lilMissMolotov - FireBlast / BladeFury matriarch

sirpoopsalot

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May 24, 2005
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lilMissMolotov - FireBlast / BladeFury matriarch

Sorry for the long writeup, but an original idea deserves a proper level of detail, in my opinion.

Introduction:
After a few cookie-cutters recently, it was time to go for something a little more original.

This character definitely succeeded that far, but I messed up in the planning phase. When I was looking at the skill calculator I misread it - it says FireBlast has a "range" of 3.3 yards, not a "radius" of 3.3 yards. As far as I could tell the difference is that instead of the big, beautiful explosion radius that hit entire packs that I was hoping for, "range" means anything targeted beyond that distance gets my grenades in a long, slow arc, while things targeted inside that distance get a straight/quick throw in the face.

Oh well, live & learn (i.e. learn to read :D).


lilMissMolotov
LCS

Skills:
20 (40) Fire Blast
1 (16) Blade Fury
20 Wake of Inferno
20 Wake of Fire
20 Shock Web
4+ Charged Bolt Sentry
1 (8) Fade
1 (8) Weapon Block
1 Cloak of Shadows
1 prereq's


Gear:
Witchhunters Scissors Quhab of Alacrity (+2 DS, +1 MB, +1 BF, socketed with 2x Resists/FHR jewels)
Cunning Scissors Quhab (+1 DS, socketed with 2x Resists/FHR jewels)
Enigma
Harlequin Crest (13 @resists / 8 dex jewel)
crafted amulet (+2 traps, 15 FCR, +19 @resists, stuff)
Clegaw's Pooncers
Gloom's Trap / Arachnid Mesh
Goreriders
Bul-Katho's Wedding Band (5%)
rare ring (20f/10/10/10 @resists, +100 AR, 10 FCR, 6% mana leech)

Switch:
eth Fleshripper (273 ED, +5 max damage)
Lance Guard (PTopaz)

Charms:
7x Entrapping skillers (+37 life, 50 poison damage, stuff)
Shimmering LC of Vita (7/34)
5x Steel SC of Balance/Sustenance
Ruby SC of Balance
Shimmering SC of Str

Merc, Heather, Cold Rogue
Faith
Fortitude
Garnet Circlet of the Locust

Item Readouts:
Sorry, it's not in order; you're going to have to search through the ATMA dump if you want to see something in particular.

Code:
1: Horadric Cube

2: Entrapping Grand Charm of Greed
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 42
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 79
Fingerprint: 0x67e80733
28% Extra Gold from Monsters
+1 to Trap Skills (Assassin Only)

3: Entrapping Grand Charm of Anthrax
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 42
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 85
Fingerprint: 0x3da58071
+50 poison damage over 6 seconds
+1 to Trap Skills (Assassin Only)

4: Entrapping Grand Charm
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 42
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 88
Fingerprint: 0xef348c7d
+1 to Trap Skills (Assassin Only)

5: Entrapping Grand Charm
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 42
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 99
Fingerprint: 0xa459a166
+1 to Trap Skills (Assassin Only)

6: Entrapping Grand Charm
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 42
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 99
Fingerprint: 0x8bcd0dd5
+1 to Trap Skills (Assassin Only)

7: Entrapping Grand Charm
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 42
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 53
Fingerprint: 0xb1eea5a5
+1 to Trap Skills (Assassin Only)

8: Shimmering Small Charm of Strength
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 25
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 79
Fingerprint: 0x63a10878
+2 to Strength
All Resistances +5

9: Flawless Skull
Can be Inserted into Socketed Items

Weapons: 3% Life stolen per hit, 3% Mana stolen per hit
Helms: Regenerate Mana 12%, Replenish Life +4
Armor: Regenerate Mana 12%, Replenish Life +4
Shields: Attacker Takes Damage of 16

Required Level: 15
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion

10: Entrapping Grand Charm of Vita
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 69
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 99
Fingerprint: 0xb029a590
+37 to Life
+1 to Trap Skills (Assassin Only)

11: Shimmering Large Charm of Vita
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 66
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 85
Fingerprint: 0xaec818fe
+34 to Life
All Resistances +7

