Straight level 40 ..PvP Build

The original Mage Bane was a very resistant to mages, with an SR of 66 a level 40 mage with all the spell penetration feats couldn't touch him. Unfortunately he couldn't touch the mages either. He would still take damage from the shield spells and couldn't bypass their DR. This version is an attempt to circumvent that weakness by going for a divine might archer. The divine damage bypasses all mage DR and none of the damage shields will work against ranged attacks. In essence this gives this character a bit more of a bite. He does lose his taunting ability, and he still has a sucky AB, but he should be able to chase a mage away, if not kill him. Like the original Mage Bane any fighter build will wipe the floor with him. I tested him against two level 40 wizards, 2 level 40 sorcerers and 10 level 12 goblin sorcerers that respawned after death until the wizards and sorcerers were dead. He killed them easily, not taking a single point of damage. He did have to spend some time running when one of them summoned a black blade of disaster (with monk speed he didn't have any trouble pulling away). But other than that, they didn't have a spell that could touch him. They did cast Mordenkainen's Disjunction against him and it didn't lower his SR so Black blades are all he really has to worry about. To summarize this build was built for the sole purpose of hurting mages.

Advantages

-66 Spell Resistance. Mages can't touch him.
-Divine might. He can use divine damage to bypass DR.
-Immunity to Fear.
-Monk immunities. These include immunity to mind spells, 20/+1 damage reduction and immunity to disease and poison.
-Empty Body. 50% concealment.
-Good Saves. The fortitude save isn't high enough to resist devastating critical, but other than that they are pretty good.

Disadvantages

-Low Hitpoints. They aren't that low, and being more or less immune to magic, he should do well against mages.
-Low AB. It's quite pathetic really, In many cases he may have to rely on 20s to hit.
-XP penalty

Mage Bane V. 2

Race: Elf

Alignment: Lawful Good

Base Attributes
STR 14
DEX 18
CON 10
WIS 12
INT 8
CHA 14

Leveling Guide
Levels 1-3 Monk
Levels 4-6 Paladin
Levels 7-8 Monk
Level 9 Paladin
Levels 10-40 Monk

Final Level Distribution
Paladin 4
Monk 36

Attribute Bonuses
Levels 4 and 8 go to Dexterity
Levels 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36 and 40 go to Charisma

Feats
Level 1: Power Attack
Level 3: Weapon Finesse
Level 6: Divine Might
Level 9: Weapon Focus (Longbow)
Level 12: Point Blank Shot
Level 15: Rapid Shot
Level 18: Extra Turning
Level 21: Improved Spell Resistance I
Level 24: Improved Spell Resistance II
Level 27: Improved Spell Resistance III
Level 29: Improved Spell Resistance IV
Level 30: Improved Spell Resistance V
Level 33: Improved Spell Resistance VI
Level 34: Improved Spell Resistance VII
Level 36: Improved Spell Resistance VIII
Level 39: Improved Spell Resistance IX, Improved Spell Resistance X

Final Attributes
STR 14
DEX 20
CON 10
WIS 12
INT 8
CHA 22

Final Saves
Fortitude 30
Reflexes 32
Will 28

Spell Resistance 66

AC
31 (No Items, no buffs)
57 (+12 to DEX, +5 amulet of natural armor, +5 ring of protection, +5 boots of the sun soul, +5 robes)

AB and Damage
(Composite longbow, Divine Might)
32/27/22/17 2+1D8 (+6 Divine) (20 X3)

(+12 CHA, +12 DEX, +5 Composite Longbow, Divine Might)
43/38/33/28 2+1D8 (+12 Divine) (20 X3)

Hit Points 384 (Max. every level)

Skillpoints 121
Discipline 43
Hide 19
Move Silently 19
Tumble 40

Skillpoint Distribution
Level 1: Discipline 4, Hide 2, Move Silently 2, Tumble 4
Level 2: Discipline 1, Hide 1, Tumble 1
Level 3: Discipline 1, Move Silenty 1, Tumble 1
Level 4: Discipline 1
Level 5: Discipline 1
Level 6: Discipline 1
Level 7: Discipline 1, Hide 1, Tumble 1
Level 8: Discipline 1, Move Silenty 1, Tumble 1
Level 9: Discipline 1
Level 10: Discipline 1, Hide 1, Tumble 1
Level 11: Discipline 1, Move Silenty 1, Tumble 1
Level 12: Discipline 1, Hide 1, Tumble 1
Level 13: Discipline 1, Move Silenty 1, Tumble 1
Level 14: Discipline 1, Hide 1, Tumble 1
Level 15: Discipline 1, Move Silenty 1, Tumble 1
Level 16: Discipline 1, Hide 1, Tumble 1
Level 17: Discipline 1, Move Silenty 1, Tumble 1
Level 18: Discipline 1, Hide 1, Tumble 1
Level 19: Discipline 1, Move Silenty 1, Tumble 1
Level 20: Discipline 1, Hide 1, Tumble 1
Level 21: Discipline 1, Move Silenty 1, Tumble 1
Level 22: Discipline 1, Hide 1, Tumble 1
Level 23: Discipline 1, Move Silenty 1, Tumble 1
Level 24: Discipline 1, Hide 1, Tumble 1
Level 25: Discipline 1, Move Silenty 1, Tumble 1
Level 26: Discipline 1, Hide 1, Tumble 1
Level 27: Discipline 1, Move Silenty 1, Tumble 1
Level 28: Discipline 1, Hide 1, Tumble 1
Level 29: Discipline 1, Move Silenty 1, Tumble 1
Level 30: Discipline 1, Hide 1, Tumble 1
Level 31: Discipline 1, Move Silenty 1, Tumble 1
Level 32: Discipline 1, Hide 1, Tumble 1
Level 33: Discipline 1, Move Silenty 1, Tumble 1
Level 34: Discipline 1, Hide 1, Tumble 1
Level 35: Discipline 1, Move Silenty 1, Tumble 1
Level 36: Discipline 1, Hide 1, Tumble 1
Level 37: Discipline 1, Move Silenty 1, Tumble 1
Level 38: Discipline 1, Hide 1, Tumble 1
Level 39: Discipline 1, Move Silenty 1, Tumble 1
Level 40: Discipline 1, Tumble 2
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Edited By griphook on 05/31/05 19:02

