Boeroer

I guess it was not intended at first. But it adds something nice to the rogue - so I hope they leave it like it is. Or - as I said - I wouldn't mind a tlant that unlocks deathblows and/or Sneak Attack for spells and scrolls.

Well, a chanter with Aefyllath and Sure-Handed Ila is great for any party that relies on ranged combat. It is still a very powerful playstyle to combine high movement speed with ranged weapons and shot on the run. That chanter adds a lot of damage with Aefyllath - since not only ranged weapons get buffed but also spells, scrolls and such (people tend to overlook that - it's superpowerful). And besides that he speeds up your shooting and reloading. And apart from that, he can put out a nice invocation from time to time (see it as a bonus). There's no other character who can do this for the whole party. And he himself will do good damage, too. Of course, he doen't have fancy +dmg abilities himself, but withoput him all the speedup and +burn dfamage magic won't happen at all. If you give him Scion of Flames, Arms Bearer, Quick Switch and four arquebuses you can watch him vaporizing enemies while Aefyllath is on - and once his last gun was fired he profits from the reload speedup. You could even give him all fire spellbind items (meaning 10 fireballs and 6 Sunlances per rest) and combine this with Aefyllath. He will do more damage with that than any wizard while buffing the whole party damage AND speedup their shots. I think this is quite good without using the Dragon Thrashed.

I agree on the summons - for my playstyle they are totally useless and therefore... I never use them. And it's true that the CC part of chanters needs way more planning and tactics than with the usual "I'll cast it in your face NOW!" cc guy. But once the phrase counter hits 4 and you can cone-paralyze nearly all enemies (and do this over and over again if you have to) the chanter makes most encounters easy. It is true that this is of no use at the start of the fight. But you can overcome this if you drag enemies towards your group (if your chanter is the only guy who can do cc). It's a bit annoying but you can work around it. Other classes on the other hand have no means whatsoever of doing great (AoE) damage, (AoE) CC, healing, revival, boosting defenses and whatnot all at the same time. Nobody complains that a dps rogue can't do any good cc or drops dead all the time. A tanky chanter however can do lots of dps (chaining Dragon Thrashed doe more damage than Sacred Immolation - in a bigger area) while also being able to buff and revive and cc. I don't understand what's to complain about - I mean if you look at it impartially. You can hate him or like him or just feeling "so-so" - but I don't think you can say he's weak or boring or something like that.

I like to have longer fights with sturdier party members (who don't die quickly). So a chanter is great for this because the slowness of my fights is a plus for them. And you all forgot on of the most powerful weapon of chanters which they can have from level 1 on and only costs 3 phrases: White Worms. This thing is absolutely devastating even if you only have one chanter. With more than one it gets absurd. You just have to build around the fact that you have to pile up corpses and don't reload. And turn off the gib option (gib=no corpse). I would say that the high level chanter is one of the most powerful chars there is. And if you use more than one the usefulness acually rises expotentially. Ancient Memory + Beloved Spirits + Veteran's Recovery + max PER + six times Dragon Thrashed melts everything while you will have a very high regeneration rate - you won't go down. Even Dragons will go down after some time if you manage to cc them. Six times Damage Shield makes you near invulnerable (180 damage shield). You think it gets suppressed, but as soon as the first 30 damage are used up the next shield takes it's place.

Ouh nice. Good find. With targeted spells only (missiles and so on) or also with AoE spells like Fireball?

It does. But I can't answer your question. There are weapons or spells which do physical/elemental damage (Minor Missiles, Prestidigitator's Missiles, Durance's Staff...) and some which do it the other way round (Stormcaller, Bittercut...). Only the later will profit from a talent like Spirit of Decay, Heart of the Storm or Scion of Flame. I'm a bit sad that there's no weapon that does freeze/physical damage. Rimecutter, the White Spire or Wendwalker would have been great for this. Because all in all, Secrets of Rime and all the ice stuff is a bit underpowered. There are two or three nice ice spells and that's it. No pure freeze damage scroll, no freezing weapon, no special abilities. Fire, corrode and shock have a lot of spells, weapons, abilities and scrolls. I tried to build an ice themed chanter - and although he has two nice invocations with that theme and a chant, he's just inferior to a fire based chanter. Same with a wizard or druid. And what's that witch all the fire(ball) spellbindings? Flames of Fair Rhian, Taluntain's Staff, Necklace of Fireballs, Curoc's Brand, The Sun Touched Mail, Amulet of Summer Solstice. You can build a mighty Pyromamcer with those items. If you duplicate the Flames sabre you can have 10 Fireballs per rest and 6 Sunbeams. Lots of fire based scrolls on top of that. If you want to build that with ice... you're screwed.

