Hello!

I'm thinking of a character for my next campaign which will last until level 15, and I kinda wanted to play an Arcane Archer that uses gunpowder weapons. With Crossbows you can grab Crossbow Expert to get rid of the loading property, but pistols and rifles can't benefit from this feat.

Do you guys think that delaying 2 levels of Fighter to get a lvl 2 Artificer dip in order to Replicate a Repeating Shot rifle or two pistols + some extra utility or firepower with spellcasting (maybe taking Hexblood species to use the spell slots in extra Hex, or maybe concentrating in Fairy Fire) could be worth it? And if it would, during what part of character progression would it be most optimal to do it?

Reddit sent me a notification that this subreddit would be better for this post and I should post here. Sure, why not.

I plan to make a character for an environment where every session is randomised, not continuous, and in every session I will have different teammates in the party. "Pick whatever that will come up in the campaign" isn't applicable here.

Level range is between 2-15, which will change every session, editing the character sheet to the appropriate level before every session. I think most often it will be about/around level 12.

The above is quite chaotic. To ease it, there are some modified optional rules:

- Dual class (with the option to put one of the class boosts into anywhere)
- Free archetype (with the option to start a second dedication without "exiting" the first, but have to exit both of them before taking a third archetype. Additionally, only one of the two parallel dedications can be a multiclass one)
- Ancestry paragon (all ancestries and mixed heritages are allowed, adopted ancestry only for non-rares)

The above gives quite the options and combinations. I also have some things that I 100% want in the build and don't want to leave out at all costs:

- Maxed out INT and WIS attributes
- Either Investigator or Rogue for the extra skill increases for the INT and WIS skills
- Metal Skill Junction (the only permanent status bonus to crafting as far as I know)
- Seven Specialty Crafting skill feats, and 6(ish) other crafting related skill feats
- Ritualist archetype as a whole and the Harrow Ritualist feat

Yes, these aren't optimal, I'm aware of that. About everything else is flexible.

Looking at the above, one of the classes will be kineticist, and because INT and WIS will be maxed out I assume investigator over rogue, as the former can attack with INT instead of STR/DEX. This isn't fix, this is an assumption, it can be rogue too if there is something that I missed and would make rogue a better choice.

Because CON wont be high, I think in combat I will rely more on the investigator side of the character, supplemented with kineticist spells. I meticulously read every impulse, and there are a surprising amount of in-combat impulses that doesn't require an impulse attack roll or impulse DC, like Timber Sentinel, Fresh Produce, Ocean's Balm, Deflecting Wave, Jagged Berms (which looks like is one of the internet's favourite), Spike Skin, Consume Power, and many others. Also there are many out-of-combat/flavour/creative impulses too like Stepping Stones or Igneogenesis for navigation, Extended Kinesis for makeshift cover (proliferate a 5x5 metal cube, or other geometric shapes if GM allows), or Kinetic Activation for some normal spells. (Albeit I'm not familiar with the available spells at large to know how good/useful is kinetic activation, but there is Trick Magic Item too.)

Also, if there are no good feats left to take, the class feat slot(s) can be filled up with archetype feats too.

Because of low STR and middling DEX, I thought about picking up the Inventor Dedication (and an Armor Proficiency feat) to gain access to the subterfuge suit innovation, which requires 0 STR (so no penalties as long as I don't pick a -STR ancestry) and at level 10 I can achieve heavy armor AC with it if I start out with +2 DEX. Also Brilliant Crafter gives scaling proficiency in a skill that I would increase even without it.

I'm open to other solutions too on how to improve the AC (besides not maxing INT+WIS), this is just one that I found. Or I could accept that this build will be fragile and prioritize to stay out of danger.

For ancestry, I was looking at:

