[PotD Build] Mindstalker "The Company Man" (Heavy RP/NOT FOR SOLO) - Needs a few finishing touches

[Cyrus_Blackfeather]

So, over the last few days, I've had a vision of a character that evokes the ideal of the consummate professional. A company man through and through, with a specialty in espionage, interrogation, and assassination, he completes each mission assigned to him efficiently, with no loose ends. He's fiercely loyal to the cause that his faction fights for, and puts his unique set of skills to use daily to ensure that their goals are reached. 

 

After a lot of throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks, I think I've managed to come up with a Mindstalker build that evokes a lot of what I'm going for thematically. It's intended as a Gunslinger build, blasting foes from range to build up Focus to Ascend and set up Sneak Attack conditions, then repeat the process with additional damage once Sneak Attack ends. It uses Pierce the Bell later on in addition to Hammering Thoughts for pretty huge Penetration on ranged weapon attacks, as well as potent Cipher debuffs to lower the target's defenses and boost its own Accuracy. 

 

(Plus, did I mention that Secret Horrors sets up Deathblows on its own? Because it does)

 

The only downside is that this character is pretty frail. He'll have a little bit more HP than base, but Cipher/Rogue is already on the bottom end of the HP pool, so 10% extra really won't do a whole lot for him. 

 

This build is intended to work with either the Streetfighter subclass, for more potent Sneak Attack damage and faster casting of Cipher spells, or the Trickster subclass for a slower, but sturdier, character. I'm personally partial to the Streetfighter myself, because setting up its conditional with a Blunderbuss isn't terribly difficult, but the Trickster could definitely work well here.

 

Race: Human, though any race except Godlike would work. As cool as Godlikes are, Acina's Tricorn is VERY important for this build. 

 

Class: Cipher (Ascendant)/Rogue (Streetfighter)

 

Culture/Background: Rauatai/Aristocrat (For the bonus to conversational skills, as well as additional dialogue options)

 

Skills: Alchemy and Explosives (Actives)/Insight and Bluff (Passives)

 

Stats: 

 

(Unfortunately, this has proven harder than expected). This is my best attempt at what I had in PoE1, but it's definitely open for improvement. 

 

23 Might (18 Base +1 Human +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Gift of the Machine +1 Permanent Stat boost Potion) 

8 Constitution (4 Base + 2 Berath's Blessing +1 Rauatai +1 Effigy's Resentment (Durance)) 

17 Dexterity (14 Base +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) 

21 Perception (18 Base +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) 

20 Intellect (18 Base +2 Berath's Blessing)

6 Resolve (3 Base +1 Human +2 Berath's Blessing) 

 

These are all subject to change, of course. High Perception is important to counteract the Accuracy penalty from using Blunderbusses - even with Borrowed Instinct, +15 bonus Deflection is still very much a thing. High Intellect makes your buffs/debuffs last longer (Including the one you want on yourself), your Ascension last longer (I'm assuming), and your AoEs much larger. Dexterity and Might may be a little low, but the -50% Recovery time from Streetfighter, as well as the fact that the armor you'll be using doesn't *have* a Recovery Time (Or if you decide to go with another option, it'll be negligible) means I feel like I can get away with a lower Dexterity. If I were to change anything, it'd be to take some points out of Resolve/Con and put them into Might. That'd be -2 Deflection that I'm not getting back (No Psychovampiric Shield), but the Con's a bit more significant.

 

Total HP with 8 Con (10% from GotM and Durance) and Tough = 248

 

Starting HP: 33

 

Starting Deflection: 16 (Can someone tell me what determines how much Deflection you gain per level?) 

 

Starting Fortitude: 33

 

Starting Reflex: 50

 

Starting Will: 37

 

So, definitely starting out squishy. This build necessitates having at least two solid frontline units, and since Pallegina is probably going to be very very annoyed with many of the decisions we make throughout this playthrough, we unfortunately can't rely on her. I'm looking at Eder as a Swashbuckler along with Rekke as good frontline options. Obviously, players who support any of the other Factions will be able to keep the curmudgeonly bird-lady. 

