GPuzzle
2014-06-23, 09:03 PM
A nasty catch-22 build, which lies in a simple combo - Paladin Multimark+Debuffing and the Sigil Carver's ability to get enemies to have a -9 penalty to hit your allies, all stacked with Immediate Interrupts in case the attack does hit to make it even harder to attack your allies, and excellent defenses to seal the deal off.
Level 1
Class: Swordmage|Paladin - necessary for the combo, even if the stats don't match. That won't be that much of a problem, though.
Race: Tiefling - no questions asked, best Int+Cha race in the game, perhaps only rivaled by Pixies and Eladrin for some particular builds, but for a Paladin, this is definetively in the top 5. Since we are a Paladin, we can safely take this race, and call it a day.
Swordmage Aegis: Aegis of Shielding - not the best with our stats, but necessary for the PP.
Hybrid Talent: Paladin Armor Proficiency. Loses some points on skill checks, but I'm a bigger fan of +2 to Reflex. Besides, it will influence our items later on.
Background: Thay - it's Auspicious Birth, but more tables allow it!
Theme: Guardian - Punishment Stacker for your Paladin marks. Great.
Stats:
Strength 11
Constitution 13
Dexteritry 8
Intelligence 18
Wisdom 10
Charisma 18
Bump Intelligence and Charisma every time you get a stat bonus.
Your Paladin bonus is going into Fortitude, because may the Gods help you with that.
Feats:
Hybrid Talent - we need to fix the AC, plain and simple.
At-Will:
Booming Blade - helps with your stickiness. Pretty good.
Virtuous Strike - we need a good MBA at least until level 4 - change it to Enfeebling Strike if you feel like it when you reach level 4.
Encounter:
Valorous Smite - The Paladin's first multimarking power.
Daily:
Majestic Halo - Divine Warden mode, activate!
Level 2:
Utility: Virtue - Holey moley, that's a lot of THP. It could be a great pick by Paragon. As a level 2 power, it's awesome.
Feat: Imperious Majesty - fixing your Initiative problems, and setting up an early catch-22 with that and a combo of mark+Booming Blade on round 1 that can completely lock down an enemy.
Level 3:
Encounter: Dimensional Vortex - easily one of the best Immediate Interrupts in the game. If we're going to have to take a Swordmage power, why not take an excellent one?
Level 4:
+1 Int, +1 Cha
Feat: Wrath of the Crimson Legion - Burst 5 multimark+Cha for MBA. Really, really great.
Level 5:
Daily: Shielding Fire - pretty good, arguibly the best D5 for Swordmages. Unfortunately, it'd be better if we had more Con.
Level 6:
Utility: Armanathor's Step - great for mobility. No, scratch that. Excellent for mobility.
Feat: Devout Protector Expertise - Expertise with benefits. Excellent.
Level 7:
Encounter: Price of Cowardice - Blinded as a Punishment Stacker is nasty. This will keep the enemies' focus on you.
Level 8:
+1 Int, +1 Cha
Feat: Improved Defenses - Hmmm, Defenses.
Level 9:
Daily: Ray of Reprisal - more punishment stacker, and boy this one's nasty. Of course it's nasty, it's a daily, but still.
Level 10:
Utility: Call of Challenge - MORE MULTIMARKING!
Feat: Mark of Warding - Basically, more incentive to hit you.
Paragon Path: Sigil Carver. Just a great path in general. AP feature allows an ally within 5 to roll a save against an effect a save can end, F11 is basically a "your mark increases from -3 to -5 when if the ally attacked is adjacent to you", E11's pretty bad but allows you to crank out some damage, U12 is a punishment stacker, D20 is perfect for Nova Enabling, but the F16 is what makes this path shine.
Level 11:
+1 to all stats
Feat: Psychic Lock - when your mark gets this big, your enemies will want to focus on you. Thankfully, you've got some THP on your side. Besides, it's basically a mix between +2 to all defenses and a mark penalty increase.
Level 12:
Feat: Superior Will - because no one likes being dazed. Or stunned. Or dominated.
Retraining: Take the Deliverance of Faith Skill Power as your U6, because now you've got a really freaking great Swordmage Utility, and you'll need some THP with all the focus you're getting.
