I am a new player in D&D looking for some advice on my character.
I'll give you the short story for context.
So I'm currently playing in a home brew campaign, that has a war going on in it. The party consists of my 5th level beast master/ 1st level fighter, a 6th level lore bard, a 6th level warlock fiend pact of the blade, and a 5th level artificer (this character is the 3rd one my friend is playing because the other 2 died) we used to have a frontline warforged fighter, but he died, and now I am the only plausible front line fighter we have. Because the rest of the party is built for range attacks, and basically the entire party said I am the only front line fighter they have left.
No pressure.
so here is my problem I built my ranger to be a long ranger archer that had a Dire Wolf beast companion to help out our front line fighter, but now I'm the front line fighter.
In the campaign our characters will be going to level 20, I planed on putting at least 3 to 4 levels into fighter, and picking up either 1 or 2 more feats for him. Also if anyone one is thinking why not just use your short swords? 1. I took dueling as my second fighting style, because I'm gonna get me a shield, and I got a flame tongue long sword, that my character has no story reason to give up using.
It is precious to him.
So if anyone has any advice on how to optimize this character to be a better front line fighter, then please let me know. Advice is really appreciated.
Dear lord, Dire wolf companions? Artificers! Oh my.
Considering your groups track record for front line homicides, the optimum your ranger can be is getting the hell away from that death sentence and using longstrider, out run the others and let them see to their own safety.
If you want to try frontlining you may be in trouble. The role of the blocker is to block attacks incoming on the party and avoid taking as many of them as they can themselves. You havent mentioned anything close to a defensive strategy or mitigation.
If your entire party is ranged, why not do that? entangle from you will slow people from reaching the party granting extra rounds of firing, Spikegrowth will flat out kill those approaching you under fire. Your warlock can use repelling blast to further enhance this, and lance of lethargy to ruin the opponents day. A ray of frost if they get to 60' from the artificer or the lorebard will reduce movement another 10' In summation a target will be moving at half speed due to difficult ground or even without -20' movement granting a 30' movement foe a movement of 10' or 20' on a dash. Or in other words, your party shoots and and moves back 20' a round, You cant be attacked by a single non missile target ever as long as you keep hitting and its an autowin, for no damage. The warlock can use darkness and devilsight to block line of sight preventing targeting, and shoot, from behind the dark aura your group can move to the sides, fire and pull back inside to attack with impunity. Your group could deploy caltrops as well, thats movement stopped initially and -10' movement (and yes that means some poor monsters being frosted, lethargied and caltrop'ed wont be able to move if you keep hitting) the artificer could be dispensing caltrops like candy with unseen servant and a bonus action.
If you go into melee you will need to have a strategy to avoid death from multiple attackers and single brutes. Against both AC is your initial starting point, it wont be enough sometimes. On those occasions you will need to dodge, just dodge, encounters spent dodging, doing nothing else except slowing attackers down and maintaining your hitpoints. If your using a homebrew ranger pet and its allowed to dodge without you wasting an action then get it platemail barding and have it dodge to block instead and shoot with the others from safety. Alternatively, get it plate barding, ride it and get mounted combatant so that it cant be attacked if its low on hp, and you can then dodge on top, whilst it attacks. (if your using homebrew /revised rules) Hunt down and kill displacer beasts with bludgeoning or poison, dealing no damage to the skin, have gentle repose used, transport to an expert skinner and have an enchanter make you a displacer cloak - that will free you from that pesky dodge only option.
If you cant or wont use spike growth then use 2nd level slots for healing spirit out of combat, you will likely need the healing.
Hope some of that helps and can be used! good luck and have fun.
That was a lot of really useful info thanks a tone.
yeah I hope I am able to do at least some of this stuff, but I don't think I'll be able to do the displacer beast hunt. Mainly because our DM is a little bit of a control freak when it comes to stuff like that.
Excellent, if your DM is detail oriented and likes to manage situations and encounters, they will be aware of the current 'no frontliner situation and will adapt the encounters as needed. (its part of the seeking to manage everything mania)
Its entirely possible to run an entire 4 or even 3 player party of rogues, without multiclassing. Its not easy. You never grow out of the early level 'one bad encounter can wipe us' syndrome. It takes planning and the game becomes more stealth / assassin than fantasy sword and sorcery. Seeing that being possible? Your group should work even if your ranged specialists. (But dont try to play all wizards from first level, ouch that went bad. Alternatively, if you do and manage to reach 5th in a non milestone game let me know all about it!)
