I'm eagerly awaiting my campaign to start (hopefully next Friday). I haven't played in years and I've been designing and redesigning my character over and over up to level 8. I'd like some feedback, please.
Stout Halfling: Lucky (I can reroll any 1 and take the second roll on all but damage rolls), Brave (Advantage to being Frightened), Halfling Nimbleness (I can enter the space of any creature 1 size larger than me), Stout Resilience (Advantage to being Poisoned and Resistance to Poison Damage), +2 Dex for being a Halfling, +1 Con for being a Stout Halfing)
Standard Array: 10/+0 Str, 17/+3 Dex, 14/+2 Con, 14 Int/+2, 12 Wis/+1, 8/-1 Cha (including the racial bonuses)
Mercenary Veteran (Athletics, Persuasion, Land Vehicles, Dice)
Level 3 - I plan to bind one short sword and my crossbow (leave the crossbow loaded and in my room and summon it when I need to take a shot), and I plan to learn the Cantrips Booming Blade and Toll the Dead, as well as 1st level Spells Shield, Absorb Elements, and Ice Knife ( I was originally planning to learn Protection from Good and Evil, but was bothered by the components being consumed even though there's no cost to them).
Level 4 - I plan to take the feat Mage Initiate, choose Wizard as the class, and use the feat to learn the Cantrips Shocking Grasp and Green Flame Blade as well as the 1st level Spell Feather Fall as my once-per-long rest use aka emergency use spell, and learn Magic Missile as my regular spell that I get to learn.
Level 5 - Extra Attack.
Level 6 - I plan to take the feat Ritual Caster, choose Wizard, and use the feat to learn Comprehend Language and Find Familiar (and any other rituals I eventually find that are applicable), then summon an owl. I plan to use her for recon as well as when I'm in the dark and there's no one to cast any kind of light spell (no Dark Vision for hobbits). Specifically, I plan to have her sit on my head so when I turn my head, she looks where I would be looking if I could see (owls have Keen Sight and Keen Hearing and Dark Vision for 60ft). I could also use her to cast Shocking Grasp on people since she could fly by, brush them with a feather, and fly away (owls don't provoke attacks of opportunity).
Level 7 - War Magic. I said I planned everything out, but I haven't planned my Level 2 spells, yet.
Level 8 - I plan to take the feat Spell Sniper which Doubles the Range of any Spell that Requires an Attack Roll (I wonder how that works with SCAG Cantrips), lets my Ranged Spell Attacks ignore Half Cover and 3/4 Cover, and lets me learn 1 Cantrip that requires an Attack Roll from any of the main Spellcaster Classes; that will either be Wizard for Fire Bolt (I've avoided it because I'm concerned about accidentally hitting allies) or Warlock for Eldritch Blast (even though I'd only have a +1 to hit instead of +4, I think it's silly that the Eldritch Knight can't do Eldritch Blast).
Originally, I was going to take the War Caster feat at Level 6 or 8, but that seemed less beneficial to me the more I thought about it; none of my Spells so far are Concentration, I'm not concerned about Somatic gestures since I can't swing both weapons when casting a Spell (regardless of War Magic or even Improved War Magic), so the only thing that really applies to my character as I see him is Casting a Spell as a Reaction for an Attack of Opportunity. That part isn't bad, but I felt it was more important to have as many Cantrips as I could to attack with since my Learned Spells are so few (by this point, with this feat, I'd have 5 Cantrips of various Ranges and Damage types, and would still learn 1 more at Level 10, most likely Lightning Lure).
What do y'all think? Also, since I haven't figured out my Level 2 spells, yet, I welcome any suggestions for that as well.
Honestly, Hexblade would serve you better. EK really kicks butt later on in levels, but was never intended to be a good blaster. You would be able to have devil's sight which takes care of the darkvision problem and you can still take ritual caster to have a familiar if you like (flyby not taking opportunity attacks doesn't mean a DM won't nuke your owl with a held action or ranged attack). You only have to worry about Charisma and Con (only want a Dex of 14 to max out the +2 for AC on medium armor) and have a full spectrum of spellcasting all the way to level 9 spells and not have to prepare daily. EK's are not jack of all trades as you will never hit well with offensive spells due to the MAD of the class. Those spells are for defense and counterspell to get up in a wizard's face and mess him up.
I'm eagerly awaiting my campaign to start (hopefully next Friday). I haven't played in years and I've been designing and redesigning my character over and over up to level 8. I'd like some feedback, please.
Stout Halfling: Lucky (I can reroll any 1 and take the second roll on all but damage rolls), Brave (Advantage to being Frightened), Halfling Nimbleness (I can enter the space of any creature 1 size larger than me), Stout Resilience (Advantage to being Poisoned and Resistance to Poison Damage), +2 Dex for being a Halfling, +1 Con for being a Stout Halfing)
Standard Array: 10/+0 Str, 17/+3 Dex, 14/+2 Con, 14 Int/+2, 12 Wis/+1, 8/-1 Cha (including the racial bonuses)
Mercenary Veteran (Athletics, Persuasion, Land Vehicles, Dice)
Level 3 - I plan to bind one short sword and my crossbow (leave the crossbow loaded and in my room and summon it when I need to take a shot), and I plan to learn the Cantrips Booming Blade and Toll the Dead, as well as 1st level Spells Shield, Absorb Elements, and Ice Knife ( I was originally planning to learn Protection from Good and Evil, but was bothered by the components being consumed even though there's no cost to them).
Level 4 - I plan to take the feat Mage Initiate, choose Wizard as the class, and use the feat to learn the Cantrips Shocking Grasp and Green Flame Blade as well as the 1st level Spell Feather Fall as my once-per-long rest use aka emergency use spell, and learn Magic Missile as my regular spell that I get to learn.
