Other then a surprise visit from one of my brothers, a (major stocking) trip to the store, and At&t having a 4 hour INTERNET outage for my house… I would say I did fairly well sticking to the plan.

Lets review the plan for the weekend. Lordsmarch Plaza quests on Elite to open them up for solo play, GH walk ups and Pre Raids. So how did I do? All done except Crucible. So not bad.

Friday, got the band together and rocked the Lordsmarch quests. Heard a few comments about not wanting to keep the elite streak running, as the quests are “hard.” But we kept on.

At one point, my wife broke off to level with or with out us. Fo and I pressed on, and Tor rejoined us before we completed the quest. Preventing her streak break. 🙂

There were many, many deaths that night. But it was some of the most fun I have had in a long time. There was lots of accidental humor. Random deaths, killed counts approaching double digits in the first 10 mins of a quest, yelling at hirelings to stop fighting and do some healing. Good times. 🙂

Saturday morning I got up early and make the HHN rounds, really working the xp. As Tor is a first life, Fo is on his second, leaving me with a big hole to fill to keep up level wise. But I really love the Lordsmarch quests. They were/are much needed area of quests. I would like to see something like them in 11 range.

After a few hours of alone time, Everyone logged on and I cracked the whip; off to Gh walk up land. We knocked them all out in good order. Breaking for lunch and that shopping trip. No sooner then I got home, I get a call from my brother. He is 2 hours out and wants to hang before he goes to see a fight. So interruptions all day but we got them done.

Sunday, up early again; for more solo hards. Get everything but Cry done before it is time to meet for breakfast. Go and get back just in time to catch Fo for Pop. Just get started and boom goes the INTERNET. 😥

So I pop in a movie, checking every so often. When it does finally get back we knock out 2 elite Pops. And elite Madstone. Not sure what my healer was upto but I died 6 times in that first little optional. I was drinking pots and using the vamp sword. And still was croaking right and left. The rest of the run was fairly smooth. Their was some issues with people getting thrown off cliffs in a few places. But nothing too bad.

All and all not horrible use of the weekend. Got some stuff done in and out of game. Got in plenty of family time. And still managed to stay on track. Go team.

What am I doing tonight?

The same thing I do every night; try to take over the world! I mean Crucible and Tor runs. 🙂

❤

As of right now Sam is level 14 with xp almost forcing leveling to 15. I believe that by the weekend, baring a any more major migraines I will cross in to cake land for a while. My goal is to push my team beyond their comfort level mainly to get the elites out of the way so I can solo normal/hards when they are not around.

So tonight, Eyes of stone, and the rest of the Lordsmarch Plaza quests. The first two have been ran into the ground this life. Eyes and all the rest will not be any exception.

But I don’t want to end there I want to burn through GH walk ups and I hope the Pre Raids. I might be looking for a really super evasion guy to help with the swim in Crucible. I can make it almost with out getting hit. Almost. And on elite I feel that there is not a lot of room for error.

I think once I get these quests ran on elite; milking their xp will have 0 issues. I normally run these quest solo into the dust, NnnnnnHE. EhhhhhhhH shouldn’t be that much of a change.

With that done I might get to skip right to flagging for Abbot and then Vale. Capping out could be easy street….

A want to cap out because I was reading the Lam notes yesterday and got all excited about the monk changes. I was wobbling back and forth on what would be next because I am born with this barb life. It can hit harder then my FvS, and I can see how a pure 20 or a 18/2 could be fun some times. But it is just not my style.

So something a little more my style an updated Bowonk for MY Samius’ next life:

Level 20 Lawful Good (Could be some other Monk Alignment) Half-Elf Male
(2 Fighter 12 Monk 6 Ranger)

(36 Point)
Strength 16 20 (most level ups)
Dexterity 16 20(one level up)
Constitution 14 17
Intelligence 10 10
Wisdom 14 14
Charisma 10? 10

Tomes Used
+2 Tome of Dexterity used at level 7
+2 Tome of Constitution used at level 7

Skills (Level 1) (Level 20)
Balance 5 16
Concentration 6 28
Hide 7 24
Jump 7 14
Move Silently 7 24
UMD 1 10

Level 1 (Ranger)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Undead (Change later to Evil Outsider)
Feat: (Half-Elf Dilettante) Half-Elf Dilettante: Cleric
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Wiz, Wiz, Wiz, FvS, Clr, Bard, Barb, Sorc
Feat: (Selected) Point Blank Shot

Level 2 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Power Attack

Level 3 (Ranger)
Feat: (Selected) Berserker’s Fury

Level 4 (Ranger)

Level 5 (Ranger)

Level 6 (Ranger)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Giant (Change later to Constructs)
Feat: (Selected) Past Life: Arcane Prodigy

Level 7 (Ranger)

Level 8 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Weapon Focus: Ranged Weapons
(Start AA Archer)

Level 9 (Monk)
Feat: (Selected) Stunning Fist
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Zen Archery

Level 10 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Path) Path of Inevitable Dominion: Fists of Darkness (Will go Light until 6 monk levels.)

