I'm to DM one on one with one of my players in a PVP esque one-shot, though it may be reoccurring if he enjoys it. The rules are simple: We start at level 20, two magic items of our choice (rarity nonwithstanding), and can change things between battles, such as feats.
For clarity, I'm also running a character for the sole purpose to be his opponent, and will be following the same rules. Originally I built a VHuman Bladesinger 17/ Champion 3, but I felt like being able to cast wish 4 times in one battle is a bit overkill against his Half-orc Wild Magic Barbarian.
So, I've decided to do something a bit more flavorful, and inspired by one of my favorite characters, Pandora's Actor. Now to give the silver bullets of his abilities. He's a Greater Changeling, which in his world translates to being able to mimic about 45 different forms, 41 of which were the Supreme Beings. These beings were really just Max lvl characters with different focuses, for example the main character of the series (Overlord for anyone wondering) is an insanely powerful elder lich, and then there's the Archer, the Warrior, the Samurai, along with many, many more.
With this Changeling I want to use it to be able to pivot into any of the standard RPG classes, Warrior, Thief, Cleric, & Magic-User, and by virtue of how the other standard classes work, I can basically play mix-an-match.
Any ideas on which class levels to take? Magic items to grab? I was thinking staff of the magi to cover for a lot of spells. The win-lose are as follows: Winner gets a new magic item, loser gets to construct the next battlefield.
You lost me at casting wish 4 times. You only have 1 9th level spell slot. Ever. How are you casting it 4 times?
Otherwise, I’m not sure what you mean by pivoting between classes. There’s no mechanic that lets you do that. Unless you’re talking about some kind of big multi-class?
And either way, just as a tip, PvP fights are usually pretty unsatisfying. D&D characters aren’t built for it. Really the only thing that betters is winning initiative. You get to pull off your big nova round before the other guy does, and from there you’re still getting one more turn than they do.
Divine Soul Sorcerer + Hexblade Warlock would probably do it. You need 5 levels of Warlock to get Extra Attack, the rest can be Sorcerer, you might want 2 levels of Fighter as well.
5- Warlock: Agonizing Blast (EB), Pact of the Blade, Thirsting Blade, Eldritch Smite (optional)Improved Pact Weapon, . You can reflavour Eldritch Blast as a magical bow for your Archer form, you've got your Pact of the Blade for your Warrior form, and Eldritch Smite doubles as a "sneak attack".
Wow... That's actually really cool and exactly what I was looking for, thanks for the feedback!
Now weighting the pros and cons of my original vs this, my original being Hexblade Warlock 3/ College of Swords Bard 17, yours has me beat but a few things I've been wondering how to do:
- How to replicate druid spell casting? I'm not sure if there a staff lying around that does this or not.
- How to be a monk without taking the levels? I think there are wraps of unarmed prowess somewhere, but if possible I'm looking for an option that deals acid damage so I can shape shift to appear as an ooze monk.
- lastly do I still suffer the strain and run the risk of never casting wish again from a ring of three wishes or luck blade (or whatever it's called)? Because I could kinda just use the wishes to 1. Wish for another attunement slot 2. Wish for a scimitar of speed that is harmless to me and in no way will harm or kill me to be lying 5 in front of my current position 3. Same as 2 but with another ring.
- lastly do I still suffer the strain and run the risk of never casting wish again from a ring of three wishes or luck blade
You are still casting the spell, so all of the spell's normal rules apply, including the rule about the strain from casting it when not simply recreating a spell of 8th level or lower.
Wow... That's actually really cool and exactly what I was looking for, thanks for the feedback!
Now weighting the pros and cons of my original vs this, my original being Hexblade Warlock 3/ College of Swords Bard 17, yours has me beat but a few things I've been wondering how to do:
- How to replicate druid spell casting? I'm not sure if there a staff lying around that does this or not.
- How to be a monk without taking the levels? I think there are wraps of unarmed prowess somewhere, but if possible I'm looking for an option that deals acid damage so I can shape shift to appear as an ooze monk.
