Diligence over Dexterity: Introducing the Eladrin Eldritch Executioner

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Diligence over Dexterity

Introducing the Eladrin Eldritch Executioner


EEE
This is my take on an assassin build that emphasizes book smarts and force of will over muscle memory. With a starting dexterity score of only 12, the EEE nevertheless manages to make an effective sneaky infiltrator and assassin.

The build is somewhat of a skill monkey, being useful in skill checks involving arcana, religion, streetwise, and stealth. Moreover, via utilities and rituals, he is also very useful in social skill challenges (diplomacy, bluff, intimidate; via Arcane Mutterings) and thievery checks to unlock stuff (via the Knock ritual). He has access to scrying rituals to top it off. The High Imaskar background allows a reroll on any arcana check - this includes those made for Arcane Mutterings or Knock, as well as other rituals.

Using the Elusive Hexer feat, which is only available to an Eladrin Warlock, the EEE manages to spend most of his time hidden. In fact, apart from a few exceptions (enemies with blindsight, or after making some OAs), the EEE is fairly likely to spend the entire encounter hidden from all enemies.

A primary focus of the build is single target damage dealing. The EEE meets and exceeds at-will DPR benchmarks at levels 10, 20 and 30. By level 30, the EEE reaches around 150 DPR, with an additional 111 DPR under some minimal conditions that should acquire fairly often (you are fighting a bunch of enemies without blindsight).

Stealth and a powerful MBA are a nasty combination in particular because when you are hidden adjacent to an isolated enemy, they have few choices. They can try and attack your high defenses - if they can guess where you are. They can move away, and trigger a potent OA. Alternatively, they can shift and charge someone else - but against a flying PC such as the epic EEE, or when the EEE has Persistent Tail active (most rounds, both in paragon and epic tier), even shift+charge may not work. Use hiding aggressively by positioning yourself between isolated foes and your allies.

In summary, play an Eladrin Eldritch Executioner if you want to:


  • Play a melee character who emphazises wits over brawn

  • Be stealthy and have at-will invisibility/hiding from early paragon onwards

  • Be a capable addition to the party for skill challenges of a social, information gathering, or infiltration variety.

  • Have very solid single target DPR at all teirs of play (reaching about 150 at-will DPR, by 30).

  • Get to make a lot of OAs by using stealth offensively (at least 1 most rounds, unless fighting solos) and be a Warlord's best friend.


Heroic Tier


Level 10 snapshot

Race: Eladrin
Class: Hybrid Warlock/Executioner
Pact: Fey Pact (Guild: Red Scales because you're melee, but it really doesn't matter)
Background: High Imaskar
Theme: Order Adept

Starting Ability Scores (post racial): Str 8, Con 12, Dex 12, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 18
Final Ability Scores: Str 8, Con 12, Dex 12, Int 20, Wis 10, Cha 20.

HP 69, Bloodied 34, Surge Value 17. Surges: 7.

AC 25 (27/30) = 10+5+5(int)+2(armor)+3(enhancement)
Fort 19 (21/24) = 10+5+1(con)+1(class)+2(enhancement)
Ref 24 (26/29) = 10+5+5(int)+1(armor)+1(class)+2(enhancement)
Will 25 (27/30) = 10+5+5(cha)+1(race)+2(theme)+2(enhancement) 
Numbers in parentheses are with concealment/full concealment.

Feats:
1 Eldritch Blade
2 Cursed Shadow
4 Weapon Ki Technique
6 Silvery Glow
8 Killing Curse
10 Assassin's Cloak

Skills: Arcana +21 (can reroll, must take second roll, Religion +15, Stealth +13 (+18 with Mire the Mind), Streetwise + 15

Powers:

At-will
Eldritch Strike 

Encounter
1 Assassin's Strike
3 Delban's Deadly Attention
7 Mire the Mind

Daily/Poison
1 Bloodroot Poison
5 Emerald Shield

Utility
2 Arcane Mutterings
6 Spectral Fade
10 Spectral Fade retrained to Darting Shadow, Persistent Tail

Items: Magic Inix leather armor +3, Sunblade longsword +2, magic ki focus +2, elven cloak +2, Horned Helm, Siberys Shard of Radiance (heroic teir), Sehanine's Mark of the Dark Moon (level 3), Boots of Adept Charging (2), Bracers of Mighty Striking (heroic tier). 400g remaining.


A note about equipment
I've stuck to the DMG's guidelines for characters starting above level 1, except that I've allowed myself to trade in the level -1/0/+1 items for gold. Some DMs may not allow you to do this if you want to play the build starting above level 1 (in which case you'll start with a bit less loot - but not to worry; you'll just have to lose a lower level item or perhaps downgrade your cloak or armor 5 levels). On the other hand, if you play the build from level 1 using the parcel system for loot, you may end up with more equipment than presented in the snapshots here.

Also, the build includes a boon - Sehanine's Mark of the Dark Moon. Although the boon is extremely powerful, it is not necessary for the build. So if you get unlucky and the DM denies it to you, you'll be ok. In fact, unless you're in a very high power campaign you should recommend the DM never, ever give you the boon in question. It's extremely good, and you'll be fine without it.


At the end of the heroic teir, you are just about to hit a sweet spot in effectiveness, but even still, you're by no means a slouch. You have pretty solid defenses, taking into account the concealment from Shadow Walk. Mire the Mind and Persistent Tail give you some ways of obtaining stealth. Mire the Mind is a great opener to this end: provided that you hit, it boosts your stealth score from merely decent to very high levels - all encounter, every encounter. During the 1-2 rounds per encounter that you're hidden, you will be especially difficult to touch.

A good tactic, when the opportunity presents itself, is to pop Persistent Tail and charge an isolated foe. After you hit the foe (don't slide them, it prematurely triggers Persistent Tail), use Boots of Adept Charging to shift 1 square away. When the foe moves on their turn, Persistent Tail is triggered and you can move adjacent to the target, hiding in the process. If they keep moving, they trigger an OA from you. If they cut short their move and attack you, they'll have to guess your square. Also, note that they technically don't know you're now standing right next to them - so arguably most foes should opt for option 1.

The main challenges for the heroic tier will be to obtain CA, and to keep shadow walk active. There are a few means of moving around in spite of being in melee. Whilst hidden, your movement will not provoke OAs - so being hidden at the start of your turn will allow you to maintain shadow step for another round. Eldritch Strike slides 1 - so if you find yourself in melee at the beginning of a turn, sliding an enemy away may give you a chance to slip away. Lastly, work with a defender. If you already have the shadow walk buff, you will have sub-defender AC. Against an enemy marked by your defender, your defenses are better still (effective AC 30) - and your enemy's OAs will be punished. This combination may make the occasional OA worth provoking.

at-will DPR

These calculations assume CA, which isn't guaranteed but should be obtainable most rounds without too much difficulty. Some rounds you won't have it, but then other rounds you'll have it AND be charging - so it should even out.

