Help your friendly neighborhood watchman not suck so much.

[MalkavianMilkBalls]

Hello Everyone. Watcher Cella Steel's player here.

So I've mentioned to a few people that I've really felt disheartened lately in being a watcher because every time I try to perform my duty and take it to this bandit or that malcontent, I get my ass handed to me, every time. It seems like everyone with a shield can put me on the floor without even trying. So I figured I'd post this and get some more tips Jasper's player has been very helpful, but sadly I'm not always going to be in a group when a bandit jumps me, so I'd like some more ideas.

My stats are 18, 13, 14, 13, 10, 10

My skills have gone almost entirely into concentration, discipline, lore, and ever other level a point into tumble.

My Feats are Blind Fighting, Cleave, improved critical halberd, knockdown, strong soul, toughness, weapon focus halberd, and weapon specialization halberd.

So tips for pvp? Suggestions? A lot of the advice has so far been drink as many potions as possible which on a watchers salary isn't the easiest thing to do..

Am I doomed to just be a punching bag for anyone with a sword and board?
 

[JackOfBlades]

Looking at your stats I see a completely normal figther build that many PCs have used in the past, nothing wrong with it.
Chugging potions is good advice as it's usually the main thing that wins you the fight. That and dispels and the timing of your engagements are important.

Two-handed weapons are for flanking and dealing alot of damage quickly, and sweet crits. Shields will win most long engagements.

Get some allies, watch out for those scummy bandits. You can't win them all.

 

[Gippy]

Ask around ICly! There is some old hat pvp mentors that can teach you this stuff IG. There is absolutely nothing wrong with your build, in fact it is quite strong looking. Generally though build vs potions, potions will win. 5 basics boost AB or damage. 3 basics boost AC. You drink those, have a weapon charm, throw in haste potion on occasion and a displacement when things look bad.

[Golgo13]

[snip, learn to play before making snide unnecessary comments.  Warning #1 Golgo]

[Knight Of Pentacles]

While in the past they were law enforcers, this new, abandoned Sanctuary no longer has the infrastructure necessary to support a police force. Most would acknowledge that any attempt at being the hero or the "hardass" in a nigh lawless city would probably result in their deaths. Because of this they are inclined towards laziness and corruption more so than vigilance and duty. A certain amount of street smarts and knowing when and when not to fight are the greatest virtues a Watcher can have.  

[petey512]

Pvp can be hard. Im certainly not good at it. I believe it really is supposed to be simple as drinking potions but I always overthink which one to drink first and then the opponent starts drinking too and I panic and attack too early.

The good news is it seems that you didn't make a terrible build, like I tend to do. Just keep trying, stay classy, and the practice will make you better. I remember when zango started he was a lot like me. He just kept practicing until he got good and last I heard he played Tullus who was supposed to be really tough I think.

So yeah. I'm helping.

[Kinslayer988]

Some PVP tips I have learned recently that have saved my hide constantly:

• Buff if you expect any kind of pvp, before the pvp starts. Longer buffs such as MW, bulls, endurance, etc are useful because it allows you to be a threat before the battle even starts.
• Always have/use seeing if you get into an unsafe situation. See invis is important because you can see ambushers before they have time to catch you and it allows you to chase invis escaping criminals.
• Find allies. Sometimes you do find yourself on your own, but if you are 1v2 or 3 it is far more likely you won't win. Having allies is key to victory. Especially if they are better at pvp than you :p
• Find a save to lean on. Find one of the three big saves (will, fort, reflex) and focus on one. That way when a fight happens you know your weakness and strengths, and are able to use them to your advantage. If you have high fort you can throw stinking clouds and bewilders. If you have high reflex you can throw a grease. If you have high will you can not worry about using clarities.

[RagingPurpleGiant]

PvP is 70% situational luck and 30% potions. Don't get disheartened if you lose a few, if someone gets the drop on you unprepared it's hard to win. Invest in good potions, use them liberally, and always try heading into danger with some longer lasting spells already on.

