I am new to both D&D as well as AL. I had initially read the rules on Wizards website and gotten a quick start character at an event but quickly realized that the information I read was not entirely accurate - in that it had a much more limited Race and Class set vs what people were using. As I understand I am able to modify my character until Level 5 I have made the following but added the experience (level 2), gold, and item received in my first adventure (but have reconfigured all other starting equipment).
My primary concern is that it is AL legal and less if I have chosen wisely on stats/abilities (though if I am missing something or have done something wrong please inform me). I am still working on back/origin story on him.
I looked over the character sheet and had a couple of comments.
1) The Goliath race is from Volo's guide so in AL terms this means that your +1 source for building the character will be Volos and everything else has to come from the Players Handbook including level 3 oath and spell selection.
2) Mechanically, the stat distribution could be better. In particular, one of the most important features of the paladin are the aura which you receive at level 6 which adds your charisma modifier to saving throws. Currently, your charisma is 12 while folks would normally aim to start at 14 -> 16.
3) You seem to be holding two long swords and not using your shield. It looks like you took the defensive fighting style to get AC 17. I am guessing that you plan on dual wielding long swords but this is not possible without the Dual Wielder feat since both weapons require the "light" property to be used for dual wielding if you don't have the feat. (Unless there is a goliath feature I don't know about). So at the present time you can't dual wield long swords.
4) I have to ask WHEN you played your first adventure with the character? This is important since WOTC and Adventurer's League changed the method of rewarding experience, gold and treasure starting August 31, 2018. After that date the new system of rewards was in place. If you played and received the rewards you described before that date there isn't any problem. However, if you played recently and received experience gold and a magical item rather than Adventure Check Points, Treasure points and 75gp for advancing a level in Tier 1 then the place where you play wasn't actually playing Adventurer's League.
1) I'm okay with that. I chose the Goliath as my 3 year named/described the "Arokaman". So for me utilizing the +1 to make the character match is worth it.
2) I will take a look at that, but will probably end up tweaking more "on site" with others - going to utilize that as a source for discussion/assistance from others since I don't know anyone there. Felt it was a good "opener".
3) I will take a look at switching down to smaller weapons. This is also similar to #2, in that my initial concept for this character may not be possible or not until later levels - specifically that I was hoping he could be more of a parry/riposte style fighter but honestly don't even know if that is in the rules. At worst case the day of I will switch him back to a shield and possibly change stance (as mentioned my understanding is in AL I'm allowed to make a lot of changes until level 5, so plan to take full advantage of). Edit: TBH in this regard I was hoping for more of a short sword or dirk. Thinking that in the parry concept a shorter weapon would theoretically be better for it. Though that is utilizing my (limited) understanding of real world fighting mechanics. Edit2: didn't originally see a Short Sword listed, did a search this time and was able to locate it. Replaced Long with Short. Hope that is appropriate.
4) I got ACP 4, TP 4, GP 75, and DT 10. Along with obtaining the ring as a reward from some creatures in a swamp for our deeds. There was some confusion as our particular DM had to leave very quickly after the game so some of the others were assisting. But I was told to apply the ACP towards my level in the Tier section which brought me up to 2. I apologize if my listing "experience" instead of "ACP" confused this; when I was building the character within D&D Beyond I saw the options as Experience and Milestone - so I initially assumed ACP was just another term for experience. I understand now that this is one of the references to D&D Beyond missing AL support mentioned in the forums.
1) I'm okay with that. I chose the Goliath as my 3 year named/described the "Arokaman". So for me utilizing the +1 to make the character match is worth it.
2) I will take a look at that, but will probably end up tweaking more "on site" with others - going to utilize that as a source for discussion/assistance from others since I don't know anyone there. Felt it was a good "opener".
3) I will take a look at switching down to smaller weapons. This is also similar to #2, in that my initial concept for this character may not be possible or not until later levels - specifically that I was hoping he could be more of a parry/riposte style fighter but honestly don't even know if that is in the rules. At worst case the day of I will switch him back to a shield and possibly change stance (as mentioned my understanding is in AL I'm allowed to make a lot of changes until level 5, so plan to take full advantage of). Edit: TBH in this regard I was hoping for more of a short sword or dirk. Thinking that in the parry concept a shorter weapon would theoretically be better for it. Though that is utilizing my (limited) understanding of real world fighting mechanics. Edit2: didn't originally see a Short Sword listed, did a search this time and was able to locate it. Replaced Long with Short. Hope that is appropriate.
