If you can consistently sanction opponents, Weakening Challenge in Epic is just as powerful with you as it is with anyone else.
I used to make this same argument, then I tried building it and realized that Weakening Challenge has Divine Challenge as a prereq
If it weren't for that, I'd say hybrid Cavalier could be outright better than hybrid Paladin for a decent number of builds.
I am okay with you saying my argument is stupid, or commits the munchkin fallacy, or any other bad thing you want. Particularly if you give a reason/explanation for it.
However, I will ignore any post that calls me stupid, or a munchkin, or what have you. Not because it bothers me; I've just found that people only start name-calling when that's the best argument they have left.
This particular build isn’t that complicated for a shaman, but shamans are one of the more complicated classes.This panther shaman gives nice damage boosts to your allies, lets you do decent damage for a leader, gives you some attack enabling and save granting, and gives you some control options as well.
At level 1 you might wonder why Tome Expertise is your first feat, but it causes enemies next to your spirit to grant CA at all times it is in play, which is very useful.Your spirits defenses are the same as yours and can only be destroyed if it takes 10 points of damage or more from a ranged or melee attack (this increases by 1 point every even level).You make attacks through both you and your spirit depending on the power and a few of your attacks are simply you granting attacks to your allies.Your spirit also can make a special opportunity action attack called Spirit Fangs when enemies move away from it without shifting.Your allies get a +4 bonus to damage rolls vs bloodied enemies when next to your spirit companion.
You have a good basic attack granting power with Spirit Infusion.You can do decent damage yourself with Stalker’s Strike and Twin Panthers, both of which are good for finishing off bloodied enemies.Spirit of the Healing flood is good for targetting a bunch of enemies at once and grants regeneration 2 to your party.Ooze Master gives you a good minor action area slowing attack with Sudden Slime that you can use on an area with your spirit in it and not worry about hurting it.Being a hamadryad gives you a +2 bonus to saves vs daze, dominate and stun along with allowing you to ignore difficult terrain from natural growth and Hamadryad Aspects which allows you to make enemies grant CA for a round or gives you damage resistance.
At level 5 you can summon the spirit as a free action once per encounter and allies that start their turn next to it can start their turn off with a free action shift. It now takes 12 points of damage to destroy the spirit. Spirit Sacrifice lets you dismiss your spirit as a minor action to give you or an ally a saving throw or 4 temporary hitpoints.Sly Fox Spirit is a good attack granting power to use on an enemy surrounded by your allies.Shrieking Wind Spirit is a good control power that dazes and slides enemies. You can also roll twice for dungeoneering checks from your theme.
At 8 you can ignore partial cover and concealment with your attacks through totem expertise and your initiative gets a nice +5 boost through battlewise. Your boost to ally damage rolls vs bloodied enemies increases to +5.It now takes 14 points of damage to destroy the spirit.Light of the Crimson sun is an excellent ally buffing power if even one of your allies has a fire or radiant attack, but if they don’t you should switch out for Hearth Spirit or Sudden Restoration.Call to the Blood Dancer is a power that gives another untyped +5 damage bonus to your allies and increases their chances of getting a critical hit to 18-20 if they are next to your spirt.
ITEMS Adventurer's Kit Amulet of Mental Resolve +2 x1 Elven Battle Leather Armor +2 x1 Totem of the Severed Eye +2 x1 Acrobat Boots x1 Skull Mask (heroic tier) x1 Couters of Second Chances (heroic tier) x1 ====== End ======
I avoided multiclassing with this build, but mc wizard would be a good choice and that way you would not have to spend a feat for totem expertise and could get a tome instead. The equipped level 8 version has necrotic resistances and several saving throw boosts that stack with your racial boosts. And you can see invisible enemies next to your spirit with your totem.
Rey Mysterio, level 8 Pixie Fighter (Weaponmaster)
Build: Brawling Fighter Fighter Option: Combat Superiority Fighter Talents Option: Brawler Style Born Under a Bad Sign (Born Under a Bad Sign Benefit) Theme: Mercenary
FINAL ABILITY SCORES STR 20, CON 11, DEX 12, INT 8, WIS 16, CHA 12
STARTING ABILITY SCORES STR 18, CON 11, DEX 10, INT 8, WIS 14, CHA 10
I'm not including a Pixie fighter on the list, sorry. Cool build, fun build, not good and simple. Pick something with a relevant +stat at least. These are supposed to be boring builds to pick up and play. I love that everyone is trying to go outside the box (cause that is where 99% of our fun is had) but we are supposed to be defining the box here.
Currently working on making a Dex based defender. Check it out here Spoiler:Show
Need a few pre-generated characters for a one-shot you are running? Want to get a baseline for what an effective build for a class you aren't familiar with? Check out the Pregen thread here If ever you are interested what it sounds like to be at my table check out my blog and podcast here Also, I've recently done an episode on "Refluffing". You can check that out here
You’re a druid, using your primal powers to call on nature and your animal allies to control your enemies. As a Protector you have a bit less versatility than the original druid build, but you get some pretty useful animal companions.
Your role shifts slightly as you shapeshift. In humanoid form you're more of a controller, debuffing enemies and rearranging the battlefield, while in your Beast Form you become a secondary striker. This shift in roles adds some complexity to your class, as you need to be in the appropriate form to use the desired power, but makes the class pretty interesting. See the Wild Shape note below.
The second source of complexity comes from herding your pets. Your daily powers (Summon Natural Ally) and your theme pet (Fey Beast Tamer - Owl Bear) put extra creatures on the board. You want your Owl Bear next to enemies for extra damage (and combat advantage at level 5), and you'll want to help your Natural Ally to make the best use of it's Instinctive Action by keeping enemies next to it.