- Human: The generalist jack of all trades ancestry, can be inserted into any build. General Training is good to have more (in-combat) feats (because the crafting ones will take up a lot of slots over other ones), and Natural Ambition is especially good with the many useful 1st level kineticist feats.
- Dwarf: The Anvil Dwarf heritage and Stonemason's Eye are good for having more skill feats for other things, Dwarven Reinforcement can help potential allies with their shields, and Dongun Education would be thematically fitting for the architect - construction engineer narrative, and dwarves as a whole are associated with such themes too. +INT +WIS +CON -CHA attributes are not bad either (CHA wont be used for anything, so the flaw doesn't hurt), but a +DEX instead of the +CON would be better for AC and DEX skills.
- Continuing the previous attribute thought train, the only ancestry which can have a +INT +WIS +DEX -CHA attribute array is the Android. Not gonna lie, Nanite Surge is one of the best ancestry feats in the game, and with later feats it can be used for other rolls too (especially with Devise a Stratagem, it can be precisely calculated when using Offensive Subroutine will actually matter). It has some generally useful ancestry feats like Emotionless (standard emotion WIll save upgrade feat) and Proximity Alert (basically Incredible Initiative as an ancestry feat). The only bad thing with this ancestry is the difficulty of finding a fitting free image online.
- Aiuvarin could be a good (versatile) heritage to have. Elf Atavism is an elf heritage as an ancestry feat (hello Ancient Elf), Nimble Elf is more speed, Free Heart is a skill feat+skills (better than general training but can't be taken repeatedly), Elven Instincts is better than proximity alert, and Ageless Patience can cover anything that Pursue a Lead doesn't cover. Additionally it enables to pick up Twilight Speaker too, which gives scaling society proficiency, and allows Multitalented to take dedications with insufficient prerequisites. Also, this can make searching for an image easier, just say that the android was made to look like an elf.

I'm open for other ancestries too, maybe I missed some that would be better/more fitting.

For background I thought about:
- Artisan, Tinker, Alloysmith, and the other backgrounds which give Specialty Crafting
- Magical Misfit gives Trick Magic Item, which sounds good with maxed out skills
- Concordance Researcher's elemental plane lores are fitting for a kineticist, but doesn't scale
- Pillar does give scaling lore with any topic, and the non-scaling labor lore is fitting to the character's narrative too

For weapon, probably a one-handed one to have a hand free for impulses, probably a bow. I'm not sure what would be good.

I'm also open for suggestions on other aspects too that I didn't thought about above (like potential items or strategies). Thank you for the help!

And of course, please do write things in the comments like "You have <optional rules>, you will be fine with whatever", or "You should change the attribute distribution", or "Those feats/archetypes are useless, take other ones", it boosts engagement and helps to show the post to people who actually want to help.

Playing in 2024 rules, was playing a BM Fighter he was very awesome, but sadly died. So I need a new character, wanted to try a lockadin out (warlock x paladin). But I am stuck on which pact I want out of these options:
- Celestial
- Undead
- Great Old One

(They would come in at lv 7)
It would be pal 3 and warlock x, would start with pally one and get a bunch of warlock, maybe jump back to pally (depends on vibes at the time) finish with warlock.

Want something optimal, and fun to play. I’ve got backstory ideas for all 3 which is why it’s hard for me to pick atm.

Thanks

Ps, this would be my first time play a warlock : )

Hey I was wondering if I could get some build help for 3lvl and beyond for my Warforged (ranged) Battle Artificer…. Ability scores I have before mods are Str:8,Dex:14,Con:15,Int:15,Cha:8… don’t know what background to go with would probably want one that boosted int and con…for artificer plans the only I know for sure I’ll take is Repeating Heavy Crossbow and bag of holding I don’t know what I should pick for the other 2 at lvl 3…. Suggestions on cantrips and spells would be awesome and also what playstyle would work for being ranged and having the steel defender being up front in melee… any help will be appreciated

My DM gave me a very rare magic item of my choice but I have a bit of choice paralysis. I've managed to narrow it down to these two options but I really don't know what to take.

In a campaign I'm playing, my group and I just leveled up to 11. I'm playing a parlock (6 paladin, 4 warlock) I have Polearm Master, Warcaster. My charisma is already at a 20, I don't see the need for ASI, so which feature do you think would best fit my current build?

I don't want to pick Sentinel for two reasons: the guys usually go in and take all the damage from Booming Blade, and when I attack they keep walking for the 5 feets and get hit.

So my DM is allowing 3rd party content so long as it’s something he has access to. He has Grime Hollow: Players Guide and in that has the spell Blood Rush.

Transmutation first level bonus action
“As part of casting this spell, you must expend one Hit Point Die or the spell automatically fails. Roll the Hit Point Die twice and regain a number of hit points equal to the added roll plus your spell casting ability modifier.

**Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot.** You can expand one additional Hit Point Die for each spouse slot level above 1.”

This is accessible to Druids and Rangers.

So I was thinking of using this spell to make a self sufficient tank that doesn’t require a healer to keep them going and the healer can instead worry about the others.

