Earth 4-Column

evi1r0n

evi1r0n

Baron
Since the celestials are talking about it, I got curious. What is your Earth 4-column walking into a situation with no recon.
 
1: Cure Light Wounds x4
2: Cure Wounds x4
3: Weakness x4
4: Cure Serious Wounds x4
5: Silence x1, Spell Shield x3
6: Cure Critical Wounds x4
7: Destruction x4
8: Purify x1, Cure Mortal Wounds x3
9: Life x3, Circle of Power x1
 
1: Cure Light Wounds x4
2: Cure Wounds x4
3: Weakness x4
4: Cure Serious Wounds x4
5: Silence x4
6: Cure Critical Wounds x4
7: Destroy Undead x4
8: Cure Mortal Wounds x4
9: Life x4

pretty much 100% healer support except for the Destroy Undead x4 but i hate a hate of undead and a love of fighting and killing them, its kind of win win anyhow yes a lot of the time it gos as a wasted spell but some times it saves my and my friends life's.
 
It depends on your team and everything of course. A 4 block templar whose team averages level 30 will need different spells than a 107 build scholar on a team that's level 10. And if you're not on a team then everything changes. But here are my favorite spells from each level:

1. disarm
2. magic armor
3. bind
4. cure serious
5. spell shield
6. cure crit
7. destruction
8. purify
9. death
 
I always wanted to do sword and board scholar with 15 pts of wear extra armor, earth primary

my team doesn't have too many casters, so I would have to cover lots of situation
1 2clw, endow, cure disease
2 pin, 2cw, magic armor
3 2 bind, 2 weakness
4 2 cs, 2 shun
5 1 of each
6 3 cure crit, earth blade
7 4 confine
8 1 of each
9 lifex4

i know i don't have much of anything, but if those situations come up i can really help out. I would go Jack of all trades, master of none.
 
1. 3 Cure Light Wounds, 1 Endow
2. 4 Cure Wounds
3. 2 Sanctuary, 2 Weakness
4. 4 Cure Serious Wounds
5. 1 Release, 2 Silence, 1 Spell Shield
6. 3 Earth Blade, 1 Sleep
7. 4 Destruction
8. 4 Purify
9. 4 Life (With 1 already used for Rebirth high magic)

This is tailored to heal and help others fight undead (and other monsters) as a completely support (non-front line) character. I don't memorize high healing as my character's healing philosophy is he'll get you up (with low level spells or potions) and to safety behind the line; but if you want a full body point restore, buy the higher up potions yourself. I memorize one Endow in case I'm out of Life spells and need to pick up a body and run to the nearest character who could possibly help (or the local Earth Guild) if there is a chance to save the dead character from resurrecting. I memorize two sanctuary in case we run into some really big and nasty undead (seems to happen a lot).

Why I don't memorize certain things:
I only memorize Circle of Power if I know for an absolute fact that I'll be attempting to cast a ritual. I don't memorize more than one of anything that a Celestial scholar can do with a scroll or that I can do with a potion (except healing, Destruction, and Purify). Potions are better than memorized spells for curing specific ailments. I avoid binding spells as things usually just rip free any way and killing things is really up to the other classes/roles. My role is to keep those characters up and fighting. If I do this correctly, I shouldn't be fighting much myself (also helps to pay for a couple bodyguards).
 
I don't find columning with Earth particularly useful. I'd much rather pyramid out, whether templaring or scholaring. That said:

Templar:
Disarm x4
Magic Armor x4
Sanctuary x1, Weakness x3
Shun x2, Poison Shield x2
Spell Shield x4
Restore x2, Cure Crit x2
Confine x2, Destruction x2
Purify x2, Cure Mort x2
CoP x1, Death x3

Scholar:
CLWx4
Magic Armor x4
Sanctuary x1, Weakness x3
Shun x2, Poison Shield x2
Spell Shield x4
Restore x2, Cure Crit x2
Destruction x4
Purify x2, Cure Mort x2
CoP x1, Death x3
 
This is my usual setup for a 4-column Templar in an undead heavy campaign:

1 - 2 CL, 2 Disarm
2 - 2 CW, 2 Magic Armor
3 - 2 Bind, 2 Weakness
4 - 3 CS, 1 Shun or Awaken
5 - 2 Web, 2 Spell Shield
6 - 3 Cure Crit, 1 Sleep (Would be Earth blade but I have an item for that)
7 - 2 Confine, 2 Destruction
8 - 2 Purify, 2 Cure Mort
9 - 4 Life/Death

This is my generic ready to for whatever may come default setup.
 
I like that JP and James don't quibble at Nine: they're "3 Death" without a blink. None of this Life/Death shenanigans. ;)

I am interested in the couple people who mem Restores - ¿is that for access to the Wither or do you really use Restores that often?

Secondary question, in terms of "Dirt Mages" (Earth Casters who act as primary battle mages and fighter support as opposed to Healers and combat medics) - ¿do you find Bindomancy more useful than Curses?
 
Bindomancy only works well in conjunction with Curses, if it works at all, imo. In any case, even if the beasty is a "confine-ripper", you can slay or evisc it while it's ripping, and it can't parry/dodge.

Restore is two-fold - great for pulling out off a Wither, and operates as a Wither vs undead.
 
CLW x4
Magic Armor x2, CW x2
Sanctuary x1, Weakness x3
Shun x1, CSW x3
Spell Shield x2, Release x1, Silence x1
Restore x1, Cure Crit x3
Confine x2, Destruction x2
Purify x2, Cure Mort x2
CoP x1, Life x3

I mem the restore in case my stun limb gets bounced back >.>

Most of my healing goes into me. I'm still working toward the 4 column, but I imagine this will be what I mem mostly when I don't have an inclination otherwise.

