Curse

swordfisher · Apr 20, 2006, 04:58 PM // 16:58

Expertise: 8+1
Beastmastery: 10+3+1
Dagger Mastery: 12

Ferocious Strike, 5e - 8s *elite
Your animal companion attempts a ferocious strike that deals +27 damage. If that attack hits, you gain adrenaline and 10 energy.
Predator's Pounce, 5e - 5s
Your animal companion attempts a Predator's Pounce that deals +33 damage. If that attack hits, your animal companion gains 47 Health.
Brutal Strike, 10e - 5s
Your animal companion attempts a Brutal Strike that deals +33 damage. If the attack strikes a foe who's health is below 50% that foe takes an additional +33 damage.
Charm Animal, - - -
Charm target animal. Once charmed, your animal companion will travel with you whenever you have Charm Animal equipped.
Leaping Mantis Sting, 5e - 8s
If Mantis Sting hits, target foe takes +19 damage. If this attack strikes a fleeing foe, that foe is Crippled for 13 seconds.
Fox Fangs, 5e - 8s
Must follow a lead attack. Fox Fangs connot be "blocked" or "evaded" and strikes for +18 damage if it hits
Twisting Fangs, 10e - 15s
Must follow an off-hand attack. If it hits, Twisting Fangs strikes for +18 damage and struck foe suffers from Bleeding and Deep Wound for 17 seconds.
Tigers Fury, 10e - 10s
All your non-attack skills are disabled for 5 seconds. For 11 seconds, you attack 33% faster than normal.

This is a 12v12 build, as it is not self sufficient and does not carry a rez sig (I'm also assuming that the autorez of Alliance Battles applies to dead pets). Really, it's nothing special, just a chunk of DPS and a very nice ability to spike. The build consists of six attacks, which run in 3 hit chains simultaneously in a spike. Mantis+Ferocious, Jungle+Predators, Twisting+Brutal yields +damage in packets of +46, +51, and +99 (+virtual100 from Deep Wound) if the target was below 50% health. The chain costs 24e under expertise (3+3+6, 3+3+6) and returns 10e at the beginning from Ferocious Strike. Tigers Fury compresses the dagger side of the spike, meaning that your attack skills will land before the pet attacks hit. This has a beneficial side-effect in that Brutal will always be the last hit of the chain, and should always trigger the double +damage on <50% health.
Tigers Fury is also up 110% of the time (11s duration, 10s recharge), upping the DPS ability and zealous returns of the build. This build should have enough energy to keep using attack skills just about as soon as they recharge as long as Brutal Strike is only used during spikes. Of course, you'll probably want to hold your Mantis Stings until you can get a cripple, meaning that you'll only be spamming your two meat-and-potatoes pet attacks (ferocious and predatory) with total abandon.
Anyway, to recap- sick frontloaded spike, strong DPS, absolutely nothing else.

I'll try and come up with a 12v12 4-man 'Beast Unit' later.

Quote:

I think the r/a is a great light fighter, like AD&D rangers (hihi Drizzt!), but they're more about pressure and staying put than the explosive style of in-kill-out that the assassin will be using.

Oh, and I read this a moment after posting- yes, this build IS Drizzt Do'Urden (two blades, a pet, whirlwind of death and destruction). Am I a geek yet?