Time For A Pov Build Challenge
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*Mr_Otyugh
- Posts: 2242
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
It's most damage per hit still ;) alignment/targets weren't specified.. if you want another... level 27 warlock/3 hellfire warlock. epic eldritch blasts, hellfire blast, hideous blow on strength based warlock :P
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*Product of Void
- Posts: 355
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
str based warlock?.....*blink blink* why?Mr_Otyugh,Jun 23 2010 wrote: It's most damage per hit still ;) alignment/targets weren't specified.. if you want another... level 27 warlock/3 hellfire warlock. epic eldritch blasts, hellfire blast, hideous blow on strength based warlock :P
Granted the smite thing I did not specify alignments it nice to look at weaknesses and strengths.
best I seen was great smit 7-8 due to the charisma 25 requirement. granted +10 to hit +70 damge is very nice. Unless I am reading it wrong?
Vampric feast? if they save they only take half their hit points correct? Shadow shield would stop it, SR. Its a nice spell yes, though has disadvantages.
Much like casting avasculate 3 times then IGMS or power word death. :P
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*The_Tarot
- Posts: 26
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
Vamp Feast isn't stopped by Death Ward or Shadow Shield, but a one shot deal with such a short range that anyone can walk out of before it's launched isn't worth an epic feat.
Most damage per hit would definitely be the Paladin/Divine Champion with Great Smite X
Unmodified Smite does +X (X is CHA Mod) to attack bonus. and +Y to damage (Y is Character level, Paladin and Divine Champ stack for Smite bonus)
Great Smite 10 multiplies the damage value by x10.
Equip a Scythe, and crit a great smite. - You're smacking alignment specific things for 1200+
The only other way to come close to that damage is to face something with 3000 HP+ and avasculate/Vamp Feast them.
Most damage per hit would definitely be the Paladin/Divine Champion with Great Smite X
Unmodified Smite does +X (X is CHA Mod) to attack bonus. and +Y to damage (Y is Character level, Paladin and Divine Champ stack for Smite bonus)
Great Smite 10 multiplies the damage value by x10.
Equip a Scythe, and crit a great smite. - You're smacking alignment specific things for 1200+
The only other way to come close to that damage is to face something with 3000 HP+ and avasculate/Vamp Feast them.
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*Vagrant
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
I submit an interesting take on this, using not weaponmaster or Paladin, but Ranger.
The drow strode quietly through the forest, considering how lonesome his life was. The opposition was great, and it was that he was a dark elf. This weighed on his heart. What was one ranger to do against such opposition? He leant against a rock near a patch of bushes to ponder how emo he was, looking to his two friends in life, his double scimitars.
These thoughts were soon cut short, however, as an eight-foot-tall goliath of a half-orc burst from the nearby bushes where previously there had been nothing, and shredded him to a fine mesh, before he'd even had time to cry for his mother.
It then ate him, and wore his face as a loincloth.
Level split Ranger 21/Frenzied Zerker 5/Fighter 4.
Five favoured enemies, take your pick of your most hated races. You're a feral chaotic evil beast of Malar, so maybe Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Halflings, Outsiders? (Gnomes are safe. Yay, gnomes!)
Most important thing for this challenge, the damage ramp-up.
Base attack using a Greatsword for 2d6 damage (I usually used a Falchion for crits, but there are other D6's, so this makes for easier maths)
Combined Favoured Power Attack with Improved Enhanced Power Attack, Using 2h: (+30)
Favoured Enemy Damage Bonus (+5)
Bane of the Enemies (+2d6)
Strength Bonus (+15, base strength can reach 30 with 3 epic feats)
Weapon Specialisation (+2)
That's a total of 52+4d6 damage, average of 66 damage, against 5 favoured enemies.
The Improved Power Attack causes you to lose 6 AB, but you gain 5 AB from favoured enemies, 2 AB from Bane of the Enemies, and +10 AB from Strength, along with being full +30 BAB.
Against your favoured enemy, even using Improved Power Attack, your AB should be in the region of 43, using a mundane weapon.
And this is unbuffed. You can get access to a 4-turn duration Blades of Fire, and use Frenzy to throw yourself to +36 Strength, adding four to your damage and giving you an extra attack. Your AC may be minute, but you can out-damage anyone who needs to hit your AC to damage you. Unless their AC is incredible enough to out-do your 49 AB (without a magic weapon, too), you're going to hit them regularly enough anyway.
Now you want to know the scary part?
His utility.
