Constentin Lévine

Melee cipher with barbarian can have acces to Robust inspiration and a short immunity to engagement, a large amount of accuracy with Borrowed Instincts, more AR with Body Attunement, and can turn potentially every debuffing spells into damages with Blood Frenzy. I think to Barbarian for the diversity, since you already think about Monk, Fighter, and Rogue.

Finally Whispers of the Wind allow to SC monks to solo the game with every inspirations, they maybe are not so weak, like everybody think!

Ah it is more clear, I knew these rules and it is right all abilities doesnt follow them in the same place. Maybe the developpers would have nerfed WotW with the changes of somes keywords in gamedata, but I dont think for Riposte or Swift Flurry : they are Abilities using Weapon(s) characteristics, then Weapon Attack Abilities, in other case the attack used should have an action time from the weapon. I dont know about Riposte (passive) why that scale but not Driving Flight's bounces. Maybe this last scaled in the first version of the game, and it was unbalanced, I dont know.

The PL scaling is not only for spells but abilities, the really weird thing is the non-scaling ones. It is right for abilities using weapon, they benefit also from the weapon's quality bonus , but every abilities are not concerned, like FF in vanilla game, or the Trickster's spells wich are abilities. Swift flurry also do that, and if you empower Confounding Blind, you can see a 2.5 pen and 10 acc bonus in combat log. I'm the defender of PL scaling because, like for AR instead of DR, I think this is a major improvement in Pillars of Eternity.

-50 All Defenses against intellect affliction attacks to allies and self in 5m radius It is not as easy than confuse a Squid's Grasped character to turn this unconditional debuff aura to ennemies : even dominated, party members stay Allies, and the curse touch only the party. This is the difference with Friendly. But it is possible with Wizard's Phantom, or Druid'Watery double, to bypass this impossibility. They are Team member, and not Party member, and while equipped with Squid's Grasp, the party isnt affected by the curse. And if an ennemy flip his alliance, with Charm or Dominate, the curse is applied to them. That doesnt work with "friendly" charm. (the Essential Phantom is just behind the Vithrack, who have dominated him) The problem is that seem impossible to do without the "ennemies's help", except if someone find a way to do that

On top, the Beetle Shell stunning effect is not a regular one : it dont remove your might inspiration from frenzy, and dont influe on your Pen and damages

Yes this little shield is really good , preventing Sacred Immolation to the raw damages part for exemple! (I just discover that in repetitly-clicking on the weapon icon in the bar, that switch without selecting a weapon set, exactely like clicking on strand of favor and another necklace do)

Do you think it is possible to only have acces to AI for uncontrollable summon? I know with controllables ones it is accessible, but you cant determinate a behavior, you cant edit the summon AI. The point is with a possible edited script, the summons like Ancients Weapons, Call to the Primordials, or Watery Double could use their abilities (without micro- for controllables ones). With the AI script, you cant involve item's abilities in action (I think).

When paralyzed or stunned, it is intuitive to think you are able to do nothing, you are just an easy target at the mercy of ennemies. But it is not totally true. In reality, you can manually switch weapons and shields, that mean with the Outworn Buckler equipped in one of the weapons slot, when the game is paused, you can turn off the hostile effect. You can also heal yourself with Lethandria's Devotion or Engoliero do Espirs, but manually. You are also able to proc Riposte or others automatics effects. That is efficient for exemple with an SC barbarian with his on-crit-riposte, under the protection of Beetle Shell. This trick doesnt work when terrified or charmed/dominated since you loose the control of the character.

And I suppose an average class like ranger can be enough potent to go in "great" in classement with an optimised equipement, but this list is about "nude" classes

Personally, I think Tier8 druid's spells are really powerfuls, for exemple Entropy can truly change the manner to deal with an ennemy. It is my opinion and I think the subjectively class ranking depend of your fighting approach, then for me who prefer the ennabling-ennemies way rather than the bruteforce way, sc Druid is on top of the list. Also sc Cipher, not sc Monk, but mc Monk.

Like malus from modals, same auras don't stack, but same effects like retentless or others actives debuffs that ordinary dont stack with themself can be applied many times in same moment. For them, same effects from same weapon dont stack if I am clear Actually, you can choose the Tekehu subclass with a mod for yourself or hired character, and another mod grant you the possibility to pick the "uniques spells" at level up. I use this one for my "builds save" but not for regular play

I add this in Edit note ; this is a bad news, I liked the find because I thought that was "legit"...

