Chanter Equip Optimization - Lev 50 to 60 Edition
 

What's up folks.

I need your help.

I get weird looks from some other chanters when I tell them about my +HP item obsession. But I'm a charming chanter and I like to charm so what can I say. (Yes, even after the recent charm nerf, I still love to charm... though it's a bit deadlier now :p)

Here are my stats that I've tried to optimize getting as close to 200 cha/int as possible while adding as many HPs as possible.

Seducio
Level 54 - Dark Elf - Enchanter
(At creation, I put points in to these places: +15cha and +15int)

As of right now, Seducio has the following stats.

Selfbuffed (Unbuffed)

HP: 1337 (1105)
MP: 2295 (2153)
AC: 621 (537)
ATK: (493)

Int: 199 (185)
Cha: 202 (162)
Sta: (90)

MR: 121 (62)
PR, DR, FR, CR: (30)

I'm wearing these items:

Please help to give me some pointers for which items I can improve.

Currently Wearing ------> Maybe I should wear this (need to buy/get)

L Ear: Ivandyr's Loop
R Ear: Opalline Earring
Head: Insidious Halo
Face: Incandescent Mask
Chest: Insidious Robe
Arms: Gatorscale Sleeves ------> Insidious Sleeves
Waist: Braided Cinch Cord
Neck: Necklace of Superiority
Back: Hooded Black Cloak
Shoulders: Embroidered Black Cape
L Wrist: Bracelet of Woven Glass
R Wrist: Bracelet of Woven Glass
Legs: Drake-hide Leggings --------> Insidious Leggings
Hands: Insidious Gloves
Feet: Insidious Slippers
L Ring: Platinum Fire Wedding Band ---> Djarn's Amethyst Ring
R Ring: Platinum Fire Wedding Band ---> Adamantite Band
(are HPs worth the neg MR?)

Primary: Rod of Insidious Glamour ---> Would love a better aesthetic for
Secondary: A crude stein ----> these while without forfeiting stats
Range: Sarnak's Ceremonial Dagger
Ammo: ???
(I know I can't get any stats in this slot, but where do I buy throwing daggers which I see on peeps and might be good to have equipped if I need to leave an item on a corpse for a while)

Extra equipment I carry everywhere just in case:

Cat Eye Plat Neck (+9cha)
2x Golden Eye Plat Bracer (+7cha each)
Insidious Manacle (don't really ever wear this)
an extra Opalline Earring (+5cha)
Dragoon Dirk (ranged +3 MR)


I know via spell buffs that I'll be getting another +10 cha during level 56 and another +7 int during level 57.

So there you have it. Outside of the 4 equipment upgrades I highlighted, I'm not exactly sure what else I should be searching for.

Oh and one last thing. I'm not the richest of folks. I prolly only have about 1k saved, another 1k in Peridots on me, and 1k of equip on an alt.

But what I don't have in plat, I am willing to make up in time.

Thank you in advance for any comments and suggestions.

Seducio
<Poison>

P.S.

Does anyone have any first hand experience charming with 255cha vs 200 cha post nerf?

And how much does 255 int add manawise compared to 200 int at level 60?

I'm wondering if pursuing the hard caps on this server is worth the effort after the diminishing returns rewarded after meeting the soft cap.

Or if I'm on the right track to be hoarding +HP equipment as a charming chanter.

I'm in a pretty similar boat - I bought the 5AC/55HP rings at level 20 and never looked back, although I usually end up wearing my Goblin Gazughi Ring since I picked gnome instead of DE. Even if you aren't charming, an enchanter just pulls a lot more aggro on stun/mez than mages or wizards who basically don't get hit at all if they play it right. In the same vein I try and increase my resists a little for all those caster mobs in Chardok and Sebilis.

For better or worse I have found very few caster items in Kunark and even fewer enchanter items with charisma - its basically the melee expansion (sadly from what I have read Velious is the why-the-fuck-do-you-even-play-something-with-spell-gems expansion).

