r/3d6

I know that Alert is very popular on Wizard and Sorcerer.

I’ll start by saying I appreciate this will never be meta, and there will be better things to do, but I don’t want to be completely neutered by aiming for that.

Also, I would like to take a decent number of levels in monk, but if the reality is I have to just dip monk and level barbarian or fighter, I’m down.

I am fully dedicated to going unarmed, which does push me toward monk levels to scale the dice.

This is a level 3–14 campaign, so that’s the range I’m trying to make this work in, though I’m open to a bit of a rocky patch early on.

I fully appreciate that dumping Dex is never going to be viable, so I think the only option is to dump Wisdom, which affects a few things:

• Unarmoured defence – I think I can work around this by using barbarian unarmoured defence
• Saving throws – don’t really have a good answer for this lol
• Some subclass features – if I go Open Hand, I think this only really affects the bonus action heal, which sucks, but I’ve got plenty of other uses for my bonus action anyway

I’m aiming for a 1–2 level dip in barbarian, but open to more.

This gets me rage (resistance is nice), but the big thing is +2 damage on all my flurry of blows and normal attacks, as well as unarmoured defence based on Con, which is just a good stat to stack anyway.

Not really sure when to take the barb levels. Feels like the first one is needed early, but at the same time extra attack from monk is also very nice.

Basically, I think this comes online properly at level 6 and then just gets better as martial arts dice scale.

At level 6 I’d be looking at:

• Strength: 18 (15 point buy, +2 background, +1 half feat — not sure which feat yet)
• Dexterity: 14
• Constitution: 16
• Wisdom: 10
• Intelligence: 8
• Charisma: 8

AC would be 15 from barbarian unarmoured defence.

I’d be doing 4 attacks a turn at 1d8 + 4 + 2 each (so 4d8 + 24 total), with 40 feet of movement.

Thoughts? What feat should I take? Is there an entirely different build I should be looking at?

Hello guys! Help me build the most optimized Paladin within the below rules:

Any official material allowed, no third party (no eberron), UA or homebrew. 2014 material (legacy) allowed, but anything republished, must use the new rules. Silvery barbs is banned.

Point buy.

Must be focused on DEX, I know that you can build TWF with STR, but it's not the objective here. Subclass oath of the noble genie Paladin.

Must use TWF, no shield. No weapon juggling shenanigans.

Campaign is out of the abyss, and it will end around level 15. There is a Bladesinger confirmed in the party, another 2 party members not confirmed yet.

You can multiclass if you want.

Now what I did:

Species: Shadar-Kai. Underdark requires Darkvision. Necrotic resistance and blessing of the raven queen add a lot of mobility and survivability there. It also allows Elven Accuracy later.

Genie touched background, perfect stats, Magic Initiate Wizard for shield spell, Blade Ward and Message. Good skills, can replace perception with deception (shadar-kai also gives perception from keen senses).

Dump STR and INT.

17 DEX, 14 CON, 10 WIS, 16 CHA.

Vex and Nick at level 2

Elven Accuracy at level 4. 18 DEX now, and it would stay like this for a long time.

Levels 8 and 12 I can either max CHA, safe but boring, or take spellfire adept and another +1 CHA feat and end with 18 CHA.

The plan is to use divine favor spell a lot. Sometimes Dao elemental smite for the no save grapple + restrained. Shadar-kai teleport will also be important.

Add Lay on Hands and that's 4 different uses for bonus action already.

I know that I can take Dual wielder feat and do 4 attacks at level 5, but that will consume my precious bonus action.

With vex mastery, no save grapple+restrained, and party help, that's at least 3/4 times rolling 3 d20 to attack. (Elven Accuracy).

I can see a lot of precision, survivability, DPR, support and control with the above build.

I'm open to suggestions.

Are they just way better than all the other feats available?

My party is going up to level 10 at the beginning of our next session. My Paladin is currently level 8 with a 1 level dip in sorcerer. (I took the dip at player level 6 I think?) I'm playing oath of Devotion and wanted the shield spell and some ranged cantrips. I've been considering going further into sorcerer but wasn't sure when the best time to do that was. I don't know how long this campaign will go. There has been talk of ending around level 13 but there has also been talk of expanding to 20. When if ever should I take more sorcerer levels? Is it best just to go to Paladin up to 19? Or should I take sorcerer up to a subclass? (If I did reach a sorcerer subclass I was thinking draconic just since it felt thematic to me.)

So we're doing a prologue one-shot (Level 1) and then starting the Lost Mines of Phandelver.

