SDK Rogue/Barbarian/Bard Build Advice

[SylvanPhoenix]

I am interested in trying out the Shadar-Kai Rogue/Barbarian/Bard build. Most of the posts on this are from 2 years ago and I'd love to get some feedback on how I should approach this in 2023. Also, I am new to playing a rogue so I appreciate any pointers before I attempt to create the character.

I'll be making this as a first life 32 point iconic build. I'll post some thoughts on the build below but I have a bunch of questions first.

My first question is if you go 12 Rogue, 5 Barbarian, and 3 Bard or do you go 11/6/3? From what I can tell you go 12/5 for more sneak attack dice via Improved Sneak Attack epic feat but that requires you to have a Dex of 21. Going 11/6 gives you access to your 3rd Barbarian core. I'm curious if there are other notable reasons for which you choose.

The other question is do you go Str, Dex, or Int as your primary stat? I saw strength recommended but then I see folks suggesting going Harper for Know The Angles or Horizon Walker for No Missed Step. Also, I'm curious if the Weapon Finesse is a feat worth taking if you're going Dex-based.

With Swashbuckler, a few have advocated for Different Tack: Swift Strikes. I'm unclear if this stacks with your trance and is it worth taking, if so?

Finally, does the updated Imbue system change how people would approach this build now?

I'll share what I'm thinking for feats and roughly the enhancements. I haven't gotten any further than that.

Feats​

Lvl 1: SWF
Lvl 3: Improved Feint
Lvl 6: Precision
Lvl 9: Imp SWF
Lvl 12: Imp Crit: Slash
Lvl 15: Greater SWF
Lvl 18: Offhand Versatility
Lvl 21 Epic: Overwhelming Crit
Lvl 22 Destiny: Perfect Single Weapon Fighting
Lvl 24 Epic: Improved Sneak Attack?
Lvl 25 Destiny: Crush Weakness
Lvl 27 Epic: Epic Reflexes
Lvl 28 Destiny: Embodiment of Law, Harbinger of Chaos, Perfect Two Handed Fighting, First Blood or Holy Strike
Lvl 30 Epic: ?
Lvl 30 Leg: Scion of Ethereal Plane
Lvl 31 Destiny: ?

Rogue Special at 10: Improved Evasion

Enhancements​

Shadar Kai (17)​

Cores: All or 1st 3? (9)
T1: Vicious Chain (1)
T2: Forceful Chain, Guile (2) [Improved Dodge, Ghostly Essence?]
T3: Ghastly Chain, Displacement, Guile (3)
T4: Greater Spiked Chain (2) [Assassin's Mark?]

Frenzied Beserker (33)​

Cores: First 2 (2)
T1: Die Harder III, Cracking Attack III, Athletics III (9)
T2: Blood Tribute III, Extra AB III, Sprint Boost III (9)
T3: Con (2)
T4: Crazy Strike III, Exhausting Blow III, Con (8)
T5: Focused Wrath II, Raging Blows (3)

Swashbuckler (13)​

Cores: First 2 (2)
T1: On Your Toes III, Blow by Blow III (6)
T2: Deflect Arrows (2)
T3: Dashing Scoundrel, Different Tack: Swift Strikes? (3)

Assassin (17)​

Cores: First 3 (3)
T1: Poison Strikes: Heartseeker, Sneak Attack Training (4)
T2: Toxin Affinity III, Sneak Attack Training (5)
T3: Critical Mastery III, Sneak Attack Training (5)

 

[Scrag]

Strimtom had a build that was previously posted as:

Is the +1 heart REALLY necessary? Is it possible to eek something out using rogue, and still get crazy on the damage?

Super Crit More Damage
12/5/3 Barbarian/Cleric/Bard
True Neutral Shadar-kai


Level Order

1. Barbarian. . . .6. Barbarian. . . 11. Barbarian. . . 16. Cleric
2. Barbarian. . . .7. Barbarian. . . 12. Barbarian. . . 17. Cleric
3. Barbarian. . . .8. Barbarian. . . 13. Bard. . . . . .18. Cleric
4. Barbarian. . . .9. Barbarian. . . 14. Bard. . . . . .19. Cleric
5. Barbarian. . . 10. Barbarian. . . 15. Bard. . . . . .20. Cleric


Stats
. . . . . . . .36pt . . Tome . . Level Up
. . . . . . . .---- . . ----. . .--------
Strength. . . . 18. . . .+3. . . .4: STR
Dexterity . . . 10. . . .+3. . . .8: STR
Constitution. . 16. . . .+3. . . 12: STR
Intelligence. . .8. . . .+3. . . 16: STR
Wisdom. . . . . .8. . . .+3. . . 20: STR
Charisma. . . . 14. . . .+3. . . 24: STR
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28: STR

Skills
. . . . .Bn Bn Bn Bn Bn Bn Bn Bn Bn Bn Bn Bn Bd Bd Bd Cl Cl Cl Cl Cl
. . . . . 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
Swim. . . 4. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. . . . 2 . . 1 .1. 1 .1. 21
UMD . . . 2. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. . .6. 4 .½. . . . . . . 18
Jump. . . . .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Balance . 2. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Perform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Heal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1. . . . . . . .1
Intim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
. . . . .12. 4. 4. 4. 4. 4. 4. 4. 4. 4. 4. 4. 6 .6. 6 .2. 2 .2. 2 .2


Feats

.1. . . . : Single Weapon Fighting
.3. . . . : Dodge
.6. . . . : Improved Single Weapon Fighting
.9. . . . : Improved Critical: Slashing
12. . . . : Greater Single Weapon Fighting
15. . . . : Offhand Versatility
18. . . . : Mobility
21 Epic . : Overwhelming Critical
24 Epic . : Spring Attack
26 Destiny: Perfect Single Weapon Fighting
27 Epic . : Epic Damage Reduction
28 Destiny: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting
29 Destiny: Dire Charge
30 Epic . : Epic Reflexes
30 Legend : Scion of: Ethereal Plane