Damage: 3d8 + 13 (Av 26.5). Crit 2d6+37 (av 44)
calc

= 1d8(1[W]) +1d8(attack finesse) +1d8(curse, Killing Curse) +1(versatile) +2(Silvery Glow) +2(enhancement) +5(cha) +2(item) +1(shard)

Attack bonus: +19. Hit chance 75%, crit chance 5%.
calc

= 5 (level) + 5(cha) + 2(enhancement) +1(feat) +1(Eldritch Blade) +3(proficiency) +2(CA).

.75*26.5 + .05*44 = 22.1 DPR (22.9 vs. bloodied targets).

On a charge:
Damage: 3d8+1d6+13 (Av 30). Crit 2d6+43 (av 50)
calc

= As above +1d6(horned helm)

Attack bonus: +20. Hit chance 75%, crit chance 5%.
calc

= As above +1(charging bonus)

.8*30 + .05*50 = 26.5 DPR (27.4 vs. bloodied targets). 


EDIT: Ooops, this post blossomed, and I hadn't reserved any space. Go down half a dozen posts to see the level 20 and 30 snapshots, I promise it will be worth it!
I really like it.

One thing, though, how come you mention using Shadow Walk and you didn't take Hybrid Talent (Shadow Walk)?

Edit: Ah, now I see it, Cursed Shadow feat. Ok, nice. 

Last week I created a lvl 11 revenant(eladrin) warlock-executioner for a homebrew game I'm involved in.  Ability score focus was Dex and Con instead.  And I must say it was extremely effective.  You can practically double effective DPR output as long as your willing to end your turn hidden next to an enemy who chooses to move or use ranged/area attack.  Of course you blow your invisibility/hidden status but get it right back on your following turn.  (Hint: choose to "park" next to the last enemy to attack before your turn if you can to minimize risk!).  I was really torn between Student of Caiphon and another paragon path... but ended up going Sorceror-King pact and Guild Executioner to get Mindbite's Scorn.  Although I considered Infernal Pact as a very good alternative for Hellish Rebuke. 

Sibling of the Stars would have been perfect for the dual-Star Pact; unfortunately as a hybrid class it requires human (because this build's schtick is Eldritch Strike and SotS requires Eldritch Blast pre-req).  The only other way for a DEEE ("dead" eladrin eldritch executioner) to getting EH with Sibling of the Stars/Eldritch Strike is via primal MC feat and Reincarnate Champion ED, which is high opportunity cost.  One nice thing about not worrying about getting a radiant eldritch strike is it frees up your weapon choice *and* gives you access additional untyped damage from Shadowmaster Ki Focus.

Imo Elusive Hexer is one of the most versatile feats in the game.  And warlock is now one of the most versatile classes (second to fighter in terms of available powers to choose from)!  EH is also one of only two choices (EDIT: three choices including Eyebite) I'm aware to get At-Will invisibility (the other being Evermeet Warlock), which makes getting and "staying" hidden practically a breeze.  EH also shores up gaps in the defenses (it's awfully hard to target you when you're hidden) and increases your offensive output potential (by making it real easy for you to get OA's on enemies).

Anyway, that's been my experience with Elusive Hexer so far.  In January I also enjoyed playing a lvl 21 eladrin shaman|warlock Reincarnate Champion (with gnome past life to get fading spirit and elusive hexer) in a playtest game.  The main drawback with that hybrid combo was action economy.. there are too many things you want to use minor actions for and it's easy to overlook the best options in the thick of combat.  Compared to hybrid shaman, I think I prefer the brutal efficiency and simplicity of a high DPR warlock-executioner.

This seems really awesome once you hit level 11. If I play in a paragon sometime soon I will quite possibly do something like this :P
One more suggestion/comment.  I found boots of adept charging to be pretty useful for the lvl 11 executioner|warlock.  (They weren't needed for my lvl 21 shaman|warlock, who had MC fighter feat and mobile warrior feat).  This ensures that the enemies don't know the square you're in after a charge attack. 
Hmm I like it. Is there a reason you went Fey pact besides flavor? Wouldn't Sorcerer King open up a might bit more damage? Anyways I love this build. I played essentially the same thing with a warlock|rogue/assassin.
Hmm I like it. Is there a reason you went Fey pact besides flavor? Wouldn't Sorcerer King open up a might bit more damage? Anyways I love this build. I played essentially the same thing with a warlock|rogue/assassin.

Elusive Hexer prerequisite: 11th level, eladrin, warlock, fey pact
Dope. Hmmm guess its not worth ditching the damage that Student of Caiphon brings by grabbing Mindbite scorn.
Ruins fate and I developed something similar awhile back using the pact blade feats, but you can use eldritch strike just swell, but went with a light blade charging build, the damage was very competitive. I'll dig out the build when I get back home, am in Auckland at the moment
EDIT: D'oh, didn't reserve enough/ANY space. Here's the rest of the build...!

Paragon Tier


Level 20 snapshot

Race: Eladrin
Class: Hybrid Warlock/Executioner
Pact: Fey Pact (Guild: Red Scales because you're melee, but it really doesn't matter)
Background: High Imaskar
Theme: Order Adept
Paragon Path: Student of Caiphon

Starting Ability Scores (post racial): Str 8, Con 12, Dex 12, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 18
Final Ability Scores: Str 9, Con 13, Dex 13, Int 23, Wis 11, Cha 23.

HP: 119, Bloodied 59, Surge Value 29. Surges per day: 7

AC 36 (39), 10+10+6(int)+3(leather)+4(enhance)+1(rhythm blade)+2(concealment)
Fort 31 (34) 10+10+1(con)+4(enhance)+2(feat)+1(class)+1(belt)+2(concealment)
Ref 35 (38) 10+10+6(int)+4(enhance)+2(feat)+1(rhythm blade)+1(class)+2(concealment)
Will 37 (40) 10+10+6(cha)+4(enhance)+2(feat)+1(race)+2(theme) + 2(concealment)
Numbers before parentheses assume concealment. Numbers in parentheses include total concealment.
Situational bonuses: enemies hit by both weapons take -2 penalty to hit me, +2 to defenses vs OAs.