- lastly do I still suffer the strain and run the risk of never casting wish again from a ring of three wishes or luck blade (or whatever it's called)? Because I could kinda just use the wishes to 1. Wish for another attunement slot 2. Wish for a scimitar of speed that is harmless to me and in no way will harm or kill me to be lying 5 in front of my current position 3. Same as 2 but with another ring.
Edit: Hat of disguise needs to go on the list.
You can replicate Druid spellcasting with a Staff of the Woodlands, though honestly druid spellcasting isn't that useful in combat. You can replicate druid shapeshifting with Polymorph.
If you want to be an Ooze Monk then take Magic Initiate - Druid and pick up Primal Savagery that's a melee-attack based acid attack. However, it will key off your Wisdom so won't be that effective, unless you are using 2024 rules and can take both Pact of the Tome and Pact of the Blade at the same time.
What is your obsession with Wish? It is an extremely unfun spell in a PVP situation, the TLDR of it all is that this PVP one-on-one game is not going to be fun or satisfying at all, so it's almost certainly going to be a one-off. Because all you really need is Inflict Wounds + Hold Person and to max out your casting stat, his half-orc barbarian almost certainly will have a weak Wis save so you will be able to Hold him for many rounds and then crit-hit with with Inflict Wounds for massive damage.
I disagree with this sentiment in general, "druid spellcasting isn't that useful in combat," but here it's really true due to most of their good spells being long term concentration spells (eg: polymorph, moonbeam, call lightning, and giant insect) that will (presumably) end when the shifter changes form.
What is your obsession with Wish? It is an extremely unfun spell in a PVP situation, the TLDR of it all is that this PVP one-on-one game is not going to be fun or satisfying at all, so it's almost certainly going to be a one-off. Because all you really need is Inflict Wounds + Hold Person and to max out your casting stat, his half-orc barbarian almost certainly will have a weak Wis save so you will be able to Hold him for many rounds and then crit-hit with with Inflict Wounds for massive damage.
I wouldn't call it an obsession, though it may seem that way, it's just a spell I don't get use very often was just wondering how far I could push it.
Polymorph will work for ooze monk definitely and as for the druid schtick, Staff of the Woodlands would require attunement by a druid, which by the level spread you've provided, he would not be one.
I don't get use very often was just wondering how far I could push it.
Your the DM aren't you? you can have it do whatever you want.
Which druid spells do you want? You can get some as a Genie warlock instead of a Hexblade, but then you'll need a 1-level Fighter dip for weapons & armour proficiency.
I don't get use very often was just wondering how far I could push it.
Your the DM aren't you? you can have it do whatever you want.
Which druid spells do you want? You can get some as a Genie warlock instead of a Hexblade, but then you'll need a 1-level Fighter dip for weapons & armour proficiency.
True
I was mostly looking for Battlefield control, though there's probably something better in the Sorc or Cleric Spell lists, I'm not sure
I don't get use very often was just wondering how far I could push it.
Your the DM aren't you? you can have it do whatever you want.
Which druid spells do you want? You can get some as a Genie warlock instead of a Hexblade, but then you'll need a 1-level Fighter dip for weapons & armour proficiency.
True
I was mostly looking for Battlefield control, though there's probably something better in the Sorc or Cleric Spell lists, I'm not sure
Battlefield control at level 20 is usually Wall of Force. There's nothing better than it. In terms of Druid spells that aren't also Sorc/Cleric spells and are decent/good you've got Faerie Fire, Entangle, Goodberry, Heat Metal, Spike Growth (available via Genie Warlock), Plant Growth (kinda niche), 2024 Grasping Vine (though Bigby's Hand does much the same), Wall of Thorns (but Wall of Force is better), Shapechange, Foresight, some Conjure Spells (though if using 2024 rules Spiritual Guardians and Conjure Celestial are better).
Plant growth is pretty insane. You can cast it, then cast call lightning and wait for you enemies to come to you at 7.5 feet per round, or 15 if they're dashing.
Plant growth is pretty insane. You can cast it, then cast call lightning and wait for you enemies to come to you at 7.5 feet per round, or 15 if they're dashing.
