What do you mean it's not political? Pt Deux [The Back of a Man]

Because my brain works like Aeravor at times, I decided to have a bit of fun with my fellow Asian men. I'll be brutally frank here: I identify myself as both a conservative and pro-justice. Perhaps that's why I enjoy creating characters who don't really identify themselves with machismo instead of the protagonist of Eat, Pray, Love.

Yes, this post will be really brief. That's why I upped these vids 4 teh lolz.*
*Above portion was actually done like 1-2 days ago. Sorry.

I'm a guy and a straight guy...

But it didn't prevent me from creating 4 female characters out of the current 7 characters in my current Neverwinter roster. Due to the nature of Mod 10 (and possibly 10.5 as well), I'll need to focus more on Arylos. Not that I identify him as part of Orden Machismo anyway.

Note: The term seiyi no mikata sounds more like ally of justice instead of superhero if you're to ask me.

Add note: Incidentally, my ideal seiyuu for Arylos is none other than Suwabe "always known as Archer" Junichi.

Total Recall: First impression

It took me quite a fair bit of time thinking over how I should respec Sheallyn Melarn.  During the process of planning what to do, I was forced into a decision. Should I opt for all out offense or more than just a wee bit of defense?

The control wizard's heroic feats are mostly offensive. The reason why I say mostly instead of always lies in one nifty feat: Prestidigitation. On the first glance, it seems like an inferior option compared to Learned Spellcaster (note: apparently, the game turned a totally crap feat in the rulebook into something far more useful). After all, damage bonus based on Intellect is even better, right?

Wrong. If you're running the game as an oppressor or renegade, chances are that you don't really need Prestidigitation. The oppressor is all about keeping opponents away while the renegade tree is more about self-buffing (i.e. the source of survival gameplay). Ultimately, it's far better for you to dump all the points into Learned Spellcaster since that will maximize your dps without the worry of your wizard lasting shorter than any of Taylor "gone (swiftly) in 60 secs" Swift's relationship.

The problem with thaumaturge, however, is that no CC is involved. In other words, you have next to nothing when it comes to defensive options (five stacks of chill is always fun to proc, but only for the oppressor). Buff wise, the thaumaturge is all about increasing the dps (read: Elemental Reinforcement) compared to the renegade's buff-debuff game (read: basically the reason why any renegade spec is the VIP of the party). In other words, you have nothing to keep yourself alive (Critical Power and Reaper's Touch are especially vital on the defensive end since the key is killing stuff asap).

I realized that there are two ways to make your thaumaturge useful. Either you pull off a CC spell in spell mastery mode (best option would be Shard of Endless Avalanche since it gives the opponents plenty of pr0n[e]. I personally find stun/daze to be inferior to pr0n[e]...) or you'll most likely need to use Shield in spell mastery mode. Key thing for thaumaturge lies in surviving long enough to nuke every mob in your way (which btw also makes this the best CW tree for dueling and solo boss kill). So unlike the oppressor or renegade, your thaumaturge most likely would need a Shield somewhere. Interestingly enough, I just experimented with Sudden Storm slotted into spell mastery (read: I maxed out Chilling Control due to its effective synergy with Elemental Reinforcement). First impression doesn't look shabby at all.

Destructive Wizardry is very dodgy. Very damn dodgy like the current crisis called Nov 8th 2016. Firstly, aiming a fully charged Storm Pillar will almost get you a counter-offensive (if you've dealt with any Thayan servitor mob before, you'll know what I'm talking about). By almost, I mean the usage of Feytouched enchantment as the sole exception (nearest thing to Feytouched would be Vorpal, but I'm not exactly a fan of dps lottery in this case). You can try aiming that thing somewhere in between you and the mob, but this requires practice and timing. Up to you...

Frozen Power Transfer is a better option especially if you have Chilling Presence as one of your class features. CC plus damage bonus is always much welcomed for any thaumaturge. As for Far Spell, don't be like me and treat it as surplus. Because it is not. Max this out because as a thaumaturge, you wouldn't want the mob closing in onto you. Alternatively, you can use Reaper's Touch since it's available at tier 1. Not personally recommended though unless you have any of the two oppressor feats listed here:
Severe Reaction; Brisk Transport; Chilling Control [only for spellstorm mage].

Either that or you'll need an effective point blank freeze since Sudden Storm does have a more narrow AoE, Chilling Control or no Chilling Control. And speaking of point blank freeze, please remember to Shield. As always quite obviously.

Another thing to note is that as a thaumaturge, you'll need to play a 3 elemental game instead of just two. Elemental Empowerment is basically the best feat any thaumaturge can get (Assailing Force can be quite dodgy depending on whether you have a single target encounter damage power slotted in). However, it's the presence of Elemental Reinforcement which would define how effective your Elemental Empowerment can get. In other words, it's all about damage stacking. Everyone knows how to do a 2 elemental game, I also know how to do that even though I'm no Korean from the south. Arcane and Ice. To quote Uncle Sim...

My apology to any Mr and Mrs Sim since I happen to know a few.
Not the least that Mr and Mrs Sim from the DDR of SGH.

I'll have to be brutally frank here. To use a thaumaturge as a master of flame is never a case of "so simple!", but rather a case of "so super simple!"

The reason why being that Smolder is never a class feature, but rather a class mechanic. Just execute Scorching Burst and watch those Thayan bastards burn.