Feats:
1 Eldritch Blade
2 Cursed Shadow
4 Weapon Ki Technique
6 Silvery Glow
8 Killing Curse
10 Assassin's Cloak
11 Twofold Pact, Killing Curse retrained to Elusive Hexer
12 Retrain Assassin's Cloak with White Lotus Evasion, White Lotus Master Evasion
14 Retrain Silvery Glow to Two Weapon Fighting, Two Weapon Opening
16 Silvery Glow
18 Improved Defenses
20 Arcane Admixture (Eldritch Strike, Lightning - grab this feat as soon as you have a Harmony Blade and Crown of the Brilliant Sun - 20 is a conservative estimate of how fast you can get it)


Skills:
Arcana +27 (can reroll, must take second roll), Stealth +24 (+30 with Mire the Mind), History +23, Religion +21, Streetwise + 21

Powers: 

At-will
Eldritch Strike
Dire Radiance

Encounter
1 Assassin's Strike
7 Mire the Mind (this could be retrained if you find it less necessary now)
13 Dark Reach of Xevut

Daily/Poison
1 Bloodroot Poison
5 Emerald Shield
9 Carrier Crawler Brain Juice
13 retrain Emerald Shield to Storm Countess' Kiss
15 swap Storm Countess' Kiss for Whispers of the Void
19 retrain Whispers of the Void to Voice of the Dictator

Utility
2 Arcane Mutterings
6 Darting Shadow
10 Persistent Tail
16 Hero's Defense

Items: Harmony Blade longsword +4, Abduction ki focus +4, Shadowflow Feyleather Armor +4, Elven Cloak +4, Ring of the Radiant Storm, Crown of the Brilliant Sun, Ring of Giants, Siberys Shard of Radiance (paragon tier), Bracers of Mighty Striking (12), Shadowdancer's Gloves, Dice of Auspicious Fortune, Belt of Vim (heroic tier), Rhythm Blade +1, Siberys Shard of Radiance (heroic tier), Sehanine's Mark of the Dark Moon (level 3), Boots of Adept Charging, 10x scroll of knock. 41290g remaining.


You're decidedly more sneaky now. As soon as you hit level 11, the final piece of the invisibility puzzle kicks in. Now, when you deal curse damage on your turn, you turn invisible until the end of that turn (Elusive Hexer). Thanks to White Lotus Master Riposte, you can shift and hide immediately, and Cursed Shadow's concealment allows you to stay hidden beyond the end of your turn - which is all that is necessary to maintain your hidden status. Whilst hidden, you can move at full speed thanks to Darting Shadow. Generally, you'll stay hidden most of the encounter, unless you choose to make an out of turn attack (such as a warlord granted attack or OA), miss with an attack or fail a stealth check. In fact, by using Persistent Tail, it should often be possible to stay hidden after making an opportunity attack.

Thanks to Sehanine's Mark of the Dark Moon, you only take half damage from enemies that cannot see you.

Factoring in Shadow Walk, your defenses are good for a melee striker. When you include the benefit from total concealment, they reach defender levels. You will be hidden most of the time, so this is a fairly safe assumption.

Also, if you can isolate an enemy (preferably a brute) 2+ squares away from your allies, they are faced with a difficult catch-22 scenario. Attack you (you are hidden so they have to guess your square, you have defender level defenses, and you take half damage) or try and reach one of your allies. Thanks to Persistent Tail, shift+charge isn't a viable strategy - you can follow them after they shift and they will trigger the OA upon charging. Thus, much of the time, you will get to make an extra MBA on your target's turn.

Keeping Shadow Walk active should be much easier at this level. In fact, much of the time you should be able to maintain Shadow Walk without needing to use your move action - thus freeing it up for Persistent Tail shenanigans. At level 20, the following option works quite well: Persistent Tail, charge 2 or more, shift 2 (Boots of Adept Charging + White Lotus Master Evasion).

You do more than double the damage you did at level 10; a respectable amount. No-one would mistake your role for anything but striker. If you play tactically and force some enemy OAs, your DPR should be stellar.

At-will DPR calc


Damage: 3d8 + 3d6 + 23 (Av 49.8). Crit 4d6+78 (av 88.9). Offhand hit 1d6+23 (27.5). Offhand crit 4d6+37 (52.9).
calc
mh= 1d8(1[w]) +2d8(attack finesse) +2d6(curse) +1d6(Shadowdancer's gloves) +6(cha) +4(enhancement) +3(shard) +1(TWF) +4(Item) +2(Queen set) +3 (Feat)
Offhand= 1d6(1[w]) +6(cha) +4(enhancement) +3(shard) +1(TWF) +4(Item) +2 (Queen set) +3 (feat).

Attack bonus: +28. Hit chance 60%, crit chance 15%.
calc

= 10 + 6(cha) + 3(prof) +4(enh) +1(Eldritch Blade) +2(expertise) +2(CA)

Offhand attack bonus: +27. hit chance 55%, crit chance 15%.
calc

= -1(Eldritch Blade)

.6*49.8 + .15*88.9 + .15*.55*27.5 + .15*.15*52.9 = 50.1 DPR (add 2ish dpr against bloodied targets).

If target triggers OA:
50.1*2=100.2 DPR

post that used to be here

Thanks for the suggestions, guys.

A fellow New Zealander(?), cool. I'm in CHCH.

Another thing I was thinking of adding to the build is a theme - currently the Order Adept looks rather swell. With the +4 bonus to arcana, could probably quite happily go a little easier on the arcana pumping feats at epic - perhaps getting another DPR feat or just switching Skill Focus for Untraceable (+5 Stealth).

Hmm, boots of adept charging could be nice. I'm using the slot for +5 stealth though. I wonder whether Mobile Warrior could be used at epic in place of Assassin's Cloak to get a similar benefit? Ah, damn... requires fighter and dex 17, no dice.

I haven't really focused on charging for this build. I did want to fit it in. I needed the head slot for the iron of spite and had too many other things going on in general to fit it in. But if you guys can come up with some ways of maintaining competitive stealth and arcana scores whilst pumping charge a bit, then I'm definitely all ears


What's the source for the arcane blade feat?

Looks like a cool build  

Epic Tier




Level 30 snapshot

Race: Eladrin
Class: Hybrid Warlock/Executioner
Pact: Fey Pact (Guild: Red Scales)
Background: High Imaskar
Theme: Order Adept
Paragon Path: Student of Caiphon
Epic Destiny: Sage of Ages

Starting Ability Scores (post racial): Str 8, Con 12, Dex 12, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 18
Final Ability Scores: Str 10, Con 14, Dex 14, Int 26, Wis 12, Cha 26.

HP: 169. Bloodied 84, Surge Value 42. Surges per day: 8.

AC 50 (53), 10+15+8(int)+4(leather)+6(enhance)+2(warding curse) +2(Trick of Knowledge) +1 (Rhythm Blade)+2(concealment)
Fort 45 (48) 10+15+2(con)+6(enhance)+3(feat)+1(class)+2(belt)+2(warding curse) +2(Trick of Knowledge)+2(concealment)
Ref 50 (53) 10+15+8(int)+6(enhance)+3(feat)+1(class)+2(warding curse) +2(Trick of Knowledge)+1(Rhythm Blade)+2(concealment)
Will 51 (53) 10+15+8(cha)+6(enhance)+3(feat)+2(warding curse) +2(Trick of Knowledge)+1(race)+2(theme)+2(concealment)
Numbers before parentheses assume concealment. Numbers in parentheses include total concealment.
Other conditional modifiers: After hitting target with both weapons (i.e. on a crit) they get a -2 to hit you. Also, +2 to all defenses vs. opportunity attacks.