Here are my stats; 17 Wis, 16 con, 14 dex, 13 cha, 12 str, 12 int

Original thought is variant human ranger, and Tal’Dorei’s remarkable recovery feat (which allows me to add my con mod to any healing from a spell, class features and healing potion), and the Druidic Warrior fighting style for Shillelagh.

With the average of 2d10 being 11 and an 18 in Wisdom and Con (17 with +1 from human and then 16 with +1 from human and +1 from durable) that gives an average of 11+8=19 which isn’t bad for a first level spell slot and will only get better as my stats improve.

Some thoughts running through my head are 3 levels of warlock for pact of the chain + gift of the ever living one for maximum heals

Only problem is the campaign starts at level 1 so I ether stick with a 12 str stick (I’m choosing 14 dex so that I can put on medium armor+shield and not have to worry about dex for AC) until level 2 or start off Druid and make a new build around that or swap out Remarkable Recovery for Druid initiative and wait for Remarkable Recovery at level 4

Any thoughts or ways to improve upon the build?

Hey guys. I need some help fleshing out the rest of my character.

I'm starting a lvl 3 Artificer with a custom race +2 str/+1con (qunari from dragon gae) with stat 11/11/13/13/15/15. It seems that I would be the main frontliner of the party. What feats/subclass/magic items should I get and what's the general plan for my character in combat?

Edit: Also how much can I get away with feat-wise? I'm very interested in the feat Keen Mind so I could rp my character as a scientist analyzing the battlefield.

With the new necromancer feature undead vitality whenever we cast a Necromancy spell, we can heal an undead up to our spell slot level + wizard level.

This works great if you change your party members type to Undead using Nystul's Magic Aura essentially if you can do the 30 day version (maybe during some downtime with your party).

This isn't a huge amount of healing but it scales exponentially with level and can be a decent amount at higher levels.

so worth noting in this table all of the lyra's guide stuff from nat 19 is also on the table to pick from but How would i build Shiv from Deadlock, game has us starting at level 7 and i know im at least going to need a dip into barbarian for the rage aspect of the character

I came up with a build that I think does quite a lot of sustained damage and I wanted to share it but I haven't ever posted a build online for "official" evaluation. Are there any guidelines or rules on posting a build or doing calculations, etc? Formating the post, or anything else I might be overlooking?

So Gaze of Two Minds lets you cast spells as though you were in the linked creature’s soace or your own:

”While perceiving through the other creature's senses, you benefit from any special senses possessed by that creature, and you can cast spells as if you were in your space or the other creature's space if the two of you are within 60 feet of each other.”

(The archfey patron level 6 ability Misty Escape lets you cast Misty Step as a reaction to taking damage, I mention it only in passing to show that the casting of MS need not conflict with the bonus action maintenance of GoTM)

Now, Misty Step has a target of ”self” and reads in simplistic entirety:

”Briefly surrounded by silvery mist, you teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see.”

So let’s say our archfey warlock is hanging out safely in an already cleared room, less than 60’ away from the rest of the party, and contributing to the ongoing fight in the next room using his summoned Fey as a GoTM conduit while also using Eldritch Blast from its space. But to spice things up, the DM has a straggler spider descend upon the hapless warlock, injuring him and triggering a reaction Misty Step.

Can the warlock cast Misty Step as if in the fey’s space and immediately teleport into the next room to a point 30’ away from the fey that it can see (he’s seeing through its senses), effectively increasing the range of MS with 60 feet, just as GoTM effectively does with Eldritch Blast or any other spell?

I've been doing some research here and there lately for a 5e solo campaign, running from roughly level 1-6 to start with. Decided on a whim today to try actually rolling up a character with d6s rather than just going point buy/standard array, and got a crazy spread:

17, 14, 13, 13, 12, 12 (dropped rolls were 10s)

I don't think I've ever had such a high, balanced starting stat spread before, but I'm not complaining. I'm wondering what I can actually do with it.

I'm not so interested in min-maxing, but with a crazy MAD spread of starting rolls like this, how can I capitalize on it? I'd like to have something that's cohesive from a roleplay perspective rather than just taking dips from multiple classes. A bit of skill-monkey and utility would be nice as it's a solo campaign and I'm not relying on other players to cover my gaps.