I'm just playing around with my unarmed twin ciphers and did cast recall agony. I have the impression that it's damage generates focus for you. Could that be?

A high level chanter with max MIG and INT and The Dragon Thrashed is the best to clear mobs and adds. Tons of damage, hughe AoE. You can put him in the midst of the crowd and cast withdraw on him and he will still burn and slash everything. It's the only char with which I'm able to do all the bounties solo just by walking into their midst. He can be a great alternative to a paladin (there are chants that can mimic Zealous Endurance and Zealous Charge, he can raise defenses, can heal and revive). And nowadays - with brisk recitation, the invocations also come quickly enough. A high chanter with lvl-1-chants can paralyze-lock whole groups. I think chanters are great.

That would be really nice. Then He would not need any other buff or polishing. That would be powerful enough. I even would appreciate a talent or ability like "Arcane Trickster" or something like that which would unlock Sneak Attack and Deathblows for spells (and maybe even Backstab).

I think estocs are a solid choice for a melee cipher. Most melee ciphers need thicker armor and not too low endurance - or they will drop dead when the enemy looks at them. If you want more damage and less sturdyness while still using melee weapons (normally gives you more focus) then reach weapons are good. Hitting from the second row is a save bet - and since most of your damage and cc spells are foe only this is a good synergy.

No, sadly not. I have no idea if this is working as intended. If this gets "fixed" in a way that Deathblows doesn't work anymore this build can pack it's things and go. Then fighter or monks would be better scroll users. They would be more sturdy while having the same ACC and damage output. Especially since Turning Wheel works with all the melee spells like Jolting Touch.

Those are all very viable names. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is just the title of a famous german poem, written by Goethe. In this poem the apprentice tries out the magic of his master (who went out for a short time) and it all goes south because the apprentice knows the words to start the magic but doesn't know how to stop it. I had to learn it when I was in school and although I can't remember the words anymore I remember that I liked it. I thought it is quite fitting for this guy. I just couldn't find any poem where a rogue stole scrolls and used them with more proficiency than the author, hehe.

Hi guys! I also wanted to write a short backstory but totally forgot about that. Maybe I can add this this afternoon - if my kids let me. @MaxQuest: Nice pic - fits perfectly well! @Blunderbuss: Unfortunately I couldn't get Backstab to work with scrolls. Not even woith Feign Death or Cape of the Master Mystic. Also didn't work with Prestidigitator's Missiles - which is really fast. It also doesn't work if you use a special attack like Crippling Strike and so on. Only worked for me with standard implement attacks. @Statis_Sword: 1.: Not really. You just have to look up the ingredients for the scrolls you like best and then collect/buy/spawn them. The Curio Shop finally did something useful for me! And also the midnight guy in Ondra's Gift suddenly makes sense. 2.: I don't have one, but if you use the wiki and check all the unique items you get a good overview. @all: Right! You can of course build a great caster rogue with all those spell binding/holding/striking items. Especially if you also go into melee. Swaddling Sheet and White Crest, the Azurro mid shield and Bittercut... there are lots of items that grant you spells (that also work with Deep Wounds). Also the mind control items like Ring of Changing Heart, Munacra Arret and so on are really powerful on a rogue because of his high ACC and his hit-to-crit conversion. And then the Morning Star makes even more sense because you won't die instantly in melee once a foe targets you. But since Blunderboss is playing such a rogue at the moment and also wants to post his build I tried to completely switch to scrolls and leave most of those items aside. This way I was more independent from items and could totally focus on scrolls (and traps/mechanics).

