Would it be possible for you to make a list of the eligible builds, as well as the number of votes for them, and add it to the original post?
I usually make a list of eligible builds, it just takes me a little time to compile them and depending what my day is like it can take a little to throw up, but should be up today. As for vote counts I only tally votes once voting is closed (at which point the list of builds is updated with how many votes each got and a winner is announced).
Makes sense. Thanks.
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A fool pulls the leaves. A brute chops the trunk. A sage digs the roots.
The OP has now been updated with a compiled list of builds, please try and quote the build you're voting for (snipping the content to avoid thread spam), it makes thinks a lot easier for me!
Race: elf, high elf subrace. the racial cantrip will be green flame blade. This gives a taste of arcane Magic’s that you have dabbled in. Dexterity and Intelligence racial bonus’s will help with marital prowess and skills invested in to represent your arcane knowledge too. Arcana proficiency allows for the ability to make spell scrolls if you have the time, money, and spells known/prepared. This character can make use of spell scrolls as the low level spells will be cheap and effective. Darkvision: while often taken for granted, is still powerful. proficiency: in perception is also quite nice as a racial bonus. Fey Ancestry: immunity to magic sleep can be powerful. Advantage vs being charmed is wonderful for a strong melee combatant, since this condition literally prevents you from attacking certain foes. trance: much faster long rest time can be quite useful. Not having to worry about being unconscious even while long resting, coupled with your perception proficiency and high dexterity, means you will be very difficult to catch off guard. 1 bonus language: very useful if you have a bit of insight into the campaign, perhaps pick an adversarial race that you’ve fought and studied. For this build I’ll pick goblin.
Stats: Str 8, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 14, Wis 12 , Cha 8
Background: soldier. Switch intimidation and athletics proficiency for arcana and investigation. Switch vehicle and gaming set proficiency for smiths tools and leather workers tools proficiency. Keep military rank feature, this can come in handy for requisitioning equipment and resources. If the cost for some of these basic items listed is a decent guide, scale male/studded leather wouldn’t be far fetched to requisition.
Starting level: Fighter. level 1 Choose acrobatics and history as your class skills. History can represent your knowledge of military tactics, structure, maneuvers used in historic battles. Save proficiency in constitution and strength. Constitution will be very useful later on while concentrating on spells. proficiency in all armor and weapons gives us flexibility. If the option arises it may be beneficial to wear heavy armor while riding a requisitioned mount for a boost to defense and mobility. second wind: a decent short rest dependent bit of healing. Is a bonus action and not a spell, so we can use this the same turn we attack or cast a spell. fighting style: dueling for +2 damage per one handed weapon attack.
level 2. action surge: an incredible ability that gives you an additional action on your turn. Recharges on a short rest. Can be used to double your already high number of attacks, cast a second leveled 1 action spell, or anything else that might be useful that requires an action when the situation arises.
level 3. Eldritch Knight subclass. 2 wizard cantrips, 3 limited wizard spells known, and 2 spell slots. spells restricted to abjuration/evocation with a few exceptions at various levels. You can also form a bond with a weapon and summon it when needed as a bonus action, and can also never be disarmed while using it. Very niche, but also very dependable. cantrips chosen will be minor illusion and prestidigitation. Your martial prowes negates your need for offensive cantrips as your bow, rapier, and green flame blade racial cantrip already fill the at will damage requirements. Minor illusion and prestidigitation can go a long way with some creativity to fill quite a bit of utility needs. Spells known: absorb elements(abjuration), shield(abjuration), and find familiar(free choice). Your abjuration spells will keep you alive, use reactions to free up your action/bonus actions, and since your AC is good your small amount of spell slots will only be used sparingly when you need them. Absorb elements adds to your melee damage which is a part of the spell that’s rarely utilized by other casters. Find familiar gives you it’s normal benefits with exception of ritual casting, which can be mitigated a bit if the familiar lasts a while and is summoned again during downtime. You can also utilize the familiars sight to teleport with misty step, even through or around cover.
level 4. Feat/ability score improvement: fey teleportation. you learn/know the spell Misty step, can cast it once per short rest for free, and gain a +1 to Intelligence. The Short rest dependent teleport synergizes with the fighter abilities nicely. This also adds a precious spell known from a school that bypasses the Eldritch knights spell restrictions that is on the wizards spell list, so it can be cast with 2 level spell slots when they are acquired. You gain a 3rd 1st level spell slot. you gain an additional spell known: protection from good and evil to be even more tanky. You also learn sylvan as a language.
