Notes from author
Of course, looking at this odd equipment you'll certainly have questions about the choices I made. Some may even say that I should consider suicide, but hear me out on this. Let me explain to you why this build can go toe-to-toe with any oppponent who uses any type of magic.
1) The Iron Set. Otherwise known as Solaire's armor. This medium armor set gives the best overall defenses, having near equal amounts in both physical and elemental. This means, should you forget to block, you're not entirely screwed.
2a) The Mace. The mace only scales off of strength, meaning there's one less stat to worry about. That allows us to bring vitality all the way to 75 for survival against BDCR//RoftSFB + CoD (Crown of Dusk)
2b) Gold Pine Resin. Rather than go down the lightning path, gold pine resin is better for fighting tanky foes.
3) Effigy Shield AND Crystal Ring Shield. The Effigy shield has the best lightning defense and is intended for faith builds, while the Crystal Ring Shield is for sorcery. Both shields also have 70% fire resistance and that gives you added defense from pyromancy, the magic that can be used in either build.
4) Spell and Thunder Stoneplate Rings. These rings have the same reason as the shields, however, I suggest swapping one out for the Speckled Stoneplate Ring to further augment defense against whatever you're against, and for a slight increase in fire defense.
