I took a necro/FF to 50 fairly recently and I found the combination quite strong, once the defenses were strong.
On that subject, get both of the +5% pet defense set IOs, take maneuvers and slot it up, and slot up your shields and dispersion bubble. That puts your pets very close to the defense cap. Beyond that, all the -to hit they add is gravy, and helpful against foes that have defense debuffs.
I'm almost all the way out of the markets at present, and if you don't like using them then I really couldn't blame you. Still, if you were to use the markets for any build, I would use them for this one for the +5% pet defense IOs, as the difference they make to the survivability of pets is transformative.
Beyond building up defenses, I found aid other quite helpful. I took life drain instead of PFF or aid self, and I was happy with that choice; life drain adds to DPS while also keeping my necro upright, while the other choices do not. If you add in the achilles -resistance IO into the grave knight's sixth slot, you'll probably be quite satisfied with that choice, as well.
Soul mastery was my PPP pick as well, for thematic reasons. I was happy with how it performed.
If you were to pick up one temporary power, I'd recommend envenomed dagger for the hefty -regen that it offers (-250%), for battles against tougher opponents.
I just finished making a build for my Necro/FF. I have about 1.5 Billion infamy.
This is my first crack at a MM set build. Could you folks critique it for me?
Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.621
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Space Dracula: Level 50 Magic Mastermind
Primary Power Set: Necromancy
Secondary Power Set: Force Field
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Medicine
Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery
Villain Profile:
Level 1: Zombie Horde
- (A) Blood Mandate - Accuracy/Damage
- (3) Blood Mandate - Damage/Endurance
- (3) Blood Mandate - Accuracy/Endurance
- (5) Blood Mandate - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (5) Blood Mandate - Accuracy
- (7) Blood Mandate - Damage
- (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage
- (7) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (9) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (9) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge
- (A) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
- (11) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge
- (11) Red Fortune - Endurance/Recharge
- (13) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge
- (13) Red Fortune - Defense
- (15) Red Fortune - Endurance
- (A) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge
- (15) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
- (17) Red Fortune - Endurance/Recharge
- (17) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge
- (19) Red Fortune - Defense
- (19) Red Fortune - Endurance
- (A) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Jumping IO
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
- (21) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
- (21) Gift of the Ancients - Defense/Endurance
- (23) Gift of the Ancients - Endurance/Recharge
- (A) Edict of the Master - Damage
- (23) Edict of the Master - Defense Bonus
- (25) Edict of the Master - Accuracy/Damage
- (25) Edict of the Master - Accuracy/Endurance
- (27) Edict of the Master - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (27) Achilles' Heel - Chance for Res Debuff
- (A) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff
- (29) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge
- (29) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge/Endurance
- (31) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Recharge/Endurance
- (31) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Endurance
- (31) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Chance for Build Up
- (A) Miracle - Heal
- (33) Miracle - Heal/Endurance
- (33) Empty
- (A) Expedient Reinforcement - Accuracy/Recharge
- (39) Expedient Reinforcement - Accuracy/Damage
- (39) Expedient Reinforcement - Damage/Endurance
- (39) Expedient Reinforcement - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (43) Expedient Reinforcement - Endurance/Damage/Recharge
- (43) Expedient Reinforcement - Resist Bonus Aura for Pets
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
- (33) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (34) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
- (34) Red Fortune - Endurance
- (A) Efficacy Adaptor - EndMod
- (34) Efficacy Adaptor - EndMod/Accuracy
- (36) Efficacy Adaptor - EndMod/Recharge
- (A) Empty
- (A) Sovereign Right - Accuracy/Damage
- (36) Sovereign Right - Damage/Endurance
- (36) Sovereign Right - Accuracy/Endurance
- (37) Sovereign Right - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (37) Sovereign Right - Accuracy
- (37) Sovereign Right - Resistance Bonus
- (A) Aegis - Resistance
- (40) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance
- (40) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge
- (A) Doctored Wounds - Recharge
- (46) Doctored Wounds - Heal
- (46) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Recharge
- (48) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Endurance/Recharge
- (50) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Endurance
- (A) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Doctored Wounds - Heal
- (43) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Recharge
- (46) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Endurance/Recharge
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (40) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
- (A) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance
- (42) Aegis - Resistance/Recharge
- (42) Aegis - Endurance/Recharge
- (42) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge
- (45) Aegis - Resistance
- (A) Enfeebled Operation - Accuracy/Recharge
- (45) Enfeebled Operation - Endurance/Immobilize
- (45) Enfeebled Operation - Accuracy/Endurance
- (48) Enfeebled Operation - Immobilize/Range
- (48) Enfeebled Operation - Accuracy/Immobilize
- (50) Enfeebled Operation - Accuracy/Immobilize/Recharge
- (A) Absolute Amazement - Stun
- (50) Absolute Amazement - Endurance/Stun
- (A) Hold Duration IO
Level 1: Brawl
- (A) Empty
- (A) Empty
- (A) Empty
Level 4: Ninja Run
Does anyone have anything to say? I'll take any advice/critiques I can get. I build a lot of scrappers/brutes, but I've never built a Mastermind. I'd like some sort of advice before I blow my infamy load on this. I will appreciate all responses.
