Curse

Captain Cadogan · Apr 08, 2005, 03:28 AM // 03:28

A while ago I read a thread here about a character partially dedicated to protecting the healers of the party. With my fixation and dependance on healers in other RPGs, MMO or not, and in thinking that I don't have the talent to succeed as a primary healer, I've decided myself to protecting those that keep the rest of us alive. There are a few things needed hammering out, and I hope someone with more experience than I could help me in some of these.
So, without further ado:

Ranger/Monk

Attributes:
Expertise: 11 + 2
Marksmanship: 10 + 1
Wilderness Survival: 8 + 1
Protection Prayers: 6 + 0
Smiting Prayers: 2 + 0

Skills:
Concussion Shot: If Concussion shot hits while target foe is casting a spell, the spell is interrupted and your target is Dazed for 5-17 seconds. This attack deals only 1-13 damage. (25e, 3/4 cast, 10 recharge)
Pin Down: If Pin Down hits, your target is "Crippled" for 3-13 seconds. (15e, 0 cast, 15 recharge)
Melandru's Arrows {Elite}: For 18 seconds, whenever your arrows hit, they cause Bleeding for 3-21 seconds and do 8-24 more damage if they hit a target who is under an Enchantment. (5e, 2 cast, 12 recharge)
Throw Dirt: Target touched foe and foes adjacent to your target are Blinded for 3-13 seconds. (5e, 1 cast, 45 recharge)
Serpent's Quickness: For 15-27 seconds, recharge times for your skills are lowered 33%. Serpent's Quickness ends if your health drops below 50%. (5e,, 0 cast, 45 recharge)
Mend Condition: Remove one "Condition" (Poison, Disease, Blindness, Dazed, Bleeding, Crippled, or Deep Wound) from target other ally. That ally is healed for 5-57 points. (5e, 3/4 cast, 2 recharge)
Life Bond: While you maintain this enchantment, whenver target other ally takes damage from an attack, half the damage is redirected to you. The damage you receive this way is reduced 3-25 points. (10e, 2 cast, 0 recharge, 1 pip of regen)
Smite Hex: Remove a "Hex" from target ally. Foes near that ally suffer 12-54 damage. (5e, 2 cast, 15 recharge)

Basic strategy is to Pin Down and Throw Dirt when they get closer on approaching warriors, using Melandru's Arrows to dish out the damage needed and Serpent's Quickness to lessen the recovery times. Concussion Shot helps against Elementalists, Mesmers, and Necromancers, and Mend Condition and Smite Hex will end anything the latter two casters can get in. Rangers will be a problem; hopefully I can keep the other damagers away so a quick heal is all the monk needs to do to counter their damage, and target them every so often to keep Melandru-caused bleeding on them. Serpent's Quickness' 50% health ending shouldn't be too much of a problem, with a monk right there beside me. Life Bond will help take some damage for the monk, and the pip of regen taken off shouldn't be too much of a problem; Expertise takes care of most of the Ranger skills and the Monk skills each cost 5 energy.

(EDIT part 3: Thanks again to all contributing. Another attribute switch, along with Melandru's Arrows added and Life Bond back in.)

Davion · Apr 08, 2005, 03:41 AM // 03:41

You may want to swap some stats around to be a little more focused at your objective..say..

Expertise -8 (+1)
Marksmanship - 11(+1)
Wilderness - 9 (+2)
Protection - 8 (not 6)

If you are more into keeping the healer active, rather than doing the healing yourself, this might serve you a little better. It wouldn't really effect what skills you have too much either, but it would definitely boost your protection you offer him/her (healer), with the higher attribute. Not to mention that being a primary ranger you will need the higher marksmanship for yourself.

Reducing the expertise to 8 won't hurt you all that much, the difference is too small to consequence your abilities on you.
Your smite hex won't be affected either because you can still run it if you are at attribute zero.

Bgnome · Apr 08, 2005, 02:45 PM // 14:45

Dust Trap and Concussion Shot are VERY expensive (you are looking at 16-17en cost after expertise), so you will not likely be using either very often. relying on these is a bad idea..

HotSnack · Apr 08, 2005, 03:19 PM // 15:19

Optimise your point distribution by doing:

Expertise: 8 +1
Marksmanship: 10 +2
Wilderness: 10 +1
Protection: 8
Smite: 2

You get the same stats, but an extra point in Smite at least.

Also:
You may wish to consider Throw Dirt instead of Dust Trap, as a cheaper alternative.
Restore Condition is pretty pricey, may just want to stick with Mend Condition.
Reversal of Fortune is only good when you're focusing at protecting someone (which you're not). Life Barrier is a very effective elite to take care of your Monks.

Captain Cadogan · Apr 08, 2005, 04:23 PM // 16:23

Edits made; thanks, everyone.
I am considering putting in Nature's Renewal as an alternate to Mend Condition and Smite Hex (freeing up a skill slot), and maybe if I can get spellcasters into the Spirit's range I can drop Concussion Shot and just take an interrupting shot, like Savage Shot or something of the like. Though the 5 casting time may hurt in a clutch situation; hopefully they won't pay attention to me setting it up with a monk being right next to me.
To summarize the above paragraph into a question: how long is a Spirit's range, and is it worth it to take it along as a solution to conditions and hexes?