12: Flawless Ruby
Can be Inserted into Socketed Items

Weapons: Adds 10-16 fire damage
Helms: +31 to Life
Armor: +31 to Life
Shields: Fire Resist +28%

Required Level: 15
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion

13: Ruby Small Charm of Balance
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 32
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 80
Fingerprint: 0x46ab3f3d
Fire Resist +11%
5% Faster Hit Recovery

14: Steel Small Charm of Balance
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 49
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 80
Fingerprint: 0x522d5964
+36 to Attack Rating
5% Faster Hit Recovery

15: Steel Small Charm of Balance
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 49
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 86
Fingerprint: 0x7fe58822
+33 to Attack Rating
5% Faster Hit Recovery

16: Steel Small Charm of Balance
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 49
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 81
Fingerprint: 0x263dfb4
+33 to Attack Rating
5% Faster Hit Recovery

17: Steel Small Charm of Sustenance
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 49
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 88
Fingerprint: 0x494b8105
+12 to Life
+29 to Attack Rating

18: Steel Small Charm of Anthrax
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 49
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 81
Fingerprint: 0x2e720b86
+34 to Attack Rating
+50 poison damage over 6 seconds

19: Flawless Skull
Can be Inserted into Socketed Items

Weapons: 3% Life stolen per hit, 3% Mana stolen per hit
Helms: Regenerate Mana 12%, Replenish Life +4
Armor: Regenerate Mana 12%, Replenish Life +4
Shields: Attacker Takes Damage of 16

Required Level: 15
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion

20: Flawless Emerald
Can be Inserted into Socketed Items

Weapons: +59 poison damage over 6 seconds
Helms: +8 to Dexterity
Armor: +8 to Dexterity
Shields: Poison Resist +28%

Required Level: 15
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion

21: Flawless Emerald
Can be Inserted into Socketed Items

Weapons: +59 poison damage over 6 seconds
Helms: +8 to Dexterity
Armor: +8 to Dexterity
Shields: Poison Resist +28%

Required Level: 15
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion

22: Flawless Topaz
Can be Inserted into Socketed Items

Weapons: Adds 1-30 lightning damage
Helms: 20% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Armor: 20% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: Lightning Resist +28%

Required Level: 15
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion

23: Flawless Amethyst
Can be Inserted into Socketed Items

Weapons: +100 to Attack Rating
Helms: +8 to Strength
Armor: +8 to Strength
Shields: +24 Defense

Required Level: 15
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion

24: Flawless Sapphire
Can be Inserted into Socketed Items

Weapons: Adds 6-10 cold damage over 2 seconds
Helms: +31 to Mana
Armor: +31 to Mana
Shields: Cold Resist +28%

Required Level: 15
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion

25: Harlequin Crest
Shako
Defense: 130
Durability: 12 of 12
Required Strength: 50
Required Level: 62
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 87
Fingerprint: 0xf56c161f
+2 to Strength
+2 to Energy
+10 to Dexterity
+2 to Vitality
Damage Reduced by 10%
All Resistances +13
50% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
+2 to All Skill Levels
+121 to Life (Based on Character Level)
+121 to Mana (Based on Character Level)
Socketed (1: 1 used)

Scintillating Jewel of Daring
Required Level: 28
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 85
Fingerprint: 0xf3c9ca5b
+8 to Dexterity
All Resistances +13

26: Corruption Clasp
Amulet
Required Level: 53
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 94
Fingerprint: 0xe42275b4
+13 to Mana
+1 to Maximum Damage
Regenerate Mana 10%
All Resistances +19
15% Faster Cast Rate
+2 to Trap Skills (Assassin Only)

27: Enigma
Light Plate
'JahIthBer'
Defense: 880
Durability: 60 of 60
Required Strength: 41
Required Level: 65
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 80
Fingerprint: 0xc0fb9fd0
+773 Defense
Damage Reduced by 8%
Increase Maximum Life 5%
+14 Life after each Kill
45% Faster Run/Walk
+1 to Teleport
15% Damage Taken Goes to Mana
+2 to All Skill Levels
+60 to Strength (Based on Character Level)
81% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items (Based on Character Level)
Socketed (3: 3 used)

