Aulirophile
First Post
That is nice. My actual, not theorycrafted, DPR with TWF on two Sorcs levels 1-30, the +1 made a difference in multiple fights (the DM for those campaigns tracked monster HP publicly if we passed a knowledge check, adding +5 to the highest DC.). Now if the TWF makes a difference, and it does, then the +1 from missing 2 more str or dex is going to make a difference. Almost killing something results in them getting another round of full strength attacks, actually killing them doesn't.Theorycrafted DPR doesn't count damage loss from overkill. And theorycrafting what's good for a multihitting aoe guy isn't so good given that Storm Mages don't do as much of that. Theorycraft about a character should be relevant to that character.
Let's say your on-paper DPR is 43, and mine is 42. We're both attacking otherwise identical monsters, each with 440 hit points. (This is an example to illustrate the math here) What is our -actual- DPR?
Well, we both take 11 rounds to kill our respective monsters. In reality, our DPRs are exactly the same: 40 DPR. Why? Because in your case, you dealt 473 damage to your mob, which wasted 33 damage, and I dealt 462, which only wasted 22 damage.
Damage above that needed to defeat a monster does not count, it's wasted hps of damage, and in terms of a striker's job, defeating monsters quicker, the more accurate measuring stick would be how many theoretical rounds it takes to defeat a monster, not how much DPR you output.
Yes, more DPR is better, but DPR suffers from diminishing returns, as it's not effective in an additive sense, but a reciprocal sense. DPR's usefulness is based on the formula F=cieling[h/d] where h is the hitpoints of the enemy, and d is the DPR of the ability, and F is an integer. If h/d is 5.1 or 5.9 it does not matter, because F still comes out to 6. They are the exact same number.
This DOES mean that there are certain hit point levels where one point of DPR will matter; where it will mean one less round of combat. However, the other problem is that the higher your DPR is, the less often this occurs, rendering that one point of DPR more and more meaningless. Contrast that with the utility of that extra at-will power, and eventually, one more at-will becomes more powerful than that one less round you rarely ever see.
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In retrospect tho, I shouldn't have pointed out the 13 strength as the problem. 17 charisma's what's really costing you the three points to put into constitution, which opens up a far better paragon path and feat choices than the extra +1 to hit for 4 levels would have garnered you.
Also, you have Dual Implement, and only one implement. That's not cool.
In terms of Storm Powers, Thunder Leap is so amazingly good that I can't see why you'd not take it. Essense Mage is a fine schtick, I guess, but the amount of benefit you get from it is minor compared to a Storm Rider anyways, and it's costing you to Admixture Feats which are better off used for good stuff.
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Hell, it's Eberron. You're a Storm Sorcerer. Half Elven Lyrander Wind Rider practically writes itself.
@Cignus: A staff doesn't count as two implements, that is a bug with the CB. If you take Staff Fighting (prereq Wis 13) to make it a double-weapon though, it does count. You also get +1 AC as a bonus.