What to buy...what to buy. [Archive] - Wizards Community

What to buy...what to buy. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
trollbill
04-16-07, 12:39 PM Okay, I just turned 6th-level, have saved up around 4,000 gp and have quite a few choices on what to buy or continue saving up for. Here is my character:

Half-Orc Bbn1/Clr5 Kord (Strength & Courage Domains)
ST: 18
DX: 14
CN: 14
IN: 6
WS: 15
CH: 6
AC: 16
HP: 49
Saves: Fort +9 (+11 raging), Ref +4, Will +7 (+9 raging, +11 against fear)
Feats: Combat Reflexes, Extra Rage, Power Attack
Notable possessions: +1 greatsword, masterwork chain shirt, 2x pearl of power 1st, +1 vest of resistance, cloak of elemental protection, wand of cure light wounds, wand of lesser vigor, War Mastiff, variety of scrolls.
Typical Tactics depending on available buff time: bull’s strength + Rage or bull’s strength + enlarge person + Rage, then enter melee with greatsword.
Biggest Weakness: Glass canon. He can dish out the damage big time, but his AC when Raging, enlarged and charging is 10 and he doesn’t have the HP of a full Barbarian.
The following items I have non-Adventure only access to that I am considering purchasing:

Upgrade +1 greatsword to Adamantine (3,000 gp): Great for door opening, sundering (though I don’t intend on doing that much), attacking golems and not having your own weapon sundered. I actually have a Favor that lets me upgrade any 1 existing item to adamantine, mithral, ironwood or wild wood.
Starmetal Greatsword (5,050gp): All of the benefits of Adamantine, plus extra damage against extraplanar creatures on the material plane. I plan on eventually adding holy to it (which I have access to). Not as cost effective as the Adamantine since I have to enchant the weapon from the ground up.
Upgrade +1 Greatsword to +1 Merciful Greatsword (6,000 gp): I think half of the modules I play in require at least one encounter for me to deal non-lethal damage and it fits the personality of the character well. Using my sap just isn’t worth it considering the loss in damage.
Wooden Masterwork Greatsword (350 gp): A Favor gives this weapon all the properties of a metal one while still being made of wood (so no rusting). If I cast spikes on it, I have one hell of a greatsword. If fully buffed with spikes, bull’s strength, enlarge person, Rage and Power Attack I have +11 to hit, a threat range of 17-20 and do 3d6+26 points on a regular hit.
Masterwork Composite Longbow [+4] (800 gp): I keep thinking I really need to buy one of these but I have had to make a ranged attack once since I hit 2nd-level. It’s not that expensive, but it does slow down saving for other items.
Masterwork Full Plate (1,650 gp): Ups my low AC 3 places (4 when enlarged) but cuts my movement in half, which I don’t like at all since when enlarged I can be used for battlefield control as well as heavy damage. I can, however, upgrade it to Mithral later using that Favor.
Mithral Breastplate (4,400 gp): Ups my AC by 1 without slowing me down any and is affordable now while Mithral full plate I would have to save up for.
Mithral Full Plate (10,500 gp): Ups my low AC 4 places and only cuts my movement by a quarter, plus cuts down on armor check penalties. This is the armor I eventually plan on having for the character.
Upgrade Masterwork Full Plate to Mithral (9,000 gp): The advantage of doing this over just buying mithral full plate outright is that I can buy the full plate now and even enchant it some then turn it Mithral later when it becomes more affordable.
Gauntlets of Ogre Power +2 (4,000 gp): An obvious choice for a melee character who worships strength, this isn’t quite as useful as would first appear as I typically cast bull’s strength on myself and it can’t be upgraded.
Amulet of Health +2 (4,000 gp): Helps my relatively low HP, my Fort saves and keeps me in a Rage 1 round longer.
Gauntlets of Dexterity +2 (4,000 gp): Helps my low AC and Ref save and gives me another AoO with Combat Reflexes and +1 to initiatives.
Armbands of Might (4,100 gp): Another great buy for a strength worshipping character, this stacks with strength boosting items and spells, and increases the effectiveness of my Power Attacks.
Upgrade Vest of Resistance to +2 (3,000 gp): Obvious benefit considering how important saves can be some times.
+1 Ring of Protection (2,000 gp): Gives me a better AC against everything, stacks with everything else I have and can be upgraded.
Boots of Striding & Springing (5,500 gp): The best benefit for this would be to actually combine it with getting masterwork full plate right now and only cutting my move to 30 feet until I can afford mithral.
Boots of Speed (12,000 gp): Of obvious benefit, it would take quite a while of saving up for to get it.
Heward’s Handy Haversack (2,000 gp): The least flashy of all of the items and you’d think unnecessary for a ST 18 character, but I am currently carrying 96 lbs. of equipment and would like to increase that. Plus, I don’t have to worry about pulling out the wrong scroll or potion when I want to.
darrell_uk
04-16-07, 03:59 PM Upgrade Masterwork Full Plate to Mithral (9,000 gp): The advantage of doing this over just buying mithral full plate outright is that I can buy the full plate now and even enchant it some then turn it Mithral later when it becomes more affordable.

