BFG support Team, Help for the ad-hoc builds

Since the gerbils are running hoc sessions at the moment, having at least one part of the team defined can be a good help in doing anything sensible. Bunnz and I have been working on a 4 character support team that should be able to keep most everyone up and running.

Currently we're utilizing one boon protector, two straight healers and a fourth support char. The fourth support is supposed to disrupt the enemy ability to maneuver or do damage, as well as helping the monk team occasionally. We've been running with a E/Mo designed by bunnz, but I have started to work on a N/mo to replace that character, on Bunnz's request. That will be posted when we feel it's reasonably stable. This monk team is absolutely not the ultimate, but it's solid enough, and a good baseline if you're making a casual tombs or GvG team.

Healer 1 - the Town Crier - Mo/W
12+3 Divine Favor, 10+2 Healing Prayers, 8 Tactics
Dwayna's Kiss / Word of Healing* / Signet of Devotion / Healing Touch / Healing Breeze[Healing Seed] / Divine Healing / "Watch Yourself!" / "Shields Up!"

This healer focuses on using cheap but effective heals to keep the party running. Kiss and WoH are really cheap and efficent heals. Along with Devotion for energy management and Touch for limited self healing, this character functions without any active energy recovery due to the efficency of the healing spells.

When many team members are at low HP, find a good position and use Divine Healing for some TRULY sick efficency. I've scored several 1000+ heals by using that skill. Even if you're getting disrupted, you can function fairly well since most skills cost five and you've got a signet. If you face piercing damage, use Shields Up! as often as possible. If not, spam Watch Yourself! whenever you can.

The biggest problem for this character is limited self heal - you have only Touch as a quick self-heal. Thus, the original Healing seed was removed and replaced by Healing Breeze. If the monk playing this can handle having only Touch and Devotion for self-heal, then Healing Seed is a great choice. It's up to the individual player.

Protector-Healer - Protective Pal - Mo/Me
10+4 Divine Favor, 11+1 Protection Prayers, 10 Inspiration
Reversal of Fortune / Restore Condition* / Guardian / Protective Spirit / Aegis / Mend Ailment [Contemplation of Purity, Holy Veil] / Drain Enchantment / Channeling /

The sole condition remover of the monk team, he focuses on using the Restore Condition to heal and remove conditions most of the time. If someone needs help but has no condition, RoF will do the job. If someone's being pounded or sniped, Guardian is a efficent choice that will greatly decrease incoming damage. Aegis is cast as often as possible as long as there's more than one attacker present. Drain and channeling keep your mana flowing.

Since you're the only character with the power to remove conditions from others, you'll have to focus on conditions if they are present. Also, against spiking teams, you MUST keep the PS running. It's your only hope!

Healer 2 - Der Kleine Healer - Mo/ME
11+3 Divine Favor, 10+2 Healing Prayers, 10 Inspiration
Dwayna's Kiss / Word of Healing* / Healing Touch / Divine Healing / Holy Veil / Inspired Hex / Contemplation of Purity / Channeling

A mix between the Town crier and the protbooner, this character shares primary heal duties with her warrior colleague, while also removing hexes. She has a easier mana flow due to Inspired Hex and Channeling. She's better self heal thanks to CoP - in a tight hexed situation casting Holy Veil and following it up with a Contemplation will yield 150 HP, 2 conditions removed and 3 hexes removed. The first four skills are used just as on the Town Crier. Holy Veil is almost only used a hex removal, but if you spot a way to use the longer-cast to your advantage, take it! Inspired Hex is to be used sparingly as Hex removal rather than energy recovery - Channeling should be enough to keep you burstin', but if not you can use the Inspired Hex to recoup some energy.

