Please help me perma PA this Illusion/Sonic bard

[Rugiel]

It doesn't have to be perfect, but I have no idea how to get Phantom Army to perma status. It may not be possible, given the power choices. In that case, close enough is fine. Thank you in advance.

 

Rainbow Daydream - TN Controller
Build plan made with Mids Reborn v3.7.11 rev. 2
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• Primary powerset: Illusion Control
• Secondary powerset: Sonic Resonance
• Pool powerset (#1): Medicine
• Pool powerset (#2): Speed
• Pool powerset (#3): Presence
• Pool powerset (#4): Flight
• Epic powerset: Ice Mastery
  

──────────────────────────────

Powers taken:

Level 1: Blind

• A: Unbreakable Constraint: Hold
• 3: Unbreakable Constraint: Hold/Recharge
• 3: Unbreakable Constraint: Hold/Recharge/Accuracy
• 9: Unbreakable Constraint: Recharge/Accuracy
• 11: Unbreakable Constraint: Hold/Endurance
• 11: Unbreakable Constraint: Chance for Smashing Damage
  

Level 1: Sonic Siphon

• A: Invention: Accuracy
• 19: Invention: Endurance Reduction
• 21: Invention: Recharge Reduction
  

Level 2: Sonic Barrier

• A: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance
• 13: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance/Endurance
• 13: Unbreakable Guard: +Max HP
  

Level 4: Deceive

• A: Coercive Persuasion : Confused
• 5: Coercive Persuasion : Confused/Recharge
• 5: Coercive Persuasion : Confused/Recharge/Accuracy
• 7: Coercive Persuasion : Recharge/Accuracy
• 7: Coercive Persuasion : Confused/Endurance
• 9: Coercive Persuasion : Contagious Confusion
  

Level 6: Sonic Haven

• A: Aegis: Resistance/Endurance
• 15: Aegis: Resistance
• 15: Aegis: Psionic/Status Resistance
  

Level 8: Aid Other

• A: Preventive Medicine: Heal
• 33: Preventive Medicine: Heal/Endurance
• 33: Preventive Medicine: Endurance/RechargeTime
• 33: Preventive Medicine: Heal/RechargeTime
• 34: Preventive Medicine: Heal/RechargeTime/Endurance
• 34: Preventive Medicine: Chance for +Absorb
  

Level 10: Superior Invisibility

• A: Red Fortune: Defense/Endurance
• 17: Red Fortune: Defense/Recharge
• 17: Red Fortune: Endurance/Recharge
• 19: Red Fortune: Defense/Endurance/Recharge
• 31: Red Fortune: Defense
  

Level 12: Injection

• A: Siphon Insight: Chance for +ToHit
  

Level 14: Group Invisibility

• A: Reactive Defenses: Defense
• 31: Reactive Defenses: Defense/Endurance
• 34: Reactive Defenses: Endurance/RechargeTime
• 36: Reactive Defenses: Defense/RechargeTime
• 36: Reactive Defenses: Defense/Endurance/RechargeTime
• 36: Reactive Defenses: Scaling Resist Damage
  

Level 16: Disruption Field

• A: Invention: Endurance Reduction
• 29: Invention: Endurance Reduction
  

Level 18: Phantom Army

• A: Expedient Reinforcement: Accuracy/Recharge
• 25: Expedient Reinforcement: Accuracy/Damage
• 25: Expedient Reinforcement: Damage/Endurance
• 27: Expedient Reinforcement: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• 27: Expedient Reinforcement: Endurance/Damage/Recharge
• 29: Expedient Reinforcement: Resist Bonus Aura for Pets
  

Level 20: Sonic Dispersion

• A: Impervium Armor: Resistance/Endurance
• 21: Impervium Armor: Resistance/Recharge
• 23: Impervium Armor: Resistance
• 23: Impervium Armor: Psionic Resistance
  