Jah Rune
Inserted into a Light Plate

Increase Maximum Life 5%

Required Level: 65
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion

Ith Rune
Inserted into a Light Plate

15% Damage Taken Goes to Mana

Required Level: 15
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion

Ber Rune
Inserted into a Light Plate

Damage Reduced by 8%

Required Level: 63
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion

28: Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band
Ring
Required Level: 58
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 86
Fingerprint: 0xa7a85a52
+50 to Maximum Stamina
5% Life stolen per hit
+1 to All Skill Levels
+40 to Life (Based on Character Level)

29: Dread Touch
Ring
Required Level: 74
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 90
Fingerprint: 0x3b0e8889
+100 to Attack Rating
Fire Resist +20%
Lightning Resist +10%
Cold Resist +10%
Poison Resist +10%
6% Mana stolen per hit
10% Faster Cast Rate

30: Gore Rider
War Boots
Defense: 155
Durability: 34 of 34
Kick Damage: 39 to 80
Required Strength: 94
Required Level: 47
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 82
Fingerprint: 0xb6f702d8
+20 to Maximum Stamina
+188% Enhanced Defense
+10 Maximum Durability
Requirements -25%
30% Faster Run/Walk
10% Chance of Open Wounds
15% Chance of Crushing Blow
15% Deadly Strike

31: Cleglaw's Pincers
Chain Gloves
Defense: 8
Durability: 16 of 16
Required Strength: 25
Required Level: 4
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 87
Fingerprint: 0xfe6b3cba
Knockback
Slows Target by 25%

***Partial Set Item Bonuses***
+810 to Attack Rating (Based on Character Level)
***Partial Set Item Bonuses***


32: Gloom's Trap
Mesh Belt
Defense: 100
Durability: 16 of 16
Required Strength: 58
Required Level: 36
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 87
Fingerprint: 0x1ddf224f
+15 to Vitality
+146% Enhanced Defense
Regenerate Mana 15%
5% Mana stolen per hit
Increase Maximum Mana 15%
-3 to Light Radius

33: Full Rejuvenation Potion
Heals 100% Life and Mana

34: Flawless Amethyst
Can be Inserted into Socketed Items

Weapons: +100 to Attack Rating
Helms: +8 to Strength
Armor: +8 to Strength
Shields: +24 Defense

Required Level: 15
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion

35: Fleshripper
Fanged Knife
One-Hand Damage: 82 to 322
Durability: 18 of 19
Required Dexterity: 76
Required Strength: 32
Required Level: 68
Dagger Class - Fast Attack Speed
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 86
Fingerprint: 0x65a6f9a2
+273% Enhanced Damage
+5 to Maximum Damage
-50% Target Defense
Prevent Monster Heal
50% Chance of Open Wounds
25% Chance of Crushing Blow
33% Deadly Strike
Slows Target by 20%
Ethereal (Cannot be Repaired), Socketed (1: 1 used)

Ruby Jewel of Ire
Required Level: 58
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 80
Fingerprint: 0xb5710618
+37% Enhanced Damage
+5 to Maximum Damage

36: Lance Guard
Barbed Shield
Defense: 158
Chance to Block:  42%
Durability: 55 of 55
Required Strength: 65
Required Level: 35
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 87
Fingerprint: 0x968dae20
+50 to Life
+100% Enhanced Defense
Lightning Resist +40%
Attacker Takes Damage of 47
30% Faster Hit Recovery
15% Damage Taken Goes to Mana
20% Deadly Strike
Socketed (1: 1 used)

Perfect Topaz
Inserted into a Barbed Shield

Lightning Resist +40%

Required Level: 18
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion

37: Arachnid Mesh
Spiderweb Sash
Defense: 133
Durability: 12 of 12
Required Strength: 50
Required Level: 80
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 87
Fingerprint: 0x2b685926
+112% Enhanced Defense
Increase Maximum Mana 5%
20% Faster Cast Rate
+1 to All Skill Levels
Slows Target by 10%
Level 3 Venom (11/11 Charges)