Level 5 - Extra Attack.
Level 6 - I plan to take the feat Ritual Caster, choose Wizard, and use the feat to learn Comprehend Language and Find Familiar (and any other rituals I eventually find that are applicable), then summon an owl. I plan to use her for recon as well as when I'm in the dark and there's no one to cast any kind of light spell (no Dark Vision for hobbits). Specifically, I plan to have her sit on my head so when I turn my head, she looks where I would be looking if I could see (owls have Keen Sight and Keen Hearing and Dark Vision for 60ft). I could also use her to cast Shocking Grasp on people since she could fly by, brush them with a feather, and fly away (owls don't provoke attacks of opportunity).
Level 7 - War Magic. I said I planned everything out, but I haven't planned my Level 2 spells, yet.
Level 8 - I plan to take the feat Spell Sniper which Doubles the Range of any Spell that Requires an Attack Roll (I wonder how that works with SCAG Cantrips), lets my Ranged Spell Attacks ignore Half Cover and 3/4 Cover, and lets me learn 1 Cantrip that requires an Attack Roll from any of the main Spellcaster Classes; that will either be Wizard for Fire Bolt (I've avoided it because I'm concerned about accidentally hitting allies) or Warlock for Eldritch Blast (even though I'd only have a +1 to hit instead of +4, I think it's silly that the Eldritch Knight can't do Eldritch Blast).
Originally, I was going to take the War Caster feat at Level 6 or 8, but that seemed less beneficial to me the more I thought about it; none of my Spells so far are Concentration, I'm not concerned about Somatic gestures since I can't swing both weapons when casting a Spell (regardless of War Magic or even Improved War Magic), so the only thing that really applies to my character as I see him is Casting a Spell as a Reaction for an Attack of Opportunity. That part isn't bad, but I felt it was more important to have as many Cantrips as I could to attack with since my Learned Spells are so few (by this point, with this feat, I'd have 5 Cantrips of various Ranges and Damage types, and would still learn 1 more at Level 10, most likely Lightning Lure).
What do y'all think? Also, since I haven't figured out my Level 2 spells, yet, I welcome any suggestions for that as well.
Honestly, Hexblade would serve you better. EK really kicks butt later on in levels, but was never intended to be a good blaster. You would be able to have devil's sight which takes care of the darkvision problem and you can still take ritual caster to have a familiar if you like (flyby not taking opportunity attacks doesn't mean a DM won't nuke your owl with a held action or ranged attack). You only have to worry about Charisma and Con (only want a Dex of 14 to max out the +2 for AC on medium armor) and have a full spectrum of spellcasting all the way to level 9 spells and not have to prepare daily. EK's are not jack of all trades as you will never hit well with offensive spells due to the MAD of the class. Those spells are for defense and counterspell to get up in a wizard's face and mess him up.
I appreciate the reply, but I want to be a fighter who casts spells, not a spellcaster who fights. Also, I only wanted Ritual Caster for Find Familiar, but after some thought, I decided to pick Find Familiar as my emergency spell I get with Mage Initiate vs Feather Fall; I decided that my spells should be more about making me a better fighter than protecting the party as a whole and that the dedicated spellcasters could worry about that type of thing. This would also free me up to take War Caster sooner as I've also decided to take it next and then Spell Sniper. And yes I know my familiar can be targeted directly. Of course, when the party is in the middle of attacking the enemy in their face, the familiar really isn't the biggest threat in most scenarios (unless I can use it to cast Dragon's Breath which would then most likely make it a more worthwhile target).
But let's say I did want to change to a warlock. Part of my back story involves my character having shitty charisma. He's a halfling raised by dwarves who tries to act like a dwarf and fails. He also frequently draws a beard on his face because he can't grow facial hair; the result is people do not take him seriously or think him capable. I'd have to change my class as well as my backstory to accommodate the change. Also, as it is now, I still only have to worry about two ability scores (dex and int) as I'm a dex based fighter and not concerned with strength, which is average anyway at 10, and I'm satisfied with my con so far as my second highest stat. *Also, we already started the game two nights ago so It's too late to change anything*
I don't know what MAD stands for (I didn't know, but I've looked it up now). Remember that I'm new to this, so I don't know the different slang and acronyms. Regardless, you may not have realized that most of my attack spells are ones that use my weapon attack to initiate (Booming Blade, Green Flame Blade), hit automatically (Magic Missile), or do damage regardless of hitting (Ice Knife). Also, my stats would currently give me a +4 to hit which is only one less than if I just hit them with my sword right now. My modifier is as good as I can get using the standard array without having some kind of racial or class bonus to int.
I don't want to sound like I'm ranting, but to say I'm not going to hit with my spells is a bit of an assumption, especially since a roll of the dice can be poor even if my modifier was +7. You're also forget, or at least don't mention, that I have four more opportunities with my character to level up his intelligence directly or take feats that would help him him hit, as well as that my proficiency bonus would go up as well further increasing my chance to hit. Then there's Eldritch Strike for spells that use saving throws instead of rolling to hit. And as for saying my spells are meant for defense and counterspell, I'd like to think that there is no one way to play any character. I thought that was one of the points of this game. Maybe I'll change my mind about that once I get some serious level growth, but right now it seems to me EK is more versatile than that.
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A long time fantasy fan with very little DnD experience.
