Animus Dragon - FS(14),F(2),Brd(4),RDD(10)

=Introduction=

In this Day and Age of: Disarm, Knockdown, Frenzied Dragons and Weaponmaster Dragons, it has become necessary for a Warrior to make pacts with otherworldy beings (also known as "Gods" to some people) in exchange for power.

This is an attempt to make an PvP "Anti-Tank" of sorts, designed to counter most of the Standard Tactics that PvP Tanks normally use. The various tactics and how it tries to counter these will be discussed further below, in the Overview section. However, it can be adapted to Campaigns with a few changes as noted below. As of now, however this build is still in something of an "Experimental Phase", so its use on a slow grinding PW is not advised. You might instead want to use it in "instant-level-30" Arenas.

=Description=

Favored soul 14 / Fighter 2 / Bard 4 / Red dragon disciple 10

Pros:


 * High AB, Fair Damage, without relying on Short Term Buffs (no Clickie overload as Randomd00d likes to say).


 * If you add Short term buffs, the AB goes really high.


 * Standard RDD AC (Luck of Heroes, Tower Shield, Armor Skin, RDD Nat Armor)


 * FS protective buffs: Freedom, Deathward, Stonebody, Energy Immunity


 * High Str and Knockdown

PvP specific Pros:


 * Unarmed Strike and Disarm means that when it Disarms a foe, the weapon ends up in his Inven and the Foe can't get it back (this is partly reliant on Unarmed Strike being considered a medium weapon as of v1.12)


 * Not as weapon dedicted as normal Fighters. Although this is Specialized in Unarmed Strike, its bonuses are relatively small (+1 AB, +2 Damage) so that it can switch to a weapon should the need arise, for whatever purpose (e.g. to overcome Damage Reduction type).


 * Good Spot and Listen Scores

Cons:


 * Cruddy FS caster level, its Spell Resistance is next to useless


 * Consequently, Buffs can also be dispelled by Greater Dispel. It is a lot weaker without its buffs (but can spontaneously recast them as a FS).


 * Dedicated Anti-tank, so much so that it is much weaker against Casters.

=Character Creation=

Race: Human

Alignment: Any Non Lawful, with the additional requirement that you can choose a Diety with your wanted weapon as his/her Favored Weapon. Although called the Dragon of Sharess, picking Sharess as your Deity is not necessary.

PVP Note:


 * For PvP, you want to use Unarmed Strike as your favored weapon. I also recommend going with non-evil alignment, as this prevents Smiting Paladins from dealing extra damage against you. For the standard set of Deities, the following 2 stand out as being both non-lawful and non-evil:


 * Sharess (Chaotic Good)


 * Eldath (Neutral Good)


 * Note that on servers with a Custom Pantheon, this may vary.


 * All 7 level up points go to Strength.

BAB: 10 + 2 + 3 + 7 = 22

AB Bonus with Long Term Buffs and Mundane Gear (Number in Brackets is with Epic Gear)


 * 22 BAB


 * 12 Str Bonus


 * 3 Persist Divine Favor


 * 2 Heroism


 * 1 Bless


 * 1 Inspire Courage


 * 1 Favored Soul Weapon Focus


 * 1 Epic Prowess


 * (+4 from Str +8 gear)


 * (+8 Weapon Enhancement Bonus)

= 43 (55)

With Short Term Buffs


 * 8 Divine Power


 * 3 Recitation


 * 2 Battletide

= 56 (68)

Extra Damage Per Hit:


 * 2 Average of 1d3 base Unarmed Strike damage


 * 12 Str Bonus


 * 3 Persist Divine Favor


 * 2 Favored Soul Weapon Specialization


 * 1 Inspire Courage


 * (+4 Str +8 gear)


 * (+8 Weapon Enhancement Bonus)

=20 Average (32 with Epic gear)

HP: (14*8) + (2*10) + (4*6) + (10*12) + 90 Con Bonus = 336

AC with Mundane Gear:


 * 10 base


 * 8 Mithril full plate


 * 4 Tower shield


 * 4 RDD Natural Armor


 * 3 tumble


 * 1 Luck of Heroes


 * 1 Dex bonus


 * 1 Armor Skin

=32

Note that even with only Mundane Gear, the maximum possible AC is slightly higher than what is listed as this build can buff itself with Magic Vestment and Shield of Faith.

