Bone Armour Questions and a Couple Build Ideas

[Niniux]

Bone Armour Questions and a Couple Build Ideas

Okay, I'm a bit of a fan of eccentric builds and I have two build ideas that I'd like to find out if they're viable. First, is the Meleemancer that I've made another post about. My questions regarding Bone Armour are for him.

1) Does Bone Armour absorb 100% of the Physical Damage monsters deal? Is this only in Melee?

2) Does %DR apply before or after Bone Armour?

3) Does Blocking apply before or after Bone Armour?

Additional questions for the build:

How exactly does Absorb for the elements work?

What kind of equipment could I put on the character to maximize his resists to past 75% that doesn't include the Armour piece of gear?

Basically, I'm looking to equip him so that Bone Armour handles everything when he gets bashed and the rest of his equipment handles any elemental damage he recieves.

Priority in mods probably go something like:

+Max Resist/+Resist/Absorb
FHR, FBR, Block Chance
IAS
AR

I want to see if I can make him a tanking machine as an Enchantress and a somewhat decent weapon/his curses and corpse explosion will take care of killing.

Preference goes for cheaper items but I'd also like to know best gear overall.


The second idea I had for a character is a "Sorcerer".

Basically, I would like to play like a Sorc but with a male character model. Impossible you say? I just say inpractical. I'm looking at using all or most of Trang's set (Would prefer NOT the whole set, not sure if not having Fire Mastery will be a huge loss). He would be a bone necro (Or poison) with ability to do damage with his Fire skills as well. I guess I'd need to emphasize +skills over +necro skills. With Fire Facets and some +Fire skills, how viable could I get? I'm not looking for the next best build, but I'm looking for something that could be Hell Viable, at least with a partner.

 

[nicro tower]

Re: Bone Armour Questions and a Couple Build Ideas

1.Bone armor absorbs 100% unless they deal more damage than your bone armor can absorb.

2. I'm pretty sure it's after.

3. Blocking applies before.

 

[lumpor]

Re: Bone Armour Questions and a Couple Build Ideas

Bone armor absorbs all, and comes before resists (although that doesn't matter for bone armor, but fyi resists come after cyclone armor. It also comes before both integer damage reduction and percentual damage reduction. The only thing that comes before it is energy shield, and things that weaken the monster attack itself, like decreptify or taunt. Blocking doesn't reduce, it negates, so therefore it's first.

Basically, you want to max bone wall and bone prison. The armor will come from a ctc, so points there aren't needed.

Then, to get elemental immunity, you'll have to max your resists, and get integer (non-percentual) absorb. Hellmouth, ravenfrost and thundergods vigor just to name a few sources. Poison will still be a problem, but a circlet of defiance and poison resist can almost negate it.

I recommend the bone runeword as armor to auto-refresh your armor. Then thundergods vigor, dual raven and hellmouth. Allow charms to fix your resistance, since you will only focus on defence so no skillers are needed.

Magic damage reduced by x will also help. You will have to sacrifice ots of offense to even be close to getting the needed amount of these mods.

As for your elemental build: Sorry, already taken.

It's practically known as the elemancer. Maxes fire golem, raise skeletal mage, skeleton mastery, lower resist etc.

Poison/bone spell s for it are not recommended, since it will ruin the elemantalry, and also because you will then use them instead of the fire spells.

 

[Niniux]

Re: Bone Armour Questions and a Couple Build Ideas

Sweet, so according to my quick guess, using the Bone RW for armour (Even though it doesn't have high defense) with Max Block, my Bone Armour should auto-renew all the time unless I'm consistently getting hit for 300+ damage.

 

[Niniux]

Re: Bone Armour Questions and a Couple Build Ideas

Lumpor, you always give fantastic help, thanks. I'll take a look at those items for my melee one. Right now I have a mage summoner that might make a decent elemancer. I was going to pump Golem Mastery for the boss tanking ability but I'll have to look into that build.

 

[lumpor]

Re: Bone Armour Questions and a Couple Build Ideas

Happy to help

I wouldn't recommend more than 1 in golem mastery. Just too many points imo, since you can recast them.

And as an elemancer you have a big choice to make:

1. You get an act 2 merc which wields infinity and you get full trangs for extra firepower, and you also get a hoto or wizardspike for +skills and fcr

2. You wield infinity yourself and get an act 3 cold merc. Your fire spells will take a beating in both damage and casting speed, but you can use an act 3 mage. This option is less effective than number one, but is more of an elemancer, since your merc is a mage too.

3. You wield full trangs and have a cold merc. You won't get an infinity though. This is the cheapest option too.

Basically, one of these must go away:

Fire spell strength
Act 3 merc
Conviction

Oh, and about the invincible build: I just checked and the absorb from ravenfrost was percentual. I've only found 3 sources of integer lightning/cold absorb. That's thundergod's vigor (20 lightning), snowclash (15 cold) and djinn slayer (3-7 lightning). Unfortunately 2 of those are belts (vigor and clash). Even though it may sound better to use snowclash and djinn slayer, to get both, I still think it's better with thundergod's, since lightning is so much more important. Magic damage reduction can take care of the cold

 

[Niniux]

Re: Bone Armour Questions and a Couple Build Ideas

I was thinking of 20 golem mastery just for stronger golems and in case I ever wanted to iron golem an item. Mostly the latter really. It's nice to iron a bonesnap or hwanin armour for crushing blow or static field and just a fun skill in general.

