Cyrus_Blackfeather

But... Arcane Blaster! Also, I just added Mindstalker as an option (Originally I was very meh about the whole thing just because of the name, compared to things like 'Inquisitor', but I can't judge an entire multiclass on the name), so if that changes your mind, there it is. I DO like the idea of a Bleak Walker/Inquisitor though, that's definitely my first choice. And by "Stack Deflection" do you actually mean "Stack Resolve"? Or is this another build where I dump Resolve in favor of something else?

Hey guys, So, after reading about a lot of the Cipher buffs on these here forums, I kind of wanted to give it another try. I had a lot of fun with a Ranged Cipher back in PoE1, for the lore, and thought it might be worth reviving that character in this game, especially considering it has the most dialogue options available to it of any class. It would probably be another approach to the Rauatai Spymaster character I've played around with. I had a few quick questions before I commit to trying to plan anything. 1. Is it worth it to try to play a DPS Ranged Cipher? My character in the first game heavily focused on what would be called "Shreds" in this game - things like Mind Wave, Amplified Wave, Disintegrate, and so on. Now, either I was playing a poorly designed character from the start, or those skills were never all that great to begin with, because no one seems to talk about them anymore. Would it be possible/viable to play a character that focuses on offensive Cipher spells, with a few CC spells worked in? 2. Multiclass Options: Multiclassing offers a lot of opportunities for the Cipher, especially because T8 and T9 don't really offer much that isn't already covered in the other tiers. I'd like to hear your thoughts on multiclass options in this most recent patch. Here are the ones I'm considering. - Witch (Cipher/Berserker): Uses Barbarian's Frenzy and a few other abilities to deal high Weapon damage at range. Barbaric Blow can be used as a ranged attack, to build up a fairly massive chunk of Focus, and the bonus Penetration from Frenzy should help the damage of my abilities. - Transcendent (Cipher/Helwalker): Uses Dance of Death to gain wounds and, in the case of certain Ranged weapons, counteract the Accuracy penalty. Holds onto those wounds for high Might and Intellect, as well as a Burn damage lash, and uses Swift Strikes/Swift Flurry to boost cast time/reload speed. - Mindstalker (Cipher/Rogue): Another thematically appropriate option for the Spymaster character I've been considering. Ranged Damage with powerful Rogue attack powers to build up focus, and then unload Cipher spells on them. Honestly, the only issue really preventing me from going all in with this is that I hate the name. "Mindstalker" doesn't really fit with things like "Witch" or "Inquisitor." - Inquisitor (Cipher/Bleak Walker): Uses Black Flames at range for a powerful strike with added Corrode and Fire damage, as well as Paladin passives to help stay alive. Definitely the most thematically appropriate of the builds so far, considering the character type I'm considering playing with it. Right now, I'm heavily leaning towards the Inquisitor, followed by the Mindstalker, followed by the Witch, followed by the Transcendent, in terms of roleplay, but that's for another forum. I'd like to hear about how each of those would play, mechanically.

Doesn't Cipher kind of suck though? Or has it been buffed since 1.2? I actually played a gunslinger Cipher in PoE1 and I really liked it, so it might be cool to try it again. Go for the full Mindhunter feel with, say, a Barbarian or a Monk or something...