At 5th level. extra attack, attack twice with a single attack action. Great when you find the right moment to action surge.
level 6. Feat/ability score improvement: +1 Con/+1 Wis. evens out constitution, and makes wisdom odd score at 13. Wisdom is set up for resilient Wisdem feat later at level 12. Wisdom saves will be a backside way to take you out of the fight, as well as incapacitate you to end your concentration with a different save besides Constitution.
Level 7. War magic feature: will give you the ability to make a single weapon attack as a bonus action after you cast a 1 action cantrip. Makes green flame better than attack action the majority of the time now. you gain an additional 1st level slot and 2 2nd level slots. This brings you up to 4 1st level slots and 2 2nd level slots. While being able to short rest misty step and now having the ability to cast misty step using a 2nd level slot if necessary. You gain a spell known, up to 5 spells known by the Eldritch Knight chart. At this point we have to choose between switching out our free spell find familiar for shadow blade, or waiting a level for the next free spell known. I’d take shadow blade as it wildly increases your damage potential, and is the basis of this build. Bonus action casting for a finesse/psychic weapon that also gives advantage to your rolls depending on light conditions is ridiculous. You can also use green flame blade cantrip with this weapon, and the same round you cast it.
level 8. free spell known. I’ll pick up find familiar again. It’s just too useful to do without. Shadow blade is basically the only spell you will need for damage for the rest of this builds career. Feat/ability score improvement: elven accuracy with dex focus. This synergizes incredibly well with your shadow blade spell and potentially your darkvision if you need to make ranged attacks in the dark or are out of spells. The +1 to dex brings us up to 18 dexterity, raising our skills, initiative, expected damage/accuracy, and dex saves.
level 9. indomitable feature: get to reroll a save we KNOW we failed, after the fail. Can be done once per long rest, but can be very powerful.
level 10. Eldritch strike feature: any creature we hit with a weapon attack will have disadvantage vs our spells that force a saving throw. We don’t have any spells that force a save yet, but we can choose them now. Additional spell known: Shatter. Small AOE, can affect mutilple creatures potentially using our slot more effectively. Benefits from Eldritch strike to weaken specific targeted creatures. Additional cantrip: Toll The Dead. Single target, decent damage, ranged, benefits from both war magic AND Eldritch strike. Since war magic and Eldritch strike specify “weapon attacks” the longbow is a solid option. You also get an additional 2nd level slot, so you could shadow blade 3 times a day with great chances to maintain concentration.
At 11th level. extra attack upgrade, can now make 3 attacks per attack action. Shadow blade, elven accuracy, extra attack, and action surge can do a ridiculous amount of damage to a single creature, or potentially multiple of the one dies amidst the now 6 possible 2d8+6 attacks at possibly triple advantage. Additional spell known: arcane lock. Sometimes the best defense is going right back out the door you came in, magically locking it, and increasing the DC to break it or open it by 10. Notices that there isn’t a size limit on the entryway. Sometimes put it on the gate to a castle. Also it’s better than people think, and you know the wizard isnt going to prepare it.
level 12. feat/ability score: resilient wisdom. Evens out our wisdom increasing our wisdom save from+1 to +6. Also boosts our perception to +6.
level 13. Level 3 spells known and 2 level 3 slots. 1 additional free spell known: mirror image level 2 spell. Our dexterity increases the potency of this spell, it uses a 2nd level slot we may not need for shadow blade, and it’s non concentration. we switch out shatter for fireball, though we plan not to use it. shadowblades damage is upcast with level 3 slots, so now we can choose between 2d8+6 or 3d8+6 per attack. 6(3d8+6) with advantage is quite a bit of damage. we can now cast shadowblade up to 5 times a day. An additional use of your powerful indomitable feature for saving throws, now 2 uses per long rest.
level 14. feat/ability score: observant feat. This increases your already decent passive investigation and passive perception skills to 23 and 22 respectively. This also evens out your intelligence to a 16, increasing your int skills a bit and also improving your spell save DC to 16. Additional spell known: non detection. It’s a a very useful spell that at this level of gameplay may be necessary for use, even if only during downtime. It’s long 8 hour duration makes your spell slots last a little more and it’s no concentration.
