Help on a Spellsword-ish character

[Amare]

What's up fellas? For a final playthrough I kind of want to make a character that can bring the pain in combat with melee but still has the option to cast spells. So I wanted to ask you, what class do you think will best fill this role? Two that come to the top of my head are, of course, the Cipher and a melee Wizard but i'm not limiting it to just -these- choices (roleplaying a non-casting that uses scrolls can work too  ). I don't mind squishiness as I can deal with it well enough. 

Edited October 18, 2017 by Amare

[mosspit]

Druid. The animal forms together with Wildstrike talents are just awesome.

[JerekKruger]

Priest of Berath armed with Tidefall can work too.

[Boeroer]

Rogue with spellbindings/spell holding and some of the cross-class talents. Just pile all spellbinding gear onto him and when defeating Maerwald choose the option to siphon knowledge from him in order to get Flames of Faîr Rhîan. Pair it with Bittercut or clone one of them with the Helwax Mold or use Scath Gwannek or Badgradr's Barricade as shield. Additional spellbinding gear:

 

- Sun-Touched Mail of Hyan Rath (3 Sunbeams)

- Amulet of Summer Solstice (3 Sunbeams)

- Rotfinger Gloves (3 Touch of Rot, 3 Spreading Plague)

- Cloak of Minor Missiles (3 Minor Missiles)

- Swaddling Sheet (Foe only Overbearig Wave 1/encouter when receiving a crit)

- Animancer's Boots (3 Jolting Touch)

- Taluntain's Staff (3 Fireballs)

- White Crest Armor (1 Overbearing Wave, 1 Dancing Bolts)

- Nidhens Finger (1 Mind Lance)

- Munacra Arret (3 Whisper of Treason)

- Sprit Spiral (3 Whisper of Treason)

- Ring of Changing Heart (2 Dominate)

- The White Spire (3 Blizzard)

- Scath Gwannek (3 Winter Wind)

- Badgradr's Barricade (Thrust of Tattered Veils on doing a crit unlimited times)

- Ring of Searing Flames (3 Combusting Wounds - good with a multiretaliation build)

- Sigil of the Arcane (1 Arcane Dampener)

- Angio's Gambeson (1 Alacrity)

- Twin Sting (1 Alacrity)

- Nightshroud (1 Shadowing Beyond)

- Cloak of the Master Mystic (Invisibility when receiving a crit)

 

As one can see the variety is pretty big. You can even swap gear after a fight to get more uses. Look at it as if you swap grimoires.

 

Deep Wounds works with all (AoE) spells that deal pierce, crush or slash damage.

 

Deathblows works with all damaging spells that deal direct damage (no DoT).

 

Vicious and Dirty Fighting work with all attack rolls.

 

Scrolls are also a nice option. Maelstrom with Deathblows is... devastating.

[Phenomenum]

Sounds more like an Arcane Trickster from D'nD.

 

 

 

 

Interesting... Especially Munacra Arret + Ring of Changing Heart + Enigma's Charm. Never think about this things all toghether. What about stats? INT especially?

Edited October 19, 2017 by Phenomenum

[Boeroer]

Sure. High INT and MIG for damage, radius, duration and Deep Wounds' damage (you could also think about Envenomed Strike then).

RES can be dumped, CON normal, decent PER and DEX. Like 18/10/16/16/18/3.

 

Can be played like a normal dual wielding flanking rogue plus AoE and Mind Control. 6 Sunbeams/rest is really nice because it also blinds for a rel. long time which unlocks Sneak Attack.

 

You can also combine this with a weapon+shield+riposte approach (Badgradr's Barricade works with Deathblows), a multi-retaliation setup (Fire Godlike + Coat of Ill-Payment + Sura's Supper Plate+Combusting Wounds+Deep Wounds) or a Backstab build (use a two hander with spell binding - like White Spire; looks great with White Crest Armor which also has spellbindings - you need some stealth for this).

Edited October 19, 2017 by Boeroer

[Blades of Vanatar]

Choose a high Might and Int Borreal Dwarf Fighter. Pick gear from Boeroer's list but choose Whispers of the Yenwood and the Bartender's Ring. Also choose other enhancements vs Creature types at level ups. You become a spellslinging warrior with ACC and/or Damage bonuses vs all Creature types, high deflection, high DR and with a ton of staying power.

[Phenomenum]

How about 15/6/16/16/15/10? Dont't want dump RES, becose when you cast something in a middle of a fight, interrupts will break your spells. About CON: if rogue got surrounded by enemies he is dead - no matter con 6 or 10, becose of low Deflection every incoming hit is a Crit (literally) on PotD.
Besides of that, normal DW rogue with fast weapons + spells.