38: Full Rejuvenation Potion
Heals 100% Life and Mana

39: Full Rejuvenation Potion
Heals 100% Life and Mana

40: Full Rejuvenation Potion
Heals 100% Life and Mana

41: Full Rejuvenation Potion
Heals 100% Life and Mana

42: Full Rejuvenation Potion
Heals 100% Life and Mana

43: Full Rejuvenation Potion
Heals 100% Life and Mana

44: Full Rejuvenation Potion
Heals 100% Life and Mana

45: Witch-hunter's Scissors Quhab of Alacrity
One-Hand Damage: 19 to 40
Durability: 68 of 68
(Assassin Only)
Required Dexterity: 70
Required Strength: 70
Required Level: 42
Claw Class - Fast Attack Speed
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 99
Fingerprint: 0x70127de6
+3 to Life
Fire Resist +14%
Lightning Resist +18%
+2 to Assassin Skill Levels
Requirements -15%
20% Increased Attack Speed
14% Faster Hit Recovery
+2 to Death Sentry (Assassin Only)
+1 to Mind Blast (Assassin Only)
+1 to Blade Fury (Assassin Only)
Socketed (2: 2 used)

Garnet Jewel of Truth
Required Level: 36
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 80
Fingerprint: 0x3dc06071
Fire Resist +14%
7% Faster Hit Recovery

Skull Eye
Jewel
Required Level: 36
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 88
Fingerprint: 0x35ebbab2
+3 to Life
Lightning Resist +18%
Requirements -15%
7% Faster Hit Recovery

46: Cunning Scissors Quhab
One-Hand Damage: 19 to 40
Durability: 68 of 68
(Assassin Only)
Required Dexterity: 82
Required Strength: 82
Required Level: 45
Claw Class - Normal Attack Speed
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 99
Fingerprint: 0x4b525cf3
Fire Resist +12%
Lightning Resist +30%
14% Faster Hit Recovery
+1 to Death Sentry (Assassin Only)
+3 to Trap Skills (Assassin Only)
Socketed (2: 2 used)

Ambergris Jewel of Truth
Required Level: 36
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 48
Fingerprint: 0xf6e55f0b
Lightning Resist +30%
7% Faster Hit Recovery

Garnet Jewel of Truth
Required Level: 36
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 80
Fingerprint: 0x6729adf0
Fire Resist +12%
7% Faster Hit Recovery

Mercenary Items : 

1: Fortitude
Archon Plate
'ElSolDolLo'
Defense: 1536
Durability: 58 of 60
Required Strength: 103
Required Level: 63
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 88
Fingerprint: 0x6827259a
+200% Enhanced Defense
+300% Enhanced Damage
+15 Defense
Damage Reduced by 7
Fire Resist +29%
Lightning Resist +29%
+5% to Maximum Lightning Resist
Cold Resist +29%
Poison Resist +29%
Replenish Life +7
+1 to Light Radius
25% Faster Cast Rate
12% Damage Taken Goes to Mana
20% Chance to cast Level 15 Chilling Armor when struck
+121 to Life (Based on Character Level)
Socketed (4: 4 used)

El Rune
Inserted into a Archon Plate

+15 Defense
+1 to Light Radius

Required Level: 11
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion

Sol Rune
Inserted into a Archon Plate

Damage Reduced by 7

Required Level: 27
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion

Dol Rune
Inserted into a Archon Plate

Replenish Life +7

Required Level: 31
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion

Lo Rune
Inserted into a Archon Plate

+5% to Maximum Lightning Resist

Required Level: 59
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion

2: Garnet Circlet of the Locust
Defense: 30
Durability: 35 of 35
Required Level: 35
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 90
Fingerprint: 0xbff4144c
Fire Resist +29%
5% Life stolen per hit
13% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
30% Increased Attack Speed
Socketed (2: 2 used)

Emerald Jewel of Fervor
Required Level: 31
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 80
Fingerprint: 0x6c04c984
7% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
15% Increased Attack Speed

Emerald Jewel of Fervor
Required Level: 31
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 80
Fingerprint: 0x8322a438
6% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
15% Increased Attack Speed