level 15. you can now teleport 30ft to a spot you can see when you use action surge. You can use this ability before OR after you use the additional action gained. This can work in a lot of wonky tactics, and also goes well with your free misty step you get per short rest if you want to also immediately leave the area you went to. Your darkvision ensures you get the most out of it. Also works with your familiars vision if it’s still alive.
level 16. feat/ability score improvement: +2 Dexterity, up to 20 now. This boosts initiative, dex saves, your dexterity checks/skills, and your AC with studded armor and a shield to 19. additional spell known: counterspell. Could have gotten earlier perhaps, but your ability check and low number of spell slots are usually better spend killing the caster with shadowblade. If the caster survives your onslaught of attacks, you may need this to survive. A small chance of stopping a power word kill from being cast is better than no chance of living through it.
At 17th level. An additional action surge per short rest. Pretty ridiculous. A 3rd use of indomitable per long rest, also really good. at your stats and proficiency you no longer can fail concentration saves caused by 21 damage or less.
level 18. Improved war magic: you can now make a bonus action weapon attack after casting a leveled spell with your action. Very limited, but might work well with your fireballs as your weapon attacks can soften up targets by imposing disadvantage on saves, and after the cast, the bonus action weapon attack can keep the target saves at disadvantage for the next turn if it survives. Also causes disadvantage on throws for spells with saving throws that have repeating saves. Perhaps good for banishment or hold person if you want to use them.
level 19. feat/ability score: sentinel, this goes well your mirror image spell And shadow blade. If a creature attacks one of your images because of the spell feature or a teammate, you can attack for a potential 3d8+7 damage as a reaction. Also creatures aren’t going to be able to get away from you very well since they can’t disengage effectively, and you have multiple teleportation options to chase them down if necessary.
At 20th level and final thoughts. Final Extra attack boost, you now attack 4 times per attack action. This build is capable of damage that surpasses most greatweapon/sharp shooter builds, even if those builds are using +3 weapons. It does so while not sacrificing accuracy. All of this while being competitive with saves, AC, and maintaining utility from cantrips, spells, and skills. Disadvantage shadow blade action surge: 90 avg damage Regular shadow blade action surge: 120 avg damage Advantage shadow blade action surge: 178 avg damage One 4th level slot and free spell known: dimension door is great escapes, and stoneskin continues the theme of defense. I take dimension door for this build.
final stats: 8 strength(+5 save), 20 dexterity(+5 save), 16 constitution(+9 save), 16 intelligence(+3 save), 14 wisdom(+8 save), 8 charisma(-1 save) 19 AC, 184 hitpoints, +5 initiative. 24 pasive investigation, 23 passive perception. 3 30ft slotless teleports per shortrest between feat and action surges. versatile damage with ability to use range effectively if necessary.
Transmorpher's 'Legolish'. Because it's very rare that you see someone make an even halfway effective use of the whole "CAST DARKNESS YOU CAN SEE THROUGH" trick without taking levels in half a dozen classes and building the sort of Rube Goldberg machine that will work maybe once a campaign at best.
Lelogish looks like it would be heckin fun to play. So that is where my vote is going, honorable mention to chicken for a fairly unique one.
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"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
My votes goes to Heroes bugbear, for utilizing the class ability (horizon walkers teleport between attacks) which to me most clearly evokes the theme of a magical warrior enhancing melee attacks, and which probably would feel the funnest/most unique at the table.
Add another vote for Ling. He might struggle if the fight goes on for a long while but it's still a solid build. Lelogish was a close second but it seems a bit over-reliant on the advantages of Darkness which can be easily negated. Also if the shadow dog is used it's going to be a lot harder to get a sneak attack.
I'm voting for TransmorpherDDS' 'Yuan-Ti Warlock/Paladin' , as I think that although the pallock is often made, this one was different. I like the familiar, as that was useful for all three pillars of the game, and that it just seemed very fun to play. That seals my vote (though the other builds are all very good, and I found it so hard to choose!).
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'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
Add another vote for Ling. He might struggle if the fight goes on for a long while but it's still a solid build. Lelogish was a close second but it seems a bit over-reliant on the advantages of Darkness which can be easily negated. Also if the shadow dog is used it's going to be a lot harder to get a sneak attack.
