1.anything with at least a +1 cha will work other than that its mostly flavor. second stat being dex or con is preferable if you are going for optimal.
2. noble comes to mind for a social character, but I would suggest reading through all the options and picking the one that you like the flavor of the most, that's what backgrounds are mostly for anyway. RAW swapping the proficiencies and stuff is completely fine (obviously DM has final say but that is RAW).
3. how to distribute the stat array depends on the race you choose, but i would aim for at least a 16 cha and a 14 in both dex and con. rest is mostly flavor but getting a bonus to wis is nice for those perception checks
example of a variant human build with +1 cha +1 con would be
4. cantrips: you'll want firebolt as that is the highest damage cantrip. also take a damaging cantrip that forces a save rather than using an attack role to deal with higher armor enemies (acid splash for instance) for non combat spell friends can be used for social stuff (carefully), minor illusion can be good, prestidigitation can be fun, light is never a bad spell to have. but really firebolt + saving throw cantrip is all you need and the rest is what you think you will have fun with
level 1 spells: shield, mage armor, absorb elements, detect magic. for very low level sleep is a very powerful control spell and thunderwave is a good combo blast/control spell, (swap these out at higher levels though, you will want to save your level 1 slots for shield/mage armor/absorb elements)
level 2 spells: shatter and scorching ray are both good blasts, when you get fireball probably just drop shatter. web is an awesome control spell, and can be combo'd with fire spells for extra damage(loss the control though). misty step is also nice for the gtfouta here, suggestion is also really nice since it is social but can also be used for battlefield control (hey big stupid bodyguard, run away)
level 3 spells: fireball for blasting, hypnotic pattern is another beastly control spell, counterspell to shutdown enemy mages, thunder step for damage+save yourself/an ally
level 4 spells: not great blast spells here, but polymorph is a really good control/buff spell (falls off later though) and dimension door is another great escape spell (wouldn't take more than 1-2 of these escape spells btw), wall of fire is very thematic
level 5 spells: animate objects if you choose the 8 tiny objects is a crazy single target damage spell, cone of cold is a nice blast
level 6 spells: mass suggestion is really good control/social spell, chain lighting if you want another damaging spell.
5. at lvl 4 and 8 bump cha +2 at level 12 take a feat, good feat might be lucky, inspiring leader, warcaster, elemental adept fire
6. starting equipment literally doesn't matter. you can't wear armor use shields and you are subpar with weapons. all you need is a focus/component pouch and you are fully functional. the exception would be with a half elf with 16 dex you with do more damage with a light crossbow than a firebolt cantrip until cantrips scale at lvl 5.
7. bonus answer to question that wasn't asked. I would go with either a red or gold ancestor since those will get you affinity with fire spells which are the most common blast spells.
a here's a half elf build at level 12 if you want something to reference.
I'd recommend tiefling for Cha boost plus access to a few extra useful spells. I'd also go for the charlatan background... It's a ton of fun for social situations. Elemental adept is probably a smart choice of feat... You'll likely end up with a lot of fire spells and it will be a big help to ignore resistance, since fire is great for big boom spells, but is also one of the most resisted damage types.
1.anything with at least a +1 cha will work other than that its mostly flavor. second stat being dex or con is preferable if you are going for optimal.
2. noble comes to mind for a social character, but I would suggest reading through all the options and picking the one that you like the flavor of the most, that's what backgrounds are mostly for anyway. RAW swapping the proficiencies and stuff is completely fine (obviously DM has final say but that is RAW).
3. how to distribute the stat array depends on the race you choose, but i would aim for at least a 16 cha and a 14 in both dex and con. rest is mostly flavor but getting a bonus to wis is nice for those perception checks
example of a variant human build with +1 cha +1 con would be
10 str, 14 dex, 13 (+1) con, 8 int, 12 wis, 15 (+1) cha
half elf choosing +1 dex, +1 con
8 str, 15 (+1) dex, 13 (+1) con, 10 int, 12 wis, 14 (+2) cha
drow
8 str, 12 (+2) dex, 14 con, 10 int, 13 wis, 15 (+1) cha
etc.
4. cantrips: you'll want firebolt as that is the highest damage cantrip. also take a damaging cantrip that forces a save rather than using an attack role to deal with higher armor enemies (acid splash for instance) for non combat spell friends can be used for social stuff (carefully), minor illusion can be good, prestidigitation can be fun, light is never a bad spell to have. but really firebolt + saving throw cantrip is all you need and the rest is what you think you will have fun with
level 1 spells: shield, mage armor, absorb elements, detect magic. for very low level sleep is a very powerful control spell and thunderwave is a good combo blast/control spell, (swap these out at higher levels though, you will want to save your level 1 slots for shield/mage armor/absorb elements)
level 2 spells: shatter and scorching ray are both good blasts, when you get fireball probably just drop shatter. web is an awesome control spell, and can be combo'd with fire spells for extra damage(loss the control though). misty step is also nice for the gtfouta here, suggestion is also really nice since it is social but can also be used for battlefield control (hey big stupid bodyguard, run away)
level 3 spells: fireball for blasting, hypnotic pattern is another beastly control spell, counterspell to shutdown enemy mages, thunder step for damage+save yourself/an ally
level 4 spells: not great blast spells here, but polymorph is a really good control/buff spell (falls off later though) and dimension door is another great escape spell (wouldn't take more than 1-2 of these escape spells btw), wall of fire is very thematic
level 5 spells: animate objects if you choose the 8 tiny objects is a crazy single target damage spell, cone of cold is a nice blast
level 6 spells: mass suggestion is really good control/social spell, chain lighting if you want another damaging spell.
5. at lvl 4 and 8 bump cha +2 at level 12 take a feat, good feat might be lucky, inspiring leader, warcaster, elemental adept fire
6. starting equipment literally doesn't matter. you can't wear armor use shields and you are subpar with weapons. all you need is a focus/component pouch and you are fully functional. the exception would be with a half elf with 16 dex you with do more damage with a light crossbow than a firebolt cantrip until cantrips scale at lvl 5.
7. bonus answer to question that wasn't asked. I would go with either a red or gold ancestor since those will get you affinity with fire spells which are the most common blast spells.
a here's a half elf build at level 12 if you want something to reference.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/profile/Kandoruus/characters/21365988
I'd recommend tiefling for Cha boost plus access to a few extra useful spells. I'd also go for the charlatan background... It's a ton of fun for social situations. Elemental adept is probably a smart choice of feat... You'll likely end up with a lot of fire spells and it will be a big help to ignore resistance, since fire is great for big boom spells, but is also one of the most resisted damage types.
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