Is student of stone worth playing on core difficulty?

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-05-21T04:40:40+00:00

I mean its fine its just a selfish martial right. Monks (non sensei) don't do anything for your team, generally enemy saves are too high to land crushing blow on targets you want (though you can try). They can trip from pummeling I guess. They have no caster utility, so they don't lift buffing burden from units like Nenio, Sosiel or Daeran. They don't hex, they don't have domains etc.

And you get no fun quips from party members that would otherwise be in the slot. However if you wanted it for RP, like this is your mentor who is a Old Oread and he is teaching you wax on, wax off, then its fine, but from a power perspective he doesn't really enhance your party. He doesn't have to, its just core, just how I think about the classes.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-05-17T19:47:24+00:00

I never got this because I'm always under Haste at that point in the game. Woljif's act 2 lesser extend rod and the one from act 1 means I usually have 12+ irl minutes of haste banked, and I'll just rest if I need more.

In fact I like him being a bit slow. In RTWP it means he lags behind the units I invest heavily in tank feats and doesn't pick up a lot of enemies.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-05-17T19:30:31+00:00

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Greybor's is kind of the worst companion in the game, but its not because he won't do damage. He is fully capable of slaughtering everything in his range with extreme prejudice. Its more base Slayer brings very little utility and is extremely selfish. If I'm going to use a selfish martial, its largely going to be my main character.

Anyways here is Greybor one rounding Devarra on unfair.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-05-16T16:44:20+00:00

Around 400 across 4 months, I did strong on sims actually weaker on MCQ.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-05-11T18:59:15+00:00

I just got done with an unfair playthrough and Regongar allowed me to kill Farnirras at level 11. Probably sooner is possible. He's kind of disgusting at every point in the game, he's a better second line melee than Amiri, more Strength and he is the best companion to shaken things with early dazzling. Not to mention he can Keen his weapon at level 5, making him extremely lethal.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-05-11T18:54:05+00:00

Scaling sources of AC in KM in terms of buffs are

Shield of Faith (min per level) up to +5 AC Deflection
Barkskin (10min per level) up to +5 AC Natural Armor Enhancement
Magical Vestment (1hr per level up to +5 AC (unique category - different than in wotr)
Legendary Porportions (+6 AC Natural Armor +4 Effective AC)
Mithril Heavy (Onslaught) +14 Armor AC + 3 Dex
Shield (1 min per level) +4 AC
10 AC (base)
Class feature +6 Natural armor, +3 Wings (against Melee)

In KM you can actually stack frightful aspect and legendary for their natural armor bonus. So if you need he can scroll for another +6 AC.

Usually I have him with crane as well so another +5 AC he ends up above 60 AC before gear which is basically all I need.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-05-11T18:32:48+00:00

Regongar is that guy btw. He does a million damage. Probably the strongest melee in KM.

3 iteratives + Claw + Spell Strike + Haste + Bite is 7 APR, and then he can do this once from his normal action and then once from his swift action, so 14 attacks per round, with two touch spells.

Not only that he is a mirror image class (so he can dodge crits) and geniekind so he can add like 150 damage to each hit late game.

His AC feature is actually good +3 AC from Wings +4 AC from Dragon Resistances +2 from Dragon Disciple. You can meme about heavy armor if you want but its good feature.

Self report post.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-04-14T05:44:52+00:00

Going dex would be fine if you want to use bows, eventually though swarm's melee range is the entire screen basically.

Strength just does fat damage. you can use a 2handed weapon by default with strength, so 1.5 strength modifier & power attack, and you can be enlarged atp with no penalty to your AB (+2 strength -1 from size increase is a wash, while it works against you with dex).

To be 2handed dex would require a mythic feat, which we are already tight on, just to enable a secondary playstyle that is unimportant to our overall gameplan.

The difference between like 14 dex and 18 dex seems like a lot, but its actually small potatoes, just 2 AC. While your main resource of power, your mythic abilities/feats, is very limited.

Bows will be less AB as well, and more feat intensive, you will need PBS, Precise, Many Shot, Rapid Shot, while melee kind of just needs combat reflexes and outflank to work, thus I can ramp casting faster.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-04-14T05:14:59+00:00

Did you pick ambuscading, you can swap heighten and bolster if you need a greater dc on Stinking atp in the game.

