Dwarven Defender build.

[Amineh123]

Just as in topic, I'm looking for a Dwarven Defender step-by-step build for my friend, who is new to Arelith and NWN so to speak.
I would really appreciate a guide from beginning to the end. Thank you!

[Opustus]

Hey! I've played Dwarven Defenders a lot in the past. While DwD is generally the weakest class in NWN, it has unique applications which makes them interesting to play:
-They gain immunity to Sneak attacks so long as they are attacking a target. When fighting against Stealth and not seeing your enemy, you can click your Defensive Stance on which makes you immobile and target an object like a door/sign/whatever. This makes you immune again.
-Dedicated DwDs get a tonne of HP and damage reduction 18/- or 21/- against physical damage. This synergises well with the 10% physical damage immunities.

To offer you some examples of DwD builds:
Fighter/RogueorBard/DwD - a staple very defensive build
Fighter/WM/DwD - a less defensive but more offensive build, relies more on damage reduction than AC, which is usually bad

Otherwise DwD is most often used as a dip class: five levels of it gives full BAB progression pre-epic, sneak attack immunity, and Uncanny dodge, which makes you retain your Dodge and DEX AC in combat. So, it works as a dump class with most classes with a 3/4 base attack progression.

[miesny_jez]

I am currently trying out a Defensive DwD build for myself. If You and Your friend often party together You can easily use it.. though point of note its an advanced build requiring to "suck it up" until lvl 9 and may not be suitable for a new player to NWN.

The build is as follows:

Build summary:

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Hitpoints: 514
Skillpoints: 186
Saving Throws (Fortitude/Will/Reflex): 24/17/15
Saving Throw bonuses: Spells: +5, Traps: +2, Poison: +2
BAB: 24
AB (max, naked): 30 (melee), 25 (ranged)

Build layout:

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Dwarven Defender(14), Purple Dragon Knight (Protector)(10), Rogue(6), Dwarf

STR: 14 (22) Duergar Racial + {GIFT}
DEX: 13
CON: 19 (22)
WIS: 8
INT: 14
CHA: 6

Dwarf: (Darkvision, Defensive Training vs. Giants, Stonecunning, Hardiness vs. Poison, Hardiness vs. Spells, Offensive Training vs. Goblinoids, Offensive Training vs. Orcs, Skill Affinity: Lore)
01: Rogue(1): Dodge
02: Rogue(2): {Evasion}
03: Rogue(3): Skill Focus: Discipline, {Uncanny Dodge I}
04: Purple Dragon Knight(1): CON+1, (CON=20)
05: Purple Dragon Knight(2)
06: Purple Dragon Knight(3): Toughness
07: Purple Dragon Knight(4)
08: Purple Dragon Knight(5): STR+1, (STR=19)
09: Dwarven Defender(1): Expertise, {Defensive Stance}
10: Dwarven Defender(2): {Defensive Awareness I}
11: Dwarven Defender(3)
12: Rogue(4): STR+1, Improved Expertise, (STR=20)
13: Dwarven Defender(4)
14: Dwarven Defender(5)
15: Dwarven Defender(6): Disarm
16: Purple Dragon Knight(6): CON+1, (CON=21)
17: Purple Dragon Knight(7)
18: Purple Dragon Knight(8): Improved Disarm
19: Purple Dragon Knight(9)
20: Purple Dragon Knight(10): CON+1, (CON=22)
21: Dwarven Defender(7): Armor Skin
22: Rogue(5)
23: Dwarven Defender(8)
24: Dwarven Defender(9): STR+1, Epic Damage Reduction I, (STR=21)
25: Dwarven Defender(10)
26: Dwarven Defender(11)
27: Dwarven Defender(12): Epic Damage Reduction II
28: Dwarven Defender(13): STR+1, (STR=22)
29: Dwarven Defender(14): Epic Damage Reduction III
30: Rogue(6): Epic Will

Build skills:

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Ro	01: Disable Trap(4), Heal(4), Lore(4), Open Lock(4), Search(4), Spellcraft(2), Tumble(4), UMD(4), Save(8), 
Ro	02: Disable Trap(1), Heal(1), Open Lock(1), Search(1), Tumble(1), UMD(1), Save(12), 
Ro	03: Disable Trap(1), Heal(1), Open Lock(1), Set Trap(5), Spellcraft(1), UMD(1), Save(11), 
PDK	04: Discipline(7), Save(8), 
PDK	05: Discipline(1), Spellcraft(1), Save(9), 
PDK	06: Save(13), 
PDK	07: Spellcraft(1), Save(15), 
PDK	08: Save(19), 
DD	09: Spellcraft(1), Save(21), 
DD	10: Save(25), 
DD	11: Spellcraft(1), Save(27), 
Ro	12: Disable Trap(9), Search(8), Tumble(10), UMD(9), Save(1), 
DD	13: Discipline(2), Heal(1), Spellcraft(1), 
DD	14: Discipline(2), Heal(2), 
DD	15: Discipline(1), Heal(2), Save(1), 
PDK	16: Discipline(1), Save(4), 
PDK	17: Discipline(1), Save(7), 
PDK	18: Discipline(1), Save(10), 
PDK	19: Discipline(1), Save(13), 
PDK	20: Discipline(1), Save(16), 
DD	21: Discipline(1), Heal(6), Save(13), 
Ro	22: Disable Trap(10), Heal(1), Tumble(8), UMD(4), 
DD	23: Discipline(2), Heal(2), 
DD	24: Discipline(1), Heal(3), 
DD	25: Discipline(1), Heal(1), Save(2), 
DD	26: Discipline(1), Save(5), 
DD	27: Discipline(1), Save(8), 
DD	28: Discipline(1), Save(11), 
DD	29: Discipline(1), Spellcraft(5), Save(4), 
Ro	30: Disable Trap(7), Tumble(7), 