4) I got ACP 4, TP 4, GP 75, and DT 10. Along with obtaining the ring as a reward from some creatures in a swamp for our deeds. There was some confusion as our particular DM had to leave very quickly after the game so some of the others were assisting. But I was told to apply the ACP towards my level in the Tier section which brought me up to 2. I apologize if my listing "experience" instead of "ACP" confused this; when I was building the character within D&D Beyond I saw the options as Experience and Milestone - so I initially assumed ACP was just another term for experience. I understand now that this is one of the references to D&D Beyond missing AL support mentioned in the forums.
Sounds like you are learning and having fun which is the point :)
On (3), short swords are fine for dual wielding. However, the only real parry/riposte options I know of come from the Fighter Battlemaster archetype which has a number of combat maneuvers available every short rest including ones like Parry and Riposte that allow for additional attacks or additional damage. You might want to look into it since it might fit your character concept more closely than paladin (assuming that the healing and spells of the paladin aren't a key element in the character concept).
On (4), in Season 8, you don't actually receive a magic item after the session. You received 4ACP, 4TCP and 10 DT for a four hour module/play session. You also received the 75gp because the 4ACP received is sufficient to increase your level in tier 1 and you receive gold for leveling up. However, magic items are now considered "unlocks". After playing a module, if you complete the relevant portions, one or more magic items may become available for purchase using treasure points. Depending on the items they cost different amounts and the folks at your gaming table should be able to help figure out how much they cost and offer advice on whether it is worth purchasing for your character.
You accumulate TCP as you play modules. If you have sufficient TCP at the end of a module to purchase an item that was unlocked in that module you can just purchase it, deduct the cost and narrate it as if you found the item in the module. However, you can also buy it at any time in the future if you have unlocked it. In this case, you would just narrate it as having learned of the existence of this item in the module you played and then spent time and effort tracking one down that you could subsequently purchase.
The revised treasure system addresses some issues with meta-gaming and unfairness in the previous system used to distribute magical treasure from the module which just tended to cause frictions between players. So AL sacrificed a bit of the narrative for a generally better overall method for treasure distribution. (opinions on that vary though :) ).
P.S. If you are interested in some history ... here are the reasons for the season 8 changes to ACP and TCP as I understand them.
1) ACP
In previous seasons modules awarded experience, for most modules played by most of the AL DMs I have run into this usually translated into killing monsters. Creative ways to avoid encounters in modules while still achieving the goal of the module would usually result in less XP.
As an example in season 8 in a module I was playing, the party was returning from the mission after having found the item we were looking for. We spot a camp by the roadside on our way back before they notice us (we were moving stealthily). We decide to cast pass without trace and we avoid the camp since we want to return the item as quickly as possible. In season 8 we received full ACP for completing the mission objectives. However, the camp was actually a combat encounter of creatures attempting to take the item we had recovered. In previous seasons, the party would have approached the camp and then engaged in combat, not because it was a reasonable thing to do but because it would maximize the XP earned from the module. DMs typically never rewarded the same XP for an encounter by avoiding than would be awarded by defeating the creature.
As a result, in my experience, the season 8 ACP change for experience has really opened up the AL game play a lot. There is still a lot of combat but it is no longer the only option and folks don't role play their characters in such a way as to maximize XP. (There were even times when I was in a group with party members randomly attacking NPCs in order to maximize the XP received).
2) TCP
In past seasons, any magic items that were found in a module were divided in the party using the following rules.
- whoever had the least magic items could claim the item
- if there was a tie then the characters would roll for it (the rules said the DM decides but that usually meant a die roll as the only fair way to distribute it)
Sounds fair right?
1) However, some players would avoid claiming anything until tier 2 or tier 3, and then were able to claim several powerful magic items in a row because they had the least magic items. Others who had played their characters without meta-gaming the magic item reward rules could get somewhat irritated.
2) Every character is eligible for the item whether they could use it or not. As a result, some players would claim or roll on items that their character couldn't use so they could trade it, especially if it was a popular item and even if that item would have been perfect for the character that you were playing that day. Some folks could get pretty irritated by this too.