You are 100% correct, there is no "one" way to play a character. Just giving some advice on your questions with your build. Those cantrips are great since you won't have very good to hit with your intelligence. You can take find familiar as one of your first spells as only 2 of the 3 are restricted by school. Using feats to get other ways to cast will limit your ability to get your ability scores to an optimal level, but again this is just a numbers analysis and looking at what may be tweaked with your build. The good thing with 5e is that you can pretty much take any class and race and not have to worry about being severely underpowered compared to other editions. The bad thing is that with bounded accuracy, a 2 point difference in AC or to hit can really add up over a campaign. Sounds like a fun build though, I like the background!
Thank you. I've pretty much molded my character around my backstory instead of the other way around because I really like the idea of this naturally nice halfling trying to imitate the more gruff dwarves he grew up with and just looking silly with it, and yet people changing their opinion of him as he grows in battle.
I did think about getting Find Familiar immediately, but it's just hard to justify using my few known spells for one that I would (ideally) cast one time and also costs 10gp if I did want to cast it again. What I could do is learn it at level 3 and then switch it out for another spell at level 4 as well as learning it with the Mage Initiate feat. The only thing is that I really like Ice Knife (my DM said I could use my sweat or spit to cast it so I wouldn't even need to purchase a component pouch until later), and if I learn Find Familiar at level 3, I won't be able to learn Ice Knife until level 8 as the only spells you can switch out that aren't required to be replaced by an evocation or abjuration spell are the level 8, 14th, and 20th spells. And if I did do that, that would mean my 2nd level spells could only be evocation or abjuration until level 14; no Dragon's Breath or Misty Step, etc. This would be so much easier If we could switch out cantrips, or switch out the spells we learn at lvl 3 with a spell of any school, but I can't find anything giving that option.
I think I can wait until lvl 4. The coolness factor of using the owl matters more to me than actually seeing. Otherwise, I'd just learn Light and cast it on my sword (Sting!). Also, there are two humans in my party of five, so with the majority of us not having dark vision, I'm sure someone will light a torch or use some kind of spell to see with. I just hope it doesn't end up being me holding the torch since I won't get the benefit of my two-weapon fighting style that way.
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A long time fantasy fan with very little DnD experience.
Question: Does resistance to non-magical weapons means the weapons have to do magic damage or just be magical? Because Weapon Bond magically binds your weapon to you, thus making it magical.
Different question: are long swords finesse weapons? I see rogues and bards are proficient with them and all their other specifically named weapons are finesse weapons. The same goes for the Elvish Weapon Training feature; all other weapons listed beside it are dex based. Even a freaking Pixie uses a long sword, and it has a negative str. I've also seen dnd shows online allow the long sword to be used with finesse, but I don't see anything about it in the PHB. I know if I equip it here, it's str only.
One more question: is there a book or source of info that gives more details about weapons in general for the game? The PHB seems pretty lacking in actual weapon descriptions for individual weapons. There are also a few pictures, but they're not labeled, forcing you to assume which picture goes with which weapon, and even then, not all the weapons are covered. It gives weights for weapons, but not lengths. I have no idea how long a flail is. I was also thinking a Quarterstaff had Reach since it's included in the Polearm Master feat, but according to dnd beyond, it only has a reach of 5 ft. So if Reach isn't a requirement to be considered a polearm, just be a certain type of weapon, then you'd think Spears would be included, but they're not.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A long time fantasy fan with very little DnD experience.
Question: Does resistance to non-magical weapons means the weapons have to do magic damage or just be magical? Because Weapon Bond magically binds your weapon to you, thus making it magical.
Different question: are long swords finesse weapons? I see rogues and bards are proficient with them and all their other specifically named weapons are finesse weapons. The same goes for the Elvish Weapon Training feature; all other weapons listed beside it are dex based. Even a freaking Pixie uses a long sword, and it has a negative str. I've also seen dnd shows online allow the long sword to be used with finesse, but I don't see anything about it in the PHB. I know if I equip it here, it's str only.
One more question: is there a book or source of info that gives more details about weapons in general for the game? The PHB seems pretty lacking in actual weapon descriptions for individual weapons. There are also a few pictures, but they're not labeled, forcing you to assume which picture goes with which weapon, and even then, not all the weapons are covered. It gives weights for weapons, but not lengths. I have no idea how long a flail is. I was also thinking a Quarterstaff had Reach since it's included in the Polearm Master feat, but according to dnd beyond, it only has a reach of 5 ft. So if Reach isn't a requirement to be considered a polearm, just be a certain type of weapon, then you'd think Spears would be included, but they're not.
Question 1 - resistance to non-magical weapons means that unless the weapon has a magical trait like what is listed in the DM's Guide, the damage the character would take is halved. The Weapon Bond for the Eldritch Knight does not mean the weapon becomes a magical weapon. The player is creating a magical bond to the weapon. The bond is magical.
Question 2 - Page 149 of the Player's Handbook tells you the properties of the longsword as it does for all weapons. Just because a character class that is proficient with a specific type of weapon doesn't mean the weapon properties change. You are forgetting one key thing as it relates to those dnd shows, they are using house rules.
Question 3 - The older editions of D&D might have something. Also, if you want to know additional information about a type of weapon. It is called google. Type the name in the search bar and I am sure you will find the information you are looking for.
Question 2 - I wasn't thinking that the weapon properties had changed. I was wondering if the finesse property had been left off the table by accident since it seemed weird to have this one strength weapon associated so often with dex based weapons and characters. Also, You're ignoring the Sprites (not Pixies, my bad) attacking with longswords with a plus 1 to hit, yet having a negative 4 Str. it would be nice if there was some kind of reason for that in the book, but I didn't see one when I looked. As for the shows, they don't don't always specify which rules are and are not official. It was very possible that they allowed it because there was some supplemental, variant, or conflicting information out there that did specify longswords as finesse weapons. With all the different books, I didn't want to assume.
