Tanky 2h fighter build advice

[WatWatsen]

So I have a build idea bouncing around in my head, and I was wondering how feasible it is. "This is stupid and won't work" is a valid response, ideally followed up with "and here's why"

Gist of it is, a tanky 2h fighter half-orc, split I am considering is 14 fighter/10 anointed knight/6 frenzied berzerker (6th level wouldn't be taken until 30 since 15 fighter gets nothing), going all in on str and con (need 9 dex to end at 12 with a +3, not sure if 8 int will manage or if it needs to be 10 to get enough skill points). Get con to 23 then everything else in str. Idea I was going for are tanky feats, dr, fast healing, northlander + enhanced power attack for damage, and AC and AB feats to counter the AB penalties.

Also important: does AK damage resistance stack with epic DR? That's something the idea hinges on.

Wanna cram in there:

Luck of heroes, one weapon, armor skin (for AC)
Power attack, cleave, great cleave, iron will (prereqs)
Northlander hewing, improved power attack (damage)
Steadfast determination (tankiness)
Epic damage resistance x3, fast healing x3 (tankiness)
AB boosting feats- weapon focus, greater weapon focus, epic prowess, epic weapon focus, weapon mastery (latter would require weapon spec)

If I'm doing the math right, I'll get 22 feats and that's 22 feats right there. So my choices are to either stagger levels to save skill points for AK levels (when I played around with it, this made cramming in all the feats difficult), or burn a feat on able learner, and throw all the AK levels/FB 5 in pre-epic to make skill points easier, and get more of the fighter bonus feats in the epic levels.

Is this a fool's errand?

[Steve]

I'd say you are better off forgoing Fast Healing, and instead, max out Heal skill...which might mean you need that 10–12 INT, so those Fast Healing feats can be spent on STR or CON.

Max Healing is way more potent than 6hp per round, and you can use heal kits without interruption in Combat, which is pretty stupid, but yeah, use it and abuse it cause its possible!!!

[Sun Wukong]

(6th level wouldn't be taken until 30 since 15 fighter gets nothing),

Actually that fighter 15 gets +1 to both Reflex and Will saves.

But anyhow, you might be better off making a Barbarian 20/Anointed Knight 10.

Yet you can go for your build if you want to. Best weapon to pick for Weapon Focus would be Warmace, if you go to Palace District of Baldur's Gat and check the Wide you will understand why.

There is a +4 EB weapon for sale, it has keen, and it deals extra +1d4 damage.

[WatWatsen]

Yeah I was playing around with bumping int to 10 for the sole purpose of heal skill

And warmaces were the weapons I had in mind, with that exact one you mentioned being the ultimate one I was going for Unfortunately after playing around with this build, I don't think it's possible to cram all that in, too many of the feats are epic and it doesn't all fit together. I'm already leveling a 2h 20barb/6ftr/4ak and thought this might've been different enough to be interesting... Hmm, is it possible to build a dwarven defender build that's tanky but still has good damage output?

[Sun Wukong]

Yeah, Dwarven Defenders give +4 Dodge AC, and base 6/- damage reduction that stacks with Epic Damage Reduction, if you go for the full 10 levels. Their Defensive Stance can be used alongside with Northlander Hewing and you can free several feats by not getting Power Attack and Cleave feats.

Perhaps you could consider something like Fighter 16/Anointed Knight 4/Dwarven Defender 10. The fighter bonus feats give you more damage and AB per hit than the potential +2 Great Strengths feats you could get with ten levels of Anointed Knight.

The damage per hit will be somewhat lower, but I think it should be manageable.


As for your original build, it kind of requires Earth Genasi. Less feats are needed on Great Ability line of feats.

[chad878262]

Another thing to consider is that SOME of your feats are not necessary and could be dropped, highlighted in red feats that are 'luxury' feats and could be left off.

Luck of heroes, one weapon, armor skin (for AC)
Power attack, cleave, great cleave, iron will (prereqs)
Northlander hewing, improved power attack (damage)
Steadfast determination (tankiness)
Epic damage resistance x3, fast healing x3 (tankiness) (C#-You could just get Fast Healing 1 and EDR x3. Note EDR will generally stop more damage/round than Fast Healing can heal since it will block that damage from every hit, vs Fast Healing occurring once per round)
AB boosting feats- weapon focus, greater weapon focus, epic prowess, epic weapon focus, weapon mastery (latter would require weapon spec)

Just for you to consider. If you don't want to play it without the full set of feats than yeah, you are trying to squeeze too much in. However, if you need more feats, you could consider dropping Anointed Knight to 4 and adding 6 more levels to Fighter or adding 6 levels of Divine Champion for more feats. DC6 would give two more epic feats and one pre-epic feat (DC allows you to take Epic DR, not sure about other options) while taking 6 more levels of Fighter could offer 3 more feats to help.

EDIT: Disregard... This is why we should not respond to posts before coffee.... Obviously adding 6 levels of Divine Champion loses the 2 epic feats you were getting from Anointed Knight and thus it's a wash. That said, 6 more fighter levels in epics would net you +1 feat, though I am not entirely certain you can take epic feats with Fighter Bonus feats (other than a few specific ones like armor skin and epic precision). However, I think F22 would actually allow you to get any epic feat with the fighter bonus, IIRC once you hit F22 it opens up more epic feat selection options. So it is possible those 3 bonus feats could net you Armor Skin, Epic Precision and a Fast Healing or Epic DR feat.

[Sun Wukong]

Things you can get with regular fighter bonus feats:
Epic Toughness,
Epic Prowess,
Epic Damage Reduction,
Armor Skin,
+ the usual fighter bonus feats.

[Steve]

Also important: does AK damage resistance stack with epic DR? That's something the idea hinges on.

Did you get this answered? I have wondered the same thing myself, what DRs from what PrCs—those not available from the MotB update—have stacking DR.

[Rinzler]

Have you perhaps considered 20 Barbarian / 10 DC? Great 2h tank build!

[Rudolph]

As far as I know (from Kaedrin info), the Anointed Knight DR stacks with Epic DR. That and Greater Resiliency - but nothing else - i.e. not with the Barbarian DR.

[Valefort]

Yes.

[Steve]

From the NWN2 Wiki:

"[Epic] damage reduction stacks with Barbarian Damage Reduction and Dwarven Defender damage reduction."

Greater Resiliency supposedly stacks with Barbarian DR and Anointed Knight/WoD DR, but not Dwarven Defender.

But Class/PrC DRs do not stack together, probably taking into account the highest form of all types in the build.

So could someone who knows the actual code please write put explicitly what stacks and what doesn't? It would be super useful to have on the BGTSCC Wiki. Right?!? Thank you.

[Sun Wukong]

Fey Skin (Fey Heritage feat) should stack with Spirit Shaman's, Favored Soul's, or Warlock's Cold Iron damage reduction. (Favored Soul can have Alchemical Silver damage reduction, which doesn't stack with Fey Skin.)

Barbarian damage reduction stacks Greater Resiliency and Epic Damage Reduction.

Dwarven Defender damage reduction stacks with Epic Damage Reduction.

Anointed Knight/Warrior of Darkness stack with Epic Damage Reduction.

Boom, done.

[Theodore01]

What about Dragonslayer damage reduction ?

[Valefort]

Why don't you guys test ?