TWF exotic ranger

[Darksol]

Trying to set up a build that will be fun to play from early levels (pre epic), will be able to solo, TWF is a must, but I dont like light weapons. At all. And with Northlander Hewing, I thought what the hell, lets try dual bastard swords/katanas.

Pure STR ranger, human for the extra feat/skills. Exotic, OTWF, ICE, Northlander Hewing, Prot Ward.
http://nwn2db.com/build/?284089

I lose 1 AC from Luck of heroes and an extra feat that could be used for whatever else to make this work. Is it going to work? Is OTWF worth the slot? I have very limited experience with builds, so comments will be appreciated. Thanks!

[Reckeo]

I have a TWF that is Fighter/Whirling Dervish/Tempest that I got to level 21 and he dual wields katanas.

I have serious AC problems with him, even with +4 armor, the tempest AC bonus (+2), and with high AC gear, he is often forced to use a tower shield in defense, but he also has high AB with epic focus and does insane DPS....

IMO, your best bet is to find a build that includes some kind of defensive bonus, as your saves are also considerably low with this build if you planned on soloing epic content.

*EDIT* Just saw you had ICE in there, my guy is a few levels off due to poor and last minute planning, you'll probably be fine like that, but don't quote me.

[Darksol]

Yes I was worried about the AC so I went the defensive way with ICE and prot ward. Still I don't know how well it will go. The build requires mithril shirt which I will not get for a very long time, so I expect to have to manage with sub-optimal gear.

The exotic weapons is a personal preference obviously and not powerbuilding, but I am curious if the Northlander Hewing with a d10 sword and the OTWF will offer some increased damage.

[Reckeo]

Yes I was worried about the AC so I went the defensive way with ICE and prot ward. Still I don't know how well it will go. The build requires mithril shirt which I will not get for a very long time, so I expect to have to manage with sub-optimal gear.

The exotic weapons is a personal preference obviously and not powerbuilding, but I am curious if the Northlander Hewing with a d10 sword and the OTWF will offer some increased damage.

Totally unsure about Northlander Hewing, it wasn't integrated when I made my build years back.

Might wanna check those threads, as I believe it might affect the way attacks are landed or something along those lines.

I would definitely recommend adding in Tempest if you could, but it's contingent upon so many other feats it may not be worth it for your build (although the +3 AC and +2 to hit definitely is an added plus). It requires Dodge, Mobility, Spring attack, and Whirlwind, which would need an increase in Dex for your build (which adds to reflex/evasion), but you'd lose some strength and have to give up a lot of your feats as it is. Just food for thought.

I'm also unsure if ICE can be used while using Northlander Hewing, just like power attack and ICE cannot. Not a big deal when you can toggle as per the situation requires, but also something to consider.

Also, a mix of ranger grants power attack favored enemy, which triples damage modifier when using a power attack against a favored foe, though its much more situational than a general damage bonus.

[aaron22]

i have an exotic weapon using ranger twf. and its is the same story. I multiclassed cleric for DS and EDM, but the AC without DS is dangerously low. often i must run from fights as i think im about level 15ish. i havent gotten outdoor hips yet. maybe that will help me drop aggro. my build is a bit feat starved so i couldnt get ICE and twd. i would really think about the AC when you build and just hope your str and twf will give you the all offense you need.

on the converse i play a ptfw SB/Temp/Duel/WM and the ac is good and the offense is good. the saves are a problem. cant be awesome at everything.

unless you roll a wizard.

[Reckeo]

Could always try a wood elf thats ranger 22/tempest 5/rogue 3, or keep human if you insist on exotic weapons

You'll lose maybe 1 base AB and 1 will save pending stats, but you gain a ton in other areas...and still get full perfected ranger two handed fighting, bane of enemies, and HIPS outdoors

may have to drop animal companion, but you make immensive gains in AC...29 with ICE and other bonuses before you take into account ANY AC items.....

Easily able to get 39 to 40 ac with gear and dual wielding....keep in mind for epic content you will want higher AC than that

Though I know this is a much different build than what you intended, just giving you ideas to play with and see what fits for you

you could always roll a wizard =P

[Darksol]

I really don't want to multiclass, at worst I 'd do a 27/3 split, but I think it's not that bad. The full build is something like this:
10 Base
6 Mithril Chain
4 DEX
2 Protective Ward
1 Tumble
5 Natural (Barkskin Ranger spell)
4 Deflection (Halo of Sand Ranger spell)
3 Dodge (Boots)
4 Armor Enhancement
6 ICE

45 AC

Now I won't get the mithril chain and perhaps not the +4 dex item anytime soon but I think that 40 - 42 AC is doable. I could get LoH for +1 AC and saves by dropping exotic and go for longsword or scimitar. And then I could get 3-4 levels of Harper Agent and unlock tumble for an extra 2 AC, but I will loose Epic companion. Ofc I have no idea how useful the companion is at epic levels. Generally, if the improvement from the above changes is HUGE, I will be forced to do it, but I need an epxert's opinion

[Sun Wukong]

Just so you know, Rangers start out with Shield proficiency and you can buy a mundane +4 Heavy Shield from Kraak Helzak, or a more expensive one from the basement of Blushing Mermaid. Therefore, if you need the AC, you can always get +6 points by putting up that heavy shield.

Now, I assume that one of your Great Strength feats is spent on Epic Animal Companion and that you end up with 27 strength, 30 with a +3 item. You really should not ignore your animal companion, because fully buffed up it will basically have about the same if not better AC than your actual character. It will split the mob attention, it will tank for you, and together you can bring down enemies rather fast. (Badger is the worst animal companion to choose for a ranger, it has low base strength and its rage ability doesn't mix well with the Ranger's buff spells.)

You can use Improved Combat Expertise and Northlander Hewing at the same time. The biggest downside is that together they bring your AB down by -8, and you will only get +4 AC. I think the better approach is to use one of them, and almost never the both at the same time. If you can land hits, but the opponent hits you, you turn on Combat Expertise or Improved Combat Expertise. If the enemy does not land hits, or those are very weak, you could turn on Northlander Hewing for the increased damage per hit. If the enemy hits you and has too much DR, then you can put on that Heavy Shield and turn on your Northlander Hewing. (Northlander Hewing overcomes mob DR like hot knife goes through butter, and it also helps to disrupt enemy spell casters.) So my advice is, you should try out and see what works best in any given area. While most of the time you might find yourself better off not using any combat mode, there are areas that will require a different approach.


The ranger 30 build you had in the first post should be rather doable on this server.

[Darksol]

Thank you all for the advice. I ll probably go with the original build I posted, substituting the exotic proficiency for luck of heroes to improve AC and saves. I can go with longsword/scimitar and it will be easier to RP than a katana.