17 Cleric : Strength Domain

16 Deity. : Follower of: Silvanus


Spells

Cleric
Cure Light Wounds (16), Nightshield (16), Bless (16), Remove Fear (17), Divine Favor (19)
Cure Moderate Wounds (18), Spawn Screen (18), Remove Paralysis (18), Lesser Restoration (19)
Cure Serious Wounds (20), Magic Circle Against Evil (20), Prayer (20)

Bard
<Any>, <Any>, <Any>


Enhancements (Spent: 80 +2r +0u / Max: 80 +2r +0u AP)

Frenzied Berserker (34 AP)
Die Hard, Frenzied Toughness, Frenzy, Frenzied Toughness II
Cracking Attack III, Power Rage III
Body Blow III, Blood Tribute III, Extra Action Boost III, Sprint Boost III
Constitution
Crazy Strike III
Focused Wrath II, Tantrum

Shadar-kai (18 AP)
Shadar-kai Grit, Wisdom, Shadow Phase
(none)
Forceful Chain, Improved Dodge II, Ghostly Essence III, Guile
Ghastly Chain, Displacement, Guile
Greater Spiked Chain Attack, Assassin's Mark

Swashbuckler (11 AP)
Confidence, Swashbuckling
On Your Toes III, Blow By Blow: Melee III
Deflect Arrows
Dashing Scoundrel

Occult Slayer (11 AP)
Weapon Bond, Resistance, Elemental Defense
Extend Rage I, Parrying Bond III, Uncanny Dodger I
Guarding Bond III

Warpriest (4 AP)
Smite Foe: Melee
Divine Might III

Ravager (4 AP)
Furious Rage
Hardy Rage III


Destiny (25 AP)

Fury of the Wild
Primal Scream III, Strength
Unstoppable Fury I, Acute Instincts III, Damage Reduction III
(none)
Sense Weakness III, Overwhelming Force II
Strong Swings, Fury Eternal, Devastating Blow
Unbridled Fury, Bloodbath

Twists of Fate (22 fate points)
Martial Hymn (Tier 4 Fatesinger)
Haste Boost (Tier 3 Dreadnought)
Dance of Flowers (Tier 1 Flowers)

 

[Couatl]

12/5/3 is the way to go, imo. Barbarian's imbue scales with just 100% melee power so it does not add much to pick it up. I would use assassin's imbue instead but would not rely on it too much, as the main focus is on weapon damage. Don't both with Different Tack, just grab the crit bonuses from the swashbuckler stance. This is a raging barbarian build and that means strength. Sly Flourish in TA is a great ability if you find yourself pulling more aggro than you can handle. There is also haste boost in there which is a huge DPS boost and an additional +12% movement speed. Consider picking up kama proficiency during levelling and using the (Epic) Forester's Brush Hook. When you get to cap you can switch it out and use a handaxe.

 

[cru121]

I went with 14 Swash for Int to damage and sonic imbue. 7 Harper for KtA. 14 VKF for Haste Boost and cores.

I went with 11/6/3 but that was a mistake and I would have preferred 12 rogue.

 

[kkOhio]

I'm assuming no real trapping beyond low levels for any of these then?

 

[Couatl]

I'm assuming no real trapping beyond low levels for any of these then?

12 Rogue is more than plenty to max out your search and disable device. Hitting traps is mostly a matter of gear.

 

[cru121]

I'm assuming no real trapping beyond low levels for any of these then?

That assumption would be wrong. With 11-12 rogue levels, trap skills should be easy to fit in. Except obviously Strimtom's build that has no trapper levels.

 

[unbongwah]

Is the +1 heart REALLY necessary?

For that specific build, yes. He swaps rogue for cleric 5, which gives Divine Might and Strength domain's "add STR instead of DEX to Reflex saves."

But it's a flexible concept, since the only real requirements are bard 3 / barbarian 5 for Swashbuckling + Focused Wrath; what you do with the remaining 12 levels is up to you. Even without LRing, rogue 12 / barbarian 5 / bard 3, rogue 2 / barb 6 / bard 12, they're all viable options depending on what you're after (or which past-life feat you need).

The drawback is 61 APs are "locked" into:

• 17 APs SDK for Greater Chain Attack (technically you can skip it but it's one of this build's signature features IMO)
• 33 APs Frenzied Berserker for Focused Wrath (+2 crit multiplier) and Healing or Hurt (+25% HPs)
• 11 APs Swashbuckler for Swashbuckling + Dashing Scoundrel (or Skirmisher if you decide to go S&B)

Which doesn't include a Battle Trance and might not include an Imbue, so factor that into your plans.

 

[Scrag]

But it's a flexible concept, since the only real requirements are bard 3 / barbarian 5 for Swashbuckling + Focused Wrath; what you do with the remaining 12 levels is up to you. Even without LRing, rogue 12 / barbarian 5 / bard 3, rogue 2 / barb 6 / bard 12, they're all viable options depending on what you're after (or which past-life feat you need).

Are more barb levels worth it over bard? I played a bard a long time ago, and I had a lot of fun with it, but this time I want to just whack things good and hard. Someone previously groused about rage and stopping to trap. Can I get to a point where I can just zerg traps and not worry about instantly dying, if I go 2 rogue / 3 bard/ 15 barb?

I have no idea how barbs play at all, but that DnD movie... gave me a lot of inspiration to give a whack at a regular fighting character. (this isn't "regular" but its a whole lot of smacking with a weapon)

 

[saekee]

I did a Dex-based SWFswash with mostly rogue levels. I was disappointed with how little sneak attack damage I was proccing. I took the VKF capstone though and that gave huge MP between the capstone and 20MP swf buff there using daggers, plus you get the +5% attack speed. For me survival was all about guardbreaking—once I started on anything it was as good as dead. Even reapers (the sub r5 ones) were a breeze.

With chains and the Legendary Goldcursed dagger, 5% attack speed, extra doublestrike and 40MP, would that be as good as the extra crit multiplier from focused wrath? Consider that The Sword Sings does sonic damage scaling with melee power (I have it out damaging my assassin’s crits at times).