Feats:
1 Eldritch Blade
2 Cursed Shadow
4 Weapon Ki Technique
6 Silvery Glow
8 Killing Curse
10 Assassin's Cloak
11 Twofold Pact, Killing Curse retrained to Elusive Hexer
12 Retrain Assassin's Cloak to White Lotus Evation, White Lotus Master Evasion
14 Retrain Silvery Glow to Two Weapon Fighting, Two Weapon Opening
16 Silvery Glow
18 Improved Defenses
20 Arcane Admixture (Eldritch Strike, Lightning. Just get it as soon as you have a Crown of the Brilliant Sun and a Harmony Blade).
21 Cursed Seplls; retrain Eldritch Blade to Long Step
22 Retrain Silvery Glow to Wrathful Warrior, Acolyte Power (Martial Supremacy)
24 Warding Curse
26 Untraceable
28 Wicked Blade
30 Silvery Glow

Skills:
Arcana +46 (can reroll, must take second roll)[sblock calc]=15+5(trained)+8(intelligence)+4(theme)+6(item)+2(racial)+6(sage of ages)

Stealth +33 (+41 after opening with Mire the Mind, +42 when you make check with invisibility)[sblock calc]=15+5(trained)+2(dex)+6(item)+5(Untraceable)[/sblock]
History +33, Religion +31, Streetwise + 31

Powers: 

At-will
Eldritch Strike
Dire Radiance
A bunch of dex-based assassin at-wills that you'll never use.

Encounter
1 Assassin's Strike
7 Mire the Mind (though you've probably retrained this by now)
13 Dark Reach of Xevut

Daily/Poison
1 Bloodroot Poison
5 Emerald Shield
9 Carrier Crawler Brain Juice
13 retrain Emerald Shield to Storm Countess' Kiss
15 swap Storm Countess' Kiss for Whispers of the Void
19 retrain Whispers of the Void to Voice of the Dictator
25 swap Carrier Crawler Brain Juice with Dark Reaver Powder

Utility
2 Arcane Mutterings
6 Spectral Fade
10 Retrain Spectral Fade to Darting Shadow, Persistent Tail
16 Hero's Defense
22 Martial Supremacy

Items: Runic Drake Leather Armor Armor +6, Harmony Broadsword +6, Abduction ki focus +6, Elven Cloak +6, Boots of the Zephyr, 2*Siberys Shard of Radiance (epic tier), Bracers of Mighty Striking (epic), Belt of the Witch King, Ring of the Radiant Storm, Crown of the Brilliant Sun, Ring of Giants, Dice of Auspicious Fortune, Shadowdancer's Gloves, Rhythm Blade shortsword +1, Sehanine's Mark of the Dark Moon (level 3), 10x scroll of knock, footpads. 591, 570g remaining.
[/sblock]

So, here is the level 30 version of the build in all its glory. Sage of Ages grants you Keeper's Prescience: a pre-roll every round, which boosts your critical strike chance and accuracy to very high levels. Trick of Knowledge grants you a buff depending upon an Arcana check. With your arcana bonus of +46, you can expect the following outcomes: 

[sblock Expected Trick of Knowledge Result]
My math assumes that you will save KP if it is an 18-20 (for an auto-critical) but will otherwise use it, and you will use your HI reroll feature whenever doing so increases your expected outcome.

3%: Roll saving throws at the start of your turn.
9%: Pick two (+2 to hit, +2 to all defenses)
34%: Pick three (as above plus roll at the start of your turn)
54%: Pick four (as above plus +5 to all saves)[/sblock]

You are now very hard to hit. Your defenses compare very favorably to a defender's - and that's without any concealment. In reality, you will have concealment all the time, and will be hidden much of the time. When hiding, your enemies may as well not bother attacking you, even if they can guess where you are. In other words, when there is an enemy for you to isolate and play with on the outskirts of the battlefield, you can expect, round after round, to either waste their turn or gain a free OA against them.

Your stealth skill is high enough that you can pretty consistently hide from any enemy that lacks truesight or blindsight. As you have a fly speed, tremorsense is negated.

Generally, you will want to make a standard attack each round, use a combination of charge movement and WLME+WLE to ensure you trigger Shadow Walk, and use your move action to trigger Persistent Tail. The two primary tactics would be:

Persistent Tail, Charge (+WLME/hide).
Attack (+WLME, slide foe along with you 1 - or 2 if needed via Abduction Ki Focus), WLE as minor, Persistent Tail.

Note that as you can fly, often you will be able to choose to end your movement directly above your foe. In fact, if you do this, you will not strictly need Persistent Tail to negate a medium-sized enemy's shift+charge.

Try and position yourself adjacent to your enemy, and not on a diagonal. If they use a close blast attack, they will have around a 1/5 chance of successfully including your square in the blast. If you position yourself on a corner, this will not work quite as well.

When an enemy triggers an OA without shifting, you get to do something awesome with Persistent Tail. Make your OA, and then move and hide as an immediate reaction. You can either use this trick to remain hidden until your next turn, or you can use it to scoot over to another enemy who has yet to act and threaten them with an OA too. Thus, using this technique, you could fairly easily make two OAs in a round.

Lastly, you now do 2-3 times the at-will DPR you were able to muster at level 20. Congrats!

DPR calc


Note: You've swapped out your longsword for a broadsword. Why? With Keeper's Prescience, attack bonus sees diminishing returns past a certain point. Past that point, a +3 proficiency bonus only makes about 2% of difference to hit chance - resulting in less DPR than the increased damage die of the broadsword adds.
 
Attack bonus: 38 vs. AC (hitting on a 6). With Keeper's Presence, hit: .58, crit: .39.
calc
= 15 + 8(cha) +2(prof) +6(enh) +2(Trick of Knowledge) +2(CA) +3(expertise)

Off hand attack bonus: 39. vs AC (hitting on a 5). Keeper's Presence has 33% chance of having been used on previous crit, and a 47% chance of having been used after the first free attack. Thus, hit: .70 (.74 for second attack), crit: .28 (.23 for second attack).
calc
= main hand +1(prof).

Main hand hit damage (Ring of the Radiant Storm damage estimated, assuming normal distribution, by adding the square root of variance/pi to the mean): 2d10+3d8+3d6+40, (82.2).
calc
= 2d10(2[w]) +3d8(Attack Finesse) +3d6(Curse)+1d6(Shadowdancer's gloves) +8(cha) +8(Cursed Spells) +5(shard) +1(TWF) +6(enh) +6(item) +4(Silvery Glow) +2(Queen set bonus)

Main hand crit: 6d6+3d10+120, (161.2).
Off hand hit damage: 3d6+32, roll twice (44.8).
calc
=2d6[2w]+1d6[shadowdancer's gloves] +8(cha) +5(shard) +1(TWF) +6(enh) +6(item) +2 (Queen set bonus) +4(Silvery Glow)

Off hand crit: 6d6+62, roll twice (85.4)
Damage: .56*82.2 + .39*161.2+ .39*((.70+.74)*44.8 + (.28+.23)*85.4)
150.3 damage per standard attack.