And don't forget scrolls - fire damaging ones (need Lore 4 at least). Maybe it's worth to take those fire talent +25%, especially when using Firebrand for backstubs (from gloves of course).

Edited October 19, 2017 by Phenomenum

[Dr <3]

Sure. High INT and MIG for damage, radius, duration and Deep Wounds' damage (you could also think about Envenomed Strike then).

RES can be dumped, CON normal, decent PER and DEX. Like 18/10/16/16/18/3.

 

Can be played like a normal dual wielding flanking rogue plus AoE and Mind Control. 6 Sunbeams/rest is really nice because it also blinds for a rel. long time which unlocks Sneak Attack.

 

You can also combine this with a weapon+shield+riposte approach (Badgradr's Barricade works with Deathblows), a multi-retaliation setup (Fire Godlike + Coat of Ill-Payment + Sura's Supper Plate+Combusting Wounds+Deep Wounds) or a Backstab build (use a two hander with spell binding - like White Spire; looks great with White Crest Armor which also has spellbindings - you need some stealth for this).

Too bad that deep wounds does not stack with themself, or retaliation rogue would have been very promising... But combusting wounds is always good with that setup

[Boeroer]

Yes, but you need high CON on a rogue then - else the small health pool will kill you quickly.

Edited October 23, 2017 by Boeroer

[mosspit]

For that kind of rogue, the preferred way imo is still a retaliation based rogue that avoids getting hits - high deflection.

 

Riposte fits this more, rather than the retaliation from Supper Plate and Battleforged as those retaliation involves getting hit. With rogue's low endurance and health, one would run the risk running out of health in an extended encounter even with heavy CON investment which in turn necessitate potions of Infused Vital Essence.

 

I mean one can technically combine the effects of Riposte and the other more basic retaliation, but for stat planning its better to base it on Riposte mechanics.

 

Oh and Defensive Mindweb.

Edited October 23, 2017 by mosspit

[Dr <3]

I have huge expectation for a ripose rogue in poe 2. If you combo with barb the retaliation strike could even work with carnage... :3

 

Or multiclass with pala for godly defences... Multiclass rogue/bleak walker...

[Amare]

So I just finished the game with a Rogue Spellcaster. It was more or less exactly what I was looking for, Didn't know deathblows worked with scrolls - that was really cool. By the end of the game I think I could've been more practical with a vancian spellcaster. But I certainly don't think any of them could've matched the melee capability. Would recommend. 

I also found myself doing more melee than spellcasting in most critical moments, but that's just probably my method of ''time'' value in battles. But what's the point of having a spellsword if you're not gonna melee   ? Equipment with damaging spellbindings was my bread and butter for a while but I found myself eventually just opting out for equipment that makes me better in melee and relying on just scrolls for spells. It wasn't too bad this way, as I didn't run short of scrolls at any moments, except when I tried spamming them all in a few boss battles. Though I did play with a party, so I'm not sure how the scroll management would've been if I were solo. So to sum it all up, It is very powerful indeed, especially if you can get off a deathblow maelstorm like Boeroer mentioned but I felt like I wasn't efficient enough towards the middle-ish of white march 2 and started to be more of a regular melee rogue.

Edited October 26, 2017 by Amare

[Redbard]

I'm in kind of the same position as the OP as in that I'm looking for a spellsword kind of character but I've found Ciphers a bit lacking and while my current muscle Wizard is going well I'm currently thinking about testing a Fighter or a Rogue with high Lore. Since most the thread already has discussed a Rogue build, what about a Fighter? Is it viable (and fun) to go with this kind of build?

[Blades of Vanatar]

Yes. Are you soloing or going full party?

[Redbard]

I’m going with a party made up mostly by the plot characters. I’ve never completed the game before due to various circumstances but now I’m going to try for a ”Canon” run to import into Deadfire.

Edited November 13, 2017 by Redbard

[Blades of Vanatar]

Fighter is definitely viable. Any class can be a scroll user in this game by just adding Lore. Since Fighters are mostly single target damage dealers adding scroll use is an excellent way to give them some CC or AoE.

[Boeroer]

Disciplined Barrage works with spells/scrolls. That and the high starting accuracy of the fighter make him a good scroll user if your INT is decent. I did not test if Confident Aim works with spells, but it may well be.

 

There are some fighte abilites like Into the Fray and Clear Out that already work like spells (they don't use your weapon and have their own base damage, range etc.).

 

If you combine Disciplined Barrage and Merciless Hand (story talent from the Doemenel Faction) you can get some nasty crits with spells.

[Redbard]

Ok, thanks. Guess I'll just have to decide between the staying power of the Fighter or the damage dealing abilities of the Rogue.

 

I always thought that I would enjoy the Cipher class more than I ended up doing but maybe I'll warm up to it again.