Question 3 - I'm looking for an official source of info for the game. Older editions of dnd might provide that. Google might not, which is why I thought I'd check with people more experienced than me regarding the game first. Also, you do realize that telling someone to check google when they ask a question comes off as a bit rude, right? Even more so when you try to tell them the basics of how to use a search bar. I hope that wasn't your intention because I'd like to think simply asking questions wouldn't remotely call for that. I don't assume you were purposely being rude because people can easily say things without realizing they can be taken a certain way; I know I do that more than I care to.
Anyway, thanks again for answering my questions.
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A long time fantasy fan with very little DnD experience.
Longsword is kind of odd I know, but it is not a finesse weapon in 5E.
Part of the confusion, as you alluded too, is the elvish proficiency carried over from earlier additions. Elves have always had longsword/longbow proficiency as far back as I can remember.
IIRC only the Kensai Monk can use a longsword and apply the dex mod I believe.
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Perpetually annoyed that Eldritch Knights can't use Eldritch Blast, Eldritch Smite, and Eldritch Sight.
Longsword is kind of odd I know, but it is not a finesse weapon in 5E.
Part of the confusion, as you alluded too, is the elvish proficiency carried over from earlier additions. Elves have always had longsword/longbow proficiency as far back as I can remember.
IIRC only the Kensai Monk can use a longsword and apply the dex mod I believe.
Huh. Thanks. I'll have to look into that. I'm considering making backup characters in case mine dies. I already made a druid. I'd like to think I wouldn't go through two characters, but I am interested in monks in general.
Also, I too am annoyed that Eldritch Knights can't use Eldritch Blast. I hadn't even thought about other eldritch named abilities. I need to look them up so I can decide how annoyed I'm going to be.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A long time fantasy fan with very little DnD experience.
Longsword is kind of odd I know, but it is not a finesse weapon in 5E.
Part of the confusion, as you alluded too, is the elvish proficiency carried over from earlier additions. Elves have always had longsword/longbow proficiency as far back as I can remember.
IIRC only the Kensai Monk can use a longsword and apply the dex mod I believe.
In my game, I have returned the old bastard sword to the mix, so now longswords have the finesse property, and bastard swords have the versatile property.
I guess you could also "fix" this issue (to the extent it is an issue) by having Elves, etc. have proficiency with rapiers rather than longswords.
Longsword is kind of odd I know, but it is not a finesse weapon in 5E.
Part of the confusion, as you alluded too, is the elvish proficiency carried over from earlier additions. Elves have always had longsword/longbow proficiency as far back as I can remember.
IIRC only the Kensai Monk can use a longsword and apply the dex mod I believe.
In my game, I have returned the old bastard sword to the mix, so now longswords have the finesse property, and bastard swords have the versatile property.
I guess you could also "fix" this issue (to the extent it is an issue) by having Elves, etc. have proficiency with rapiers rather than longswords.
I come from an old school 1st and 2nd Edition background. The longsword is the chosen melee weapon of elves and I feel that 5e should have made longswords a finesse weapon for them. The only issue for some would be sneak attack which I don't really consider an issue myself. If you feel your longsword wielding rogue is destroying your encounters, just tack on a few more hps to them. If they use it 1 handed it's stil 1d8, just like a rapier and longbow. If they use it 2 handed its 1d10 however, they lose any offhand attack, it all averages out in the end.
I allow elves to use longswords as finesse weapons if the player wants to. Most people still prefer Variant Human and Tiefling in the my games. I guess I find a group of elves living in the forest using rapiers a bit daft, I feel the rapier is a cosmopolitan weapon created by humans to mimic what elves can do with a longsword.
One area that an Eldritch Knight really stands out is with Booming Blade. Level 7's War Magic allows you to cast a cantrip and then take an additional attack afterwards. If before you were just hitting twice as a fighter each turn, consider adding xd8 damage on one of those hits.
There are a lot of other really useful aspects to Eldritch Knights as well. Namely, using your reaction to cast Shield (+5 AC until end of your next turn, so if you're already tanky this is a free "piss off your DM by becoming unhittable"). I also like the Blur spell before combat which causes all enemies to have to attack you with disadvantage.
I'm using full plate and a shield, so consider my 20 AC. I cast Blur before the fight begins, so everyone has disadvantage on attacks towards me. I picked up the Sentinel feat and rushed the front of the battlefield. If anyone tries to get by me, or attack anyone within 5 feet of me, I can get an attack of opportunity on them and force them to stop. However, now consider Blade Mastery from Unearthed Arcana. I now get advantage on attacks of opportunity with my longsword. Now, most of the time the feats won't stack (ie reaction for Atk of Opp and reaction for Shield), but it's really unlikely you'll need to use both anyway. One thing I do like is, one of the DMs I play with has a homebrew rule that you get one reaction for every attack you have, so as a Fighter with Extra Attack, I get 2 reactions. This is a little bit OP but our DM loves our characters and wants to see them thrive.
Question 2 - I wasn't thinking that the weapon properties had changed. I was wondering if the finesse property had been left off the table by accident since it seemed weird to have this one strength weapon associated so often with dex based weapons and characters. Also, You're ignoring the Sprites (not Pixies, my bad) attacking with longswords with a plus 1 to hit, yet having a negative 4 Str. it would be nice if there was some kind of reason for that in the book, but I didn't see one when I looked. As for the shows, they don't don't always specify which rules are and are not official. It was very possible that they allowed it because there was some supplemental, variant, or conflicting information out there that did specify longswords as finesse weapons. With all the different books, I didn't want to assume.