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I am a new player in D&D looking for some advice on my character.
I'll give you the short story for context.
So I'm currently playing in a home brew campaign, that has a war going on in it. The party consists of my 5th level beast master/ 1st level fighter, a 6th level lore bard, a 6th level warlock fiend pact of the blade, and a 5th level artificer (this character is the 3rd one my friend is playing because the other 2 died) we used to have a frontline warforged fighter, but he died, and now I am the only plausible front line fighter we have. Because the rest of the party is built for range attacks, and basically the entire party said I am the only front line fighter they have left.
No pressure.
so here is my problem I built my ranger to be a long ranger archer that had a Dire Wolf beast companion to help out our front line fighter, but now I'm the front line fighter.
In the campaign our characters will be going to level 20, I planed on putting at least 3 to 4 levels into fighter, and picking up either 1 or 2 more feats for him. Also if anyone one is thinking why not just use your short swords? 1. I took dueling as my second fighting style, because I'm gonna get me a shield, and I got a flame tongue long sword, that my character has no story reason to give up using.
It is precious to him.
So if anyone has any advice on how to optimize this character to be a better front line fighter, then please let me know. Advice is really appreciated.
wow I didn't mean for the post to go that long.
Dear lord, Dire wolf companions? Artificers! Oh my.
Considering your groups track record for front line homicides, the optimum your ranger can be is getting the hell away from that death sentence and using longstrider, out run the others and let them see to their own safety.
If you want to try frontlining you may be in trouble. The role of the blocker is to block attacks incoming on the party and avoid taking as many of them as they can themselves. You havent mentioned anything close to a defensive strategy or mitigation.
If your entire party is ranged, why not do that? entangle from you will slow people from reaching the party granting extra rounds of firing, Spikegrowth will flat out kill those approaching you under fire. Your warlock can use repelling blast to further enhance this, and lance of lethargy to ruin the opponents day. A ray of frost if they get to 60' from the artificer or the lorebard will reduce movement another 10' In summation a target will be moving at half speed due to difficult ground or even without -20' movement granting a 30' movement foe a movement of 10' or 20' on a dash. Or in other words, your party shoots and and moves back 20' a round, You cant be attacked by a single non missile target ever as long as you keep hitting and its an autowin, for no damage. The warlock can use darkness and devilsight to block line of sight preventing targeting, and shoot, from behind the dark aura your group can move to the sides, fire and pull back inside to attack with impunity. Your group could deploy caltrops as well, thats movement stopped initially and -10' movement (and yes that means some poor monsters being frosted, lethargied and caltrop'ed wont be able to move if you keep hitting) the artificer could be dispensing caltrops like candy with unseen servant and a bonus action.
If you go into melee you will need to have a strategy to avoid death from multiple attackers and single brutes. Against both AC is your initial starting point, it wont be enough sometimes. On those occasions you will need to dodge, just dodge, encounters spent dodging, doing nothing else except slowing attackers down and maintaining your hitpoints. If your using a homebrew ranger pet and its allowed to dodge without you wasting an action then get it platemail barding and have it dodge to block instead and shoot with the others from safety. Alternatively, get it plate barding, ride it and get mounted combatant so that it cant be attacked if its low on hp, and you can then dodge on top, whilst it attacks. (if your using homebrew /revised rules) Hunt down and kill displacer beasts with bludgeoning or poison, dealing no damage to the skin, have gentle repose used, transport to an expert skinner and have an enchanter make you a displacer cloak - that will free you from that pesky dodge only option.
If you cant or wont use spike growth then use 2nd level slots for healing spirit out of combat, you will likely need the healing.
Hope some of that helps and can be used! good luck and have fun.
That was a lot of really useful info thanks a tone.
yeah I hope I am able to do at least some of this stuff, but I don't think I'll be able to do the displacer beast hunt. Mainly because our DM is a little bit of a control freak when it comes to stuff like that.
Excellent, if your DM is detail oriented and likes to manage situations and encounters, they will be aware of the current 'no frontliner situation and will adapt the encounters as needed. (its part of the seeking to manage everything mania)
Its entirely possible to run an entire 4 or even 3 player party of rogues, without multiclassing. Its not easy. You never grow out of the early level 'one bad encounter can wipe us' syndrome. It takes planning and the game becomes more stealth / assassin than fantasy sword and sorcery. Seeing that being possible? Your group should work even if your ranged specialists. (But dont try to play all wizards from first level, ouch that went bad. Alternatively, if you do and manage to reach 5th in a non milestone game let me know all about it!)