Fire and Ice Wizard

[rushblitz]

Redoing a level 91 wizard, see if there are holes in logic

Goals:
Effective bolting - should be easy but REQUIRES one to have at level major elemental and 75 minor elemental for bolt AS. Also fire lore for more AS is needed as well.

Locksmith - I'm ok with getting 75% of boxes. Magically baseline finding traps and avoiding them and popping can get probably 50%. I've experimented with singling disarm traps and could get up to -360 but that cost is way too taxing on magical training. This was done at 75 ranks in minor elemental, I'd be interested to see what could be achieved at level ranks in minor at how high of traps could be done. Being at level in minor elemental helps with magically disarming and opening so thats the plan along with water lore to corrode. Viable CS in minor isn't a bad drawback either for strike and saturation. Better ewave too.

Enchanting - Time is the major factor for me. Water lore helps with this slightly.

Channel spells - Fire lore with mage armor can channel in more defensive stances which makes channeling safer. Frozen targets have 50% chance of shattering from channeled minor cold casts. Channeled bolts are much more deadly in general as well.

CS attack style - Can use 502, 409, 415, 519 reasonably well as a second attack form if needed.

Build:
Armor Use - 4 ranks for full leather
Combat Manuevers - 12 ranks for combat mastery for 5% stance adjustments
Physical Fitness - 1x
Arcane Symbols - 1x
Magic Item Use -1x
Spell Aiming - 2x
Harness Power - 1x
Elemental Mana Control - 1x in factors of 10, so 90 at level 91
Elemental Lore - Fire - 55 ranks
Elemental Lore - Water - 60 ranks
Perception - 1x
Climbing - 50 ranks
Swimming - 50 ranks

2.5x in spells

Major Elemental - 91

Minor Elemental - 91

Wizard -50

Lore breakdown:

(Bolded is the major draw of the lore)

FIRE LORE - 55 Ranks

413 - 6 more td penalty
417 - 21% to strip defensive spell, 10 mana drain
425 - 4% crit weighting

502 - 20 DS pushdown for fire
513 - 7 AS a subsequent cast
518 - minor fire in cone
519 - 6% incinerate, 35% extra damage cycle
520 - stance 25% higher for channel
550 - release damage wave

903 - steam available
906 - df increase, burning available
908 - df, max target increase
917 - NA - too low of wizard ranks
950 - 25 AS and 15 CS

WATER LORE - 60 Ranks

403 - NA
404 - NA
407 - 10 lock corrode up to 10%
408 - 10 trap corrode up to 10%
410 - more potent
411 - enchant up to +8 weapon (deringo)
416 - 40% messaging on magical smithing
418 - +10 mana for 5 pulses
435 - more potent

502 - 20 DS pushdown for cold
512 - 5 minor ice casts, 11 targets, 50% shatter on channeled impact spell
515 - 10% negate cooldown
516 - 9% + 20 mana on leech
518 - minor cold, minor water, minor steam
520 - 20 second cooldown on dispel protection
550 - release ewave

901 - DF increase, 13 second duration of stun shock, soaked 16
903 - DF increase, 100% soak, -25 TD when effect by cold snap
904 - DF increase, major acid
907 - DF increase, max target increase
910 - DF increase
917 - NA - too low of wizard ranks
920 - Anchor familiar
925 - +7 mana per 30 base exp for infusing
950 - 80 mana for spells

[phantasm]

Combat Manuevers - 12 ranks for combat mastery for 5% stance adjustments


So basically, just drop this and you can bolt from advance 20% stance without any hit on your AS. With your plan you spend 12 CM ranks just to get an extra 5% of stance. You won't be using the 5% 10% 15% stances unless you actually bother to train these 12 ranks early in the wizard levels before the 15 ranks of fire lore or so requried to use the 20% regular advance stance. Early in wizard levels is the worst time to waste points on CM training since you would get more benefit from learning new spells. That doesn't seem worth it to me, but maybe 5% of stance is a huge benefit I'm overlooking? That 520 benefit seems really wonky to many, and possibly the small stance change IS worth that wierd training? Anyone want to chime in with some data.

[drauz]

Combat Manuevers - 12 ranks for combat mastery for 5% stance adjustments

I would drop this and instead focus on getting the lore to a point that hits one of the regular stance modifiers. 12 CM ranks is a big expense for not much benefit.

Or put them into disarm, I don't see why you would need to adjust your stance more.

[Whirlin]

The 520 stance adjustment only matters if you're CHANNELING your bolts... While Channeling is great at lower levels, now that you're hunting in a capped area where they may be able to induce RT and such, not being RT locked will be more important, and you should probably stick to just Casting.

512 is a useless benefit... If you're casting so many spells that the minor water into cold effect actually becomes mana efficient, you're probably overhunting too much or should switch tactics entirely.

I'm not sure why you're saying enchanting is such a huge factor and you're only 1x MIU... Ayveneh potions require approximately 150 ranks to guarantee a cast.

You may want to consider picking up trading instead of water lore. Given the enchanted items market, speeding up the casts a little bit every couple of weeks isn't going to net out to be that much additional overall silvers.