Oh? Sorry I'm just not sure how the shadow dog makes it harder to get sneak attack. Did I miss something in the build?
He's probably considering the idea that Swashbucklers don't necessarily want nearby allies. Possibly forgetting that Swashbuckler can still use nearby allies to trigger their Sneak Attack. Heh, the hound actually works quite well to allow you to batter a target with SneakaBooms regardless of anything else. It's a nice build. I'm just ever so slightly depressed it's beating the elven hotpants off of Aine :P
Add another vote for Ling. He might struggle if the fight goes on for a long while but it's still a solid build. Lelogish was a close second but it seems a bit over-reliant on the advantages of Darkness which can be easily negated. Also if the shadow dog is used it's going to be a lot harder to get a sneak attack.
Oh? Sorry I'm just not sure how the shadow dog makes it harder to get sneak attack. Did I miss something in the build?
My bad, I was misremembering something about the Rakish Audacity ability. Never mind.
Dang, I posted a gish build a few days ago, but hadn't noticed this thread at that time. With a little polishing it might have got here nicely.
Does anyone mind if I post a surplus build here, even though it is too late to partake in the voting?
Feel free to add your build to the thread (part of the intention behind these is that they act as a library of themed builds for people to reference), just as long as you understand that your build is too late to be part of the competition aspect.
Also note that you can still vote just fine. Heh, you don't need to have submitted a build to be able to crush hearts and dreams by picking only one build to Win It All :P
Also note that you can still vote just fine. Heh, you don't need to have submitted a build to be able to crush hearts and dreams by picking only one build to Win It All :P
So. Have you got an idea who you want to support?
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'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
I already cast my vote. Legolish, the SwashShadowBucklorcerer. it's the sort of thing I could see myself building as a backup for when the DM finally has enough of my shit in Tursk and decides to make good on his four thousand and three threats to feed my character to the eldritch monster that cursed her. Hueh.
I already cast my vote. Legolish, the SwashShadowBucklorcerer. it's the sort of thing I could see myself building as a backup for when the DM finally has enough of my shit in Tursk and decides to make good on his four thousand and three threats to feed my character to the eldritch monster that cursed her. Hueh.
Nice.
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'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
Makes sense. Thanks.
A fool pulls the leaves. A brute chops the trunk. A sage digs the roots.
My Improved Lineage System
The OP has now been updated with a compiled list of builds, please try and quote the build you're voting for (snipping the content to avoid thread spam), it makes thinks a lot easier for me!
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Level 20 level split: 20 levels of fighter, Eldritch Knight subclass
Race: elf, high elf subrace.
the racial cantrip will be green flame blade. This gives a taste of arcane Magic’s that you have dabbled in. Dexterity and Intelligence racial bonus’s will help with marital prowess and skills invested in to represent your arcane knowledge too. Arcana proficiency allows for the ability to make spell scrolls if you have the time, money, and spells known/prepared. This character can make use of spell scrolls as the low level spells will be cheap and effective.
Darkvision: while often taken for granted, is still powerful.
proficiency: in perception is also quite nice as a racial bonus.
Fey Ancestry: immunity to magic sleep can be powerful. Advantage vs being charmed is wonderful for a strong melee combatant, since this condition literally prevents you from attacking certain foes.
trance: much faster long rest time can be quite useful. Not having to worry about being unconscious even while long resting, coupled with your perception proficiency and high dexterity, means you will be very difficult to catch off guard.
1 bonus language: very useful if you have a bit of insight into the campaign, perhaps pick an adversarial race that you’ve fought and studied. For this build I’ll pick goblin.
Stats: Str 8, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 14, Wis 12 , Cha 8
Background: soldier.
Switch intimidation and athletics proficiency for arcana and investigation.
Switch vehicle and gaming set proficiency for smiths tools and leather workers tools proficiency.
Keep military rank feature, this can come in handy for requisitioning equipment and resources. If the cost for some of these basic items listed is a decent guide, scale male/studded leather wouldn’t be far fetched to requisition.
Starting level: Fighter.
level 1
Choose acrobatics and history as your class skills. History can represent your knowledge of military tactics, structure, maneuvers used in historic battles.