Level 22: Aid Self

• A: Panacea: Heal/Endurance
• 37: Panacea: Endurance/Recharge
• 37: Panacea: Heal/Recharge
• 37: Panacea: Heal/Endurance/Recharge
• 39: Panacea: Heal
• 39: Panacea: +Hit Points/Endurance
  

Level 24: Super Speed

• A: Blessing of the Zephyr: Knockback Reduction (4 points)
  

Level 26: Hasten

• A: Invention: Recharge Reduction
• 31: Invention: Recharge Reduction
  

Level 28: Field Medic

• A: Invention: Recharge Reduction
  

Level 30: Resuscitate

• A: Regenerative Tissue: Heal/Endurance
• 42: Regenerative Tissue: Endurance/Recharge
• 42: Regenerative Tissue: Heal/Recharge
• 42: Regenerative Tissue: Heal/Endurance/Recharge
• 43: Regenerative Tissue: +Regeneration
  

Level 32: Phantasm

• A: Sovereign Right: Accuracy/Damage
• 43: Sovereign Right: Damage/Endurance
• 43: Sovereign Right: Accuracy/Endurance
• 45: Sovereign Right: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• 45: Sovereign Right: Accuracy
• 45: Sovereign Right: Resistance Bonus
  

Level 35: Clarity

• A: Invention: Recharge Reduction
  

Level 38: Hibernate

• A: Power Transfer: EndMod
• 39: Power Transfer: Chance to Heal Self
  

Level 41: Frozen Armor

• A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance
• 46: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance/Recharge
• 46: Luck of the Gambler: Defense
• 50: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
  

Level 44: Liquefy

• A: Superior Frozen Blast: Damage/Endurance/Accuracy/RechargeTime
• 50: Superior Frozen Blast: Recharge/Chance for Immobilize
  

Level 47: Ice Storm

• A: Positron's Blast: Accuracy/Damage
• 48: Positron's Blast: Damage/Endurance
• 48: Positron's Blast: Damage/Recharge
• 48: Positron's Blast: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• 50: Positron's Blast: Chance of Damage(Energy)
  

Level 49: Pacify

• A: Invention: Accuracy
  

──────────────────────────────

Inherents:

Level 1: Containment

Level 1: Brawl

• A: Mako's Bite: Chance of Damage(Lethal)
  

Level 1: Sprint

• A: Celerity: +Stealth
  

Level 2: Rest

• A: Invention: Endurance Modification
  

Level 1: Swift

• A: Invention: Run Speed
  

Level 1: Hurdle

• A: Invention: Jumping
  

Level 1: Health

• A: Miracle: Heal
• 40: Miracle: +Recovery
• 40: Numina's Convalesence: +Regeneration/+Recovery
  

Level 1: Stamina

• A: Performance Shifter: EndMod
• 40: Performance Shifter: EndMod/Accuracy
• 46: Performance Shifter: Chance for +End
  

Level 24: Speed Phase

 

 

 

[Warshades]

I haven't played sonic resonance since live I think, but this is about as close to perma PA that I could get with a quick build while taking all the same powers that you did. If you're more flexible on what powers you can take, then it can definitely hit perma PA, but the build will look a bit different. Ideally, you'd want to get 2 more powers that take defensive slotting to be able to put in the LotG +rech which would help some more.

 

Now, if you're counting incarnates, then a recharge boosting alpha incarnate (like Spiritual) will get your PA perma for lvl 50 content. My quick build didn't aim for any recharge debuff resist so if you expect to be hit with a decent amount of -rech from enemies, then I would suggest reworking it to add in some 2 piece winter sets to get it. 

 

I'm not entirely sure why you're picking up the entire medicine pool unless it's mainly for theme, those power picks could be spent for better slot options. However, I stuck with the same power choices from what you posted. There may be some better slotting picks for some of the /sonic powers that I'm not aware of since it's been a long time that I've played one, I just tried to prioritize recharge where I could get it.