Level 13:
Encounter: Castigating Strike - Valorous Smite, V2.
Level 14:
+1 Int, +1 Cha
Feat: Dispater's Iron Discipline - because Dazed, Stunned and Dominated can go die in a fire.
Level 15:
Daily: Eldritch Chains - That is an excellent way to stick people in place.
Level 16:
May I just comment on how this level completely changes how your allies are going to play? Seriously, staying near you means they won't get hit, and you'll shrug off the damage due to your boatload of THP generation and good defenses.
Utility: Divine Aegis - +3 to all Defenses to everyone. This is painful for enemies.
Feat: Improved Initiative - More Initiative. Simple but effective.
Level 17:
Encounter Power: None taken. You're pretty solid by now.
Level 18:
+1 Int, +1 Cha
Feat: Hide Armor Especialisation - More defenses!
Level 19:
Daily: Knight's Defiance - This is an excellent multimark. As in, great multimark.
Level 20:
Feat: Hero's Poise - this turns your party into something that can shrug off status effects like it's nothing.
Epic Destiny: Heir to the Empire. This one's grand, with a mix of Domination-based features, bonuses to the stats you want, and even an excellent rebuke.
Level 21:
Feat: Weakening Challenge - This one redefines awesomeness. Enemies don't want to attack your allies now, period. And we'll make sure they don't want to attack you either.
Retraining: Improved Initiative to Superior Initiative. Basically, your Initiative is so high you'll be one of the first ones to go into the fray.
Level 22:
Feat: Secrets of Belial - As in, steal an Utility from someone. Which one?
Utility: Ethereal Sidestep - This one. But why? Soon you'll figure out.
Level 23:
Encounter: Demand Respect - Price of Cowardice's big brother. Take it.
Level 24:
+1 Int, +1 Cha
Feat: Arcane Familiar - through your familiar and some items, Ethereal Sidestep is a +2 bonus to all defenses at-will. Fun times.
Level 25:
Daily: Discipline the Unruly - Marry it and give it some sweet, sweet loving. It's epic. This one's replacing Eldritch Chains.
Level 26:
Utility: Ruler of Life and Death - Domination? As an UTILITY? Whoa. This one's grand.
Feat: Stout Shield - We need to fix our Fortitude.
Level 27:
Encounter: None taken. We're pretty solid by now, and I don't see anything too exciting on the list.
Level 28:
+1 Int, +1 Cha
Feat: Epic Fortitude - We do need to fix our Fortitude.
Level 29:
Daily: Astral Thunder Blade - Pseudo Close Burst 2 stun. Great. Knight's Defiance is out.
Level 30:
Feat: Epic Reflexes - More defenses.
+6 Lifeblood Elderhide Armor - THP for the start of the battle. Great.
+6 Sorrowsong Blade Longsword - Half psychic damage bypasses resistances, slaps a -2 to hit. Good for our defenses and our marks too.
+6 Cloak of Distortion - Enemies need to come close enough for us to pose a threat if they want to hit us reliably.
Arcane Familiar - Rakshasa Claw - needed so we can get a +2 to all defenses combo going on
+3 Incisive Dagger - teleport booster - simple and effective.
Foe Caller Gauntlets - Immediate Interrupt in case any enemy goes far away and we need to get it back to where he should've been (within 5 squares of us).
Phantom Chasseurs - +2 to all defenses when used in combo with the Incisive Dagger and Etheral Sidestep.
Eye of Awareness - +5 to Initiative, +2 to Will. This one's great.
Ring of Tenacious Will - With this and Thay, Constitution's pretty much useless.
Ring of Free Time - Free Minor, and a Resist 5 all. Excellent.
Diamond Cinture (Paragon Tier) - Fortitude fixer with THP added.
+6 Symbol of the Champion's Code - You won't be attacking with it but +6 to your Divine Challenge and Divine Sanction damage is pretty spiffy.
Iron Armbands of Power (Epic Tier) - Because we needed to worry about damage.
Elven Chain Shirt (Paragon Tier) - Free AC, because why not.