Save proficiency in constitution and strength. Constitution will be very useful later on while concentrating on spells.
proficiency in all armor and weapons gives us flexibility.
If the option arises it may be beneficial to wear heavy armor while riding a requisitioned mount for a boost to defense and mobility.
second wind: a decent short rest dependent bit of healing. Is a bonus action and not a spell, so we can use this the same turn we attack or cast a spell.
fighting style: dueling for +2 damage per one handed weapon attack.
level 2.
action surge: an incredible ability that gives you an additional action on your turn. Recharges on a short rest. Can be used to double your already high number of attacks, cast a second leveled 1 action spell, or anything else that might be useful that requires an action when the situation arises.
level 3.
Eldritch Knight subclass.
2 wizard cantrips, 3 limited wizard spells known, and 2 spell slots.
spells restricted to abjuration/evocation with a few exceptions at various levels. You can also form a bond with a weapon and summon it when needed as a bonus action, and can also never be disarmed while using it. Very niche, but also very dependable.
cantrips chosen will be minor illusion and prestidigitation. Your martial prowes negates your need for offensive cantrips as your bow, rapier, and green flame blade racial cantrip already fill the at will damage requirements. Minor illusion and prestidigitation can go a long way with some creativity to fill quite a bit of utility needs.
Spells known: absorb elements(abjuration), shield(abjuration), and find familiar(free choice). Your abjuration spells will keep you alive, use reactions to free up your action/bonus actions, and since your AC is good your small amount of spell slots will only be used sparingly when you need them. Absorb elements adds to your melee damage which is a part of the spell that’s rarely utilized by other casters. Find familiar gives you it’s normal benefits with exception of ritual casting, which can be mitigated a bit if the familiar lasts a while and is summoned again during downtime. You can also utilize the familiars sight to teleport with misty step, even through or around cover.
level 4.
Feat/ability score improvement: fey teleportation.
you learn/know the spell Misty step, can cast it once per short rest for free, and gain a +1 to Intelligence. The Short rest dependent teleport synergizes with the fighter abilities nicely. This also adds a precious spell known from a school that bypasses the Eldritch knights spell restrictions that is on the wizards spell list, so it can be cast with 2 level spell slots when they are acquired.
You gain a 3rd 1st level spell slot.
you gain an additional spell known: protection from good and evil to be even more tanky.
You also learn sylvan as a language.
At 5th level.
extra attack, attack twice with a single attack action. Great when you find the right moment to action surge.
level 6.
Feat/ability score improvement: +1 Con/+1 Wis. evens out constitution, and makes wisdom odd score at 13. Wisdom is set up for resilient Wisdem feat later at level 12. Wisdom saves will be a backside way to take you out of the fight, as well as incapacitate you to end your concentration with a different save besides Constitution.
Level 7.
War magic feature: will give you the ability to make a single weapon attack as a bonus action after you cast a 1 action cantrip. Makes green flame better than attack action the majority of the time now.
you gain an additional 1st level slot and 2 2nd level slots. This brings you up to 4 1st level slots and 2 2nd level slots. While being able to short rest misty step and now having the ability to cast misty step using a 2nd level slot if necessary.
You gain a spell known, up to 5 spells known by the Eldritch Knight chart. At this point we have to choose between switching out our free spell find familiar for shadow blade, or waiting a level for the next free spell known. I’d take shadow blade as it wildly increases your damage potential, and is the basis of this build. Bonus action casting for a finesse/psychic weapon that also gives advantage to your rolls depending on light conditions is ridiculous. You can also use green flame blade cantrip with this weapon, and the same round you cast it.
level 8.
free spell known. I’ll pick up find familiar again. It’s just too useful to do without. Shadow blade is basically the only spell you will need for damage for the rest of this builds career.
Feat/ability score improvement: elven accuracy with dex focus. This synergizes incredibly well with your shadow blade spell and potentially your darkvision if you need to make ranged attacks in the dark or are out of spells. The +1 to dex brings us up to 18 dexterity, raising our skills, initiative, expected damage/accuracy, and dex saves.
level 9.
indomitable feature: get to reroll a save we KNOW we failed, after the fail. Can be done once per long rest, but can be very powerful.
level 10.
