(4e) Reducing Damage Rolls

**DragonBaneDM** · 2010-09-20, 12:31 AM (ISO 8601)

My plan is to make the character who's the best at it.

Right now the build is Hybrid Swordmage/Artificer with Static Shock as the Artificer At-Will. Combine that with the Aegis, and they're rocking a -3 against me and a -11 to damage rolls against anyone else.

Forcefields for everyone! With the temp hp that Artificer's gonna dish out, I can see this working as a rather effective alternative to my usual "heal it all!" builds for leaders.

My other idea was to MC Cleric for Astral Condemnation, but this build hardly has the Cha to make that worthwhile.

I'm also minoring in debuffing attack rolls with a Githyanki Silver Blade and Psychic Lock in Paragon Tier.

Does anyone have any ideas for improvement?

**Kurald Galain** · 2010-09-20, 04:46 AM (ISO 8601)

One of the Eberron marks increases your "mark penalty" from -2 to -3.

**DragonBaneDM** · 2010-09-20, 01:38 PM (ISO 8601)

Very nice! Thanks!

**Zaydos** · 2010-09-20, 01:49 PM (ISO 8601)

I'm guessing you already know about the Greater Aegis of Shielding paragon tier feat (Arcane Power), but if you don't it adds another 5 to the damage your Aegis reduces which is pretty useful. This brings it up to 15 + Con at Paragon which can be pretty good. Also do you know how Double Aegis works with Hybrid Classes? Because depending on how it does that could be a useful ability as well.

**DragonBaneDM** · 2010-09-20, 01:52 PM (ISO 8601)

I don't see why it wouldn't. Also, I still have a Multiclass open. What else is good at "healing" by preventing damage?

I'm thinking Warlock to grab more THP so that the the other leader won't have to worry about me as much.

**Zaydos** · 2010-09-20, 01:58 PM (ISO 8601)

Can't say for that. The only long term 4e character I've played was a Shielding Swordmage with no multiclass feats. I will say White Lotus Riposte is a good feat, although I only got to use it once; the bad guys stopped attacking me (I had several points higher in AC, and Fort than my allies) but that just meant once we hit Paragon they weren't dealing damage (I could stop 23 damage since the DM had given us all a unique bonus during the 1st adventure, mine was +2 to my swordmage aegis) and I actually managed to negate an attack from the campaign's big bad, before he used a minor action to remove the mark.

Also there's a dragon magazine daily you might want to look into. I think it's level 5, but I forget the name; it lets you make a ranged attack vs Fort dealing 2d10+Con or Int (I forget which) fire damage (I hit once) and has the effect that you put a mark on the opponent which lasts the entire encounter, allows you to still put marks on other opponents, and whenever they trigger the mark they take fire damage equal to the damage negated.

**DragonBaneDM** · 2010-09-20, 02:57 PM (ISO 8601)

Shielding Flame I believe.

It's the only Daily I'm taking on this guy that isn't Artificer.

I...really like Sigils

**Zaydos** · 2010-09-20, 03:00 PM (ISO 8601)

Yeah I started to stat out a hybrid artificer|swordmage once and I found I tended to use artificer dailies on him. Didn't have access to Dragon Magazine materials at the time, though. What Paragon Path are you thinking about?

Edit: I know Coronal Guard and Sigil Carver have some decent defensive feats (one gives you temp hp when your mark triggers, the other gives adjacent allies +2 power bonus to all Defenses).

**DragonBaneDM** · 2010-09-20, 04:28 PM (ISO 8601)

Given that the character's oriented towards Sigils as dailies, I'm going Sigil Carver.

I know CGuard is better, but I like the fluff more, and the extra oppurtunity attacks at 16 help make use of his OAs.

Here he is:

Anything in All-Caps is a note for me. I don't have Dragon 381, but a buddy does, so I'll check those powers tonight.