 

Abilities: 

 

Level 1 - Crippling Strike/Eyestrike

Level 2 - Soul Shock or Mind Wave (Respec to Escape at level 5)
Level 3 - Penetrating Visions
Level 4 - Two-Weapon Style/Draining Whip
Level 5 - Mind Blades (Respec to Mental Binding at Level 10)
Level 6 - Dirty Fighting
Level 7 - Secret Horrors/Strike the Bell
Level 8 - Hammering Thoughts
Level 9 - Puppet Master
Level 10 - Silent Scream/Shadowing Beyond
Level 11 - Bear's Fortitude
Level 12 - Finishing Blow
Level 13 - Pierce the Bell/Borrowed Instinct
Level 14 - Rapid Casting
Level 15 - Tough
Level 16 - Amplified Wave/Devastating Blow
Level 17 - The Empty Soul
Level 18 - Disintegration
Level 19 - Ancestor's Honor/Deathblows
Level 20 - Echoing Horror

 

The only options I'm not sure on here are Finishing/Devastating Blow. My thought process was that they could serve as a nice way to quickly Ascend by serving as a coup de grace to an enemy, but I'm not sure if the Guile cost is worth it when I could be using it for Pierce the Bell with more penetration and bonus damage. Any suggestions on what I could swap those out for would be appreciated. 

 

A note on respecs. I've heard that losing your starting skills when respeccing only applies if you take upgrades to those skills (Like if I were to take Arterial Strike, I would lose Crippling Strike). So I ought to be okay respeccing as long as I don't do it after I unlock Finishing/Devastating Blow. 'Should' be. That said, I really don't want to be out an attacking power until level 10, so I suppose I'll risk it. Maybe I'll try resetting in the Kraken's Eye to see if that does it. 

 

Gear: 

 

Weapons: The Kitchen Stove(MH)/Scordeo's Trophy (OH) - The Kitchen Stove, upgraded, gives you a per encounter AoE attack that can generate enough Focus for you to immediately Ascend. Scordeo's Trophy with the Modal equipped gives 50% reload time with -15 Ranged Accuracy. Unfortunately the PoE wiki is a little sparse on what its enchantments do. Can someone fill me in? You can also use Thundercrack Pistol in your other weapon slot for Storm Rune shot for a quick Focus boost. 

 

- Can you get the "Anything and Everything" Enchantment for The Kitchen Stove with Thunderous Report? 

- How much of a hindrance is the fact that The Kitchen Stove and pistols only do Pierce damage? 

 

Armor: Miscreant's Leathers is my personal pick for the 5% chance to just ignore an attack. Furthermore, when used with Cutthroat Cosmo, it just... doesn't have a Recovery penalty. Plus it looks stylish, and Blow the Man Down is easily my favorite quest for all of the ways you can solve it. I'm definitely open to other suggestions though. Maia's armor seems like it'd be good for the 20% hit to crit on dodging a ranged attack, but that requires... dodging a ranged attack. Plus it's a % chance to happen, not a guarantee. 

 

Helm: Acina's Tricorn is why this build doesn't work with Godlikes unfortunately, as well as why Miscreant's Leathers is my favorite piece of gear to go with it for style points. Get it, love it. 

 

Rings: Chameleon's Touch and Ring of the Marksman. Chameleon's Touch can be acquired on Neketaka (Though the bounty to get it can be pretty rough) as can Ring of the Marksman (Though this is VERY important, and I'm putting this here so I won't forget. You must pickpocket it off of the Rauatai Sailors as part of the Valera portion of the Family Feud quest. As a pro-Rauatai character, obviously I can't kill them. As for... why I decided to steal their ring? Well, they weren't using it, I guess). 

