What do folks think of Bard for newer spell caster? I know their spells work more like Sorcerers, but they have other non-spell ways to support the group, between buffs and skills, etc.
The other thing that has helped me with playing characters with more options is to make myself a flow chart. This won't unlock all the creativity you can use with spells and abilities but it is especially helpful at a level up when I am suddenly blending new ideas in at the same time. For example, if I have a character who has gone from having no options for their bonus action to suddenly having 3-5 choices, listing them out specifically is very helpful. If I might blend an ability with a spell in the same round, having the interactions precalculated helps me learn the pieces.
As an example of the last, I had a Gloomstalker Ranger who liked to use Zephyr Strike and also had Extra Attack, and threading those three together into a single turn benefitted from some research and then writing it down with a couple of variants, so I didn't have to think in the heat of initiative.
This may not be obvious, so also, if you make a digital character sheet for your character, and then print it as a PDF, it will include the text for all your spells and abilities. (I use Roll20 but I understand dndbeyond has the same.) Reading your PDF carefully is so much easier than knowing the whole of a sourcebook, and then combine that with a guide for playing your class and subclass (there are so many online) and you will become an expert in your character pretty quickly. Follow the guide of movement, action, bonus action, simple action, reaction.
Spell cards can also be a help, with highlights on the level, action type, concentration, etc so that you can have that tiny bit of information you need at hand while not being distracted by the others. There are free ones you can print from online sources if this is helpful to you.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Tactical flexibility sounds pretty good.
What do folks think of Bard for newer spell caster? I know their spells work more like Sorcerers, but they have other non-spell ways to support the group, between buffs and skills, etc.
The other thing that has helped me with playing characters with more options is to make myself a flow chart. This won't unlock all the creativity you can use with spells and abilities but it is especially helpful at a level up when I am suddenly blending new ideas in at the same time. For example, if I have a character who has gone from having no options for their bonus action to suddenly having 3-5 choices, listing them out specifically is very helpful. If I might blend an ability with a spell in the same round, having the interactions precalculated helps me learn the pieces.
As an example of the last, I had a Gloomstalker Ranger who liked to use Zephyr Strike and also had Extra Attack, and threading those three together into a single turn benefitted from some research and then writing it down with a couple of variants, so I didn't have to think in the heat of initiative.
This may not be obvious, so also, if you make a digital character sheet for your character, and then print it as a PDF, it will include the text for all your spells and abilities. (I use Roll20 but I understand dndbeyond has the same.) Reading your PDF carefully is so much easier than knowing the whole of a sourcebook, and then combine that with a guide for playing your class and subclass (there are so many online) and you will become an expert in your character pretty quickly. Follow the guide of movement, action, bonus action, simple action, reaction.
Spell cards can also be a help, with highlights on the level, action type, concentration, etc so that you can have that tiny bit of information you need at hand while not being distracted by the others. There are free ones you can print from online sources if this is helpful to you.