3) AL tables can run with anywhere from 3 to 7 characters. There is typically only one magic item/module. A person that tends to be able to play in smaller groups will have on average more than twice the number of magic items of folks playing in larger groups. In addition, tier 1 made this worse. In tier 1 you start off with no magic items. There are some folks who would start a new character, play them until they received a magic item and then start a new character. Since the character they played always had no magic items they were frequently either awarded the item or were rolling on it. The person involved probably just enjoyed winning magic items.
In season 8, unlocking the item from the module for all the players fixes ALL of these issues. The only thing lost is a bit of verisimilitude and narrative continuity which you can explain away along with the widely varying series of modules played by the typical AL character.
There are still some issues/concerns with the season 8 system that could use improving. The gold rewards are too low for certain classes like wizards who can have significant expenses for spell components or copying spells. In addition, half plate and plate armor are so expensive that the magical versions are cheaper and probably available sooner but overall, in my opinion, the season 8 rules are an improvement.
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I am new to both D&D as well as AL. I had initially read the rules on Wizards website and gotten a quick start character at an event but quickly realized that the information I read was not entirely accurate - in that it had a much more limited Race and Class set vs what people were using. As I understand I am able to modify my character until Level 5 I have made the following but added the experience (level 2), gold, and item received in my first adventure (but have reconfigured all other starting equipment).
https://ddb.ac/characters/9506578/owznet
My primary concern is that it is AL legal and less if I have chosen wisely on stats/abilities (though if I am missing something or have done something wrong please inform me). I am still working on back/origin story on him.
Any help is appreciated.
I looked over the character sheet and had a couple of comments.
1) The Goliath race is from Volo's guide so in AL terms this means that your +1 source for building the character will be Volos and everything else has to come from the Players Handbook including level 3 oath and spell selection.
2) Mechanically, the stat distribution could be better. In particular, one of the most important features of the paladin are the aura which you receive at level 6 which adds your charisma modifier to saving throws. Currently, your charisma is 12 while folks would normally aim to start at 14 -> 16.
3) You seem to be holding two long swords and not using your shield. It looks like you took the defensive fighting style to get AC 17. I am guessing that you plan on dual wielding long swords but this is not possible without the Dual Wielder feat since both weapons require the "light" property to be used for dual wielding if you don't have the feat. (Unless there is a goliath feature I don't know about). So at the present time you can't dual wield long swords.
4) I have to ask WHEN you played your first adventure with the character? This is important since WOTC and Adventurer's League changed the method of rewarding experience, gold and treasure starting August 31, 2018. After that date the new system of rewards was in place. If you played and received the rewards you described before that date there isn't any problem. However, if you played recently and received experience gold and a magical item rather than Adventure Check Points, Treasure points and 75gp for advancing a level in Tier 1 then the place where you play wasn't actually playing Adventurer's League.
David - Thanks for the response.
1) I'm okay with that. I chose the Goliath as my 3 year named/described the "Arokaman". So for me utilizing the +1 to make the character match is worth it.
2) I will take a look at that, but will probably end up tweaking more "on site" with others - going to utilize that as a source for discussion/assistance from others since I don't know anyone there. Felt it was a good "opener".
3) I will take a look at switching down to smaller weapons. This is also similar to #2, in that my initial concept for this character may not be possible or not until later levels - specifically that I was hoping he could be more of a parry/riposte style fighter but honestly don't even know if that is in the rules. At worst case the day of I will switch him back to a shield and possibly change stance (as mentioned my understanding is in AL I'm allowed to make a lot of changes until level 5, so plan to take full advantage of). Edit: TBH in this regard I was hoping for more of a short sword or dirk. Thinking that in the parry concept a shorter weapon would theoretically be better for it. Though that is utilizing my (limited) understanding of real world fighting mechanics. Edit2: didn't originally see a Short Sword listed, did a search this time and was able to locate it. Replaced Long with Short. Hope that is appropriate.
4) I got ACP 4, TP 4, GP 75, and DT 10. Along with obtaining the ring as a reward from some creatures in a swamp for our deeds. There was some confusion as our particular DM had to leave very quickly after the game so some of the others were assisting. But I was told to apply the ACP towards my level in the Tier section which brought me up to 2. I apologize if my listing "experience" instead of "ACP" confused this; when I was building the character within D&D Beyond I saw the options as Experience and Milestone - so I initially assumed ACP was just another term for experience. I understand now that this is one of the references to D&D Beyond missing AL support mentioned in the forums.
