TOPIC: Team Synergy V4a Runs

The group is the fun part.

Maybe those of us with epic gear can just drop our damage output?

Once i can gauge the strength of a group, I usually adjust my spell damage. First, I stop doing skill checks. It's only a few points and it speeds up combat. Then I stop using the Cabal set bonus for two spells in one turn. That usually powers me down to nightmare level. If I had to go further I could spell swap into lower level spells, but haven't felt the need to do that yet. In the past, my first step would be to stop using MEC, but 2021 MEC rules took care of that for me.

I have suggested asking DMs to double the monster HP before. If we are killing monsters with half the room time left on NM, it should work. If the DM will oblige.

Dergidan wrote: Posting this here in the hopes that most of us are still following these threads and a lot of folks will see it. It's also possibly relevant for V4a.

I'm in a tough spot with dungeon difficulty right now. I am under-geared for epic, but NM is too easy for most of my friends.

I really enjoy being a part of the Team Synergy runs, so much so that these are the only runs I do much of the time. This is a great group.

V3b on Epic was not fun for me at all. I apologize if I was grouchy to anyone during the run, but I was basically excluded much of the run because my HP and saves were too low. (I thought I would be ok, it was my fault). I had a great time with the group on NM, but some of those combats were literally over before I had a chance to attack.

Epic can be a lot of fun (especially when the DM goes off script) but I am often woefully under geared for it, resulting in runs like V3a Friday where I couldn't contribute, taking the fun out of it. I feel geared pretty well for NM, but most of the Synergy folks are so well geared that we steamroll the combats, and that's not challenging or fun for anyone either. When I run with other groups who are not Epic geared, NM is a more appropriate challenge for me.

I do not expect anyone to "gear down" to NM on my account. I know this group often likes to run Epic and I sign up with that possibility in mind. I usually end up playing some of both and in the past that has worked out just fine.

Would it be useful to include difficulty level in our surveys? I know we have limited space on the survey now, so it may not be possible, or may not be helpful. Maybe it adds too much more work for Brian.

I am willing to upgrade some places on my build in the interest of keeping up, but I don't have an "epic" token budget. I am looking at one, maybe two relics this year, and possibly one more UR.

Comments and suggestions welcome!

Post or link your build. I’m guessing people can help you get epic ready.

Harlax wrote: Post or link your build. I’m guessing people can help you get epic ready.

Is there a way to post out of the app, or will I need to use the website?

True Dungeon players are a good group. Team Synergy folks doubly so.

Dergidan wrote:

Harlax wrote: Post or link your build. I’m guessing people can help you get epic ready.

Is there a way to post out of the app, or will I need to use the website?

True Dungeon players are a good group. Team Synergy folks doubly so.

With the website you just post the link.

The only way I’ve found to do it with the app is to use the email function and copy and paste the result

Dreg - I have never run a Synergy event, but in the one epic run I did, I was not very effective, I found fun by telling a story as to why my character was so ineffective. It seemed like other party members appreciated it. We still won (so that may have helped).

The more I play, the more I find that my co-adventures prefer a good story over an easy victory.

I certainly get the frustration of not being effective, and, unlike physical, there isn't a lot a character can do if they aren't hitting (no bumping, etc)
Rogues can flank, but that still isn't as much fun.

The story is always best.

I actually like using flank - it's an underused ability that can make all the difference. If a fight goes long and my sneak attacks are spent, I'll often flank for a high damage slider, even in VTD.

But this "save or lose a turn" makes it so I can't even do that. I'd rather take damage and have to spend a potion, or incur a minus to hit, or miss one round but get to act the next.

I also realize that we are talking about Nightmare and Epic, and it's supposed to be hard. My NM build is decent (could be better). I was planning to work on some items for other classes (picked up a relic lute this year, considering druid too) but may have to re-prioritize into buffing for epic.

As requested, I've done my NM build on the website.

I have all options for +4 save ring and swap in as needed for Ring of Roaring. Also have Charm of Enlightenment to swap for Sipquick as needed.

When making suggestions for upgrades, please keep in mind that I likely only have budget for one more purple and one more relic this year. (unless I am making trades). Regarding token loans, I will often have access to some volunteer tokens and rod parts depending upon which friends I am running with, but the goal here is to examine the build I own.

I have not collected teeth, but once the transmute is available will likely have a skull on "semi permanent loan" from a friend who is making two.