The +10% pet *resistance* IOs are a long way behind the +5% pet *defense* IOs in how much they will boost pet survival. For one thing, the resistance IOs don't cover psi damage. For another, a defense capped set of pets is extremely tough, compared to virtually any other kind of pets. You need both +5% defense unique IOs (Edict of the Master, and the recharge intensive one, I forget which set) to end up just shy of the defense cap, when put together with a slotted up maneuvers and shields.
More generally, set bonuses that accrue to your MM don't generally buy you as much as they would on other characters (ie: chance for build up doesn't buy you much, for example), except perhaps recharge bonuses or endurance/recovery bonuses. Recharge bonuses don't help as much when you can't turn them into bigger damage, and your pets will seldom die, meaning recharge doesn't count for overly much that way either. Recovery bonuses can be helpful because end drain can be an issue if you'd like to keep your MM active. You just don't get as much return for your mega-bucks on a necro/FF as you might for some other characters. In a way that's nice, as it means you can use all that influence for other purposes.
And, if you have life drain and your pets are alive, sharing damage, you just don't need the fighting pool, or the end drain that it represents. If the situation is bad enough that your pets are no longer alive, the fighting pool will be unlikely to keep you alive.
FWIW, YMMV, and good luck no matter how you decide to build. 
PS: I generally put at least 2 SOs worth of to hit debuffs into the Lich. Check out his stats in-game sometime. He packs 9.38% or thereabouts to hit debuffing on most stuff he does, and that adds up quickly.
Quote:
In the Lich You reccommend SOs over a set? Or maybe a different set in the lich?|
Originally Posted by ShoeTattoo
The +10% pet *resistance* IOs are a long way behind the +5% pet *defense* IOs in how much they will boost pet survival. For one thing, the resistance IOs don't cover psi damage. For another, a defense capped set of pets is extremely tough, compared to virtually any other kind of pets. You need both +5% defense unique IOs (Edict of the Master, and the recharge intensive one, I forget which set) to end up just shy of the defense cap, when put together with a slotted up maneuvers and shields.
More generally, set bonuses that accrue to your MM don't generally buy you as much as they would on other characters (ie: chance for build up doesn't buy you much, for example), except perhaps recharge bonuses or endurance/recovery bonuses. Recharge bonuses don't help as much when you can't turn them into bigger damage, and your pets will seldom die, meaning recharge doesn't count for overly much that way either. Recovery bonuses can be helpful because end drain can be an issue if you'd like to keep your MM active. You just don't get as much return for your mega-bucks on a necro/FF as you might for some other characters. In a way that's nice, as it means you can use all that influence for other purposes. And, if you have life drain and your pets are alive, sharing damage, you just don't need the fighting pool, or the end drain that it represents. If the situation is bad enough that your pets are no longer alive, the fighting pool will be unlikely to keep you alive. FWIW, YMMV, and good luck no matter how you decide to build. PS: I generally put at least 2 SOs worth of to hit debuffs into the Lich. Check out his stats in-game sometime. He packs 9.38% or thereabouts to hit debuffing on most stuff he does, and that adds up quickly. |
Also, what would you take over fighting?
Quote:
I tend to get 2 SOs+ worth of -to hit into the Lich. These days I'm working with SOs, but in the past I've also gotten there with IOs. Either is fine. |
Originally Posted by Shades_McSpikey
In the Lich You reccommend SOs over a set? Or maybe a different set in the lich?
Also, what would you take over fighting? |
Hami-Os are the most effective choices for your tier 1 to tier 3 necro minions, in general, if you have a large budget. If you stick 3 acc/dam Hami-Os (Nucleolus Exposures) into your zombies, along with 3 heal IOs or SOs, your zombies will hit like they mean to hurt things and they'll bounce back quite nicely on those rare occasions when they do get hit. Grave knights can be enhanced in a similar way to zombies, but with the Achilles -resistance IO in the sixth slot, instead of a third heal enhancer, to give your minions better overall damage. The Lich gets much better when you load up on acc/mez Hami-Os (Endoplasm Exposures), along with to hit debuffs. If you can squeeze some damage enhancement into your Lich (perhaps with Peroxisome Exposures), as well, that will make him more effective. For Soul Extraction, consider getting the two +5% defense IOs, along with Hami-Os to enhance your choice of acc/dam or acc/mez, and about 3 SOs worth of recharge (again, however you get to three SOs worth or recharge reduction is fine).
I never bother with heal enhancements in the Lich because he's very tough as is, and even tougher for a well built necro/FF; on those rare occasions when the Lich in trouble, a heal enhancer would be unlikely to save him anyways.
Instead of the fighting pool, you can pick up a few other helpful powers, such as repulsion bomb; it helps for DPS, it mezzes mobs to decrease incoming damage, and its a good alpha-absorption power on teams. Given that you have maneuvers and tactics anyways, which are good picks in their own right, vengeance is always a team favorite and would be very helpful on strike forces. You can take hasten as a final pick, for those fairly rare battles with "bigger game" in which you have a run of bad luck in keeping your minions upright.
Edit: Whoops, forgot to mention that Provoke is often taken by those seeking to "tankermind." Its not my preference, and the build suggestions I'm giving are not based on having a taunt power. The build wouldn't be radically different, though, with provoke instead of one other power, if you were intent on making a tankermind.
I havent played my mastermind in over 2 years. Currently, I have soul mastery.
Can someone shoot me some good ideas for builds please.