Hybrid Skald

[Ludologist]

Here's my take on Fjori after having played him through Fafnir's treasure and then re-building him slightly for a longer running game and to suit my play style. I went fairly hybrid with him, and I found our group really depended a lot on his AOE healing skills. I somewhat copied and pasted from my build notes, so the power descriptions are in my own words.

Fjori - Skald - Wanderer
Level 15 - 7 Essence, 4 Destiny
3 Physical, 2 Mental, 2 Spiritual

ACTIVES
Spellsongs
Ride of the Valkyries (Wanderer) - +2 bonus to move actions
Devour Thought - 2 Mental damage, heal 4
Hand of Tyr - Gain an ethereal third hand that auto-equips a weapon; I used this power to puzzle-solve a lot.
Apples of Idun - Heal +4, and heal another +4 on the target's next move
Arcane Shield - +2 Physical protection, +1 Mental and Spiritual protection against the next hit

Maneuvers
Lunging Attack - Weak move and regular attack in any order
Flying Charge - Regular move and weak attack in any order
Power Attack - Regular attack with +2 bonus damage

PASSIVES
Martial Prowess (Wanderer) (not to be confused with Marital Prowess which, though similar, requires a lot more work) - +1 Physical weapon damage
Agility - move through enemy/debris occupied spaces
Warrior of Song - attacks have +2 Physical damage while under the effect of spellsong
Tactical Advantage - Free move action during upkeep phase
Carried by song - +2 move bonus while under song
Leaping Striker - +2 Physical damage bonus after a weak move, +4 after a full move
Running Jab - While moving, minor sacrifice +1 to get a free attack against a target (not hit yet this turn, and just moved in melee range)
Stealthy Striker - +2 Physical damage if attacking from behind

The skills were mainly Lores, thieving, and sneaking. I took riding because we had captured a bunch of baby giant eagles to use as mounts. Airborne Vikings are a scary thought!

Ok, so let's get the basics out of the way:
When under the effect of a spellsong, Fjori gets super powers. Lots of damage and mobility bonuses. He goes where he wants.
Add to that, free attacks that can be triggered while moving. He hits who he wants.
Add to that, bonus damage after moving AND when attacking from behind. He rocks hard and he hits hard.
Add to that, the ability to wield an extra weapon (in my case, it was a creepy battle-puppet in the shape of Thor - Thoriuken!). The better the weapon, the better the damage boost.

The more complex part is the spellsongs. The trick with this Fjori build is to know which song to sing for a quick boost and which to maintain for a while. I tended to go with Ride of the Valkyries for quick, one-shot movement bonuses, followed by Hand of Tyr (when possible). Follow this up with Lunging Attack or Flying charge you can move 10+ spaces, get a hit or two in for 7 to 11 damage, and get out before getting into too much trouble. This is even with regular gear.

On the flip side, Devour Thought is a supremely nasty spell if you know which rune piles to target and when. Move into a space where you hit lots of enemies, preferably before they act, blast off a Devour Thought that hits their hand. They'll generally be shut down for the turn, and you still have a bunch of runes to play. Alternatively, you can keep your song Open and build it up every turn, making the shutdown more and more permanent as you go.


There are a couple of things I would do differently.
1- I might focus a bit more on weapon combat or a bit more on magic. As fun and flexible as they are, hybrid builds do suffer from not being specialized.
2- Invest in some damage dealing weapons, or some defensive gear (My poor Fjori was made of glass).
3- I'd go with an extra 2 Essence rather than take that 4th Destiny. There's apparently a debate about Essence vs Destiny, and if I can't find it I'll start one.

One last piece of advice: Climbing on an Ettin is a great way for someone to get hurt.

[theRajjj]

Interesting take on the skald... since you have Hand of Tyr, would you rather not specialize in the combat side of the Skald? Your passives definitely support a very bitchen brawler type skald. A Devour Thought skald is a monster, but you should switch it up to something that gives you a synergy with your passives. LA and FC Actives are perfect with LS Passive, but you lack serious defence. VCM Active which is reachable by your other selections would give you more tankyness. Since you have movement, you can count on being out of melee range, but range can get you. You can HoT for a shield too, giving you more Parry. I cannot stress in the importance of Parry enough. What gear you suggesting with this build?

Oh and do tell the "Ettin story" LOL

[andrew]

Now that's one impressive Skald of doom! I personally like the mix of spells and combat! Ludo, my opinion is your Essence and Destiny choice given the Open meta rich build... but it still works great! I look forward to many cool builds for both the players and the Norn- remember the Norn gets to design all the creatures! Keep this gold coming! ))

[Ludologist]

I went 'Jack the Giant Slayer' on an Ettin. I used the mobility of the build to climb up a raging Ettin's back. He stopped hitting the team, but sadly he focused all his anger issues on the squishy skald on his back. It was an epic double KO, and the Thor battle puppet managed to save the quest item I was carrying at the time. The puppet is still traveling with the group, although he's not the best conversationalist around.

This was the first time I'd built a character, so there's a lot I would do differently. The Parry and other defensive comments are absolutely bang on. I'd also go for more Essence (more for running jab than for the spellsongs). With my next skald, I'll focus on spell casting or charging around and attacking, not both.

Equipment wise, I had a Spear that had Suave Singer and 2 Focus on it (quite handy).

Shields save lives!