Theory crafting a HC built.

[Misadventure]

Thinking of doing a dual wielding blight caster.

Tried testing an iconic a few days ago, cant seem to fine tune it, so asking here.

Key points:

Druid blight caster​

2 weapon fighting​

level 2 thorn blade spell​

feydark illusionist Illusory Weaponry​

falcon wisdom hit/damage​

Hive master​

For 2 weapon fighting I need Dex 15, not sure if I can get dex 17 for greater later on.

So it will be something like Dex 15 Con 15 and Wis 16 if i'm not wrong.

Main hand will be thorn blade for poison and curse, off hand will be force blade for force and nightmare which is a vonpal instant kill.
The problem is when I tested off hand was using CHA hit/dmg as default which is why needed falcony which is level 5 in HC if you ignore everything else.

The other problem is as a druid its not very fighter friendly, nor will I have any feats or enhancements for melee fighting.
Nor am I in animal form, I'm choosing hive form, thus not touching the mutt tree enhancement.

On the other hand I'll have many buffs including protection from energy, resist energy, stone skin, death ward, fom etc.

The way I see it currently I seem to be trying to do a nature EK without any fighting feats or enhancements currently.

Do note I will not be taking any nature fighting as I will not turn into a dog unless its just for running around.

I have to stay in druid and cant multi class to grow the thorn blade apparently.

Feydark illusionist need 3 AP for Illusory Weaponry, 9 total later when i can spare it.

Falcony need 12 AP for wis hit/dmg. Also if choose raven blight caster got an attack on tier 4 which needs this prerequisite.

The rest all goes into blight caster I guess unless I got something in radical I want.

Could use some help fine-tuning this idea, thank you.

 

[unbongwah]

For 2 weapon fighting I need Dex 15, not sure if I can get dex 17 for greater later on.

Just use the +2 tome from Favor, you can delay taking ITWF until you acquire it.

Main hand will be thorn blade for poison and curse, off hand will be force blade for force and nightmare which is a vonpal instant kill.

Cast dual Shadowblades first, then one-hand Thorn Blade - clever! I never thought of trying that before. But it appears to work as planned:

Though one drawback is Thorn Blade would use Improved Critical Slashing (scimitar) while Shadowblade is Piercing (shortsword). Another drawback is there's nothing in Blightcaster to boost melee DPS.

You can't summon your Feydark Familiar and Falconry Hunting Bird simultaneously, but that shouldn't be a problem, since Shadowblades doesn't depend on your Familiar and I'm inferring you won't be taking anything else from Feydark which requires the Familiar.

The other problem is as a druid its not very fighter friendly, nor will I have any feats or enhancements for melee fighting.

Pure human druid has 8 feats; that's enough for TWF x3, Precision, Improved Critical, and three metamagics (e.g., Max/Emp/Quick). You can skip Precision and/or Improved Critical for more caster feats, depending on where your focus is (melee vs caster DPS).

I have to stay in druid and cant multi class to grow the thorn blade apparently.

AFAIK Thorn Blade follows the same caster progression as Flame Blade, so dipping non-druid classes will delay its growth and cost you the level 30 improvement (presuming you survive that long).

 

[Misadventure]

Just use the +2 tome from Favor, you can delay taking ITWF until you acquire it.

Cast dual Shadowblades first, then one-hand Thorn Blade - clever! I never thought of trying that before. But it appears to work as planned:

Though one drawback is Thorn Blade would use Improved Critical Slashing (scimitar) while Shadowblade is Piercing (shortsword). Another drawback is there's nothing in Blightcaster to boost melee DPS.

Can do it the other way around also. Just scimitar in main hand seem more logical.
There's nothing in the whole druid tree to boost melee dps unless you are an animal.
Maybe... Helf dilly in fighter or something? But that a whole other AP sink. I dont think I should get so distracted in HC.

You can't summon your Feydark Familiar and Falconry Hunting Bird simultaneously, but that shouldn't be a problem, since Shadowblades doesn't depend on your Familiar and I'm inferring you won't be taking anything else from Feydark which requires the Familiar.

From what I tested it dosent seem to matter which one you choose, its only a visual issue.
Ultimately I want illusion weapon blur and shield. 9 ap.

Pure human druid has 8 feats; that's enough for TWF x3, Precision, Improved Critical, and three metamagics (e.g., Max/Emp/Quick). You can skip Precision and/or Improved Critical for more caster feats, depending on where your focus is (melee vs caster DPS).

AFAIK Thorn Blade follows the same caster progression as Flame Blade, so dipping non-druid classes will delay its growth and cost you the level 30 improvement (presuming you survive that long).

Now you make me want to try a flame blade version lol. Could I have both flame blade and thorn blade? Dont think so. Vonpal is too attractive anyway.

 

[Misadventure]

Anyone else can help me fine tune this?

 

[Misadventure]

Anyone else can help me fine tune this?

 

[Bjond]

Thinking of doing a dual wielding blight caster.

Why?

Eh. It's a seriously annoying question that may upset your chosen apple-cart, but I'd suggest a more top-down approach. Decide what you need in HC. Then use that oh so sharp razor to carve the impossible from the possible for HC builds.

For instance, when I wanted to do HC, my goal was "5k Favor" with much more minor ones of "L20" and (even more minor) "RXP". That permitted me to chop out "plays great in epics", "nice for @cap RXP'ing", and focus on heroic-only because that's where the favor is.

Able to live through a 30s lag spike surrounded by agro was my minimum survival requirement. This makes the build choice extremely easy, since only PM can do that (via boon of undeath @ L15). High-AC build can probably do it, too (especially in heroic), but I don't know where the AC threshold lies for that and that style might require extreme farming or CC gear (bootstrapping CC without an essence stash is a nightmare).

You've got some great ideas for Elite/R1 HC play (hivemaster displace would work nicely there), but it also looks like you're starting with flavor and then proceeding to HCify it.

I'd advise being explicit with yourself about your goals and requirements for HC and then constantly checking your choices against those goals; eg.

• How much lag must your build survive before you consider death to be OK?
• How are you going to deal with traps? (if relying on memory, the reminders can be painful)
• How much gear farming are you willing to tolerate?
• Will you be grouped or solo?

 

[PaleFox]

I have to agree wind Bjond there.

Make up your mind about your goals and go from there.

But a Half-Elf Blightcaster - Hive Master could work.

Dualwielding on HC is not a good plan unless you're a female halfling in wolf form because reasons...

 

[Owlbear]

You know there is a Hardcore forum section right?

https://forums.ddo.com/index.php?forums/hardcore.68/

 

[Misadventure]

I have to agree wind Bjond there.

Make up your mind about your goals and go from there.

But a Half-Elf Blightcaster - Hive Master could work.

Dualwielding on HC is not a good plan unless you're a female halfling in wolf form because reasons...

Because of halfling heals?

 

[PaleFox]

Because of halfling heals?

They don't need to duck for cow milk squirts.