 

Cloak: Cloak of Greater Protection - It's like Giftbearer's Cloth for people who A: Don't need the extra weapon/quick item slot and B: Don't overindulge in History. 

 

Neck: Token of Faith (+2 Resolve) or Amulet of Greater Health (25 max Health) - Lots of not unique items here, but I can't really think of many good neck slot items I've come across. The amulet brings us to 273 HP. Cipher's Shackle could also work for the +Con and Dexterity Affliction resistance. 

 

Gloves: Bracers of Greater Deflection - They're bracers that deflect things. Both this and the Cloak are taken in the event that you might be hit eventually and that if you are, you probably want to make sure you're at least not crit and killed before you can teleport away. 

 

Belt: Belt of Eoten Constitution - Mostly so that your 8 Con becomes 10 Con again. That adds an extra 21 HP. I'm not entirely sold on this one, so other Belt options would certainly be welcome. Maybe Gwyn's Bridal Garter for the added resistance to Dexterity Afflictions?

 

Boots: Boots of the Stone. If there are better boot options, please let me know. 

 

So, there you have it... 

 

It's done! Well, save for a bit of feedback from you all. I've listed the two most important points here. 

 

1. Stats - Is 23 Might too absurd? Should I drop it down and put the extra points into Dexterity, or even Constitution? Keep in mind, I know Streetfighter can live without high Might, this is mostly for the Cipher's damage powers (Which for me will be Amplified Wave, Silent Scream, and Disintegrate)

 

2. The Gear - Am I overlooking a really good piece of gear for this build? Please, let me know. Keep in mind, this is mostly gear from the early game because that's what I'm familiar with, and I'm looking for stuff that'll be good consistently throughout. 

 

3. The fun factor. How fun is a build like this going to be right now? Provided they leave Cipher and Rogue as they are (Or buff Cipher some more, which would be nice!), is this build enough to at least see some really big numbers with Sneak Attack/Into the Fray? I know I won't be topping the DPS charts, but as long as I'm not plinking off of everything I try to hit, I can be happy with that. Of course, that doesn't mean I'm opposed to seeing huge damage numbers from time to time, but I'm also not silly enough to be thinking I'll outdamage my Streetfighter/Berserker Marauder any time soon. 

 

Thanks guys, and happy adventuring!

 

Changelog: 

 

Edit - Swapped out Ringleader for Tough. Considering swapping out The Empty Soul for Ringleader , especially since Borrowed Instinct lowers enemies' Will by 16 anyway. Thoughts? 

Edited July 13, 2018 by Cyrus_Blackfeather

[Cyrus_Blackfeather]

Realized that I didn't actually HAVE Tough as a passive ability, but accounted for it anyway. That was my bad - it's since been corrected. I also realize that I didn't include a neck slot item either, so I've added that too. 

[Haplok]

To be honest, as a Streetfighter I  would probably pick neither Soulshock nor Mindwave. It's cool to have offensive powers, but... truth is that under Heating Up your auto-attacks will probably be more damaging then those powers - if you can setup Flanked/Blind/Hobbled. Not to mention Crippling Strike Full Attacks.

With the Trickster version it would be another story, but Streetfighter is a beast and casting those weak offensive powers is probably not worth it.

Mind Blades at PL2 are an option (the speed you can spam them at IS pretty cool), but still it's not clear for me if they are better then, say, a Crippling Strike. Particularly when you consider that with a Crippling Strike you may have just downed an enemy (and reduced threat to your party), while Blades slightly weaken everyone and possibly drawn their attention to your Cipher (awesome when there are 2-3 enemies left though).

 

I probably would pick Devastating Blow. Just because it sounds pretty awesome. Not sure I'd use it a lot in practice, though.