"That old sorcerer has vanished And for once has gone away! Spirits called by him, now banished, My commands shall soon obey. Every step and saying That he used, I know, And with sprites obeying My arts I will show." From "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1797), translation by Edwin Zeydel (1955) =================================== The Sorcerer's Apprentice =================================== Difficulty: PotD v. 3.02 -------------------------------------------------------------- Class: Rogue -------------------------------------------------------------- Race: Wood Elf -------------------------------------------------------------- Background: Old Vailia - Merchant -------------------------------------------------------------- Stats: MIG: 18 CON: 03 DEX: 19 PER: 16 INT: 19 RES: 03 -------------------------------------------------------------- Skills: Stealth 1, Athl. 3, Lore 8, Mech. 12, Surv. 4 -------------------------------------------------------------- Talents (a=auto, r=recommended, !=important) Weapon Focus Noble ® Runner's Wounding Shot Marksman Dangerous Implement Penetrating Shot (!) Deep Pockets ® Vicious Fighting Prestidigitator's Missiles Abilities Blinding Strike Crippling Strike Deathblows(!) Deep Wounds ® Dirty Fighting Distant Advantage (a) Escape ® Sap Second Whind (a) Sneak Attack (a) Withering Strike --------------------------------------------------------------- Items (*=additional echantments by me; !=important, r=recommended): Weapon set 1: Engwithan Sceptre (*Exceptional, *Corrosive Lash, *Durgan Refined) or Pretty Pretty's Rib or Rod of Pale Shades or Puitente med Principi Weapon Set 2: Acuan Giamas (!) Boots: Boots of Speed or Viettros Formal Footwear (put only 7 points into Lore then!) Head: The Witch's Hat or Footpad's Hood Armor: Raiment of Wael's Eyes or Rundl's Finery (or any other robe) Neck: Glanfathan Adraswen or Cloak of Minor Missiles Belt: Girdle of Maegfolc Might Rings: Ring of Overseeing, Ring of Thorns Hands: Gauntlets of Swift Action or Ryona's Vembraces Quick slots: Scrolls, e.g.: Binding Web, Paralyze, Missile Barrage, Concussive Missiles, Bounding Missiles, Crackling Bolt, Rolling Flame, Maelstrom --------------------------------------------------------------- Hi again! This build is all about scrolls. You know I normally only use scrolls in tough encounters but even then I most of the time forget using them because... I really don't know why. Might be the feeling that I waste something when I use scrolls, maybe it's because it's not part of my "every encounter routine" - who knows. So I decided to make a build which main purpose is to use scrolls - very effectively. Most scrolls have a huge range and are best cast from a distance - so a glass cannon wannabe-wizard should be an appropriate build for using scrolls. Knowing that a rogue has amazing ACC and also some abilities that cause afflictions (like some spells do), I figured this would be a good class to use scrolls. And if you don't want to waste scrolls for easy encountes, a rogue can always dish out lots of single target damage via sneak attack. Also, there are some nice implements in the game that are either speedy or cause afflictions on crit - which is also a nice synergy with the rogue's afflictions, his high ACC and his hit-to-crit conversions. And on top of Sneak Attack (and later Deathblows) we can also use Dangerous Implement. This is quite nice in the early game because you do +75% damage if the target suffers from any affliction that qualifies for sneak attacks. And since we want to stay in the back row the self damaging part is not that much of a problem. But most important: scrolls and spells work with Deathblows! Not with Sneak Attack though (what?) - but with Deathblows. Since some scrolls have huge amounts of base damage (look at Crackling Bolt for example), Deathblows with those spells result in absurdly high numbers - especially if you also crit with them. Crackling Bolt easily surpasses 50 damage per "normal" hit. Most of the time my Crackling Bolts do more than 100 to 130 damage per foe. And remember that Crackling Bolt has a great range and also bounces. If you manage to line up some enemies (Boots of Speed are nice for this) and CC them, then one or two of those bolts should be enough to end the encounter. But also Rolling Flame and other damage focused scrolls do the trick. Another thing about spells that hit in a "line" like Crackling Bolt and Rolling Flame: they work with Penetrating Shot. Pen. Shot will give you 5 DR bypass with those spells without slowing down your casting. It only slows down your ranged attacks (aka implement shots). Other scrolls you should consider: Missiles. Those also work with Pen. Shot and Deathblows - and also with Deep Wounds! Here you can switch from devastating single target damage (Missile Barrage, Minor Mssiles, Prestidigitator's Missiles) to AoE-Deep-Wounds-damage (Concussive Missiles, Bounding Missiles). Deathblows with Missile Barrage is a death sentence! 9 Missiles with 8 DR bypass (11 if you use Ryona's Vembraces) will hit for 13.5 damage with +10 ACC. This means most of those missiles will crit, causing ~34 damage each. Against foes with 8 (or 11) DR this can mean 306 damage. Usually it's a bit lower because not every missile crits and some foes have more DR, but usually you'll cause over 200 damage (and also interrupt a lot). Concussive Missiles can also hit hard and apply Deep Wounds in an AoE. Bounding Missiles are great for two or three enemies that stand near to each other. Other good scrolls are Binding Web and Tanglefoot. Those are two easy ways to trigger deathblows in a big AoE. Because of your high ACC and the scrolls' ACC bonus, you will hit/crit a lot. COmbines with your high INT, the durations are great. Instead of using scrolls all the time you could also collect every spell binding item you can find. I wanted you use scrolls with this guy, so I didn't focus on that. Another good thing: You can still make this rogue your mechanics guy. He only needs 6 Lore to use most of the powerful damage scrolls. Give him 8 (or 7 if you plan to put on the formal footwear) to also be able to cast Maelstrom (very high base damage = absurdly high Deathblow damage). I only gave him 4 Survival for the +10 ACC bonus. That was enough for me. What I really wanted to do with this guy is to get that morning star that steals spells: Acuan Giamas. Once you have this and meet some casters it gets really funny: wait until your buddies engaged, run to a caster in the back row, hit him with sap or another affliction that prevents him from killing you, and hit him until you steal spells. Then immediately retreat with Escape (you could also use Shadow Step or Shadowing Beyond for this but I didn't feel the need. Escape just works fine). Be sure not to kill the caster you stole spells from - then all the stolen spells will vanish! Now you have a long timespan in which you can chain-cast the stolen spells without losing any resources. Those are "free" spells for the given timespan. Ogre Druids for example can give you Calling the World's Maw. I think I don't have to tell you how powerful this spell is if you can just cast it over and over again with very high ACC... aaand Deep Wounds... aaand Deathblows! This setup is very powerful - but since you get this Morning Star very, very late I didn't evolve the whole build around it. It just puts the icing on the cake. Now you could say: "But scrolls are always powerful - a fighter can also be a good scroll user!" - and you would be right. This is just a build which whole purpose is to use scrolls a lot and brings some nice synergies. The good thing is that this guy also (like most other builds) works without scrolls. Like a plain old ranged rogue. However - using this build I litrally forced myself into using scrolls. Before that I also used them from time to time - but at the end of the game I had tons of money, parts and plants and gems and a sh!tload of scrolls in my stash that I didn't use. I never visisted my stronghold's Curio Shop. With this "rogueish" wizard I fully unlocked the potential of scrolls. It resulted in an easy playthrough. Oh, and don't forget the traps! He also can do that. A petrifying trap (means damage*2) plus Deathblows plus Missile Barrage is... total overkill! Good when you have to deal with those nasty WM-bounties. Ok, thanks for reading and have fun!

