Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Remmick2099 01-15-07, 06:06 PM	So my group is playing a party of "all buffers." I play a marshal, then we have a dragon shaman, a bard, a sword sage, a wizard, and a cleric. The idea is we all get powers that enhance one another. So defensively we do quite well, but offensively, none of us have a lot of damage output. The wizard has improved familiar (warhorse) and I have a direboar plus mounted combat feats, but it's very difficult to set people up for a charge with that awful difficult terrain. The swordsage has the shadow and the desert fire things. I use the alternate marshal class, which gives morale bonuses rather than competence bonuses, so my damage bonuses do not stack with those of the bard. The cleric is a halfling armed with a sling. We have great ACs, though, because most of my and the dragon shaman's auras are defensive. This causes the combats to last a very loooooooooong time. What advice do you have to increase our damage output? We are level 5.
Sylvaroth 01-15-07, 06:25 PM	Other than wielding uranium katanas? Draxen's call...
theotherdraxen 01-15-07, 06:30 PM	I've been working on a good charger/leader combos: it's my favorite archetype. What's your character's combat style and what books do you have? I might be able to offer some help.
Nephlite 01-15-07, 08:06 PM	So my group is playing a party of "all buffers." I play a marshal, then we have a dragon shaman, a bard, a sword sage, a wizard, and a cleric. The idea is we all get powers that enhance one another. So defensively we do quite well, but offensively, none of us have a lot of damage output. The wizard has improved familiar (warhorse) and I have a direboar plus mounted combat feats, but it's very difficult to set people up for a charge with that awful difficult terrain. The swordsage has the shadow and the desert fire things. I use the alternate marshal class, which gives morale bonuses rather than competence bonuses, so my damage bonuses do not stack with those of the bard. The cleric is a halfling armed with a sling. We have great ACs, though, because most of my and the dragon shaman's auras are defensive. This causes the combats to last a very loooooooooong time. What advice do you have to increase our damage output? We are level 5. Cleric can boost damage of sling/weapons in general with GMW apell later. 1) 1st level spell Divine favor boosts Clerics hit/damage with sling by +1/3 levels (errated to max +3, before it went to +6 at level 18). 2) 4th level so ait 2 levels Divine Power) raises Halfings bab to a fighter (at least +2 hit since Clerics have only +5 BAB at level 7). 3) 1st level Magic stone is made or slingers: stones do 1d6 +1 +1 from enhancement. Assuming he has a magic sling the enhancement might be same or higher. Still 1d6+1 is higher than normal sling bullet. Only get 3 though each casting. 4) Bull's Str on any melee (assuming no oner has strength items) adds +2 melee damage for sling or other one handed weapons. 1.5 for two handers so + 3 damage. 5) Animate Dead helps if Cleric animates a big tough creature like a skeleton ogre. Helps if God or Dm allows useage of spell. Costly but helpful to maximize offense. 6) Wizard can debuff/ save or suffer spells like Grease (denies dex). Won't kill but makes it so much easier.
Remmick2099 01-15-07, 10:29 PM	I've been working on a good charger/leader combos: it's my favorite archetype. What's your character's combat style and what books do you have? I might be able to offer some help. I use the alternative marshal class presented by Tempest Stormwind on these boards. He has White Raven and Devoted Crusader (?) maneuvers. He weilds a lance from his boar; an axe otherwise. I try to do charging attacks (when I can from the boar, I do tons of damage) but often times it is impossible to get into place.
theotherdraxen 01-15-07, 10:45 PM	I've been working on a new feat: the Dungeon Cavalier, which is designed to make riding a mount in a dungeon playable. I know how hard it can be, seeing as I've got the same limitations for myself, but the best solution is to get yourself a flying mount as soon as possible. What I've found that works is taking withdraw actions to get some distance, and then delaying your turn until allies get out of your way. Remember that the lance is a reach weapon, so you can strike over an allies shoulder so long as they aren't large. Hmm...the last bit of advice I have is to either multiclass into pally for the great net benefits (rebalanced pally for extra goodness: there's a link to it in my sig) and taking the Devoted Commander feat so you get some nice stacking benefits between the two classes. Negotiate with your DM to get a flying animal companion (usually at a penalty, such as having to wait a step before you gain any benefits, i.e., at level 5, all you get is the flying mount, and at level 8, you gaing the level 5 benefits). Or you could go for the Dragon Cohort feat from Draconomicon. That, or retrain yourself to gain access to Diamond Mind. The Bounding Assault maneuver sounds like it might clear up some of your charging troubles.
Remmick2099 01-16-07, 11:54 AM	That, or retrain yourself to gain access to Diamond Mind. The Bounding Assault maneuver sounds like it might clear up some of your charging troubles. That's a great suggestion. The alternate marshal does grant access to Diamond Mind. People tell me I need to get "horseshoes of the zephyr," but I don't have them. I tried to get the wizard to cast "fly" on my mount last week, and he said that the dire boar, with an Int of just 2, wouldn't know what to do if he suddenly started flying. Curses!