Sounds like you are learning and having fun which is the point :)
On (3), short swords are fine for dual wielding. However, the only real parry/riposte options I know of come from the Fighter Battlemaster archetype which has a number of combat maneuvers available every short rest including ones like Parry and Riposte that allow for additional attacks or additional damage. You might want to look into it since it might fit your character concept more closely than paladin (assuming that the healing and spells of the paladin aren't a key element in the character concept).
On (4), in Season 8, you don't actually receive a magic item after the session. You received 4ACP, 4TCP and 10 DT for a four hour module/play session. You also received the 75gp because the 4ACP received is sufficient to increase your level in tier 1 and you receive gold for leveling up. However, magic items are now considered "unlocks". After playing a module, if you complete the relevant portions, one or more magic items may become available for purchase using treasure points. Depending on the items they cost different amounts and the folks at your gaming table should be able to help figure out how much they cost and offer advice on whether it is worth purchasing for your character.
You accumulate TCP as you play modules. If you have sufficient TCP at the end of a module to purchase an item that was unlocked in that module you can just purchase it, deduct the cost and narrate it as if you found the item in the module. However, you can also buy it at any time in the future if you have unlocked it. In this case, you would just narrate it as having learned of the existence of this item in the module you played and then spent time and effort tracking one down that you could subsequently purchase.
The revised treasure system addresses some issues with meta-gaming and unfairness in the previous system used to distribute magical treasure from the module which just tended to cause frictions between players. So AL sacrificed a bit of the narrative for a generally better overall method for treasure distribution. (opinions on that vary though :) ).
P.S. If you are interested in some history ... here are the reasons for the season 8 changes to ACP and TCP as I understand them.
1) ACP
In previous seasons modules awarded experience, for most modules played by most of the AL DMs I have run into this usually translated into killing monsters. Creative ways to avoid encounters in modules while still achieving the goal of the module would usually result in less XP.
As an example in season 8 in a module I was playing, the party was returning from the mission after having found the item we were looking for. We spot a camp by the roadside on our way back before they notice us (we were moving stealthily). We decide to cast pass without trace and we avoid the camp since we want to return the item as quickly as possible. In season 8 we received full ACP for completing the mission objectives. However, the camp was actually a combat encounter of creatures attempting to take the item we had recovered. In previous seasons, the party would have approached the camp and then engaged in combat, not because it was a reasonable thing to do but because it would maximize the XP earned from the module. DMs typically never rewarded the same XP for an encounter by avoiding than would be awarded by defeating the creature.
As a result, in my experience, the season 8 ACP change for experience has really opened up the AL game play a lot. There is still a lot of combat but it is no longer the only option and folks don't role play their characters in such a way as to maximize XP. (There were even times when I was in a group with party members randomly attacking NPCs in order to maximize the XP received).
2) TCP
In past seasons, any magic items that were found in a module were divided in the party using the following rules.
- whoever had the least magic items could claim the item
- if there was a tie then the characters would roll for it (the rules said the DM decides but that usually meant a die roll as the only fair way to distribute it)
Sounds fair right?
1) However, some players would avoid claiming anything until tier 2 or tier 3, and then were able to claim several powerful magic items in a row because they had the least magic items. Others who had played their characters without meta-gaming the magic item reward rules could get somewhat irritated.
2) Every character is eligible for the item whether they could use it or not. As a result, some players would claim or roll on items that their character couldn't use so they could trade it, especially if it was a popular item and even if that item would have been perfect for the character that you were playing that day. Some folks could get pretty irritated by this too.
3) AL tables can run with anywhere from 3 to 7 characters. There is typically only one magic item/module. A person that tends to be able to play in smaller groups will have on average more than twice the number of magic items of folks playing in larger groups. In addition, tier 1 made this worse. In tier 1 you start off with no magic items. There are some folks who would start a new character, play them until they received a magic item and then start a new character. Since the character they played always had no magic items they were frequently either awarded the item or were rolling on it. The person involved probably just enjoyed winning magic items.
In season 8, unlocking the item from the module for all the players fixes ALL of these issues. The only thing lost is a bit of verisimilitude and narrative continuity which you can explain away along with the widely varying series of modules played by the typical AL character.
There are still some issues/concerns with the season 8 system that could use improving. The gold rewards are too low for certain classes like wizards who can have significant expenses for spell components or copying spells. In addition, half plate and plate armor are so expensive that the magical versions are cheaper and probably available sooner but overall, in my opinion, the season 8 rules are an improvement.