Our defenses sit at 50/47/49/47, but they'll be regularly increased to roughly 54/51/53/51. Our allies' defenses get +10 to AC, +9 to everything else - pretty big, uh? And we've got a steady amount of THP on us at nearly all times.
Level 1
Class: Swordmage|Paladin - necessary for the combo, even if the stats don't match. That won't be that much of a problem, though.
Race: Tiefling - no questions asked, best Int+Cha race in the game, perhaps only rivaled by Pixies and Eladrin for some particular builds, but for a Paladin, this is definetively in the top 5. Since we are a Paladin, we can safely take this race, and call it a day.
Swordmage Aegis: Aegis of Shielding - not the best with our stats, but necessary for the PP.
Hybrid Talent: Paladin Armor Proficiency. Loses some points on skill checks, but I'm a bigger fan of +2 to Reflex. Besides, it will influence our items later on.
Background: Thay - it's Auspicious Birth, but more tables allow it!
Theme: Guardian - Punishment Stacker for your Paladin marks. Great.
Stats:
Strength 11
Constitution 13
Dexteritry 8
Intelligence 18
Wisdom 10
Charisma 18
Bump Intelligence and Charisma every time you get a stat bonus.
Your Paladin bonus is going into Fortitude, because may the Gods help you with that.
Feats:
Hybrid Talent - we need to fix the AC, plain and simple.
At-Will:
Booming Blade - helps with your stickiness. Pretty good.
Virtuous Strike - we need a good MBA at least until level 4 - change it to Enfeebling Strike if you feel like it when you reach level 4.
Encounter:
Valorous Smite - The Paladin's first multimarking power.
Daily:
Majestic Halo - Divine Warden mode, activate!
Level 2:
Utility: Virtue - Holey moley, that's a lot of THP. It could be a great pick by Paragon. As a level 2 power, it's awesome.
Feat: Imperious Majesty - fixing your Initiative problems, and setting up an early catch-22 with that and a combo of mark+Booming Blade on round 1 that can completely lock down an enemy.
Level 3:
Encounter: Dimensional Vortex - easily one of the best Immediate Interrupts in the game. If we're going to have to take a Swordmage power, why not take an excellent one?
Level 4:
+1 Int, +1 Cha
Feat: Wrath of the Crimson Legion - Burst 5 multimark+Cha for MBA. Really, really great.
Level 5:
Daily: Shielding Fire - pretty good, arguibly the best D5 for Swordmages. Unfortunately, it'd be better if we had more Con.
Level 6:
Utility: Armanathor's Step - great for mobility. No, scratch that. Excellent for mobility.
Feat: Devout Protector Expertise - Expertise with benefits. Excellent.
Level 7:
Encounter: Price of Cowardice - Blinded as a Punishment Stacker is nasty. This will keep the enemies' focus on you.
Level 8:
+1 Int, +1 Cha
Feat: Improved Defenses - Hmmm, Defenses.
Level 9:
Daily: Ray of Reprisal - more punishment stacker, and boy this one's nasty. Of course it's nasty, it's a daily, but still.
Level 10:
Utility: Call of Challenge - MORE MULTIMARKING!
Feat: Mark of Warding - Basically, more incentive to hit you.
Paragon Path: Sigil Carver. Just a great path in general. AP feature allows an ally within 5 to roll a save against an effect a save can end, F11 is basically a "your mark increases from -3 to -5 when if the ally attacked is adjacent to you", E11's pretty bad but allows you to crank out some damage, U12 is a punishment stacker, D20 is perfect for Nova Enabling, but the F16 is what makes this path shine.
Level 11:
+1 to all stats
Feat: Psychic Lock - when your mark gets this big, your enemies will want to focus on you. Thankfully, you've got some THP on your side. Besides, it's basically a mix between +2 to all defenses and a mark penalty increase.
Level 12:
Feat: Superior Will - because no one likes being dazed. Or stunned. Or dominated.
Retraining: Take the Deliverance of Faith Skill Power as your U6, because now you've got a really freaking great Swordmage Utility, and you'll need some THP with all the focus you're getting.
Level 13:
Encounter: Castigating Strike - Valorous Smite, V2.