I figured I'd make a quick list of all of the multiclass options I'm considering for my next playthrough, to get your honest thoughts on them, potential cheesiness aside. I've also tried to, where appropriate, include a little snippet about how each character would function, story-wise, and what faction they'd support. 1. Sage (Helwalker/No-Subclass Wizard): An arcane lancer (Or spirit lancer, if you don't mind the fact that Dragon's Dogma Online will never get a Western release) that uses Wizard defensive buffs to somewhat mitigate the extra damage taken from Helwalker. Uses Dance of Death/Enduring Dance to stack wounds, in conjunction with Wizard buffs to mitigate damage. Also uses a secondary Grimoire with Evocation spells. High Might, Perception, and Intellect. Pale Elf, from the White. Faction: VTC for convenience Personality: A knowledge seeker, with designs on a position as an Archmagus. This character has an almost predatory fascination with acquiring new information, often for its own sake, which is why he was willing to subject himself to the death rite in order to become a Helwalker in the first place. Has strong ties to Wael and the Hand Occult, and went with Wael's decision in the first game. Gameplay Pros - Absurdly high Might and Intellect at max Wounds (30/30). Nice mix of defensive buffs and offensive spellcasting with two different grimoires. At max level, can use melee weapons at range. Can AoE stun using Citzal's Spirit Lance with Stunning Surge. 20% Fire Damage lash. Gameplay Cons: High susceptibility to damage. Average to low Con means I can only take a few hits. Not as many Afflictions as the Spellblade, and a lot of attacks target Fortitude. Roleplay Pros: Heavily invested in the Circle of Archmagi plot in the main game, and in the third DLC. More likely to go out of my way to find quests, and has more leeway in resolving situations. Also, not blood-loyal to the VTC, so more justification for doing other Factions' quests. Roleplay Cons: Less opportunities to involve myself with the Circle in the main game, save for the one quest chain. That said, plenty of opportunities for offscreen storytelling. 2. Spellblade (Streetfighter/Wizard): Another variant on the arcane lancer, with Rogue skills to spread afflictions in an AoE. Low Might, but (Absurdly) high Con to allow for a large health pool/staying bloodied longer to make use of Streetfighter's damage boosts. Human, from Rauatai. Personality: A pro-Rauatai intelligence agent whose primary interest in the Deadfire is furthering the RDC's interests in the region. While the knowledge hunter allies with the VTC out of convenience/for the funding opportunities offered, the Spymaster is fiercely loyal to his motherland. Gameplay Pros: Streetfighter can outspeed Monk with the right armor because of their insane attack speed buff when Flanked or Bloodied. Also has access to additional Sneak Attack damage, and can spread afflictions and DoTs to lots of enemies. Gameplay Cons: Has to be Flanked and/or Bloodied for the best result, so it's a much riskier playstyle. High Constitution comes at the cost of low Perception, and also doesn't result in 'much' more HP than the Sage, because of Spellblade's lower base health pool. Roleplay Pros: The RDC provides plenty of opportunities for quests through bounties and such, and there's certainly nothing preventing you from taking unaffiliated bounties as well. Roleplay Cons: Not a lot of ways to create a "Pro-Rauatai" save in the first game, so there's a bit of a disconnect there. Plus, you're essentially 'locked in' to supporting the RDC if you choose to RP this to the hilt, meaning you logically shouldn't take other Faction quests (Or complete them in the most destructive ways possible) and it locks you out of a good portion of bounties (Which might have something you want, gear-wise). Right now, I'm leaning more toward the Sage, simply for a bit more of a freewheeling adventuresome playstyle that focuses a lot more on the Wizardly aspects of the Wizard multiclass. I will definitely keep the Spymaster concept in my hat for later though, especially once we know a little about what future DLC will bring. For now, though, especially with Beast of Winter coming up, I think a character dedicated to unraveling (And creating!) mysteries would fit in really well.

There are! Almost too many in fact, it's genuinely kind of hard to pick.

Oh, thank you! This is actually a fantastic piece of information. To that end, it actually makes a lot of sense for this Watcher to support Galawain then, reinvigorated Dyrwood or no. Because Pallegina disobeying her orders doesn't make the Vallians 'stop' necessarily, it just makes them go "Oopsie, guess she was right," if the Dyrwood actually fights back because their souls have been bolstered. Sure, she gets to keep her job, but A: The Watcher has no way of knowing that either of those things will happen and, B: Might reason that even a pardoned Pallegina may hold some sort of grudge against the VTC and be will- (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... Oh lord.). Galawain, aside from being the patron of assassins, represents progress in a very direct, brutal sense through his survival of the fittest mentality, which is something I could see Rauatai really getting behind. Survival of the fittest has also been stated to be a 'law' of nature, which sort of lends itself to Lawful Neutral as well as, to a degree, Lawful Evil characters. As far as supporting animancy goes, it makes sense to me for an intelligence operative to be interested in using the Dyrwood as a test case of sorts for the science, in order to promote various ideas that could potentially be used by Rauatai in the future. I know it seems like I'm flip-flopping here, but as someone said, it's really nice to examine these choices and the world that they create through the ripple effects.

That's actually really interesting. Thank you for that insight, and it really helps solidify my choice.

So, going back and forth in my head about Woedica and her hardline stance on animancy. Now, from a 21st century perspective, it's easy to see animancy as equivalent to science, and Woedica's opposition to it as stifling progress. But then you look at Rauatai, which has the single most advanced military industrial complex in Eora, and you don't see Woedica calling for them to be burned at the stake. So, I suppose my question here is... does support of Woedica = support of keeping Eora in a perpetual dark age, or is Woedica okay with kith advancing in terms of technology and industry... so long as they don't uncover divine secrets? And, considering the fact that animancy is basically science without any sort of ethics committee or oversight, it makes sense why most characters wouldn't be fans of it. This is sort of a followup to my previous question about a middle ground between supporting the Leaden Key and supporting animancy, but expanded somewhat to a more general question about... how stupid does Woedica want kith to be? She's painted as the evil choice, and she definitely doesn't VALUE kith lives at all (She goes full nuclear almost immediately), but is that more of a laissez-faire "I don't really care as long as they don't uncover our secret" lack of care or a "Dance for my amusement, petty mortals" approach? Or is it up to interpretation/dependent on her mood? Who knows.