 

Regarding weapons, also consider dual mortars from Serafen. Aoe damage is pretty great, aoe afflictions even better. Definitely pick Arterial Strike then, might  consider Gouging Strike as well. Then Devastating Strike on weakened enemies? Sounds fun! They deal slash/pierce, so partially solve your Penetration issue as well (not that I consider it a big issue, with the Marksman's Ring and Hammering Thoughts).

Edited July 13, 2018 by Haplok

[Cyrus_Blackfeather]

To be honest, as a Streetfighter I  would probably pick neither Soulshock nor Mindwave. It's cool to have offensive powers, but... truth is that under Heating Up your auto-attacks will probably be more damaging then those powers - if you can setup Flanked/Blind/Hobbled. Not to mention Crippling Strike Full Attacks.

With the Trickster version it would be another story, but Streetfighter is a beast and casting those weak offensive powers is probably not worth it.

Mind Blades at PL2 are an option (the speed you can spam them at IS pretty cool), but still it's not clear for me if they are better then, say, a Crippling Strike. Particularly when you consider that with a Crippling Strike you may have just downed an enemy (and reduced threat to your party), while Blades slightly weaken everyone and possibly drawn their attention to your Cipher (awesome when there are 2-3 enemies left though).

 

I probably would pick Devastating Blow. Just because it sounds pretty awesome. Not sure I'd use it a lot in practice, though.

 

Regarding weapons, also consider dual mortars from Serafen. Aoe damage is pretty great, aoe afflictions even better. Definitely pick Arterial Strike then, might  consider Gouging Strike as well. Then Devastating Strike on weakened enemies? Sounds fun! They deal slash/pierce, so partially solve your Penetration issue as well (not that I consider it a big issue, with the Marksman's Ring and Hammering Thoughts).

 

Alright. That's a fair point. I might go ahead and just get Escape then. Are Silent Scream and Amp. Wave still worth using? I mostly just wanted to have something to do to enemies at low levels that wasn't Whispers of Treason or Eyestrike, but that is kind of my lot, I suppose. 

 

As far as the weapons go, if the pure pierce from the Kitchen Stove, with penetration, won't be an issue, that's fine. 

 

Do my stats look okay, you think? That's the biggest concern. I can respec skills and such, but stats are forever. 

[Haplok]

For me they look ok for a character who stays back.

Personally I'd drop Resolve all the way (it's not really helping anyway) and put those 2 extra points in Con maybe, to have a little more health buffer. Or possibly Dex, if you like living dangerously.

Edited July 13, 2018 by Haplok

[Cyrus_Blackfeather]

For me they look ok for a character who stays back.

Personally I'd drop Resolve all the way (it's not really helping anyway) and put those 2 extra points in Con maybe, to have a little more health buffer. Or possibly Dex, if you like living dangerously.

 

Mhmm... The Will hit's gonna hurt, a bit (37 to start). You're right though - having it at 8 or 6 really doesn't make a difference, I'm not passing Resolve checks anyway. Alright, updated. 

 

Edit: Also, I put the points into Dexterity, not Con, because the extra Constitution only gives 20 HP. In a situation where one or two hits more or less means I'm toast regardless, it doesn't seem worth it. 

Edited July 13, 2018 by Cyrus_Blackfeather

[Verde]

So essentially the class is gimped until it reaches max Focus and Flanked/Bloodied? I don't have experience with this specific class but seems like a whole lot to max potential. Also for a company man I'd imagine an Rogue/Soulblade or Assassin/Beguiler, but that's just me.

Edited July 13, 2018 by Verde

[Haplok]

Not really gimped. Sure, Ascendant has -1 Power Level when below max Focus, but it's not a big deal. On the other hand he has higher max and starting Focus and gains Focus faster. So he can cast more even without Ascension (when he gets +3 PL and unlimited Focus).

 

But there is something to it. Considering the crazy damage Streetfighter does on his own, it could be that a Beguiler would be a better match. You forget about damage spells entirely then (so mostly forget about Disintegration and such) but focus on Streetfighter combat with CC thrown in as needed. Soulblade has been nerfed to uselessness, I think. Also I'm not a fan of Assasin playstyle.