As far as the invincamancer goes, I was thinking a spirit ward would take care of resists really nicely and take care of blocking, leaving all my other slots for things like meeting Ias breakpoints, magic damage reduction, Max resist and damage. I was also looking at that runeword that gives zeal. For ctc, does it count every hit for zeal? Either that weapon or the one that ctc bone spirit.

 

[Niniux]

Re: Bone Armour Questions and a Couple Build Ideas

Oh, and about the invincible build: I just checked and the absorb from ravenfrost was percentual. I've only found 3 sources of integer lightning/cold absorb. That's thundergod's vigor (20 lightning), snowclash (15 cold) and djinn slayer (3-7 lightning). Unfortunately 2 of those are belts (vigor and clash). Even though it may sound better to use snowclash and djinn slayer, to get both, I still think it's better with thundergod's, since lightning is so much more important. Magic damage reduction can take care of the cold

It says on Arreat Summit that Magic Damage Reduction occurs BEFORE resists, whereas Absorb in the form of both integer and percentage. I did some poking around and using these items, you get some pretty decent ability to withstand magic. It would lack in poison resist, but isn't that what antidote potions are for? ;D

It's quite expensive and I wish I could try it out without spending years MFing or throwing $100 of my own into the project. :/

Rings/Ammy
Mara's
Ravenfrost
Blood Crafted Ring or Rare Ring with 40 Cold/Light/Fire Resist (Or we could sub in Wisp Projector)

Helm - Blackhorn's Face
Armour - Bone Runeword
Belt - Thundergod's Vigor
Gloves - Hellmouth
Boots - Infernostride
Shield - Phoenix Runeword Monarch
Weapon - Last Wish Runeword

Charms - Anni and Necro Torch of course. Could stack resist with resist charms as well. Probably a couple Skillers with FHR on them.

I haven't finished calculating all that this build would recieve, but you'd be looking at:

Bone Armour: 710 Damage Absorbed, Procs on average every 10 hits.
Fade: Curse Length Reduced 75%, Resist All +56%, Physical Resist +11%, Duration 4 minutes. Procs on average every 17 hits.
Resists Before Fade (With Anya Quests, on Hell): Fire (100/95[36 Absorbed]), Lightning (85/90 [40 Absorbed]), Cold (70/75)

This means that you'd take:
Get Healed for 22 for the first 1000 Fire Damage (38 damage for first 2000, and 50 for every 1000 after)
20 for the first 1000 Lighning Damage (100 for every 1000 after)
150 for every 1000 Cold Damage

I haven't even begun to start calculating things like his damage, what different procs he has, etc. I'm wondering what I should aim for in Dex in this theoretical build. Max Block is not really an option but some blocking wouldn't hurt. Even blocking just a third of the attacks would ensure that I wouldn't take too much damage before bone armour recast. I mean, I'd have Life Tap proc'ing from Last Wish (which would be a bit annoying but it's the best option for Fade, so I can use my shield for +max resists)

This is before taking into account any sockets for the helm too.

 

[lumpor]

Re: Bone Armour Questions and a Couple Build Ideas

The ctc bone armor from the bone armor is a 15% chance to cast, so it will activated every ~6,67 hits.

Oh, and good job in finding the phoenix runeword. That redemption aura will help you stay alive even more, once your merc kills something. Although goodbye ce

 

[Niniux]

Re: Bone Armour Questions and a Couple Build Ideas

Yeah, with the loss of CE, I'm thinking of focusing on bone skills, with 1 in each curse, 1 in Clay Golem and 1 or 20 in Golem Mastery (For either an Exile or a Beast, remember, I'm rich in this dream, lol). I'd still have 1 in CE that with +skills, would be able to help me in situations where the mob is so big I can start blowing corpses up before Redemption gets them all.

I was looking over Runes and I'd likely Lo the Blackhorn's Face for another +5 Max Lightning Resist.

 

[lumpor]

Re: Bone Armour Questions and a Couple Build Ideas

Yeah, that would more than halve incoming lightning damage. Also, why beast? For your revives? I think exile is better. I think your merc can equip quite much anything, but for the most defensive way maybe a keplie snare? Reapers toll won't help since you can cast decrep yourself

 

[Captaincatharsis]

Re: Bone Armour Questions and a Couple Build Ideas

While I hate to rain on the parade of dreams and fantasies, as I really enjoy this too... exile just won't work. At all. It only works in paladin shields =/ Spirit ward, upped for the defense, is a pretty great alternative though. I find it to be a really good normal unique.

As for using Pheonix, and no corpse explosion, remember that having max bone damage is quite costly, skill point wise. Not to say don't do it, just something to keep in mind. You could also easily make a sweet meleemancer imo, using either a dagger, or just pumping dex with a decent runeword. (for attack bonus).

Just my .02.

ps, I'm new here, although been lurking for a bit. and If either of you have time to read over my Poison Dreammancer thread, I'd greatly appreciate it

 

[lumpor]

Re: Bone Armour Questions and a Couple Build Ideas

I know merc can't equip exile, but an iron golem can be made from one. Sacred targes look like they're made of metal, no?