I'm noticing not a whole lot of variant in people's choices for their tree with Earth, unlike the Celestial 4 column thread where there's a whole LOT of variance.
 
I went back and pulled up my old Solo Build I used to use when I was a smaller Earth Caster.

Level 1: Cure Light Wounds x4
Level 2: Magic Armor x2, Repel x2
Level 3: Weakness x2, Harm Undead x2
Level 4: Cure Serious Wounds x4
Level 5: Web x2, Spell Shield x2
Level 6: Cure Critical Wounds x4
Level 7: Destroy Undead x2, Confine x2
Level 8: Purify x2, Cure Mortal Wounds x2
Level 9: Life x2, Earth Storm (or a third Life) x1, Circle of Power x1

I played in a chapter that loved it's undead so those spells were rarely wasted. I found that to be a good balance of attack, defense, and healing.

Now that I play a higher level game my spells have changed a bit... I take more of most spells on this list already.

Some choices changed.... I don't take Web, and take Silence instead. No more Harm undead, Binds (and lots of em) instead. I like Cure Disease at level 1 so I usually have some of those... it's for forcing phases and resists out of an undead... any undead "worth attacking" will resist that spell as it wants to be able to run away from me. I also have a few awakens and poison shields at 4th circle.

The game that I've played with that column has always been 2nd and 1st line.

Mobius said:
Secondary question, in terms of "Dirt Mages" (Earth Casters who act as primary battle mages and fighter support as opposed to Healers and combat medics) - ¿do you find Bindomancy more useful than Curses?
Click to expand...

Short answer: Yes, but I still enjoy curses.

I am a High Level character so most things I fight are going to immediately rip out of whatever I throw. This does not cheapen the effect, it just changes the strategy. You have to work tighter with your fighters, make sure that they know when you are going to unload the binding, and keep whatever you want bound, bound for the duration (repeated applications of confines, binds whatever). Because it's only 3 seconds, monsters are more likely to accept the effect, improving the "spell resolving percentage" as it won't be phased etc.

Curses, on the other hand, last longer, but often conflict with other useful spells so it's harder to memorize lots of them. I personally prefer bind over weakness. Silence is a GREAT spell for dueling other casters, but conflicts with spell shield, so i can only memorize a few of them. Paralysis, though a great spell, does not work on many creatures, and conflicts with Purify and Cure Mort, so I rarely if ever take it.

Destruction is a tough one for me. It is usually a guaranteed "phase popper" as monsters do NOT want to be hit by it. However, due to this the "spell resolving percentage" is lower. I also need a steady supply of Confines for slowing down fast monsters, so I personally don't use Destruction as much as I'd like to.
 
You know I was telling some people on the east coast that I prefer pyramids for templars. I forget the math but a 987654321 is cheaper than a 4 block by a nice chunk of build, especially for a templar. Everyone said I was crazy.
jpariury said:
I don't find columning with Earth particularly useful. I'd much rather pyramid out, whether templaring or scholaring.
Click to expand...
 
It's cheaper by nine build, and hugely less effective if you're celestial, since it yields 45 charges of 2 points each as compared to 36 of 5. Even with a plus three wand you'd be behind on total damage.
 
The Earth Templar 4-columns given all look right to me, with the exception of Bind. Maybe it's me but bind is hopeless against 90% of NPCs, presumably due to the preponderance of "monster strength". Curses are far more likely to not be shrugged off, so I go with Weakness at level 3.

A 987654321 pyramid is 111 build for a Templar. A 444444444 column is 120 build for a Templar.

The only thing that starts to make up for the fighter skills you can't afford and the awful body as a high level Templar is the nine Disarm spells, eight Magic Armors, and five Spell Shields. Honestly I think templars need buffs, although I haven't played enough to have a good opinion about how badly the magic item verbal changes have nerfed fighters who become templars using build-replacing magic items.
 
James Trotta said:
You know I was telling some people on the east coast that I prefer pyramids for templars. I forget the math but a 987654321 is cheaper than a 4 block by a nice chunk of build, especially for a templar. Everyone said I was crazy.
jpariury said:
I don't find columning with Earth particularly useful. I'd much rather pyramid out, whether templaring or scholaring.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Yes, this is tangential, but I wanted to get some numbers in here for the benefit of other readers:

For a Scholar, a Pyramid is 5 Build cheaper than a 4-column.
For Templar/Adept, it's 9 Build cheaper than a 4-column.

Same is true for Celestial casters. The real benefit for either school of caster is that you end up with 45 spells for less Build instead of 36 for more Build. The drawback is then you don't have those top-tier spells to draw on.

For 5 BP, I'd probably go with the 4-up column before spreading out the base until I had 987654444. For a Templar/Adept, I'll probably be using more of the lower-level spells...9 BP and 9 spells can make a huge difference.
 
As was noted, pyramiding out with Earth yields 9/8/7/6/5/4/3/2/2 for 3 less build. In that chart, I'd go as follows:

Disarm x6, CLW x3
Magic Armor x8
Sanctuary x1, Weakness x4, Bind x2
Shun x2, Poison Shield x2, CSW x2
Spell Shield x5
Restore x2, Cure Crit x2
Confine x1, Destruction x2
Cure Mort x2
CoP x1, Death x1
 
i did not know that about pyramiding... i may have to actually do that instead of columning if i do my earth thing...
 
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