Just a quicky; you can't upgrade something to mithril, it either is or isn't mithril from the moment it's made. It would be like changing your front door from wood to glass, and then claiming that it was still the same door.
bitznarf
04-16-07, 04:06 PM Edit: taking my foot out of my mouth...
trollbill
04-16-07, 04:27 PM What part of, "I actually have a Favor that lets me upgrade any 1 existing item to adamantine, mithral, ironwood or wild wood." aren't you guys getting?
jstorrie
04-16-07, 05:55 PM The wooden greatsword favour is very, very good–and in many cases it will obviate the need for an adamantine one, or get very close to doing so, because the bonus damage will cut through DR just as well as being adamantine would. I'd definitely get it first of all, and strongly consider using it as your prime weapon; it's going to really kill when you can Quicken Brambles or Spikes, too.

This means you won't need to use your upgrade favour to transmute your sword to adamantium, making the fullplate upgrade economical. Check your meta-orgs–are you getting a discount on PHB items from anything? Take the movement hit and get your masterwork fullplate. Then look at Hewards, Armbands of Might, and your boots accesses and prioritize ones that are adventure access, mixing in a Ring of Protection +1, and Amulet of Con+2 and Gloves of Dex+2 when you can. Hewards is of note because a Handy Haversack full of dozens of tanglefoot bags can be very very useful.
paigeoliver
04-18-07, 07:19 AM Only get the boots of striding and springing if you plan on never reducing your movement rate via armor. Buying magic boots to make up for a loss from a different item is running in circles.

You might also seriously want to consider just not worrying about your armor class at all. Unless you are seriously going to try to switch to a big armor class build you will find that the baddies at the higher and higher levels are going to hit you pretty consistently.Statistically that baddie rolling at +19 to hit is going to miss you 5 percent of the time if you have AC 20, and he will also miss you 5 percent of the time at AC 7. He will even hit you 75 percent of the time with an armor class of 25.

I would just wear a chain shirt and keep that movement rate up. I have a full plate barbarian at a similar level, and attackers very rarely miss when attacking me. I'll be downgrading to lighter armor soon.
Timlagor
04-18-07, 12:01 PM 1) Get the Wooden Sword (but be aware that some GMs won't allow spikes with it: still worth having for Rust Monsters etc ..as well as the GMs that do allow it)
2) Get the Bow but make it Str 6: Rage/B's Str (think about making it +1 ..but you probably have oil/scrolls lying about if you really need to so this isn't a priority; and there's always spellcasting -but sometimes you just want to take a shot ..and sometimes you'll meet an idiot barbarian who needs to borrow it)
Cost: 1350gp

2b) Sort out your armour (see 5,6)
2c) I think the Armbands of Might come next

3) Take the Staremetal Sword over the Adamantine one
4) Use the material upgrade favour on mithral armour (if you don't buy the breastplate outright.