The obvious item for you is a Hierophant Cloak (+75HP) - so try and get in those crypt groups (almost impossible, I know). You can also grab the Supple Scale Armband from Karnor's at the cost of only a few HP. The other item that I want to try to pick up is an Insignia Protector from the Queen in Chardok - its the same int/cha total but has +30 on useful resists.

Getting much beyond the soft caps seems to be difficult unless you played a high elf and dumped all your points into charisma.

Many of these won't be easily obtainable, but if you have a decent guild you should be able to get them eventually.

Well on your belt you can get Sphyx-hair cord

Otherwise theres the Bone-Clapsed girdle off Dracolich. But you'll be fighting for it over every other int/wis caster.

Replace one of the wrists with the zombie flesh bracer also from Dracolich.

Face- you should look at the enshrouded veil or the Ivory Mask.

Crimson Robe of Adeline- only robe that beats insidious outside of VP.

Shoulders- Wind Walkers Mantle

Hands- Ancient shissar gauntlet (20hp via the stam, and a huge amount of Int so you can stack more cha or hp in other slots).

Feet- GEBs, use the extra int to replace your ivandyrs with a 35/25 hp/mana earring or earring of essence for 30hp/10svm

Edit:
Primary/secondary you can go staff of the waterwalker, 10int 100hp. Uses both slots tho.
Hand of the Maestro
Gnoll Hide Tome
Stein of Tears

Range
statue of the bathezid

Well currently your HP spells LEET... Honestly I would take that as a sign and not change a thing. :D

more thoughts
 

Thank you both Slorf and Baalzy.

I guess this is the equivalent of a equipment hell level now that upgrades just got a lot stiffer to get and steeper to achieve.

My guild is doing its first Sky raid on Thursday so I'll soon know what to expect soon as to what's achievable for us up there.

I really want a Hiero Cloak that was mentioned, but it's currently out of my price range and like you said getting in that specific crypt group requires an either an act of Congress or for an individual to donate their future first born into voluntary prearranged indentured servitude (almost like college)... and so not bloody likely.

I also liked the GEBs suggestion as that could free up some other spots for more HP. It's also doable without half of Norath rallying behind me to raid Gods like most of the other stuff.


Also thanks to guinea for pointing that out. I got a laugh once I figured it out. It reminds me of time after time when my current girl is trying to tell me where something is in the fridge after I've stared at it for the last 5 minutes looking for something to eat. So thanks for pointing out the obvious when I was oblivious. But I do like you're logic ;p


Lemme parse out a couple questions for you guys that I had in my original post, but that got lost in the crowd or all the things I was asking.


Question 1: Is this a good move

R Ring: Platinum Fire Wedding Band ---> Adamantite Band
5AC +55HP ------------------> +75HP -10 MR

Are +20HPs worth the -5AC and -10 MR?


Question 2: Anyone know of any items that fit in the ammo slot for ENC to be left on a corpse if need be?


Question 3: Does anyone know how much mana 255 int gets vs 200 int at 60?


Question 4: Are there noticeable differences between charming with 255 cha vs 200 cha? (I'm trying to figure this out after conflicting reports. And yes I've read through most if not all of the charm posts here on p99 forums.)



The answers to these questions probably will steer my equipment upgrade choices in months to come.


Thanks again for all of your participation.

Seducio
Guild: Poison

I was charming in Howling Stones yesterday actually. With 255 charisma tash and malo there were times when charm was breaking after 1-2 minutes and I even had a break after 1 tic. This was at level 56 doing west wing.

Comparatively at 55 I had days where I was having charm hold for 5-7 minutes with just tash and 236 charisma. In my opinion having buffed charisma around 200 is plenty for your regular duties (pacify/mez/blur). Keep some extra charisma gear for when you want to charm stuff but charm is wildly unpredictable now (just like it was in classic).

Take that for what it's worth.