Edited July 13, 2018 by Haplok

[Cyrus_Blackfeather]

Not really gimped. Sure, Ascendant has -1 Power Level when below max Focus, but it's not a big deal. On the other hand he has higher max and starting Focus and gains Focus faster. So he can cast more even without Ascension (when he gets +3 PL and unlimited Focus).

 

But there is something to it. Considering the crazy damage Streetfighter does on his own, it could be that a Beguiler would be a better match. You forget about damage spells entirely then (so mostly forget about Disintegration and such) but focus on Streetfighter combat with CC thrown in as needed. Soulblade has been nerfed to uselessness, I think. Also I'm not a fan of Assasin playstyle.

 

That's the issue though, I really want to use some of those damaging powers. Otherwise it's just pew pew all the time with the occasional CC spell, and then how's it different from just playing a normal Ranged Streetfighter? 

 

 

So essentially the class is gimped until it reaches max Focus and Flanked/Bloodied? I don't have experience with this specific class but seems like a whole lot to max potential. Also for a company man I'd imagine an Rogue/Soulblade or Assassin/Beguiler, but that's just me.

 

Not quite. All you really need to remove the Streetfighter malus and give yourself a nice hefty boost to Sneak Attack damage is Flanked, which you can easily get with the Blunderbuss modal ability. 

[Verde]

Seems like your put a lot of thought into your char Cyrus. I hope you enjoy whatever you decide!

[mosspit]

Yeah, I mean I guess it feels great to plan your build meticulously. But for combat effectiveness, it is largely fine. On PotD (well, without any mods or any other restrictions), builds don't have to be absolutely optimized. In fact, just be more concerned with the first 10% of the game. And afterwards you can mostly roll with it.

Edited July 14, 2018 by mosspit

[Cyrus_Blackfeather]

Yeah, I mean I guess it feels great to plan your build meticulously. But for combat effectiveness, it is largely fine. On PotD (well, without any mods or any other restrictions), builds don't have to be absolutely optimized. In fact, just be more concerned with the first 10% of the game. And afterwards you can mostly roll with it.

 

Yeah, honestly I'm feeling like Port Maje is going to be the hardest bit. I want to try to handle the Digsite properly, and then if I can do that, I think I'll be set. 

 

That said, there are a few more tweaks I want to try to make with this build, mostly to starting stats and to my "Level 0" picks. I also need to decide if I want to keep going with Streetfighter, because the penalties to Accuracy I'm getting by basically having to keep myself permanently Distracted are really hindering both my attacking and my spellcasting. 

 

Do the accessories/upgraded equipment you get later solve that issue, more or less, or is it just something I'm going to have to accept? I remember Blunderbusses in the first game were like that, and my Cipher did okay. The accuracy hit to Spells is going to be a problem though.

 

I've also considered removing every damage spell from this build except Disintegrate (Since its base damage is so stupid high anyway) and dropping Might down to 10 (15 with all buffs). Then I can either put points into Resolve (Shock, horror!) to shore up my Will a bit, at the cost of Fortitude), or into Constitution for extra Fortitude and about 60 more HP. If I did that, I'd switch over to Beguiler and maybe pick up Biting Whip or something, who knows? 

 

There's only but so many options I can take, or ways I can allocate my stats. Something's going to give at some point. 

[mosspit]

It depends on what you mean by properly.

 

Whether you like it or not, Dig Site and Gorecci Street will need a certain amount of luck. IMO, you just need to be careful of your skill choice to Level 4. Even then, it is sill lady luck's dice roll on whether a crit lands on your characters or not.

 

To me, Streetfighter is absolutely terrible for those earlier fights. As you don't have enough options to make use of the impressive recovery, and again not enough options to circumvent the disadvantages of being flanked or being comfortable of being constantly bloodied. However, Streetfighter effectiveness increase exponentially with levels. So it is ultimately a decision of what you are willing to compromise in a build.

