My and my brothers joined an Adventure League group a while ago. They rolled a Ranger and Cleric. I chose a fighter(EK) just to fill the front line role. During our 3rd adventure, the DM awarded some loot, among it was a battle axe. Which the group said I should take being the only mele character. At the end of the night, the DM informed us that the axe I recieved is a +2 axe.
Now, my character was originally intended to have a sword and board build, but we are allowed to reroll characters. And this axe is too good to not use. My question is, what class/build would be the best for utilizing this axe as an effective tank? My goal is to be the best tank(get, hold, & survive aggro while having a few forms of control to protect my party) while utilizing my 2-handed axe.
I want to say that EK would work well as I could be too serious of a mele threat to be ignored by monsters.
Some of the pros would be:
-having spells like shield/absorb elements/mirror image would boost my defensive capabilities.
-Ranged damage cantrips and spells provide good ranged options if needed.
-Buff spells like haste and fire shield are really nice as well
-misty step for positioning
I was curious as to what you guys would build... as a solo tank in a group of 7?... would a EK be a good class to tank effectively using a battle axe? ... would I be able to hold/survive serious Aggro(as a solo tank for a group of 7) in later levels? What are some other class options(barb/pally)? Are there any amazing multiclass options you guys would consider?
I am looking for a well rounded character to fill my party’s front line needs.
For a tank, (actual damage avoider and line holder) you dont need damage dealing just ways to mitigate damage. Adamantite armour might be a good bet for, it will reduce spike damage you take from exceeding emergency healing keeping you up. Greataxe regardless of the + are nasty. They become nastier in the hands of halforcs because of their crit (working well with champions improved crit) and barbarians improved crit options. Othewise a two handed sword often ends up being a better bet - especially if you choose two handed fighting style as you can reroll either of the dice that roll 1 or 2.
A solo tank in a party of 7 may be unable to truly tank in many circumstances. (if appropriate challenge levels are assigned) This is because the creatures you will face will either appear in enough numbers to swarm everyone ( a tanking fail ) or hit so freaking hard you can do little other than stack AC and take dodge actions to even minimise the damage. In that second case haste will still allow you to attack once then take a dodge action with your real action, which is quite nice as comboes go. (but it will be a while before you see that 3rd level spell without your party supplying it as an EK) It would help if you had a buddy to share the line holding duties when the hordes come / giant gribbly hits you so hard you need to switch out and recover.
Champions Crit increase from 1 in 20 to 1 in 10 with a 1d12 great axe though? yes scary
Battlemaster could work out (until you spend the last die of superiority)
There shouldnt be a problem going with greataxe EK, but you have the best knowledge of your party make up and the challenges that your DM throws at you. Knowing that you can hopefully make an informed decision.
Enjoy the path you take and the game!
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Hi guys! First Time poster here.
My and my brothers joined an Adventure League group a while ago. They rolled a Ranger and Cleric. I chose a fighter(EK) just to fill the front line role. During our 3rd adventure, the DM awarded some loot, among it was a battle axe. Which the group said I should take being the only mele character. At the end of the night, the DM informed us that the axe I recieved is a +2 axe.
Now, my character was originally intended to have a sword and board build, but we are allowed to reroll characters. And this axe is too good to not use. My question is, what class/build would be the best for utilizing this axe as an effective tank? My goal is to be the best tank(get, hold, & survive aggro while having a few forms of control to protect my party) while utilizing my 2-handed axe.
I want to say that EK would work well as I could be too serious of a mele threat to be ignored by monsters.
Some of the pros would be:
-having spells like shield/absorb elements/mirror image would boost my defensive capabilities.
-Ranged damage cantrips and spells provide good ranged options if needed.
-Buff spells like haste and fire shield are really nice as well
-misty step for positioning
I was curious as to what you guys would build... as a solo tank in a group of 7?... would a EK be a good class to tank effectively using a battle axe? ... would I be able to hold/survive serious Aggro(as a solo tank for a group of 7) in later levels? What are some other class options(barb/pally)? Are there any amazing multiclass options you guys would consider?
I am looking for a well rounded character to fill my party’s front line needs.
Thanks for the help!
EK with a Great Axe works just fine, arguably better than Sword & Board.
Perpetually annoyed that Eldritch Knights can't use Eldritch Blast, Eldritch Smite, and Eldritch Sight.
For a tank, (actual damage avoider and line holder) you dont need damage dealing just ways to mitigate damage. Adamantite armour might be a good bet for, it will reduce spike damage you take from exceeding emergency healing keeping you up. Greataxe regardless of the + are nasty. They become nastier in the hands of halforcs because of their crit (working well with champions improved crit) and barbarians improved crit options. Othewise a two handed sword often ends up being a better bet - especially if you choose two handed fighting style as you can reroll either of the dice that roll 1 or 2.
A solo tank in a party of 7 may be unable to truly tank in many circumstances. (if appropriate challenge levels are assigned) This is because the creatures you will face will either appear in enough numbers to swarm everyone ( a tanking fail ) or hit so freaking hard you can do little other than stack AC and take dodge actions to even minimise the damage. In that second case haste will still allow you to attack once then take a dodge action with your real action, which is quite nice as comboes go. (but it will be a while before you see that 3rd level spell without your party supplying it as an EK) It would help if you had a buddy to share the line holding duties when the hordes come / giant gribbly hits you so hard you need to switch out and recover.
Champions Crit increase from 1 in 20 to 1 in 10 with a 1d12 great axe though? yes scary
Battlemaster could work out (until you spend the last die of superiority)
There shouldnt be a problem going with greataxe EK, but you have the best knowledge of your party make up and the challenges that your DM throws at you. Knowing that you can hopefully make an informed decision.
Enjoy the path you take and the game!