3: Faith
Crusader Bow
'OhmJahLemEld'
Two-Hand Damage: 64 to 270
Required Dexterity: 121
Required Strength: 97
Required Level: 65
Bow Class - Slow Attack Speed
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 88
Fingerprint: 0x1f6b0f21
+330% Enhanced Damage
All Resistances +15
+120 fire damage
75% Extra Gold from Monsters
Ignore Target Defense
300% Bonus to Attack Rating
75% Damage to Undead
+50 to Attack Rating against Undead
+1 to All Skill Levels
Level 12 Fanaticism Aura When Equipped
10% Reanimate As: Returned
Socketed (4: 4 used)

Ohm Rune
Inserted into a Crusader Bow

+50% Enhanced Damage

Required Level: 57
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion

Jah Rune
Inserted into a Crusader Bow

Ignore Target Defense

Required Level: 65
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion

Lem Rune
Inserted into a Crusader Bow

75% Extra Gold from Monsters

Required Level: 43
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion

Eld Rune
Inserted into a Crusader Bow

75% Damage to Undead
+50 to Attack Rating against Undead

Required Level: 11
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion


Finds:
Hellforge: Lem/Mal = pretty decent
Um rune (from a Flayed One, on /players1. Roughly 1:1million odds)
... that's about it.


Notes:
1. It worked! Although the going was a little slow, I'm convinced that with MindBlast and CloakOfShadows any assassin is viable as long as you can out-damage your opponents health regeneration. But Fireblast was still a capable-enough killer on /players1, and BladeFury was tolerable too (despite my equipment's primary emphasis on casting-traps boosts).

2. Look Ma, no tanks! Neither the assassin nor the rogue was designed with melee in mind. The only time I had tanks was when MindBlast would convert a monster or when the rogue's bow would reanimate a corpse. Which, in all honesty, was quite often (and always appreciated). :D

3. Speaking of the rogue, this is the first time I've tried the cold variety. I noticed her arrows travel a shorter distance than the fire rogues' a few times, but it wasn't enough to be a problem very often - and if it was a problem, I had teleport to help. :wink:

4. Also speaking of the rogue, after I'd planned 99% of my gear, it became clear that there were 3 things I wanted more of on the build. The cold rogue with Faith solved all three rather nicely: :)
a) a backup element for the Fire & Physical Immunes that I couldn't damage well
b) more IAS for helping my trap-laying speed
c) more AR for helping my bladefury hit

5. She was played as a Fire Blast assassin from about level ~25 forwards. There were only four times where I allowed myself to use anything other than my 5 primary skills (Fire Blast, Blade Fury, MindBlast, Teleport, and Cloak of Shadows).
a) doing a few levelup runs in Normal to get to 42 before going to NM
b) doing a few levelup runs in Nightmare to get the last push to 65 (Enigma & Faith)
c) during corpse retrieval (more on this in a sec)
d) fighting the ancients in hell (ditto)

6. My initial plan was to get to level80 against Mausoleum runs, so I'd have Arachnid's Mesh for most of the journey through hell. But once I got to hell (just before level74) I started to get a little bored with the character, and the extra mana leech on GloomsTrap was appreciated anyways. I must've drank ~500 blue potions with this character, with almost half of them being drunk during the last ~8 areas of Act5 Hell after I'd switched to the Arachnid's Mesh.

The Arach.Mesh did have +1 skill (more damage) and some FCR to help my teleport speed though, which is why I planned on it from the start.

7. Teleport wasn't exactly necessary, but it was a nice compliment at certain times. Mostly it was good for bringing the rogue to the forefront (since her power was about twice as good as mine), or for getting a little more space after Mindblast had converted a foe into a tank for me.

8. It was hard to tell how big the radius of FireBlast's explosion is. Sometimes it would seem to hit monsters that were fairly spread out, while other times it seemed to miss them when they were pretty close together.


Living on the Edge:
A couple of 'events' felt pretty epic, so I'll relate them here.

I had surprisingly few deaths through the game. Only 2, actually. Once in Act2 Hell (Maggot Lair) to a CE/LE/Conviction Beetle (the bolts that came off of him every time he got hit really, really hurt). However, the other death was noteworthy.