So I ultimately decided to pledge the souls to Woedica, but not make a specific pledge with any one god. The way I see it, Woedica serves as a representation of everything Rauatai likes - tradition, authority, and so on, but Skaen is way too fickle of a god to pledge to.

Will do!

Edit: I'm really honestly inclined to go with the first build, even with the lower Perception. Might is a non-issue for a build like this and, conversation-wise, really isn't necessary for a spy/assassin type character. Traps also shouldn't be an issue because I'll have Maia with me, and can raise her Perception using gear.

So, after much deliberation and reworking, and quite a bit of help from folks on these forums, I'd like to present, for posterity, my Spellblade build for PotD. This character is intended to be a heavy RP character that can be played to support multiple factions. The build I'm including here is pro-Rauatai, but with some tweaks to Culture/Background, you can easily make a character that'd support Principi, Huana, or the Republics. Lore-wise, this character is intended to be played as an agent of whichever faction you choose throughout PoE1 as well, so consider picking options that support this. Note: Bounties are obviously going to be a tricky part of this build, or any build that encourages heavy roleplay. If you need a particular bounty for money or items that it drops, I consider it an acceptable break to attack a Faction ship. Otherwise, always fly your faction's colors and don't antagonize allied ships. But feel free to sink any of the bilge rats who do try to attack you, especially if they initiate. In combat, this character makes use of Wizard's defensive spells as well as high Constitution to maintain Flanked and Bloodied status, making use of Streetfighter's insane additive damage bonuses. The spell Citzal's Spirit Lance is also used in conjunction with Pull of Eora and the Upright Captain's Belt to group enemies together and affect multiple enemies with Afflictions. Blessings: Bonus Attributes/Bonus Skills/5000 Starting Gold (For Equipment/Hirelings in Port Maje as needed) - That's really all you need. The Race: I went with Human for the bonuses while Bloodied, but you can feel free to select any race. I'd recommend Island Aumaua if you're intending to play a Huana character, but the RDC, VTC, and Principi all seem a lot more open. The Class: Rogue (Streetfighter)/No Subclass Wizard - While the subclasses have been buffed, you need spells from three of the schools for this to work, and with a subclass you'll always be out at least one of them. The Culture/Background: I personally went with Rauatai/Aristocrat for the bonuses to three conversational skills. Based on how you want to play this Faction operative type character, you'll want to pick the appropriate Culture and then a background option that lends itself to how you want to play (I'm just a little miffed there's no 'soldier' background, only 'mercenary.' Mercenary doesn't imply much loyalty). For Principi that'd be Old Vallia, Huana would obviously be Deadfire, and VTC would "Technically" be Old Vallia, even though the Republics =/= Old Vallia, hence the rivalry with the Principi. The Skill Focus: Alchemy and Explosives as Active Skills/Intimidate and Insight as passive skills. Alchemy and Explosives are taken to provide bonuses to potions, drugs, and explosives - all of which are good consumables to have on hand. Intimidate and Insight are just my preference for how to deal with most conversations. All of the conversational skills make sense for a spy, but I like the idea of this character not being afraid to get his hands dirty. Insight is good for being able to read people as well, which is nice. It adds to the roleplaying experience, and sometimes it can help with calling someone out in a lie. The Party: Eder (Swashbuckler) MT - Athletics/Mechanics and Survival/Insight, Maia (Scout) - Stealth/Mechanics and Bluff/Streetwise, Xoti (Priest) Alchemy/Arcana and Religion/Metaphysics, [Redacted] ???/??? and ???/???