Reply To: The Stormbringer (Druid 19 – Cleric 20 – Monk 1)

#959
TheSquid

    Hi all

    first, I want to thank both Orion and Maximillian Kane for their feedback and suggestions. I have been playtesting the Stormbringer in SP World of Greyhawk, and it’s a lot of fun. The version I am running has:

    • Cleric 12 / Druid 8 split at 20
    • Monk level at 22
    • Cleric 14 / Druid 18 / Monk 1 at 33 (Dragon Shape)
    • pre-epic feats: Zen Archery, PBShot-RapidShot-CalledShot, SF:Evo, GSF:Conj, Extend.

    Explanations are due: first of all, the philosophy. I decided that this _is_ an archer build after all, so I turned Max’s point upside down and gave it Called Shot (it’s very nice and synergizes well with your toolkit) as well as kept Rapid Shot. Compared to the Demolition Man, the Stormbringer has 7 less AB and less damage due to sling vs. bow (especially on critical hits). Buffs last more or less the same since they can be extended, and you somehow make up for the reduced martial prowess with the Druid area control spells. Grease+Called Shot is already nasty, add Stonehold and Acid Fog (Destruction domain!), and you can snipe most enemies before they can even get close. If they do get close, there is always Harm and SoV. Damage/round is not so bad, with RS and Haste you get 6 attacks of which 4 at max AB, for about 30 damage each. Rapid Shot shines of course when you have fewer attacks, but still boosts your damage output by about 20% even in epic levels. At level 34, I have above 50 AB, and the most recent notable victims of my sling are the Engineer and mr. Carver (and well before DS was attained, I slinged down the two big bosses of the Rift, which was quite the sight). The Robilar fight was taken in Dragon Shape and their master fell anticlimatically to a few spells. I was very pleased as this run showcased well the different proficiencies of the build.

    Concerning level split: I agree that Cleric 16 would be easier to level and you would get Implosion much earlier (at 21 instead of 36). I do not like the option of delaying Dragon Shape to 36, because you are stuck with 3 or so levels where your melee presence is 1/day “weak” elemental shape and already your summons are not so strong. I felt that the teens were easy enough stopping Cleric at 12, and that the #1 priority was getting Stonehold asap. Summon VI and Harm are good enough to take you until level 24 when this is attained. The only point I really felt was lacking is AC in early 20s, and I bowed to Max’s suggestion to take Monk at 22 (of course Evasion is also a blessing).

    Feats: the build is still very feat-starved. I tried balancing focus in two schools and archery feats, and end up lacking in the other departments. Compared to Order of Jormungandr, this build’s Dragon Shape lacks Expertise, Knockdown, Blind-fight, Improved Critical, Epic Prowess. As an archer, it lacks WF feats. As a caster, it misses ESF:evocation and Scribe Scroll (I had Empower Spell initially and felt it was not needed). There are several combinations of these that will arguably make the build “stronger” and there is definitely room to fit for playstyle. My #1 wanted feat is actually Blind-fight, followed closely by Scribe Scroll, and I am considering dropping the Evocation focus for at least one of them. As was already discussed, one can always drop starting DEX and the archery feats to focus more on spells and meleeing.

    I will do some more testing and maybe edit the OP with an updated version of the build. Overall, this build feels relatively easy to play, actually very strong (more than I thought), and fits my own playstyle very well. Final note: my character follows Saint Cuthbert and has Strength and Destruction domains. This completes the symmetry of the Druid area disables, with Conjuration disabling spells that target the Fortitude save, and the aesthetics of this fact pleases me to no end 🙂