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Giz, the Sigil-Mage
Human Hybrid Swordmage/Artificer

Ability Scores

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Str 8
Con 16
Dex 11
Int 18
Wis 12
Cha 11

Trained Skills:

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Arcana
Perception
Heal

HP at First Level: 29
HP per level: 5
Surges: 9

Heroic Powers:

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At-Will 1: Static Shock
At-Will 2: Magic Weapon
At-Will 3: Swordburst
E1: Sword of Sigils
D1: Icebound Sigil
U2: Channeling Shield
E3: Transposing Lunge LOOK AT SHOCKING FEEDBACK IN DRAGON 381
D5: Shielding Fire
U6: Regeneration Infusion
E7: Vampiric Weapons
D9: Radiant Sigil
U10: Healing Figurine

Paragon! (Always my characters' best tier for some reason):

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E13: Positive Energy Infusion
D15: Lightning Sigil
U16: Ironskin
E17: Radiant Burst LOOK AT ARSENAL TRANSFERENCE IN DRAGON 381
D19: Ward of Scales

Epic:

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U22: Diminutive Bodyguard
E23: Radiant Shield
D25: Life Shock Sigil
E27: Circle of Devastation
D29: Simulacrum

Feats:
Heroic:

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1. Bastard Sword Prof. (Versatile Expertise if I don’t get it for free)
2. Arcane Implement Prof. (For Artificer Powers)
3. Hybrid Talent: Swordmage Warding
4. Intelligent Blademaster
5. Potent Restorables
6. Action Surge
7. Hybrid Talent: Arcane Rejuvenation

Paragon:

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8. Greater Aegis of Shielding
9. Enhanced Resistive Formula
10. Double Aegis (Swap for that DragonMark when I get Total Aegis)
11. Psychic Lock
12. Paragon Defenses(Swap for...oh hey I have a feat free! Halp?)
13. Greater Swordmage Warding

Epic:

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14. Total Aegis
15. Quickened Spellcasting
16. Reinforced Healing
17. Robust Defenses
18. Shared Warding
19. Defensive Enchanting DRAGON 381

**Zaydos** · 2010-09-20, 04:38 PM (ISO 8601)

Personally I prefer Sigil Carver to Coronal Guard, although I didn't go with either of them (I went with some planar traveler paragon path the DM suggested because it had fun teleport-y powers). Then again I had too many immediate actions powers to use them all already so that might have influenced it and we were not getting to 16th level and we knew it.

~~Also I think every Heroic swordmage power you have I had on my character~~ actually I think I didn't have Transposing Lunge.

**DragonBaneDM** · 2010-09-20, 04:41 PM (ISO 8601)

Great minds my friend! Great minds!

Battle Engineer also would have been fun. I love the synergy between these two classes, I think it goes unnoticed a lot.

**Zaydos** · 2010-09-20, 04:43 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by DragonBaneDM

Great minds my friend! Great minds!

Battle Engineer also would have been fun. I love the synergy between these two classes, I think it goes unnoticed a lot.

Does Battle Engineer grant Greater Magic Weapon?Because when I statted out a hybrid Artificer|Swordmage for fun I made sure he had that ability.

**DragonBaneDM** · 2010-09-20, 04:54 PM (ISO 8601)

Yup! And Fleetin Dweomer, which is still fantastic despite being a Daily now.

**holywhippet** · 2010-09-20, 05:26 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by DragonBaneDM

Right now the build is Hybrid Swordmage/Artificer with Static Shock as the Artificer At-Will. Combine that with the Aegis, and they're rocking a -3 against me and a -11 to damage rolls against anyone else.

Interesting that your DM let you use that combination. Those two classes are from different settings - Forgotten Realms and Eberron. The DM I was last playing with decided he wouldn't even allow any setting specific books, only the generic ones.

**Zaydos** · 2010-09-20, 05:29 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by DragonBaneDM

Yup! And Fleetin Dweomer, which is still fantastic despite being a Daily now.

Ah that's... actually it looks like a good Daily so it's probably better that they did that because it was an awesome encounter power (me I had one encounter utility that got errata'd to a daily but we found out right before the last session and I forget if we ignored the errata or not).

**DragonBaneDM** · 2010-09-20, 05:59 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by holywhippet

Interesting that your DM let you use that combination. Those two classes are from different settings - Forgotten Realms and Eberron. The DM I was last playing with decided he wouldn't even allow any setting specific books, only the generic ones.

Eh, if you reflavor them ever so slightly and throw them into a neutral campaign setting, I'm sure your DM would be okay with it.

As long as I'm not slaying Drow in Xen'Drik yelling "FOR SUNE!!!" I think I'm playing this character pretty accurately.

EDIT:
What's a suitable background for him being born in the city of...

Wait for it....

Sigil!

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