Originally posted by Venkor on Jan 18, 2008:
Patriarch Venkor
"All who oppose me... beware..."
As a young necromancer, Venkor was poor and a little slow. His minions weren't very strong, and he often had problems dealing with the annoyance of the constant nagging from townsfolk for "help". Luckily, his own motives coincidentally led him along the same path as the tasks that the townsfolk begged of him.
Lucky for the townsfolk... for now.
As he saw it, they were all doomed either way, they just didn't know it yet. But he wouldn't trouble them with such thoughts; their tiny minds wouldn't fully understand in any case. So, without hesitation, he completed the futile tasks, confident that they would eventually lead him to his ultimate goal.
Certainly his skill and power developed quickly. He almost enjoyed it all, in particular his multiple encounters with Blood Raven and Radament. He thought of them as pathetic competition, the type that keep coming back no matter how many times you pierce their bodies with the exploding bones from their own creations. No matter, he was happy to put them in their place time and again.
As Venkor crept up the ladder of ultimate power, his mind wandered to the future. As he saw it, he would need immense wealth to reach his goal. The upkeep of throne rooms had to be steep indeed, he mused. The answer to this problem of finance was simple; he knew the powerful Mephisto would have nearly limitless treasure.
And he planned to take it.
Several weeks later, after the siege of the Durance of Hate had started to bore him, he knew it was time to move on. His "coffers" were nearly full, and it was time to set his sights on the mountains.
In the coming days, Venkor would be tested to his limits. No trial he had faced before would measure up to the pain and hardship he faced in those days. Several times he found himself in Harrogath, bloody and unsure of how he had arrived there, with only faint memories of spells and steel flying at him as his minions lay crushed at his feet. He was becoming uncertain of himself. Could he reach his goal? It seemed almost impossible now...
Did he ever achieve his ultimate goal? Perhaps no one will ever know for sure. Unless, of course, they find themselves in "Baal's" throne room, standing before an army of skeletal warriors led by a bone-clad warlock...
"Baal... never doubt my skills."
Patriarch Venkor
Level 88 Necromancer
Base Statistics
116 Strength
145 Dexterity
109 Vitality
25 Energy
135 Remaining Statistic Points
Skills
Summoning Tree
20 Raise Skeleton
20 Skeleton Mastery
1 Clay Golem
1 Golem Mastery
1 Raise Skeletal Mage
1 Blood Golem
1 Iron Golem
1 Summon Resist
1 Revive
Poison and Bone Tree
1 Teeth
1 Corpse Explosion
Curses Tree
1 Amplify Damage
1 Weaken
1 Terror
1 Decrepify
46 Skill Points Remaining
Gear Used on Final Baal Run
Code:
1: Skin of the Vipermagi
Serpentskin Armor
Defense: 279
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Strength: 43
Required Level: 29
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 40
Fingerprint: 0x7e1585fa
+120% Enhanced Defense
Magic Damage Reduced by 11
All Resistances +27
30% Faster Cast Rate
+1 to All Skill Levels
2: Homunculus
Hierophant Trophy
'Um'
Defense: 204
Chance to Block: 72%
Smite Damage: 0 to 0
Durability: 20 of 20
(Necromancer Only)
Required Strength: 58
Required Level: 47
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 87
Fingerprint: 0xf55ab889
+20 to Energy
+188% Enhanced Defense
+40% Increased Chance of Blocking
Regenerate Mana 33%
All Resistances +62
+2 to Necromancer Skill Levels
30% Faster Block Rate
+5 to Mana After Each Kill
+2 to Curses (Necromancer Only)
Socketed (1: 1 used)
Um Rune
Inserted into a Hierophant Trophy
All Resistances +22
Required Level: 47
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
3: Harlequin Crest
Shako
Defense: 136
Durability: 12 of 12
Required Strength: 50
Required Level: 62
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 87
Fingerprint: 0xb5a1ed37