Derg NM Rogue Build
Class: Rogue

STR: 10
DEX: 35
CON: 12
INT: 11
WIS: 11
CHA: 15

Melee:
Hit: 2 Damage: 8 AC: 22

Range:
Hit: 14 Damage: 16 AC: 22 Missle AC: 0

Spell:
Damage: 11 Heal: 2 Resist: 0

Saves:
Reflex: 21 Fort: 7 Will: 10

Treasure:
Min: 21 Max: 23

Health: 35(max 44 with Charm of Synergy)

Damage Reduction:

Melee	Range	Spell	Fire	Cold	Shock	Sonic	Eldritch	Poison	Darkrift	Sacred
0	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	0	2	0

Melee Mainhand: Nightshade’s +2 Short Sword
Melee Offhand: Brawler’s Mug (Rare)
Ranged Mainhand: +2 Assassin’s Crossbow
Ranged Offhand: Empty
Head: Crown of Iron Will
Eyes: Lenses of Agility
Left Ear: Icecrag Hero’s Earcuff
Right Ear: Arcane Earcuff
Neck: Necklace of the Sneak
Bead: Bead of the Lucky Traveler
Torso: Moonhide Robe
Wrist: Bracers of Guided Strike
Hands: Blessed Tempest Gloves
Back: +2 Cloak of Resistance
Ring: Ring of Heroism
Ring: Ring of the Drake
Ring: Ring of Roaring
Waist: Arcane Belt
Shirt: Shirt of the Hare
Legs: Kilt of Dungeonbane - Dexterity
Shins: Darkguard Greaves
Boots: Boots of the West Wind
Figurine: Figurine of Power: Scarab
Charm: Charm of Avarice
Charm: Charm of Synergy
Charm: Draco-Lich Claw Charm
Charm: Charm of Glory
Charm: Charm of the Sipquick
Ioun Stone: Ioun Stone Silver Nugget
Ioun Stone: Ioun Stone Gold Nugget
Ioun Stone: Ioun Stone Platinum Nugget
Ioun Stone: Ioun Stone Banshee Prism
Ioun Stone: Ioun Stone Beryl Prism
Slotless: Medallion of Nobility
Slotless: Libram of Looting
Slotless: Ektdar’s Tinkering Tool
Slotless: Masterwork Thieves’ Tools
Slotless: Greater Arcane Scroll Tube
Slotless: Greater Alchemist Pouch
Slotless: Lamp of the Efreeti
Slotless: Lamp of the Marid
Slotless: Horn of Calling
Slotless: Horn of Rally
Slotless: Horn of the Blessed Ox
Slotless: Canteen of Quaffing
Runestone: Empty

There are places that damage could be reduced to increase HP/saves. There are places where Dex could be reduced to increase HP/saves, though that means hitting less often.

More I think about it, more I'd target CON of 18+ for rogue.

Back slot is the most concerning to me, but, sadly, in my extra builds as I often am building 3-4 Epic builds at once, I end up with +2 in one of the two slots. But, then, I have the second slot for another +2.

Of course, more higher end tokens help with stats. Which ones to target? Well, I build a lot of ranged builds and I use Orion's Belt a ton nowadays. I could easily field like 15 charms in builds if I had the slots for it. Losing Charm Necklace to a class transmute creates all sorts of scrambling. Just because of the current token pool, I find it really hard not to run Charm of Brooching, but now you are looking at two URs to do one thing. Where Orion's Belt gives Enlightenment and possibly whatever (including recovering a slot from Platinum) that will help. HP ioun stones are going to be exceedingly around in 2021, possibly even for not high amounts as I don't intend to run the new ones unless on some HP run or something.

One thing I would say is that the difficulty level increasing has me less interested in certain classes because their native saves are so awful. Saves are not remotely balanced between classes.

Dergidan wrote: Derg NM Rogue Build

I definitely see the bind you're in; as a ranged attacker you have to devote separate slots to +hit and +dmg, and while the Dex boosts also help your reflex save, that's the one Rogue is already best at.

Borrowing a Skull of Cavadar will definitely help by giving you back a ring slot for one of those save rings, but aside from that I think we're either looking for in-place upgrades or trading one stat for a different one. I'm guessing the easiest thing to give up would be a bit of +dmg (since being unable to hit anything is also not fun).

Some random thoughts that occur to me, not necessarily all good ones:
* 2021 R Belt of the Sweetwoods (+2 Dex +1 Con) and R Shirt of Vitality (+3 hp) nets +2Con+3hp-2dmg
* or 2021 Shirt of the Elder (+3 will)
* or Orion's Belt to relieve slot pressure, but $$
* IS Tanzanite Cube (+2 saves), but have to replace either Beryl Prism (making it a small upgrade) or Banshee Prism, or get another IS slot somehow
* Charm of Brooching and a second cloak, replacing either Draco-Lich or Sipquick (or get another charm slot somehow).
* Lucky Light Mail and 2021 Lucky Cloak, great for both saves and hp but have to give up Moonhide
* if it were me I would definitely replace Ring of Roaring with a rare saves ring, as you already mentioned