Support - Bunnz Warder - E/Mo
10+1+3 Earth Magic, 7+1 Energy Storage, 10 Healing Prayers, 9 Protection Prayers
Glyph of Energy* / Obsidian Flame / Aegis / Heal Party / Convert Hexes / Ward Against Melee[ward against elements] / Ward against Foes[Protective Spirit] / Resurrection Signet

This charcater is there to support the other monks. Ward against Foes restricts the enemy movement when placed at key choke point pre-battle, or at the battle mid-battle, or in the path of your next strategic movement when fighting on the run. Ward against Melee is the skill we all know and love against attack-happy teams. Aegis is of great importance; coupled with the Protective monk's aegis you have 24/30 coverage of 50% block, which can then be further increased by guardian and WaM. Heal Party is mainly used when friendly monks go down, to ease the heal burden while they are being ressurected. Convert Hexes is the only way to solve hex stacks on the team, and friendlies will have to request it. Obsidian flame is used to aid in attacking - well-placed it can easily be the tiebreaker between killing or having the target survive. Glyph of Energy is the glue that binds all these expensive skills together, and it's to be used wherever it gives the most benefit.

This character makes an excellent leading character due to the untargeted nature of most of the skills, and the strategic options present in the wards.

Offensive Support - Well oh Well - N/Mo
Well oh Well
Soul Reaping: 8 (7+1) / Curses: 11 (10+1) / Death Magic: 14 (10+4) / Protection Prayers: 9
Tainted Flesh* / Shadow of Fear / Enfeebling Blood / Well of the Profane / Well of Suffering / Convert Hexes / Aegis / Resurrection Signet
[Either well can be changed to a Putrid Explosion if faster corpse disposal and more spike damage is preferable. Additionally, with the recent Spikage you may want to utilize Protective Spirit instead of one of the wells.]

Created to be an alternative to the Bunnz Warder, this character utilizes Shadow of Fear and Enfeebling blood to mitigate incoming attacking damage. Since one of the problems for the defense build has been Disease, Tainted flesh is present to amelieorate this problem while providing Disease as an offensive option for us. The wells allow us territory control, basically forcing the opponent to move from their position or take heavy degen / loss of enchanting. The last three skills function just as on the Bunnz Warder.

Energy might look like an issue, but it's not. Since the most expensive spells - the wells - will only be used upon someone's death, 8 Soul Reaping (which is far more effective than you would belive without trying it) will take care of most of these energy problems. Having a condition and a Hex for defense is not as certain as having a ward, but hopefully the attacking team and Tainted Flesh can provide enough cover for them. Enfeebling Blood and Shadow of Fear will cut the effectiveness of any attacking character by 50%. These two skills will *pwn* IWAY who have little in the way of condition and hex removal.

Still. This char not the best choice every time - it depends on the attacking team. I'd love to work a Putrid in there, but three different corpse skills felt like a bit too much. Either Well could probably be swapped for Putrid, if that's what we'd like.

Due to the resurgence of Spiking (if it's not just an *extremely* passing fad), this is less powerful as it probably has to carry PS. In those cases utilizing the defensive Well necro is probably a better idea.


Defensive Support - Well, oh, power! - N/Mo
Soul Reaping: 8 (7+1) / Curses: 11 (10+1) / Blood Magic: 14 (10+4) / Protection Prayers: 9

Desecrate Enchantments[Rend Enchantments] / Shadow of Fear / Enfeebling Blood[Protective Spirit] / Well of Blood[protective Spirit] / Well of Power* / Convert Hexes / Aegis / Resurrection Signet

Similar to the Well oh Well necro, this instead boosts our survivebility via wells rather than boosting our damage. It can include Protective Spirit by either replacing the well of blood, giving us less corpse removal, or by replacing Desecrate Enchantments, reducing our offensive output - it's up to the player. It does the same damage reduction to attack-based teams as the Well oh Well, but the way it forces movement is different; we can stick around in our defensive wells and feel good rather than force the other team to move out of our offensive wells. This one also defends against Disease, not via immunity but rather by offering +6 to +12 health regen to the entire area.

----

That's it! Feedback and questions are as always welcome http://www.theamazonbasin.com/gw/forums/index.php?showtopic=3732