This is the weird offshoot of Killswitch that doesn't bother to start with Warlord, Shaman, or Artificer, yet does a lot of what they do. It is primarily ranged due to how Magic Weapon works. But it can go melee, especially in Heroic.
Ire Strike is a 'melee PC shifts 5-6 and makes a melee basic + extras against enemy - on hit, gives it Vulnerability 10 to all damage'
Magic Weapon, despite not having an Intelligence score to speak of, still has the full Cha bonus to hit and then uses Con to boost the party. It is a minor action to shoot, just like Killswitch at Epic due to Quickened Spellcasting
Rhyme of the Bloodseeking Blade is an interrupt which can turn a party member's miss into a hit. Great spell.
Action Point abuse - spend an action point, give all allies +Con to hit/damage until EoNT. Demiurge gives 2 action points per milestone, not 1. Sidhe Lord's Utility 2 allows the build to gain extra action points from members of the party in exchange for an off-turn standard action. In practice, this should almost always be a standard action at +Con to hit/damage.
Valorous Bard means access to War Chanter, one of the best paragon paths out there. It also means handing out a lot of free temp hit points.
Via Combat Virtuoso, Versatile Master and Dilettante, it grabs one of the best at-wills in the game(Magic Weapon), an at-will that is almost fully supported by stats.
Ardent means access to a very solid at-will that establishes vulnerability(Ire Strike). It also has Dailies that involve lots of either basic attacks or at-will powers.
And of course, because it isn't a Warlord, it can take Resourceful Leader and Bravura Leader feats - once they kick in, the build does an extra +11 damage for party spending action points in Paragon, +15 in Epic. Martial Mastery ought to generally recharge Tactical Orders twice per combat, so potentially 3 uses in every combat once it kicks in.
This is the weird offshoot of Killswitch that doesn't bother to start with Warlord, Shaman, or Artificer, yet does a lot of what they do. It is primarily ranged due to how Magic Weapon works. But it can go melee, especially in Heroic. level 6 build
Minor: Magic Weapon. On hit, add +2 to hit/+9 damage Move: Move up to target of choice that is within 5 of melee ally Action Point: Standard: Ire Strike opponent with ally. Character gets +9 to hit/damage. On hit, target gets Vulnerability 10 to all damage until EoNT Standard: Exhilerating Strike Augmented 6. Yes, augmented 6. This allows all PCs to use a basic attack or charge. Even if it is someone with a poor BA, they still get +11 to hit/+28 damage. A Rogue who dumped Strength to 8, didn't take Melee Training, would still effectively have a 30 Str.
Round 2: Standard: Violent Spark, Battle Chant or Increasing the Tempo - all of these ought to generally allow at least 4 attacks by allies. Keep all the benefits of round 1 until EoT
Character generates 2 action points per milestone and another 1 action point if someone falls down, so at least 1 action point per combat, often 2 action points.
If a PC spends an action point, they get +15 damage in Epic from Warlord feats. They also likely have Magic Weapon and this character's +9 to hit/damage for a total of +11 to hit/+43 to damage. This ought to be effectively an encounter option in most games.
Also, the build now has Sidhe Lord's utility 2 option so as to get some action points from other PCs once 16th level is reached. This ought to ensure that every combat has 2 action points going off from 16th level on. Which is crazy good.
Party Nova Options Encounter Nova
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Minor: Magic Weapon. On hit, add +2 to hit/+9 damageMove: Move up to target of choice that is within 5 of melee allyAction Point: Standard: Ire Strike opponent with ally. Character gets +9 to hit/damage.
