Whatsup guys! Need some help picking a Class/Subclass for a new character mid-campaign.
- My D&D Background: Intermediate Player: Played 3 incomplete 3.5e campaigns (Barbarian, Melee Ranger and Warblade) and 2 incomplete 5e (Vengeance Paladin and Tempest Cleric). Maybe I played like 40 sessions overall.
- Situation: Last year, I started playing Curse of Strahd with my friend and I rolled as Tempest Cleric. However, we ended up "pausing" the campaign like we always do... due to lack of time, work/life problems. Our DM is thinking about resuming the campaign soon, but Im not happy with my level 5 Cleric. Even though I have a damage-oriented build, the party sees me as a healbot. So I wanna change my Character, make a new one.. New Class and everything.
*EDIT: The DM decided not to continue the Curse of Stradh campaign. Instead, he will choose a new campaign. So the players are gonna create brand new players lvl1.
I need some help making this new Character. For starters, picking my new Class/Subclass. I'll list my preferences so you guys can make your suggestions based on them:
- Classes I dislike: Ranger (dont like the theme), Druid (dont like the theme), Cleric (no healbots for now on haha), Bard (seems overwhelming and Im kinda shy for a bard playstyle). - I like Damage Dealer Classes, not "support-oriented" (healers or buffers). - Im not the most active RP player, but not the worst either. Middle of the pack, I guess. - Maybe a Class that I wont be overwhelmed as an intermediate player. - Trying to choose a Class that is balanced like: combat (50%), social (25%) and exploration (25%). - Cool tricks/moves are also appreciated. Trying not to pick a dull/boring Class. Little bit of flavor on it!
My input based on your wish list is to pick one of the following:
Battlemaster Fighter - This guy has just enough cool trick moves to keep him from ever falling into the boring "I swing my sword again." routine.
Wizard - Choose a school that is not Evocation. Not that spell shaping is bad, but think of the havoc you can do with an Illusionist! You can still cast 8d6 Fireballs at 5th level and make the enemy unsure if the Tiger you conjured was the real thing or a puff of shadow and smoke. Divination is another often overlooked choice.
Mastermind Rogue -Being able to redirect your friends in combat *and* get a nasty sneak attack? Sign me up!
Totem of the Bear Barbarian - We all know why.
The other thing I would say is that you are enjoying playing your existing PC from what you said, you just dislike that the other Players are trying to typecast your PC into a role that you would rather not play. In some ways you can't blame them, since 1974 a cleric has been a healbot as you say. However with later editions of D&D with the addition of Domain spells, Clerics are among the strongest of the classes, right up there with Exponential Wizards. What I would suggest, if you do indeed like the existing PC, is to have a straight shoot with the other Players explaining that this PC can heal, but they can't count on him to conserve slots to do so. He is a Tempest Cleric and bringing the Thunder is what he is about! If you need to tell them that they are reducing your enjoyment of the game by proscribing how you play your PC. If DM Railroading is such a sin, then Peer-Player Railroading is so muuch worse.
The other thing I would say is that you are enjoying playing your existing PC from what you said
Hmm, not quite. Tbh Im also a little bit bored of the whole Religion thing. Its good to have a strong background but the RP gets kinda dull for me.. idk
Its not overwhelming, but has enough variety to not make it dull. Arcane archer with some proficiency in exploration skills like investigation and survival is a good pick
The other thing I would say is that you are enjoying playing your existing PC from what you said
Hmm, not quite. Tbh Im also a little bit bored of the whole Religion thing. Its good to have a strong background but the RP gets kinda dull for me.. idk
The other thing I would say is that you are enjoying playing your existing PC from what you said
Hmm, not quite. Tbh Im also a little bit bored of the whole Religion thing. Its good to have a strong background but the RP gets kinda dull for me.. idk
Yes, Totem of the Bear for pure I have resistance of everything but a teeny-tiny slice of damage while raging.
As to the Religion thing, why is that a focus of the PC? Yes, Clerics can be religiously based, but they can just as frequently be "called" or "anointed" by their Higher Power. Your PC could have no Proficiency in Religion, have a Soldier Background and simply be the one that the God entrusts power to. You might "Pray" to your God no more than Arnold's Conan prayed to Kromm (sic?), and still get spells because...well life is like that.