* I'm still not sure about who I want to take as my last party member, and what I want them to specialize in. I've run across some pretty high Metaphysics checks later in the game, and it seems prudent to have an extra character that'd be able to help with those. I've considered both Fassina and Ydwin, as two of the more well-developed sidekicks. So that'd be an Arcana/Explosives and Metaphysics/History character. The Stats:* 10 Might (5 Base +1 Human +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Gift of the Machine +1 Permanent Stat boost Potion) 22 Constitution (18 Base + 2 Berath's Blessing +1 Rauatai +1 Effigy's Resentment (Durance)) 18 Dexterity (15 Base +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) 16 Perception (14 Base +2 Berath's Blessing) 21 Intellect (18 Base +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) (Close to 30 with Inspi) 8 Resolve (5 Base +1 Human +2 Berath's Blessing) (11 with Drug) So! There's definitely a lot to unpack here. - Streetfighters don't really need super high Might. - High Con means you reach the Bloodied threshold MUCH faster, so you can stay Bloodied longer without having to worry about healing. Depending on Inspirations and gear, you might be looking at around 30 Con with Inspirations. - High Intellect is important for +Affliction Duration - You don't really need Resolve, because Wizard buffs handle Deflection in a big way. Plus, it's only -2 Deflection for 8 Resolve. This doesn't factor in the Per Rest bonuses from the various God Shrines and other things. Abilities by level Primary Grimoire: Llengrath's Martial Masteries (Purchase from Dark Cupboard) Level 1 - Crippling Strike/Chill Fog Level 2 - Escape Level 3 - Monastic Unarmed Training Level 4 - Blinding Strike/Arcane Veil Level 5 - Dirty Fighting Level 6 - Two-Handed Style Level 7 - Ryngrim's Repulsive Visage/Riposte Level 8 - Confounding Blind Level 9 - Finishing Blow Level 10 - Pull of Eora/Persistent Distraction Level 11 - Withering Strike Level 12 - Adept Evasion Level 13 - Deep Wounds/Rapid Casting Level 14 - Tough Level 15 - Eliminating Blow or Devastating Blow Level 16 - Martial Caster/Toxic Strike Level 17 - Sap Level 18 - Slippery Mind Level 19 - Merciless Gaze/Deathblows Level 20 - Bear's Fortitude or Bull's Will Level I Spells: Chill Fog/Spirit Shield/Concelhaut's Parasitic Staff Level II Spells: Merciless Gaze/Arcane Veil/Infuse With Vital Essence/Grimoire Slam Level III Spells: Ryngrim's Repulsive Visage/Deleterious Alacrity of Motion/Llengrath's Displaced Image Level IV Spells: Pull of Eora/Ironskin/Flame Shield Level V Spells: Citzal's Spirit Lance/Llengrath's Safeguard Level VI Spells: Arcane Reflection/Minoletta's Precisely Piercing Burst Level VII Spells: Citzal's Martial Power/Llengrath's Warding Staff Gear: Pet: Cutthroat Cosmo or Abraham (Same bonus, provided he hasn't been nerfed, and you get him fairly early on) Weapon: Use Citzal's Spirit Lance once you get it to AoE enemies to death that are caught in Pull of Eora. Otherwise, use your fists. PUNCH POISON INTO YOUR ENEMIES. Armor: Gipon Prudensco with No Fool I and Fight Another Day. If Cutthroat Cosmo's reduction boost goes by armor class, it should be at 7% Recovery, which is negligible compared to what Streetfighter gets. Principi players might want to use Miscreant's Leathers or the Devil of Caroc Breastplate. Helm: Thaos's Headdress for the Intellect boost as well as the Conspirator Accuracy/Damage boost versus Flanked enemies. Gloves: Bracers of Greater Deflection - Just to shore up the poor Deflection from low Resolve. Grab Bracers of Accuracy early on for the low Perception until your accuracy catches up. Cloak: Cloak of Greater Protection. Neck: Strand of Favor (+1 Intellect/+10% Beneficial Effect duration -10% Hostile Effect Duration. Effectively +2 Resolve) Rings: Chameleon's Touch (Sorry, the bonuses are too good for my current stat balancing) and Entonia's Signet Ring (+2 Diplomacy on top of the bonus to all defenses per engaged enemy... that you can freely disengage from at your leisure. Belt: Upright Captain's Belt for dealing with Pull of Eora. Boots: Boots of the Stone Changelog: The last bit of the build was mostly some last minute napkin math to try to figure out another variant of the build that might give me some more Perception at the cost of less HP per level. Please disregard. The stats as listed are t he ones I'm content with.