Question 3 - I'm looking for an official source of info for the game. Older editions of dnd might provide that. Google might not, which is why I thought I'd check with people more experienced than me regarding the game first. Also, you do realize that telling someone to check google when they ask a question comes off as a bit rude, right? Even more so when you try to tell them the basics of how to use a search bar. I hope that wasn't your intention because I'd like to think simply asking questions wouldn't remotely call for that. I don't assume you were purposely being rude because people can easily say things without realizing they can be taken a certain way; I know I do that more than I care to.
Anyway, thanks again for answering my questions.
Question 1 - NP
Question 2 - The weapon properties haven't changed. If any changes were made, then they would have been published in one of the books since WotC released the 5th Edition PHB. I am not ignoring the Sprites. Maybe a Sprite has it's own version of the longsword. As for the plus 1 to hit, you will have to contact the WotC about that. As for rules relating to the various shows, they don't sit down and publish what rules they use and not use, nor do they publish a set of their own homebrew rules. That is just how they are. You can send them a message asking. But in the end, don't analyze the shows just enjoy them for their entertainment value.
Question 3 - Your official rules don't publish the dimensions of the weapons or have photos for every single weapon. That is why I suggested Google. You can get an idea for what the basic dimensions of the weapons and what they may have looked like. Just like in the realm of D&D not all longswords look the same. Your blacksmiths (especially your Dwarven blacksmiths) have their own style and flair. Let's not forget that different regions have their own take on the look of a weapon. A European longsword looks nothing like a Japanese longsword (the Katana). Don't over analyze it.
So what, if anything, would you guys say would need to be done to "fix" the EK, if you think it needs fixing at all?
My biggest concern is being hamstrung for the first several levels of a campaign. Ive played some campaigns where the trek from levels 1-7 took the greater part of A YEAR. Thats a looong time to be "that guy who isn't useful in OR out of combat"
Of course there is the RP aspect, and the creativity aspect, I understand. I just feel personally that EK isn't equal to basically any other class/subclass in terms of adventuring versatility/uniqueness.
Like, the question I struggle to answer is: Why would I roll a EK over something else? Bladesinger Wizard has spell-like class features in addition to its other abilities. Hexblade Warlock has spell-like class features in addition to its other abilities. 4 Elements Monk has spell-like class features in addition to its other abilities. EK has a feature that will, MAYBE, come up ONCE in a campaign, and a short teleport?????
So my thoughts to improve the EK, making it more appropriate for the lore as a martial adept who has also studied arcane arts, is to change the Bound Weapons feature just a bit. 3 bound weapons I don't see the point of at all. Its clunky at best and useless at worst, admit it. I would change that to be one bound weapon, that at certain level intervals, you can also bind a SPELL to, to use as a bonus action.
I haven't put a TON of thought into this, but I was thinking something like:
ARCANE BINDING
Level 3- Your arcane knowledge allows you to magically bind a weapon to you blah blah appear in hand blah blah, and as part of the arcane binding, 1 evocation or abjuration cantrip THAT YOU KNOW is bound to the weapon, allowing that cantrip to be cast as a bonus action. This spell must be a spell that is prepared. (Once per short rest? maybe not useful enough, once per turn, maybe OP?)
Level 6- Your increased arcane knowledge allows you to bind either 2 evocation or abjuration cantrips to your bound weapon OR 1 1st level evocation or abjuration spell to your bound weapon, allowing it to be cast as a bonus action. This must be a spell you know/counts against the spells you have prepared.
Etc, etc. Of course the scaling would have to be tweaked so that you cant have all your cantrips bound to your weapon at level 20 or whatever, but you get the gist of what I am trying to say. I feel like this would open up a lot of versatility for the EK both in and out of combat, while staying true to the flavor. Of course this would take the place of war caster as well in regards to class features, but I feel like at lower levels my ideas would do a LOT to ease the pains of the first several levels while still being useful later in campaigns.
Thoughts? I hope to use this as homebrew rules in a campaign coming up this summer but I don't want to drop a bomb on my GM's game either.
So what, if anything, would you guys say would need to be done to "fix" the EK, if you think it needs fixing at all?
My biggest concern is being hamstrung for the first several levels of a campaign. Ive played some campaigns where the trek from levels 1-7 took the greater part of A YEAR. Thats a looong time to be "that guy who isn't useful in OR out of combat"
Like, the question I struggle to answer is: Why would I roll a EK over something else? Bladesinger Wizard has spell-like class features in addition to its other abilities. Hexblade Warlock has spell-like class features in addition to its other abilities. 4 Elements Monk has spell-like class features in addition to its other abilities. EK has a feature that will, MAYBE, come up ONCE in a campaign, and a short teleport?????
I don’t see how an EK is hamstrung at all. You’ll have better AC than most other classes and have versatility with spells too. Levels 1-7 shouldn’t take a year with any class unless you are playing once a month and that has nothing to do with what class you are anyway. EK’s are great as long as you don’t try to make them something they aren’t. They are fighters first, casters second. Warlocks and bladesingers are casters that have some melee ability but won’t hold a candle to being a frontline fighter like an EK can.
As far as homebrewing rules... I would say take a class to tier 3 before you start tweaking what you think it may need instead of knowing its weaknesses and/or strengths. I can tell you that in games I play my EK, if I said he needs to be more powerful that my DM would throw me out of the room. Just know that if you want a fighter that can cast a bit, they are awesome! If you want a full spectrum caster that may wade into melee, you’ll hate it.