Eldritch strike feature: any creature we hit with a weapon attack will have disadvantage vs our spells that force a saving throw. We don’t have any spells that force a save yet, but we can choose them now.
Additional spell known: Shatter. Small AOE, can affect mutilple creatures potentially using our slot more effectively. Benefits from Eldritch strike to weaken specific targeted creatures.
Additional cantrip: Toll The Dead. Single target, decent damage, ranged, benefits from both war magic AND Eldritch strike. Since war magic and Eldritch strike specify “weapon attacks” the longbow is a solid option.
You also get an additional 2nd level slot, so you could shadow blade 3 times a day with great chances to maintain concentration.
At 11th level.
extra attack upgrade, can now make 3 attacks per attack action. Shadow blade, elven accuracy, extra attack, and action surge can do a ridiculous amount of damage to a single creature, or potentially multiple of the one dies amidst the now 6 possible 2d8+6 attacks at possibly triple advantage.
Additional spell known: arcane lock. Sometimes the best defense is going right back out the door you came in, magically locking it, and increasing the DC to break it or open it by 10. Notices that there isn’t a size limit on the entryway. Sometimes put it on the gate to a castle. Also it’s better than people think, and you know the wizard isnt going to prepare it.
level 12.
feat/ability score: resilient wisdom. Evens out our wisdom increasing our wisdom save from+1 to +6. Also boosts our perception to +6.
level 13.
Level 3 spells known and 2 level 3 slots.
1 additional free spell known: mirror image level 2 spell. Our dexterity increases the potency of this spell, it uses a 2nd level slot we may not need for shadow blade, and it’s non concentration.
we switch out shatter for fireball, though we plan not to use it.
shadowblades damage is upcast with level 3 slots, so now we can choose between 2d8+6 or 3d8+6 per attack. 6(3d8+6) with advantage is quite a bit of damage.
we can now cast shadowblade up to 5 times a day.
An additional use of your powerful indomitable feature for saving throws, now 2 uses per long rest.
level 14.
feat/ability score: observant feat. This increases your already decent passive investigation and passive perception skills to 23 and 22 respectively.
This also evens out your intelligence to a 16, increasing your int skills a bit and also improving your spell save DC to 16.
Additional spell known: non detection. It’s a a very useful spell that at this level of gameplay may be necessary for use, even if only during downtime. It’s long 8 hour duration makes your spell slots last a little more and it’s no concentration.
level 15.
you can now teleport 30ft to a spot you can see when you use action surge. You can use this ability before OR after you use the additional action gained. This can work in a lot of wonky tactics, and also goes well with your free misty step you get per short rest if you want to also immediately leave the area you went to. Your darkvision ensures you get the most out of it. Also works with your familiars vision if it’s still alive.
level 16.
feat/ability score improvement: +2 Dexterity, up to 20 now. This boosts initiative, dex saves, your dexterity checks/skills, and your AC with studded armor and a shield to 19.
additional spell known: counterspell. Could have gotten earlier perhaps, but your ability check and low number of spell slots are usually better spend killing the caster with shadowblade. If the caster survives your onslaught of attacks, you may need this to survive. A small chance of stopping a power word kill from being cast is better than no chance of living through it.
At 17th level.
An additional action surge per short rest. Pretty ridiculous.
A 3rd use of indomitable per long rest, also really good.
at your stats and proficiency you no longer can fail concentration saves caused by 21 damage or less.
level 18.
Improved war magic: you can now make a bonus action weapon attack after casting a leveled spell with your action. Very limited, but might work well with your fireballs as your weapon attacks can soften up targets by imposing disadvantage on saves, and after the cast, the bonus action weapon attack can keep the target saves at disadvantage for the next turn if it survives. Also causes disadvantage on throws for spells with saving throws that have repeating saves. Perhaps good for banishment or hold person if you want to use them.
level 19.
feat/ability score: sentinel, this goes well your mirror image spell And shadow blade. If a creature attacks one of your images because of the spell feature or a teammate, you can attack for a potential 3d8+7 damage as a reaction. Also creatures aren’t going to be able to get away from you very well since they can’t disengage effectively, and you have multiple teleportation options to chase them down if necessary.
At 20th level and final thoughts.