That's a very good point. And, admittedly, I HAD considered going full Woedica because, honestly, I could see Rauatai really liking her. She represents Order and Justice and a lot of things that Rauatai likes. I could also see a pro-Rauatai character disliking the practice of Animancy because of how Rauatai essentially became a military superpower through their own ingenuity. So I might go with that (Plus, that way Pallegina is ultimately screwed over). I just wish Woedica's blessing was still in the game, but ah well. As for the Kana one, yeah - definitely agreed. Note that the great Empires of the world were certainly not isolationist. It's kind of hard to conquer someone and not be influenced by foreigners. And if you pick an anti-isolationist Kana, Maia doesn't make any mention of him being a dissident. The Raedric choice is definitely one of the harder ones to work out. On the one hand, I kill him and replace him with an upstart, on the other I kill Kolsc for a potential alliance. If you kill Raedric, Kolsc dies anyway, and then if you kill Raedric as (allegedly) an envoy of Berath, Gilded Vale becomes a lawless frontier town. It could be that this character killed Raedric, thinking Kolsc could be more easily manipulated, and then when he got the news of Raedric's return, dealt with him because it'd be a loose end. It's worth noting that Raedric specifically wants to fight YOU if he comes back as a Deathguard, because you were the one who killed him. I do like the idea of being pro-Woedican in this playthrough, because... honestly, I feel like a Lawful Evil playthrough could be a lot of fun. Definitely on the side of advancing the best interests of yourself and the people you represent, but you don't go out of your way to screw over people who have done nothing to you. Benevolent empire, that kind of thing.

Hey guys, This is a bit of an odd thread topic, I know, but to explain it as best I can... I'm trying to make a character that's an intelligence agent for Rauatai who was dispatched to the Dyrwood to gather information before... the plot of the game happened. Now, I want to have as complete of a legacy as I can, but I'm also trying to create something that would feasibly make sense for a pro-Rauatai character. Basically, in the process of hunting down Thaos and resolving the Hollowborn Crisis... because he has to... this character takes opportunities presented to weaken the influence of other outside forces within the Dyrwood and otherwise serve the Empire in various ways. I'd like to share the backstory I've come up with thus far, and hear your thoughts on it. I've included explanations for some of the options I've picked, because I know they don't 100% match the theme of the character I'm going for. 1. Hollowborn Crisis - This one was one of the hardest, because I tend to play characters in these games as very "Critical Path light", that is to say that they're not defined by the actions they take on the critical path so much as sidequests. -- Distributed the soul essence/Pledged to Galawain: This was a difficult one. I was tempted to go with Woedica at first but A: Her choice has been dummied out and B: In order for that to be logical, I'd need to play an anti-animancy character. -- Destroyed Thaos's soul: This is more of a personal vendetta type choice. All of the other options for dealing with him seem to be easily reversible by Woedica in the long-term if she wants her puppet back. -- Absorbed Maerwald's soul -- Supported animancy: I made another thread about this topic, but it seems logical that, while Rauatai didn't achieve its military might through animancy, it would at least be open to the idea for military applications. This goes along with my companion choice Re: Kana. -- Supported the Doemenels: Probably butchered that name, but it makes sense for an intelligence agent to form ties with one of Defiance Bay's biggest crime families. 2. Companions: Most of these choices are incidental/no-brainers and refer to companions who aren't going to appear in the game anyway. Here's the three I think will have the most impact on the plot. -- Sacrificed Durance: Since his main writer is gone, I very much doubt we'll see him in an upcoming expansion. I ultimately did this for the stat boost, but in context my Watcher would probably see it as a way to get rid of a potential rallying point were Rauatai ever to attempt to annex the Dyrwood. Flimsy, yes, but ultimately the reasoning is "Stat boost and he most likely isn't going to show up again." -- Kana: Anti-isolationist. This was another tough one. Ultimately, I based that decision on the fact that "Anti-isolationist" =/= "Anti-empire" it just means an empire that is open to adopting new ideas and technology, which made sense for a character whose whole purpose is stealing state secrets and such. -- Pallegina: Disobeyed her orders. Now, this is why I'm considering not going with Galawain, even if not siding with one of the "Free Will Three" means I can't logically support animancy. Completely destroying Pallegina's political career and robbing the Vallians of a powerful military asset seems very in keeping with this character, and plus you can get some pretty funny reactions from her if you do get a banished Pallegina. 3. White March -- Kept the souls bound to the White Forge -- Eyeless went to work restoring Abydon -- Adaryc lived -- Concelhaut and most of his apprentices died, but Uariki survived. This is actually a pretty tough call. Uariki is most likely a member of one of the weaker Huana tribes, who probably wants to oust the Kahanga from their seat of power. From a standpoint of destabilizing the indigenous power in the Deadfire, it makes a lot of sense for Rauatai to secretly back as many upstarts as possible. -- Shared knowledge with Llengrath: My character would have no need for Concelhaut's phylactery, his goal isn't to live forever. And besides, having an ally of sorts on the Circle of Archmagi couldn't hurt, certainly. 4. Gilded Vale: - Accepted coin from Wirtan for his silence - Killed Kolsc: As much as I, personally, despise Raedric, the logical decision is to help him remain in power so that he feels that he "owes us one." Raedric is a member of nobility, and having someone like that to negotiate with would be of use to Rauatai's interests in the future. Plus, Kolsc dies either way, so all you're really doing is letting him play thayn for a few months. - Gave Aufra the potion, said it would help. 5. Od Nua - Reforged the Blade - Killed the Master Below, didn't learn Scale-Breaker: This is another one of those "Personal decision" type quest decisions, like destroying Thaos's soul. The Master Below isn't willing to negotiate with you like an equal, which would infuriate this character. So, she dies. Plus it gets you a nice bit of extra dialogue when you talk to Llengrath. 6. Defiance Bay: - Verzanno died, Danna Doemenel lived - Lilith lived - Caedman Azo died - Gave the Theorems to Nedyn: A bit subversive here. It puts the knowledge out there in the open for anyone to use, which effectively invalidates it. Sometimes that's an effective espionage tool as well. Leaking secure information so that the rival nation can't use it to its advantage later. - Absorbed the souls - Convinced Fyrga that she was unfit for Magran's trials: I mean, she is, objectively. She can't do it herself so she makes you do it. - Infiltrated the Leaden Key: Again, an easy choice. - Killed Lord Harond: With the implication that Aelys is now living happily ever after somewhere, I guess. - Made a deal with Nyrid and left him in charge: Sucks to be Purnisc's wife, I guess, but again - establishing links with the criminal underworld, and plus leaving as much of it intact as possible so it destabilizes the Dyrwood. - Hid the Parable of Wael 7. Twin Elms: - Took Vela and killed Simoc: I'm not letting a man turn a baby into magical Viagra. - Killed Rehstin and convinced Erona to kill herself - Let the pale elves pass through the breach - Allowed the Sky Dragon to stay and convinced Hylea to let her stay. This is, again, something of a choice based on personality, rather than profession. As a follower of Galawain, my character would argue that the Sky Dragon effectively earned her right to that nesting ground, and that calling on outside help when you can't deal with the problem yourself is a sign that you've effectively already lost. So... What do you think? Again, I'm aware there aren't any Rauatai centered choices in the editor, save Kana's ultimate fate, but what do you guys think about these for a character that's centered around information gathering and assassination?