 

[Rull]

My first question is if you go 12 Rogue, 5 Barbarian, and 3 Bard or do you go 11/6/3? From what I can tell you go 12/5 for more sneak attack dice via Improved Sneak Attack epic feat but that requires you to have a Dex of 21. Going 11/6 gives you access to your 3rd Barbarian core. I'm curious if there are other notable reasons for which you choose.

The other question is do you go Str, Dex, or Int as your primary stat? I saw strength recommended but then I see folks suggesting going Harper for Know The Angles or Horizon Walker for No Missed Step. Also, I'm curious if the Weapon Finesse is a feat worth taking if you're going Dex-based.

With Swashbuckler, a few have advocated for Different Tack: Swift Strikes. I'm unclear if this stacks with your trance and is it worth taking, if so?

Those points are actually strongly related; for example if you go dex-based you'll probably want that Improved Sneak Attack (requiring 21 DEX) and 12 rogue, while if you go str-based you don't.

Actually the first question before that is probably: what destiny do you enjoy? And specifically what epic strike. If you raid a lot and you want shadowdancer, you'll want ISA. If you run R10's and you want to adrenaline snipe enemies, so you'll be in Fury anyway, you might as well pick up that 3 extra strength while raging.

Either way, "Rogue Special at 10: Improved Evasion" sound bad; not taking Opportunist takes away a huge appeal of going 10+ rogue in the first place (you might as well go 12 barbarian 3 bard 5 rogue then, that's also an option).

As for enhancements, after 9~13 points in assassin you're done there. Pick up either Harper for a trance (even as strength-based with int secondary) OR Acrobat for haste boost and 12% run speed. How good the run speed is, and therefore acrobat over vistani, also depends on if you raid or do high reapers.

How many racial/universal points are we talking anyway? With zero racial AP, you can't get both assassin and horizon walker, so dex might not even be a good option for you. With 3 to 9 you could, but with more you might once again look at harper+vistani.

Sorry, unfortunately I don't have all the answers but rather more questions But maybe answering those will help you find what is best for you.

 

[cru121]

Are more barb levels worth it over bard? I played a bard a long time ago, and I had a lot of fun with it, but this time I want to just whack things good and hard. Someone previously groused about rage and stopping to trap. Can I get to a point where I can just zerg traps and not worry about instantly dying, if I go 2 rogue / 3 bard/ 15 barb?

I have no idea how barbs play at all, but that DnD movie... gave me a lot of inspiration to give a whack at a regular fighting character. (this isn't "regular" but its a whole lot of smacking with a weapon)

If you're a strength-based character, you probably rage. If you're using a different ability for hit/damage, you usually don't. If you plan to rage, more barb levels can be useful. Though the AP is very tight and many tasty barb enhancements stay out of reach.

Note that Barbarian Rage locks out Precision. And as a handaxe swashbuckler with chains, you want to make sure to land those obscene crits and bypass that fortification. So personally I am in favor of Precision and no rage.

 

[SylvanPhoenix]

Thank you all, this really helped me. One of my mains is a barbarian so I'd like to go the 12 rogue route using precision and no rage as a change of pace. I don't mind experimenting here but I greatly appreciate helping me to make smart choices with the build.

I haven't thought about EDs yet. What would you recommend given the precision and ISA route? I don't plan to do high reaper with this build but I do expect to run raids. I'm leaning towards more Shadowdancer vs Fury to try out something different.

 

[unbongwah]

I still can't connect to the old forums and my copy of this build is obsolete (predates the Epic Destiny revamp), so let's try a quick update for INT-based rogue 12 / barbarian 5 / bard 3:

Character name: SDK Swashzerker
Classes: 12 Rogue, 10 Epic, 5 Barbarian, 3 Bard, 2 Legendary
Race: Shadar-Kai· · · · · ·Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

· · ·Start Tome Final · · ·Incorp:· · ·0% · · ·Displacement:· ·25%
Str:· · ·8· · 0 · · 8 · · ·HP:· · · · 871 · · ·AC:· · 16
Dex:· · 18· · 3 · ·23 · · ·PRR: · · · ·25
Con:· · 14· · 0 · ·14 · · ·MRR: · · · · 0 · · ·+Healing Amp:· · 20
Int:· · 18· · 0 · ·26 · · ·Dodge: · 11/25 · · ·-Healing Amp:· · 10
Wis:· · ·8· · 0 · · 8 · · ·Fort:· · · 25% · · ·Repair Amp:· · · 10
Cha:· · ·6· · 0 · · 6 · · ·SR:· · · · · 0 · · ·BAB: · · · · · · 21
DR: 4%
Immunities: Fear, Magic Missiles