As to the Religion thing, why is that a focus of the PC? Yes, Clerics can be religiously based, but they can just as frequently be "called" or "anointed" by their Higher Power. Your PC could have no Proficiency in Religion, have a Soldier Background and simply be the one that the God entrusts power to. You might "Pray" to your God no more than Arnold's Conan prayed to Kromm (sic?), and still get spells because...well life is like that.
Its my fault, actually. I created a background story related to Thor because the Character is a Tempest Cleric. Thor saved him from death, etc.. So its kinda tied up. I could just break this whole thing but wouldnt make much sense..
As to the Religion thing, why is that a focus of the PC? Yes, Clerics can be religiously based, but they can just as frequently be "called" or "anointed" by their Higher Power. Your PC could have no Proficiency in Religion, have a Soldier Background and simply be the one that the God entrusts power to. You might "Pray" to your God no more than Arnold's Conan prayed to Kromm (sic?), and still get spells because...well life is like that.
Heh. I have a mental image of a tiefling cleric going about their business but constantly grumbling about it. "Asmodeus? More like Ass-modeus if you ask me, bit of a stuffed shirt, that one..." *poof* [Hellish Bureaucrat appears behind player brandishing a 400-page leatherbound contract, begins flipping to Subsection 7.10.24.a.iii.29 to remind you of your obligations...] "FINE! Ugh. But there's nothing in there says I can't tell Mephistopheles what Assy's up to." [Hellish Bureaucrat begins flipping through further subsections with increasing alarm...]
Option 1. Stay with your cleric and play him the way you want. What I like about basically all healer classes is the option, not requirement, to heal. Healing is honestly an inefficient use of spell slots and that's by design. The makers of 5e didn't want healbots because it's not an engaging way to play. Keeping someone topped off is a bad use of your spell, but killing an enemy is always good. Keeping an ally if the fight is good, but preventing them from taking damage in the first place through killing the enemy or controlling them is better. Playing like this forces players to make more engaging decisions than I'm going to attack. Put some of the onus on them to stay alive. Almost dead? How about they disengage and run for cover this turn instead of relying on you to heal them and reward their reckless behavior? Maybe using healing word bonus action spell and than swinging your hammer is what the situation calls good. Tempest clerics are versatile and that versatility is what makes them useful.
Option 2. Pick something else. My advice would depends on party makeup. But if you like mostly damage oriented classes with some social and exploration abilities with good EP hooks, that sounds like the samurai fighter to me. Maybe go the Archer route if your party has enough melee. Elf with sharpshooter and elvin advantage feats work really well with an Archer samurai. The damage for this build is crazy high. If not consider great weapon master.
I know you don't think you're outgoing enough for a bard but you don't actually have to be outgoing. You just have to pretend to be outgoing! Bards are great. They can help support by other means than just boring old heals while also churn out the damage. Spells that control large areas are way more efficient than healing and a lot more interesting. You can make them damage oriented, have obvious social and RP hooks, and are just goofy fun characters.
Sorcerers are great damage dealers and can also be great social characters because of the reliance on charisma. That could be a good way to go.
Swashbucklers for the bill too. Rogues in general do but swashbuckling is a great way to go. Or perhaps the more exploration focused rogue going inquisitive or Mastermind. Think Sherlock Holmes vs Moriarty for those two respectively.
Well, quick update: The DM decided not to continue the Curse of Stradh campaign. Instead, he will choose a new campaign. So the players are gonna create brand new players lvl1. On that note, Im leaning towards playing a Rogue! Which archetype and Race do you guys suggest?
Rogue? I find Rogue fun unless you go thief. Rogue isn’t my favourite (mines probably bard), but it’s fun. I can help you reconsider if you need to.
Anyways. Look up a guide for rogue.
these are my 2 personal favourites (I’ve never played a rogue, but my friend and I have played for 3+ years and he’s NEVER not played a rogue.
Lightfoot Halfling Assassin OR thief. (I recommend assassin if you want more dmg).