Relying on teleport did burn me - when I'd died and couldn't teleport to where my corpse was and was left naked with a largely unexplored and uncleared map. When I got to the Glacial Trail in hell the map had a bunch of gaps, so I jumped over the gaps sticking to the edge. Here's the screenshot of the map after I'd died - my corpse was near the edge where the explored portion ends.

I had missed a few waypoints and at the rate she progressed (and consumed mana) a Save & Exit would've been pure pain (and cheesy). Plus the monster spawn (up to that point) had been very favourable (few FI's, and the ones that were FI were wimps, most things could be leeched with BladeFury, no real dangerous monster types, etc.), so I was reluctant to do it over again.

One other point to keep in consideration here is the build design. No tanking, no hard-points in Mindblast for crowd control, and weak attacks. So I was in a bit of a pickle when it came to my available resources for corpse retrieval. Basically it was my fire skills and my rogue and my ability to run like hell. Fireblast and the rogue weren't fast enough of killers to really be anything safe, which left 'run like hell' - but I knew there was no way I'd pull that off.

So instead, it was back to the drawing board. Enter Wake of Fire. Not extremely powerful, but ~3 traps together put out a decent amount of fire damage, and it's a 'passive' source of damage (meaning I could focus on safety). So I tried it.

It went pretty well until the Extra Fast pack of Abominable's managed to kill Heather. That left me only two options: try and tank them naked, or run like hell. Guess which one I chose ( link). They chased me through 1/2 of the area. Literally. That screenshot was taken when I was ~70% of the way 'home', and was probably the biggest gap I managed to make along the way (we had almost identical footspeed).

However, I did manage to get back up to the Crystaline Passage without getting killed, and after resurrecting Heather she was just enough of a tank the 2nd time that my WoF traps were able to take out the pack. Eventually we worked back and retrieved my corpse.

I can't ever remember being chased by a monster for 1/5th that distance before. It was nerve-wracking, but considering how an oversight in my build-planning almost completely screwed me (after all of the time I spent planning this build down to a 'T'), it was funny at the same time.


The other 'incident' was the battle against the Ancients.

The thrower was Extra Strong + Manaburn, the whirler was Fanat + ExtraFast, and the Leaper was Extra-strong + Holy Freeze. The lack of a 'cursed' mod or dual-immunities seemed pretty fortuitous at first, but if you look at those mods in combo, you can probably see some potential for getting stuck in between a rock and a hard place. I could've rerolled, but I'm stubborn and decided to give it a try.

Once the battle started it became apparent that fighting more than one at a time was a very bad idea. Especially with the Fanat. + ExtraFast + HolyFreeze aura and no one to tank for my side (and the potential to loose my main escape mechanism in teleport from one stray axe). So I managed to eventually separate out the thrower first (I don't know how we got away from the whirler, but we did). The thrower went down very simply with me hiding behind a pillar & lobbing FireBlast & feeding the merc potions, and with the the merc providing the tanking and most of the damage.

Next up to be separated was the whirler. He hurt quite a bit, but with Blade Fury (he's FI) and the merc, we were able to take him down without major incident (while drinking a lot of potions).

Finally was the leaper. The rogue & I managed to pluck away at him, but BladeFury and FireBlast were mostly useless, so the merc did the majority of the damage. We got him to about ~25% life when I disastrously hit the wrong potion row on the belt and fed my merc a mana potion instead of a rejuv. That was the end of Heather for that battle.

Now at this point I do not want to restart the battle, but my trap speed is now silly-slow with FireBlast (like ~30-frames-per-attack slow when under Holy Freeze). I tried pot-shotting from a distance, but that didn't work (his movement was too unpredictable to hit often, and I didn't have the mana to keep it up for long). I tried tanking long enough to get a few FB's in that way, but it also failed and I burned a few healing potions. Next attempt was BladeFury, but that also couldn't do near enough damage to finish him any time before the new year. And I was quickly running out of healing potions. :nervous:

I retreated to take inventory of my remaining options & resources. Basically it was ~12 blue potions, and 1 purple potion and almost all of my skillpoints tied into skills like Fireblast, Shockweb, Wake of Inferno and Wake of Fire... in other words, I wasn't exactly in a position of strength.