[Cyrus_Blackfeather]

It depends on what you mean by properly.

 

Whether you like it or not, Dig Site and Gorecci Street will need a certain amount of luck. IMO, you just need to be careful of your skill choice to Level 4. Even then, it is sill lady luck's dice roll on whether a crit lands on your characters or not.

 

To me, Streetfighter is absolutely terrible for those earlier fights. As you don't have enough options to make use of the impressive recovery, and again not enough options to circumvent the disadvantages of being flanked or being comfortable of being constantly bloodied. However, Streetfighter effectiveness increase exponentially with levels. So it is ultimately a decision of what you are willing to compromise in a build.

 

Well, I was planning on resolving Gorecci Street diplomatically, since it makes sense for the kind of character I'm playing. As for the Dig Site, I was thinking of sneaking it. 

 

As far as exponential increases go... does that mean that the Accuracy penalties from perma-Distraction and the -10 from Blunderbuss become a non-issue? 

[mosspit]

It probably will until about level 10-ish. Accuracies is also an issue in the early game, debuffs are not that easy to land.

 

But OTOH, you can only get Kitchen Stove after the Gullet questlines and you will be probably have gained some levels upon Kitchen Stove acquisition. So maybe it will not be that bad. Until then, you can maybe use another ranged weapon in its stead.

 

At that level, you have more accuracy from leveling up and also more debuff options. So it should work out in the end.

Edited July 14, 2018 by mosspit

[Cyrus_Blackfeather]

It probably will until about level 10-ish. Accuracies is also an issue in the early game, debuffs are not that easy to land.

 

But OTOH, you can only get Kitchen Stove after the Gullet questlines and you will be probably have gained some levels upon Kitchen Stove acquisition. So maybe it will not be that bad. Until then, you can maybe use another ranged weapon in its stead.

 

At that level, you have more accuracy from leveling up and also more debuff options. So it should work out in the end.

 

Alright! I'll stick with Streetfighter then, though I might switch to Beguiler as my Cipher subclass. Who knows? 

[Verde]

I have about 40 hrs with Beguiler Cyrus. I can tell you that the increased ranged is a huge bonus. Early on you may find that you have two much focus, but once you get lvl 4+ spells you'll be Leaching and Borrowing Instinct like nothing

Edited July 14, 2018 by Verde

[Haplok]

Yeah, honestly I'm feeling like Port Maje is going to be the hardest bit. I want to try to handle the Digsite properly, and then if I can do that, I think I'll be set.

 

That said, there are a few more tweaks I want to try to make with this build, mostly to starting stats and to my "Level 0" picks. I also need to decide if I want to keep going with Streetfighter, because the penalties to Accuracy I'm getting by basically having to keep myself permanently Distracted are really hindering both my attacking and my spellcasting.

 

Do the accessories/upgraded equipment you get later solve that issue, more or less, or is it just something I'm going to have to accept? I remember Blunderbusses in the first game were like that, and my Cipher did okay. The accuracy hit to Spells is going to be a problem though.

 

Well Accuracy is a bit of an issue. But one that can be solved, particularly in a party. I'd teach other party members, especially tanks and offtanks, weapon modals which decrease enemy defences. Particularly club for -25 Will and Morningstar for -25 Fortitude. Plus there are many debuffs which can help your important spells to land. Tenuous Grasp costs almost nothing. Secret Horrors is a great debuff in a nice aoe.There's even Psychovampiric shield for even more ownage. A club Bewildering Blows + short duration graze from one of the debuffs is usually all you need to land follow-up nasty disabling power even on a mini boss.

Plus it's kinda fun to plan, prepare and coordinate this.

 

If you enjoy micro managment like me,that is.

Edited July 14, 2018 by Haplok

[Cyrus_Blackfeather]

So, basically, there's a lot of different ways I can approach this, I just need to find the right one. 

