Fetch Marauder, first impressions..

[smithfield]

Pighead: Fetch Marauder = Nightmare Adventure = clvl 11
Kor'Pal.

Successfully completed 2x Warrior Escorts. The first in Alt. Trollmire being
especially noteworthy. The 1st tier Fetch Racial figured prominently in the
success. That and all the practice that I've had on Insane.

As we carefully crept across 2/3s of the level, we came around a corner into
about 7 baddies w/ a Stone Troll Brawler rare being the centerpiece. This dude
also had an ego boot that gave him Numbing Darkness as a bonus to all the
other awful things that a brawler can do to someone who is forced to fight it
in close quarters. Which I was because of doofus one space behind me eager to
suicide.

This fight took about 100x turns. No exaggeration. I think I used Fractured
Facade at least 5 times. My strat was to lean into it. I would immed use all
my high turn count cds and then gamble. Nothing to lose, it was already an
Alamo situation. If I recall, most of the time it helped. The key talents were
Flurry, a Mindblast Torque, Evasion and Regen. Most of the the time it brought
Flurry back. When I saw what I was facing, I was already thinking 'this won't
work'. But it did. Somehow. I just kept 'not dying' and whiddling the damn
thing down. The hardest part is getting them below 50% due to Vitality.

But.

The struggle was FAR from over. Just in sight of the portal, 4x dragon babies
rush out w/ a snake and go straight for the escort. As I frantically do the
little that I could to stop the murder, from the far side of the portal, with
the dragon babies to run interferance, at R10 or so, out steps another Stone
Troll rare, this time an Archmage. BLAM.

This time, I'm seriously thinking 'no way'. Don't remember how we got
this one pulled out. There was a lot of tactical dodging and Mindblasts,
desperate Regens, Heals and key Fractured Facade rolls. It was fun in the most
perverse way. Just the way we like it. It's especially fun when it works out.

I've done everything weird on this run. I took Exotic Weapons from the 2nd
warrior, since I was holding Stormlash already. I put on an Ethereal rune w/
my first cat pt. I've almost never used these. Its nice that they are dropping
earlier as it creates situations like this where one can experiment w/ them in
a useful way w/o risk or committment.

Marauders have lots of status's to apply and while you're dmg is 1/2d, being
able to close and bash them around first seems like it might be a thing. Also,
it might combine well w/ Evasion and Disengage. Its also fun to use Stormlash
again. I haven't touched it since v1.5 days, been to busy playing 'serious'.

This one's for the hell of it.

Thanks again, Mr. Frog.

[Mr Frog]

:O You're welcome

[smithfield]

Bit more on this.

Pighead was killed by 6x29 hits of Arcane Mana Burn damage from Melee Retaliation on a Flurry.
As a Marauder, w/ no mana, this was a surprise.
I'm pretty sure that this bhv is specific to the Fetch and not a general one, ie I started another character w/ no mana and had the same situation w/ no mana burn.
Is this a bug?

[Mr Frog]

Nah, Faekin are weak to antimagic. Among other things, manaburn always deals full damage to them. Sorry to hear about that death.

[smithfield]

Oh well. You die. You always die. But this time I learned too.
BTW. I went onto another character, but forgot to turn off the addon.
Ran into a Moonchild rare in Kor'Pal and everyone got turned into frogs.
Lol.
(the frog sprites look great btw)