Yep, your latest update look pretty solid :D For neck you can use amulet that give you +10% to buffs duration, and -10% to debuffs I prefer human, because +7% to crit chance is really good Gipon Prudensco now can give you +10 Deflection and +20 Reflex Oh, okay. So they didn't nerf the enchantment that grants immunity to disengagement attacks? That's cool.

Alright. So it's entirely possible that Rauatai would support animancy projects provided they had some sort of concrete application?

Yet another lore question! I'm trying to work on a custom backstory for the Rauatai intelligence agent I talked about here before, so I was hoping to learn a little bit more about how Rauatai feels about animancy as a whole. It seems like, based on the information on the wiki, they're against it - Rauatai is described as being the most technologically advanced nation if animancy isn't counted, but it also seems like a lot of that stems from their experiences and, as conquest/expansion/trade increases, they'd at least entertain the idea. I do know that Atsura critiques the Vallians' excessive processing of Luminous though, and their sense of experimentation for the sake of experimentation, which seems to indicate a disdain for the practice.

Oh! I've also considered playing Human instead of Nature Godlike for the Bloodied synergy. Is +7 Accuracy/+15% Damage or whatever from Fighting Spirit worth it, or am I better off just sticking with Godlike for the story elements? ... Granted, those seem to mostly be related to the main story, and this is kind of intended as a "Main story lite" character. So who knows? I also realized that I never put down a neck slot item, so more fool me I suppose. I was thinking either Precognition (- Crit damage Taken/+ Crit Damage Given) or a Stone of Power (+1 Intellect/+2 Power Surge) Also, it bears asking since the wiki hasn't been updated for the two big nerf patches. How much has Gipon Prudensco been nerfed?