i was wondering if gnome or halfing with a shortbow wouldn't be a better choice, considering this build is still susceptible to EBT 66 SR is barely touchable. A pure level 40 mage with all spell penetration feats will still penetrate on a 20. Not that a mage is going to waste a series of spells for that 5% chance though. Also in PvP it is rare that a pure level 40 mage would take all the spell penetration feats. Drop 1monk lvl and take a sorc lvl for a few ts...
Quote: Posted 10/23/07 21:40 (GMT) -- WhiZard

66 SR is barely touchable. A pure level 40 mage with all spell penetration feats will still penetrate on a 20. Not that a mage is going to waste a series of spells for that 5% chance though. Also in PvP it is rare that a pure level 40 mage would take all the spell penetration feats.
EBT is not susceptible to spell resistance though, and can be devastating (180 dmg/round empowered and moderate DC to grapple), that's why i was asking. When the build was posted EBT was susceptible to SR. SR Monks are somewhat of a favorite build of mine. Therefore, a few minor suggestions about this one. First off, try going 38 Monk 1 Wiz 1 Ranger, and drop one of the SR feats. I've had an SR monk with 64 SR for many, many months now, and 64 is more than enough.

Second, don't worry about losing Paladin (and Divine Might). With your high SR, you can wait out any mage, and with maxed ranks in Heal, can heal kit anything he can do, like Epic Spells. There is no reason any mage should win against you, if he doesn't have a team with him.

Also, without the Paladin levels, you have no need for cha. Or str. Max your dex at 20, take 14 int, and 14 wis. With your high SR, you don't need to worry about Balagarns. Plus, with 14 int, you get waaaay more skill points. All the better to...

... set epic traps with. 1 Ranger in epic levels will not only give you a bonus feat with which you can take epic prowess, but also a skill dump for set trap. Beyond that, once you take your Wiz level, and skill dump (at least 35 ranks) into spellcraft, you can use any arcane scroll in the game... and any Ranger spell scroll. Combine your 38 round Empty Body with Invisibilty Purge scrolls to strip most everyone else's concealement.

Also. Depending on what kinds of scrolls are available on your server, with ranks in spellcraft and 64 SR, you can sit back and spam scrolls at Mages. Flesh to Stone. Wail of the Banshee. I think you get the idea. If there were a place here to post screenshots, I could literally show you dozens of pics of mages I've stoned with my SR monk on Badlands, by spamming Flesh to Stone on them. It's actually somewhat of a pasttime of mine

Also, arm yourself with a bow. Your high dex and true strike should give you a decent ranged AB with which to hit most mages. They can't hurt you, so hang out (and spam scrolls) until their epic warding expires. Fill them full of +5 arrows (which beat any DR buff a mage has), and maybe even kama/unarmed strike them to death once they get low on hps (heal kitting if the damage from their shields gets too high).

You should be able to fit Armor Skin, Epic Weapon Focus, Epic Prowess and enough SR feats for 64 SR into the 38 1 1 build. You can also fit improved disarm in there, to make absolutely sure the mage can do nothing to you when runs out of spells and attempts (LOL) to melee you.

With all that, there shouldn't be a single mage capable of killing you, unless it's a hybrid caster or half mage with some respectable melee ability.

Hope that helps Well said, Hiwatt.

Of course, you know my preference for the Monk 36 Wiz 1 Rog 3 variant. Uncanny Dodge FTW! But it loses an AB and 2 SR to yours.

Cheers,

Ithacan Great build, one question thou? Could you not take 4 fighter levels, 3 fighter levels pre epic, and 1 fighter level epic instead? That way you could drop CHA, and raise Str for a better AB. Go scrimtar for the great Crit range? I am a newbie at this. So i may be totally wrong.
Quote: Posted 03/16/08 18:12 (GMT) -- sc00ter1821

Great build, one question thou? Could you not take 4 fighter levels, 3 fighter levels pre epic, and 1 fighter level epic instead? That way you could drop CHA, and raise Str for a better AB. Go scrimtar for the great Crit range? I am a newbie at this. So i may be totally wrong.

I'm just another newb and not a builder of Mith-ical proportions, but here's my take on the questions:

One of the goals of this build is to use Paladin's Divine Might to bypass damage resistance. Thus the choice (need) of Paladin.

Another of the goals of this build is to avoid having to melee the wizard (due to reciprocal-damage shield spells), thus the choice of longbow. So no, a fighter with a scimitar would not fit the goals of this build.

Keep asking questions - that's how you improve your skills.

Cheers.
K.
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Cerca trova Thanks Kali for your take on it. Wouldn't a monks 20/+1 DR take care of the damage from EBT, or does all the damage come as a single blow? OR isn't it physical damage?

In PnP at least, EBT is quite useless against even a little DR.
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