Charge attack: +1 higher attack bonus on main hand, Total = 151.9 damage per charge attack.

Opportunity attack (assumes KP has been expended - as this is not always going to be the case, hit and crit chances will be slightly higher than listed here, so this is a conservative estimate. Also assumes that free attacks on a crit lack hidden and CA, as White Lotus Master Evasion cannot regain crit status due to lack of invisibility)
Main hand accuracy (see above for attack bonus breakdown): hit: .51, crit: .28.
Off hand accuracy: hit:.72, crit .2.
Main hand damage: as above.
Off hand hit damage: 2d6+32, roll twice (40.4).
calc
As above but assumed you are not hidden so -1d6

Off hand crit damage: 6d6+56, roll twice (79.4)
Damage: .51*82.2 + .28*161.2+ 2*.28*(.72*40.4 + .2*79.4)
= 111.3 damage per OA.

Standard attack + 1 OA = 263.2 DPR
Standard attack + 2 OAs = 374.5 DPR


Hope you've enjoyed reading this

[sblock post that used to be here]Uggh, I meant Blade Initiate, the MC Swordmage feat. Oops! Fixed.[/sblock]
Updated with Order Adept thrown in.

I had miscalculated defenses in some places and those errors should now be fixed.

There's a tradeoff involved in deciding how much to devote to optimizing arcana, stealth, and DPR. At the moment, the EEE has:

+40 stealth AND roll twice. This is surely more than is needed - failing only on a double 1 against Bahumat is nice, but perhaps a little unnecessary?

+48 arcana,  plus a reroll. I think this is about at the sweet spot. Beyond about +50 probably wouldn't be worth it, and dropping more than a couple of points similarly so.

- Obviously, more DPR would always be nice. In particular, this build would see a significant boost in DPR if it were to add in some charging cheese. Thanks to stealth, the build can easily get into the best position for a charge every round. But which charging feats and loots are easily shoehorned in? Perhaps swap untraceable and iron of spite for skill focus (arcana) and a horned helm? That would cost 5 stealth and 3 arcana - a fairly high price, but perhaps bearable in light of the extra 3d6 damage.
I'm also considering dropping Mark of Shadow from the build entirely. Currently it finds its way into the build at mid paragon. Arguably it may be worth the feat slot for late paragon, but once you have hit epic tier, accuracy is so high (less than a 1/20 chance to miss) that the stay-hidden benefit is largely pointless. Also, it doesn't take a feat to get the knock ritual at level 16. All it takes is a trivial amount of gold to buy the scroll of knock... so why pay a feat for cheaper access to a level 4 ritual?

I'm wondering what feats are at the top of the short-list and could replace Mark of Shadow. Here's a grab-bag of feats I've considered at various times:

Fey Step fun:
Eladrin Swordmage Advance (nova potential - but it doesn't play nice with two weapon opening)
Renewed by Blood (ditto plus an extra teleport)
Quickened Spellcasting (nova potential - plays nice with TWO)
Weapon Proficiency: Bastard Sword (it's worth about 3 DPR)
Student of the Athanaeum (regain dominate daily, which through Dark Reach of Xevut actually results in 2 dominates during the encounter).
Skill Power (I've got 2 of them so this could get me an extra class utility - a wizard one if I liked, thanks to Order Adept)

Regarding the skill power choice, does Illusory Wall foil blindsight and truesight? 
I decided to switch Mark of Shadow for Mark of Finding. Why?

Well, Mark of Finding makes it extremely hard for enemies to shift+charge away from the EEE. Previously, this would often have been their best tactical option - as past middle paragon the EEE is very hard to hit, and the EEE also has a nasty OA.

Mark of Finding essentially negates the shift+charge tactic, with a modicum of careful positioning on my part. Thus, much of the time, the dpr of the level 20 and 30 snapshots will be double the figures previously posted: about 100 DPR for the level 20 version, and about 200 DPR for the level 30 version.

Of course, they may decide to attack a hidden target instead of soak up an extra attack. In that case, less DPR for the EEE, but great action denial instead.
I like this build idea a lot.  A couple questions/notes

Why Hybrid Assassin rather than multiclass Assassin?  Darting Shadow seems pretty mediocre and not worth the feat/power expense.  Also you won't have to use a magical ki focus (unless there is some benifit to doing so).

Sehanine's Mark of the Dark Moon is a boon, and generally only available by DM fiat.  Otherwise all the Radiant Mafia builds get Pelor's Sun Blessing, and no one wants that.

In the DPR calculations, could you break out the source of the damage and to-hit bonuses?

Scorpion Knight: High Armor, High Damage in Heroic Safe Haven: Stay near me and never get hit Eldritch Avenger: Crit Fishing at level 12, LFR friendly

Hybrid Executioner gives you Weapon Finesse on basic attacks, so he can double-dip striker damage with Eldritch Strike.
What does MC swordmage give you? Is it the extra skill and ability to double tap implement and weapon?
10/10 Would Flame Again: An Elite Paladin|Warlock The Elemental Man (or Woman): A Genasi Handbook The Warlord, Or How to Wield a Barbarian One-Handed The Bookish Barbarian Fardiz: RAI is fairly clear, but RAZ is different That's right. Rules According to Zelink!
Thanks for the interest/comments everyone.

I like this build idea a lot.  A couple questions/notes

Why Hybrid Assassin rather than multiclass Assassin?  Darting Shadow seems pretty mediocre and not worth the feat/power expense.  Also you won't have to use a magical ki focus (unless there is some benifit to doing so).

As pointed out by circadianwolf, hybrid grants me +xd8 damage on basic attacks. The ki focus is there for 2 reasons. First, during heroic, the build cannot use any weapons as implements. Second, ki weapon technique requires you to have a ki focus and weapon equipped. 

Sehanine's Mark of the Dark Moon is a boon, and generally only available by DM fiat.  Otherwise all the Radiant Mafia builds get Pelor's Sun Blessing, and no one wants that.

This is true. I've advised my DM not to give it to me, in fact, because -at least during epic tier- the build is too OP with insubstantiality layered upon all the other stuff (e.g. at level 26, most encounters the build will save at the start of its turn, with a +5 bonus, +10 vs. charm = the next best thing to immunity for most dominates.) Perhaps I should mention this.

In the DPR calculations, could you break out the source of the damage and to-hit bonuses?

Sure, I'll get on it.

What does MC swordmage give you? Is it the extra skill and ability to double tap implement and weapon?

Yes. It's slightly better than Arcane Implement Proficiency. It's a shame that the hybrid executioner doesn't get "all weapons with which you are proficient" as an implement like the hybrid ossassin does. It allows radiant damage for the warlock implement powers, and also allows Dual Implement Spellcaster.

One more suggestion/comment.  I found boots of adept charging to be pretty useful for the lvl 11 executioner|warlock.  (They weren't needed for my lvl 21 shaman|warlock, who had MC fighter feat and mobile warrior feat).  This ensures that the enemies don't know the square you're in after a charge attack. 