5) Decide what sort of combatant you are going to be.
If you are going for Shock Trooper then you could just forget the AC enhancements altogether and concentrate on speed and damage ...or invest really heavily in AC (Magic Vestment and other buffs will help) so that you can Shock for full BAB and still have a useful AC.
6) If you aren't Shock Trooping I'd think Mithral Fullplate is the way to go in the longer term but I'd get the Starmetal Sword (and all preceding items first).

7) I'm not a fan of Gauntlets of Ogre power (which have to be sold for the upgrade)... and you kinda want to wait and see what the Circle has to say about MIC.

8) You can't go wrong with the Amulet of Health... unless you're a Cleric. Looks like you've decided the Amulet is the way to go though (and you may get both if the Circle is generous)

9) I'd wait for Speed on the boots (...not sure how soon you want to start saving for those -you meet a lot of Arcanists?).
JamesMaissen
04-18-07, 11:51 PM You might also seriously want to consider just not worrying about your armor class at all. Unless you are seriously going to try to switch to a big armor class build you will find that the baddies at the higher and higher levels are going to hit you pretty consistently.Statistically that baddie rolling at +19 to hit is going to miss you 5 percent of the time if you have AC 20, and he will also miss you 5 percent of the time at AC 7. He will even hit you 75 percent of the time with an armor class of 25.

I would just wear a chain shirt and keep that movement rate up. I have a full plate barbarian at a similar level, and attackers very rarely miss when attacking me. I'll be downgrading to lighter armor soon.

There is a level of Armor wearing that is important to consider. That is the *appearance* of an armor class.

The bad guy might be able to power attack for full and still hit you on a 2, but if you look like he's going to have to work to hit you then he won't find out for a round or two.

-James
Reska
04-18-07, 11:59 PM There is a level of Armor wearing that is important to consider. That is the *appearance* of an armor class.

The bad guy might be able to power attack for full and still hit you on a 2, but if you look like he's going to have to work to hit you then he won't find out for a round or two.