This was no ordinary grunt damage barbarian. No, this guy had 21 goddamn ranger levels. He got five skillpoints per level, which he put into Spot, Hide, Move Silently, Survival, and had one left each level for some intimidate, search, and other minor skills.
An excellent Tracker, with always-active tracking. You can't hide.
Able to cast Ranger spells such as Invisibility Purge. You definitely cannot hide.
A hugely skilled Spotter, combining a decent Wisdom with his +5 favoured enemy bonus, and full ranks in Spot. You absolutely, positively, CANNOT hide.
The half-orc beast is not stupid enough to wield two weapons. He has Perfected Weapon Style in Archery. When faced with an enemy who can spot his sneaking, and can cast spells on him from a distance, the beast is wise enough to have learned archery, and perfected this skill. Dropping his medium armour for a lighter Chainshirt, he can use the One Shot feat to interrupt one spell, giving him time to rush across the battlefield and deliver the smackdown with his sword.
And not to mention his strength. When enraged, the Half-Orc Beast packs a massive 36 Strength, resulting in a +13 modifier, giving him a solid chance of performing a Knockdown on his target.
He's got Epic Tougness feats, on top of a lifetime of classes with d8, d10, and d12 HD's. And fourteen base constitution.
And his final, scariest feature?
He's a HiPster. With full ranks in the skill, the camouflage spell AND feat (meaning he could run full-speed whilst hidden). Whilst not holding the strength of hide of a fully-focused rogue, he can easily get the drop on an unfocused spotter. Those who have focused in Spot fall against the +10 from Camoflague, those who have good Listen have trouble targetting him.
What you have sneaking silently through the woods, perfectly blended to his environment, here, is not a halfling rogue carrying pins. It is no elf, ready to shoot you in the back with his bow. It is the Feral Beast, carrying his two handed sword.
And by the time you see him, it is too late.
There may be better builds for pure damage. But none will match the feral half-orc for sheer brutality.
Variant build replaces the four Fighter levels with Barbarian levels, for even more Barbaricness. You lose your Heavy Armour proficiency and three bonus feats, but gain Rage, a source of 4 more Str and Con. With this you can get up to 40 Strength, gain 8 more HP from hit dice, and can use Rage to augment your Constitution further which, combined with Bears Endurance to hit 22 Con, a +6 bonus, resulting in a hugely respectable hit point total of 540 when raging, allowing you to take hits as you deal them back threefold. You also gain barbarian fast movement, which stacks with your Ranger speed in outdoor areas for a zippy 20% increase.
Other variants are Divine Champion of Malar, though you just get a few extra save points, since Smite Infidel and Divine Strength are useless with your 6 Charisma.
You could also just throw twink levels in here if you want. Some Cleric for domains, four Blackguard, etc.
Or four more Ranger levels, for another favoured enemy and improvements on the original five. Gnomes are back on the menu.
Your fighter levels are most easily replaced, at any rate.
(Or, if you just want to be lame, Warlock getting 21 Str and 21+ Charisma, hideous blow combined with Epic Divine Might.
Strike the Half-Orc beast with your one single hugely powerful attack. Feel happy, since his AC is the only one low enough to be getting hit by your less-than-awesome AB.
Watch him roar in pain and fury as you take off about half his HP, causing him to leap into the nearest forest cover to heal his wounds, feeling smug.
Realise that he's not dead. And angry. And with your lack of spot or listen, you have no idea where he is.
Because he's standing right behind you.
Pray for your life.))
Tl;dr
Pros: Great utility, good damage at very competitive AB, more reliable than certain builds in that it is race-specific, not alignment specific, and you have a choice of five races. A good HiPSter that dosen't depend on sneak attacks. Knockdown. Massive HP. 7 attacks/round when frenzied. Excellent HP.
Cons: Mid-range AC, relying highly on magic items for AC except for his good Natural armour from Barkskin. AC comes primarily from Fullplate and items, no major means to self-buff it to a massive amount. A general ballpark figure for AC is around 35, assuming you can get +4 gear.
Pretty lame saving throws, particularly Will. Counter this with a method to gain Mind immunity from items, and some items that boost your Fort save to the point where, combined with naturally high Fort from levels and decent Con, you'll be able to avoid necromancy spells that instant-kill.
Vs. Classes
Meleer: Beat to death old-school, going all-out to out-damage and out-survive them. If injured, use high movement speed to run off and HiPS away.
Divine Caster: Catch unprepared if possible. Use One Shot to interrupt them if they try to cast Ethereal Jaunt or similar, which they will. Knockdown and execute.
Rogue: Face-to-face obliterate them. Your spot is very competitive, and their Feint will be useless against it and your AB. Don't bother with knockdown, their dex is too high.