I've been thinking about this some more. It's a bit of a problem. The build wasn't initially intended to be a charger build, but given that it's so easy to throw in a horned helm on top of everything else, it has picked up a minor focus in charging.

At the same time, OAs seem to be a very tappable source of extra DPR (particularly with Mark of Finding). For this build, probably more DPR than charging.

I can't really afford to lose the +5 to stealth that the Lightstep slippers grant (I've already dropped the +6 bonus granted via Shadowflow Leather in order to make room for the Horned Helm, and +34 with a reroll is borderline too low for 'reliable hiding')

Given that after charging (without boots of adept charging, unstoppable charge or mobile warrior), enemies know where I'm standing, then enemies are somewhat more likely to choose to attack me, and they're a fair bit more likely to hit (i.e. they still have to roll high, but at least they know they'll attack the right square in the first place).

I wonder if perhaps, given the fact that gaining an OA boosts the build's DPR by a much greater percentage than charging+horned helm, it might be worth dropping the horned helm out of the build again - doing so would allow me to either wear a different helm (anything worthwhile here?) or to go back to Iron of Spite + Shadowflow armor and free up a feat slot for something else.

Charging is great, but as you say, it does interfere with the hiding thing. 
I'm interested in playing this. It looks awesome. But I'm wondering if allowing you to turn invisible to one enemy counts as "invisible" for allowing the Stealth check?
10/10 Would Flame Again: An Elite Paladin|Warlock The Elemental Man (or Woman): A Genasi Handbook The Warlord, Or How to Wield a Barbarian One-Handed The Bookish Barbarian Fardiz: RAI is fairly clear, but RAZ is different That's right. Rules According to Zelink!
Mire the Mind only makes you invisible to that enemy. You can hide against that enemy, but the enemy's allies are free to spend free actions to tell the enemy in question where you are. If they do, you're still hidden against that enemy, but they'll be able to target you without guessing.  It's up to the DM whether enemies team up like this. Arguably it would be reasonable for intelligent, organized foes to do it, but unreasonable for unintelligent, disorganized foes.

The main purpose of Mire the Mind, however, is the bonus to Stealth. It's quite important, arguably, for most of paragon tier, where you're making Stealth checks to hide every round but haven't yet accrued really really high skill mods. Note that the bonus to stealth checks doesn't just apply against that one target - it applies versus everyone. Also, note that Mire the Mind will make you outright invisible against everyone until the end of your turn anyway - via Elusive Hexer.

Lastly, I don't believe any of the other invisibility/stealth mechanics I've got going on are target specific. In particular, there is no such limitation on Elusive Hexer.

Hope that answers your question. Thanks for the feedback :D 
My question is because Elusive Hexer specificies that you are only in invisible to the enemy you dealt curse damamge to, similar to Mire the Mind. It doesn't seem especially potent given that it only applies to a single target...
10/10 Would Flame Again: An Elite Paladin|Warlock The Elemental Man (or Woman): A Genasi Handbook The Warlord, Or How to Wield a Barbarian One-Handed The Bookish Barbarian Fardiz: RAI is fairly clear, but RAZ is different That's right. Rules According to Zelink!
"When an enemy takes damage from your warlock's curse on your turn, you are invisible until the end of that turn."

The invisibility is limited in duration but it's not limited in terms of target. You're invisible until the end of the turn. Are you looking at the same version as me? This one's from the compendium.
Mine's in the offline builder, but I would assume the compendium is right, especially since there has been no official errata to the feat... Can anyone else ease my conscience about this? (Curse not being a DDI sub sometimes)
10/10 Would Flame Again: An Elite Paladin|Warlock The Elemental Man (or Woman): A Genasi Handbook The Warlord, Or How to Wield a Barbarian One-Handed The Bookish Barbarian Fardiz: RAI is fairly clear, but RAZ is different That's right. Rules According to Zelink!
Hmm, I'm thinking Martial Supremacy is worth 2 feat slots at level 22. That utility power is just plain sick. It would mean some more probability trees for figuring out crit chances, but assuming that you were just trying to maximise chances of a crit (and didn't play it safe in instances where Keeper's Prescience was a miss while the first attack roll was a hit), crit chance would be about 39%. If 5% increased chance to crit is worth 1 feat then 11% increased crit chance must be worth 2 feats... right?

EDIT: I just played around with a probability tree in Excel. Assuming that I'd take the MS reroll except where both the KP roll was a miss and the first attack roll was a hit (and, of course, if I crit on the first attack roll), it leads to about a 1.6% miss chance, a 62.1% hit chance, and a 36.3% chance to crit. This change in crittiness resulted in a boost in DPR from 125.1 to 144.1. 19 extra DPR, probably worth two feats I'd say!

Hmm, how do the hybrid rules interact with power swaps? Can I power swap out my one and only warlock utility power, for instance?

Hmm, how do the hybrid rules interact with power swaps? Can I power swap out my one and only warlock utility power, for instance?



 You're always required to have at least one power of each type from each class. If you only have a single warlock utility, you couldn't swap it.

Re: Elusive Hexer...
 The compendium says:
 "Benefit: When an enemy takes damage from your warlock’s curse on your turn, you are invisible until the end of that turn."
But the original article reads:
 "Benefit: When an enemy takes damage from your warlock’s curse on your turn, you are invisible to that enemy until the end of that turn."
 Unless it's been errataed, there's a discrepency between the two.


Show

I am the Magic Man.

(Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.)

 

I am the Lawnmower Man.

(I AM GOD HERE!)

 

I am the Skull God.

(Koo Koo Ka Choo)

 

There are reasons they call me Mad...

There hasn't been an errata, I checked the update doc. If only we could conctact Customer Service...and them to answer reliably...
10/10 Would Flame Again: An Elite Paladin|Warlock The Elemental Man (or Woman): A Genasi Handbook The Warlord, Or How to Wield a Barbarian One-Handed The Bookish Barbarian Fardiz: RAI is fairly clear, but RAZ is different That's right. Rules According to Zelink!
Mine's in the offline builder, but I would assume the compendium is right, especially since there has been no official errata to the feat... Can anyone else ease my conscience about this? (Curse not being a DDI sub sometimes)

It's a "compiled issue vs. Article" issue.  The feat was changed in compilation from "eyebite, the feat" to "invisible period, but just until the end of the current turn."

(I play a dead-eladrin warlock based on this feat in LFR.  Con/Dex, yeah, my pact power is wasted)

"Nice assumptions. Completely wrong assumptions, but by jove if being incorrect stopped people from making idiotic statements, we wouldn't have modern internet subculture." Kerrus
Practical gameplay runs by neither RAW or RAI, but rather "A Compromise Between The Gist Of The Rule As I Recall Getting The Impression Of It That One Time I Read It And What Jerry Says He Remembers, Whatever, We'll Look It Up Later If Any Of Us Still Give A Damn." Erachima

Grr...