Plant growth is super limited, when it is good it is excellent, but most of the time it's not useful.
Plant growth is pretty insane. You can cast it, then cast call lightning and wait for you enemies to come to you at 7.5 feet per round, or 15 if they're dashing.
Plant growth is super limited, when it is good it is excellent, but most of the time it's not useful.
True, I just remember using it in a cave and taking potshots at werewolves until the DM basically gave up and said we can light the plants on fire to kill all of them.
Genie Warlock (Dao) gets Spike Growth, there's the Azorius Signet Ring that give Ensnaring Strike, and Golgari signet for Entangle, there's a Wand of Entangle, or you could take a 1 level dip into Bard so you can attune to an Instrument of the Bards
Genie Warlock (Dao) gets Spike Growth, there's the Azorius Signet Ring that give Ensnaring Strike, and Golgari signet for Entangle, there's a Wand of Entangle, or you could take a 1 level dip into Bard so you can attune to an Instrument of the Bards
This works wonderfully, thanks!
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I'm to DM one on one with one of my players in a PVP esque one-shot, though it may be reoccurring if he enjoys it. The rules are simple: We start at level 20, two magic items of our choice (rarity nonwithstanding), and can change things between battles, such as feats.
For clarity, I'm also running a character for the sole purpose to be his opponent, and will be following the same rules. Originally I built a VHuman Bladesinger 17/ Champion 3, but I felt like being able to cast wish 4 times in one battle is a bit overkill against his Half-orc Wild Magic Barbarian.
So, I've decided to do something a bit more flavorful, and inspired by one of my favorite characters, Pandora's Actor. Now to give the silver bullets of his abilities. He's a Greater Changeling, which in his world translates to being able to mimic about 45 different forms, 41 of which were the Supreme Beings. These beings were really just Max lvl characters with different focuses, for example the main character of the series (Overlord for anyone wondering) is an insanely powerful elder lich, and then there's the Archer, the Warrior, the Samurai, along with many, many more.
With this Changeling I want to use it to be able to pivot into any of the standard RPG classes, Warrior, Thief, Cleric, & Magic-User, and by virtue of how the other standard classes work, I can basically play mix-an-match.
Any ideas on which class levels to take? Magic items to grab? I was thinking staff of the magi to cover for a lot of spells. The win-lose are as follows: Winner gets a new magic item, loser gets to construct the next battlefield.
You lost me at casting wish 4 times. You only have 1 9th level spell slot. Ever. How are you casting it 4 times?
Otherwise, I’m not sure what you mean by pivoting between classes. There’s no mechanic that lets you do that. Unless you’re talking about some kind of big multi-class?
And either way, just as a tip, PvP fights are usually pretty unsatisfying. D&D characters aren’t built for it. Really the only thing that betters is winning initiative. You get to pull off your big nova round before the other guy does, and from there you’re still getting one more turn than they do.
Ah, yes. My 1 slot + a ring of three wishes.
A multiclass is what I was referring to, as in being able to switch playstyles for than actual features.
If it's any magic item, just give yourself a vorpal sword.
edit: or just don't give the other person a ring of three wishes
Hm....
Divine Soul Sorcerer + Hexblade Warlock would probably do it. You need 5 levels of Warlock to get Extra Attack, the rest can be Sorcerer, you might want 2 levels of Fighter as well.
5- Warlock: Agonizing Blast (EB), Pact of the Blade, Thirsting Blade, Eldritch Smite (optional)Improved Pact Weapon, . You can reflavour Eldritch Blast as a magical bow for your Archer form, you've got your Pact of the Blade for your Warrior form, and Eldritch Smite doubles as a "sneak attack".
2- Fighter : Fighting Style = Dueling + Action Surge
13- Divine Soul Sorcerer let's you pick up all the Cleric spells you want while you use the Staff of the Magi for Arcane spellcasting.
For your second magic weapon you could consider a Scimitar of Speed to get you the feel of two-weapon fighting without actually two-weapon fighting.
Wow... That's actually really cool and exactly what I was looking for, thanks for the feedback!