Major Change Levels: 11: War Chanter's +Con to hit/damage until EoNT on action point. Magic Weapon as an at-will. 16: Ability to consistently spend 2 action points per combat via getting APs from other PCs(Sidhe Lord utility) in exchange for an off-turn standard action at +Con to hit/damage and/or Avenging Spirit feat when ally falls below 0. 21: Quickened Spellcasting for Magic Weapon 22: Tactical Orders, the ability to have 3 mass 'all PCs get to attack' dailies, easy to throw away Insightful Leader, retrain the original Bravura Leader into something else, put Bravura Leader into Multiclass Mastery, i.e. get a free feat. Online Character Builder not particularly pleased by that. 24: Ability to use Tactical Orders 3/combat via Martial Mastery via Action Point spending 27: Ability to use Exhilarating Strike to set up Encounter 'all PCs get to attack' 29: Ability to have 4 mass 'all PCs get to attack' daily
Major Change Levels:11: War Chanter's +Con to hit/damage until EoNT on action point. Magic Weapon as an at-will.16: Ability to consistently spend 2 action points per combat via getting APs from other PCs(Sidhe Lord utility) in exchange for an off-tur
Wouldn't worshiping saheine (how ever you spell her name ) and take bow initiate at first level, this allows you to use a short bow as an implement and a scaling bonus to damage Frees up speed loader and crossbow caster feats, and you lose some dice size in damage, but thats not much
Wouldn't worshiping saheine (how ever you spell her name ) and take bow initiate at first level, this allows you to use a short bow as an implement and a scaling bonus to damageFrees up speed loader and crossbow caster feats, and you lose some dice s
Wouldn't worshiping saheine (how ever you spell her name ) and take bow initiate at first level, this allows you to use a short bow as an implement and a scaling bonus to damage Frees up speed loader and crossbow caster feats, and you lose some dice size in damage, but thats not much
There's no crossbow caster - all Bard attacks are ranged weapon attacks, Magic Weapon is a weapon attack, and all the Ardent options involve for the most part being in melee or big burst range, but not necessarily using a weapon.
There's no crossbow caster - all Bard attacks are ranged weapon attacks, Magic Weapon is a weapon attack, and all the Ardent options involve for the most part being in melee or big burst range, but not necessarily using a weapon.
Wouldn't worshiping saheine (how ever you spell her name ) and take bow initiate at first level, this allows you to use a short bow as an implement and a scaling bonus to damage Frees up speed loader and crossbow caster feats, and you lose some dice size in damage, but thats not much
There's no crossbow caster - all Bard attacks are ranged weapon attacks, Magic Weapon is a weapon attack, and all the Ardent options involve for the most part being in melee or big burst range, but not necessarily using a weapon.
Right I understand now... hence going for Level 1: Weapon Proficiency (Superior crossbow) Level 2: Speed Loader Level 6: Crossbow Expertise
for the d8 > d10 [W] change , +1 accuracy and ignore cover. ok I can understand that just, for the 3 feats...
There's no crossbow caster - all Bard attacks are ranged weapon attacks, Magic Weapon is a weapon attack, and all the Ardent options involve for the most part being in melee or big burst range, but not necessarily using a weapon.[/quote]Right I under
I don't really like how you have to walk up to something to Ire Strike it (melee 1, eww). Seems like bard|warlord (MC some psionic class for demiurge) would be easier to use: Direct the Strike is ranged also, pick up immediate action powers like Powerful Warning and powers like Pincer Maneuver, and you've got Combat Commander/Fight On.
I hate to just recommend xxxx|warlord for everything, though. I like that you're trying something different. But it would genuinely be a Switch then, with init bonus/2 inspiring words/etc. =)
I don't really like how you have to walk up to something to Ire Strike it (melee 1, eww). Seems like bard|warlord (MC some psionic class for demiurge) would be easier to use: Direct the Strike is ranged also, pick up immediate action powers like Po
I don't really like how you have to walk up to something to Ire Strike it (melee 1, eww). Seems like bard|warlord (MC some psionic class for demiurge) would be easier to use: Direct the Strike is ranged also, pick up immediate action powers like Powerful Warning and powers like Pincer Maneuver, and you've got Combat Commander/Fight On.
I hate to just recommend xxxx|warlord for everything, though. I like that you're trying something different. But it would genuinely be a Switch then, with init bonus/2 inspiring words/etc. =)
The build has options that do similar things: Ire Strike and Commander's Strike are very similar in practice except that Ire Strike Augmented 2 sets up a nova with Vulnerability 10.
Powerful Warning is very similar to Rhyme of the Bloodseeking Blade in practice - one involves a melee basic, the other involves you both shooting them and causing a hit.
While it doesn't get a bunch of Warlord options, that's either a feature or a bug depending on how you look at it. Bravura Leader = +4/6/8 damage(CA on a miss), Resourceful Leader = +3/5/7 damage or temps(on a miss) - +15 damage/attack when someone else spends an action point is actually reasonably competitive with the actual Resourceful Presence.