-James

Generally, that only works if the DM doesn't meta-game it. And while a majority of the time that's right, there are a few times when either the DM doesn't realize he's doing it, or throws the idea out the window and targets the squishies anyway.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
trollbill 04-16-07, 12:39 PM	Okay, I just turned 6th-level, have saved up around 4,000 gp and have quite a few choices on what to buy or continue saving up for. Here is my character: Half-Orc Bbn1/Clr5 Kord (Strength & Courage Domains) ST: 18 DX: 14 CN: 14 IN: 6 WS: 15 CH: 6 AC: 16 HP: 49 Saves: Fort +9 (+11 raging), Ref +4, Will +7 (+9 raging, +11 against fear) Feats: Combat Reflexes, Extra Rage, Power Attack Notable possessions: +1 greatsword, masterwork chain shirt, 2x pearl of power 1st, +1 vest of resistance, cloak of elemental protection, wand of cure light wounds, wand of lesser vigor, War Mastiff, variety of scrolls. Typical Tactics depending on available buff time: bull’s strength + Rage or bull’s strength + enlarge person + Rage, then enter melee with greatsword. Biggest Weakness: Glass canon. He can dish out the damage big time, but his AC when Raging, enlarged and charging is 10 and he doesn’t have the HP of a full Barbarian. The following items I have non-Adventure only access to that I am considering purchasing: Upgrade +1 greatsword to Adamantine (3,000 gp): Great for door opening, sundering (though I don’t intend on doing that much), attacking golems and not having your own weapon sundered. I actually have a Favor that lets me upgrade any 1 existing item to adamantine, mithral, ironwood or wild wood. Starmetal Greatsword (5,050gp): All of the benefits of Adamantine, plus extra damage against extraplanar creatures on the material plane. I plan on eventually adding holy to it (which I have access to). Not as cost effective as the Adamantine since I have to enchant the weapon from the ground up. Upgrade +1 Greatsword to +1 Merciful Greatsword (6,000 gp): I think half of the modules I play in require at least one encounter for me to deal non-lethal damage and it fits the personality of the character well. Using my sap just isn’t worth it considering the loss in damage. Wooden Masterwork Greatsword (350 gp): A Favor gives this weapon all the properties of a metal one while still being made of wood (so no rusting). If I cast spikes on it, I have one hell of a greatsword. If fully buffed with spikes, bull’s strength, enlarge person, Rage and Power Attack I have +11 to hit, a threat range of 17-20 and do 3d6+26 points on a regular hit. Masterwork Composite Longbow [+4] (800 gp): I keep thinking I really need to buy one of these but I have had to make a ranged attack once since I hit 2nd-level. It’s not that expensive, but it does slow down saving for other items. Masterwork Full Plate (1,650 gp): Ups my low AC 3 places (4 when enlarged) but cuts my movement in half, which I don’t like at all since when enlarged I can be used for battlefield control as well as heavy damage. I can, however, upgrade it to Mithral later using that Favor. Mithral Breastplate (4,400 gp): Ups my AC by 1 without slowing me down any and is affordable now while Mithral full plate I would have to save up for. Mithral Full Plate (10,500 gp): Ups my low AC 4 places and only cuts my movement by a quarter, plus cuts down on armor check penalties. This is the armor I eventually plan on having for the character. Upgrade Masterwork Full Plate to Mithral (9,000 gp): The advantage of doing this over just buying mithral full plate outright is that I can buy the full plate now and even enchant it some then turn it Mithral later when it becomes more affordable. Gauntlets of Ogre Power +2 (4,000 gp): An obvious choice for a melee character who worships strength, this isn’t quite as useful as would first appear as I typically cast bull’s strength on myself and it can’t be upgraded. Amulet of Health +2 (4,000 gp): Helps my relatively low HP, my Fort saves and keeps me in a Rage 1 round longer. Gauntlets of Dexterity +2 (4,000 gp): Helps my low AC and Ref save and gives me another AoO with Combat Reflexes and +1 to initiatives. Armbands of Might (4,100 gp): Another great buy for a strength worshipping character, this stacks with strength boosting items and spells, and increases the effectiveness of my Power Attacks. Upgrade Vest of Resistance to +2 (3,000 gp): Obvious benefit considering how important saves can be some times. +1 Ring of Protection (2,000 gp): Gives me a better AC against everything, stacks with everything else I have and can be upgraded. Boots of Striding & Springing (5,500 gp): The best benefit for this would be to actually combine it with getting masterwork full plate right now and only cutting my move to 30 feet until I can afford mithral. Boots of Speed (12,000 gp): Of obvious benefit, it would take quite a while of saving up for to get it. Heward’s Handy Haversack (2,000 gp): The least flashy of all of the items and you’d think unnecessary for a ST 18 character, but I am currently carrying 96 lbs. of equipment and would like to increase that. Plus, I don’t have to worry about pulling out the wrong scroll or potion when I want to.
darrell_uk 04-16-07, 03:59 PM	Upgrade Masterwork Full Plate to Mithral (9,000 gp): The advantage of doing this over just buying mithral full plate outright is that I can buy the full plate now and even enchant it some then turn it Mithral later when it becomes more affordable. Just a quicky; you can't upgrade something to mithril, it either is or isn't mithril from the moment it's made. It would be like changing your front door from wood to glass, and then claiming that it was still the same door.