Additional AC from Epic Gear:


 * 8 Armor Enhancement +8


 * 8 Tower shield Enhancement +8


 * 8 Cloak of Protection +8


 * 5 Natural Armor Amulet +5


 * 5 Boots of the sun soul +5


 * 2 Dex bonus (with +4 Dex equipment, to Max Dex bonus of Mithril Full plate)

=68

Saves

Fort: 9 + 3 + 1 + 7 = 20 +2 Con

Will: 9 + 0 + 4 + 7 = 20 -1 Wis

Reflex: 9 + 0 + 4 + 3 = 16 +0 Dex

+1 to All from Luck of Heroes

+6 against spells with Spellcraft

=Overview=

Feats

Character Feats

1. Luck of Heroes

1. Able Learner

3. Practiced Caster Favored Soul

6. Knockdown

9. Power Attack (PvM) OR Disarm (PvP)

12. Improved Knockdown

15. Cleave (PvM) OR Improved Disarm (PvP)

18. Extend Spell

21. Great Strength

23. Great Strength

25. Persist Spell

27. Great Strength

29. Great Strength

Fighter Bonus Feats

1. Epic Prowess

2. Armor Skin

RDD Free Feats (non-selectable)

5. Blindfight


 * At FS 1, 3, and 12, this gains Weapon proficiency, focus and specialization, with his Deity's favored weapon. The weapon you choose will depend on what you know is available.


 * In the MoTB campaign, the Gith Sword counts as a longsword, so you may wish to choose a Diety with longsword as his favored weapon (E.g. Tyr).


 * Alternatively, choosing a Deity with exotic favored weapon (Such as Kelemvor) grants you Exotic Weapon Proficiency for free.


 * For PvP, a Diety with unarmed Strike (as highlighted above) lets you fight unarmed, making you immune to Disarm, and letting you steal your enemies weapons when you Disarm them.


 * At Favored soul 5 and 10, this build recieves Energy Resistance feats


 * As a RDD, you already have Fire immunity, so you do not want to pick Fire as one of your resistances


 * One of your key buffs is Stone Body, and that provides Electrical Immunity, so you also do not want to pick Electrical Resistance


 * Therefore, pick 2 of the following 3: Sonic, Cold, and Acid. I would recommend picking Sonic and Acid Resistance, as gear giving these Resistances is comparatively rare.

PvP Anti-Tank Abilities

And now a brief outline on how it counters the Favored Tactics of PvP tanks:


 * Tactic: Disarm


 * Counter: Rely on Unarmed Strike


 * Tactic: Knockdown


 * Counter: High Str and Knockdown of its own.


 * Tactic: Run Away while enemy is "buffed" (mainly for Short Term, limited use buffs like Divine Wrath)


 * Counter: All primary buffs used are long term, lasting upwards of 15 minutes (30 mins if extended).


 * Tactic: Weapon Master for massive Crit Damage


 * Counter: Stone body for Crit Immunity


 * Tactic: Use Adamantine Weaponry to bypass Stone Body DR


 * Counter: Use Disarm to strip off weapons (and it can do so quite quickly withs its high AB). Since it fights Unarmed, Disarm deposits Enemy weapons in your inventory, rather than on the floor, so they can't get it back. Disarming also removes whatever weapon bonuses they gain from focus/specialization. Bascially, any Warrior not prepared with Improved unarmed strike, and a good pair of monk's gloves faces certain defeat. (And even if they do have the gloves, they are up against the odds of Stone Body 10 DR).