Bgnome · Apr 08, 2005, 04:30 PM // 16:30

Nature's Renewal will hurt your monk as well. several of the nice heals are considered enchantments, like healing breeze, healing hands, divine intervention, etc..

Captain Cadogan · Apr 08, 2005, 04:42 PM // 16:42

And now that I actually read the description, and realize that it actually says "enchantments", I'll just admit my mistake and slowly slide off into the shadows . . .
At any rate, I'm still on an energy crunch, it seems, and the pip of regen taken off from Life Barrier isn't helping (the main reason I didn't include it in the first build, actually). Any help there would be appreciated.

Kellogs · Apr 08, 2005, 05:22 PM // 17:22

You might want to try this if you are going to remain close to your monks...

Nature's Renewal (Nature Ritual)
Create a level 7 Spirit. For creatures within its range, all enchantments and hexes are removed. For 110 seconds, enchantments and hexes take twice as long to cast. This Spirit dies after 110 seconds.
Casting cost: 5 energy
Casting time: 5 sec
Recharge time: 60 sec
Relevant attribute: Wilderness Survival

Davion · Apr 09, 2005, 04:23 AM // 04:23

Another option you could try is Essence Bond. (non-linked skill)

Energy - 10 (-1 regen while maintained)
Cast - 2
type - Enchantment

It's true..you would still have a negative one on your regeneration because you'd be using this, but it may also be more useful to you being that you would be staying near your monk and he/she will MOST definitely be targetted by the enemy as is. The nice thing about this one is that every time the monk takes physical damage you will get 1 energy. Use your heals to keep him alive, but can use this to help you keep casting.

Scaphism · Apr 09, 2005, 12:40 PM // 12:40

Don't use Nature's Renewal anywhere NEAR your monks unless you want them to get really angry at you and probably die.

Monks rely on enchantments to keep themselves and everyone on their team alive. If you remove them, you may kill an essential enchantment like Healing Seed that is keeping your entire team alive. Not to mention that many spells like Healing Breeze, Life Bond, Guardian, and others are enchantments and your monks will probably let you be the first to die if most of their spells start taking twice as long to cast.

As for the build:

I'm not sure why you have wilderness survival at all.
Apply Poison is a horrible skill- once you poison one enemy the rest of your poisoned arrows are wasted on him. You have to constantly switch targets to get any use out of it, but focus fire is the first and best tool of most teams. In general, you sacrifice 1 or 2 bow shots just applying a preparation- you'd better make sure it's a worthwhile prep.

Why else do you have wilderness survival? Serpent's Quickness? It's a great skill, but it affects itself, meaning it will recharge 1/3 as fast, or in 30 seconds. You don't need to have it up and running the entire time to get good use out of it.

Pump up your expertise to 13 or 14- that will make your Pin Downs and Concussion Shots a heck of a lot easier on your energy.

Also, find a nicer elite.

If you like Preparations, Melandru's Arrows is about the best there is- it has the longest duration, longer than the cooldown, and since most people you fight (in PVP at least) have enchantments on them, every shot will be a Power Shot, and will cause bleeding. Until there is an adequate way to remove enchantments, Melandru's Arrows is one of the best ways to punish them for using enchantments. That's if you stick with wilderness survival, of course.

Captain Cadogan · Apr 09, 2005, 06:20 PM // 18:20

Some possible attribute shifting:

Expertise: 11 + 2
Marksmanship: 10 + 1
Wilderness Survival: 6 + 1
Protection Prayers: 8 + 0
Smiting Prayers: 2 + 0

Apply Poison is gone, and now the futile searching for a halfway decent Elite starts. Honestly, I don't have the slightest clue which Elite would be decent for this role. Shield of Deflection maybe? I'd have no use for Essense Bond then, as the Shield doesn't require any regen deduction, and I could probably live with the 15 energy. I could switch around Protection and Smiting and go with Shield of Judgement, again living with the 15 energy. Do I even need an Elite at all?
Thanks for all your help thus far; just hit me with an Elite suggestion and I'll be out of your hair for a while.

Kha · Apr 09, 2005, 06:23 PM // 18:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Cadogan

Do I even need an Elite at all?

No. But they can really improve any build if you find the perfect one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scaphism

If you like Preparations, Melandru's Arrows is about the best there is- it has the longest duration, longer than the cooldown, and since most people you fight (in PVP at least) have enchantments on them, every shot will be a Power Shot, and will cause bleeding.

Try that.

Captain Cadogan · Apr 09, 2005, 06:55 PM // 18:55

The third update is in, and I must once again thank everyone who's posted. This will probably be the last update unless someone else can add something, or until I get in game and test it out myself.
Thanks again, everyone!