Hi all! I’m obviously late to this party, but i’ll just weigh in with my current experience. I’m playing a STR based EK. I opted for mountain dwarf as it has lots of goodies for a fighter. (Full disclosure: my 5th level character died and our DM has us roll new characters commensurate with the party level so I jumped right in at 5th. Currently at 6th and closing in on 7).
i don’t find myself “hampered” by my class, or underpowered. I happily took on the role of tank (something the group badly needed) and it’s been working out great. 20 AC + shield spell and I’m rarely hit. GFB and Booming Blade work well, and I mix in straight attacks as well. I.e. I get to make tactical choices.
I routinely and intentionally occupy the toughest enemy while the other 4 party members focus on what’s left (or just go ham if we’re facing 1 foe). I do decent damage (23 total avg with my 2 normal attacks, and around 20-30 with GFB or BB depending on procs). Between absorb elements and my upcoming Shield Master at 8th I have good protection from spellcasters and enemies with breath weapons or AoE effects. That’s all with zero magical items (not very prevalent in our campaign up to this point).
Another thing to consider/remember: the game doesn’t have to be about optimizing damage and abilities. As such, 1 class or build doesn’t need to be compared to others. It’s the differences that make all these choices great!
My first major character for 5th edition was an EK/Paladin and he destroyed everything he came up against. He is a character I have in my back pocket should I need him again.
Take 2 level Fighter, 3 Pal, the rest of your Fighter levels, the rest in pal. Use 1st level spell slots to smite, use everything above when you crit and you will see massive numbers.
I chose Booming Blade and Shocking Grasp for cantrips. I also chose Shield, Absorb Elements, and Find Familiar for my first spells (I'll switch out Find Familiar next level for Dragon's Breath).
I've chosen a cute, but evil looking tiny horned owl named Gertrude for my familiar. I've also gotten permission from my DM to use Gertrude's senses like a concentration spell vs having to use an action each turn.
It's taken awhile for us to get here, but I'm going to enjoy this.
*As a reminder/fyi I'm a dex based, two weapon fighting, stout halfling who was raised by dwarf mercenaries.*
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A long time fantasy fan with very little DnD experience.
We missed a couple sessions due to moving, work, life, etc. but I finally got to play with my EK for the first time.
Everything went smoothly and Gertrude was an instant hit. Of course, now our rogue is a little out of sorts since he doesn't need to scout as much.
Finally getting to play again just makes me more excited. I have a Shortsword of Wounding (1d4 necrotic for every wound caused by the sword at the start of the injured enemy's turn), we're dungeon crawling for some belts of dwarven kind and other items, I've placed an order with the local magic shop for a Shortsword of the Wolf Pack (a homebrew sword that grants advantage on attacks as long as an ally is within 5ft of the enemy), and I've even came up with two homebrew items of my own that I'll EVENTUALLY get access to.
I wouldn't mind getting some opinions on those items if anyone is interested. Look up the Zephyr Pendant (a fighter only item meant to improve Second Wind) and the Spellslinger (a magical light crossbow that can fire the spells of any arcane magic user that attunes to it without spending spell slots). Any feedback here or in the comments for the items themselves would be appreciated.
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A long time fantasy fan with very little DnD experience.
I hope to jump into the game with both feet.
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A long time fantasy fan with very little DnD experience.
I hope to jump into the game with both feet.
You are 100% correct, there is no "one" way to play a character. Just giving some advice on your questions with your build. Those cantrips are great since you won't have very good to hit with your intelligence. You can take find familiar as one of your first spells as only 2 of the 3 are restricted by school. Using feats to get other ways to cast will limit your ability to get your ability scores to an optimal level, but again this is just a numbers analysis and looking at what may be tweaked with your build. The good thing with 5e is that you can pretty much take any class and race and not have to worry about being severely underpowered compared to other editions. The bad thing is that with bounded accuracy, a 2 point difference in AC or to hit can really add up over a campaign. Sounds like a fun build though, I like the background!
Thank you. I've pretty much molded my character around my backstory instead of the other way around because I really like the idea of this naturally nice halfling trying to imitate the more gruff dwarves he grew up with and just looking silly with it, and yet people changing their opinion of him as he grows in battle.
I did think about getting Find Familiar immediately, but it's just hard to justify using my few known spells for one that I would (ideally) cast one time and also costs 10gp if I did want to cast it again. What I could do is learn it at level 3 and then switch it out for another spell at level 4 as well as learning it with the Mage Initiate feat. The only thing is that I really like Ice Knife (my DM said I could use my sweat or spit to cast it so I wouldn't even need to purchase a component pouch until later), and if I learn Find Familiar at level 3, I won't be able to learn Ice Knife until level 8 as the only spells you can switch out that aren't required to be replaced by an evocation or abjuration spell are the level 8, 14th, and 20th spells. And if I did do that, that would mean my 2nd level spells could only be evocation or abjuration until level 14; no Dragon's Breath or Misty Step, etc. This would be so much easier If we could switch out cantrips, or switch out the spells we learn at lvl 3 with a spell of any school, but I can't find anything giving that option.
I think I can wait until lvl 4. The coolness factor of using the owl matters more to me than actually seeing. Otherwise, I'd just learn Light and cast it on my sword (Sting!). Also, there are two humans in my party of five, so with the majority of us not having dark vision, I'm sure someone will light a torch or use some kind of spell to see with. I just hope it doesn't end up being me holding the torch since I won't get the benefit of my two-weapon fighting style that way.
A long time fantasy fan with very little DnD experience.
I hope to jump into the game with both feet.
Question: Does resistance to non-magical weapons means the weapons have to do magic damage or just be magical? Because Weapon Bond magically binds your weapon to you, thus making it magical.
