Hey all! Right now I'm playing in a friend's homebrew campaign (expected to go to level 12 or so) as a Goliath Barbarian/Fighter. I LOVE it so far, but now that I've got the hang of things I find myself wanting to do a little bit more with myself, plus I'm starting to think about the next few levels.
The party has another Goliath - a Rune Knight Fighter (plus a Hexblade, a Peace Cleric, a Gloomstalker Ranger, and a Lore Bard) so I'm more of a damage sponge/tank than a primary damage dealer, and as such I chose Ancestral Guardian for my Primal Path. We're currently level 4 (3 Barb/1 Fighter), but are about to level again and I'm thinking more & more about what to choose as my Fighter Martial Archetype.
My first thought was to go Crit-Fishing as a Champion, but given the fact that I'm more of a protector and tank than a damage dealer I was thinking of going Battle Master and choosing some maneuvers that let me protect allies, give advantage/disadvantage as needed, control the battlefield a little bit, etc.
Any suggestions? Should I take the background/static benefit with more frequent crits from the Champion? Or go with Battle Master giving me more options/choices of what to do with my turns instead of just "Rage, get in between my friends & the bad guys, and take the attack action until everything is dead"? And if I go Battle Master, which maneuvers would help me be an even better protector/tank? Or is there another even better option for Fighter Subclass?
Thanks in advance!!
PS. My stats are 18Con/17Str/14Dex/13Cha/12Wis/11Int at the moment and I'm dual wielding Battleaxes with the Dual Wielder feat & Two Weapon Fighting fighting style.
If you are a tank, I wouldn't look at Champion. As EddyJ noted, Cavalier is a great option. Cavalier is more of a pure tank imo, though. One of the best tank options. Battle Master is also strong, with lots maneuvers that can help out, while also dealing damage.
From Cavalier...
"Warding Maneuver
At 7th level, you learn to fend off strikes directed at you, your mount, or other creatures nearby. If you or a creature you can see within 5 feet of you is hit by an attack, you can roll 1d8 as a reaction if you’re wielding a melee weapon or a shield. Roll the die, and add the number rolled to the target’s AC against that attack. If the attack still hits, the target has resistance against the attack’s damage.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.
Hold the Line
At 10th level, you become a master of locking down your enemies. Creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they move 5 feet or more while within your reach, and if you hit a creature with an opportunity attack, the target’s speed is reduced to 0 until the end of the current turn."
Thanks for the responses guys, I think I'm gonna stay away from the Cavalier because it doesn't fit my character thematically (my Goliath is afraid of riding on horses and doesn't trust mounts in general for one lol) so I think I'll eventually go with Battle Master. That'll fit in with the story line of my traditionally-trained Barbarian Goliath taking the time to build up his actual fighting skills while going around the world with this highly trained party of adventurers and some of the Battle Master maneuvers will be perfect for my strategy of protecting the party.
When playing my multiclass barb I was recommended getting to barb 5 before multiclassing for the multi attack since its a big power gain that you'll probably be missing for those few levels.
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If you're looking for tankiness and protection, look no further than the Cavalier.
Partway through the quest for absolute truth.
If you are a tank, I wouldn't look at Champion. As EddyJ noted, Cavalier is a great option. Cavalier is more of a pure tank imo, though. One of the best tank options. Battle Master is also strong, with lots maneuvers that can help out, while also dealing damage.
From Cavalier...
"Warding Maneuver
At 7th level, you learn to fend off strikes directed at you, your mount, or other creatures nearby. If you or a creature you can see within 5 feet of you is hit by an attack, you can roll 1d8 as a reaction if you’re wielding a melee weapon or a shield. Roll the die, and add the number rolled to the target’s AC against that attack. If the attack still hits, the target has resistance against the attack’s damage.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.
Hold the Line
At 10th level, you become a master of locking down your enemies. Creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they move 5 feet or more while within your reach, and if you hit a creature with an opportunity attack, the target’s speed is reduced to 0 until the end of the current turn."
Thanks for the responses guys, I think I'm gonna stay away from the Cavalier because it doesn't fit my character thematically (my Goliath is afraid of riding on horses and doesn't trust mounts in general for one lol) so I think I'll eventually go with Battle Master. That'll fit in with the story line of my traditionally-trained Barbarian Goliath taking the time to build up his actual fighting skills while going around the world with this highly trained party of adventurers and some of the Battle Master maneuvers will be perfect for my strategy of protecting the party.
When playing my multiclass barb I was recommended getting to barb 5 before multiclassing for the multi attack since its a big power gain that you'll probably be missing for those few levels.