Holy crap... The Gipon Prudensco looks amazing. Who do I have to annoy to get it to spawn, and how tough is that fight? I think that's the ship I get for getting negative reputation with Principi, right? As far as Rings go, I probably will grab Entonia's Signet Ring. It's nice to have when I get mobbed and, unlike with my Marauder, I actually intend to have solid Deflection to avoid getting hit. For the Cloak, I probably will just go with a Cloak of +10 Defenses to everything but Deflection, since I don't really like having to overspecialize in History too much. Also, you have a point about certain of the early game spells, but Llengrath's Safeguard is granted by this Grimoire, which is the one I fully intend to be using the most https://pillarsofeternity.gamepedia.com/Llengrath%27s_Martial_Masteries The other stuff still stands, and I've made some modifications... Level 1 - Crippling Strike/Chill Fog Level 2 - Escape Level 3 - Monastic Unarmed Training Level 4 - Blinding Strike/Arcane Veil Level 5 - Dirty Fighting Level 6 - Two-Handed Style Level 7 - Ryngrim's Repulsive Visage/Riposte Level 8 - Confounding Blind Level 9 - Finishing Blow Level 10 - Pull of Eora/Persistent Distraction Level 11 - Withering Strike Level 12 - Adept Evasion Level 13 - Deep Wounds/Rapid Casting Level 14 - Tough Level 15 - Eliminating Blow or Devastating Blow Level 16 - Martial Caster/Toxic Strike Level 17 - Sap Level 18 - Slippery Mind Level 19 - Merciless Gaze/Deathblows Level 20 - Bear's Fortitude (Since your Fortitude is gonna 'suck' Gear: Weapon: Use Citzal's Spirit Lance once you get it to AoE enemies to death that are caught in Pull of Eora. Otherwise, use your fists. PUNCH POISON INTO YOUR ENEMIES. Armor: Gipon Prudensco with No Fool I and Fight Another Day. If Cutthroat Cosmo's reduction boost goes by armor class, it should be at 7% Recovery, which is negligible compared to what Streetfighter gets. Helm: Once again, Godlike! What's that? You say a Godlike intelligence operative doesn't make sense? Pallegina says 'hi.' If the Vallians can do it, the Rauatai Navy certainly can. Gloves: Bracers of Greater Deflection - Just to shore up the poor Deflection from low Resolve. Cloak: Cloak of Greater Protection. Rings: Chameleon's Touch (Sorry, the bonuses are too good for my current stat balancing) and Entonia's Signet Ring (+2 Diplomacy on top of the bonus to all defenses per engaged enemy... that you can freely disengage from at your leisure. Belt: Upright Captain's Belt for dealing with Pull of Eora. Boots: Boots of the Stone or Rakhan Field Boots (Though I need to know what those actually DO. They just 'sound' cool, which isn't the same thing as 'being' cool. Stats: Two options... The Min/Max 10 Might (6 Base + 2 Berath's Blessing +1 Gift of the Machine +1 Permanent Stat boost Potion) (14 with food/19 with Inspiration) 22 Constitution (18 Base + 2 Berath's Blessing +1 Rauatai +1 Effigy's Resentment (Durance)) 18 Dexterity (14 Base +1 Nature Godlike +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) 16 Perception (14 Base +2 Berath's Blessing) 22 Intellect (18 Base +1 Nature Godlike +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) (As high as 30 with Smart Inspiration/Drugs/etc) 7 Resolve (5 Base +2 Berath's Blessing) (10 with Drug) The not-Min/Max (High Perception) 10 Might (6 Base + 2 Berath's Blessing +1 Gift of the Machine +1 Permanent Stat boost Potion) (14 with food/19 with Inspiration) 20 Constitution (16 Base + 2 Berath's Blessing +1 Rauatai +1 Effigy's Resentment (Durance)) 18 Dexterity (14 Base +1 Nature Godlike +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) 20 Perception (18 Base +2 Berath's Blessing) 20 Intellect (16 Base +1 Nature Godlike +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) (Almost hits 30 with Smart inspiration and Drugs) 7 Resolve (5 Base +2 Berath's Blessing) (10 with Drug) What do you guys think of the two stat blocks, side by side?

