Advice sought: Mystran Ranger

[Thorsson]

Back to the earlier suggestion, Ra24/SD3/Asn3 can get CL28 and it has DA...

[Thorsson]

Ranger9/AA9/Assassin8/F4 is an archer build i would definetely play.

The point of Ra9 is normally to get Evasion -> Expose Weakness. As Expose Weakness doesn't work with Ranged Attacks I'd be tempted to go Ra5/F8 to get EWF.

But then it hardly seems worth going Ranger at all - F8/Asn8/AA9/EA5 is stronger.

[mrm3ntalist]

Ranger9/AA9/Assassin8/F4 is an archer build i would definetely play.

The point of Ra9 is normally to get Evasion -> Expose Weakness. As Expose Weakness doesn't work with Ranged Attacks I'd be tempted to go Ra5/F8 to get EWF.

But then it hardly seems worth going Ranger at all - F8/Asn8/AA9/EA5 is stronger.

Evasion is a very good defense against many spells and traps. It is something i like having on my builds. Swift tracking is a good bonus. worthy of the investment.

[Steve]

Evasion is a very good defense against many spells and traps.

I always for for Evasion, always. For me, it is honestly better than any other Feat, though not as powerful as HiPS. Of course, Evasion gets you Expose Weakness on melee builds, which in its current form is so damn good, it is crazy not to take it.

[mrm3ntalist]

Evasion is a very good defense against many spells and traps.

I always for for Evasion, always. For me, it is honestly better than any other Feat, though not as powerful as HiPS. Of course, Evasion gets you Expose Weakness on melee builds, which in its current form is so damn good, it is crazy not to take it.

I just wanted to add, that builds such as the icon of Archery dont bother with evasion because on many servers you can get it from an item.

Its nice that on BG you cannot get special feats such as evasion, crit immunity, haste etc on items.

[Thorsson]

I've seen you both using Evasion in the forums - you're right, it is a very strong feat.

[Steve]

I've seen you both using Evasion in the forums - you're right, it is a very strong feat.

[Kauaiian]

Back to the earlier suggestion, Ra24/SD3/Asn3 can get CL28 and it has DA...

I threw this in the builder...it doesn't look half bad: http://nwn2db.com/build/?250366

-Lot's of FE's with BoE
-HIPs w/stock H/MS
-Lots of skill points. Distribution was my personal preference.
-Protective Ward
-Ranger 24 perks with Swift Tracker/Camo/Protective Ward
-CL 28
-2d6 Death Attack
-Great dex
-Blinding Speed
-Evasion and Steadfast Determination
-It would have pretty low DA DC.
-Could gain One Shot if I added Point Blank Shot to the build instead of either Steadfast or Protective Ward but from what I heard One Shot with a Crossbow is meh?
-Should have a fairly decent (I think?) animal companion? At the best I use it for only RP anyway.
-No spot or listen, but from what I know in lore, most outsiders/undead/magical monstrosities don't "hide" so not too concerned about it. Build is meant for PvE.
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I'm currently running Thorsson's Wiz 10/DS 7/EK 10/SD3 Crossbower and it's a hard choice! I like the wizard spells and options, to include one enchanting feat for when enchanting comes IG. It's been fun so far but the damage from the crossbow isn't appealing as of right now (only level 23). Wizard defense spells are amazing though.

[chad878262]

with a caster level of 28 you could technically lower DEX by one and cast cat's grace... 28 minutes is a pretty long time and you could always have an extra 'just in case'. With those three extra points you could increase wisdom, no longer requiring an item... Remember, every slot you have to equip an item to enhance an ability is a slot you can't wear an optimum item to increase AC or skills. As a Hips user you really need super high Hide/MS (>70 in epics is the minimum, >80 is better). All that stealth gear won't leave a lot of room for +AC gear and +3 stat gear so you will end up needing to make some difficult choices. Playing a Ranger makes it a bit easier because you have Barkskin for +5 natural AC (no amulet needed, can use greater/epic cloaked amulet instead), cat's grace (no +3 dex item needed), and halo of sand (no deflection AC item needed)... I highly recommend going for full utilization of your spell book to optimize your equipment slots. As a crossbow user and a Hips build if you can't hide from an enemy it can easily spell disaster.

[Thorsson]

I think PBS is a must take, regardless of whether you go for One Shot. Firstly, DA only works within 30', so if you want that to trigger then you may well suffer an AB penalty on attacks later in the round; secondly, PBS adds a bonus to all attacks, supposedly 1 but it looks more like d4.

[mrm3ntalist]

Taking One shot is a good option to consider. One from ranger21 and another as a feat.

[Kauaiian]

Thanks for the feedback. I dropped Steadfast for Point Blank shot and took One Shot. Also redistributed the stats as recommended by Chad ending with an even dex. But this:

*snip* As a Hips user you really need super high Hide/MS (>70 in epics is the minimum, >80 is better).

not much room for any other cool trinkets eh?

[Thorsson]

Who needs AC? Fire, Run, Hide, Repeat.

[chad878262]

Thanks for the feedback. I dropped Steadfast for Point Blank shot and took One Shot. Also redistributed the stats as recommended by Chad ending with an even dex. But this:

*snip* As a Hips user you really need super high Hide/MS (>70 in epics is the minimum, >80 is better).

not much room for any other cool trinkets eh?

Do a search for topics regarding stealth mechanics then be truly shocked... yes, if you want to be a sneak on our server that is all you can focus on if you want to be successful (and even then their are areas and characters you simply can't successfully remain hidden from. If you were going for a 'true' stealth build you'd also want SF:Hide, SF:MS and either UMD so you could get boots with bonus to hide/ms along with stealthy feat or you'd need to take that feat as well (or take a hit to dodge AC)... happy hunting!

[Kauaiian]

Hey all,

Here's another take on the Mystran Ranger concept, utilizing Hierophant and Cleric. More cleric than ranger, but Ill take it. Because of the requirement for 7th level spells, most of the ranger is taken in epic.

It ends up with:
CL 28 Cleric
Evasion
Expose
Steadfast
Good survival for tracking undead/outsider monstrosities per the Shooting Star ethos
Good lore and spellcraft - Portal Hunter!
Craft wand and Craft wondrous item, because he is a Mystran, after all.
Spell and Knowledge domains. Mostly for RP until Anyspell and it's Greater version gets back IG which gives a better mechanical advantage (c'mon QC! )
Mostly sword and board using a MBP and shield.
Spam divine spellpower to be any kind of effective
Uses a +3 dex and wisdom item. And because I know Steve is around here somewhere, will use a +3 charisma item when around any of his PCs
Thought about going Wood Elf, well, because who DOESN'T love Elves?!

Any advice? http://nwn2db.com/build/?252398