New player build request for learning mod.

[Gilgamess]

Greetings,

I am a checking out your server and have noticed there is a great deal of customization with the class changes, subraces, spell changes, etc.

I have played quite a bit of of NWN, but I am no expert and I am a bit overwhelmed by the choices and what they will mean for me as I progress through the mod.

I am requesting a build that is not boring or slow to level (i do prefer casters as long as being dispelled is not a huge issue, but can appreciate the simplicity of melee characters as long as the build has no glaring weaknesses that prevent it from advancing without a party (especially with dev crit enabled)).

On other servers my favorite type of build has been a wizard/PM with a dump class for disc/tumb/umd (taking all the EDR feats together with crit immunity just allowing things to hit me with damage sheaths up and spamming no save spells). I have noticed that the ac bonus from pale masters has been nerfed though, so i am a bit concerned about what that will mean for extra difficulty with early leveling on this build (i would generally take all my PM levels before level 20)... i guess im trying to get hit for the sheaths to work, but I do not want to run a build that gets hit every time, and i am unsure how crit immunity will interact with dev crit.

I would prefer a build that has the highest possible amount of soloablility through the entire mod (im sure this isnt possible, just as close as can be). I also need to be as immune as can be against pickpockets. (working hard for items just to have them stolen by some guy who put points in PP is a game breaker for me.)

I have no interest in PvP with this character, as I am only trying to learn the mod itself before i delve into that.

-I do not like classes that rely on summons/companions as i find them hard to control and annoying.
-I have read a good bit of what is on the wiki, and have limited myself to at absolute maximum an ECL +2 race.
-It is vital to me that i will as protected as possible from pick pockets (i don't want to have to chase them down and get my items back, i just want to be able to ignore them)
-Unless it just fits the bill perfectly, a battlecleric is not something i want to level again, as i have played this class to death and its just old news to me.

All things considered, i was looking at maybe a druid or shifter as well, as i will have a decent amount of spellcasting, along with possible focus in a shape that can gain immunity to critcals and damage reductions, along with versitility for soloing and being a wisdom based class for the boost to spot.

I would greatly appreciate help with min/maxing a build level breakdown i can follow that fits as close as possible to the parameters i have outlined, from someone who knows this server well, and knows exactly what i am up against/what items will be available.

Thanks for your time,

Gilgamess

[Bargeld]

tl;dr

"Can the best builder give me the lvl progression of the best build on the server. PvM only. Not a melee cleric. Thanks"

[Gilgamess]

Wow, nice to meet you too. If this is not the server for me given my OP, just let me know... i can respect that. Better to hear it now before I put any time into it. I had heard that this was a pretty friendly server and wanted to give it a go.

[mining]

In general the best way to get help is to have something to go on. As you've said, its a server with variety, and there are probably a hundred odd builds that would meet your criteria. Try to have some kind of initial build that you want help with, or specific questions.

Edit: But to give you a few possibilities - spell shield PM is a great soloer, shifters are godly in PVM when focusing on epic shape forms.

[Gilgamess]

Alright then, say i wanted to play a wiz 28/brd2/pm10 with wiz9/pm10/brd1 pre epic so that i can take a single bard level late in the build for the disc/umd/tumb dump, along with esf disc. I would want 22 con by level 20, so likely start out as a race that starts out with +2 con without a minus to int.

Would take 3 edr feats post epic, along with esf disc on the bard dump level. Would try to Focus/Gfocus/Efocus in evoc/ necro or evoc/enchant (i dont know if these 2 schools are wise choices or not). Also would want to get max/extend/empower. Would fill out the epic feats with Gint and possibly EMA or another epic spell if it would be more effective.

Skills i would be interested in would be concentration, disc, heal, spellcraft, tumble, umd, spot or listen (or something to defend against PPs) and a little bit of lore (normally i might take appraise, but from what i read it is disabled?).

I think there would be enough pre epic feats to take toughness and possibly one more metamagic feat, but im not sure.

How would you put together this type of build in such a way that it would be playable minimizing any terribly slow spots or times where i had to get a party to carry me? Does this build legal by the rules (im a bit confused by the 5 level requirement on certain classes, but it looks like i could do it as long as i took 1 brd pre epic)

Do haste items exist on this server or would i be relying on the haste spell? How prevalent are mobs that dispell? What pieces of gear would you be on the lookout for, and at what levels?

And most importantly, would i be constantly harassed by pickpockets, or would i be pretty much covered?

[mining]

Have you read the wiki / the entrance sign?

http://www.nsrealm.com/ns4wiki/index.ph ... =Main_Page

Alright then, say i wanted to play a wiz 28/brd2/pm10 with wiz9/pm10/brd1 pre epic so that i can take a single bard level late in the build for the disc/umd/tumb dump, along with esf disc. I would want 22 con by level 20, so likely start out as a race that starts out with +2 con without a minus to int.