One of the reasons I was pushing this issue Guinea is because of the easy trade off I could be making in not worrying about HPs as much and getting 255cha easy.

However, if the same diminishing returns principle applies to cha that applies to int then 255cha wouldn't be worth it if I'm giving up 200+hps. Although the mobs at these levels are hitting super hard already, I've definitely lived several times just because of that extra HP pool.

If cha is unlike int and 255 cha is a good thing for charming, then losing the HPs is worth it.
(If hypothetically 255cha was netting me 5min average charms vs 3 min average charms of 200cha, then giving up HPs would be a no brainer. I know it's all random, so I guess without massive empirical testing on this server, we'll never know.)

I just can't figure out if it's the former or later.

I appreciate your answer, nonetheless, and I think you're right that my mileage may vary and simply depend on if I'm charm soloing, charm duoing, charm grouping, or just normal CC grouping.

Done a little searching.
The only Ammo slot item with stats that I found was a 'Summoned: Coldstone'.
http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=25580
They provide 5AC and Ultravision.
NO RENT being the one big drawback and that you can't make on yourself.

I also found a Courier's potion from Charok that ports you to the OT.
Ammo slot only, instant cast. Basically a self-evac to OT.
Not sure if it's currently available in game, but it's worth a shot.

GL

I believe it's 10mana/int below 200 and 5mana/int above (at level 60?). I've always gone for cha first and int/mana/hp/ac second, under the assumption that it benefits not only charming but mez resists as well (fewer resists = less necessity for hps and shit anyway). Plus, stacking Berserker Spirit and Rune V is like an extra 1k hp or so buffer (more when I get Bedlam, the level 58 version of BS), so I never really cared about losing 10dex and 14cha (pair of electrum star ruby rings) for 110hp and 10ac (fighting 50+ mobs, that gives you what, an extra 2/3 of a mob's melee?). Also, I'm operating under the assumption that more dex = regain your concentration and continue casting. I could be dead wrong about cha affecting mez resists, and dex affecting channeling, but at 251 cha I notice almost no difference between pre and post nerf charming, as long as I restrict myself to high 40s/low 50s mobs. I've been soloing north and west wing of HS easily with charm. Zol knights (the weakest mobs in seb) hold full duration for me, and some still con db. I did a hate run the other night and held clerics as pets fairly well (with malo though), had a few quick breaks within a minute or two, but for the most part I was getting several minutes per charm (though full duration only once or twice). In summary, I am a cha whore. I will always want my cha to be as close to 255 as possible without going over, after which I'll take whatever involves the most int/mana/hp/ac/dex/agi (more assumptions, this time that higher agi = more dodge - and I do wear Insidious Slippers over GEBs). Just keep refreshing that Berserker Spirit, your Rune V should get eaten just a little bit at a time (I've actually had it last the full 110 mins or whatever a few times), and hp gear won't really matter much.

Edit - currently I'm at level 59, probably makes a big difference compared to the level 55/56 guy charming in HS.

I think the question you are not answering for him though is if there is any difference between your 251-255 charisma versus 200. In my opinion there is way too much luck involved to loose all those HP/AC and resists.

Hence my example of how despite my gaining a level and hitting the charisma cap I had a worse experience yesterday than I did a week ago with one less level and being roughly 15 points below the charisma cap. It could have totally gone the other way, I realize that. But it just goes to show how random the charisma check can be. It is after all the last thing that's checked after resists, level, etc.

I can honestly say that on live enchanters generally did not bother with trying to stick to 255 charisma. When ever you were close to 200 you would try to squeeze as much into your hitpoints and resists as possible. Because surviving or straight up resisting an ice comet from one of the thousands of wizards scattered throughout the Kunark dungeons is more imporant than getting an extra 30 seconds out of charm. The surest way for a charm to break is to have a dead enchanter.

Will I continue to try things with my charisma capped? Sure I will. But I find that having 150+ cold and magic resists in seb makes that zone a cakewalk.