Half elf / drow / wood elf swashbuckler. (What my friend plays). Most consistent DPR. Best class and subclass for a noob id think. Ignores some movement rules, ignores disinfage rules (basically), and takes half dmg as a rogue always does. No advanced moves, just stab and you 90% get your sneak attack.
my favourite: High Elf / Lightfoot Halfling Arcane trickster. Super versatile, Better than the thief at almost everything they do. Super versatile, fun, rogue wizards.
Personally if you want just damage, sorcerer is a great option. If you want to instant kill the big boss, Assassin is great. But the king of burst damage is Paladin: here’s a level 5 vengeance Paladin.
2 attacks / Vow Emniety . 4d6 + 8.
2 attacks + hunters mark + divine smite on a crit or just do it out of nowhere. . 4d6 + 1d6 hunters mark + 5d8 divine smite (10d8 on crit) + 28. +28 if you took great weapon master as variant human.
In 2 turns a whopping average of 83 damage. AT LEVEL 5 IN 2 ROUNDS. That’s insane. Then again, you can’t do that again for a long rest, but that’s crazy.
Rogue? I find Rogue fun unless you go thief. Rogue isn’t my favourite (mines probably bard), but it’s fun. I can help you reconsider if you need to.
Oh, I actually havent decided yet.. just leaning towards it. I think Im far from my final decision to be honest! haha Cause everytime I read a new thread about classes my mind just starts the whole process again. These classes are really unique and awesome, each on the own away. Rogues, Warlocks, Wizards, Babarians and Monks have been on my mind lately. Such a hard call, so Im taking it slow, reading as much as I can to help me make up my mind. I wann have a complete experience, from the 3 Pillars (damage, social and exploration). And above all, a fun class. =)
Go with Arcane Trickster! Lots of fun stuff in there. Honestly there is no bad option. I agree with the above poster that thief is the most boring. Swashbuckler is pretty fun if you lean into the natural character hooks. Mechanically it's super good too. Assassin is great for that opening round but a little bit requires a DM and party to be on board with using most of those mechanics. Having you sneak around in disguise to kill someone is pretty boring for the rest of the party. That first round auto critical can be frustrating to pull off but it's super satisfying when you get to do it. Mastermind is super interesting. Using the help action as a bonus action means you can really take control of the fight. Inquisitive is great for a crime caper type campaign. That leaves scout which is great for the player that wants to play a rangery type that mechanically makes more sense but loses spells.
Next time I play a rogue I'll be going the Arcane trickster because I think the spells and mischief it can deal in sounds fun.
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Whatsup guys!
Need some help picking a Class/Subclass for a new character mid-campaign.
- My D&D Background:
Intermediate Player: Played 3 incomplete 3.5e campaigns (Barbarian, Melee Ranger and Warblade) and 2 incomplete 5e (Vengeance Paladin and Tempest Cleric). Maybe I played like 40 sessions overall.
- Situation:
Last year, I started playing Curse of Strahd with my friend and I rolled as Tempest Cleric.
However, we ended up "pausing" the campaign like we always do... due to lack of time, work/life problems.
Our DM is thinking about resuming the campaign soon, but Im not happy with my level 5 Cleric. Even though I have a damage-oriented build, the party sees me as a healbot.
So I wanna change my Character, make a new one.. New Class and everything.
*EDIT: The DM decided not to continue the Curse of Stradh campaign. Instead, he will choose a new campaign. So the players are gonna create brand new players lvl1.
I need some help making this new Character. For starters, picking my new Class/Subclass.
I'll list my preferences so you guys can make your suggestions based on them:
- Classes I dislike: Ranger (dont like the theme), Druid (dont like the theme), Cleric (no healbots for now on haha), Bard (seems overwhelming and Im kinda shy for a bard playstyle).
- I like Damage Dealer Classes, not "support-oriented" (healers or buffers).
- Im not the most active RP player, but not the worst either. Middle of the pack, I guess.
- Maybe a Class that I wont be overwhelmed as an intermediate player.
- Trying to choose a Class that is balanced like: combat (50%), social (25%) and exploration (25%).