If you take a level in a class after 20, you need to take at least 5 levels of it.

Do haste items exist on this server or would i be relying on the haste spell? How prevalent are mobs that dispell? What pieces of gear would you be on the lookout for, and at what levels?

There is NO Perma haste. AQ III if you like casting spells fast, or cast them slow. I've seen both types of mage-that-doesn't-rely-on-casting.

And most importantly, would i be constantly harassed by pickpockets, or would i be pretty much covered?

I've personally never seen a pickpocketer, nobody likes getting pickpocketed and everyone knows everybody.

The big tip is to spend an hour or two reading the wiki - I know its sometimes boring, but I use the wiki every day to check subraces, spells, etc.

[frogofpeace]

PM builds are a pretty safe way to go - watch out for fire vulnerability, con for edr is good, or go dexer and you're golden. Check the wiki for all the spell mods (eg tensers). Summons are very good at low levels when you can't find a party, not so great after about 25 (except the 30 PM summons)

The wiki is pretty awesome and generally very accurate

tl;dr

"Can the best builder give me the lvl progression of the best build on the server. PvM only. Not a melee cleric. Thanks"

Garsh, barg, I didn't know you wanted the help. Ask anytime, I'd be happy to throw some tips your way!

[mining]

tl;dr

"Can the best builder give me the lvl progression of the best build on the server. PvM only. Not a melee cleric. Thanks"

Didn't see this until now, Barg I'd probably suggest this.

Rogue(40), Gold Dwarf

STR: 8
DEX: 6
CON: 10
WIS: 12 (13)
INT: 17 (33)
CHA: 17

Dwarf:
01: Rogue(1): Skill Focus: Set Trap
02: Rogue(2): {Evasion}
03: Rogue(3): Skill Focus: Craft Trap, {Uncanny Dodge I}
04: Rogue(4): INT+1, (INT=18)
05: Rogue(5)
06: Rogue(6): Skill Focus: Disable Trap
07: Rogue(7)
08: Rogue(8): INT+1, (INT=19)
09: Rogue(9): Skill Focus: Open Lock
10: Rogue(10): Opportunist
11: Rogue(11)
12: Rogue(12): INT+1, Skill Focus: Craft Weapon, (INT=20)
13: Rogue(13): Skill Mastery
14: Rogue(14)
15: Rogue(15): Dirty Fighting
16: Rogue(16): INT+1, Defensive Roll, (INT=21)
17: Rogue(17)
18: Rogue(18): Skill Focus: Tumble
19: Rogue(19): Improved Evasion
20: Rogue(20): INT+1, (INT=22)
21: Rogue(21): Great Intelligence I, (INT=23)
22: Rogue(22)
23: Rogue(23)
24: Rogue(24): Int+1, Great Intelligence II, Epic Reputation, (INT=25)
25: Rogue(25)
26: Rogue(26)
27: Rogue(27): Great Intelligence III, (INT=26)
28: Rogue(28): Int+1, Epic Skill Focus: Tumble, (INT=27)
29: Rogue(29)
30: Rogue(30): Great Intelligence IV, (INT=28)
31: Rogue(31)
32: Rogue(32): Int+1, Epic Skill Focus: Persuade, (INT=29)
33: Rogue(33): Great Intelligence V, (INT=30)
34: Rogue(34)
35: Rogue(35)
36: Rogue(36): Int+1, Great Intelligence VI, Epic Skill Focus: Bluff, (INT=32)
37: Rogue(37)
38: Rogue(38)
39: Rogue(39): Great Intelligence VII, (INT=33)
40: Rogue(40): WIS+1, Epic Skill Focus: Set Trap, (WIS=13)

Hitpoints: 160
Skillpoints: 611
Saving Throws (Fortitude/Will/Reflex): 14/17/22
Saving Throw bonuses: Mind Effects: +2, Traps: +5
BAB: 25
AB (max, naked): 24 (melee), 25 (ranged)
AC (naked/mundane armor/shield only): 11/14
Spell Casting:
Alignment Changes: 0

Appraise 43(54), Bluff 43(60), Craft Armor 43(54), Craft Trap 43(57), Craft Weapon 43(57), Disable Trap 43(59), Heal 43(44), Hide 43(43), Intimidate 43(50), Listen 43(46), Lore 43(54), Move Silently 43(43), Open Lock 43(46), Set Trap 43(58), Tumble 9(22)

[frogofpeace]

If only rogues were allowed in NC, I'd build this immediately ... Oh, never mind you left out blind fight, the build's broken

[mining]

Also couple of posts here about generally getting some good gear /getting started.

http://www.nsrealm.com/public/ns/viewto ... 0&start=72

[Bargeld]

Rogue(40), Gold Dwarf
Hitpoints: 160
Skillpoints: 611
Saving Throws (Fortitude/Will/Reflex): 14/17/22
Appraise 43(54), Bluff 43(60), Craft Armor 43(54), Craft Trap 43(57), Craft Weapon 43(57)

That should be the default levelup in-game.