Controller (Illusion Control - Sonic Resonance).mbd

[Rugiel]

Oh, I assure you the Medicine pool is entirely for theme. 😝 Thank you kindly!

 

(Why my bard was the party's healer and not the cleric of Corellon Larethian is a topic for an entirely separate thread …)

Edited Wednesday at 10:17 PM by Rugiel

[Hedgefund2]

I didn't look at the above revision.

 

You're a long way from perma-PA, fortunately there's lots of opportunity to add in +rch.  I'll the medicine picks since you mentioned they were important but I'll change their slotting.  Generally when I do build reviews I like to keep the "spirit" of the build rather than making wholesale changes so for the most part I'll keep power choices.

 

I'll go point by point for changes.

 

Blind - the 6th slot gives toxic/psi res which I don't find valuable for Ill.  I'll take one slot away to play with (the hold/rch to up the proc rate)

 

Sonic Siphon - not really something I spam on my sonics.  Hit a hard boss and move on.  It doesn't stack so you've got 30 seconds.  I'm going to consider the recharge and end reduction pieces as freebies.

 

Superior Invisibility - great place to add one of our newly available slots, put an LOTG 7.5 here.

 

Injection - I'm skeptical that the +tohit proc works when using this on an ally, but I don't know that for sure.  If you're intending to use it as a debuff, it will first need to hit before the proc has a chance to fire.  With global accuracy of 33%, against a +3 enemy it will have a 64% chance to hit.  I'd slot an acc if you're using it as a debuff, or, I dunno, an end reduction if just on allies, that is if indeed the +tohit proc only has a chance to fire on enemy use.  If you can get it from friendlies then sure, keep it as is.

 

Phantom Army - the key to perma PA isn't just high global recharge but local recharge, that is the slotting of PA itself is a major factor as well.  6 slotting Expedient Reinforcement does not get the job done here.  I took out the D/E and +resists to include Soulbound Allegiance D/R/A and D/R.  This exceeds ED for acc, dmg and recharge but sometimes for perma PA the small gains still matter.

 

Sonic Dispersion - Let's change the res/rch to res/end/rch, it's a an end hungry power.

 

Aid Self - not a great place to include the Pana proc, which will only fire when you using Aid Self.  One might say that's when you want the HP boost and that's an interesting point but still, the 7.5% recharge bonus comes from 5 slots so I'm going to take out the proc for later use.

 

Resuscitate - This is an even worse instance of a proc being in a power that will only go off upon that powers activation.  Let's change this to 5 Pana pieces for the better recharge.

 

Phantasm - no recharge bonuses to speak of here at all.  Let's go 6 Expedient Reinforcements.

 

Clarity - redundant with Injection and Sonic Dispersion.  It's just one slot but I think a short slotted spectral terror or flash will provide more utility.  Let's loop back to this.

 

Hibernate - another example of a proc that's only going to fire in this long recharging power.  Really not adding much upon activation anyway because of how quickly you regen in this state.  I'm going to steal the proc slot for now.

 

At this point I've got 4 slots to play with.  I'm going to take out Clarity for Flash to use some Basilisks Gaze.

With 1 free slot I added Pana proc to health and changed the Miracle Heal to Pana Heal (better values, same bonus).

 

Some before/after results:
Hasten (+5d in both cases) 132 seconds to 123
PA 76.5 seconds to 65.2

 

5 slotted Ragnarok in lieu of Posi Blast results in Hasten at 122.1 and PA at 64.55.

 

I normally shy from alphas that include +rch but that's because I'm a proc abuser.  This build is not a proc abuser so you won't be harmed by either agility or spiritual which will supercharge your recharge and get you well in excess of what's needed for perma PA.

 

I would add a request to include a chunk or attach the mids file in the future, otherwise the reviewer has to construct the build from scratch.  

 

 

Controller (Illusion Control - Sonic Resonance) review.mbd

[Rugiel]

Wow,this is very thorough and enlightening! I really appreciate you taking the time to lay this all out, and for the build file. 🙇‍♂️