=Skills=

With an eventual Intelligence if 16, and Human bonus skill points, this build gets approximately 6 skill points per level. The core 5 skills you should aim to max out are:


 * 1. Concentration


 * 2. Spellcraft


 * 3. Tumble


 * 4. UMD


 * 5. Spot

You also need 3 Perform to use Inspired Competence, and 8 Lore to qualify for RDD.

Skill of Choice


 * That leaves you with 1 Skill of choice.


 * For Campaigns, I recommend at least 1 Convo skill. I normally recommend Diplomacy if you want to take the Good Path, and Bluff if you want to be Evil.


 * For PvP, Listen helps you detect Stealth. While you already have Spot

The Guide below tells you exactly how to allocate your skill points. The Format used is:


 * Skill Name  ()

Level 01 (Bard 1)


 * Appraise 4(4)


 * Concentration 4(4)


 * Lore 4(4)


 * Perform 3(3)


 * Spellcraft 4(4)


 * Tumble 4(4)


 * Use Magic Device 4(4)


 * Skill of Choice 4(4)


 * Save 5

Level 02 (Favored Soul 1)


 * Concentration 1(5)


 * Lore 1(5)


 * Spellcraft 1(5)


 * Tumble 1(5)


 * Use Magic Device 1(5)


 * Skill of Choice 1(5)


 * Save 4

Level 03 (Favored Soul 2)


 * Concentration 1(6)


 * Lore 1(6)


 * Spellcraft 1(6)


 * Spot 1(1)


 * Tumble 1(6)


 * Use Magic Device 1(6)


 * Skill of Choice 1(6)


 * Save 2

Level 04 (Favored Soul 3)


 * Concentration 1(7)


 * Lore 1(7)


 * Spellcraft 1(7)


 * Tumble 1(7)


 * Use Magic Device 1(7)


 * Skill of Choice 1(7)


 * Save 1

Level 05 (Favored Soul 4)


 * Concentration 1(8)


 * Lore 1(8)


 * Spellcraft 1(8)


 * Tumble 1(8)


 * Use Magic Device 1(8)


 * Skill of Choice 1(8)

Level 06 (RDD 1)


 * Concentration 1(9)


 * Spellcraft 1(9)


 * Tumble 1(9)


 * Use Magic Device 1(9)


 * Skill of Choice 1(9)

Lvl 07 (RDD 2)


 * Concentration 1(10)


 * Spellcraft 1(10)


 * Tumble 1(10)


 * Use Magic Device 1(10)


 * Skill of Choice 1(10)

Lvl 08 (RDD 3)


 * Concentration 1(11)


 * Spellcraft 1(11)


 * Tumble 1(11)


 * Use Magic Device 1(11)


 * Skill of Choice 1(11)

Level 09 (RDD 4)


 * Concentration 1(12)


 * Spellcraft 1(12)


 * Tumble 1(12)


 * Use Magic Device 1(12)


 * Skill of Choice 1(12)

Level 10 (RDD 5)


 * Concentration 1(13)


 * Spellcraft 1(13)


 * Tumble 1(13)


 * Use Magic Device 1(13)


 * Skill of Choice 1(13)

Level 11 (RDD 6)


 * Concentration 1(14)


 * Spellcraft 1(14)


 * Tumble 1(14)


 * Use Magic Device 1(14)


 * Skill of Choice 1(14)

Level 12 (RDD 7)


 * Concentration 1(15)


 * Spellcraft 1(15)


 * Tumble 1(15)


 * Use Magic Device 1(15)


 * Skill of Choice 1(15)

Level 13 (RDD 8)


 * Concentration 1(16)


 * Spellcraft 1(16)


 * Tumble 1(16)


 * Use Magic Device 1(16)


 * Skill of Choice 1(16)

Level 14 (RDD 9)


 * Concentration 1(17)


 * Spellcraft 1(17)