Class and Feat Selection
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Level Class · · · · · ·Feats
1 · · Rogue(1)· · · · ·Standard: Single Weapon Fighting
2 · · Bard(1) · · · · ·
3 · · Bard(2) · · · · ·Standard: Improved Feint
4 · · Bard(3) · · · · ·Intelligence: +1 Level up
5 · · Barbarian(1)· · ·
6 · · Barbarian(2)· · ·Standard: Precision
7 · · Rogue(2)· · · · ·
8 · · Rogue(3)· · · · ·Intelligence: +1 Level up
9 · · Rogue(4)· · · · ·Standard: Improved Single Weapon Fighting
10· · Barbarian(3)· · ·
11· · Barbarian(4)· · ·
12· · Barbarian(5)· · ·Standard: Improved Critical: Slashing Weapons
· · · · · · · · · · · ·Intelligence: +1 Level up
13· · Rogue(5)· · · · ·
14· · Rogue(6)· · · · ·
15· · Rogue(7)· · · · ·Standard: Greater Single Weapon Fighting
16· · Rogue(8)· · · · ·Intelligence: +1 Level up
17· · Rogue(9)· · · · ·
18· · Rogue(10) · · · ·Standard: Insightful Reflexes
· · · · · · · · · · · ·Rogue Special Ability: Opportunist
19· · Rogue(11) · · · ·
20· · Rogue(12) · · · ·Intelligence: +1 Level up
21· · Epic(1) · · · · ·Epic Feat: Overwhelming Critical
22· · Epic(2) · · · · ·Epic Destiny Feat: Perfect Single Weapon Fighting
23· · Epic(3) · · · · ·
24· · Epic(4) · · · · ·Epic Feat: Improved Sneak Attack
· · · · · · · · · · · ·Intelligence: +1 Level up
25· · Epic(5) · · · · ·Epic Destiny Feat: Doublestrike
26· · Epic(6) · · · · ·
27· · Epic(7) · · · · ·Epic Feat: Blinding Speed
28· · Epic(8) · · · · ·Epic Destiny Feat: Harbinger of Chaos
· · · · · · · · · · · ·Intelligence: +1 Level up
29· · Epic(9) · · · · ·
30· · Epic(10)· · · · ·Epic Feat: Epic Damage Reduction
· · · · · · · · · · · ·Legendary: Scion of the Ethereal Plane
31· · Legendary(1)· · ·Epic Destiny Feat: Shield Mastery Specialty
32· · Legendary(2)· · ·Intelligence: +1 Level up

Granted Feats
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deflect Arrows
Diehard
Evasion
Improved Evasion
Magical Training
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Skills
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skill Points· · ·48 10 10 10· 8 ·8 12 13 13 ·9· 9 ·9 13 13 13 14 14 14 14 14
Skill Name· · · ·01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20· Total Buffed
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Balance · · · · · 4 ·1· 1 ·1· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 7.0 · 31.0
Bluff · · · · · · 4 ·1· 1 ·1· · ·2· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· ·23.0 · 39.0
Concentration · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 0.0 · 20.0
Diplomacy · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 0.0 · 16.0
Disable Device· · 4 ·1· · ·1· · ·1· 1 ·1· 2 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·2· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· ·23.0 · 51.0
Haggle· · · · · · 4 ·1· 1 ·1· · ·1· · ·1· 3 · · · · · · ·3· 3 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· ·23.0 · 39.0
Heal· · · · · · · · · · · · · 4 · · · · · · ·1· 1 ·1· · ·1· · ·1· · ·1· · ·1· ·11.0 · 28.0
Hide· · · · · · · 4 ·1· 1 ·1· · · · · · · 3 · · · · · · · · 4 ·5· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· ·23.0 · 47.0
Intimidate· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 0.0 · 16.0
Jump· · · · · · · · ·2· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 2.0 · 19.0
Listen· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 0.0 · 18.0
Move Silently · · 4 · · 2 ·1· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 6 ·4· 5 ·1· ·23.0 · 47.0
Open Lock · · · · 4 · · · · · · · · 3 ·2· 1 · · 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·4· ·23.0 · 49.0
Perform · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 0.0 · 16.0
Repair· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 0.0 · 26.0
Search· · · · · · 4 · · 1 · · · · · 4 ·1· 1 · · · · · 5 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· ·23.0 · 51.0
Spell Craft · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 0.0 · 26.0
Spot· · · · · · · 4 · · · ·1· · · · · ·6· 1 ·1· · · · 2 ·2· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· ·23.0 · 43.0
Swim· · · · · · · 4 ·1· 1 · · · · · · · · · ·1· 1 ·1· · · · · · · · · · · · · · 9.0 · 26.0
Tumble· · · · · · 4 · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 4.0 · 28.0
Use Magic Device· 4 ·1· 1 ·1· · · · 3 ·1· 1 · · · · · 3 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 2 ·1· ·23.0 · 39.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Available Points· 0 ·0· 0 ·0· 0 ·0· 0 ·0· 0 ·0· 0 ·0· 0 ·0· 0 ·0· 0 ·0· 0 ·0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enhancements: 80 APs
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shadar-Kai - Points spent: 19
Core1 Grit
Tier1 Vicious Chain
Core2 Ability I: Dexterity
Core3 Shadow Phase
Core4 Shadow Jaunt
Core5 Empowered Jaunt
Tier2 Forceful Chain
Tier2 Guile I
Tier3 Ghastly Chain
Tier3 Displacement
Tier3 Guile II
Tier4 Greater Spiked Chain Attack
Tier4 Winter Favored
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frenzied Berserker - Points spent: 32
Core1 Die Hard
Tier1 Die Harder - 3 Ranks
Tier1 Cracking Attack - 3 Ranks
Tier2 Blood Tribute - 3 Ranks
Core2 Frenzied Toughness I
Tier2 Sprint Boost - 1 Ranks
Tier2 Extra Action Boost - 3 Ranks
Tier2 Body Blow - 3 Ranks
Tier3 Supreme Cleave - 3 Ranks
Tier3 Blood Trail - 3 Ranks
Tier4 Crazy Strike - 3 Ranks
Tier4 Wade In - 3 Ranks
Tier5 Focused Wrath - 2 Ranks
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Swashbuckler - Points spent: 13
Core1 Confidence
Tier1 Blow By Blow: Blow By Blow - 3 Ranks
Tier1 Tavern Shanties - 1 Ranks
Core2 Swashbuckling
Tier2 Action Boost: Double Strike Boost - 1 Ranks
Tier2 Deflect Arrows
Tier3 Swashbuckling Style: Skirmisher
Tier3 Different Tack: Two Steps Ahead
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thief-Acrobat - Points spent: 8
Core1 Staff Control
Tier1 Fast Movement
Tier1 Sly Flourish - 2 Ranks
Tier2 Haste Boost - 3 Ranks
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harper Agent - Points spent: 8
Core1 Agent of Good I
Tier1 Harper Enchantment
Tier1 Strategic Combat I
Tier2 Know the Angles - 3 Ranks
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Epic Destinies: 40 APs + 12 permanent Destiny Points
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Legendary Dreadnought - Points spent: 34
Core1 Fearless
Tier1 Dread Mantle
Tier1 Dire Attack: Dire Charge
Tier1 Push Through The Line - 2 Ranks
Tier2 Ghost Touch
Tier2 Combat Brute
Core2 Weaponmaster
Tier2 Extra Action Boosts - 2 Ranks
Tier2 Life and Death - 3 Ranks
Core3 Thick Skinned
Tier3 Momentum Swing
Tier3 Strike Twice - 3 Ranks
Core4 Unparalleled Accuracy
Tier4 Lay Waste
Tier4 Strike with Fear
Tier4 Untouchable
Tier4 Kick While They're Down - 3 Ranks
Tier5 Overpower: Lacerator
Tier5 Legendary Rally: Legendary Rally (Melee)
Tier5 Dusk Surge
Tier5 Action Hero
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shadowdancer - Points spent: 13
Core1 Shadow Training
Tier1 Cover of Darkness - 3 Ranks
Tier1 Technician - 1 Ranks
Core2 Step Through Shadows
Tier2 Epic Strike: Shadowstrike (Melee)
Tier2 Dance in the Dark - 2 Ranks
Core3 The Darkest Luck
Tier3 Epic Strike Upgrade I: Dark Imbuement
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unyielding Sentinel - Points spent: 13
Core1 Unyielding
Tier1 Divine Energy Resistance
Tier1 Brace for Impact - 2 Ranks
Core2 Ward Against Darkness
Tier2 Renewal
Tier2 Shield Prowess - 3 Ranks
Tier3 Legendary Shield Mastery - 3 Ranks
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The only two things which really matter from Frenzied Berserker are Blood Tribute (temp HPs FTW) and Focused Wrath (+2 crit multiplier). We won't be Raging so there's no need for Power Rage etc. Just spend your filler APs on whatever else you like.