+2 to Strength
+2 to Energy
+2 to Dexterity
+2 to Vitality
Damage Reduced by 10%
50% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
+2 to All Skill Levels
+1 to Life (Based on Character Level)
+1 to Mana (Based on Character Level)
Socketed (1: 0 used)
4: Seraph's Hymn
Amulet
Required Level: 65
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 75
Fingerprint: 0x6c0fd8b3
+2 to Light Radius
39% Damage to Demons
30% Damage to Undead
+250 to Attack Rating against Demons
+170 to Attack Rating against Undead
+2 to All Skill Levels
+1 to Defensive Aura Skills (Paladin Only)
5: Spirit
Dimensional Blade
'TalThulOrtAmn'
One-Hand Damage: 13 to 35
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Dexterity: 60
Required Strength: 85
Required Level: 25
Sword Class - Normal Attack Speed
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 50
Fingerprint: 0xdf083049
+22 to Vitality
+99 to Mana
+250 Defense vs. Missile
Adds 1-50 lightning damage
Adds 3-14 cold damage over 3 seconds
+75 poison damage over 5 seconds
7% Life stolen per hit
55% Faster Hit Recovery
28% Faster Cast Rate
+2 to All Skill Levels
+6 Magic Absorb
Socketed (4: 4 used)
Tal Rune
Inserted into a Dimensional Blade
+75 poison damage over 5 seconds
Required Level: 17
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Thul Rune
Inserted into a Dimensional Blade
Adds 3-14 cold damage over 3 seconds
Required Level: 23
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Ort Rune
Inserted into a Dimensional Blade
Adds 1-50 lightning damage
Required Level: 21
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Amn Rune
Inserted into a Dimensional Blade
7% Life stolen per hit
Required Level: 25
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
6: Marrowwalk
Boneweave Boots
Defense: 194
Durability: 16 of 16
Kick Damage: 69 to 118
Required Strength: 118
Required Level: 66
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 87
Fingerprint: 0x74ba375b
+12 to Strength
+17 to Dexterity
+186% Enhanced Defense
Regenerate Mana 10%
Heal Stamina Plus 10%
20% Faster Run/Walk
+2 to Skeleton Mastery (Necromancer Only)
Half Freeze Duration
Level 33 Bone Prison (13/13 Charges)
Level 12 Life Tap (10/10 Charges)
7: Trang-Oul's Claws
Heavy Bracers
Defense: 73
Durability: 16 of 16
Required Strength: 58
Required Level: 45
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 87
Fingerprint: 0xd9329489
+30 Defense
Cold Resist +30%
20% Faster Cast Rate
+2 to Curses (Necromancer Only)
+25% to Poison Skill Damage
8: Raven Frost
Ring
Required Level: 45
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 75
Fingerprint: 0x195fb9ff
+20 to Dexterity
+40 to Mana
+162 to Attack Rating
Adds 15-45 cold damage over 4 seconds
20% Cold Absorb
Cannot Be Frozen
9: Manald Heal
Ring
Required Level: 15
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 59
Fingerprint: 0xce21a5f7
+20 to Life
Regenerate Mana 20%
6% Mana stolen per hit
Replenish Life +8
10: Arachnid Mesh
Spiderweb Sash
Defense: 136
Durability: 12 of 12
Required Strength: 50
Required Level: 80
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 87
Fingerprint: 0xd1d5582d
+116% 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)
Mercenary
Azreal, Level 87 Act 2 Offensive
Equipment: Guillarme's Face, Arioc's Needle, Shaftstop.
Thoughts
This character was a blast right out of the gate. I hadn't played diablo in quite a long time, and the Necromancer was always my favorite in the past. I loosely followed Nightfish's guide as I have in the past, and I took advantage of the guide I hadn't seen before about single-pass early game magic finding. That guide in particular proved a wonderful tool, netting me a naglering and some nice set/unique items in the early levels. Normal mode was mostly a breeze. No normal baddy stood a chance, and the act bosses were all incredibly easy with clay golem and eventually decrepify, although mana was a huge issue in the early going, forcing me to use potion after potion to keep decrep's low duration up.