[el groso]

A very good post by Hound, I think this could help http://www.efupw.com/forums/forum/main-forums/general-discussion/666077-hound-s-dumpster-survival-tips

[zDark Shadowz]

Your build seems perfect for a flanker, which means you need a partner or a shield (don't have to use the shield 100% of the time)

If you want to solo, I would say Dodge? when you can for another +1 AC vs your last attacker, and keep a sword/shield on hand not necessarily for combat but to wear while you drink healing potions before flicking back to the sick-crit halberd.

Expertise is helpful as well for when your total AB/AC exceeds your opponents, or if you can only hit on a 20 anyway.

If you need to do Watcheresque things to up your game, the Watcher suits are sitting there just waiting to be unleashed. Tanglefoot bags, acquired from certain enemies consistently help as well.

If you can time it right, use Taunt (after your opponents first attack in their round so their other strikes are less likely to connect when you're flatfooted doing this). There are a surprising number of people that gimp intelligence and don't take Concentration, so even without ranks in Taunt you can still drop them by up to 6 AC. Even better, use Taunt while your shield is up.

Last tip I can think of is to go for the OOC surprise round -- walk off disinterested if they initiated or are otherwise distracted, come back fully buffed with an invis-striking knockdown.

Oh and grab every svirfneblin disruptor you can,  these have a good chance of stripping potion buffs in an instant.

[Ironside]

You need to get your hands on the proper kit if you want to compete. Preparing for future conflicts by acquiring the right loot, potions, wands, kit, etc is an important part of the game. Build and loot are honestly the smallest determinant of who will win a pvp - we don't hand out OP pvp-winning gear.

Shield potions, Barkskin potions, Haste potions, Divine Favor/Bless/Aid potions, Cure Serious Wounds, Expeditious Retreat, Invisibility... these are your friends.

Get that AB boosted and spam some Knockdowns!

[rolaskatox]

Also, another important point is to understand the weaknesses of each archetype. This can get somewhat metagamey but pvp in general is metagamey. Pvp is really a game of chance (as if everything in this game), so proper tactics means you pick the solution that offers the greatest chance of success based on the weaknesses of the enemy. Knowing what kind of saves someone is likely to have is important, even as a fighter. I'm going to try to express this from the perspective of a two-hander flanking fighter human (I'm assuming your character is a human).

Outside of buffs and proper preparation and mechanical minutiae, it is important to understand the actual role of your character in a fight. The perfect enemy for your build to fight is a low discipline, low strength character that is a smaller size than you (when resisting a knockdown attempt, a character gets a +4 bonus per size category for being larger than the attacker, and a -4 per size category for being smaller than the attacker), i.e flanking rogues, mages, support oriented casters, archers, etc. If you are engaged in a fight and you haste KD out of invis on a halfling rogue / mage you will probably kill them or come very close to killing them before they can stand up again unless they severely outlevel and the mage is fully buffed.

Yes, a fully buffed cleric/bard that you don't dispel or a tank rogue, monk, sword and board fighter, etc will more than likely beat you toe to toe. You pretty much have to play the same way that a rogue would play, using invisibility instead of stealth and haste with the element of surprise. Two handers won't compete in a 1v1 situation with some of these builds simply because of AC, and that's fine. It's all about strength and weaknesses and planning.

[The Void That Binds]

Displacement potions are your absolutely best friend.

[efu1984]

forget all that other nonsense, you just need to get into the right mindset

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btPJPFnesV4

[efuincarnate]

Know who your fighting.  Disable them and enable your strengths. How you say??..an example.  Buff up with Ultra vision and drop darkness via item or whatever.  Tackling a Hard ass barb or fighter? Tanglefoot bag ftwn...and so forth.  Having an top notch alchemist at your disposal will even the odds really quick, they make all the things johnny law should be packing..   It's all about having an edge. Oh..and drink a fuck ton of potions prior to the fight, that is the EFU way!   Seriously, check hounds post, those are the staples!  You need to be prepared to win. Straight build rarely makes the difference.  My most effective PVP char I ever ran,  was a melee rogue who was not built all that well.