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I need help with a character concept: Lawful Good Half-Orc Barbarian. I've got a backstory, I've imagined a nomadic tribal culture that's a melange of Germanic, Mongolian, and Nordic tribal history. My character was training as her Tribe's next law speaker when stuff happens and she leaves the tribe in anger. How do I represent this stat wise and what skills should I tag? I'm still a little fuzzy on how knowledge skills break down but I guess law would fall under history. Also not sure if I should dump Wis or Cha, the character is legalistic with lots of knowledge but has a temper that can cloud her judgement.
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Dec 14, 2017 17:15
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Dump INT and CHA. Don't dump WIS. You're not behold to proficiency in any particular skills, since knowledge of your particular people's laws and history is so niche it'll never apply in the real adventuring world.
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Dec 14, 2017 17:33
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Conspiratiorist posted:Dump INT and CHA. Don't dump WIS. I figured this might be the response since dumping Wis is always a mess. I'll leave Int zero and dump Cha. I wanna tag history because even if I don't have an Int bonus, I envision the culture as one that likes to collect stories, including ones from other cultures they met. Lawspeaker is the secular sage of the tribe. Though I suppose I could bake that sort of thing into a background feature instead of a skill proficiency.
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Dec 14, 2017 17:51
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I've had to roll more Wisdom and Charisma saves than I've ever had to roll Intelligence saves.
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Dec 14, 2017 18:29
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FWIW if you're a D&D Beyond early adopter type I just got my alpha access email for the mobile app. Just an FYI if you've been waiting on one.
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Dec 14, 2017 18:35
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CobiWann posted:I've had to roll more Wisdom and Charisma saves than I've ever had to roll Intelligence saves. There are like 600 Wis saves and I think literally 6 between Int and Cha.
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Dec 14, 2017 18:44
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mango sentinel posted:I need help with a character concept: Lawful Good Half-Orc Barbarian. I've got a backstory, I've imagined a nomadic tribal culture that's a melange of Germanic, Mongolian, and Nordic tribal history. My character was training as her Tribe's next law speaker when stuff happens and she leaves the tribe in anger.
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Dec 14, 2017 18:55
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mango sentinel posted:There are like 600 Wis saves and I think literally 6 between Int and Cha. someday I will write a homebrew to compress 5e to STR DEX INT
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Dec 14, 2017 18:57
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gradenko_2000 posted:someday I will write a homebrew to compress 5e to STR DEX INT Or you could play Shadow of the Demon Lord.
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Dec 14, 2017 19:06
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Splicer posted:Everything but the first line of this screams "Bard". You're painfully correct, but I also want to wade into combat and destroy things with a greatsword.
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Dec 14, 2017 19:08
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mango sentinel posted:You're painfully correct, but I also want to wade into combat and destroy things with a greatsword. e: Multiclass paladin/bard, dump dex, wear plate. Splicer fucked around with this message at 19:17 on Dec 14, 2017 |
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Dec 14, 2017 19:13
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What level do you see the character getting to, realistically?
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Dec 14, 2017 19:51
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Splicer posted:What level do you see the character getting to, realistically? Probably like 8 if I'm lucky, judging from the rest of my gaming history.
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Dec 14, 2017 19:57
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mango sentinel posted:Probably like 8 if I'm lucky, judging from the rest of my gaming history. In either case, spend your first ASI on Orcish Fury from Xanathars. It's not in any way optimal but it will get you "Storytelling Greatsword Weilder With Anger Issues" better than raw Barbarian. Don't forget to add JOAT to your initiative! *Lore bard is probably the thematic one, but College of Satire's Tumbling Fool works perfectly well in full armour, letting you roll around the battlefield like Samus. Splicer fucked around with this message at 20:31 on Dec 14, 2017 |
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Dec 14, 2017 20:26
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Or take two levels of Paladin and go College of Splicer fucked around with this message at 20:45 on Dec 14, 2017 |
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Dec 14, 2017 20:37
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Also call yourself a Skald!
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Dec 14, 2017 21:15
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Your battle taunt can be "I warned you this hot mess would skald you!"
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Dec 14, 2017 22:08
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I dunno if there's similar Mongolian word to skald since everyone in their culture was expected to be musicians and have the ability to tell the epics.
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Dec 14, 2017 22:10
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mango sentinel posted:You're painfully correct, but I also want to wade into combat and destroy things with a greatsword. So a bard?
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Dec 14, 2017 23:58
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kingcom posted:So a bard? He said he only wanted to destroy things with a great-sword, not 'destroy things with a great-sword, heal, CC, cast all the best spells, and also be the party face'
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Dec 15, 2017 17:00
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Is there a way to effectively Greatsword Bard without multiclassing? Seems not great without a heavy armor dip, has no shield, no component spells.
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Dec 15, 2017 17:52
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Straight barbarian seems fine to me, but I don't usually care how optimal my characters are. I like the idea of being a barbarian lawyer. It's very Harvey Birdman. Just imagine scenes like going "No, YOU'RE out of order!" then raging and cleaving the jury panel. Take Ancestral Guardian as your path. "Objection! The prosecution asking his ancestor 'whether or not the witness is lying' during questioning is a violation of due process!"