Level 11 (Monk)

Level 12 (Monk)
Feat: (Selected) Precise Shot

Level 13 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Dodge
(Ninja Spy 1)

Level 14 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Greater Two Weapon Fighting

Level 15 (Monk)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Precise Shot

Level 16 (Monk)

Level 17 (Monk)

Level 18 (Monk)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: (might change??)

Level 19 (Monk)

Level 20 (Monk)
Enhancement: Fighter Haste Boost I
Enhancement: Human Adaptability Constitution I
Enhancement: Human Improved Recovery I
Enhancement: Human Improved Recovery II
Enhancement: Static Charge
Enhancement: Way of the Patient Tortoise I
Enhancement: Way of the Patient Tortoise II
Enhancement: Touch of Death
Enhancement: Fists of Iron
Enhancement: Porous Soul
Enhancement: All-Consuming Flame
Enhancement: Monk Improved Recovery I
Enhancement: Monk Improved Recovery II
Enhancement: Monk Improved Recovery III
Enhancement: Monk Ninja Spy I
Enhancement: Monk Ninja Spy II
Enhancement: Winter’s Touch
Enhancement: Adept of Wind
Enhancement:Ten Thousand Stars
Enhancement: Adept of Rock
Enhancement: Master of Stone
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Racial Toughness III
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness I
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer I
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Conjure +2 Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Conjure +3 Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Conjure +4 Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Conjure +5 Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Acid Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Explosive Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Force Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Force Burst Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Slaying Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Terror Arrows
Enhancement: Improved Jump I
Enhancement: Improved Jump II
Enhancement: Improved Tumble I
Enhancement: Improved Tumble II
Enhancement: Improved Cleric Dilettante I
Enhancement: Improved Cleric Dilettante II
Enhancement: Improved Cleric Dilettante III

The main changes from the original layout are updated feats allowing for past life feats to be used. And a small reworking of enhancements to allow for Ten Thousand Stars, aka Multishot timer number 2, and the Cleric Dilettante line. Umd is still wanted for Arcane scrolls but the magic 39 is not needed.

Questions? Comments?

❤

One of the down sides of my guild leveling alts or running through Trs is it is hard to get a group of us together to hang out. People want to stay on track, or side trips don’t appeal to masses. But last night was a bit of a change of pace; we got together for a few Vale runs.

I got on a little late last night, and when I did Tobril was playing in the Orchard as he has 3 or 4 levels on Samius atm we haven’t gotten the chance to group lately. So joined him for a few kills.

As we were wrapping up more and more guild members got logged on. And the notion of keeping the group together for awhile via explorer zones were thrown out. And we headed to the vale.

Over all it was fast and smooth. People took the route they liked best and we ended up splitting up and making good time. Add in an slayer boost pot from the store to my already ticking xp boosts and in 40ish mins I had almost 50k between slayers and explorers.

After that we broke apart for questing. But it was good times. Maybe next time we can run the Reaver explorer zones, and maybe Shavraith. We may have to stay in a group for that as we have 13 -18s in our little group atm.

Good times anyway.

❤

I want to keep rolling on my look at past life feats with the some of the less then great ones.

Let me start with one that I don’t think I would ever take: Arcane Prodigy

You recall more about your past life as a sorcerer. Your maximum spell points are increased by 10 at first level, and 5 spell points for each additional level and can produce random elemental damage spells ten times per rest. (Activate this sorcerer ability to blast a target with a ray of combined elements, doing 1d12 damage of a random elemental type plus an additional 1d12 per three caster levels on impact. A successful Reflex save reduce the damage by half.)

At least the main benefit grows with your levels. Making it better then Student of the Sword or Acolyte of Divine Secrets.

But we have counts as X feat for unlocking enchantment lines and PREs with Berserker’s Fury (Toughness). Why does this not count as Mental Toughness? Silly for it not too, in my opinion?

I would like to see every pay for past life feat count towards something for unlocking enchantment lines and PREs with the idea that if you TR back into the same class it will always be worth it to take the past life feat. It may or may not help for other classes, but that is not a worry I have at the moment.

It is hard to say what I think they should be as some classes only have one PRE or have PREs that are not complete.

I just want to get people thinking that a quick pass on the Past Life feats are needed. Or maybe a shout across the room, okay that one was for the dev readers. Oh hey dev readers get a good buzz about yours truly floating around the office for me would you? Thx.

