level 14)
Added budget and item references
Changed Iron Hide Defense with Astral Shield