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Dec 15, 2017 18:09
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Be a valor bard, use medium armor. There's no restrictions on casting spells with your greatsword out, you just have to be able to do your bard thing. Maybe that means singing or rap battling or something. Maybe your greatsword has a mic/amp in the hilt or hell a keytar.
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Dec 15, 2017 18:09
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mango sentinel posted:Is there a way to effectively Greatsword Bard without multiclassing? Seems not great without a heavy armor dip, has no shield, no component spells. You can Valor Bard but without a fighting style, and MADness from having to rely on Medium Armor, it's not very good. The situation is similar for Swords and Whispers; Bards just aren't good at gishing on their own.
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Dec 15, 2017 18:49
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I just made a paladin for my first 5e game, and need some helping with tweaking the class a bit. I want to go for a paladin sworn the Storm and Sea God, and from what I have read of the rules the Oath of the Ancients seem most like what I would go for. Thing is it is oriented towards a more land bound nature theme. Vines springing from the earth and all that. The GM is all for doing little flavor twists on the player characters, as long as it does not break the game. What I want to do is come up with some mechanics that are similar enough to not over- or underpower the class, and better represent the nautical theme. I toyed with creating a more water and thunder focused spell list, but do not feel confident enough in the rules to really change too much.
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Dec 15, 2017 19:00
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Take Charlatan and instead of vials of water be a scrimshaw talisman huckster. Or Guild Artisan and make your craft nautical tattoos. Also say some superstitious poo poo about warding off Umberlee whenever you divine or heal something.
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Dec 15, 2017 19:11
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Battle Mad Ronin posted:I just made a paladin for my first 5e game, and need some helping with tweaking the class a bit. It's mostly about switching the dubious and niche spells for similarly dubious and niche spells. Eyeballing it, replace: Ensnaring Strike for Thunderous Smite Speak with Animals for Fog Cloud Plant Growth for Sleet Storm Commune with Nature for Scrying (or leave as is) Tree Stride for Conjure Elemental Or you could play an Oath of Conquest Paladin since its abilities are much more fear & awe themed.
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Dec 15, 2017 19:29
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mango sentinel posted:Is there a way to effectively Greatsword Bard without multiclassing? Seems not great without a heavy armor dip, has no shield, no component spells. Essentially you're asking "Can I play a buff smart dude in 5e", and unfortunately the words "buff smart dude" make Mike Mearles' brain do that divide by zero thing.
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Dec 15, 2017 19:49
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I mean, Eldritch Knight, 17 str, 8 dex, 14 con, 14 int, 12 Wis, 10 Cha, train History, spend first ASI on War Mage isn't the worst thing in the world. Or 16 Str/15 int, take the UA Historian feat. Splicer fucked around with this message at 20:04 on Dec 15, 2017 |
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Dec 15, 2017 19:54
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Just make all skill proficiencies into expertise, remove Rogues from the game.
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Dec 15, 2017 20:01
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mango sentinel posted:Just make all skill proficiencies into expertise, remove Rogues from the game. Go (anything that's not barbarian because it's so MAD you can't afford the ASIs), get the Historian feat with your first ASI, spend your second ASI boosting Int and your other odd ability score to evens. Or go Barbarian, ask your GM for Historian for free, then still spend your first ASI boosting your int and other odd ability score to evens.
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Dec 15, 2017 20:05
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Every time you Rage tell them that you're about to show your enemy the Power of A'tor-Nii A'tor and Nii are the Ancestral Barbarian Spirits of Collective Knowledge and Absolute Justice. Ator-N'ii is the meditative practice of embodying these spirits to know the unknowable and smite the wicked.
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Dec 15, 2017 20:55
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Coming up to Level 7 as a Devotion Variant Human Paladin with Shield Master. Coming up to 8 soon and the prospect of multiclassing into Warlock is somewhat amusing (DM is only okay with multiclassing with downtime training and after 7th Level. Not a deal breaker as I don't really care about mathammering huge numbers). Particularly Pact of the Tome (not sure if UA or Xanather's is okay) just because a tank who can drag enemies in would be fun. Am I barking up the wrong tree, though?