Different question: are long swords finesse weapons? I see rogues and bards are proficient with them and all their other specifically named weapons are finesse weapons. The same goes for the Elvish Weapon Training feature; all other weapons listed beside it are dex based. Even a freaking Pixie uses a long sword, and it has a negative str. I've also seen dnd shows online allow the long sword to be used with finesse, but I don't see anything about it in the PHB. I know if I equip it here, it's str only.
One more question: is there a book or source of info that gives more details about weapons in general for the game? The PHB seems pretty lacking in actual weapon descriptions for individual weapons. There are also a few pictures, but they're not labeled, forcing you to assume which picture goes with which weapon, and even then, not all the weapons are covered. It gives weights for weapons, but not lengths. I have no idea how long a flail is. I was also thinking a Quarterstaff had Reach since it's included in the Polearm Master feat, but according to dnd beyond, it only has a reach of 5 ft. So if Reach isn't a requirement to be considered a polearm, just be a certain type of weapon, then you'd think Spears would be included, but they're not.
A long time fantasy fan with very little DnD experience.
I hope to jump into the game with both feet.
Question 1 - resistance to non-magical weapons means that unless the weapon has a magical trait like what is listed in the DM's Guide, the damage the character would take is halved. The Weapon Bond for the Eldritch Knight does not mean the weapon becomes a magical weapon. The player is creating a magical bond to the weapon. The bond is magical.
Question 2 - Page 149 of the Player's Handbook tells you the properties of the longsword as it does for all weapons. Just because a character class that is proficient with a specific type of weapon doesn't mean the weapon properties change. You are forgetting one key thing as it relates to those dnd shows, they are using house rules.
Question 3 - The older editions of D&D might have something. Also, if you want to know additional information about a type of weapon. It is called google. Type the name in the search bar and I am sure you will find the information you are looking for.
Question 1 - Thanks.
Question 2 - I wasn't thinking that the weapon properties had changed. I was wondering if the finesse property had been left off the table by accident since it seemed weird to have this one strength weapon associated so often with dex based weapons and characters. Also, You're ignoring the Sprites (not Pixies, my bad) attacking with longswords with a plus 1 to hit, yet having a negative 4 Str. it would be nice if there was some kind of reason for that in the book, but I didn't see one when I looked. As for the shows, they don't don't always specify which rules are and are not official. It was very possible that they allowed it because there was some supplemental, variant, or conflicting information out there that did specify longswords as finesse weapons. With all the different books, I didn't want to assume.
Question 3 - I'm looking for an official source of info for the game. Older editions of dnd might provide that. Google might not, which is why I thought I'd check with people more experienced than me regarding the game first. Also, you do realize that telling someone to check google when they ask a question comes off as a bit rude, right? Even more so when you try to tell them the basics of how to use a search bar. I hope that wasn't your intention because I'd like to think simply asking questions wouldn't remotely call for that. I don't assume you were purposely being rude because people can easily say things without realizing they can be taken a certain way; I know I do that more than I care to.
Anyway, thanks again for answering my questions.
A long time fantasy fan with very little DnD experience.
I hope to jump into the game with both feet.
Longsword is kind of odd I know, but it is not a finesse weapon in 5E.
Part of the confusion, as you alluded too, is the elvish proficiency carried over from earlier additions. Elves have always had longsword/longbow proficiency as far back as I can remember.
IIRC only the Kensai Monk can use a longsword and apply the dex mod I believe.
Perpetually annoyed that Eldritch Knights can't use Eldritch Blast, Eldritch Smite, and Eldritch Sight.
A long time fantasy fan with very little DnD experience.
I hope to jump into the game with both feet.
One area that an Eldritch Knight really stands out is with Booming Blade. Level 7's War Magic allows you to cast a cantrip and then take an additional attack afterwards. If before you were just hitting twice as a fighter each turn, consider adding xd8 damage on one of those hits.
There are a lot of other really useful aspects to Eldritch Knights as well. Namely, using your reaction to cast Shield (+5 AC until end of your next turn, so if you're already tanky this is a free "piss off your DM by becoming unhittable"). I also like the Blur spell before combat which causes all enemies to have to attack you with disadvantage.
I'm using full plate and a shield, so consider my 20 AC. I cast Blur before the fight begins, so everyone has disadvantage on attacks towards me. I picked up the Sentinel feat and rushed the front of the battlefield. If anyone tries to get by me, or attack anyone within 5 feet of me, I can get an attack of opportunity on them and force them to stop. However, now consider Blade Mastery from Unearthed Arcana. I now get advantage on attacks of opportunity with my longsword. Now, most of the time the feats won't stack (ie reaction for Atk of Opp and reaction for Shield), but it's really unlikely you'll need to use both anyway. One thing I do like is, one of the DMs I play with has a homebrew rule that you get one reaction for every attack you have, so as a Fighter with Extra Attack, I get 2 reactions. This is a little bit OP but our DM loves our characters and wants to see them thrive.
So what, if anything, would you guys say would need to be done to "fix" the EK, if you think it needs fixing at all?
My biggest concern is being hamstrung for the first several levels of a campaign. Ive played some campaigns where the trek from levels 1-7 took the greater part of A YEAR. Thats a looong time to be "that guy who isn't useful in OR out of combat"
Of course there is the RP aspect, and the creativity aspect, I understand. I just feel personally that EK isn't equal to basically any other class/subclass in terms of adventuring versatility/uniqueness.
Like, the question I struggle to answer is: Why would I roll a EK over something else? Bladesinger Wizard has spell-like class features in addition to its other abilities. Hexblade Warlock has spell-like class features in addition to its other abilities. 4 Elements Monk has spell-like class features in addition to its other abilities. EK has a feature that will, MAYBE, come up ONCE in a campaign, and a short teleport?????