❤

Today I am taking a look at some of the past life feats (mainly the Artificer past life ones). There are some really good ones. Arcane Initiate, Berserker’s Fury, Bardic Dilettante, Sneak of Shadows and the rest go down heal from there. Not that they are all bad but they need some work.

But I have questions about the Artificer’s feats. Student of Artificer, says:

When you use a rod, staff, or wand, you have a 15% chance to retain essence and not expend a charge, and can produce an Enchant Armor or Enchant Weapons effect a total of ten times per rest. (Activate this artificer ability to increase the Enhancement Bonus of your target’s currently equipped weapons or shields by 1, or to increase the Enhancement Bonus of your target’s currently equipped armor by 1. An item can have only one temporary item enchantment at a time.)

So are clickies a rod, staff, or wand? I really hope so.

Also the “Free” Past Life: Artificer feat gives a 5% chance not to expend a charge from the above list; so does that mean you get a 20% total or just 15%?

I mean 1 in 5 chance to get a free hit from the Mysterious Bauble, or one of the other SP clickies seems real good, but not damaging. How about shroud clickies? Or Madstone Boots? One in five is not horrible odds and I would think about finding room for it. My Arty life might even move up the list on my lives to run through, at low levels saving haste and rage charges from clickies would be great! At 12+ amazing!

But all that hinges on if clickies are rods, staffs, or wands.

I know during my bard life; Tobril and I tested out the Terror and my “Free” Past Life: Wizard’s +2(+4) to the DC of wands, and my wand heightening enchantments. After days of me swearing it was both procing and doing damage/eating mobs. But using his dice rolls as the benchmark we decided I was just nuts. 🙂 But I could use PK wands in fairly high level content with a 50% or so kill rate. They will be fun during the Arty life in any case. But I would lov to know if we can raise the Dcs of triggered items.

Part 1 of some…

❤

Xilo is back playing ddo, for how long? God maybe the only one that knows.

For the last few days he and I have been chatting via Google’s services. I have half been trying to catch him up on all the changes that have happened and half letting him know that while he is with in 2 levels of me now that doesn’t mean I am ready to have him a long on quests just yet.

However, on over the weekend we both where on at the same time. Queue uncomfortable tells. He asks me if we can group up and hang. I let him know I am working the bravery bonuses and that he is still a little high for me yet. He is 15 on his TR I am 13 I almost am ready to level to 14. I have already moved to level 11 quests, mainly to have quests that I can solo on hard when everyone else is farming in the graveyard.

Do you know how hard it is to tell a bud sorry your to high of level for me? Less hard then telling my wife but still hard. And Xilo is good at laying the guilt trip. Almost as good as the wife. 🙂 But as we have talk about before, help or get out of the way. I think Xilo logged not long after I let him know he was too high level for me, don’t think I saw him log on again. 😦

I also got a tell over the weekend, “Great Bio” I replied as I always do; with a “werds, thanks.” and moved along. But it got me thinking maybe my bio is some thing to talk about.

In my bio I have a little blurb about Ddocast and Ddococktailhour. But then I try to take note of that first death each new life. As a reminder to be careful and to try to not make the same errors again. This life was in New Ring Leader, on normal. I had just done lots of elites, and a hard. Didn’t think normal would be any big deal and took a triple crit to the head. Lets just say that was a hard one to add in the old bio. I copied the combat log into my bio and tried to forget.

Oh I also think there is some comment like “ I am the greatest” or something.

So what is in your bio?

❤

After a short break of I don’t know, two to five years, I will sitting behind a Dm screen. This time I will be Dming for my son another dnd dad and his son. My mother in law might be joining us too. I know my life is strange sometimes.

This will be my son’s kinda sorta almost but not really first dnd game. We tried a few years back when the boys were around 8 or so. It didn’t last all of 20 mins. But yesterday the boys had a birthday (yes the boys share a birthday). Remmie, my son turned 12 and seems excited; so we are trying again. I hope that game will act as a motivator for him to do some extra reading (damn Tv/video games) and to get his homework turned in. DnD is what saved me back in the day.

So what edition? 3.5 of coarse. 4th would be fine as well but us dads thought it would be best if someone knew the rules. So that limited us to 2nd – 3.5; hence it winning.

I get to dm because I am the one with the most Dming experience, and I kinda brought it up… See both of our families are going to GenCon in 2012. So we were talking about things and some how it made sense to get the boys going on the dnd mindset.

So what am I going to be doing? My standby staples:
Shadows of the Last War
Whispers of the Vampire’s Blade
Grasp of the Emerald Claw

Which means, we are going to be set in Eberron. Giving me a whole world of quests to run. 🙂 this campaign might become the DDO pnp edition. 🙂

Any way I will try to keep you all posted on things. I know I am not the only Ddo dad with a ❤ for pnp. So lets see what we can learn together.