I've created a Half-Orc Barbarian with a passion for psychiatry, named Lobo Tomy. His giant hammer is his main tool for therapy. Lobo is quite the gentleman, well spoken, kind. Not the typical dumb brute.

I normally play a warlock, which is so much fun with the variety of tricks spells. I've fallen in love with Lobo, and want to continue him into the main campaign, but I'm worried the limited options of a Barbarian, will get boring. Rage, intimidate, shove, grapple, bonk. I get bored, easily. I've got a few ideas up my sleeve, but I wonder what you would do to make Barbarian useful and fun.

Maybe I should play a Bard, but I feel like a change from a Charisma character.

How goes it fellow polyhedron rollers.

About to hop into a campaign starting at lvl 3 going to ~13-14 allegedly.

Pretty loose with restrictions, starting with the roll 4d6 remove lowest, moving to point buy if everyone's rolls suck.

My intent is to go psi warrior x with a 1 level dip into wizard.

Variant human start, telekinetic starting feat. Duelist fighting style longsword+shield.

The intent is to save psi-dice for defensive necessity, bolster with bladeward and shield.

Offensively rely on booming blade and green-flame blade.

Attack economy= intending to attack as I would offensive cantrips where applicable. use bonus option to shove from telekinetic or shield master depending on intended shove target.

Thinking speedy, shield master as additional feats.

Hoping for some insight from anyone that's played the psi warrior and if potentially there are some tricks I can add to make myself better.

The flavor intended is cool guy Jedi protecting his squishy buddies. No intention to face for the group, just be a wall for them to stand behind and hurt dudes that can force throw junk as needed. Use mage hand in creative ways as it comes up outside of battle, flip a switch here, attempt to lift keys from a belt there, distract an unsuspecting bad guy with a random floating thing.

Thanks for any and all insight.

So campaign will be going from 4-(12-14) and I was wondering whether a warlock a dip would make sense mechanically

Thematically both of them fit in quite well, and the character was originally planned as a 2024 version warlock but decided to make him sorcerer in the 2014 version since GOO warlock in 2014 is pretty underwhelming compared.

How bad is the spell progression cost for a warlock dip?

Playing a CoS campaign currently at level 3, and my DM has approved this homebrew after my first character died. We are using the older rules, not the 2024 update.

From reading it, looks like I would need at least a 1 level dip in another class, and then could take the rest as A vampire.

Looking for advice on what to take for a 1 level dip with this class. First thought is hex blade for agonising blast and char attacks. Paladin 2 could be fun thematically though, and rogue 1 for sneak attack could be fun with vampire themes.

Any ideas?

I know, I know, it sounds cringe. But I was watching some of his gameplay and I realized I really liked this "take damage and punish" type of playstyle. I was wondering what kind of Race, Class and subsequent subclass would fit that kind of a fantasy. The closest I have gotten is Zealot Barbarian paired with Fallen Aasimar and/or Reborn if that is allowed. I would appreciate it if I could be given alternative recommendations though.

Been reading through the 5E paladin subclasses and I was curious as to what you folks think of the Oath of Glory paladin after playing. The spell list looks very decent, but the channel divinity options seem a little niche. What do you folks think?

I've long been interested in the Aberrant Mind subclass, and hope to play one in the near future. I think a really cool way to build it would be to go with an amethyst dragonborn, since amethyst dragons are (at least in FR lore) known for their affinity for psionics.

The 1/LR flight is great, you'll get resistance to Force and eventually Psychic which is pretty unique and non-overlapping with Absorb Elements, and most importantly, picking dragonborn enables you to take the Dragon Fear feat at level 4.

I think this feat has, post Fizban's, mostly received attention for builds with Extra Attack since you can substitute one attack to use Dragon Fear. But I think it's quite underrated for sorcerers, and they may even have the better case for using it. Not only does it increase CHA and use CHA for its DC, but the action to use it is not a spell. As your opener, you could therefore Quickened Spell your big concentration spell of choice, and use Dragon Fear on top of that for crazy control of the battle field right from round 1. Very elegant :)

I think sorcerers are uniquely poised to take the feat too, because aside from multiclassing which has its own opportunity cost, other full casters would usually want to be taking Resilient CON or War Caster at this level. Sorcs start out with CON save proficiency, so they obviously don't need the former, and the latter can wait (I would probably only take it at 12 or even 16, after maxing out CHA and possibly taking Resilient WIS).

What do you think?

Just rolled my character’s back story and due to reasons too long to explain, my DM is letting me have a magic tattoo from Common-Rare.