- Cool tricks/moves are also appreciated. Trying not to pick a dull/boring Class. Little bit of flavor on it!
Which Class/Subclass do you suggest me to roll?
My input based on your wish list is to pick one of the following:
Battlemaster Fighter - This guy has just enough cool trick moves to keep him from ever falling into the boring "I swing my sword again." routine.
Wizard - Choose a school that is not Evocation. Not that spell shaping is bad, but think of the havoc you can do with an Illusionist! You can still cast 8d6 Fireballs at 5th level and make the enemy unsure if the Tiger you conjured was the real thing or a puff of shadow and smoke. Divination is another often overlooked choice.
Mastermind Rogue -Being able to redirect your friends in combat *and* get a nasty sneak attack? Sign me up!
Totem of the Bear Barbarian - We all know why.
The other thing I would say is that you are enjoying playing your existing PC from what you said, you just dislike that the other Players are trying to typecast your PC into a role that you would rather not play. In some ways you can't blame them, since 1974 a cleric has been a healbot as you say. However with later editions of D&D with the addition of Domain spells, Clerics are among the strongest of the classes, right up there with Exponential Wizards. What I would suggest, if you do indeed like the existing PC, is to have a straight shoot with the other Players explaining that this PC can heal, but they can't count on him to conserve slots to do so. He is a Tempest Cleric and bringing the Thunder is what he is about! If you need to tell them that they are reducing your enjoyment of the game by proscribing how you play your PC. If DM Railroading is such a sin, then Peer-Player Railroading is so muuch worse.
Wait why? The survivability?
Hmm, not quite. Tbh Im also a little bit bored of the whole Religion thing. Its good to have a strong background but the RP gets kinda dull for me.. idk
All your preferences scream two things:
Meele:
Fighter - Battlemaster
Range:
Arcane archer
Its not overwhelming, but has enough variety to not make it dull. Arcane archer with some proficiency in exploration skills like investigation and survival is a good pick
Homebrew I share:
Demonic Houndmaster
Yes, Totem of the Bear for pure I have resistance of everything but a teeny-tiny slice of damage while raging.
As to the Religion thing, why is that a focus of the PC? Yes, Clerics can be religiously based, but they can just as frequently be "called" or "anointed" by their Higher Power. Your PC could have no Proficiency in Religion, have a Soldier Background and simply be the one that the God entrusts power to. You might "Pray" to your God no more than Arnold's Conan prayed to Kromm (sic?), and still get spells because...well life is like that.
Its my fault, actually. I created a background story related to Thor because the Character is a Tempest Cleric. Thor saved him from death, etc.. So its kinda tied up. I could just break this whole thing but wouldnt make much sense..
Heh. I have a mental image of a tiefling cleric going about their business but constantly grumbling about it. "Asmodeus? More like Ass-modeus if you ask me, bit of a stuffed shirt, that one..." *poof* [Hellish Bureaucrat appears behind player brandishing a 400-page leatherbound contract, begins flipping to Subsection 7.10.24.a.iii.29 to remind you of your obligations...] "FINE! Ugh. But there's nothing in there says I can't tell Mephistopheles what Assy's up to." [Hellish Bureaucrat begins flipping through further subsections with increasing alarm...]
Option 1. Stay with your cleric and play him the way you want. What I like about basically all healer classes is the option, not requirement, to heal. Healing is honestly an inefficient use of spell slots and that's by design. The makers of 5e didn't want healbots because it's not an engaging way to play. Keeping someone topped off is a bad use of your spell, but killing an enemy is always good. Keeping an ally if the fight is good, but preventing them from taking damage in the first place through killing the enemy or controlling them is better. Playing like this forces players to make more engaging decisions than I'm going to attack. Put some of the onus on them to stay alive. Almost dead? How about they disengage and run for cover this turn instead of relying on you to heal them and reward their reckless behavior? Maybe using healing word bonus action spell and than swinging your hammer is what the situation calls good. Tempest clerics are versatile and that versatility is what makes them useful.