Final Extra attack boost, you now attack 4 times per attack action. This build is capable of damage that surpasses most greatweapon/sharp shooter builds, even if those builds are using +3 weapons. It does so while not sacrificing accuracy. All of this while being competitive with saves, AC, and maintaining utility from cantrips, spells, and skills.
Disadvantage shadow blade action surge: 90 avg damage
Regular shadow blade action surge: 120 avg damage
Advantage shadow blade action surge: 178 avg damage
One 4th level slot and free spell known: dimension door is great escapes, and stoneskin continues the theme of defense. I take dimension door for this build.
final stats: 8 strength(+5 save), 20 dexterity(+5 save), 16 constitution(+9 save), 16 intelligence(+3 save), 14 wisdom(+8 save), 8 charisma(-1 save)
19 AC, 184 hitpoints, +5 initiative.
24 pasive investigation, 23 passive perception.
3 30ft slotless teleports per shortrest between feat and action surges.
versatile damage with ability to use range effectively if necessary.
My vote is for yurei1453’s Aine, avandras blade build.
hero zeros build was a close second though.
Transmorpher's 'Legolish'. Because it's very rare that you see someone make an even halfway effective use of the whole "CAST DARKNESS YOU CAN SEE THROUGH" trick without taking levels in half a dozen classes and building the sort of Rube Goldberg machine that will work maybe once a campaign at best.
Besides. Rogue solidarity, yo.
Please do not contact or message me.
Lelogish looks like it would be heckin fun to play. So that is where my vote is going, honorable mention to chicken for a fairly unique one.
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
My votes goes to Heroes bugbear, for utilizing the class ability (horizon walkers teleport between attacks) which to me most clearly evokes the theme of a magical warrior enhancing melee attacks, and which probably would feel the funnest/most unique at the table.
dndbeyond.com forum tags
I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
Add another vote for Ling. He might struggle if the fight goes on for a long while but it's still a solid build. Lelogish was a close second but it seems a bit over-reliant on the advantages of Darkness which can be easily negated. Also if the shadow dog is used it's going to be a lot harder to get a sneak attack.
I'm voting for TransmorpherDDS' 'Yuan-Ti Warlock/Paladin' , as I think that although the pallock is often made, this one was different. I like the familiar, as that was useful for all three pillars of the game, and that it just seemed very fun to play. That seals my vote (though the other builds are all very good, and I found it so hard to choose!).
'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
I'll worldbuild for your DnD games!
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Oh? Sorry I'm just not sure how the shadow dog makes it harder to get sneak attack. Did I miss something in the build?
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He's probably considering the idea that Swashbucklers don't necessarily want nearby allies. Possibly forgetting that Swashbuckler can still use nearby allies to trigger their Sneak Attack. Heh, the hound actually works quite well to allow you to batter a target with SneakaBooms regardless of anything else. It's a nice build. I'm just ever so slightly depressed it's beating the elven hotpants off of Aine :P
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My bad, I was misremembering something about the Rakish Audacity ability. Never mind.
Lots of cool builds here but for me Aine was the one I'd be most interested to play. +1
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
This is looking very even. I wish the rest of you good luck!
'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
I'll worldbuild for your DnD games!
Just a D&D enjoyer, check out my fiverr page if you need any worldbuilding done for ya!
Dang, I posted a gish build a few days ago, but hadn't noticed this thread at that time. With a little polishing it might have got here nicely.
Does anyone mind if I post a surplus build here, even though it is too late to partake in the voting?
Feel free to add your build to the thread (part of the intention behind these is that they act as a library of themed builds for people to reference), just as long as you understand that your build is too late to be part of the competition aspect.
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Also note that you can still vote just fine. Heh, you don't need to have submitted a build to be able to crush hearts and dreams by picking only one build to Win It All :P
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So. Have you got an idea who you want to support?
'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
I'll worldbuild for your DnD games!
Just a D&D enjoyer, check out my fiverr page if you need any worldbuilding done for ya!
I already cast my vote. Legolish, the SwashShadowBucklorcerer. it's the sort of thing I could see myself building as a backup for when the DM finally has enough of my shit in Tursk and decides to make good on his four thousand and three threats to feed my character to the eldritch monster that cursed her. Hueh.
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Nice.
'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
I'll worldbuild for your DnD games!
Just a D&D enjoyer, check out my fiverr page if you need any worldbuilding done for ya!