 * Spot 1(2)


 * Tumble 1(17)


 * Use Magic Device 1(17)


 * Skill of Choice 1(17)

Level 15 (RDD 10)


 * Concentration 1(18)


 * Spellcraft 1(18)


 * Spot 1(3)


 * Tumble 1(18)


 * Use Magic Device 1(18)


 * Skill of Choice 1(18)

Level 16 (Favored Soul 5)


 * Concentration 1(19)


 * Spellcraft 1(19)


 * Spot 1(4)


 * Tumble 1(19)


 * Use Magic Device 1(19)


 * Skill of Choice 1(19)

Level 17 (Favored Soul 6)


 * Concentration 1(20)


 * Spellcraft 1(20)


 * Spot 1(5)


 * Tumble 1(20)


 * Use Magic Device 1(20)


 * Skill of Choice 1(20)

Level 18 (Favored Soul 7)


 * Concentration 1(21)


 * Spellcraft 1(21)


 * Spot 1(6)


 * Tumble 1(21)


 * Use Magic Device 1(21)


 * Skill of Choice 1(21)

Level 19 (Favored Soul 8)


 * Concentration 1(22)


 * Spellcraft 1(22)


 * Spot 1(7)


 * Tumble 1(22)


 * Use Magic Device 1(22)


 * Skill of Choice 1(22)

Level 20 (Favored Soul 9)


 * Concentration 1(23)


 * Spellcraft 1(23)


 * Spot 1(8)


 * Tumble 1(23)


 * Use Magic Device 1(23)


 * Skill of Choice 1(23)

Level 21 (Fighter 1)


 * Concentration 1(24)


 * Spellcraft 1(24)


 * Spot 1(9)*Tumble 1(24)


 * Use Magic Device 1(24)


 * Skill of Choice 1(24)

Level 22 (Favored Soul 10)


 * Concentration 1(25)


 * Spellcraft 1(25)


 * Spot 1(10)


 * Tumble 1(25)


 * Use Magic Device 1(25)


 * Skill of Choice 1(25)

Level 23 (Favored Soul 11)


 * Concentration 1(26)


 * Spellcraft 1(26)


 * Spot 1(11)


 * Tumble 1(26)


 * Use Magic Device 1(26)


 * Skill of Choice 1(26)

Level 24 (Favored Soul 12)


 * Concentration 1(27)


 * Spellcraft 1(27)


 * Spot 1(12)


 * Tumble 1(27)


 * Use Magic Device 1(27)


 * Skill of Choice 1(27)

Level 25 (Favored Soul 13)


 * Concentration 1(28)


 * Spellcraft 1(28)


 * Spot 1(13)


 * Tumble 1(28)


 * Use Magic Device 1(28)


 * Skill of Choice 1(28)

Level 26 (Favored Soul 14)


 * Concentration 1(29)


 * Spellcraft 1(29)


 * Spot 1(14)


 * Tumble 1(29)


 * Use Magic Device 1(29)


 * Skill of Choice 1(29)

Level 27 (Bard 2)


 * Concentration 1(30)


 * Spellcraft 1(30)


 * Spot 5(19)


 * Tumble 1(30)


 * Use Magic Device 1(30)


 * Skill of Choice 1(30)

Level 28 (Fighter 2)


 * Concentration 1(31)


 * Spot 3(22)


 * Use Magic Device 1(31)


 * Skill of Choice 1(31)

Level 29 (Bard 3)


 * Concentration 1(32)


 * Spot 7(29)


 * Use Magic Device 1(32)


 * Skill of Choice 1(32)

Level 30 (Bard 4)


 * Concentration 1(33)


 * Spellcraft 3(33)


 * Spot 4(33)


 * Use Magic Device 1(33)


 * Skill of Choice 1(33)

=Character Progression=

Levelling Notes:


 * Bard 4 is taken on the last level to prevent multiclass penalty.