Option 2. Pick something else. My advice would depends on party makeup. But if you like mostly damage oriented classes with some social and exploration abilities with good EP hooks, that sounds like the samurai fighter to me. Maybe go the Archer route if your party has enough melee. Elf with sharpshooter and elvin advantage feats work really well with an Archer samurai. The damage for this build is crazy high. If not consider great weapon master.
I know you don't think you're outgoing enough for a bard but you don't actually have to be outgoing. You just have to pretend to be outgoing! Bards are great. They can help support by other means than just boring old heals while also churn out the damage. Spells that control large areas are way more efficient than healing and a lot more interesting. You can make them damage oriented, have obvious social and RP hooks, and are just goofy fun characters.
Sorcerers are great damage dealers and can also be great social characters because of the reliance on charisma. That could be a good way to go.
Swashbucklers for the bill too. Rogues in general do but swashbuckling is a great way to go. Or perhaps the more exploration focused rogue going inquisitive or Mastermind. Think Sherlock Holmes vs Moriarty for those two respectively.
Those are my thoughts anyway. Hope this helps!
Well, quick update: The DM decided not to continue the Curse of Stradh campaign. Instead, he will choose a new campaign. So the players are gonna create brand new players lvl1.
On that note, Im leaning towards playing a Rogue!
Which archetype and Race do you guys suggest?
Rogue? I find Rogue fun unless you go thief. Rogue isn’t my favourite (mines probably bard), but it’s fun. I can help you reconsider if you need to.
Anyways. Look up a guide for rogue.
these are my 2 personal favourites (I’ve never played a rogue, but my friend and I have played for 3+ years and he’s NEVER not played a rogue.
Lightfoot Halfling Assassin OR thief. (I recommend assassin if you want more dmg).
Half elf / drow / wood elf swashbuckler. (What my friend plays). Most consistent DPR. Best class and subclass for a noob id think. Ignores some movement rules, ignores disinfage rules (basically), and takes half dmg as a rogue always does. No advanced moves, just stab and you 90% get your sneak attack.
my favourite: High Elf / Lightfoot Halfling Arcane trickster. Super versatile, Better than the thief at almost everything they do. Super versatile, fun, rogue wizards.
Personally if you want just damage, sorcerer is a great option. If you want to instant kill the big boss, Assassin is great. But the king of burst damage is Paladin: here’s a level 5 vengeance Paladin.
2 attacks / Vow Emniety . 4d6 + 8.
2 attacks + hunters mark + divine smite on a crit or just do it out of nowhere. . 4d6 + 1d6 hunters mark + 5d8 divine smite (10d8 on crit) + 28. +28 if you took great weapon master as variant human.
In 2 turns a whopping average of 83 damage. AT LEVEL 5 IN 2 ROUNDS. That’s insane. Then again, you can’t do that again for a long rest, but that’s crazy.
For Rogue, the swashbuckler sub-class is best, lot's of cool tricks without being too overwhelming.
Oh, I actually havent decided yet.. just leaning towards it. I think Im far from my final decision to be honest! haha Cause everytime I read a new thread about classes my mind just starts the whole process again. These classes are really unique and awesome, each on the own away. Rogues, Warlocks, Wizards, Babarians and Monks have been on my mind lately. Such a hard call, so Im taking it slow, reading as much as I can to help me make up my mind. I wann have a complete experience, from the 3 Pillars (damage, social and exploration). And above all, a fun class. =)
Go with Arcane Trickster! Lots of fun stuff in there. Honestly there is no bad option. I agree with the above poster that thief is the most boring. Swashbuckler is pretty fun if you lean into the natural character hooks. Mechanically it's super good too. Assassin is great for that opening round but a little bit requires a DM and party to be on board with using most of those mechanics. Having you sneak around in disguise to kill someone is pretty boring for the rest of the party. That first round auto critical can be frustrating to pull off but it's super satisfying when you get to do it. Mastermind is super interesting. Using the help action as a bonus action means you can really take control of the fight. Inquisitive is great for a crime caper type campaign. That leaves scout which is great for the player that wants to play a rangery type that mechanically makes more sense but loses spells.
Next time I play a rogue I'll be going the Arcane trickster because I think the spells and mischief it can deal in sounds fun.