Stats: 12 Might (6 Base + 2 Berath's Blessing +1 Gift of the Machine +1 Permanent Stat boost Potion +2 Gloves) (16 with food/21 with Inspiration) 22 Constitution (18 Base + 2 Berath's Blessing +1 Rauatai +1 Effigy's Resentment (Durance)) 18 Dexterity (14 Base +1 Nature Godlike +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) 16 Perception (14 Base +2 Berath's Blessing) 22 Intellect (18 Base +1 Nature Godlike +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) (As high as 30 with Smart Inspiration/Drugs/etc) 7 Resolve (5 Base +2 Berath's Blessing) (10 with Drug) Skill Focus: Alchemy/Explosives (Active) and Insight/Streetwise (Passives) - Figures a spy would know a lot about poison and sabotage The Abilities By level Grimoires: Llengrath's Martial Masteries/Ninagauth's Teachings Level 1 - Crippling Strike/Eldritch Aim Level 2 - Escape Level 3 - Chill Fog Level 4 - Blinding Strike/Merciless Gaze Level 5 - Dirty Fighting Level 6 - Two-Handed Style Level 7 - Combat Focus/Riposte Level 8 - Gouging Strike Level 9 - Finishing Blow Level 10 - Pull of Eora/Persistent Distraction Level 11 - Withering Strike Level 12 - Adept Evasion Level 13 - Deep Wounds/Rapid Casting Level 14 - Tough Level 15 - Eliminating Blow or Devastating Blow Level 16 - Martial Caster/Toxic Strike Level 17 - Sap Level 18 - Slippery Mind Level 19 - Citzal's Martial Power/Deathblows Level 20 - Wall of Draining (Not sure where to slot in Monastic Unarmed Training or if it's even worth it) The Gear: Weapon Proficiencies - Pike Pet: Cutthroat Cosmo for the recovery reduction Weapons: "Citzal's Spirit Lance" is going to be the primary method of attacking once you get it, but for a change of pace it might be good to dual wield swords or daggers. Armor: Miscreant's Leathers or Devil of Caroc Breastplate - Miscreant's Leathers is my preferred choice, since with Cutthroat Cosmo's bonus it has no Recovery time associated with it. DoC Breastplate is a very solid option as well, but only gives +2 Guile. Helm: Who needs a helm when you're a Godlike? Let those glorious horns/facial tumors show! Rings: Ring of Greater Regeneration/Chameleon's Touch - RoGR helps keep you alive, and Chameleon's Touch grants +1 Dex/+1 Int as well as bonuses to both Arcana and Sleight of Hand. Chameleon's Touch is a staple of a lot of my builds because it's obtainable early on, albeit it requires a pretty tough bounty. Cloak: The Magnificent Escape Cape seems like a pretty good choice here for the extra Deflection on being Bloodied (Provided it stacks with Wizard buffs). Gloves: Gauntlets of Ogre Might or Woedica's Strangling Grasp Belt: The Upright Captain's Belt (Resistance to Pull of Eora's Effects) Boots: Rakhan Field Boots or Boots of the Stone I'm like, 90% satisfied with this right now. I'm not sure what cloak I want to use though. Anyone have any input regarding that? Also, how does the updated build look in general? If it looks okay, I'll post it for posterity's sake for the build guide.

Hey guys, So, I know Conjured weapons scale with character level, gaining additional accuracy, penetration, and so on as you advance. My question is whether or not these weapons effectively become replacements for Fine, Exceptional, Superb, and Legendary quality weapons? Do they gain the same accuracy, damage, and penetration bonuses of a Legendary weapon when you hit level 20?

I'm posting a modified version of my build as a new reply to this thread, thanks to the input from mant2si.

You will usually use lance when eora is active, then if you run of spell try to use some other strategy, fists or blights Oooh, okay. I get you.

Or my lance, in this case. This is intended to synergize with Citzal's Spirit Lance.

Hmm, alright... So maybe something like this. 12 Might (6 Base + 2 Berath's Blessing +1 Gift of the Machine +1 Permanent Stat boost Potion +2 Gloves) (16 with food/21 with Inspiration) 22 Constitution (18 Base + 2 Berath's Blessing +1 Rauatai +1 Effigy's Resentment (Durance)) 18 Dexterity (14 Base +1 Nature Godlike +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) 16 Perception (14 Base +2 Berath's Blessing) 22 Intellect (18 Base +1 Nature Godlike +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) (As high as 30 with Smart Inspiration/Drugs/etc) 7 Resolve (5 Base +2 Berath's Blessing) (10 with Drug) If my Resolve is so low, should I bring Riposte or drop it for something else? Or will my Deflection bonuses from Wizard spells make up for it? Keep riposte, because chill fog apply blind affliction, and Citzal's Martial Power stack with Llengrath's Safeguard, so you can hit 130 Deflection and lower enemy Accuracy You also need talent that give you immunity to perception affliction with low life I usually ended with 3 scenarios: Kill all enemies before you run of spell Kill bosses with unarmed fight talent, before run of spell With long fight use monk shield and minor blights or unarmed fight I've got Slippery Mind thankfully, that's the talent you're thinking about, I believe.