bitznarf 04-16-07, 04:06 PM	Edit: taking my foot out of my mouth...
trollbill 04-16-07, 04:27 PM	What part of, "I actually have a Favor that lets me upgrade any 1 existing item to adamantine, mithral, ironwood or wild wood." aren't you guys getting?
jstorrie 04-16-07, 05:55 PM	The wooden greatsword favour is very, very good–and in many cases it will obviate the need for an adamantine one, or get very close to doing so, because the bonus damage will cut through DR just as well as being adamantine would. I'd definitely get it first of all, and strongly consider using it as your prime weapon; it's going to really kill when you can Quicken Brambles or Spikes, too. This means you won't need to use your upgrade favour to transmute your sword to adamantium, making the fullplate upgrade economical. Check your meta-orgs–are you getting a discount on PHB items from anything? Take the movement hit and get your masterwork fullplate. Then look at Hewards, Armbands of Might, and your boots accesses and prioritize ones that are adventure access, mixing in a Ring of Protection +1, and Amulet of Con+2 and Gloves of Dex+2 when you can. Hewards is of note because a Handy Haversack full of dozens of tanglefoot bags can be very very useful.
paigeoliver 04-18-07, 07:19 AM	Only get the boots of striding and springing if you plan on never reducing your movement rate via armor. Buying magic boots to make up for a loss from a different item is running in circles. You might also seriously want to consider just not worrying about your armor class at all. Unless you are seriously going to try to switch to a big armor class build you will find that the baddies at the higher and higher levels are going to hit you pretty consistently.Statistically that baddie rolling at +19 to hit is going to miss you 5 percent of the time if you have AC 20, and he will also miss you 5 percent of the time at AC 7. He will even hit you 75 percent of the time with an armor class of 25. I would just wear a chain shirt and keep that movement rate up. I have a full plate barbarian at a similar level, and attackers very rarely miss when attacking me. I'll be downgrading to lighter armor soon.
Timlagor 04-18-07, 12:01 PM	1) Get the Wooden Sword (but be aware that some GMs won't allow spikes with it: still worth having for Rust Monsters etc ..as well as the GMs that do allow it) 2) Get the Bow but make it Str 6: Rage/B's Str (think about making it +1 ..but you probably have oil/scrolls lying about if you really need to so this isn't a priority; and there's always spellcasting -but sometimes you just want to take a shot ..and sometimes you'll meet an idiot barbarian who needs to borrow it) Cost: 1350gp 2b) Sort out your armour (see 5,6) 2c) I think the Armbands of Might come next 3) Take the Staremetal Sword over the Adamantine one 4) Use the material upgrade favour on mithral armour (if you don't buy the breastplate outright. 5) Decide what sort of combatant you are going to be. If you are going for Shock Trooper then you could just forget the AC enhancements altogether and concentrate on speed and damage ...or invest really heavily in AC (Magic Vestment and other buffs will help) so that you can Shock for full BAB and still have a useful AC. 6) If you aren't Shock Trooping I'd think Mithral Fullplate is the way to go in the longer term but I'd get the Starmetal Sword (and all preceding items first). 7) I'm not a fan of Gauntlets of Ogre power (which have to be sold for the upgrade)... and you kinda want to wait and see what the Circle has to say about MIC. 8) You can't go wrong with the Amulet of Health... unless you're a Cleric. Looks like you've decided the Amulet is the way to go though (and you may get both if the Circle is generous) 9) I'd wait for Speed on the boots (...not sure how soon you want to start saving for those -you meet a lot of Arcanists?).
JamesMaissen 04-18-07, 11:51 PM	You might also seriously want to consider just not worrying about your armor class at all. Unless you are seriously going to try to switch to a big armor class build you will find that the baddies at the higher and higher levels are going to hit you pretty consistently.Statistically that baddie rolling at +19 to hit is going to miss you 5 percent of the time if you have AC 20, and he will also miss you 5 percent of the time at AC 7. He will even hit you 75 percent of the time with an armor class of 25. I would just wear a chain shirt and keep that movement rate up. I have a full plate barbarian at a similar level, and attackers very rarely miss when attacking me. I'll be downgrading to lighter armor soon. There is a level of Armor wearing that is important to consider. That is the appearance of an armor class. The bad guy might be able to power attack for full and still hit you on a 2, but if you look like he's going to have to work to hit you then he won't find out for a round or two. -James
Reska 04-18-07, 11:59 PM	There is a level of Armor wearing that is important to consider. That is the appearance of an armor class. The bad guy might be able to power attack for full and still hit you on a 2, but if you look like he's going to have to work to hit you then he won't find out for a round or two. -James Generally, that only works if the DM doesn't meta-game it. And while a majority of the time that's right, there are a few times when either the DM doesn't realize he's doing it, or throws the idea out the window and targets the squishies anyway.