So my thoughts to improve the EK, making it more appropriate for the lore as a martial adept who has also studied arcane arts, is to change the Bound Weapons feature just a bit. 3 bound weapons I don't see the point of at all. Its clunky at best and useless at worst, admit it. I would change that to be one bound weapon, that at certain level intervals, you can also bind a SPELL to, to use as a bonus action.
I haven't put a TON of thought into this, but I was thinking something like:
ARCANE BINDING
Level 3- Your arcane knowledge allows you to magically bind a weapon to you blah blah appear in hand blah blah, and as part of the arcane binding, 1 evocation or abjuration cantrip THAT YOU KNOW is bound to the weapon, allowing that cantrip to be cast as a bonus action. This spell must be a spell that is prepared. (Once per short rest? maybe not useful enough, once per turn, maybe OP?)
Level 6- Your increased arcane knowledge allows you to bind either 2 evocation or abjuration cantrips to your bound weapon OR 1 1st level evocation or abjuration spell to your bound weapon, allowing it to be cast as a bonus action. This must be a spell you know/counts against the spells you have prepared.
Etc, etc. Of course the scaling would have to be tweaked so that you cant have all your cantrips bound to your weapon at level 20 or whatever, but you get the gist of what I am trying to say. I feel like this would open up a lot of versatility for the EK both in and out of combat, while staying true to the flavor. Of course this would take the place of war caster as well in regards to class features, but I feel like at lower levels my ideas would do a LOT to ease the pains of the first several levels while still being useful later in campaigns.
Thoughts? I hope to use this as homebrew rules in a campaign coming up this summer but I don't want to drop a bomb on my GM's game either.
For my own EK I just did some minor tweaks, I don't find EK to be at hampered as a fighter.
1. Weapon Bond- I added the ability to dismiss the bonded weapon weapon to a pocket dimension (ala warlock).
2. Homebrewed an Eldritch Bolt Cantrip to mimic Eldritch Blast.
3. Homebrewed an Arcane Smite Spell to allow EK to get in on the smite damage.
Perpetually annoyed that Eldritch Knights can't use Eldritch Blast, Eldritch Smite, and Eldritch Sight.
Hi all! I’m obviously late to this party, but i’ll just weigh in with my current experience. I’m playing a STR based EK. I opted for mountain dwarf as it has lots of goodies for a fighter. (Full disclosure: my 5th level character died and our DM has us roll new characters commensurate with the party level so I jumped right in at 5th. Currently at 6th and closing in on 7).
i don’t find myself “hampered” by my class, or underpowered. I happily took on the role of tank (something the group badly needed) and it’s been working out great. 20 AC + shield spell and I’m rarely hit. GFB and Booming Blade work well, and I mix in straight attacks as well. I.e. I get to make tactical choices.
I routinely and intentionally occupy the toughest enemy while the other 4 party members focus on what’s left (or just go ham if we’re facing 1 foe). I do decent damage (23 total avg with my 2 normal attacks, and around 20-30 with GFB or BB depending on procs). Between absorb elements and my upcoming Shield Master at 8th I have good protection from spellcasters and enemies with breath weapons or AoE effects. That’s all with zero magical items (not very prevalent in our campaign up to this point).
Another thing to consider/remember: the game doesn’t have to be about optimizing damage and abilities. As such, 1 class or build doesn’t need to be compared to others. It’s the differences that make all these choices great!
My first major character for 5th edition was an EK/Paladin and he destroyed everything he came up against. He is a character I have in my back pocket should I need him again.
Vasch Sephtis, Half Orc, Polearm Master GWF, GWM. At max, 12EK 8Devotion Paladin.
Take 2 level Fighter, 3 Pal, the rest of your Fighter levels, the rest in pal. Use 1st level spell slots to smite, use everything above when you crit and you will see massive numbers.
I'm finally -- FINALLY -- level 3 Eldritch Knight!
I chose Booming Blade and Shocking Grasp for cantrips. I also chose Shield, Absorb Elements, and Find Familiar for my first spells (I'll switch out Find Familiar next level for Dragon's Breath).
I've chosen a cute, but evil looking tiny horned owl named Gertrude for my familiar. I've also gotten permission from my DM to use Gertrude's senses like a concentration spell vs having to use an action each turn.
It's taken awhile for us to get here, but I'm going to enjoy this.
*As a reminder/fyi I'm a dex based, two weapon fighting, stout halfling who was raised by dwarf mercenaries.*
A long time fantasy fan with very little DnD experience.
I hope to jump into the game with both feet.
We missed a couple sessions due to moving, work, life, etc. but I finally got to play with my EK for the first time.
Everything went smoothly and Gertrude was an instant hit. Of course, now our rogue is a little out of sorts since he doesn't need to scout as much.
Finally getting to play again just makes me more excited. I have a Shortsword of Wounding (1d4 necrotic for every wound caused by the sword at the start of the injured enemy's turn), we're dungeon crawling for some belts of dwarven kind and other items, I've placed an order with the local magic shop for a Shortsword of the Wolf Pack (a homebrew sword that grants advantage on attacks as long as an ally is within 5ft of the enemy), and I've even came up with two homebrew items of my own that I'll EVENTUALLY get access to.
I wouldn't mind getting some opinions on those items if anyone is interested. Look up the Zephyr Pendant (a fighter only item meant to improve Second Wind) and the Spellslinger (a magical light crossbow that can fire the spells of any arcane magic user that attunes to it without spending spell slots). Any feedback here or in the comments for the items themselves would be appreciated.
A long time fantasy fan with very little DnD experience.
I hope to jump into the game with both feet.