 

Also, if I decide to drop most of my damaging spells, I can drop my Might too (Down to base 10) and then have 8 points left over to put into Constitution for more HP. I can get up to about 300 HP that way. 

[Cyrus_Blackfeather]

Alright, I had a go at making a build more focused around Streetfighter damage than Cipher damage, which also freed up some more points for me to play around with. 

 

Stats: 

 

Either

 

15 Might (10 Base +1 Human +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Gift of the Machine +1 Permanent Stat boost Potion) 

12 Constitution (8 Base + 2 Berath's Blessing +1 Rauatai +1 Effigy's Resentment (Durance)) 

21 Dexterity (18 Base +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) 

21 Perception (18 Base +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) 

20 Intellect (18 Base +2 Berath's Blessing)

6 Resolve (3 Base +1 Human +2 Berath's Blessing) 

 

Con is (Effectively) 14 with regards to max HP, which - with Tough - results in 290 HP. This does result in lower starting Fortitude, but I get a +10 boost from Bear's Fortitude and another +10 from the cloak (Does anyone know if a greater/lesser combo, like a Greater Cloak and a Lesser ring stack for +15?). 

 

Alternatively, if the extra Dexterity isn't necessary

 

15 Might (10 Base +1 Human +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Gift of the Machine +1 Permanent Stat boost Potion) 

16 Constitution (12 Base + 2 Berath's Blessing +1 Rauatai +1 Effigy's Resentment (Durance)) 

17 Dexterity (14 Base +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) 

21 Perception (18 Base +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) 

20 Intellect (18 Base +2 Berath's Blessing)

6 Resolve (3 Base +1 Human +2 Berath's Blessing) 

 

Con is (effectively) 18 with the 10% max HP from Durance/GotM, which adds up to 332 (About 40 more HP) 

 

Unfortunately, short of playing Pale Elf and selecting WtW for my starting culture, there's nothing more I can do about base accuracy. 

 

Resolve is still low, but I was told that, as a Cipher, I'd have a special dialogue option regarding the various mind reading/mental intrusion checks. I hope that's the case. If it's not, I've considered this... 

 

15 Might (10 Base +1 Human +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Gift of the Machine +1 Permanent Stat boost Potion) 

8 Constitution (4 Base + 2 Berath's Blessing +1 Rauatai +1 Effigy's Resentment (Durance)) 

17 Dexterity (14 Base +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) 

21 Perception (18 Base +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) 

20 Intellect (18 Base +2 Berath's Blessing)

14 Resolve (11 Base +1 Human +2 Berath's Blessing) 

 

That's 4 extra Deflection (11 with the Bracers) and +8 extra Will as opposed to -8. That makes my starting Will 45. Obviously if I don't need Resolve to resist mental intrusion as a Cipher, I won't go with this. 

 

Might is dumped because, as a Streetfighter, it's really unnecessary for weapon damage. That said, I've also considered something like this... 

 

19 Might (14 Base +1 Human +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Gift of the Machine +1 Permanent Stat boost Potion) 

12 Constitution (8 Base + 2 Berath's Blessing +1 Rauatai +1 Effigy's Resentment (Durance)) 

17 Dexterity (14 Base +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) 

21 Perception (18 Base +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) 

20 Intellect (18 Base +2 Berath's Blessing)

6 Resolve (3 Base +1 Human +2 Berath's Blessing) 

 

290 HP again for a ranged character, with a net gain to Fortitude of +22. This is only for if I decide to still go with Amplified Wave/Disintegrate though. I've been told those are the two major damage powers worth using. 

 

Abilities: 

 

I've been trying to, per suggestions, work in Debilitating Strike and/or Blinding Strike > Confounding Blind, but haven't quite found out how I could do so without losing something important from the Cipher tree. Are Strike -> Pierce the Bell really not worth keeping for a Ranged character?