Switched to S&B: Legendary Shield Mastery + Shield Mastery Specialty should be +16% doublestrike +25 PRR (though I've seen posts that SMS's PRR is still bugged) with another +10% Dodge from Skirmisher. That is hopefully a net DPS gain over Offhand Versatility (+0.25x INT); plus it frees a feat slot for Insightful Reflexes and boosts survivability.

Added Winter Favored Imbue which has the highest base damage of any Imbue (1d12) with the downside of only applying to sneak attacks. But between Bluff, Improved Feint, Deception gear, and Lay Waste stuns, you will hopefully always be sneak-attacking. I don't have enough APs to max out Toxin Affinity (+3 Imbue dice), so DPS is a bit lower than it would be with a ton of extra racial APs. Which is how this always goes...

If you don't have Harper Agent, you can go DEX-based instead. You'll need Weapon Finesse for DEX to hit with handaxes (take it at level 3 and move Improved Feint to level 18); and take Swift Strikes instead of Two Steps Ahead for DEX to damage.

 

[Bjond]

I've played a bunch of swash variants. Two of my current melee chars use swash: Rogue+Fighter & Rogue+Barb. They're both D.Roll DPS+Tanks with the Barb being a slight upgrade. FOTW+SD+whatever for questing and US+SD+EA when rigged for raid-tanking. They're extremely effective and tons of fun to play. They're fine for R10 tank or dps, but I don't feel good past R1 raid tanking with them.

Here are various tidbits based on my play experience with them.

Haxe v Dagger is the only real choice for weapons. Dagger implies VKF. Haxe wants FB T5. I prefer Haxe over Dagger in Barb/Swash splits, since it can pickup Supreme Cleave in FB for AE. But, when tanking I FAR prefer using Labrythine Kukri for salt & it's nice tanky buff.

SDK Chains are HUGE fun. They hit hard in a VERY large radius and work while moving. Building for them is worth it. Handaxe @ 15x5 is great DPS and what I use to level. For tanking at cap, Labrythine's salt applies to all critters the chains hit.

BTW, either SDK racial chains OR S.Cleave are fine as a sole source of AE. Having just one usually feels a smidge lacking, but having both feels like I overbuilt for AE.

First Life doesn't have enough AP for the real fun, which comes from FB:T5 + Swash:T3 + Acrobat:T4 for D.Roll along with Chains in racial; iirc, that takes at least 6 RAP or so. First Life has to swap Barb for Kensei and accept 15x4 profile for Chains + D.Roll, but it's still fun.

If you play high reaper, Improved Uncanny Dodge is worth building for. With enough base dodge, I.Uncanny will permit you to tank Dooms. It's incredibly useful even if you're not primary tank. L8 of either Rogue or Barb will unlock I.Uncanny.

Almost all splits keep Bard at L3: just enough for Swash. For the other L17, I prefer more Rogue for Sneak & Dodge (both more dps and more tank). More Barb is pretty much just more tank: more HP, Hamp, DR, & MPRR, but those can feel much more comfortable on First-Life. Fighter instead of Barb makes building a LOT easier with it's extra feats and cheaper AP buys, but both dps & defensives are lower.

Be sure to use a Buckler with Guard-breaking. It's so nice for swash, that (IMHO) bucklers without guardbreaking might as well not exist.

For imbues, ignore Winter-Favored, iced-edges, & Rogue's poison; half the game is immune to cold & poison. Nothing is immune to Swash Sonic, it only costs 2 AP over basic swash, and ends up doing more DPS due to spell-power scaling. AP is ultra tight on Swash/Barb. You will need to make lots of hard choices. Spending minimal AP on imbues or punting them completely might be one of them.

I don't care for rage. A mere 2d6 sneak outperforms STR+14; ie. rage barely increases DPS and the restrictions are insanely annoying. BUT if you need to save AP, STR basis conserves the most and likes rage. DEX is next on AP conservation, but costs 1 feat + 2 AP. The rest all cost 7+ AP.