I decided to go with a rare spellwrought tattoo because I can have a 5th level spell once a day! By the way I’m a Shadar-Kai S&B Devotion Paladin.

Selfishly I’m thinking of picking Steel Wind Strike because it’s just so cool to me. Teleport to 5 creatures and strike them in an instant! I could also maybe do holy weapon? But I feel like there are definitely better options so I wanted to hear what some of you think!

Side note: Are there any Dark Gifts worth picking? I was thinking maybe Death Touch or Watchers? Really unsure though

So many good options!

5th level Spirit Guardians

Find Greater Steed

Holy Weapon

Banishing Smite

The list goes on!

So I’m currently playing a Gloomstalker 5/ Rogue 2 and I can feel a level up on the horizon. I’m a bit puzzled on what to do next. My current go-to strategy in combat revolves around longbow attacks with the Sharpshooter feat. At the moment I’m aiming to go at least 2 more levels in rogue to get my 2nd asi. That said I have no idea what to do about a rogue subclass if I get to rogue lv3. I’d be happy to hear out any suggestions.

My ideas so far:

Soul Knife (no): I originally had settled on this one while making the character at the start of the campaign… sadly the sharpshooter +10 damage only works for ranged WEAPONS, not just any ranged attack. So the psychic blades from this subclass are basically entirely useless. I had not realized this until I got 2 levels into rogue much later in the campaign.

Phantom rogue:

This one caught my attention cuz it’s a fairly generic, flexible damage boost and none of the later features contradict my current build. That said, the necrotic damage it offers seems so minor, especially since I can’t focus fire with it and I’m not very far into rogue yet so my sneak attack is a bit lacking.

Arcane trickster:

This one is really nice since it allows me to grab a shield spell and Silvery barbs. I doubt we will get past level 10 in this campaign but if we happen to get to a high level I might have to stop leveling trickster at rogue 8, since my intelligence score is so bad lmao. I know int isn’t necessary for this subclass but it might be nice later down the line.

Hi!

Continuing a campaign with a new character as a lvl 6 bladesinger. I am making my spell list and I am wondering how big of a "must have" mirror image and Shadow blade are? Because I feel it clashes with my action economy having to use a BA for shadow blade which I want to use for bladesinging and an action for mirror image which I would probably use for a concentration spell and afterwards go in to attack.

But because Shadow blade is super flavourfull and strong and mirror image aswell (no concentration WAAUW). Any thoughts on this?

I’m starting a new campaign and originally it was supposed to be 2024 rules, but have just been informed that it is going to be 2014.

I had a concept for a tough guy War Wizard, but now that origin feats and weapon masteries are no longer on the table, I may have to rethink this, looking for help. Originally was going to go Dwarf with Tough Feat (+3 HP per level!) and either the 1st level in Artificer for armor, Con save proficiency, and extra Cantrips, or Fighter for armor, Con Save proficiency, fighting style, second wind, and weapon masteries.

Basically an armored wizard that does extra stuff and doesn’t worry about when a hit gets through because they have the extra HP and won’t fail their con save when concentrating on spells.

Any suggestions? We are starting at level 3 with 300gp, so no expensive armor yet. We do get an uncommon magic item, I was thinking Shield +1, but I’m open to suggestions there.

We are rolling for stats (4d6b3) but can default to standard array if they suck, so assume standard array with a +1 in two stats. I assume customization as per Tasha’s for stat additions will be allowed.

Hi! We are playing according to the D&D 2024 rules (or 5.5e). My character is a Level 4 Rogue / Level 1 Wizard with the Keen Mind feat.

I use the following tactic: thanks to the Fast Hands feature of the 2024 Thief Rogue, I use Spell Scrolls as a Bonus Action, and then use my Action for something else. For example, in the last combat, I used my Bonus Action to read a Fireball scroll and my Main Action to attack using True Strike.

I have 18 Intelligence and 16 Dexterity, and I focus my playstyle on True Strike attacks. It feels to me like the 5th level of Rogue is very weak and underwhelming. Uncanny Dodge will consume my Reaction, which I usually prefer to save for Shield (which is more effective) or for an extra attack via the Ready action. Additionally, the new Cunning Strike options don't seem that useful given my relatively low Dexterity.

Maybe I should take another multiclass and stop progressing in Rogue, since I’ve already gotten everything I need from it? I mean, I already have Fast Hands at level 3. I was thinking about multiclassing into Warlock or Paladin or anything, but I’m not sure yet. Help me out!

