good build ideas

"Challenge: What's the coolest trick you can pull at level 11?"

http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/20564149/Challenge_Whats_the_coolest_trick_you_can_pull_at_level_11

wizard/bloodmage build

First you obtain uranium-238 and then....
gotten from wotc forums. posted by Xantos000.
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http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19641590/How_to_Build_A_Nuclear_Bomb
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First you obtain uranium-238 and then....

Just kidding. This build focuses on the all around killer wizard. His goal is to have huge damage spells that hit tons of people, produce lingering and highly debiliating effects (radiation) and do all this from near invincibility (AKA flying like a plane).

He really becomes a nuke at level 25, and then can do it multiple times a day at level 26, but he's still extremely effective once he's in paragon. NOTE: All wizards are weak during heroic. The basic goal is to try and keep him alive and kicking.

Eladrin is perfect for him because he is a wand mage (secondary orb mage), although elf is good as well. He need's a fully buffed int, and nearly fully buffed dex, and a decent wis, so unfortunatly, he suffers a bit from MADness.

Although the entire build is called the Nuke, my sample nuke will be called God-Killer, as he does everything a God does and then can actually damage them.

Thanks to TreantMonkLevel20 for the guide to Wizards because it was through his guide that I learned that Bolstering Blood pulses every time a creature moves with Blood Pulse up. Thanks also to Subedei who really got me thinking about how awesome Wizards really are.

Edit: As has been pointed out to me on the second page, the Bigby's Icy Hand trick does not work.

[sblock=Races]
Out of ****
Elf (****): +2 to Dex and Wis, two of the key abilities for this build. Wish it had a +2 to Int, but it's racial more than makes up for it.
Eladrin(****): +2 to Int and Dex, the two MOST vital abilities for this build. I think it's slightly better than Elf, but just slightly. The bonus skill is also great, as we will be saving a feat on either Stealth or Perception. I will be using the Eladrin for my build.
Githanki(***): +2 to Int is great, as is +2 to Con. Unfortunatly, we aren't going the staff route, so this is slightly wasted. Racial is decent as well.
Human(***): Humans gain an extra at will, and a +2 to Int. Not as good as Eladrin or Elf for this build.
Tiefling(***)- Bonus to Int and Hellfire Blood is awesome. No as good as Eladrin or Elf
[/sblock]
[sblock=Level One]
God-Killer, Level 1 Eladrin Wand Wizard
Str: 8
Dex: 18 (16+2)
Con: 10
Int: 18 (16+2)
Wis: 12
Cha: 12

Skills:
Whatever 3 you want from Class List
Arcana (Required)
Stealth (From Eladrin Training)

Feat:
Toughness

At Will: (Difficult Choices....)
Illusionary Terrain
Scorching Burst (Switching to Thunderwave at 11)

Encounter: Force Orb (As much as I hate to say this, damage is your primary concern at this level. Your debuffs are weak, so this or burning hands is best for you.)

Daily: Flaming Sphere (Add Sleep to your spellbook. Sleep is great, but we don't have Orb mastery yet :()
[/sblock]
[sblock=Levelling to 10]
Level 2:
Feat: Armor Prof (Leather)
Util: Shield

Level 3:
Encounter: Freezing Rays

Level 4:
+1 to Int/Dex
Feat: Skill Focus(Stealth)

Level 5:
Daily: Bigby's Icy Grasp (add Web)

Level 6:
Util: Levitate (Hurray! Your first "fly" spell)
Feat: Skill Training (Perception)

Level 7:
Encounter: Winter's Wrath

Level 8:
+1 to Int/Dex
Feat: Alertness

Level 9:
Daily: Wall of Fire (Add Ice Storm)

Level 10:
Util: Blur
Feat: Improved Init
[/sblock]
[sblock=Level 11]
God-Killer Level 11 Wand Wizard/Blood Mage
Str: 9
Dex: 21
Con: 11
Int: 21
Wis: 13
Cha: 13

Vital Skills at:
Stealth at +18
Perception at +13

Feats:
Toughness, Improved Init, Skill Focus(Stealth), Skill Training (Perception), Arcane Reach (replaces Alertness), Armor Prof (Leather), Resounding Thunder

At Will:
Illusionary Terrain
Thunderwave

Encounter: Blood Pulse, Force Orb, Freezing Rays, Winter's Wrath
Util: Shield, Levitate, Blur
Daily: Bigby's Icy Fist, Flaming Sphere, Wall of Fire

This is the level you start getting really good. Here's some ideas:
Blood Pulse (with Bolstering Blood), AP, Thunderwave--> Next turn Thunderwave.