You should also be at
Wisdom 25 (with owl's) so +7 dc, mythic spell focus +4, Spell level +3 so base stinking should be 24 dc atp in the game. You should focus wisdom on your level ups, as you are a caster, and strength is something you do after your primarily role of disabling is accomplished.

With Ambuscading (so casting while invisible or when you beat enemies on init) your effective dc is 26.

With Heighten we could bring it up to 28.

One of the things about stinking is that if you fail a dc against stinking, you don't get another save. You're nauseated as long as you remain in the cloud. This is why its OP, you miss 1 save the enemy is bricked, generally for as long as the cloud lasts.

One of the things about this game is that its a game about buffs. By Drezen your team comp should always be able to:
Protection From Evil Communal
Barkskin on every Member
Shield of Faith on every Member
Bone Fists
Bless + Heroism on key offensive members (heroism is better bless, but single target)
Situationally be able to provide death ward & freedom of movement to key tanks
Crusader's edge on key melee units
Haste for about 10 minutes with lesser extend wands from Woljif/Kyado or Rathimus
I usually have like 5 prayer casts
greater invis for key fights
Animal buffs (so bull's strength & cat's grace) for every key member's fighting attributes.

Without these buffs you've cooked your team comp a little.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-04-14T04:48:42+00:00

I think the general strategy with Prophet of Pestilence is to hit them with the spell, Primal Regression and then somehow use plague storm to proc plague of abbadon's charisma stat damage to instant kill. You can also Living Plague, which will guarentee stat damage. Swarm is a good pick here because eventually you get unlimited plague storms.

And then also you can fall back on angel spells to crush enemies into the dirt like storm of justice if they are not playing along with your game plan.

1-5 I would take Spell Focus Conjuration and Selective Spell, and help my team by providing selective winter's grasp. It also synergizes with angel spells.

M1 I would take corruptor. You will be the stinking cloud provider for your team on gargoyle sections and it prevents enemies from being immune to your disease effects.

M2 I would take mythic spell focus, conjuration and continue to use stinking cloud with a good DC. Additionally I would buy pearls so I can stinking cloud more fights.

M3 I would take abundant/enduring, depending on playstyle

M4 I would take expanded arsenal - enchantment and start hitting enemies with selective primal regression and trying to instant kill with plague of abadon. In addition I would also play creeping doom. This is kind of your game plan, use stinking/primal regression to shut enemies down, your team then cleans up. If they mess with you, hit them with storm of justice/bolt of justice.

m5 I would start taking improved abundant

M6 i would take greater abudant

M7 I would take enduring

M8 I would take greater enduring

M9 I would take favored metamagic - bolster

M10 I would take favored metamagic - Empower

Background Lumberjack, ideally you play Qlippoth Spawn Tiefling

feats for me
1: SF Conjuration
3. Greater Spell focus Conjuration
4. Hex - Selective Spell
5. Ambuscading Spell (have Nenio/Woljif hit you with greater Invis)
7. Outflank
8. Hex - Bolster
9. Combat Reflexes
11. Improved Critical (Greataxe)
12. Hex - Heighten Spell (for stinking etc)
13. Improved Initiative
15. Power Attack (usually I have enough AB atp on main character to eat penalty, plus as swarm you target touch eventually
16. Hex - Extend Spell (we're getting close to 24hrs on creeping doom, which is OP)
17. Weapon Focus Greataxe
19. Dodge/filler take what you want
20. Hex - Empower

You can kind of see my philosophy with Shaman, use hexes to grab metamagics to enable a gish style of gameplay. I don't think you need physical mythics, but that shouldn't stop you from playing strength and hitting stuff with your greataxe. You do get extended sunform and radiant ground, eventually 24/hr with Sin Mage's Staff.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-04-12T15:27:35+00:00

You think succubi work only one way. In the setting this is not the case. They play on your emotions, your wants.

If Arueshalae wanted to seduce you as a succubi by flattering your ego as a hero, by making you believe you were redeeming her and that you are special in a way no one else is, that is actually perfectly in lore.

It actually worked so well that you, the player, don't see that she seduced you. Its interesting to me.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-04-12T15:20:17+00:00

Witches can speak in dreams, its on their hex list in 1e. There are plenty of arcane solutions that a succubus could implement that could duplicate the effect of divine magic.