Oh and as far as actual, useful input... Expect your first 3 builds to become a mule, a buffer, and a crafter.

[Rufio]

A pale master build is a pretty good way to solo around here. Damage shields are much weaker than bioware versions and don't stack with each other, but a necromancy focused death armor or evocation focused elemental shield is still effective. A build like this is arguably the best way to solo farm some high level areas.

There is no devastating crit in ns4, so don't worry about that. Pickpocket isn't really an issue here either, it has been nerfed to the point where it is near impossible to successfully pickpocket someone, even if anyone were to try it.

The best advice I have for a damage shield build is to use small shields for the damage reduction and just deal with the spell failure (or take auto-still if it fits on the build). Also, take heal ranks. Heal kits have been improved here and are much cheaper to buy than potions. Not all builds need heal ranks, but if you rely a lot on damage shields, you will want them

Epic damage reduction is somewhat optional when you have epic warding. Many high level creatures that have natural weapons can bypass warding, but most enemies with melee weapons won't bypass, at least once you hit level 40. If you are going all out damage reduction/damage shield tank, it is best to have epic warding though. Don't overlook energy resist feats either.

If you want to focus more on casting, be sure to take spell penetration feats and auto-quicken. With less than 30 caster levels, having some spell penetration is important for high level stuff. Auto-quicken is probably less important in pvm than in pvp, but it will help you blast things faster since haste no longer quickens your spells on this server.

The issue you might encounter is that damage shields and spells can be a slow way to level. Generally you have to rest a lot for spells, and damage shields won't kill things fast. Summons and some kind of melee ability (for you it would involve using tensor's transformation) will help you level faster, but they probably won't be very effective once you start getting near 40 on this build.

[mining]

A pale master build is a pretty good way to solo around here. Damage shields are much weaker than bioware versions and don't stack with each other, but a necromancy focused death armor or evocation focused elemental shield is still effective. A build like this is arguably the best way to solo farm some high level areas.

There is no devastating crit in ns4, so don't worry about that. Pickpocket isn't really an issue here either, it has been nerfed to the point where it is near impossible to successfully pickpocket someone, even if anyone were to try it.

The best advice I have for a damage shield build is to use small shields for the damage reduction and just deal with the spell failure (or take auto-still if it fits on the build). Also, take heal ranks. Heal kits have been improved here and are much cheaper to buy than potions. Not all builds need heal ranks, but if you rely a lot on damage shields, you will want them

Epic damage reduction is somewhat optional when you have epic warding. Many high level creatures that have natural weapons can bypass warding, but most enemies with melee weapons won't bypass, at least once you hit level 40. If you are going all out damage reduction/damage shield tank, it is best to have epic warding though. Don't overlook energy resist feats either.

If you want to focus more on casting, be sure to take spell penetration feats and auto-quicken. With less than 30 caster levels, having some spell penetration is important for high level stuff. Auto-quicken is probably less important in pvm than in pvp, but it will help you blast things faster since haste no longer quickens your spells on this server.

The issue you might encounter is that damage shields and spells can be a slow way to level. Generally you have to rest a lot for spells, and damage shields won't kill things fast. Summons and some kind of melee ability (for you it would involve using tensor's transformation) will help you level faster, but they probably won't be very effective once you start getting near 40 on this build.

Hrmm, play as typical caster from like 1-20, 20-30 get your PM on, 30 you have gobs, 35 you have Posi/DWP, after that you have abyss.

[Shadowalker]

tl;dr

"Can the best builder give me the lvl progression of the best build on the server. PvM only. Not a melee cleric. Thanks"

I find myself in an unsussal position. While Bargeld expressed it simplisticly, it was a version of what all vetrans players were thinking. By vetran I mean those that spent years perfecting NS4 building. We do greatly appriciate new players, it only enhances the NS4 experiance.

Gilgamess, I mean no disrespect, and anyone will attest to Twigs habit of helping those new to here.

Might I sugest, you first pose the question "whats the common PvM build types?" to which you would get several responces, like dex or con based pm, or golem shifter, etc...

Use that and the wiki to come up with a build idea.. then post that build progression and stats. asking for critiques and sugestions.. you would get lots of helpfull input from the community..

edit addition: There is no subsitute for personal experaince, even if its on the drawing board.

[northstar_08]

There are some build ideas in the following post:

http://www.nsrealm.com/public/ns/viewto ... 0&start=15

No matter how much you plan, your first build will probably become a mule.

I like building a crafter of some kind as it will always have a purpose.

Hope this helps

Northstar / JT