Or Icy Grasp, AP, Blood Pulse(with BB), Move Hand 6--> Move hand 6, Move Hand 6
Each square your enemy leaves deals him d6+2d10(But same value every time). That means that each move 6 deals on average 14.5*6=87 damage.
[/sblock]
[sblock=Levelling to 20]
Level 12:
Util: Soul Burn
Feat: Spell Focus

Level 13:
Encounter: Replace Force Orb with Thunderlance

Level 14:
+1 to Dex/Int
Feat: Danger Sense

Level 15:
Daily: Replace Flaming Sphere with Bigby's Grasping Hands(add Wall of Ice to spellbook though)

Level 16:
Util: Displacement
Feat: Seize the Moment

Level 17:
Replace Icy Rays with Ice Tomb

Level 18:
+1 to Str/Dex
Feat: Great Fort

Level 19:
Replace Wall of Fire with Evard's Black Tentacles

Level 20:
Daily: Gain Destructive Salutation
Feat: Pact Initiate
[/sblock]
[sblock=Level 21]
God-Killer Level 21 Wand Wizard/Blood Mage/Demigod
Str: 10
Dex: 24
Con: 14
Int: 26
Wis: 14
Cha: 14

Vital Skills at:
Stealth at +25
Perception at +17

Feats:
Toughness, Improved Init, Skill Focus(Stealth), Skill Training (Perception), Arcane Reach, Armor Prof (Leather), Resounding Thunder, Spell Focus, Danger Sense, Seize the Moment, Great Fort, Pact Initiate, Spell Accuracy

At Will:
Illusionary Terrain
Thunderwave

Encounter: Blood Pulse, Winter's Wrath, Thunderlance, Ice Tomb
Util: Shield, Levitate, Blur, Soul Hunger, Displacement
Daily: Bigby's Icy Fist, Bigby's Grasping Hands, Evard's Black Tentacles, Destructive Salutation

At this level, your big short range nuclear Bomb is Thunderlance. It hits a 6x6 area up to 2 squares away, and assuming you have Blood Pulse up, deals, 4d6+Int+4(2d10+1d6), average damage 80.

Bigby's Graping Hands hits two people, and if you have blood pulse up, you can deal 2d10+7 when you grab them, and then move them up to 20 squares to slam into each other. Even if they're only 6 squares away, they each move 6. Assuming a distance of 10, you can deal 2d10+7+10(1d6+2d10). Average damage 163.

Bigby's Icy hand is easier to use. Again average damage is 87 per 6 squares. You can move him up to twice per turn (3 times with an AP)(And 3 times with an easy to get and inexpensive, encounter use item).
[/sblock]
[sblock=Levelling to 29]
Level 22:
Util: Timestop (or Mass Fly if you're the only person in your group with the ability to get it)
Feat: Arcane Mastery

Level 23:
Encounter: These powers are a little... meh. Replace Winter's Wrath with Acid Storm

Level 24:
+1 to Int/Con
Feat: Acolyte Power(Replace Acid Storm with Spiteful Darts)

Level 25:
Daily: HERE IT IS! Elemental maw! Decimate everything within Burst 2 once per day! (2 times if you burn an action point) Replace Bigby's Grasping Hands (unless you can house rule it to allow you to move the hands 6 squares like Icy Grasp) with Elemental Maw.

Level 26:
Util: Divine Regen
Feat: Second Implement (Staff)
*Note* This level is where it gets insane. Get Solitaire (Violet), and burn the AP to get your Daily back every encounter.

Level 27:
Encounter: Replace Ice Tomb with Confusion

Level 28:
Feat: Combat Anticipation
+1 to Int/Con

Level 29:
Daily: Replace with Evard's Black Tentacles with Legion's Hold
[/sblock]
[sblock=Final Stats]
God-Killer Level 30 Wand Wizard/Blood Mage/Demigod
Str: 10
Dex: 24
Con: 16
Int: 28
Wis: 14
Cha: 14

Vital Skills at:
Stealth at +30
Perception at +22

Feats:
Toughness, Improved Init, Skill Focus(Stealth), Skill Training (Perception), Arcane Reach, Armor Prof (Leather), Resounding Thunder, Spell Focus, Danger Sense, Seize the Moment, Great Fort, Pact Initiate, Spell Accuracy, Arcane Mastery, Acolyte Power, Combat Anticipation, Second Implement (Staff), Lightning Reflexes

At Will:
Illusionary Terrain
Thunderwave

Encounter: Blood Pulse, Spiteful Darts, Thunderlance, Confusion
Util: Shield, Levitate, Blur, Soul Hunger, Displacement, Time Stop, Divine Regeneration
Daily: Bigby's Icy Fist, Elemental Maw, Legion's Hold, Destructive Salutation

Elemental Maw is the nuke here: once they get caught in the "eye", teleport them 20 squares up, dealing 9d6+9+10d10 (from falling)+20(d6+2d10). Average damage 385.5 to all within burst 2 (without any items).

Bigby's Icy hand is your solo killer. While in the hand he can't do anything, and it's quite easy to cast Bigby's Icy Hand--> next round, Blood Pulse, Move 6, Time Stop, Move 6, Move 6, Burn AP gain Time Stop back, Move 6, Move 6, Use belt with Extra Move action, Move 6. 522 damage in 1 turn. Now, assuming your Ref is sky high like Gkers is, you'll probably hold him for a while. Next turn, Move 6, Move 6. Next Turn (soul hunger if you aren't 30 yet), Blood Pulse, Move 6. Next turn Move 6, Move 6. Over those turns, the monster is totally helpless, and you delt 957 damage. You can go on for a while like this if you're demigod. And if the monster DOES hit you, use displacement.