I've sunk a fair bit of time into the build, and to discover that its strength rests to a significant degree upon a typo in the compendium is... rather irritating, to say the least.

I'm going to assume that the correct wording is the one in the original article, for now. It seems more likely that they mistyped the compendium entry than that they forgot to issue an errata.

So... where does that leave us? I think the build is probably salvagable but it's a bit less interesting.

As I posted above, I think the consensus in the Hidden Club thread in the Q&A forums is that the EEE would be able to hide from the one enemy. Their allies would be able to point the EEE out to them as a free action, but this is limited by 2 things: a) the DM's judgment of how cooperative the opponents were, and b) the prerogative given to the DM in judging how many free actions can be made to talk in one round. Arguably, the enemy would need to communicate that they couldn't see the EEE to their allies, and then the allies would need to respond, so this should probably take some time. But whether these free actions occured a turn apart, a round apart, two rounds apart, etc, is up to the DM.

On top of that, once the opponent's allies have pointed the EEE out, the EEE still has total concealment against that opponent. Pointing out where he is doesn't negate hidden, it just makes it easier to guess the square.

So.. salvagable? I think the catch-22 with OAs etc would still work quite well, provided that the build had high enough defenses with total concealment. 
Wha?

Dragon, 390.  Compiled version (which was the official version, back at the time it was generated)


Elusive Hexer
Prerequisite: 11th level, eladrin, warlock, fey pact
Benefits: When an enemy takes damage from your warlock’s curse on your turn, you are invisible until the end of that turn.



Compendium.


Elusive Hexer
Prerequisite: 11th level, eladrin, warlock, fey pact
Benefit: When an enemy takes damage from your warlock’s curse on your turn, you are invisible until the end of that turn.


Those look identical to me.  Where's the typo?  Did you just not read what I wrote?  Or were you assuming I was just a fool?

Back when they did Dragon Compilations, all the articles would change during the final compile, and the separate downloadable articles would not be updated.  The official version was the one in the full magazine, not in the article.  And they never issued errata about those changes.  (it was just playtest until the end of the month.)

That's why LFR didn't allow you to use Dragon stuff until the end of the month, fer example.

"Nice assumptions. Completely wrong assumptions, but by jove if being incorrect stopped people from making idiotic statements, we wouldn't have modern internet subculture." Kerrus
Practical gameplay runs by neither RAW or RAI, but rather "A Compromise Between The Gist Of The Rule As I Recall Getting The Impression Of It That One Time I Read It And What Jerry Says He Remembers, Whatever, We'll Look It Up Later If Any Of Us Still Give A Damn." Erachima

Oh! Right, right, I'm with you now Kiltpads.

I knew about the old compile thing, but for some reason I thought the change away from that was made before Dragon 390, which upon further reflection, is a bit silly (that's over a year ago now). When you said "compiled issue vs. article" before I misunderstood you as meaning "compendium vs. article." Yay for skim read.

Good stuff. Thanks for the input guys. Looks like it works like it says in the compendium after all.
One thing you might think about is getting more slide capacity.  As it stands, it's hard to move your enemies away from your friends, which seems needed to claim your "double" DPR.  Of course, even that overlooks enemies with reach, enemies that can teleport, enemies that can attack via ranged without drawing AoO, enemies with truesight, etc.

One problem with the fighter multiclass is it prevents Swordmage multiclass, which gives you Arcane Implement proficiency in both daggers and longswords, which turns on DIS.  I guess you could just take AIP and use two daggers... 

Two other things to think about:  LFR doesn't allow two of the same enchantment (for example two radiant weapons), and many DMs follow these guidelines.  You might think about the best non-radiant weapon for the offhand (as an option/recommedation).  Additionally, it's probably worthwhile to reach your endgame weaponry (i.e. Longsword + Dagger, or whatever you plan on doing) ASAP, even if it means delaying DPR feats, since changing weaponry is really expensive. 

Scorpion Knight: High Armor, High Damage in Heroic Safe Haven: Stay near me and never get hit Eldritch Avenger: Crit Fishing at level 12, LFR friendly

One thing you might think about is getting more slide capacity.  As it stands, it's hard to move your enemies away from your friends, which seems needed to claim your "double" DPR.  Of course, even that overlooks enemies with reach, enemies that can teleport, enemies that can attack via ranged without drawing AoO, enemies with truesight, etc.



(Note that it's currently slide 1, slide 2 on a crit thanks to TWO)

I wasn't really imagining sliding enemies away from my friends, but rather, picking a lone enemy, jumping on them, and making it costly for them to move to my allies. That said, a bigger slide would help. At the moment, if they choose to trigger the OA, it might be hard to set up another OA the next round, as they're no longer isolated. Having a way to get them isolated again would help. 

A slide 2 would be noticeably better for this than a slide 1 for this. I'm not sure if there are any super easy ways of doing it though. For instance, rushing cleats cost a foot slot that I've already filled.

Enemies with reach just need to be kept a little further away.

Enemies with ranged that don't provoke OAs - nothing to be done about them. Did you have close bursts and blasts in mind? This build doesn't do particularly well against such foes, to be honest, as their attacks also ignore concealment.

I think enemies that can teleport at-will or have a "shift 6 squares and attack" power are also not something this build can do much about, unless you have any suggestions.

Truesight is a bit of a pain. Truesight and blindsight are fairly common. Grayflower Perfume almost gets around it at the cost of a minor action, although it only lasts at the start of your next turn.

I don't think the build will ever be able to get around all these things. That said, it will still be somewhat functional without being hidden - just not as crazy as it is when it can hide. Still, if you can think of any ways of patching up these difficulties, shoot!

One problem with the fighter multiclass is it prevents Swordmage multiclass, which gives you Arcane Implement proficiency in both daggers and longswords, which turns on DIS.  I guess you could just take AIP and use two daggers...

This is a problem I'm trying on working on a solution to. My hunch is that dropping DIS and any implement proficiency feats, and keeping my ki focus up to scratch might be a workable option. I could even put a rhythm blade +1 in the offhand.

Two other things to think about:  LFR doesn't allow two of the same enchantment (for example two radiant weapons), and many DMs follow these guidelines.  You might think about the best non-radiant weapon for the offhand (as an option/recommedation).

Perhaps the suggestion above (+6 radiant broadsword, +1 Rhythm Blade dagger, +6 something ki focus) might be a good workaround to this issue. I'll have to figure out how many DPR such a trade loses. It would mean I'm on the market for a good ki focus enchantment... any suggestions?

As an educated guess I think I'd lose:
DIS from both weapons (the biggest hit - approx 5 or 6 DPR)
Item bonus off hand (moderate hit - approx 2 DPR)
shard bonus off hand (small hit - approx 1 DPR)
feat bonus to damage off hand (small hit - approx 1 DPR)
Higher crit chance on offhand
All these do add up to a fair bit though.
radiant keyword, crit etc from implement powers - hard to quantify as I'll be mostly using basic attacks, but still annoying.