I have played tons of 5e in the past, tried pretty much every min-maxxed build I could come up with, and have spent well over 2 or 3 years without as much as thinking of 5e, much less playing it. I enjoy other systems a lot more, and usually only played 5e because it was the only option.

Now I've been invited to a small 5e campaign, beginning level 4 and ending probably around level 8 or 9, and need ideas for builds.

My preference is martials or half/quarter-casters, I'm really not a huge fan of full casters. Will begin with a feat, uncommon magic item, and will likely be able to get a couple (not necessarily random) magic items throughout the campaign. GM is very open to changing the flavor of abilities and weapons and whatnot, so my priority is the optimal build, likely prioritizing damage. Multiclassing is fine. I'm down for more unconventional ideas.

I'm all ears for any build ideas.

Heya everyone! Currently building a rather unorthodox barbarian fighter that takes itself for a sorlock blaster... and I wanted to see others views on the order of feats/asi/ which one should be taken. I'll explain the gist of it. Here goes:

Starting barbarian 6 going path of the giant. we are specifically going for:

Elemental Cleaver

6th-Level Path of the Giant Feature

Your bond with the elemental might of giants grows, and you learn to infuse weapons with primordial energy.

When you enter your rage, you can choose one weapon that you are holding and infuse it with one of the following damage types: acid, cold, fire, thunder, or lightning. While you wield the infused weapon during your rage, the weapon’s damage type changes to the chosen type, it deals an extra 1d6 damage of the chosen type when it hits, and it gains the thrown property, with a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet. If you throw the weapon, it reappears in your hand the instant after it hits or misses a target. The infused weapon’s benefits are suppressed while a creature other than you wields it.

While raging and holding the infused weapon, you can use a bonus action to change the infused weapon’s current damage type to another one from the damage type options above.

We will be spending most of our time: Throwing either a Maul or a Pike... so we can topple dragons out of the sky and pseudo repelling blast our way to victory.

Maul	2d6 Bludgeoning	Heavy, Two-Handed	Topple	10 lb.	10 GP

Pike	1d10 Piercing	Heavy, Reach, Two-Handed	Push	18 lb.	5 GP

We also will want at some point:

Great Weapon Master

Source: Player's Handbook

Prerequisite: Level 4+, Strength 13+

You gain the following benefits.

Ability Score Increase. Increase your Strength score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

Heavy Weapon Mastery. When you hit a creature with a weapon that has the Heavy property as part of the Attack action on your turn, you can cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target. The extra damage equals your Proficiency Bonus.

Hew. Immediately after you score a Critical Hit with a Melee weapon or reduce a creature to 0 Hit Points with one, you can make one attack with the same weapon as a Bonus Action.

Then we will go fighter 14 for 3 total extra attack. I had the choice of battle master or champion and decided champion for crit fishing, but any other cool suggestion would be fun, as i believe any fighter will do...

For fighting style:

Thrown Weapon Fighting

Source: Player's Handbook

Prerequisite: Fighting Style Feature

When you hit with a ranged attack roll using a weapon that has the Thrown property, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.

This should give us a rather tanky barbarian fighter doing its best impression of blasting, with our attacks being

2d6+ 1d6 from elemental cleave+ 2 from rage + up to 6 from Proficiency Bonus +2 from thrown weapon fighting.

All done at potential advantage since reckless doesnt care that its a ranged attack.

This is the core loop and idea, with it getting an upgrade at level 9 fighter with:

level 9: tactical master

When you attack with a weapon whose mastery property you can use, you can replace that property with the Push, Sap, or Slow property for that attack.

push twice at our end build then try to topple at range.

The core loop is straight forward, but im honestly not certain which fighter subclass would be the most worth for our build... As we could aim for dpr, more tankiness for a well rounded build or more general shenanigans.

So we have a lot of ASI/feats to take, maybe a different choice of fighter to make, and im at a lost since many things just seem conventionally good here.

Goal: high sustained DPR + battlefield control + tanky,
Mainly looking for best fighter subclass and ASI/feat order.”

Hi everyone!

I’m looking for help building a character for an upcoming campaign. The concept is a Pirate who uses lightning and storm magic. I want them to feel like a gritty sailor who has been "blessed" (or cursed) by a sea god or a freak storm.

What I'm looking for:

Theme: A mix of melee (sword/cutlass) and lightning/thunder damage.

Playstyle: I’d like to be effective in close combat but also have that "storm" flavor (knocking enemies back with thunder, shocking them, etc.).

Stats: We are using [Point Buy / Standard Array ]

Level: 1-12.