[rushblitz]

Adjustments -

Dropped CM
Down to 30 fire lore - brings down lore to 1x saving points
Up to 150 MUI - enchanting
Up to 60 Wizard Ranks - DS and enchanting

Cm was providing 7 ds from the 5% stance difference at a cost of 336 physical points. That's 5.25 spells. Not enough to justify as spell ranks do more than ds and is really close. Possibly worth it with enough fire lore to hit the next stance modifier of +20 on forward stance and .4 modifier. Would take 120 fire lore and CM for that. This isn't an actual increase in DS either just a DS difference when channeling so there is that too.

Got to play some on Sunday so here are some initial thoughts on build and some of the changes I haven't played with yet since changes.

Channeling is amazing. With a wizard it was always spray and pray. It still is but with this its more likely to get those crits. Ewave, channel a cone watch eyes and heads explode. Close to zero risk if used correctly with a ton of offensive gain. I can't see going full time channeling but not using it would be a crime. Need to know the window.

Box opening went so so as I died to one scarab. Messaging on 416 is useless on like level boxes as it has always said very poor chance. Go to disarm or pop and it works on first cast. But all in all a successful session up 350k and a nice runestaff I found in box I opened.

Ewave hasn't missed on anything it could hit. It did before so can tell waterlore helped. Ended up with 2000 in stored mana pool for infusing enchanting potions which is depressing because I'd need 5 days to hit weekly cap. Have not figured out how to cone minor cold. 518 cast water gives me water and not the cold expected. Tried cast ice but didn't work, maybe cast cold?

[rushblitz]

Level 92 - Ice in action.

You gesture at a war griffin.
You hurl a stream of water at a war griffin!
AS: +459 vs DS: +347 with AvD: +23 + d100 roll: +77 = +212
... and hit for 48 points of damage!
Strike to head breaks cheekbone.
The water completely drenches a war griffin! --------------------------------------- Negative 25 TD for cold snap
The scintillating silver light surrounding the runestaff fades some.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
Cast Round Time in effect: Setting stance to guarded.
>

>.snap
[Script snap is running, Esc to cancel, Shift-Esc to pause]
>prep 512
>cast
[script done]
You intone a phrase of elemental power while raising your hands, invoking Cold Snap...
Your spell is ready.
>
You gesture.
An airy mist rolls into the area, carrying a harsh chill with it.
CS: +485 - TD: +432 + CvA: +25 + d100: +69 == +147
Warding failed!
The mist leaves a war griffin's lower half encased in a thick block of ice. ------------------------------------- Safe from dive and screech, its frozen
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>
A war griffin tries to bite you!
AS: +385 vs DS: +589 with AvD: +34 + d100 roll: +17 = -153
A clean miss.
>

>.snap
[Script snap is running, Esc to cancel, Shift-Esc to pause]
>prep 512
>cast
[script done]
You intone a phrase of elemental power while raising your hands, invoking Cold Snap...
Your spell is ready.
>
You gesture.
An airy mist rolls into the area, carrying a harsh chill with it.
CS: +485 - TD: +432 + CvA: +25 + d100: +97 == +175
Warding failed!
The mist builds upon the existing thick block of ice, expanding it to cover a war griffin's entire body, trapping it in an icy tomb.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>

>.cwater griff
[Script cwater is running, Esc to cancel, Shift-Esc to pause]
>prep 903
>stance advance
Your hands glow with power as you invoke the phrase for Minor Water...
Your spell is ready.
>channel griff
[script done]
You are now in an advancing stance.
>
You channel at a war griffin.
You hurl a stream of water at a war griffin, but it freezes just before impact. Carefully, you summon the chunk of ice back to your hand...
You hurl a chunk of ice at a war griffin!
Fiery energy from your mage armor weaves itself into your spell, strengthening it!
AS: +464 vs DS: +215 with AvD: +29 + d100 roll: +19 = +297
... and hit for 127 points of damage!
Every bone in the right arm shattered and scattered about!
The war griffin screeches loudly as it cradles its mangled right front leg!
The scintillating silver light surrounding the runestaff fades some.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R>
A war griffin regains its composure and begins moving again.
R>.cwater griff
[Script cwater is running, Esc to cancel, Shift-Esc to pause]
>prep 903
>stance advance
>channel griff
[script done]
Your hands glow with power as you invoke the phrase for Minor Water...
Your spell is ready.
>
You are now in an advancing stance.
>
You channel at a war griffin.
You hurl a stream of water at a war griffin, but it freezes just before impact. Carefully, you summon the chunk of ice back to your hand...
You hurl a chunk of ice at a war griffin!
Fiery energy from your mage armor weaves itself into your spell, strengthening it!
AS: +469 vs DS: +206 with AvD: +29 + d100 roll: +71 = +363
... and hit for 156 points of damage!
Blow to leg severs the Achilles tendon along with the rest of the leg!
Powerful blow shatters a war griffin's frozen left leg, causing 200 points of damage! ----- 50% chance on channel
The war griffin writhes in agony, its wings flapping fruitlessly as it dies.
The block of ice encasing a war griffin melts away.
The scintillating silver light surrounding the runestaff fades some.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
Roundtime: 3 sec.

[Winter]

512 will also work on greater constructs and keep them out of your hair but you need to target something else for it to work. I'm not sure if this is a bug but this tactic will work on other monsters immune to ewave and bind spells, I've reported it 4 times since the 512 revamp was released so I assume it's a feature.


edit- Here's the macro I use for 518 minor ice \xincant 518 cold \r if I want to drench everything first with minor water I use \xincant 518 water \r