Mage: Sneak up and obliterate if they're poor spotters. Else, use One Shot to interrupt the first I-Win spell they try to cast, then get within melee range to mince them. Have no mercy, as they would have none for you.
Your biggest enemy is the Bard. Fear their spells that render your stealth useless, and their songs that cause insane amounts of damage, as well as being able to take advantage of your low Will save. Their ridiculous lol-AC is also a problem. However, they have no way to harm you at a distance. Bide your time, run, stalk them, and get to them when they rest!
And looking at most posts, I see my damage is puny! However, this is my build for a crazy damage char, and it'll sure as hell be useful a lot more often than a Paladin that relies on scythe critting with Smite Evil. This build works not just against Evil, but against all evil races, such as elves!
And so here we have our lesson:
The Feral Half-Orc Ranger most fears the Gnome Bard.
The drow strode quietly through the forest, considering how lonesome his life was. The opposition was great, and it was that he was a dark elf. This weighed on his heart. What was one ranger to do against such opposition? He leant against a rock near a patch of bushes to ponder how emo he was, looking to his two friends in life, his double scimitars.
These thoughts were soon cut short, however, as an eight-foot-tall goliath of a half-orc burst from the nearby bushes where previously there had been nothing, and shredded him to a fine mesh, before he'd even had time to cry for his mother.
It then ate him, and wore his face as a loincloth.
Level split Ranger 21/Frenzied Zerker 5/Fighter 4.
Five favoured enemies, take your pick of your most hated races. You're a feral chaotic evil beast of Malar, so maybe Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Halflings, Outsiders? (Gnomes are safe. Yay, gnomes!)
Most important thing for this challenge, the damage ramp-up.
Base attack using a Greatsword for 2d6 damage (I usually used a Falchion for crits, but there are other D6's, so this makes for easier maths)
Combined Favoured Power Attack with Improved Enhanced Power Attack, Using 2h: (+30)
Favoured Enemy Damage Bonus (+5)
Bane of the Enemies (+2d6)
Strength Bonus (+15, base strength can reach 30 with 3 epic feats)
Weapon Specialisation (+2)
That's a total of 52+4d6 damage, average of 66 damage, against 5 favoured enemies.
The Improved Power Attack causes you to lose 6 AB, but you gain 5 AB from favoured enemies, 2 AB from Bane of the Enemies, and +10 AB from Strength, along with being full +30 BAB.
Against your favoured enemy, even using Improved Power Attack, your AB should be in the region of 43, using a mundane weapon.
And this is unbuffed. You can get access to a 4-turn duration Blades of Fire, and use Frenzy to throw yourself to +36 Strength, adding four to your damage and giving you an extra attack. Your AC may be minute, but you can out-damage anyone who needs to hit your AC to damage you. Unless their AC is incredible enough to out-do your 49 AB (without a magic weapon, too), you're going to hit them regularly enough anyway.
Now you want to know the scary part?
His utility.
This was no ordinary grunt damage barbarian. No, this guy had 21 goddamn ranger levels. He got five skillpoints per level, which he put into Spot, Hide, Move Silently, Survival, and had one left each level for some intimidate, search, and other minor skills.
An excellent Tracker, with always-active tracking. You can't hide.
Able to cast Ranger spells such as Invisibility Purge. You definitely cannot hide.
A hugely skilled Spotter, combining a decent Wisdom with his +5 favoured enemy bonus, and full ranks in Spot. You absolutely, positively, CANNOT hide.
The half-orc beast is not stupid enough to wield two weapons. He has Perfected Weapon Style in Archery. When faced with an enemy who can spot his sneaking, and can cast spells on him from a distance, the beast is wise enough to have learned archery, and perfected this skill. Dropping his medium armour for a lighter Chainshirt, he can use the One Shot feat to interrupt one spell, giving him time to rush across the battlefield and deliver the smackdown with his sword.
And not to mention his strength. When enraged, the Half-Orc Beast packs a massive 36 Strength, resulting in a +13 modifier, giving him a solid chance of performing a Knockdown on his target.
He's got Epic Tougness feats, on top of a lifetime of classes with d8, d10, and d12 HD's. And fourteen base constitution.
And his final, scariest feature?
He's a HiPster. With full ranks in the skill, the camouflage spell AND feat (meaning he could run full-speed whilst hidden). Whilst not holding the strength of hide of a fully-focused rogue, he can easily get the drop on an unfocused spotter. Those who have focused in Spot fall against the +10 from Camoflague, those who have good Listen have trouble targetting him.
