Magic user that invests in Resolve?

[PugPug]

We seem to have this weird thing in PoE in which the tanky characters are really good at bluffing, and casters seem to be ill-advised to invest in concentration because other stats are so much more useful.

 

I've heard of chanter tanks, but I've also read that the class is just not very much fun to play because invocations are used so seldom. I guess there's the melee wizard? Anything else? I'm not really keen on melee, but I guess that's the only way to justify Resolve...

[hilfazer]

Melee ciphers.

[Blades of Vanatar]

Melee druids after the last couple of patches are awesome.

[Elric Galad]

+1 for melee druids.

 

I believe that Priest can be OK too.

 

Priest can wield a shield without affecting too much his/her spell casting.

 

A priest specialized in Buff needs only some Intelligence and a bit of dexterity. Might is for healing spells, but they are not that much important IMHO (They are sometimes useful, but not as much as buff spells).  As long as you don't target foes, you will not need Perception.

As you don't need so much other stats, you can allocate some points to Resolve.

 

Skaen priest can have a talent that give them Baby Sneak Attack and +10 Accuracy with Clubs and Stylettos. 

 

I don't say it would be optimal, but at least it would work. After all, Durance has 19 Resolve...

[jsaving]

If you want a viable non-melee caster with high resolve, your problem -- as others are hinting at in their responses -- is that resolve has no synergies with the niches a non-melee caster would occupy.  So what you need to find is the non-melee caster who is the least dependent on stats, because that is the one who could most afford to "waste" points on resolve.  DPS and crowd-control casters are out because they are dependent on too many attributes -- you'll gimp them significantly if you divert points to resolve.  Buffer characters are more promising because, depending on class and playstyle, you might be able to live with a moderate amount of might (if you truly are a buffer and not a healer) or perception (if you truly never plan to use your spells for attacking).  To me at least, that would point toward the priest class, as a buff-only priest is less of a wasted party slot than a buff-only druid would be.

Edited October 23, 2015 by jsaving

[klinwen]

Ways to make a tanky chanter more interesting:

- Invest in Lore and use scrolls tactically. You'll want Lore anyway for a talker character. Not a "magic user" in the traditional sense, but not bad either. Scrolls are pretty cheap to make after the first few levels. You might even want to pick up the extra quickslots talent.

- Wear equipment with spellbinds.

- Don't just stick with one chant, make four and switch frequently based on how the battle is going.

- Use many different weapons, pick one for the situation.

- You can make an invocation-based chanter by only using first-level phrases. Still not a rapid caster, but at least you'll be able to get multiple invocations out per fight.

 

Having said that, resolve isn't exactly wasted on a back-line caster. You're still going to get hit every now and then. Not getting KOd is good.

 

And unless you're playing POTD, go with whatever stats you like. A wizard with 17 resolve and 11 might is fine even on hard. There are many ways to boost your damage, you don't need to use all of them to get through even the most difficult fights. You can get your resolve up to 20 with either gear or resting bonuses by the time you need to make conversation checks that require 20.