Level 14:
+1 Int, +1 Cha
Feat: Dispater's Iron Discipline - because Dazed, Stunned and Dominated can go die in a fire.
Level 15:
Daily: Eldritch Chains - That is an excellent way to stick people in place.
Level 16:
May I just comment on how this level completely changes how your allies are going to play? Seriously, staying near you means they won't get hit, and you'll shrug off the damage due to your boatload of THP generation and good defenses.
Utility: Divine Aegis - +3 to all Defenses to everyone. This is painful for enemies.
Feat: Improved Initiative - More Initiative. Simple but effective.
Level 17:
Encounter Power: None taken. You're pretty solid by now.
Level 18:
+1 Int, +1 Cha
Feat: Hide Armor Especialisation - More defenses!
Level 19:
Daily: Knight's Defiance - This is an excellent multimark. As in, great multimark.
Level 20:
Feat: Hero's Poise - this turns your party into something that can shrug off status effects like it's nothing.
Epic Destiny: Heir to the Empire. This one's grand, with a mix of Domination-based features, bonuses to the stats you want, and even an excellent rebuke.
Level 21:
Feat: Weakening Challenge - This one redefines awesomeness. Enemies don't want to attack your allies now, period. And we'll make sure they don't want to attack you either.
Retraining: Improved Initiative to Superior Initiative. Basically, your Initiative is so high you'll be one of the first ones to go into the fray.
Level 22:
Feat: Secrets of Belial - As in, steal an Utility from someone. Which one?
Utility: Ethereal Sidestep - This one. But why? Soon you'll figure out.
Level 23:
Encounter: Demand Respect - Price of Cowardice's big brother. Take it.
Level 24:
+1 Int, +1 Cha
Feat: Arcane Familiar - through your familiar and some items, Ethereal Sidestep is a +2 bonus to all defenses at-will. Fun times.
Level 25:
Daily: Discipline the Unruly - Marry it and give it some sweet, sweet loving. It's epic. This one's replacing Eldritch Chains.
Level 26:
Utility: Ruler of Life and Death - Domination? As an UTILITY? Whoa. This one's grand.
Feat: Stout Shield - We need to fix our Fortitude.
Level 27:
Encounter: None taken. We're pretty solid by now, and I don't see anything too exciting on the list.
Level 28:
+1 Int, +1 Cha
Feat: Epic Fortitude - We do need to fix our Fortitude.
Level 29:
Daily: Astral Thunder Blade - Pseudo Close Burst 2 stun. Great. Knight's Defiance is out.
Level 30:
Feat: Epic Reflexes - More defenses.
+6 Lifeblood Elderhide Armor - THP for the start of the battle. Great.
+6 Sorrowsong Blade Longsword - Half psychic damage bypasses resistances, slaps a -2 to hit. Good for our defenses and our marks too.
+6 Cloak of Distortion - Enemies need to come close enough for us to pose a threat if they want to hit us reliably.
Arcane Familiar - Rakshasa Claw - needed so we can get a +2 to all defenses combo going on
+3 Incisive Dagger - teleport booster - simple and effective.
Foe Caller Gauntlets - Immediate Interrupt in case any enemy goes far away and we need to get it back to where he should've been (within 5 squares of us).
Phantom Chasseurs - +2 to all defenses when used in combo with the Incisive Dagger and Etheral Sidestep.
Eye of Awareness - +5 to Initiative, +2 to Will. This one's great.
Ring of Tenacious Will - With this and Thay, Constitution's pretty much useless.
Ring of Free Time - Free Minor, and a Resist 5 all. Excellent.
Diamond Cinture (Paragon Tier) - Fortitude fixer with THP added.
+6 Symbol of the Champion's Code - You won't be attacking with it but +6 to your Divine Challenge and Divine Sanction damage is pretty spiffy.
Iron Armbands of Power (Epic Tier) - Because we needed to worry about damage.
Elven Chain Shirt (Paragon Tier) - Free AC, because why not.
Our defenses sit at 50/47/49/47, but they'll be regularly increased to roughly 54/51/53/51. Our allies' defenses get +10 to AC, +9 to everything else - pretty big, uh? And we've got a steady amount of THP on us at nearly all times.