User:OrbitUtmost/Sandbox/ReverberationStackerGuide

Introduction

• Hi all, this is my first guide, so sorry for any technical errors.
• TL:DR; This is for a build that comes fully online in early act 2, and pushes hard into the  Reverberation mechanic.
• This build started as something I put together for my Tactician run to make Shadowheart, who's  Trickery Domain is definitely lack-luster, a better combatant. Instead, we make her  Tempest Domain, which is still nice enough thematically and also packs a big punch. Tempest Cleric applications are what will be discussed for most of this build, but there will be a section at the end discussing other options for min-max.
• I'm not positive all of this works as described, some of the reverberation items are a little funky, but as of patch 4 & 5 the build feels great into early act 3, regardless of what may not be working as we want?
• I hope you enjoy knocking enemies on their asses, and let me know how I can improve the guide.

General Overview

Core Mechanics

• We want to maximize  Reverberation.
• Our engines to do so are the Gloves of Belligerent Skies & Boots of Stormy Clamour. This means we want to apply Radiant/Thunder/Lightning damage and other conditions.
• Tempest Cleric gives us some nice spell tools for this:  Sacred Flame,  Bane,  Thunderwave,  Shatter,  Glyph of Warding,  Spirit Guardians, and  Call Lightning.
• We also take advantage of the class features:
  • Heavy armour & Martial weapons, using the Adamantine Splint Armour/Adamantine Shield to apply  Reeling which proc's the Boots of Stormy Clamour.
  •  Wrath of the Storm (lv2), and  Divine Strike: Tempest (lv8) for free Thunder damage.

Items and Acquisition

Items for the build, which comes fully online in early act II.

In the version I ran, ring slot 2, amulet, and weapon are swaps.

Items of Interest Table

Item	Acquisition	What Do?
Coldbrim Hat	Found in a locked chest in a hidden room behind a bookcase in Balthazar's Chambers inside the First Floor of Moonrise Towers.	Applies " Coldbrim Chill: Once per turn, any spell condition inflicted on a target also applies 2 turns of  Encrusted with Frost." once per turn (not just per round).
Thunderskin Cloak	Sold by Araj Oblodra in Moonrise Towers.	When a creature with  Reverberation deals damage to the wearer, the creature needs to make a Constitution Saving Throw or become  Dazed.
Adamantine Splint Armour	Grymforge, forged in The Adamantine Forge with a Shield Mould and Mithral Ore.	Applies  Reeling when we get hit.
Adamantine Shield	Grymforge, forged in The Adamantine Forge with a Shield Mould and Mithral Ore.	Applies  Reeling when we get missed.
Gloves of Belligerent Skies	Inside an elegant chest in the Inquisitor's Chamber of Crèche Y'llek, along the southern wall of the room, on the western side.	When the wielder deals Radiant, Lightning, or Thunder damage, apply 2 turns of Reverberation to the target(s).
Boots of Stormy Clamour	Sold by Omeluum in the Ebonlake Grotto after completing Help Omeluum investigate the parasite.	When the wearer inflicts a condition upon a hostile creature, they also inflict 2 turns of  Reverberation.
Ring of Spiteful Thunder	Sold by Roah Moonglow in Moonrise Towers, Act II.	When the wearer deals Thunder damage to a  Reverberating creature, it becomes  Dazed unless it succeeds a Constitution Saving Throw.
Necklace of Elemental Augmentation	Inside a display case in Inquisitor's chamber at X: 1379 Y: -662, Crèche Y'llek.	Better Elemental Cantrips.
Spineshudder Amulet	Looted from the Mimic X: -171 Y: -195 in the bedroom on the upper floor of Moonrise Towers.	Crackling Resonance: When the wearer deals damage with a ranged Spell Attack, inflict 2 turns of  Reverberation on the target(s).
Ring of Absolute Force	Dropped by Sergeant Thrinn in Grymforge.	Free  Thunderwave.
Markoheshkir	Act III, Wizard's Tower	Grants  Kereska's Favour which can grant  Bone-shaking Thunder: When you deal spell damage, inflict 1 turn of Reverberation upon the target. [As well as other benefits]
Diadem of Arcane Synergy	Looted from Ardent Jhe'rezath in Inquisitor's Chamber, Crèche Y'llek	" Synergetic Moments: When you inflict a condition, gain  Arcane Synergy for 2 turns." for +WIS to our weapon attacks damage.
The Blood of Lathander	Found in Crèche Y'llek, unlocked by following the Find the Blood of Lathander quest.	Gives us  Sunbeam for  Blinded and Radiant damage, as well as Lathander's Light: Sheds holy light in a 6 m / 20 ft radius. In combat, fiends and undead standing in the light are  Blinded if they fail a DC 14 Constitution throw. for free condi's on undead.
Phalar Aluve	This weapon can be found stabbed into a rock in the Underdark X: -116 Y: -192	Shriek applies AoE Condi's and gives Thunder damage.
Hand Crossbow	Throughout Act I	Lets us use our bonus action for a ranged attack when we have 2 of them. This can apply either  Divine Strike: Tempest or other thunder damage source.
Nyrulna	Act III, via the circus djinn	Free AoE Thunder damage throw attack.

Gameplay and Combos

Your primary goals are to apply  Reverberation and otherwise be a Cleric. In service of that goal:

• Spells that do damage and apply a condition are wonderful, as they apply 4x  Reverberation
  •  Sunbeam
  •  Spirit Guardians
• You actively want to be hit in melee, but not by ranged. Use line of sight to encourage melee hits.
• Being knocked prone by overloading reverberation or from Thunderskin Cloak will interupt enemy multiattacks, ending their turn early.
• Walking near undead, ie. in Act II, with the The Blood of Lathander equipped will apply  Blinded,  Encrusted with Frost, and 2x  Reverberation
• Even your bread and butter,  Sacred Flame and a Hand Crossbow bolt (after lv8) is 4 stacks of reverberation on a target, priming them to be interrupted when they attack you.

Leveling and Progression

• For the beginning of them game, you're just a Cleric - which is already good.
• The fastest way to start this build is to grab the Boots of Stormy Clamour via the Omeluum questline, which can be done mostly without combat. These boots paired with Phalar Aluve, also found in the underdark, bring the build online.
• For the rest of act I, you're pretty much a frontline Cleric, debuffing as many enemies as you can reach.
• We really come online in the act 1.5 sequences, where Grymforge gives us Adamantine Splint Armour/Adamantine Shield and the Crèche gives us Gloves of Belligerent Skies/The Blood of Lathander.
• We can round out the build in early Act II, by going quickly to the Moonrise Towers for the remaining major items.
• For example's sake, here's how my Shadowheart looked in early Act III, after aquiring Nyrulna.
  • |400px

General Discussion

• Technically this build works well with just the Gloves and Boots, and anything else is bonus.
• I considered Ring Slot 2, Amulet, and Weapon Slot as swappable pieces, but the Helmet Slot is also highly swappable.

Considering other classes / multiclass:

• We're good after Cleric 8, if you want something else;
  • Cleric 9 gives us  Destructive Wave, which is very nice.
  • Fighter 2 for  Action Surge
  •  Storm Sorcery Sorcerer X gives us lots of goodies, including:  Metamagic,  Tempestuous Magic,  Heart of the Storm, and  Storm's Fury - however starting this loses our Armor and Weapon proficencies.
  • There's a version of this that uses most martials (Barbarian / Monk / Paladin / fighter / Ranger) to simply forgo the spells and instead rely on things like  Divine Smite /  Primal Stampede / etc. Lots of options in how you build this.