I'd gain:
Two feat slots (Which I could use to get MC Fighter and Martial Supremacy)
Whatever property I got on the offhand (e.g. rhythm blade)
Whatever property I got on the ki focus. Or perhaps a slight accuracy and damage boost on the offhand if I went for a +6 magic ki focus.

EDIT: A rough and ready play around with the spreadsheet is that these changes result in a net DPR of about 131.4. A little more than Swordmage +DIS, although it drops fairly substantially once I spend a healing surge. That said, I'm now an MC Fighter and there might be some other worthwhile fighter options, hmm!

An additional option:
Swap Radiant weapon for Dazzling Weapon (ignore 10 radiant resist, bigger crit dice (+2 damage per plus extra on a crit), and hillarious light-shedding property - The EEE would be invisible yet shiny!)
Swap out Serpentine Bracers for Bracers of Mighty Striking. I'd lose the +6 item bonus to damage for implement powers but would gain it for TWO attacks - worthwhile, IMO. However, I'd also lose the 1d8 damage from serpentine bracers. Ouch.

By my calculations, that brings it up a hair to 132.1. All this swapping around for a total of 7 DPR (It's worth noting that encounter and daily powers will lose a fair bit of DPR as well).

By the way, LFR does have some pretty extensive limitations on things I've included in this build. I'm guessing Mark of Finding is out? Are themes allowed?

Additionally, it's probably worthwhile to reach your endgame weaponry (i.e. Longsword + Dagger, or whatever you plan on doing) ASAP, even if it means delaying DPR feats, since changing weaponry is really expensive. 

As the broadsword is a martial weapon, it's not as expensive as you might think. Switching to a broadsword doesn't need to be timed with any particular feat - you can just do it as soon as convenient after level 21. This means that you won't be replacing a +4 radiant longsword with a +4 radiant broadsword - you'll be replacing a +4 with a +5, at the same time that you would have upgraded anyway. This is only a little more pricey than using the enchant magic item ritual to upgrade your weapon (and in my experience, weapons aren't usually crafted with this ritual (which is limited by access to gold and by the level of the crafter); instead they're awarded by DMs as one of the character level +(1-4) items.



I could alternatively switch back to light blades. With AIP I think you can get "Light blades" as your choice.
I could alternatively switch back to light blades. With AIP I think you can get "Light blades" as your choice.

What about the eladrin option for staff implement proficiency? Ditch the weapon ki expertise for staff expertise (reach and no OA's).  You would have to lose a point from INT to qualify for the staff fighting fighting feat to treat it as a double weapon (and debatably implement), or keep the INT and lose DIS.  Also cheaper than two swords and shards/
You also lose the +1 from the Eladrin w/ Eldritch Strike feat. Because it requires a longsword. But I am curious about the staff option myself too.
10/10 Would Flame Again: An Elite Paladin|Warlock The Elemental Man (or Woman): A Genasi Handbook The Warlord, Or How to Wield a Barbarian One-Handed The Bookish Barbarian Fardiz: RAI is fairly clear, but RAZ is different That's right. Rules According to Zelink!
I would probably use a double scimitar if it werent for the fact that attack finesse requires a 1 handed weapon

What I am considering, though, is dropping DIS, dropping swordmage, and picking up arcane admixture to make eldritch strike lightning and converting that damage to radiant with the crown of the brilliant sun. This frees me up to pick up whatever weapon/implement enchant I have, such as harmony blade...
Broadsword + Harmony Blade + Wicked Blade
Khopesh + Rending Weapon + Wicked Blade
or
Waraxe + Rending Weapon (+proficiency feat)

Which option is best? Hmm! 
It seems that by swapping my horned helm for a crown of the brilliant sun, taking a +6 harmony blade broadsword, a +1 rhythm blade shortsword as well as a +6 magic ki focus, and by switching MC Swordmage, DIS and Killing Curse for MC Fighter, Acolyte Power and Arcane Admixture, I can get the build's at-will DPR to 149.3. This puts me close-ish to 300 DPR when an enemy chooses to provoke an OA (but not as close as you might think, as Keeper's Prescience is about 40% - I think I calculated it correctly - likely to have already triggered on the attack made during your turn, so may not be available for the OA).

This means having a fairly good shot of killing a standard mob in one round.

This sorta makes me wonder whether it might be good to find a way to teleport or shift immediately after killing a foe if possible (so that I don't run the risk of wasting TWO or harmony blade free attacks). Fey Pact Boon works well but I don't actually have it (and the level 16 PP pact boon is itself very good).

I'm still somewhat worried about Stealth being too low. I think perhaps it would make sense to swap out a feat (maybe Patron's Guidance) for Eladrin Swordmage Advance. This would allow me to open with Mire the Mind and then follow it up immediately with Fey Step and an MBA. Provided I had a spare minor action in round 1. Here's things I'd likely want to do in round 1:

Curse (minor)
Mire the Mind (standard)
Eladrin Swordmage Advance MBA(minor)

Activate stance (minor)
Trick of Knowledge (minor)

Arguably the stance could be treated as permanently on. By spending a minor action every 5 minutes while adventuring, I think it's fair to argue it is always on (thanks to trance, even during the night).

But even then, I'd be short 1 minor...

EDIT: oops, I'm not a swordmage anymore, so ESA isn't available. Hmm, I wonder if there's another feat I could pick up to make a charge attack or otherwise move+attack as a minor on the first round. Quickened Spell almost works, but unlike ESA it doesn't allow any movement.

Of course, I could just treat round 1 as the "setup round." Curse, MtM, move adjacent to foe that I want to make OA against. 
Two Thoughts:

1) I'm not sure Harmony Blade + Two Weapon Opening works.  Depending on your DM's mood, it may fall afoul of the rule preventing multiple free action attacks.

2) I think that it is quite difficult to assure that you can stay on the same target AND move 3 squares from your starting square.  Sure, in a vacuum you can slide your opponent back one square and then move to their opposite side, but that assumes a lot of squares are empty.  Additionally, you would really rather move your opponent way far away so that you can get them with that AoO.


What about a Staggering Weapon for the main hand?  It may do less damage, but I think the control is probably worth it, especially if you can guarentee a second attack. 

For LFR, you can't use Dragonmark feats.  You can use non-Dark Sun themes.  You do get a background.  It's much easier to get common items rather than uncommon items, but when you get an uncommon item, it's easy to upgrade it.  This encourages you to pick your weapons early. 

I think its very reasonable to have a setup round, or use an AP on your opening turn.  One awkward part is that the guy that who is closest (and therefore cursed) probably isn't your ideal target, so you might MtM the closest guy and then move closer to an artillery/controller.

Consider an insideous dagger in your offhand, for teleport tricks. 

Scorpion Knight: High Armor, High Damage in Heroic Safe Haven: Stay near me and never get hit Eldritch Avenger: Crit Fishing at level 12, LFR friendly

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