Now weighting the pros and cons of my original vs this, my original being Hexblade Warlock 3/ College of Swords Bard 17, yours has me beat but a few things I've been wondering how to do:
- How to replicate druid spell casting? I'm not sure if there a staff lying around that does this or not.
- How to be a monk without taking the levels? I think there are wraps of unarmed prowess somewhere, but if possible I'm looking for an option that deals acid damage so I can shape shift to appear as an ooze monk.
- lastly do I still suffer the strain and run the risk of never casting wish again from a ring of three wishes or luck blade (or whatever it's called)? Because I could kinda just use the wishes to 1. Wish for another attunement slot 2. Wish for a scimitar of speed that is harmless to me and in no way will harm or kill me to be lying 5 in front of my current position 3. Same as 2 but with another ring.
Edit: Hat of disguise needs to go on the list.
You are still casting the spell, so all of the spell's normal rules apply, including the rule about the strain from casting it when not simply recreating a spell of 8th level or lower.
You can replicate Druid spellcasting with a Staff of the Woodlands, though honestly druid spellcasting isn't that useful in combat. You can replicate druid shapeshifting with Polymorph.
If you want to be an Ooze Monk then take Magic Initiate - Druid and pick up Primal Savagery that's a melee-attack based acid attack. However, it will key off your Wisdom so won't be that effective, unless you are using 2024 rules and can take both Pact of the Tome and Pact of the Blade at the same time.
What is your obsession with Wish? It is an extremely unfun spell in a PVP situation, the TLDR of it all is that this PVP one-on-one game is not going to be fun or satisfying at all, so it's almost certainly going to be a one-off. Because all you really need is Inflict Wounds + Hold Person and to max out your casting stat, his half-orc barbarian almost certainly will have a weak Wis save so you will be able to Hold him for many rounds and then crit-hit with with Inflict Wounds for massive damage.
I disagree with this sentiment in general, "druid spellcasting isn't that useful in combat," but here it's really true due to most of their good spells being long term concentration spells (eg: polymorph, moonbeam, call lightning, and giant insect) that will (presumably) end when the shifter changes form.
I wouldn't call it an obsession, though it may seem that way, it's just a spell I don't get use very often was just wondering how far I could push it.
Polymorph will work for ooze monk definitely and as for the druid schtick, Staff of the Woodlands would require attunement by a druid, which by the level spread you've provided, he would not be one.
Your the DM aren't you? you can have it do whatever you want.
Which druid spells do you want? You can get some as a Genie warlock instead of a Hexblade, but then you'll need a 1-level Fighter dip for weapons & armour proficiency.
True
I was mostly looking for Battlefield control, though there's probably something better in the Sorc or Cleric Spell lists, I'm not sure
Battlefield control at level 20 is usually Wall of Force. There's nothing better than it. In terms of Druid spells that aren't also Sorc/Cleric spells and are decent/good you've got Faerie Fire, Entangle, Goodberry, Heat Metal, Spike Growth (available via Genie Warlock), Plant Growth (kinda niche), 2024 Grasping Vine (though Bigby's Hand does much the same), Wall of Thorns (but Wall of Force is better), Shapechange, Foresight, some Conjure Spells (though if using 2024 rules Spiritual Guardians and Conjure Celestial are better).
Plant growth is pretty insane. You can cast it, then cast call lightning and wait for you enemies to come to you at 7.5 feet per round, or 15 if they're dashing.
Plant growth is super limited, when it is good it is excellent, but most of the time it's not useful.
True, I just remember using it in a cave and taking potshots at werewolves until the DM basically gave up and said we can light the plants on fire to kill all of them.
Thanks for the feedback guys. All I'm looking for now is some form of Plant manipulation to convincingly pull off an archdruid motif.
Genie Warlock (Dao) gets Spike Growth, there's the Azorius Signet Ring that give Ensnaring Strike, and Golgari signet for Entangle, there's a Wand of Entangle, or you could take a 1 level dip into Bard so you can attune to an Instrument of the Bards
This works wonderfully, thanks!