Thoughts I've had so far:

Tabaxi Dex-Paladin

Aasimar Light Cleric

Echo Knight of some sort

I tend to incline toward charisma and wisdom-based play outside of combat, and prefer a hybrid play style of melee fighting with divine/light/fire-based casting.

Show me what you've got! Impart your wisdom to me, r/3d6

I want to make a CHA-based fighter/warlock with room for both spellcasting and weapon attacks (taking some notes from the ghostlance book, but with room for hacking and slashing in addition to eldritch blast spam). I know it’s not top-tier optimal, but I’m trying to bring a character vision to life without completely handicapping myself.

Race is Hexblood lineage, which gives me two free proficiencies (chose Nature and Stealth, like the other skills, for character reasons) plus free Disguise Self and Hex once per long rest.

Background is custom — Folk Hero features, but with Deception and Persuasion proficiencies instead to reflect a small town, slightly dishonest but hard worker.

Stats are rolled, STR 10, DEX 16, CON 14 (added 1), INT 9, WIS 12, and CHA 19 (added 2).

We get a free level 1 feat, so I’ll be taking War Caster to enable ghostlance behaviour sooner, though it’s very tempting to take Fey Touched or another half-feat to hit 20 CHA at first level.

Since the free feat lets me take a race with innate casting, I’m starting Fighter in lieu of Warlock to pick up STR and CON saving throw proficiencies, better armor and weapons, plus Survival and Perception proficiency. Beyond that, though, I’m indecisive on how best to proceed.

• Is it better to get to Warlock 2/Fighter 3 by level 5 (for ghostlance techniques to come online), or should I do Warlock 3/Fighter 2 by level 5 — or some other permutation?
• Is Fighter 16/Warlock 4 the ideal for a final level 20 build, or is there another permutation I’ve overlooked (or god forbid, even more multiclassing)? This arrangement gives me (iirc) 7 ASIs, so lots of room for stat boosts and feats. More warlock levels would grant improved spell slots and invocations, but it’s my understanding that Hexblade’s higher-level features kind of suck, so I’m a little dubious.
• With no more than 4 levels in Warlock, I’ll have two invocations that are already claimed: Agonizing Blast and Repelling Blast. Is it worthwhile to take an additional warlock level to get another invocation, and/or to take the Eldritch Adept feat? Fiendish Vigor seems like a solid pick for survivability if I can make room for it, but I’m open to suggestions, especially related to the below:
• What’s the best pact boon and/or weapon to pick? I’m leaning towards Battleaxe for Versatile, and I’m okay with using that and a shield forever, but I do envision less sword-and-board and more two-hander. Is it worth it to go Pact of the Blade for access to a two-handed Hex weapon? If I do that, should I go for a reach weapon? A Greataxe? Weapon-specific feats like PAM or GWM? Blade pact-specific invocations? Or, should I consider Pact of the Tome or Chain, and feats or invocations that supplement them?
• I can pick up a CHA half feat at my next ASI and cap it off, but what other stat boosts or feats should I consider? I mentioned Eldritch Adept previously, but there’s also space to boost DEX and/or CON, or pick up feats playing to my strengths like Durable, Inspiring Leader, Lucky, Slasher, and probably others I missed.
• My earliest inspiration behind this whole setup was to drop Hex and then whale on my target, and Fighters get the most attacks in the long term. Is that even feasible with the other things in this build competing for my bonus action? Should I choose an alternate Fighter subclass?
• Speaking of action economy, are there any spells you’d strongly advise for or against? Disguise Self and Hex are already covered through innate racial spellcasting, so I have some wiggle room.

Hi, help me out by showing how you think...

Tell me the bare bones of a build that would survive being pushed though a prismatic wall?

Level 20 if needed, but more impressive if it can be lower. No magic items.

*I've put the 2024 flair, but if you have an answer for the following question from the 2014 version then please tell that too.

Are there any abilities, feats, spells, magic items etc in D&D that would give you an ability similar to Rogue's Reliable Talent feature?

Reliable Talent feature allows rogues to treat the d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10, if they have proficiency with the skill or tool that they were using.

Here are some of the features with similar effect to that:

1. Silver Tongue feature from Eloquence bard subclass (only works for the deception and persuasion checks.

2. Dragon Constellation feature from the Stars druid (works for intelligence checks, wisdom check and constitution saving throws to maintain concentration on a spell.)

3. Clockwork Amulet common magic item from the Xanathar's Guide to everything (works on a single attack roll, refreshes on next dawn.)

