09-05-2003, 06:46 AM
Alright then, I've got one for you, but I'm going to lace it up with options since you're the one who'll have to play it if you decide to do so.
You've done the melee sorceress, but she gets cute little bonuses like Enchant, and you used Delirium. Now, let's try something a little more interesting.
Basic premise; Melee necro.
Basic bans: No Attract, Confuse, Iron Maiden, Iron Golem, Skeletons, Revives, or Thorns merc. This leaves all other curses, and three golems available, as well as the poison and bone tree. Iron Maiden/Golem/Thorns merc are just to take out cheese. Also note that banned skills are banned from items, too. No Delirium.
Judgment calls on your behalf: I'd allow CE, but I'd suggest a limit between 1-5 points, so it doesn't become your main killer. I would look sidelong at the use of the Crescent Moon runeword. Certainly not before Hell difficulty, and I'd try without it first if possible. While the poison and bone tree is technically unrestricted, but like CE, I'd put a mental cap on skills used for non-melee, non-synergy purposes.
Why is this more challenging than a melee sorceress? Well, first off, no teleport obviously. Secondly, you have NO way of boosting your AR with skills unless you use Poison Dagger. If you can pull this off WITHOUT Poison Dagger, I'll owe you a stiff drink. I'm thinking you'd NEED a Fool's weapon or Blessed Aim merc at that point, though. So far as your criteria...
1: Melee necros, particularly poison dagger, were somewhat popular before the expansion, but poison immunity killed the pure PD build more or less although with some luck or twinking I think the -enemy resistance items and/or Lower Resist could revive it. Either way, I'm pretty sure ANY melee necro would be a new build for 1.1s.
2: I'm thinking you'll be looking at a lot of Bone Prison and Life Tap, here. Terror is also another possibility, and I don't think I've seen any of the three on the realms. And using PD or Poison Explosion would also qualify, I believe.
3: I think this is possible untwinked, but I would think heavily gambling and possibly a break for item farming might be called for to get AR or +life gear. You're not going to get terribly good blocking with necro shields, but you will probably want the poison damage from them, if I'm not mistaken. You can't have both a Defiance merc and a Blessed Aim merc, so you're either going to have lowish defence or AR, so I'm thinking you're going to be relying on high HP and Bone Armour to keep you alive, but then again you might do something clever like slipping Eld runes in a necro shield.
4: This was certainly a viable, if terribly slow build in 1.09. I opted for a Blessed Aim merc, but switched to Holy Freeze once a great rare Fool's Knout came my way. Yes, I cheesed in some Goblin Toe lovin' and went for a bit of CB. I'll be very impressed if you do without.
5: As above, simple skill and cheese restrictions. Whether you use a golem or which you use interests me. I haven't done a 1.1s necro, but in 1.1a, Blood Golem's life-link was one way, and did not damage you, only healed you. If this still holds true, it may be a viable optiom.
6: -grins- Well, we've had a sorcie who wanted to be a baba, and vice versa. How about a Priest of Rathma who thinks Necromancy is creepy after seeing outside cultures but still desires to stop the even creepier Diablo? Not having been trained in actual combat skill, he has to try to make the best of his talents, sticking to the less "creepy" ones.
7: Blood Golem possibly fits in here, as well as poison synergies with something other than PNova. The bone wall/armour/prison synergies may also prove to be strong, but I can't justify 60 points here, even on this build, unless you totally forego the poison side of the tree.
8: A necro, who has even less melee skill than a sorceress and charges into melee with abandon? You're giving Jeffery Dahmer lessons in insane!
Viable? Too restricting? You tell me, so sayeth The Hermit.
"And I feel this coming over like a storm again." Tool - H.
You've done the melee sorceress, but she gets cute little bonuses like Enchant, and you used Delirium. Now, let's try something a little more interesting.
Basic premise; Melee necro.
Basic bans: No Attract, Confuse, Iron Maiden, Iron Golem, Skeletons, Revives, or Thorns merc. This leaves all other curses, and three golems available, as well as the poison and bone tree. Iron Maiden/Golem/Thorns merc are just to take out cheese. Also note that banned skills are banned from items, too. No Delirium.
Judgment calls on your behalf: I'd allow CE, but I'd suggest a limit between 1-5 points, so it doesn't become your main killer. I would look sidelong at the use of the Crescent Moon runeword. Certainly not before Hell difficulty, and I'd try without it first if possible. While the poison and bone tree is technically unrestricted, but like CE, I'd put a mental cap on skills used for non-melee, non-synergy purposes.
Why is this more challenging than a melee sorceress? Well, first off, no teleport obviously. Secondly, you have NO way of boosting your AR with skills unless you use Poison Dagger. If you can pull this off WITHOUT Poison Dagger, I'll owe you a stiff drink. I'm thinking you'd NEED a Fool's weapon or Blessed Aim merc at that point, though. So far as your criteria...
1: Melee necros, particularly poison dagger, were somewhat popular before the expansion, but poison immunity killed the pure PD build more or less although with some luck or twinking I think the -enemy resistance items and/or Lower Resist could revive it. Either way, I'm pretty sure ANY melee necro would be a new build for 1.1s.
2: I'm thinking you'll be looking at a lot of Bone Prison and Life Tap, here. Terror is also another possibility, and I don't think I've seen any of the three on the realms. And using PD or Poison Explosion would also qualify, I believe.
3: I think this is possible untwinked, but I would think heavily gambling and possibly a break for item farming might be called for to get AR or +life gear. You're not going to get terribly good blocking with necro shields, but you will probably want the poison damage from them, if I'm not mistaken. You can't have both a Defiance merc and a Blessed Aim merc, so you're either going to have lowish defence or AR, so I'm thinking you're going to be relying on high HP and Bone Armour to keep you alive, but then again you might do something clever like slipping Eld runes in a necro shield.
4: This was certainly a viable, if terribly slow build in 1.09. I opted for a Blessed Aim merc, but switched to Holy Freeze once a great rare Fool's Knout came my way. Yes, I cheesed in some Goblin Toe lovin' and went for a bit of CB. I'll be very impressed if you do without.
5: As above, simple skill and cheese restrictions. Whether you use a golem or which you use interests me. I haven't done a 1.1s necro, but in 1.1a, Blood Golem's life-link was one way, and did not damage you, only healed you. If this still holds true, it may be a viable optiom.
6: -grins- Well, we've had a sorcie who wanted to be a baba, and vice versa. How about a Priest of Rathma who thinks Necromancy is creepy after seeing outside cultures but still desires to stop the even creepier Diablo? Not having been trained in actual combat skill, he has to try to make the best of his talents, sticking to the less "creepy" ones.
7: Blood Golem possibly fits in here, as well as poison synergies with something other than PNova. The bone wall/armour/prison synergies may also prove to be strong, but I can't justify 60 points here, even on this build, unless you totally forego the poison side of the tree.
8: A necro, who has even less melee skill than a sorceress and charges into melee with abandon? You're giving Jeffery Dahmer lessons in insane!
Viable? Too restricting? You tell me, so sayeth The Hermit.
"And I feel this coming over like a storm again." Tool - H.