Finding +skills items was my main goal, and it wasn't easy. I didn't find much of anything in that way until around act 4, when I nabbed a circlet that gave +1 to summoning and some other random stats.
Starting out into nightmare, things were tough. With only a few +skills and a "decent" wand/head combo with some bonuses to Raise Skeleton and Skeleton Mastery, stuff wasn't going down fast enough. Now, in all my past experiences with Necromancers, I had played p8 from Act 1 Normal all the way through to Act 4 Hell, but it wasn't happening this time. Around the middle of act 1 I switched down to p4, and then near the end of the act down to p1.
Moving on to act 2 (The only act that I loath playing through with a necro) I started to lean heavy on my mercenary. The maggot lair was, as usual, a couple of hours of my life I'll never get back. The arcane sanctuary was nearly as bad, especially since no matter which path I take in ANY game, it's always the last one that nets the summoner. But that must just be bad karma.
Act 3 was a breeze, partly due to the help of some forumites with suggestions on some gear. I put together Spirit and Rhyme, which were serious upgrades. I stayed in act 3 for a bit, rushing through the durance to kill Mephisto a few times, which equipped my merc with a sweet spire of honor (not the greatest merc weapon, but so much better than the pitchfork he was using before.)
The rest of nightmare was no problem, and I picked up a Skin of the Vipermagi and some other nice gear, and suddenly things were great and back on p8 (That kinda rhymes!)
Hell was pretty easy early on and up through act 4. No problems with anything except physical immune/stoneskinners and a couple of unbreakables here and there, mostly just slowing me down. I rushed through the first part of act 5 to get my socket quest and the Pindle portal, but then went right back to act 3/act 1 to farm Mephisto, Andariel, and the Countess. (This went on for a couple weeks, and isn't very interesting to talk about. But I did manage to get some great stuff, and MFing was easy with ptopaz armor and helm + rhyme and MF rings/amulets, although it was slower than when I was wearing my questing gear of course. By that time I also had a circlet and a coronet with level 1 teleport/22 charges, and I used them like mad until I ran myself out of gold repairing them, and then things slowed down again
)
Finally, after building up a moderately phat stash of lootz, I figured it was time to get some levels and work through act 5. A few days later I hit the Baal Run stretch, and as scotty said, "There be whales here!".
I think, in total, Venkor took 27 dirtnaps. Most of them were from piercing and elemental and piercing elemental attacks. Unfortunately, my gear only came up to the mid 30%'s for hell resists, and all that stuff hurt bad. It was extra-frustrating, because I dumped a ton of points into dex for max blocking, and physical attacks weren't the problem. Makes me kinda wish I had gone for vitality instead. I do have a ton of points left over, so at least I can dump them in if I decide to do more Baal runs (Although I think I'll stick to the pit!)
The build worked as it's supposed to, of course, like every fishymancer. Once I maxxed out the skeletons though, I just couldn't figure out what to do with the extra points. Golem stuff? I already have a golem that does nothing, I don't really need a golem that has 20 points sunk into mastery etc. that still does nothing. Skeleton mages? They just get in the way and do bad damage. Corpse explosion? Already works like it needs to, point and click and everything dies, minions clear up stragglers. The only option that is mildly possible is to dump the rest into a Poison/Bone skill and its synergy, although it would only provide a mediocre attack. I'll likely dump a point into the rest of the curses tree to unlock the others for utility purposes, but after that it's still up in the air. I'm definately open to suggestions!
All in all, it was a lot of fun, and a lot of nostalgic goodness. I'm looking forward to busting through the game again with a new character, as soon as I'm sure which one I'm hankering to play!
Many thanks to the forum-folk who helped me get my bearings. Made my return to the game a lot easier, and a heck of a lot more fun!