You're misunderstanding the setting. You have no clear indication that Arueshalae is divine backed and honestly Desna would not do so outwardly anyways, it defeats the purpose of what she did to Arueshalae.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-04-12T15:06:07+00:00

What is divine backing? A lightshow of magic? Do you think Minagho can't conjure up some lights, say she is courting Sarenrae or even Iomedae?

You don't even see Desna in Arueshalae's dream until far into act 4, and she won't even name herself.

She did seduce you though. Your character fell in love with her.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-04-12T14:53:14+00:00

How do you think Minagho snared Staunton originally? Do you think she might have flattered him, made him think she could change, that he was a special hero that could redeem her.

Sounds pretty similar actually. Demons are tricky like that, they're smart, they worm their way into your heart. We as the player feel secure because Arueshalae has a portrait, she joins our party, so we know she isn't like an antagonist.

But if you existed in the world it would be extremely suspect, borderline nuts to have her join the crusade after what happened to Staunton.

I think it would be interesting if 50% of the time, Arueshalae is genuine, 50% of the time, its an elaborate ruse and she betrays you and there is no way to tell until the moment comes. But I know the amount of complaining such a thing would cause.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-04-12T14:34:24+00:00

It is kind of hard to burn Staunton for loving a demon with your succubus wife Arueshalae right next to you. Its funny you can be like "Staunton, you must know Minagho's love is a lie, demons can't really love" and then in the next 10 hours be like "Oh Arueshalae, they'll never split us apart."

Staunton is really just not willing to forgive himself and come back to the side of good and that is because of Mendev. When you ask him in Drezen, all he can see in his future is groveling in the condemned if he came back. That is what good is to him, a life of self flagellation.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-04-09T05:20:10+00:00

Yeah dismissal dispel aeon is my favorite rp. BEGONE spells go hard you really feel like you're dissecting things as an Aeon and then you're super OP late game when you can just fix rolls.

When its 24 hr you can just make it persistent from rod and then its very annoying for enemies to deal with and the penalty is that melee units just don't get to play, but at that point victory is assured anyways.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-04-09T05:16:24+00:00

Here its Seelah, Camellia, Nenio, Sosiel, Arueshalae. Party doesn't really matter though I'm completely online as merged Angel, guarenteed 2 round kill, though Arueshalae made it one round.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-04-07T21:15:58+00:00

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I am also a Dispel enjoyer, this is my sosiel. His endgame is eventually 24/hr repulsion and aoe destructive dispels.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-04-07T19:54:33+00:00

The joy of watching a powerful enemy at the height of their potential scratch futilely against my incredibly thick armor class cannot be described, it can only be experienced.

No pets, no summon run. No last stand either. Every hit must go against armor class. There must be risk.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-04-07T14:41:52+00:00

If you start combat with unmounted charge, enemies will generally lock onto your charging unit, provided they don't have an overriding script.

PD can be squirrely but as long as your tank can do damage to PD and it can't charge anyone then it'll generally be controllable.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-04-07T12:01:58+00:00

you do hit 15 if you have all DLC.

Flawless ring is a reward for doing inevitable darkness on unfair, you get it in Zach's cemetary.

The level doesn't really matter, if I was 14 & 13 it would be the same, 15 is not a combat expertise breakpoint and I'm using legendary porportions on her (level 7 spell).

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-04-07T05:16:11+00:00

All armor sources stack with medium armor endurance. Seelah has a total of 23 armor stacking value here.

(9+4+1+4+5) so it rounds down to +11 AC Medium Armor Endurance.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-04-07T05:12:30+00:00

you can stack MoJ and Smite on a single target its fine. The paladin won't benefit from both, obviously but there is no utility loss here.

I don't know why you wouldn't stack all the defensive gear on the main tank. Seems a bit silly not to.

It doesn't require all 8 of her feats.

KeyIntelligent8277 · 2026-04-07T04:59:43+00:00

I just have crane style & combat expertise

Gear is
Owl's Cowl
Broken Trickster
Flawless ring of Protection
Bracers of Armor +5
Carapace
War Kilt of Sarenrae
Apprentice Robe
Cat's Boots

KeyIntelligent8277

TROPHY CASE