Wild Shape: Shift from your humanoid form to a beast form, and vice-versa. Some powers are only usable in Beast Form (noted by the Beast Form keyword, such as on Savage Rend). Powers that lack the Beast Form keyword cannot be used while in beast form (ex., you can't cast Grasping Tide as a panther.) In most encounters you'll want to start in humanoid form, debuffing and rearranging the battlefield with your encounter powers, and then spending more time in beast form for extra damage.
Nature’s Growth: lets you create a region of difficult terrain that, thanks to your Predator feature Unhindering Growth, your allies can move through freely.
Summon Natural Ally: You don't choose normal daily powers, but use this power to summon a wolf or bear. You get 1 use/day at level 1, and another use at level 5 and 9. These pets provide 3 main benefits, in dealing damage, adding some control (the wolf prones on hit), and provides a extra target for your enemies to focus on. Druid summons are unusual because they have instinctive actions, letting them make attacks even when you don’t give them specific commands. The wolf should be your default summons. Using "Wolf" below refers to this power.
Primal Attunements: You gain access to 3 lesser powers, like utility cantrips. They won’t change your game, but they can be useful with some creativity. Air Spirit and Call the Spirits effectively give you some minor telekenisis (through an air and primal spirits, not a mind power.) Verdant Touch lets you remove some nature-caused difficult terrain.
Fey Beast Tamer theme gives you an Owlbear pet and a bit more damage.
Beastwalker Circle: Makes your druid more versatile by granting you Wild Shape, which is needed for your Savage Rend at-will. You can also swap out a use of your Summon Natural Ally daily for a regular druid daily, but your Wolf is pretty useful.
Thorn Spray: is a huge area attack with a powerful debuff, but be careful not to shred your allies with it. A great opener if you can position it safely.
Grasping tide: burst 1 at range, but a bit complicated for an at-will as it can trigger a secondary attack if your enemy moves outside it's burst area.
Savage Rend: Must be used in Beast Form (note the keyword), and counts as a Melee Basic Attack (MBA) It can be useful to slide an enemy next to your Wolf so it can make its instinctive attack.
Staff Expertise: More accuracy with all your attacks, and you don't have to worry about opportunity attacks.
Superior Implement Training (Accurate Staff): Yay, more accuracy.
Pouncing Beast armor: help with charging and mobility. If you start adjacent to an enemy while in humanoid form, wild shape into beast form (triggering a shift from your armor), then shift another square as your move action, giving you the 2 squares needed charge.
Badge of the Beserker: No opportunity attacks when you're charging.
Claw Gloves: Savage Rend does an extra 1d10 damage with combat advantage. Bonus - Your Owlbear pet grants combat advantage to you vs enemies it's adjacent to.
Sudden Bite: Lets you use Savage Rend as an opportunity attack even if you're in humanoid form, by letting you use Wild Shape first.
Wind Wall: Walls must be continuous and joined on an edge, so no connecting just on the corners. Ally friendly. Note the language for the zone: it's superior cover (-5 to attack), but specifically for ranged attacks vs AC or reflex.
FEATS Level 1: Beastwalker Circle Level 2: Staff Expertise Level 4: Superior Implement Training (Accurate staff) Level 6: Superior Will Level 8: Improved Initiative
ITEMS Claw Gloves (heroic tier), Siberys Shard of the Mage (heroic tier), Summoner's Accurate staff +2, Pouncing Beast Hide Armor +2, Boots of the Fencing Master (heroic tier), Badge of the Berserker +2, Horned Helm (heroic tier) ====== End ======
Summoner's Staff: Your Wolf increases your party's survivability by distracting your enemies from your allies. You further increases that survivability by granting an ally Temporary Health Points when your wolf is missed by an attack. Note that your wolf also counts as an ally.
Boots of the Fencing Master: give you a bonus to AC & reflex on shift, and since you can shift when you change forms in either direction (again, thanks to Pouncing Beast Hide Armor), that bonus will usually be active.
Siberys Shard of the Mage: adds a bit of damage to implement attacks, which all your attacks are.
Horned Helm: more damage on a charge, so now you do 1d10 + 1d8 + 1d6 + damage mods on a charge with combat advantage (use your Owl Bear), and won't provoke opportunity attacks during the charge (Badge of the Berserker.)
Superior Will: helps your will, but more importantly gives you a saving throw at the start of your turn for daze and stun.
Improved Initiative: You want to go as early as possible in the initiative order to disrupt the enemy tactics and help your allies make their attacks.
Swarm Dispersal: Handy survivability power. If you feel you don't need it, two other powers, Eagle's Splendor and Serpent's Cunning, give fantastic bonuses to a Charisma or Intelligence based class for the whole day.
Charm Beast: Encounter dominate, with bonus vs beasts and daze on miss is amazing at this level. Note that it's vs. Will, unlike your other powers, and is less likely to hit caster-type enemies.
would it be possible for someone to scratch up a warlock build or two? in particular, i'm interested in dark and con star pacts.
i like the ideas of warlocks, but i always feel a little overwhelmed by all the selection to the point that i've never actually finished a warlock build. having a basic reference build would help (at least me!) immensely, i think.
I'll do one and update the OP with the builds listed when I get back from Alabama Sunday Night (Or I might wait til Monday if sleep seems like a good plan).
Currently working on making a Dex based defender. Check it out here Spoiler:Show
Need a few pre-generated characters for a one-shot you are running? Want to get a baseline for what an effective build for a class you aren't familiar with? Check out the Pregen thread here If ever you are interested what it sounds like to be at my table check out my blog and podcast here Also, I've recently done an episode on "Refluffing". You can check that out here