And finally, Valorous Bard means War Chanter, which given the number of basic attacks that this build can hand out, is roughly on par with Flame of Hope. Where this really shines is via Battle Chant(one of the options is 5 party members make a BA), Increasing the Tempo(one party member makes 4 BAs), Climatic Chord(all party members make an at-will as a minor!), and Violent Spark(all party members make an at-will as a standard). Assuming a 4 combat day, you ought to have an action point to spend in every combat most of the time and when you do, your party will generate huge amounts of damage, even assuming they themselves don't start tossing novas when you grant them giant bonuses to hit and damage.
You don't give Init a real boost, but on the other hand, neither do Shaman|Artificers either.
The build has options that do similar things:Ire Strike and Commander's Strike are very similar in practice except that Ire Strike Augmented 2 sets up a nova with Vulnerability 10.Powerful Warning is very similar to Rhyme of the Bloodseeking Blade in
Ok, made some changes throughout the build, mostly through Epic. The real important change is Exhilarating Strike.
Basically, the build can now do the following Encounter Nova sequence 4 times a day assuming that the build has an action point for every combat(which given 2 APs per milestone and extra APs when someone falls down is not a bad assumption...)
Round 1: Minor: Magic Weapon for +2/+9 Minor: Tactical Orders(the Warlord 10 that replaces the Ardent 16 power) - have your MBA expert and you shift up your speed near to the target of choice Action Point: Ire Strike Augmented 2 - MBA expert almost certainly gives the target Vulnerability 10 to all damage. And there's another +9/9 from the AP feature of Warchanter(let's call that +9/+19) Standard Action: Exhilarating Strike Augmented 6(yes, Augment 6): Everyone but you and MBA expert make BAs or charge
Round 2: Use one of four dailies to have everyone make a variety of at-will, BAs, etc... again. (Coordinated Effort, Increasing the Tempo, Climactic Chord, or Violent Spark)
If positioning is bad, switch the dailies to round 1, use Exhilarating Strike on round 2. Even the suboptimal Rogue who doesn't have melee training nor does he carry a thrown weapon is still going to be able to charge effectively given that bonus to hit.
In a party of 5, granting 8 attacks with those bonuses is likely to mean around 500 hp of damage not including the benefits of having all the PCs gain the bonuses during their turn.
Ok, made some changes throughout the build, mostly through Epic. The real important change is Exhilarating Strike.Basically, the build can now do the following Encounter Nova sequence 4 times a day assuming that the build has an action point for ever
You don't have a sure-fire method of generating an action point before the first milestone, right?
Not 100%. Ally drops, then I get an action point that has to be used by the end of my next turn(Avenging Spirit, taken at level 16). There are two sets of combats where it would seem unlikely to get an action point for the 2nd combat: The party isn't challenged at all by Team Monster(not a big deal) I get dropped first(whoops)
Not 100%. Ally drops, then I get an action point that has to be used by the end of my next turn(Avenging Spirit, taken at level 16). There are two sets of combats where it would seem unlikely to get an action point for the 2nd combat:The party isn't
Updated this to include Sidhe Lord. Basically, once 16th level is reached, this build ought to be using 2 action points per combat regardless of circumstances to generate at least +6 to hit/damage for most of the party until EoNT.
Updated this to include Sidhe Lord. Basically, once 16th level is reached, this build ought to be using 2 action points per combat regardless of circumstances to generate at least +6 to hit/damage for most of the party until EoNT.
What feats are you picking with Multiclass Mastery? I saw that you power swapped for your U10, but what else?
Insightful Leader - boost some defenses. That pick is mostly in there because Character Builder will have a conniption if I retrain out of one of the Warlord feats and pick it back up with Multiclass Mastery.
Insightful Leader - boost some defenses. That pick is mostly in there because Character Builder will have a conniption if I retrain out of one of the Warlord feats and pick it back up with Multiclass Mastery.