After consideration I decided to compromise my FireBlast/BladeFury ideals and lay down a few Wake of Fire traps (afterall, I did spend all of those points in the fire traps, so I should be allowed to use them when under duress). It took about half of my remaining blue potions, but by running around in circles and laying WoF traps eventually I managed to finish Korlic off (I think he just got tired of chasing me).


What would I change in the build?
- Without a doubt, a hard point should be spent in Mindblast. Switching to my claw-weapons to cast it when attacking with Blade Fury was tedious, the omission almost killed me in the Glacial Trail, and it was only good for one extra synergy point anyways. That decision was like spending $500,000 on a luxury car and being too cheap to buy tires for it. :doh:

- My desire to stick with my FireBlast & BladeFury skills almost exclusively was unnecessary. The fire traps do well enough (certainly not overpowered though), and they're far from cookie-cutter skills in their own right.

- Obviously Death Sentry could've been used, even as a one-point wonder. I wanted it as an option (hence the claws I chose), but it was never necessary. It would've sped things up considerably though.

- In reality, a tanking/Insight merc is a much better fit for the idea. You'd have to rethink a few things (backup attack for FI/PI monsters?), but a good place would be Treachery > Enigma (IAS for trap-laying speed) and more in the lightning skill synergies would make a lot more sense.

- In fact, a traditional trapper with FireBlast as the backup attack makes the most sense. But this way is sexier.


Overall:
I'm glad I did it, but I'm glad it's done too. :D

4k fire damage from FireBlast is a definitely lower than I'm used to for most other characters, but it's still adequate. And having tried Blade Fury twice (once fully charged up, this time as a one-pointer / minimal investment) it's definitely got some merit for opening up several build ideas.
 
Re: lilMissMolotov - FireBlast / BladeFury matriarch

Hey, congrats.Nice mat there.
Just a question out of curiosity, what was your B.fury damage, I mean I was in an assumption that venom maxed is a must to make a BF viable(sorry this assumption was too noobish, I have never played an assassin before),fanat should certainly have made a difference though.
Grats on your Mat once again :)
 
Re: lilMissMolotov - FireBlast / BladeFury matriarch

That's certainly impressive, masterfully done.

@Viridia, no venom is a crap skill. and BF 3/4 damage of everything, so even you max venom and have some nice +skill, it still does crap damages. I maxed this skill when I was building my BFsin, but it wasn't doing much damage (it helps, but don't count on it). If I rebuild her, I'd not put a single point there.
 
Re: lilMissMolotov - FireBlast / BladeFury matriarch

@Viridia,
Like DM said, Venom isn't really anything special. The reason Venom is so popular with BF assassins is because 99% of the time you've got nowhere better to spend those skillpoints (in my case I had lots of synergies to choose over Venom). But even when max'ed the damage Venom adds is pretty unnoticeable overall (for PvM at least - PvP might be a different story, but I doubt it). :p

As for what my BF damage was, I have no idea. Through most of hell I could use it to kill 2 or 3 monsters while Mindblast had converted an enemy into a tank (the merc could usually take out 3-4 on her own in that timeframe). Then by the time the monster was unconverted 75-90% of the pack would be dead, so I'd just get another stun or two out of Mindblast and finish them off.

It wasn't fast, but it was adequate.
 
Re: lilMissMolotov - FireBlast / BladeFury matriarch

Very nice character, with an excellent writeup. Love the name, makes me picture her sauntering into a room of baddies and asking "Anybody want cocktails?"

Congrats, and good luck on your next project.
 
Re: lilMissMolotov - FireBlast / BladeFury matriarch

Just wanted to give some "props" for quite an interesting build idea. It seems like you managed to find a pretty good balance in your equipment for two rather different attacks. The lance guard is a nice touch. :thumbup:
 
Re: lilMissMolotov - FireBlast / BladeFury matriarch

Gratz on the Mat!

I think I probably would of gone insane trying to mat an assasin with that skill set.
 
Re: lilMissMolotov - FireBlast / BladeFury matriarch

I like this character. A lot.

I think I'll probably use this as an excuse for doing yet another BF-sin.

Congratulations.
 
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