And maybe a SC wizard can use Major Grimoire Imprint on Tekehu for unlimited Watery Double, but that sound like game breaking 😄

Like wizard's phantoms, Watery Double from Watershaper druid summon a copy of the druid (without any mod, Tekehu ), with all the items, armor and weapons. But this copy is controlable, giving the access to every abilities from items, armor, or weapons. Living illusions from Shroud of phantasm for potential unlimited and fast "Effort and Unstable Coil Bomb" (if Tekehu is brilliant), another Int immunity from Harmony ring, etc , but above all a free use of abilities from Trinkets, like Winter Veil, Fusion, or Petrifying Venom (a per-rest version of Petrification). (the littles spiders and croco are from the Changeling Mantle and stay until combat end, contrarly to the Maura's Tentacles that disapears at the end of the Watery Double) Edit: finally, the Watery double is only controlable with BPM

This is not really the same trick but this is the same idea, even if more tedious obviously. You need two characters for that : the first with the Cabalist's Gambeson and a potion of the Form of the Fearsome Brute, and the second with Glacierbane (and a low int if you want to go quickly). When your fisrt character is fully buffed as you want, he have to drink the potion. Directely after that, your second one need to crit him with Glacierbane, Shattering suspend all beneficials effects for a short time (6s base). The potion is also suspended, the character is now equiped with the Cabalist's Gambeson. After the Shattering effect fades, do the same : crit, wait, crit, ect. The +10% is applied each time, and while Shattered, the beneficials effects are, well, suspended. That can be useful with some uniques or limited buffs, or for ressources economy, during a long fight for exemple. That doesnt work with Spiritshift, since suspending that will clear off the form.

The Trickster's spells are working also with the Form of the Fearsome Brute active ; I suppose they are more likely abilities than spells, that can explain the difference maybe.

I found an answer : the DisableSpells seems to be a separate and hostle effect from the form. the BaseValue : 1 mean the duration of the effect is the same than the transform duration. I used Supress Affliction on a Fearsome character , this is why I think that. Edit : the DisableSpell concern only true caster, on my previous image I used a trickster and these spells are not disabled during the transform. But the effect are separate, you can see when under the transform 2 effects, I suppose the BaseValue : 1 can be a duration value based on the principal effect duration.

But Hobbled from the confused Footsteps remove the Swift inspiration ; this is why the barbarian sprint is really good, it is swift in separate package. As a warlock soulbind with Seeker's fang, you get permanently an immunity to engagement while confused, or when hit ennemies with the footsteps in other hand.

Not for Borrowed Instincts wich fades at combat end, sadly. Maybe it is more easy, in any case that prevent to some loose of time for your party, but the blight have a duration, and only 1% chance to proc. Against the Ooze for exemple, it is commun to buff and SoT your whole party for the duration of the fight. Then you keep the Borrowed Instincts suspension until the combat end. But I agree there are some ways more easy that not require to confuse yourself in first.

I'm completely agree with you, for this reason I had some reticence (before I tried it) to pick the spell on SC druid. And "Pollen Patch" makes you think to bees and bumblebees, it is more attractive and druidy than Carré Pollinifère. Otherwise, the french translation is really good, and for a lot of stuffs I find this last more impacting than the english original versions. (Volonté Brisée sound better than Fractured Volition, because of musicale harmony) I tried to proc the FF healing with a FF-debonaire, walking on the limit of the Cowardice effect, but that didnt work. Cowardice is listed as Hostile effect, but it is not a truly Hostile one. Too bad. Edit: I tried also with Charged Field (Thundercrack Pistol) as hostile effect, didnt work too. Maybe Conditionnals Hostiles effects are like passives hostiles effects.

Finally I found an answer , assuming his mechanic is the same than Pollen Patch, basically. Pollen patch is my favorite "Least Unstable Coil's spell" by the way.

The Arkemyr's Wondrous Torment is not working as the description say ; in reality, the spell attack a single ennemy, and apply this effect. After a few time, another bouncing "small" spell is launched from the caster, but this effect refresh the first spell if that hit the first target. And finally a last version is launched , with the same effect than the previous. On top of his inherent PL bonus, this spell is really good against single ennemy.

Yes, and you get a similar buffing version with the chanter's ...Each Kill Fed His Fury, giving insteed of the inspirations from the anterior spell The Brideman... the stats bonus. Also, the Barbarian Wild Sprint give you the immunity to engagement on top of Nimble, insteed of Swift, to prevent an eventually dex affliction for the engagement immunity.

I dont know since both are active abilities.