obscure weredruid questions

[LavCat]

Two werequestions I can't find answers for:

What is the range of a bow or crossbow when used as a melee weapon? Logically a long bow should have a greater range than a short bow. Or does a wolf or bear have a fixed attack range independent of the equiped weapon? I don't notice any range differences with weapon, but then I don't really notice much in the way of range differences with other melee characters either.

What kind of damage is done by shockwave? I would guess it would be physical, but with the logic of DII who knows? I don't yet have regular access to physical immunes to test.

I am playing 1.09, but I'd be interested in 1.10 information as well.

[TheDragoon]

I'm not sure as I haven't tested it myself, but I seem to remember that the range of bows/crossbows used in melee was 1.

Shockwave does physical damage.

[Ruvanal]

Bows, crossbows and daggers all have a rangeadder=0. Since this is what is use for determining the melee range of weapons (even in wereform) they would all have the same melee range;1.

Shockwave does physical damage stuns the targets.

[lemekim]

Also shockwave is blockable.

[Ferengi]

Two werequestions I can't find answers for:

What is the range of a bow or crossbow when used as a melee weapon?  Logically a long bow should have a greater range than a short bow.  Or does a wolf or bear have a fixed attack range independent of the equiped weapon?  I don't notice any range differences with weapon, but then I don't really notice much in the way of range differences with other melee characters either.

What kind of damage is done by shockwave?  I would guess it would be physical, but with the logic of DII who knows?  I don't yet have regular access to physical immunes to test.

I am playing 1.09, but I'd be interested in 1.10 information as well.

A Fury Druid with a bow only attacks monsters immediately adjacent. Frankly I recommend the range 6 polearms.

Kuko is a lot of fun, because of some interestingly different effects, Explosive bolts (i.e. always hit with splash damage) and 50% pierce. I used to do this for laughs on the Foothills, stand on a corner of high ground and watch monsters at a distance get blown up. It seems that whenever I hit a nearby monster and the 50% roll was made, an invisible arrow streaked away. If I was lucky, there was something in it's path and I could see the explosions.

I was always going to try a Buriza, but I never _really_ wanted to know if the Ob Knights IM curse could be avoided this way (I just didn't run the PoleDruid against them). Buriza doesn't have autohit afterall, so the additional pierce doesn't really get noticed.

[Walkiry]

A Fury Druid with a bow only attacks monsters immediately adjacent.

Offtopic, but when I saw that I read it as "A Furry Druid" and though to myself "a different way to refer to shapeshifters, that's for sure" :lol:

[Ferengi]

Offtopic, but when I saw that I read it as "A Furry Druid" and though to myself "a different way to refer to shapeshifters, that's for sure" :lol:

:lol:

Well, wolves were about the only type of Druid when I started, so I would refer to him as a PoleDruid. Then Shockwave pulled some upsets in PvP and bears were the rage (never tried one alas). When I was last active, everybody was trying different Elementalist builds...while I was still happily killing anything that got close, anywhere I wanted. I'd known the Kuko tricks for awhile, but no one needed to know. I was more interested in telling the Kuko story than carefully explaining the Druid build.

Speaking of Druids, does anyone know if Blizz made some improvement to the Druid GUI? The biggest problem with transforming is forgetting what weapons switch is active and wasting tons of rejuvs and time with the wrong weapon (too much classical play, I never really got used to weapons switch).

[LavCat]

The problem with a pole, is I don't know of any that are fast enough. My interest in bows began when the discovery of Buriza was announced, and I started thinking more seriously when Isolde mentioned melee attacking while in wereform was not a bug...or if it was a bug, it was a bug whose use was sanctioned.

When we had the late lamented communal (pun more or less intended) experiment

http://www.lurkerlounge.com/forums/index.p...T&f=5&t=593&hl=

...I mentioned I had a shocking demon crossbow of thunder, but I've never had a character to use it.

I still don't have a character to use it. But I have a werewolf on his way through nightmare with Vidala's Barb. Only weapon he's used since he was fourteen. It may not be an end game item, though we'll see how far he gets with it. Since deciding to use the Barb, he's only needed potions twice: once facing diablo, and once tonight when he had an experience shrine at the same time as a friend entered the game. Instead of fury, he was attacking by switching in and out of wereform. At least the boss dropped a Rogue's Bow. That was worth two purples.

I had not previously considered Kuko Shakaku. I had thought of Demon Machine, which should be faster (and which has higher percent to pierce). If he outgrows Vidala's Barb, I might let him try Demon Machine. It seems a bit less common on werewolves than Buriza.

I'd like to continue the discussion (and explain why I was interested in what kind of damage was shockwave), however it probably ought to be continued in the armory.

[Ferengi]

Druid (were-form) weapon speeds were worked out long ago. Polearms are fastest, overall 2 hand weapons are faster. Bows are slow.

Fury is a 5 auto-attack skill with bonuses. Not to be ignored. My build was non-standard, but I easily outtanked barbs. Having best attack speed, best weapon range, high damage build pays off.

[LavCat]

Druid (were-form) weapon speeds were worked out long ago.  Polearms are fastest, overall 2 hand weapons are faster.  Bows are slow.

With some embarrassment I retract my false and unwarrented aspersion upon polearms: from The Dragoon's wereform calculator, both a polearm and a crossbow can achieve a four frame attack.

Sadly with my werewolf's 50 strength and 36 dexterity, the fastest polearm he could equip is a bardiche. I have a shocking grim scythe of quickness, but he cannot use it yet.

Fury is a 5 auto-attack skill with bonuses.  Not to be ignored.  My build was non-standard, but I easily outtanked barbs.  Having best attack speed, best weapon range, high damage build pays off.

I may not have been all that clear.

On the cited occasion during which my poor druid had to take a potion, he was intending to attack with fury. Unfortunately since I had the wrong skill selected, his actual attack was switching in and out of wereform -- an attack that causes very little damage. At least to anyone except the druid and his hireling. And it's even on a timer!

[Ferengi]

Sadly with my werewolf's 50 strength and 36 dexterity, the fastest polearm he could equip is a bardiche.

Uh, why pump vit? Only a few points in it are necessary, the goal is to Stun anything that gets close. The PoleDruid could wear anything. Stick to War Scythe class, range is very important in the "Stun them at a distance" plan.

I think I had 700-900 HP, enough to survive any one hit threats. I had so much LIfe Leech that only hard hitting PIs needed attention. The biggest problem I remember were Listers Minions.

[LavCat]

The idea of this build (and again, it would perhaps be better taken to the armory) is to use maxed Armageddon (and maybe maxed Fissure) while in wereform and use Hunger and vulpine items to supply the resulting mana drain.

He is doing remarkably well with his long war bow in nightmare, but I am thinking of giving him Grim's Burning Dead, since I have an almost perfect one. Unsocketed that would give a 10 frame attack with his current IAS -- which is one frame slower than an unsocketed long war bow, which comes out to 9. Shaeling Grim's would get down to 8 -- or 7 if he got his werewolf up. The requirements of 70 strength and 70 dex are still rather steep for him, but not out of the question.

Is a 7 frame fury viable? I have almost no experience with weredruids. I never tried fury till about a week ago.

Eventually I would like to use a shocking weapon, perhaps either the shocking grim scythe of quickness or shocking demon crossbow of thunder that I have. Armageddon would supply the fire damage and his loyal cold rogue would do the rest.

Right now his resistances are maxed in nightmare, and his hit recovery is 48. I have to be careful to keep everything else in balance. Freeze target on the bow is difficult to give up. I try hard not to remember Lister's minions, but the freeze target helped a lot!