 

[Rull]

I still can't connect to the old forums and my copy of this build is obsolete (predates the Epic Destiny revamp), so let's try a quick update for INT-based rogue 12 / barbarian 5 / bard 3:

Character name: SDK Swashzerker
Classes: 12 Rogue, 10 Epic, 5 Barbarian, 3 Bard, 2 Legendary
Race: Shadar-Kai· · · · · ·Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

· · ·Start Tome Final · · ·Incorp:· · ·0% · · ·Displacement:· ·25%
Str:· · ·8· · 0 · · 8 · · ·HP:· · · · 871 · · ·AC:· · 16
Dex:· · 18· · 3 · ·23 · · ·PRR: · · · ·25
Con:· · 14· · 0 · ·14 · · ·MRR: · · · · 0 · · ·+Healing Amp:· · 20
Int:· · 18· · 0 · ·26 · · ·Dodge: · 11/25 · · ·-Healing Amp:· · 10
Wis:· · ·8· · 0 · · 8 · · ·Fort:· · · 25% · · ·Repair Amp:· · · 10
Cha:· · ·6· · 0 · · 6 · · ·SR:· · · · · 0 · · ·BAB: · · · · · · 21
DR: 4%
Immunities: Fear, Magic Missiles

Class and Feat Selection
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Level Class · · · · · ·Feats
1 · · Rogue(1)· · · · ·Standard: Single Weapon Fighting
2 · · Bard(1) · · · · ·
3 · · Bard(2) · · · · ·Standard: Improved Feint
4 · · Bard(3) · · · · ·Intelligence: +1 Level up
5 · · Barbarian(1)· · ·
6 · · Barbarian(2)· · ·Standard: Precision
7 · · Rogue(2)· · · · ·
8 · · Rogue(3)· · · · ·Intelligence: +1 Level up
9 · · Rogue(4)· · · · ·Standard: Improved Single Weapon Fighting
10· · Barbarian(3)· · ·
11· · Barbarian(4)· · ·
12· · Barbarian(5)· · ·Standard: Improved Critical: Slashing Weapons
· · · · · · · · · · · ·Intelligence: +1 Level up
13· · Rogue(5)· · · · ·
14· · Rogue(6)· · · · ·
15· · Rogue(7)· · · · ·Standard: Greater Single Weapon Fighting
16· · Rogue(8)· · · · ·Intelligence: +1 Level up
17· · Rogue(9)· · · · ·
18· · Rogue(10) · · · ·Standard: Insightful Reflexes
· · · · · · · · · · · ·Rogue Special Ability: Opportunist
19· · Rogue(11) · · · ·
20· · Rogue(12) · · · ·Intelligence: +1 Level up
21· · Epic(1) · · · · ·Epic Feat: Overwhelming Critical
22· · Epic(2) · · · · ·Epic Destiny Feat: Perfect Single Weapon Fighting
23· · Epic(3) · · · · ·
24· · Epic(4) · · · · ·Epic Feat: Improved Sneak Attack
· · · · · · · · · · · ·Intelligence: +1 Level up
25· · Epic(5) · · · · ·Epic Destiny Feat: Doublestrike
26· · Epic(6) · · · · ·
27· · Epic(7) · · · · ·Epic Feat: Blinding Speed
28· · Epic(8) · · · · ·Epic Destiny Feat: Harbinger of Chaos
· · · · · · · · · · · ·Intelligence: +1 Level up
29· · Epic(9) · · · · ·
30· · Epic(10)· · · · ·Epic Feat: Epic Damage Reduction
· · · · · · · · · · · ·Legendary: Scion of the Ethereal Plane
31· · Legendary(1)· · ·Epic Destiny Feat: Shield Mastery Specialty
32· · Legendary(2)· · ·Intelligence: +1 Level up