❤

For you that don’t know guest or host a few podcasts, some DDO themed other no so. One of which is a pay for cast named Circle Jerk, it is a kind of book review type cast. Although it doesn’t sound like it will stay that way for long.. Right now I only have one episode out. But two more are on the books to be taped soon. Today’s post will be a kind of mini version of that show.

I have been reading The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Think I just finished reading the 7th book
Dead Beat. Looking at the wikipedia page 13 books have been published with a 14th in the works.

I have to say I am loving these books. I really enjoy books with that theme of strange in todays “normal” world. I also read and love the series Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton. That is also in that vein of the supernatural in modern times. And I see on the wikipedia that Butcher claims to have been inspired by this books as well.

What I like about the Dresden Files books is how magic “feels like it could be real”. Also the books have a great sense of humor to them.

Now I liked and still like the short lived TV show on Syfy (think that is how they are spelling it this week). But I understand now why the show failed. It didn’t rally its base.

We all know the book is always going to be different the the movie/tv show, Lord of the Rings might be the exception?? Not sure as the movies weren’t balls busting slow to the point I asked for a refund with out finishing them. Not saying I did that with LotR, but I did.

Seems to me with all the reboots and whatnot a few Dresden Files movies, trying to say as true as possible to the books or at least to the world with its own story/s, could do really well.

Of course for like 9$ you can pick up the first book. And it even looks like you can get them on Audible for less then that if you don’t like to read.

Anyway, I like them and if you haven’t tried one yet it is worth the money for sure!

❤

Tobril wants to improve the pug scene. When ever I think about that I giggle a little. I know that I shouldn’t but I do. It is a funny sad state when it comes to pugs on Sarlona lately.

Tobril seems to think it has to do with vets becoming isolationists and not taking the time to really teach anyone. I think it has more to do with people dragging other new people through content. Not allowing the newbs time to develop their skills or foster a desire to learn on their own.

Ready for a back in my day story?

When the shroud was new I was busy leveling up my first CLR alt, Healzyounot. And it was a a few weeks before I was ready to try my hand at the new raid. I did some reading on the forums. Reading guide after guide. And one day I saw a Caffeine guild run looking for a Clr to round their group out.

Caffeine is a great guild BTW. And I never had a problem running with them.

I remember letting them know I was new, both via a tell to the leader and to the group once I was invited. I asked questions, and did what I was told as best as I could. We completed and I have enjoyed the shroud ever since.

The last few pug shroud runs I have been in have been a mess. People didn’t follow the leader’s requests, if the leader bothered to give any or if someone else stepped up and lead. I think that a most new people figure that the other people will carry them and I will just run around follow the group and kill stuff. Maybe figurer things out on the way.

While Vets assume that everyone knows what is going on, will ask for help if needed, or just is shitty. Some vets will ask if it is anyones first time or just give instruction like it is everyones first time.

Sometimes they just assume away and then talk about nothing for the whole raid never pausing to breath let alone to pause for a newb to ask a question. In these groups I normally end up taking off my headset at some point. I would love a mute player option….

Guess what I am saying is if your a Sarlona player and have some questions about raids look for Tobril’s sign up posts on the forums. I may or may not be pulled into his mess from time to time.

❤

So with my new survival mind set in high gear and my self assurance that something horrible is on the way in the near future. I have been keeping an eye on solar activity. Thanks mainly to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.

Over the last few weeks I have tried to keep an open copy of that page open when ever I am sitting at a computer. And check it a few times a day. With the mind set of learn patterns and picking the the terminology. Mainly as a way to know what is going on.

Monday when I got back from lunch I saw that there was a proton wave heading our way… Not knowing what that really meant I did some Googleing around and 1 didn’t think too much about it.

Today I get on Google and look at my news feeds and bam!

Spaceweather.com reported aurora sightings stretching across the United States, from New Mexico and California to Kansas, Iowa, Maryland and New York, yesterday afternoon.

That is a amazing! Northern lights are called that because they don’t often drift that far south.

There is two reasons this happened. One a “large” solar event (or that is how it is being reported). Which according to what I read was not really THAT large, it was a G1 on 1-5 scale. Two, our Magnetic field is on its way to an all time low. So we got hit while we are down. Hence, light show.

As far as I know there wasn’t any major issues caused by the solar fun. But this is just the beginning. We are on a cycle of higher and higher solar activity with our only source of protection becoming weaker and weaker.

Mark my words, auroras will be showing themselves more and more/further and further towards the equator. And I for one am trying to get ready for some of the other less pleasant effects a real solar storm could have on us.

Just saying enjoy the lights. But keep in mind it also is a sign that dangerous times are upon us.

❤