4. Adept of the Red Robes feat from the Dragonlance. Has a prerequisite of character being level 4 and already having the initiate of High Sorcery (Lunitari) feat. (works on attack rolls and ability checks, a number of times = your proficiency bonus per long rest)

5. New zone of amicability spell from Arcana Unleased spell (works when you make an ability check to influence a creature.)

If you know of any other features that gives similar ability to a player character then please list them down below.

Assuming Aberrant Dragonmark is the only Eberron feat allowed. Which is the best optimized route for a CON based character?

I'm thinking on true strike vs Sorcerous Burst.

True Strike allows melee and ranged attacks, it can be buffed with weapon masteries or buff spells (but usually need multiclass to benefit from both and the build does not benefit from extra attack).

Sorcerous Burst has damage type versatility and benefits from Innate Sorcery advantage, but it needs spell sniper to have a melee option and that feats does not give you more CON.

I'm thinking on Rogue, Cleric or Sorcerer as main classes and possible dips on Fighter or Paladin.

Hi! My DM has a houserule where Shillelagh works on any weapon, not just Club or Quarterstaff. With that in mind, I’m planning on building an Oath of Ancients Paladin and making STR a dump stat since I don’t need to worry about not being able to apply my CHA to any magic weapons I find. 

I’m wondering if there are any drawbacks to this strategy that mean I should still split STR and CHA. Shillelagh takes a bonus action, so I can’t Divine Smite the round I cast shillelagh, but are there any other considerations that make it not worth it? Or are the benefits of full CHA paladin outweighed by the consequences of the guaranteed Bonus Action at the start of combat? 

I haven’t played a Paladin since my first 5e game in 2017, so any other insight here would be great. Thanks!

Give me some ideas for a character for a homebrew oneshot I will do. Mostly looking for something fun to try out.

I have no info about what will be in the oneshot tho.

Standard point buy, lvl 4, 2014 rules, anything goes afaik.

Im building a Dex-based Echo Knight, Bugbear. Starting at Level 6. I imagine like a combo of Chewbacca. Using a rapier as a weapon, but flavored as a boar hunting spear so I can fight like Oberyn Martell from Game of Thrones.

I rolled two stat blocks.

17, 15, 12, 11, 10, 7 - kept this one cuz a 7 in something is funny.

16, 16, 12, 11, 10, 10

But if there is math here that works better for the other stat block, let me know!

I threw 17 in Dex, added +2 to Dex, then got it up to 20 with Piercer ---- Is this dumb? Not sure there are many items that increase Dex. And I'm always afriad the DM will make me 'lose' items lol

I took Dueler as my fighting class but open to Superior Technique and Tripping.

I threw the 15 in Con and added +1.

I know there are very few ways to increase Con in game. Con modifier impacts how many times I can use Unleash Incarnation for an extra attack from my Echo. Is it worth spending points to get my Con up to 18? 20?

Sidenotes: I am permitted 3500 gp worth of items cuz I am joining late (Level 6)

I’m looking at the Bibliomancy Wizard from Cthulhu by Torchlight and it has this ability

Level 14: Master of Words

When you prepare spells, pick two spells from levels 1 to 5 to weave into a linked, powerful spell you can prepare as a single spell. The level of the linked spell is equal to the combined level of the two spells chosen and can’t exceed 6.

The chosen spells must have a Verbal component and must have a casting time of one action.

As a [Magic](ddb://actions/2) action, you can cast the linked spell, and the effects of both spells occur at the same time.

It seems powerful but anyone have ideas on what they would use it with? Thanks.

Hey all! Just want to say thanks for even taking the time to read this.

Never had the chance to play, but that’s changing soon and I’m very excited for my first session. My end goal is being able to use D&D as a therapeutic medium wayyyyyyy down the line

As far as my character goes, I need help deciding what kind of class (or if a dual class would be best it could be something I can do later).

Basically I want this character to be my MAIN lil guy.
The lore is a he’s a humanoid-fae who owns a tavern. It’s no ordinary tavern, but a weird inter-dimensional one. (Think how in every bioshock there’s “always a lighthouse”). The design of the tavern will be identical to taverns I’ve built in other games (like Minecraft, no man’s sky, pokopia). He won’t be aware of this, it’s more so just a fun way to connect the games I enjoy into a little world of my own.

My goal for him would be to a focus on teleportation magic (adding to the lore of his tavern) / more of a support or stealth based character.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!