Granted Feats
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Deflect Arrows
Diehard
Evasion
Improved Evasion
Magical Training
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Skills
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skill Points· · ·48 10 10 10· 8 ·8 12 13 13 ·9· 9 ·9 13 13 13 14 14 14 14 14
Skill Name· · · ·01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20· Total Buffed
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Balance · · · · · 4 ·1· 1 ·1· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 7.0 · 31.0
Bluff · · · · · · 4 ·1· 1 ·1· · ·2· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· ·23.0 · 39.0
Concentration · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 0.0 · 20.0
Diplomacy · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 0.0 · 16.0
Disable Device· · 4 ·1· · ·1· · ·1· 1 ·1· 2 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·2· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· ·23.0 · 51.0
Haggle· · · · · · 4 ·1· 1 ·1· · ·1· · ·1· 3 · · · · · · ·3· 3 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· ·23.0 · 39.0
Heal· · · · · · · · · · · · · 4 · · · · · · ·1· 1 ·1· · ·1· · ·1· · ·1· · ·1· ·11.0 · 28.0
Hide· · · · · · · 4 ·1· 1 ·1· · · · · · · 3 · · · · · · · · 4 ·5· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· ·23.0 · 47.0
Intimidate· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 0.0 · 16.0
Jump· · · · · · · · ·2· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 2.0 · 19.0
Listen· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 0.0 · 18.0
Move Silently · · 4 · · 2 ·1· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 6 ·4· 5 ·1· ·23.0 · 47.0
Open Lock · · · · 4 · · · · · · · · 3 ·2· 1 · · 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·4· ·23.0 · 49.0
Perform · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 0.0 · 16.0
Repair· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 0.0 · 26.0
Search· · · · · · 4 · · 1 · · · · · 4 ·1· 1 · · · · · 5 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· ·23.0 · 51.0
Spell Craft · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 0.0 · 26.0
Spot· · · · · · · 4 · · · ·1· · · · · ·6· 1 ·1· · · · 2 ·2· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· ·23.0 · 43.0
Swim· · · · · · · 4 ·1· 1 · · · · · · · · · ·1· 1 ·1· · · · · · · · · · · · · · 9.0 · 26.0
Tumble· · · · · · 4 · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 4.0 · 28.0
Use Magic Device· 4 ·1· 1 ·1· · · · 3 ·1· 1 · · · · · 3 ·1· 1 ·1· 1 ·1· 2 ·1· ·23.0 · 39.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Available Points· 0 ·0· 0 ·0· 0 ·0· 0 ·0· 0 ·0· 0 ·0· 0 ·0· 0 ·0· 0 ·0· 0 ·0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enhancements: 80 APs
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shadar-Kai - Points spent: 19
Core1 Grit
Tier1 Vicious Chain
Core2 Ability I: Dexterity
Core3 Shadow Phase
Core4 Shadow Jaunt
Core5 Empowered Jaunt
Tier2 Forceful Chain
Tier2 Guile I
Tier3 Ghastly Chain
Tier3 Displacement
Tier3 Guile II
Tier4 Greater Spiked Chain Attack
Tier4 Winter Favored
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frenzied Berserker - Points spent: 32
Core1 Die Hard
Tier1 Die Harder - 3 Ranks
Tier1 Cracking Attack - 3 Ranks
Tier2 Blood Tribute - 3 Ranks
Core2 Frenzied Toughness I
Tier2 Sprint Boost - 1 Ranks
Tier2 Extra Action Boost - 3 Ranks
Tier2 Body Blow - 3 Ranks
Tier3 Supreme Cleave - 3 Ranks
Tier3 Blood Trail - 3 Ranks
Tier4 Crazy Strike - 3 Ranks
Tier4 Wade In - 3 Ranks
Tier5 Focused Wrath - 2 Ranks
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Swashbuckler - Points spent: 13
Core1 Confidence
Tier1 Blow By Blow: Blow By Blow - 3 Ranks
Tier1 Tavern Shanties - 1 Ranks
Core2 Swashbuckling
Tier2 Action Boost: Double Strike Boost - 1 Ranks
Tier2 Deflect Arrows
Tier3 Swashbuckling Style: Skirmisher
Tier3 Different Tack: Two Steps Ahead
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thief-Acrobat - Points spent: 8
Core1 Staff Control
Tier1 Fast Movement
Tier1 Sly Flourish - 2 Ranks
Tier2 Haste Boost - 3 Ranks
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harper Agent - Points spent: 8
Core1 Agent of Good I
Tier1 Harper Enchantment
Tier1 Strategic Combat I
Tier2 Know the Angles - 3 Ranks
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Epic Destinies: 40 APs + 12 permanent Destiny Points
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Legendary Dreadnought - Points spent: 34
Core1 Fearless
Tier1 Dread Mantle
Tier1 Dire Attack: Dire Charge
Tier1 Push Through The Line - 2 Ranks
Tier2 Ghost Touch
Tier2 Combat Brute
Core2 Weaponmaster
Tier2 Extra Action Boosts - 2 Ranks
Tier2 Life and Death - 3 Ranks
Core3 Thick Skinned
Tier3 Momentum Swing
Tier3 Strike Twice - 3 Ranks
Core4 Unparalleled Accuracy
Tier4 Lay Waste
Tier4 Strike with Fear
Tier4 Untouchable
Tier4 Kick While They're Down - 3 Ranks
Tier5 Overpower: Lacerator
Tier5 Legendary Rally: Legendary Rally (Melee)
Tier5 Dusk Surge
Tier5 Action Hero
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shadowdancer - Points spent: 13
Core1 Shadow Training
Tier1 Cover of Darkness - 3 Ranks
Tier1 Technician - 1 Ranks
Core2 Step Through Shadows
Tier2 Epic Strike: Shadowstrike (Melee)
Tier2 Dance in the Dark - 2 Ranks
Core3 The Darkest Luck
Tier3 Epic Strike Upgrade I: Dark Imbuement
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unyielding Sentinel - Points spent: 13
Core1 Unyielding
Tier1 Divine Energy Resistance
Tier1 Brace for Impact - 2 Ranks
Core2 Ward Against Darkness
Tier2 Renewal
Tier2 Shield Prowess - 3 Ranks
Tier3 Legendary Shield Mastery - 3 Ranks
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The only two things which really matter from Frenzied Berserker are Blood Tribute (temp HPs FTW) and Focused Wrath (+2 crit multiplier). We won't be Raging so there's no need for Power Rage etc. Just spend your filler APs on whatever else you like.

Switched to S&B: Legendary Shield Mastery + Shield Mastery Specialty should be +16% doublestrike +25 PRR (though I've seen posts that SMS's PRR is still bugged) with another +10% Dodge from Skirmisher. That is hopefully a net DPS gain over Offhand Versatility (+0.25x INT); plus it frees a feat slot for Insightful Reflexes and boosts survivability.

Added Winter Favored Imbue which has the highest base damage of any Imbue (1d12) with the downside of only applying to sneak attacks. But between Bluff, Improved Feint, Deception gear, and Lay Waste stuns, you will hopefully always be sneak-attacking. I don't have enough APs to max out Toxin Affinity (+3 Imbue dice), so DPS is a bit lower than it would be with a ton of extra racial APs. Which is how this always goes...

If you don't have Harper Agent, you can go DEX-based instead. You'll need Weapon Finesse for DEX to hit with handaxes (take it at level 3 and move Improved Feint to level 18); and take Swift Strikes instead of Two Steps Ahead for DEX to damage.

Winter Favored Imbue was absolute garbage last time I tried, it had 1d12 but didn't even scale 100% on melee power.
Even if they fixed that, the Venomed Bladed scales 200%, making it more like an '1d16' imbue.

@OP:
Since you asked about a first life, I'll assume no racial or universal points nor tomes. Without tomes, I don't see you getting high enough dex and still get *meaningfully more* int for know the angles.
If you're mainly raiding and don't have any racial AP, I wouldn't bother with the SDK chain AoE. Nor with the movement speed of acrobat but rather get that from vistani (since you'll have the points by not going into SDK).
So 32 frenzied, 13 horizon walker, 13 (no deflect arrows) swash, 11 vistani, 11 assassin. 20 dex 16 con 14 int.
Surely there'll be an alchemist stripping poison immunity away for you in the raid.