[/sblock]


The Equipment Guide and Updates and Final Number Crunch are below Subedei's Post

demogorgon

given his position as first--arguably--among demon lords, i feel that demogorgon has not been given enough worshippers among the natural humanoid races. baphomet has the minotaurs. yeenoghu has the gnolls. gruumsh (a demon lord, in my view) has the orcs. so, what does the monster manual 2 say about demogorgon?

troglodytes worship him as a deity, and colonies of kuo-toas appeal to him for aid. this is both a problem and simply not enough. the trogs' principle patriarch is torog, so demogorgon is getting second scraps, at best. and the kuo-toa have been overtaken by, and now serve and worship, aberrant races, principally the aboleths. if any deific figure still were worshiped by the kuo-toa, it would be torog, who is most closely associated with both aberrations (in my view) and the underdark. that leaves demogorgon with no natural race over which he holds dominion. this just does not seem right for the "prince of demons".

so, what do we do about this? well, we give him a race of his own, just like yeenoghu and baphomet. gotta keep up with the joneses, you know. now, which race will it be? it should be a prominent race, so as to better reflect demogorgon's dominant position among demon lords. i still am not entirely certain which race is best, but i am thinking . . .

orcs. why? they are a prominent race. and gruumsh is, in my opinion, arguably expendable. he nature is a better fit as a demon lord than as a god. and as a demon lord, he is just yet another demon lord that is principally little more than a power that is thematically associated with a known race. so, give the orcs to demogorgon. and throw in an aquatic or amphibian race as well, to better play up demogorgon's amphibian nature (not the sahuagin. they have been taken, see my prior post for more on that), perhaps bullywugs ("bullywugs say they were created by the original primordials, not by the gods").

sahuagin worshippers

the monster manual describes sahuagin as worshipers of sekolah, great demonic shark, who is an exarch of melora. however, given their chaotic evil alignment, i instead would have them worshipping the demon lord, dagon.

i supposed that i am inclined to see most, if not all, chaotic evil races worshipping demons rather than gods because, in my view, none of the gods are chaotic evil, with one explainable exception--tharizdun. originally, tharizdun was not chaotic evil. he became chaotic evil when he was overwhelmed by the shard of evil. anyway, he is locked up and largely out of the picture now, despite what his looney worshippers might believe. orcus, in my view, is a demon lord, not a god. so that leaves no chaotic evil gods.

so, who among the demon lords would best serve as the patriarch of sahuagin? well, an aquatic oriented demon would be fitting. dagon is an aquatic demon lord. also, from the monster manual 2, we know that dagon's temples are underwater. what else do we know?

i) dagon's [land-based] cultists reside in isolated seaside towns and villages;

ii) sahuagin dwell along coastal waters;

iii) villages prone to [dagon's] cult descend into savagery;

iv) sahuagin slaughter and devour anything they can catch, raiding coastal settlements in the dead of night;

v) a sahuagin kingdom can stretch along an entire seacoast, and the sahuagin sometimes trade for goods, but they are more inclined to take what they want by pillaging coastal communities and merchant ships; and

vi) dagon's temples include air-filled chambers and caverns for his terrestrial followers.

although not a completely compelling argument, i do think that the above information makes for a good fit between sahuagin and the demon lord, dagon.

edit

i just remembered a great little adventure in dungeon 156 called the last breaths of ashenport. i think that the fish men of dagon easily could be re-skinned as sahuagin.

my spin on orcus

looking at the h-p-e adventure series, i very much like the orcus/raven queen conflict. however, i see the conflict and goals somewhat differently:

we know that the raven queen is quite powerful because, among other reasons, almost all creatures die and the raven queen is the god of death.

orcus is the master of undeath (as a side note, in my world, vecna is only an exarch of orcus). not surprisingly, orcus wants more power than he already has. he knows that the more undead that exist throughout the planes, the more power he acquires.

here is where the conflict arises: each additional undead creature means one less creature that dies; the consequence of which is (i) an incremental increase in orcus' power and (ii) an incremental erosion in the raven queen's power.

in other words, the mere existence of undead is a direct assault on the raven queen's principle basis of power--death. so, while orcus strives to increase his power base by populating the planes with undead, the raven queen strives to protect her own power base by eradicating all undead (as another side note, pelor, the god most closely associated with life, becomes an unlikely ally of the god of death because of his own, separate reasons for opposing undeath).

in the h-p-e series, orcus seeks to usurp the raven queen's power over death. in contrast, in my view, orcus does not seek power over death. rather, he seeks to supplant death entirely by making all living creatures into undead. thus, making death . . . extinct (and the raven queen with it).