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Dec 16, 2017 05:50
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Jeffrey of YOSPOS posted:Be a valor bard, use medium armor. There's no restrictions on casting spells with your greatsword out, you just have to be able to do your bard thing. Maybe that means singing or rap battling or something. Maybe your greatsword has a mic/amp in the hilt or hell a keytar. Rip off monster hunter Use a hunting horn
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Dec 16, 2017 06:16
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Terratina posted:Coming up to Level 7 as a Devotion Variant Human Paladin with Shield Master. Coming up to 8 soon and the prospect of multiclassing into Warlock is somewhat amusing (DM is only okay with multiclassing with downtime training and after 7th Level. Not a deal breaker as I don't really care about mathammering huge numbers). Particularly Pact of the Tome (not sure if UA or Xanather's is okay) just because a tank who can drag enemies in would be fun. Am I barking up the wrong tree, though? Paladin warlock work pretty well together what with everything being charisma based. You don't get to pick your pact until 3rd level though so you would have some choices before then, mainly your patron at first. Xanathar's has hexblade which is oif your built around it but probably doesn't offer much at this point. Celestial offers the expected holy and healing abilities. The phb patrons offer an odd mix of spells none of which scream tank, would add a lot of variety to your list in any case. Also warlocks do get one of the best tanking spells with armor of Agathys, which gives temporary hit points and causes 5 damage/level in return. No concentration. Also there's hex, which is always nice. Last are the invocations which usually go to eldritch blast but since you don't really need that you can add some more utility to your character. So if you go to pact of the book you will be taking up a variety of abilities that you normally wouldn't get. So while you probably wouldn't be optimal, you wouldn't be hurting yourself that much. The other side. It's three levels of not gaining paladin levels. It really depends on how much you were looking forward to those paladin levels rather then any question of which is more powerful. If it's just about getting thorn whip and you want a shorter path. If you have a 13 wisdom you could take a level of nature cleric. That lets you pick a druid cantrip, a couple of cleric cantrips, and some first level spell slots. Probably come out a better healer, and don't lose much, but you don't gain much either. There's also the Magic initiate feat which would let you pick two cantrips and a first level spell. There's some pretty good 1st level spells on the druid list. But the big problem here is you might not have the wisdom to power it.(Also problem with nature cleric.)
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Dec 16, 2017 07:24
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Terratina posted:Coming up to Level 7 as a Devotion Variant Human Paladin with Shield Master. Coming up to 8 soon and the prospect of multiclassing into Warlock is somewhat amusing (DM is only okay with multiclassing with downtime training and after 7th Level. Not a deal breaker as I don't really care about mathammering huge numbers). Particularly Pact of the Tome (not sure if UA or Xanather's is okay) just because a tank who can drag enemies in would be fun. Am I barking up the wrong tree, though? There's synergy between the classes, but a few things you need to take into consideration: How does the DM pace the campaign? Do you typically get 2 or more short rests in-between long rests? If not, Warlock levels are a bad idea. If XGE is allowed, then at level 8 you'll be able to pick up the Prodigy feat to double your Proficiency Bonus to Athletics. Needless to say, this is reaaaally good for shield bashing. Likewise, sticking to Paladin gives you two very nice power spikes, the first at 9 with two third-level slots, and then at 11 with another third-level slot and Improved Divine Smite. So weight that against the benefits of 2-3 Warlock levels, which are mainly having a good ranged attack option with Eldritch Blast + Agonizing Blast (+ Hex), short rest spell slots for smites, cantrips for utility (particularly if you go 3 levels for Tome), and an Invocation (either Devil's Sight or Book of Ancient Secrets for rituals).
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Dec 16, 2017 07:55
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I would go Nature Cleric or Druid for whip if not for the fact that my rolls for my ability scores are pretty meh. Str and Cha are 16 and 18; rest are around the 10 mark except for Con. I'd probably end up Paladin 17/Warlock 3 if I do multuclass. Short rests in the campaign are much more common than short rests and short rest smite slots are another reason why I'm tempted. I'll probably mock up a few sheets and see what works. Thanks for all your input.
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Dec 16, 2017 14:41
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Needing a new character for my campaign (level 10), wanting to try something out which the DM gave the okay for but need a bit of help/advice. Basically, I want to a bit overboard with multiclassing. Not like, Barbarian 1/Druid 1/Bard 1/ etc. Just want to see what possible builds I can do by diving into say three to five classes and just taking the front loaded features. Anyone got any recommendations/suggestions for what makes fun/quirky mix-matches? Also before someone says it, we've already got a Rogue/Ranger/Fighter  EDIT: Feats, Sword Coast, and Xanathar's are being used. Blooming Brilliant fucked around with this message at 21:40 on Dec 16, 2017 |
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Dec 16, 2017 21:36
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Three classes is honestly sorta the limit before you're splitting yourself too thin. I legitimately can't think of a build with 4+ that would be in any way equal to...well, not having that extra class. That said, for three, Paladin/Sorcerer/Warlock works.
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Dec 16, 2017 21:58
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Blooming Brilliant posted:Needing a new character for my campaign (level 10), wanting to try something out which the DM gave the okay for but need a bit of help/advice. You could do something like what I'm doing with one of my characters, Paladin 2/Hexblade Warlock 1/College of Swords Bard 7. Extra attack, smites, plenty of spell slots to smite with, hexblade's curse, the ability to attack using charisma, heavy armor prof if you want it. Mine's also a half-elf for elven accuracy, though I haven't gotten that far yet. If you want to go heavy on the elven accuracy, you could do Paladin 2/Warlock 3/Bard 5, grab Devil's Sight, and cast darkness to generate advantage consistently. Pact of the blade to attack on charisma with a greatsword.
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Dec 16, 2017 22:03
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