The weapon to use: Dwarven Waraxe
The build is optimized for Duergar.
If using Dwarf You can lower UMD by 1 and You will have lower starting ST due to lack of +2 from Duergar racial so starting with base 14 + 2 (Gift) = 16.
But You can substitute that with a additional CON gift to You character and using two stat increases to add to ST at levels 16/20 instead of CON ending up with the same final stats.

Guide to playing:
1. WARNING: Early levels on this character (lvls 1-8) will be a Pain.
Due to the lack of Weapon proficiency and Heavy Armor/Shield You will need to utilize tactics as: Party support, Summons, Traps, Ranged combat, DEX potions. Get yourself any Dwarven Waraxe ASAP.
2. Starting from lvl 9 (when You get Heavy armor + Shield) You can serve as a solid Tank for the party until lvl 30.
3. Disarm/ImprvDisarm and Epic Will can be exchanged to whatever You would prefer, though Epic Will is suggested to stay.
4. To set traps after lvl 9 You will have to take off Your armor/shield - suggested traps to use: Deadly Tangle Traps
5. Final prognosed AB is at 43 - not stellar but should suffice enough, the build is focused on defense not offense here, You can take Weapon Focus/Epic Weapon focus for +3 AB if You are concerned.
6. Defense wise You will have the following:
- AC: Self sustain standard = 47, Self buffed to: 55 (def Stance + Haste), 61 (imp Expert+Haste)
- 18/- DR (DwD) + 5/+10 DR (for 1 turn, every 3 turns),
- +20% Elemental Immunities to whole party
- Heal: 10d8+ every 3 minutes,
- 2x -Guard targets and ability to make any target focus on You thus saving a party member
- Sneak/Flank Immunity
- Toggle-able +6 to saves (DwD stance + Inspire Courage)
- Evasion
- Instant -2 AB, 20% Spell failure for 1 minute to a target every 3 minutes
- Party wide Restoration/Remove Fear every 3 minutes

You probably could get better defensive setup if going heavy Dex + EDodge but..
I couldn't bare myself to play an Epic Dodger on a dwarf - it conflicts too much with my view of the character.

[Ork]

Bear in mind that defensive stance and expertise are combat modes. You can have one or the other activated, not both.

[miesny_jez]

Yep fully aware of that.

My idea is to use Defensive Stance + Final Stand (when available) And IE when Final Stand is off/on CD.

[Dr. B]

Does Divine Might/Shield cancel defensive stance?

[miesny_jez]

Doing anything else then hitting or using combat MELEE feats while in Def Stance will cancel the mode.

I know what You are looking for.. and I can tell You already its a Trap

I was playing a Bardadin DwD = Pally/DD/Bard 4/6/20

It was really cool on paper, great offense, stellar defense had tools for every possible situation, buffs/debuffs.. almost an ideal character melee-wise BUT

But it also had something which made it playing a total chore - wind up time.

in a typical engagment I was burning almost 3-5 rounds just for buffing up..

Song+Haste+DivShield/Might+WoundingWhispers+Taunt + Defensive Stance = 5 ROUNDS gone = 30s

In 30s .. if in party Your enemies were usually Dead unless bosses. If Solo after a while I rarely even bothered as I was so fed up with the wind up time.
I managed to reach lvl 26 with that build without any issues even soloing Mourn/Abyss bosses.. but GODS never again.. playing a character which is so dependent on wind up time was a total exercise in patience.

[Opustus]

There's a way to reduce the wind-up time (of bard song at least, probably also the stance as it doesn't activate right away, but I should test that) by clicking the song so that the animation is sequenced, then moving a bit to cancel it, then clicking the song again. I've played the game for so long I do it by rote now, but it's a very nifty trick. Also works with potions, not sure about wands.

[pigman]

There's a way to reduce the wind-up time (of bard song at least, probably also the stance as it doesn't activate right away, but I should test that) by clicking the song so that the animation is sequenced, then moving a bit to cancel it, then clicking the song again. I've played the game for so long I do it by rote now, but it's a very nifty trick. Also works with potions, not sure about wands.

I was under the impression this was considered an exploit as it can give a very real competitive edge in pvp.

[Lorkas]

Likewise--sounds super exploity to me.

[Nitro]

That seems nearly impossible to police though, and where does the line draw? Backstepping to triger AOO's? Moving to get DD's out of Defensive Stance?

[Opustus]

Don't think a ruling on it exists currently -- also, it might just have been my imagination for all these years! -- but certainly it's something that might be frowned upon. For me, part of the allure of the game is purely mechanical and some of the exploits make it interesting (don't see why mechanics and RP should be mutually exclusive), but I think that only immersion-breaking exploits should be somehow enforced, if at all. It's difficult to say when a person does or does not do this, because it doesn't really deviate from how the game normally looks, i.e. a mess of effects and characters laggyingly plonking bodies at each other.