 

[unbongwah]

For imbues, ignore Winter-Favored, iced-edges, & Rogue's poison; half the game is immune to cold & poison. Nothing is immune to Swash Sonic, it only costs 2 AP over basic swash, and ends up doing more DPS due to spell-power scaling. AP is ultra tight on Swash/Barb. You will need to make lots of hard choices. Spending minimal AP on imbues or punting them completely might be one of them.

I had wondered about that. I have the skill points to spare to max Perform. But between slotting Sonic Spellpower - plus complaints that the Sonic Imbue is bugged - I wasn't sure which to take. It's a simple swap between Winter Favored<->Resonant Arms.

 

[SylvanPhoenix]

I should clarify that for this first life iconic my main goal is to try out the build and take it to cap as an alt. I'll have it as a backup to raid when my main is either TRing or on timer. I expect to have a different AP spend while leveling than when I'm at cap running raids. I appreciate hearing what you'd do if you have more points as I will consider this build for one of my mains in a future life. At that point, I'll have the stats and some racial APs to have more options.

 

[Bjond]

complaints that the Sonic Imbue is bugged

It's a bad title with too much hyperbole. His complaint is not about ALL sonic imbues, he generalized to "all sonic" from his play with Tiefling Scoundrel racial imbue, which has other triggers besides on-hit. Someone else brought up DH blood imbue as bugged and it also has HP-level triggers. So, it seems more likely that it's a bug with HP-level imbues than with sonic (or with "not simple on-hit imbues").

TBF, I haven't checked any imbues for doublestrike or doubleshot issues because of the pain involved in manually pawing through damage log. AFAIK, they could all be bugged.

I should clarify that for this first life iconic my main goal is to try out the build and take it to cap as an alt. I'll have it as a backup to raid

I do the same thing. I take one char down and work it for TRs and such. During that time it's not available for raiding. Then I'll rebuild into a raid-only char and park it at cap while working a different one. This makes it so much easier to raid and/or XP because I've found those two goals result in VERY different builds.

 

[Tyriax]

Ive spent a lot of time toying with SDK Bard/Barb Swash builds over the past year and a half or so and its really open to many different variations for different reasons.

For me personally I went a whole other route than most, while it might sound a bit silly in epics I go into Unyielding Sentinel as my main ED. The dps loss vs LD is not as much as you might think and what you gain is pretty outstanding. You get the 10k hp Undying Vanguard, AOE Lay on hands, Renewal, gobs of HP if you spend some feats on it and loads of survivability. And throw the boom, a ranged AOE stun that taunts everything in the game, unbelievably strong.

A lot of what I see here is really good/strong advice! Rogue 12 makes a lot of sense if you can make the break point of dex for the sneak dice, I personally go 35 pts into Frenzied and pick up the tantrum cleave and my 25% hp, I dont use rages because it interferes with clickys and overall just makes anything like traps and locked things more annoying to deal with. I get the low hanging fruit from assassin skipping the imbues to shave on spent AP, Vistani for the PRR/MRR, haste boost, cheaper deflect than swash tree and 5% doublestrike. Ive tried harper for KTA but its a big investment that cuts you off of TA runspeed and some of the sneak dice from assassin. 11 pts is the absolute minimum in Swash to get Skirmisher and use a shield for all the goodies from Unyielding sentinel that require one. SDK I do 18 pts to get the 5% uncapped dodge for chains plus the trip lands decently often.


My ED split is 44 US, 15 SD, 14 FS. I get Energy drain immunity from SD plus the 3 cores, Reign from Fatesinger plus the epic strike and the cleave and 3 cores. I use the US stance for the HP and Absorption.

I tank r10s regularly as well as LH raids, all while doing some really solid DPS. Imp Uncanny dodge plays a large role in tanking r10 content, specfically dooms and red names that are hard hitters, but with decent healing its not something that is just always on cooldown.

Gear is really important, I am on 5 piece isle of dread with an Attuned bone hand axe, I use red dragon armor and perfected red dragon helm for the PRR and Dripping with magma effect plus the other stats are quite good.

Since you are doing first life the AP will be very tight, Id stick with some of the above suggestions to shave AP, probably 17 SDK, 33 FB maybe get haste boost from TA and whatever you can put into extra sneak dice from assassin, if the points are there grab tantrum, its really good.

Destinies are a lot tougher, you pretty much need 37 in US which doesnt leave much for the other two, evasion is a must and get the Epic strike/cleave from fatesinger if you can but Id skip on fatesinger if the points just arent there.

Between tantrum, Supreme cleave, Chainsx2 and the fatesinger cleave your AOE damage will be pretty incredible.

Other considerations for this type of build are

14 Barbarian 3 bard 3 wizard
This gets you more HP, more Barb DR and you can get into Ek tree for EK:Arcane barrier to get really tanky
On this version and the other wizard version I did solo VOD on Lh in about 25-30 minutes, on rogue you lose the Arcane barrier, HP and extra barb DR and can die to burst damage or curses landing when you are healing during orthons can just ruin your day so I was unable to complete the two attempts I made. It is definitely possible, but also definitely more challenging.

9 fighter 8 barb 3 bard
This makes things complicated for APs but you can get silly with shields, go for opportunity strike or go super tanky with vanguard and you get enough feats to gain some nice Melee power, WW attack and Spring attack to couple with Shadow jaunt and be extremely mobile

12 barbarian 5 wizard 3 bard is also an option, this gets you lesser death aura and you can snapshot IOD debuffs onto that for some fun as well as picking up quicken and extend from free wizard feats


Ive played with many other configurations but I end up Full SWF line and Full Shield mastery line including both Perfected SWF and Perfected Shield mastery with Bulwark and Deific warding to improve things in US

This build is fairly average in heroics, but it really comes to life in epics. You are AOE machine with chain and other AOEs mentioned above. Self heals from renewal will sustain you really well and you should be capable of r4-5. At cap with past lives and good gear I can quite simply sprint through up to r7 barring too many crowns/reapers or just plain bad luck and solo r10 is doable with patience and caution.