Changes: Got rid of Superior Crossbow+X for Dagger of Long Range+X-1+Bard's Songblade Dagger+X. Has the same basic effect, but freed up two feats, which allowed me to push some things up. Those are both Common items, so shouldn't be a big deal in most games. Posted builds for 6, 11, 22, and 30. Kept Forward-Thinking Cut a lot longer in the build(until 23rd), until the point where the power points are just too valuable. Listed the major jumps in power in the 3rd post to make it clear when things happen. The really big jumps are 11, 16, and 22. Picked up Staggering Note for control+MBA options. Until 11th, it might very need to be something along the lines of Vicious Mockery. If you have a party with MBAs, it can go straight to Staggering Note. In an easy to get magic item world, I'd strongly consider picking up Arcane Familiar for item-swapping.
New Feat options: Martial Mastery = recharge Tactical Orders when spending an AP Human Ingenuity = gain power point when spending an AP Action Recovery = make a save against anything that a save can end when spending an AP
Lost: Superior Crossbow, Speed Loader, and Insightful Leader feats.
Changes:Got rid of Superior Crossbow+X for Dagger of Long Range+X-1+Bard's Songblade Dagger+X. Has the same basic effect, but freed up two feats, which allowed me to push some things up. Those are both Common items, so shouldn't be a big deal in most
I really like what does this build does with Action Points. I can even look past the non-existant reflex defensive.
I still don't get a couple of things:
The retraining on this looks messy, but I think I figured it out, except for the fact that the level 22 version has Elation of Fortune and Insightful Preparation at level 18 and 20, whereas the level 30 version has Human Ingenuity, Elation of Fortune and Insightful Preparation at level 18, 20 and 24 respectively.
Also, you have Martial Mastery but your only martial power is Tactical Orders and I don't see how you can take that. Novice Power lets you swap an encounter attack power and Tactical Orders is a utility power.
I really like what does this build does with Action Points. I can even look past the non-existant reflex defensive. I still don't get a couple of things:The retraining on this looks messy, but I think I figured it out, except for the fact that the le
I really like what does this build does with Action Points. I can even look past the non-existant reflex defensive.
I still don't get a couple of things:
Also, you have Martial Mastery but your only martial power is Tactical Orders and I don't see how you can take that. Novice Power lets you swap an encounter attack power and Tactical Orders is a utility power.
I really like what does this build does with Action Points. I can even look past the non-existant reflex defensive.
I still don't get a couple of things:
The retraining on this looks messy, but I think I figured it out, except for the fact that the level 22 version has Elation of Fortune and Insightful Preparation at level 18 and 20, whereas the level 30 version has Human Ingenuity, Elation of Fortune and Insightful Preparation at level 18, 20 and 24 respectively.
Also, you have Martial Mastery but your only martial power is Tactical Orders and I don't see how you can take that. Novice Power lets you swap an encounter attack power and Tactical Orders is a utility power.
I figured Superior Fortitude was likely more useful than occasionally getting missed by a Reflex attack. The build has a lot of surges and ability to hand out temp hit points. If you have some item selection of your choice going on, Shared Valor Armor will make you really difficult to take down.
The retraining isn't actually that messy. The big problem is Multiclass Mastery. Ideally, I use that to free up a feat once I hit 22nd by getting it with Multiclass Mastery. But online character builder has a bug where if you've previously had a power, it doesn't like it if you get it again.
So what should happen at 22nd level is the following: Retrain the level 12 feat, Bravura Leader into Multiclass: Mastery, taking with it Acolyte Power and Bravura Leader. Take the feat Martial Mastery.
But what you're actually going to want to do is change Bravura Leader into some nonsense feat at 22nd, then retrain it into Multiclass-Mastery. Otherwise, Multiclass Mastery won't let you take Bravura Leader with it.
I figured Superior Fortitude was likely more useful than occasionally getting missed by a Reflex attack. The build has a lot of surges and ability to hand out temp hit points. If you have some item selection of your choice going on, Shared Valor Armo
There's still this issue: [T]he level 22 version has Elation of Fortune and Insightful Preparation at level 18 and 20, whereas the level 30 version has Human Ingenuity, Elation of Fortune and Insightful Preparation at level 18, 20 and 24 respectively.
Alright, it makes sense to me.There's still this issue:[T]he level 22 version has Elation of Fortune and Insightful Preparation at level 18 and 20, whereas the level 30 version has Human Ingenuity, Elation of Fortune and Insightful Preparation at lev