What you have sneaking silently through the woods, perfectly blended to his environment, here, is not a halfling rogue carrying pins. It is no elf, ready to shoot you in the back with his bow. It is the Feral Beast, carrying his two handed sword.
And by the time you see him, it is too late.
There may be better builds for pure damage. But none will match the feral half-orc for sheer brutality.
Variant build replaces the four Fighter levels with Barbarian levels, for even more Barbaricness. You lose your Heavy Armour proficiency and three bonus feats, but gain Rage, a source of 4 more Str and Con. With this you can get up to 40 Strength, gain 8 more HP from hit dice, and can use Rage to augment your Constitution further which, combined with Bears Endurance to hit 22 Con, a +6 bonus, resulting in a hugely respectable hit point total of 540 when raging, allowing you to take hits as you deal them back threefold. You also gain barbarian fast movement, which stacks with your Ranger speed in outdoor areas for a zippy 20% increase.
Other variants are Divine Champion of Malar, though you just get a few extra save points, since Smite Infidel and Divine Strength are useless with your 6 Charisma.
You could also just throw twink levels in here if you want. Some Cleric for domains, four Blackguard, etc.
Or four more Ranger levels, for another favoured enemy and improvements on the original five. Gnomes are back on the menu.
Your fighter levels are most easily replaced, at any rate.
(Or, if you just want to be lame, Warlock getting 21 Str and 21+ Charisma, hideous blow combined with Epic Divine Might.
Strike the Half-Orc beast with your one single hugely powerful attack. Feel happy, since his AC is the only one low enough to be getting hit by your less-than-awesome AB.
Watch him roar in pain and fury as you take off about half his HP, causing him to leap into the nearest forest cover to heal his wounds, feeling smug.
Realise that he's not dead. And angry. And with your lack of spot or listen, you have no idea where he is.
Because he's standing right behind you.
Pray for your life.))
Tl;dr
Pros: Great utility, good damage at very competitive AB, more reliable than certain builds in that it is race-specific, not alignment specific, and you have a choice of five races. A good HiPSter that dosen't depend on sneak attacks. Knockdown. Massive HP. 7 attacks/round when frenzied. Excellent HP.
Cons: Mid-range AC, relying highly on magic items for AC except for his good Natural armour from Barkskin. AC comes primarily from Fullplate and items, no major means to self-buff it to a massive amount. A general ballpark figure for AC is around 35, assuming you can get +4 gear.
Pretty lame saving throws, particularly Will. Counter this with a method to gain Mind immunity from items, and some items that boost your Fort save to the point where, combined with naturally high Fort from levels and decent Con, you'll be able to avoid necromancy spells that instant-kill.
Vs. Classes
Meleer: Beat to death old-school, going all-out to out-damage and out-survive them. If injured, use high movement speed to run off and HiPS away.
Divine Caster: Catch unprepared if possible. Use One Shot to interrupt them if they try to cast Ethereal Jaunt or similar, which they will. Knockdown and execute.
Rogue: Face-to-face obliterate them. Your spot is very competitive, and their Feint will be useless against it and your AB. Don't bother with knockdown, their dex is too high.
Mage: Sneak up and obliterate if they're poor spotters. Else, use One Shot to interrupt the first I-Win spell they try to cast, then get within melee range to mince them. Have no mercy, as they would have none for you.
Your biggest enemy is the Bard. Fear their spells that render your stealth useless, and their songs that cause insane amounts of damage, as well as being able to take advantage of your low Will save. Their ridiculous lol-AC is also a problem. However, they have no way to harm you at a distance. Bide your time, run, stalk them, and get to them when they rest!
And looking at most posts, I see my damage is puny! However, this is my build for a crazy damage char, and it'll sure as hell be useful a lot more often than a Paladin that relies on scythe critting with Smite Evil. This build works not just against Evil, but against all evil races, such as elves!
And so here we have our lesson:
The Feral Half-Orc Ranger most fears the Gnome Bard.
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*Mr_Otyugh
- Posts: 2242
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
Why not? ;) You don't actually need charisma for anything on warlock except few selective invocations or DCs, the damage can still be quite high with charisma 6 if you have 21d6 blast :P combined with strength to actually hit and improved power attack.Product of Void,Jun 24 2010 wrote: str based warlock?.....*blink blink* why?
It stinks in practise, but so does mostly anything if you try to maximize the 'damage' only. Since they tend to exclude attack bonus, AC and survivability <,<
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*Synyster Spirit
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
Hideous Blow applies your Eldritch Blast to your next melee attack.