In fact, I won't be surprised if a MoFo thaumaturge is easier to use compared to a SM (don't get the wrong idea pls) thaumaturge. Just remember to spam Magic Missile since I'm sure damage from Arcane Mastery also takes into account damage over time. Either that or you can call me a liar since I don't think like a numbers cruncher.

Note: There's a key difference between the master of flame and spellstorm mage when it comes to the thaumaturge. In solo PvE, the former has a better survival game due to a more effective AoE game. In team tactics however, it's no longer just about you. That's where the other members of your party will capitalize on the debuff aspect instead of the dps part. For spellstorm thaumaturge, it's basically less AoE and pure dps. Not so simple to use in solo PvE, but absurdly effective in team tactics.

Add note: After going through various combinations in my brain like a certain Catalan Comandant and a certain Teutonic Generalfeldmarschall, I realized how absurdly versatile the master of flame can be in terms of setup strategy.

More add note: Eye of the Storm can be both fun to use and frustrating at the same time. Will always proc every 60 secs so long you trigger it via any encounter power. Which makes Shield Pulse much more useful as a lifesaver than you otherwise think. Just remember to be an intelligent risk taker like yours truly, not some idiotic risk spammer like Heather Chua. However, I still have this nagging feeling that it makes the critical hit stat somewhat redundant...

Current build: Mistress of the Storm (Sheallyn Melarn)

Encounter:
Ray of Enfeeblement; Conduit of Ice; Shield; Sudden Storm (spell mastery)
At-will:
Magic Missile; Chilling Cloud
Class features:
Eye of the Storm; Chilling Presence
Daily:
Oppressive Force; Ice Knife

Back of a Man

Because I'm now officially taking a part-time creative writing course via Coursera, I'll need to cut down my gaming/blogging time. Hence, my blog posts will be much shorter than usual (and that includes my tactical analysis on Man City for my beloved Boro). At the same time, I see this as a good opportunity to discipline myself. After all, my beautiful legal housebreaker is waiting for her knight errant to take her off the shelf (read: still officially single, but technically taken). *shrugs*

And yeah, that part-time course is being done from the comfort of my own home. Because the course has already started (i.e. Oct 31), it means I'll be racing against time at least until the end of this week.

So to warm myself up, I present you a short draft.

Note: Title is basically taken off a particular chapter of the Rurouni Kenshin manga.

["Hey, Shea... Shea!"

Shaking her head gently, Lewynn shook her drow companion from her mental slumber. Something wasn't right with the Harper wizard, Robillard even went one step further by suggesting some sort of vengeance being meted out by the Spider Queen. After all, Lolth was one never to forgive, let alone forget.

"Sorr... sorry, Deudermont," sighed Sheallyn Melarn.

"The fact that you addressed me by my old man's last name proves one thing," huffed the attractive half-elf, frustration chewing on her lower lip, "You're always that happy-go-lucky one out of us three. What happened?"

"Did Robillard tell you something?" questioned Cyrea, the sun elf's eyes reflecting the setting sun.

"If he does, we'll need to sit down and talk. That is, I'm going to talk and he's going to listen," replied Lewynn, her feet placed on top of the table much to Cyrea's slight disapproval, "He's the best wizard my old man had recruited, but he can be terribly dense at times when it comes to words."

"Will he listen?" smiled a rueful Sheallyn, "Last time you did that, Cyrea had to talk some sense into him. Tymora be praised that it's a successful try."

"Only because our beautiful friend forever has a cousin named Respen Durothil," waved the captain of Sea Sprite in a dismissive manner, her features betrayed nothing but disdain, "He reminds me too much of a Harpell and I don't like those insane geniuses from Longsaddle."

"You mean Harkle Harpell?" asked Cyrea, her teasing tone invoking ire from Lewynn Hawkseal-Deudermont and a muffled laugh from Sheallyn.

"Robillard is talking nonsense in case you're wondering whether I've shared a bed with that crazy idiot of a wizard before."

"The bedding did catch fire before, missy."

Despite countless years of being a lich bound by a willing oath, Robillard's abrasive tongue has never wavered once. For a brief moment, the captain and her second-in-command locked themselves into a silent battle of glare and dare.

"I saw a man," answered Sheallyn, her blood red orbs downcast, "In my dream for the past few nights."

"Is he handsome?"

"Lewynn!" protested Cyrea, "Shea isn't joking here."

The half-elf pirate merely shrugged as Robillard remained standing, his arms folded and back leaning against the doorframe.

"He was naked waist up, a wood elf."

Lewynn gave a whistle, her interest piqued.

"Let her continue, missy," Robillard interrupted, "Keep your fantasies to yourself. We're facing dusk anyway."

Oblivious to the resultant bickering involving an undead wizard, a living half-elf, and some talk about getting a Harpell on board, Sheallyn immersed herself into that portrait of sorrow.

His rugged features as he turned around was only average by elven standards, his back disfigured by countless scars.

His right arm was severely burnt, the left holding fast a bloodied dirk.

Untold darkness emanated from a lonely soul, his orbs of amber bereft of emotions.

Standing in the middle of a graveyard, he cut an aloof figure like a wolf without a pack.

Yet, there was an unspoken beauty in him, the beautifully imperfect back of a man beneath a lone banner. She knew unto whom this banner belonged to, for she was part of the Harpers and Elminster Aumar used to be her teacher. It was the same thing she first saw in the graveyard of Neverdeath, the symbol of Kelemvor.]