I don't think Overwhelming Wave itself is overpowered because it normally stuns foes and friends alike. Is the sheet's spell still foe only? Because that's what makes the difference. If it would also stun allies nobody would say it's overpowered.

Reloadfest it is.

OK. Great. Thanks for the info.

Celebrant's Gloves will proc Holy Meditation on getting crit. This raises concentration by 30. It stacks with the belt of chimes, which will give +25. +55 Concentration is really good and more than enough for a 3 RES guy.

Spell holding and spell striking items don't use talents that are related to their spells/abilities: Sanguine Plate can't profit from Greater Frenzy, Vent Pick doesn't profit from Intense Flames or other FoD related talents. However, they seem to be able to profit from Scion of Flame and friends and also Penetrating Shots and so on.

I guess it can't trigger a full attack. This would mess up animation badly. Full Attacks and the actual effects of an active ability seem to bee two components that form the ability you "buy". All the spell striking or spell holding items only proc the effect, not the attack type or any animation. Some of them don't even proc the AoE effect but only a single target one (Twin Sting on a ranger). So I guess there's also a separation between effect (that applies to any target that gets hit) and array of targets (aka AoE). Does Unlabored Blade only proc Firebug on one target or does it jump?

It doesn't work with the monk's Long Pain. At least you don't suffer raw damage. So I guess you also don't get the +25% damage.

Ah. Cool. Last time I checked there was nothing from WMII. I don't use that page too often though because it tends to be very slow - at least for me.

Glad you like it so far. I'll have some business meetings around the country for the next couple of days and will do a lot of traveling. So I won't be posting much. Next week I will have time to write down the final class build I guess. Tuesday or Wednesday or something like that I hope.

How so? I thought the description was pretty clear.

What do you mean when you say Penetrating Shot works with Minor Blights? Does Minor Blights' AoE benefit from Penetrating Shot as well - or only the initial target? I guess the later. And if that's the case: does the AoE benefit from Penetrating Blast?