Hey guys, I am going to be playing a Dex focused Ancestral Guardian Barbarian as a Human Variant w/ Shield Master
The character concept is I am from a tribe of fighters and barbarians who are inked with ash tattoos of their fallen warriors. Some added viking inspired themes and what not.
I planned on going Shield + Battleaxe, but am I really hurting myself not going for a Dex based weapon like a Rapier?
Is the Rage Damage and Reckless attacks worth losing the Dex Bonus to my hit? Our group has plenty of damage dealers, my role is primary a front line damage soaker. However, Ancestral Protectors does require you to "hit" to activate. Anyone got any advice for me?
Stats + Projected Increases
1: STR 14 / DEX 17 / CON 15 (Based on Rolls + Race)
4: STR 14 / DEX 18 / CON 16 (+1 Dex/+1 Con for +2 AC)
8: STR 14/ DEX 20 / CON 16 (+1 AC)
12: Additional Feat
16: STR 14/ DEX 20 / CON 18 (+1 AC)
20: STR 14 (18 w/ Capstone) / DEX 20 / CON 20 (24 w/ Capstone) (MAX AC w/ UD)
Personally, I would say go stout halfling for a dex build like this. You can have 18 AC at level one (14+2 dex and 15+1 con, as well as a shield). Or 17 AC is still amazing, and if you put dex at 13, and strength at 14. Then battleaxe and shield will really work. Put up con, then at eight take the squat nimbleness to have 16 AC. At level 8 you then will have 20 AC.
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'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
14 strength is not a crippling score for low levels. Having one less to your attack modifier isn't too bad, you will miss some attacks that you would have hit with a 16 in strength, but the ability to use Reckless Attack will largely compensate (advantage roughly equates to a +5 to the roll in question); so I guess.. yes, using reckless with 14 strength is better than not being able to use reckless with 20dex. You will probably feel it whenever you are in a position that you do not want to reckless though, especially as you level up. I would suggest at the lvl8 ASI that you bump strength instead of dexterity: +1 AC is a good mechanical benefit, but +1 to-hit is also good and feels more satisfying imo. Level8 is also where you will probably start seeing things that are annoying for you to hit, so bumping your attack roll is probably a good idea around then.
The other option you could look into is how your DM handles magic items. If you can buy most things, or if they are accomodating, you could try getting some gauntlets of ogre strength or a belt of giants strength. Even an early +1 weapon would be a nice boost.
Something to remember is that if you use an actual dex weapon, you can choose between str and dex; you are not forced into using dex.
Are you hurting yourself? Probably, as you lose some flexibility. Are you hurting yourself badly? No, not really. You can always try to get a set of gauntlets of ogre power to prop your str up a bit. My current group has a barbarian rogue who often attacks with her lower str bonus on her rapier, so she can attack recklessly and activate sneak attack. She's not weak at all.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
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Hey guys, I am going to be playing a Dex focused Ancestral Guardian Barbarian as a Human Variant w/ Shield Master
The character concept is I am from a tribe of fighters and barbarians who are inked with ash tattoos of their fallen warriors. Some added viking inspired themes and what not.
I planned on going Shield + Battleaxe, but am I really hurting myself not going for a Dex based weapon like a Rapier?
Is the Rage Damage and Reckless attacks worth losing the Dex Bonus to my hit? Our group has plenty of damage dealers, my role is primary a front line damage soaker. However, Ancestral Protectors does require you to "hit" to activate. Anyone got any advice for me?
Stats + Projected Increases
Personally, I would say go stout halfling for a dex build like this. You can have 18 AC at level one (14+2 dex and 15+1 con, as well as a shield). Or 17 AC is still amazing, and if you put dex at 13, and strength at 14. Then battleaxe and shield will really work. Put up con, then at eight take the squat nimbleness to have 16 AC. At level 8 you then will have 20 AC.
'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
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I took a look, and it looks good. However, I miss out on the Shield Master feat which I was kind of looking forward to
14 strength is not a crippling score for low levels. Having one less to your attack modifier isn't too bad, you will miss some attacks that you would have hit with a 16 in strength, but the ability to use Reckless Attack will largely compensate (advantage roughly equates to a +5 to the roll in question); so I guess.. yes, using reckless with 14 strength is better than not being able to use reckless with 20dex. You will probably feel it whenever you are in a position that you do not want to reckless though, especially as you level up. I would suggest at the lvl8 ASI that you bump strength instead of dexterity: +1 AC is a good mechanical benefit, but +1 to-hit is also good and feels more satisfying imo. Level8 is also where you will probably start seeing things that are annoying for you to hit, so bumping your attack roll is probably a good idea around then.
The other option you could look into is how your DM handles magic items. If you can buy most things, or if they are accomodating, you could try getting some gauntlets of ogre strength or a belt of giants strength. Even an early +1 weapon would be a nice boost.
Something to remember is that if you use an actual dex weapon, you can choose between str and dex; you are not forced into using dex.
Are you hurting yourself? Probably, as you lose some flexibility. Are you hurting yourself badly? No, not really. You can always try to get a set of gauntlets of ogre power to prop your str up a bit. My current group has a barbarian rogue who often attacks with her lower str bonus on her rapier, so she can attack recklessly and activate sneak attack. She's not weak at all.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha