My friends and I have decided to restart our Curse of Strahd campaign from the beginning. That being said, we are going to run it with a 3 person party consisting of a druid, a fighter, and me. Why am I building a sorcadin when I should be building a cleric? I accidentally got my DM and myself too attached to the paladin concept and backstory I came up with, and now I feel like l have to do it. (I can explain the concept as needed.) There is enough room in the concept to turn it into a sorcadin build. I also want to build so that it's viable to play, not necessarily optimized. I don’t want an arms race with the DM and drag the party down with me. We are starting at level 3, so we're skipping the Death House.
Using a 4d6 drop lowest stat rolls; I was thinking raw stats before racial bonuses should be as follows: STR=14, DEX=11, CON=14, WIS=12, INT=12, CHA=17. The non-negotiables in order to be in line with the concept is Oath of Devotion and a Haunted One background. DM has ruled no 3rd party content and will likely say no to extremely exotic races unless I can persuade otherwise via a good roleplay angle (or for the lolz). I was thinking about taking half-elf as the race.
I am having trouble choosing a bloodline and deciding when to switch between the two classes. My first instinct for bloodline is Divine Soul for the obvious lack of a cleric in the party, but is it really that worth doing? Also, to what degree is it beneficial for me to build to be more sorcerer or paladin? I've only done single class characters before, so advice on this front would be much appreciated.
Devotion paladin uses its channel divinity to add Cha to hit things. This can allow you to focus more on Charisma over strength and still be effective in melee. As for the split, 6 levels of paladin getting you access to your aura is always useful and a good place to stop. From there adding sorcerer levels will steadily make your casting and smiting more and more powerful.
Devotion paladin uses its channel divinity to add Cha to hit things. This can allow you to focus more on Charisma over strength and still be effective in melee. As for the split, 6 levels of paladin getting you access to your aura is always useful and a good place to stop. From there adding sorcerer levels will steadily make your casting and smiting more and more powerful.
Add in a single level dip into Warlock for Pact of the Blade (and Eldritch Blast for a ranged option), and your Paladin will be adding their Charisma modifier to their hit chance twice. At level 4 your hit chance would be +10 (assuming 18 Charisma), not including magic weapons. It's a very potent mix. Pally 6/Warlock 1/Sorcerer X. I'd stick with medium armor, starting at level 1 with 14 Dex, 16 Con, and 17 Charisma, then take a feat at Paladin 4 to get to 18 Charisma before capping it once you get to Sorcerer 4 (character level 11).
Devotion paladin uses its channel divinity to add Cha to hit things. This can allow you to focus more on Charisma over strength and still be effective in melee. As for the split, 6 levels of paladin getting you access to your aura is always useful and a good place to stop. From there adding sorcerer levels will steadily make your casting and smiting more and more powerful.
Add in a single level dip into Warlock for Pact of the Blade (and Eldritch Blast for a ranged option), and your Paladin will be adding their Charisma modifier to their hit chance twice. At level 4 your hit chance would be +10 (assuming 18 Charisma), not including magic weapons. It's a very potent mix. Pally 6/Warlock 1/Sorcerer X. I'd stick with medium armor, starting at level 1 with 14 Dex, 16 Con, and 17 Charisma, then take a feat at Paladin 4 to get to 18 Charisma before capping it once you get to Sorcerer 4 (character level 11).
I wanna say go for two levels in warlock it you are going to do this so you get agonizing blast, but you are already stretched pretty thin. Then again, AB is still good on its’ own. Plus it sounds like a backup plan anyway, as you are mainly doing this for Pact of the Blade, so don’t worry about it! Seriously, cleric spells with metamqgic is OP, and those high level smites? *Chef’s kiss* (My main use to have the chef feat, so I can say that.)
Oh, and you more than likely already notice, but since you are going medium armor anyway, I would start in Sorcerer, then Warlock, next the six levels of Paladin and finally finish it with sorcerer again. It will push things back, but getting proficiency saves in constitution is worth it and getting eldritch blast soon after will carry you until your Paladin levels can do the same or help.
Like I said in my original post, we are starting at level 3.
The min-maxer in me loves the idea of adding a warlock dip to the build, but I'm mildly terrified of what my DM might do in response. On top of that, I don't know if the concept I have could fit *both* a sorcerer *and* a warlock pact. I think I would have to pick one in order to stay true to the idea my DM and I fell in love with.
I forgot to mention, but the DM was stingy with magic items and money the last time we played Curse of Strahd. It wasn't too much of a big deal, as there is nothing to buy in Barovia. But, going forward, it's probably best to assume that I won't be getting very many gear upgrades. Plus, the DM has also ruled that despite starting at level 3, we will not be getting any additional gold to start out with beyond starting equipment and background gear.
Like I said in my original post, we are starting at level 3.
The min-maxer in me loves the idea of adding a warlock dip to the build, but I'm mildly terrified of what my DM might do in response. On top of that, I don't know if the concept I have could fit *both* a sorcerer *and* a warlock pact. I think I would have to pick one in order to stay true to the idea my DM and I fell in love with.
I forgot to mention, but the DM was stingy with magic items and money the last time we played Curse of Strahd. It wasn't too much of a big deal, as there is nothing to buy in Barovia. But, going forward, it's probably best to assume that I won't be getting very many gear upgrades. Plus, the DM has also ruled that despite starting at level 3, we will not be getting any additional gold to start out with beyond starting equipment and background gear.
Opps, my bad! I didn’t see it. Anyway, my point was that’s good because you don’t have to start in a rut so much. If it were 2 you’d be splitting your chips, but 3 you can have more than that
i don’t entirely get what you mean by what your DM will do in response. If it’s about a contract or a patron, you technically don’t have to pick one until level 3. Maybe they might tempt you, but you can always say no. Again though, it’s just a thought. Sorcerers have decent ranged abilities via Sorcerous Burst, Fire Bolt and in your case the eventual option of sacred fire once you get divine soul as your subclass.
Opps, my bad! I didn’t see it. Anyway, my point was that’s good because you don’t have to start in a rut so much. If it were 2 you’d be splitting your chips, but 3 you can have more than that
i don’t entirely get what you mean by what your DM will do in response. If it’s about a contract or a patron, you technically don’t have to pick one until level 3. Maybe they might tempt you, but you can always say no. Again though, it’s just a thought. Sorcerers have decent ranged abilities via Sorcerous Burst, Fire Bolt and in your case the eventual option of sacred fire once you get divine soul as your subclass.
What I mean by "mildly terrified" is when the DM says "Do not try to break my game, or else I will try to break you," you take the threat seriously. Especially when she has a history of follow through. It may look like nerfs. It may look like drastically altering the encounters. It may look like killing off your favorite NPC. This particular DM is one I like to be on the good side of.
Also, given that you have to pick a warlock subclass at 1st level, doesn't that mean you have a patron already? The details of the agreement can be fuzzy until 3rd level and you pick the nature of the pact, but you still have a patron giving you power, right?
Devotion paladin uses its channel divinity to add Cha to hit things. This can allow you to focus more on Charisma over strength and still be effective in melee. As for the split, 6 levels of paladin getting you access to your aura is always useful and a good place to stop. From there adding sorcerer levels will steadily make your casting and smiting more and more powerful.
Add in a single level dip into Warlock for Pact of the Blade (and Eldritch Blast for a ranged option), and your Paladin will be adding their Charisma modifier to their hit chance twice. At level 4 your hit chance would be +10 (assuming 18 Charisma), not including magic weapons. It's a very potent mix. Pally 6/Warlock 1/Sorcerer X. I'd stick with medium armor, starting at level 1 with 14 Dex, 16 Con, and 17 Charisma, then take a feat at Paladin 4 to get to 18 Charisma before capping it once you get to Sorcerer 4 (character level 11).
I'm a little confused about the stats you've suggested. Are these the raw scores or have you applied the racial bonuses? It's been awhile since I played a warlock, but don't pacts like pact of the blade come with 3rd level and not 1st?
Opps, my bad! I didn’t see it. Anyway, my point was that’s good because you don’t have to start in a rut so much. If it were 2 you’d be splitting your chips, but 3 you can have more than that
i don’t entirely get what you mean by what your DM will do in response. If it’s about a contract or a patron, you technically don’t have to pick one until level 3. Maybe they might tempt you, but you can always say no. Again though, it’s just a thought. Sorcerers have decent ranged abilities via Sorcerous Burst, Fire Bolt and in your case the eventual option of sacred fire once you get divine soul as your subclass.
What I mean by "mildly terrified" is when the DM says "Do not try to break my game, or else I will try to break you," you take the threat seriously. Especially when she has a history of follow through. It may look like nerfs. It may look like drastically altering the encounters. It may look like killing off your favorite NPC. This particular DM is one I like to be on the good side of.
Also, given that you have to pick a warlock subclass at 1st level, doesn't that mean you have a patron already? The details of the agreement can be fuzzy until 3rd level and you pick the nature of the pact, but you still have a patron giving you power, right?
Ouch. Sorry to hear that.
Actually, under 2024 rules all classes get their subclass s at level 3 now, including the pacts you make for a subclass in warlock. It’s kind of a grey area, but technically one could argue that you have no patron. Or are you playing with 2014 rules and i missed that too?
Having said that, I could see your DM using that against you somehow, so perhaps the Sorcadin is the better choice. …heck, I’d be scared to multiclass after reading what you said, but it’s all up to you.
I was curious what I would do under your specifications and wanted to try it for myself. Plus I did it level by level and made a huge discovery: you should actually start in Paladin! The way your specific race works from 2014 you can start with a 15 in strength which lets you wear heavy armor while still having an awesome Charisma score. You can get Resilient:Constitution feat to boost your Con score later anyway, which if you take constitution as one of your +1’s lets you even it out. Before that though, i would take a feat to balance out your 15 strength. I personally chose Mounted Combatant since your subclass gets you a free ride. Before that still, you should definitely take War Caster to max out your Charisma and let you use your shield when casting sorcerer spells (among other great things). For your last feat, unfortunately you can’t get an Epic Boon feat. You can if you are level 20 long enough and your DM is a gracious… oh yeah. Nevermind. So, just bump up your dexterity with a +1 feet. i just picked Mage Slayer. Should help with Strahd.
Another thing, there’s an alternative to eldritch blast that i forgot about! At level 2, you can take the Blessed Warrior fighting style to get two spells. The one I’m referring to is Toll of the Dead, which as long as the target is damaged does D12 damage!
You’ll end up with a mounted combatant who can fly and use level 7 smites, as well as a bunch of noteworthy sorcerer and cleric spells.
Again, this was just a thought exercise i did to help me help you. You can use all, some, or none of it, and if you have any questions feel free to let me know.
Devotion paladin uses its channel divinity to add Cha to hit things. This can allow you to focus more on Charisma over strength and still be effective in melee. As for the split, 6 levels of paladin getting you access to your aura is always useful and a good place to stop. From there adding sorcerer levels will steadily make your casting and smiting more and more powerful.
Add in a single level dip into Warlock for Pact of the Blade (and Eldritch Blast for a ranged option), and your Paladin will be adding their Charisma modifier to their hit chance twice. At level 4 your hit chance would be +10 (assuming 18 Charisma), not including magic weapons. It's a very potent mix. Pally 6/Warlock 1/Sorcerer X. I'd stick with medium armor, starting at level 1 with 14 Dex, 16 Con, and 17 Charisma, then take a feat at Paladin 4 to get to 18 Charisma before capping it once you get to Sorcerer 4 (character level 11).
I'm a little confused about the stats you've suggested. Are these the raw scores or have you applied the racial bonuses? It's been awhile since I played a warlock, but don't pacts like pact of the blade come with 3rd level and not 1st?
I was assuming 2024 rules since you didn't specify otherwise. I was also assuming point buy for stats because most table are allowed to use point buy/standard array. The stats I suggested were for after adding the +2/+1 bonuses you get from your background. For the full spread, I would probably go 8 Str, 14 Dex, 15(+1) Con, 8 Int, 10 Wis, 15(+2) Cha.
Devotion paladin uses its channel divinity to add Cha to hit things. This can allow you to focus more on Charisma over strength and still be effective in melee. As for the split, 6 levels of paladin getting you access to your aura is always useful and a good place to stop. From there adding sorcerer levels will steadily make your casting and smiting more and more powerful.
Add in a single level dip into Warlock for Pact of the Blade (and Eldritch Blast for a ranged option), and your Paladin will be adding their Charisma modifier to their hit chance twice. At level 4 your hit chance would be +10 (assuming 18 Charisma), not including magic weapons. It's a very potent mix. Pally 6/Warlock 1/Sorcerer X. I'd stick with medium armor, starting at level 1 with 14 Dex, 16 Con, and 17 Charisma, then take a feat at Paladin 4 to get to 18 Charisma before capping it once you get to Sorcerer 4 (character level 11).
I'm a little confused about the stats you've suggested. Are these the raw scores or have you applied the racial bonuses? It's been awhile since I played a warlock, but don't pacts like pact of the blade come with 3rd level and not 1st?
I was assuming 2024 rules since you didn't specify otherwise. I was also assuming point buy for stats because most table are allowed to use point buy/standard array. The stats I suggested were for after adding the +2/+1 bonuses you get from your background. For the full spread, I would probably go 8 Str, 14 Dex, 15(+1) Con, 8 Int, 10 Wis, 15(+2) Cha.
Actually, they said they rolled for his stats and listed them. Don’t feel bad; I missed the part when they started at level 3. Having said that, I disagree personally. If they starts Pally, they get access to Heavy Armor, so I would assume to pit your bonuses and points in Strength, Constitution and Charisma and dump the rest. It sounds like they don’t get access to many items, so getting the heavy armor at the start may be the best possible armor in the game they can get.
But yeah, I was also confused when I realized Half-Elf was a 2014 only species (race technically). Hopefully they can specify with their DM whether or not they are using 2024 content or not. She sounds like a real stickler for these things, but better to ask now than show up with something wrong. Or worse, OP.
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My friends and I have decided to restart our Curse of Strahd campaign from the beginning. That being said, we are going to run it with a 3 person party consisting of a druid, a fighter, and me. Why am I building a sorcadin when I should be building a cleric? I accidentally got my DM and myself too attached to the paladin concept and backstory I came up with, and now I feel like l have to do it. (I can explain the concept as needed.) There is enough room in the concept to turn it into a sorcadin build. I also want to build so that it's viable to play, not necessarily optimized. I don’t want an arms race with the DM and drag the party down with me. We are starting at level 3, so we're skipping the Death House.
Using a 4d6 drop lowest stat rolls; I was thinking raw stats before racial bonuses should be as follows: STR=14, DEX=11, CON=14, WIS=12, INT=12, CHA=17. The non-negotiables in order to be in line with the concept is Oath of Devotion and a Haunted One background. DM has ruled no 3rd party content and will likely say no to extremely exotic races unless I can persuade otherwise via a good roleplay angle (or for the lolz). I was thinking about taking half-elf as the race.
I am having trouble choosing a bloodline and deciding when to switch between the two classes. My first instinct for bloodline is Divine Soul for the obvious lack of a cleric in the party, but is it really that worth doing? Also, to what degree is it beneficial for me to build to be more sorcerer or paladin? I've only done single class characters before, so advice on this front would be much appreciated.
Devotion paladin uses its channel divinity to add Cha to hit things. This can allow you to focus more on Charisma over strength and still be effective in melee. As for the split, 6 levels of paladin getting you access to your aura is always useful and a good place to stop. From there adding sorcerer levels will steadily make your casting and smiting more and more powerful.
Add in a single level dip into Warlock for Pact of the Blade (and Eldritch Blast for a ranged option), and your Paladin will be adding their Charisma modifier to their hit chance twice. At level 4 your hit chance would be +10 (assuming 18 Charisma), not including magic weapons. It's a very potent mix. Pally 6/Warlock 1/Sorcerer X. I'd stick with medium armor, starting at level 1 with 14 Dex, 16 Con, and 17 Charisma, then take a feat at Paladin 4 to get to 18 Charisma before capping it once you get to Sorcerer 4 (character level 11).
I wanna say go for two levels in warlock it you are going to do this so you get agonizing blast, but you are already stretched pretty thin. Then again, AB is still good on its’ own. Plus it sounds like a backup plan anyway, as you are mainly doing this for Pact of the Blade, so don’t worry about it! Seriously, cleric spells with metamqgic is OP, and those high level smites? *Chef’s kiss*
(My main use to have the chef feat, so I can say that.)
Oh, and you more than likely already notice, but since you are going medium armor anyway, I would start in Sorcerer, then Warlock, next the six levels of Paladin and finally finish it with sorcerer again. It will push things back, but getting proficiency saves in constitution is worth it and getting eldritch blast soon after will carry you until your Paladin levels can do the same or help.
What level are you starting at?
Like I said in my original post, we are starting at level 3.
The min-maxer in me loves the idea of adding a warlock dip to the build, but I'm mildly terrified of what my DM might do in response. On top of that, I don't know if the concept I have could fit *both* a sorcerer *and* a warlock pact. I think I would have to pick one in order to stay true to the idea my DM and I fell in love with.
I forgot to mention, but the DM was stingy with magic items and money the last time we played Curse of Strahd. It wasn't too much of a big deal, as there is nothing to buy in Barovia. But, going forward, it's probably best to assume that I won't be getting very many gear upgrades. Plus, the DM has also ruled that despite starting at level 3, we will not be getting any additional gold to start out with beyond starting equipment and background gear.
Opps, my bad! I didn’t see it. Anyway, my point was that’s good because you don’t have to start in a rut so much. If it were 2 you’d be splitting your chips, but 3 you can have more than that
i don’t entirely get what you mean by what your DM will do in response. If it’s about a contract or a patron, you technically don’t have to pick one until level 3. Maybe they might tempt you, but you can always say no. Again though, it’s just a thought. Sorcerers have decent ranged abilities via Sorcerous Burst, Fire Bolt and in your case the eventual option of sacred fire once you get divine soul as your subclass.
What I mean by "mildly terrified" is when the DM says "Do not try to break my game, or else I will try to break you," you take the threat seriously. Especially when she has a history of follow through. It may look like nerfs. It may look like drastically altering the encounters. It may look like killing off your favorite NPC. This particular DM is one I like to be on the good side of.
Also, given that you have to pick a warlock subclass at 1st level, doesn't that mean you have a patron already? The details of the agreement can be fuzzy until 3rd level and you pick the nature of the pact, but you still have a patron giving you power, right?
I'm a little confused about the stats you've suggested. Are these the raw scores or have you applied the racial bonuses? It's been awhile since I played a warlock, but don't pacts like pact of the blade come with 3rd level and not 1st?
Ouch. Sorry to hear that.
Actually, under 2024 rules all classes get their subclass s at level 3 now, including the pacts you make for a subclass in warlock. It’s kind of a grey area, but technically one could argue that you have no patron. Or are you playing with 2014 rules and i missed that too?
Having said that, I could see your DM using that against you somehow, so perhaps the Sorcadin is the better choice. …heck, I’d be scared to multiclass after reading what you said, but it’s all up to you.
EDIT: O.K. Don't. Be. Mad.
www.dndbeyond.com/sheet-pdfs/Actionsparda_153752643.pdf
I was curious what I would do under your specifications and wanted to try it for myself. Plus I did it level by level and made a huge discovery: you should actually start in Paladin! The way your specific race works from 2014 you can start with a 15 in strength which lets you wear heavy armor while still having an awesome Charisma score. You can get Resilient:Constitution feat to boost your Con score later anyway, which if you take constitution as one of your +1’s lets you even it out. Before that though, i would take a feat to balance out your 15 strength. I personally chose Mounted Combatant since your subclass gets you a free ride. Before that still, you should definitely take War Caster to max out your Charisma and let you use your shield when casting sorcerer spells (among other great things). For your last feat, unfortunately you can’t get an Epic Boon feat. You can if you are level 20 long enough and your DM is a gracious… oh yeah. Nevermind. So, just bump up your dexterity with a +1 feet. i just picked Mage Slayer. Should help with Strahd.
Another thing, there’s an alternative to eldritch blast that i forgot about! At level 2, you can take the Blessed Warrior fighting style to get two spells. The one I’m referring to is Toll of the Dead, which as long as the target is damaged does D12 damage!
You’ll end up with a mounted combatant who can fly and use level 7 smites, as well as a bunch of noteworthy sorcerer and cleric spells.
Again, this was just a thought exercise i did to help me help you. You can use all, some, or none of it, and if you have any questions feel free to let me know.
Good luck, Haunted One.
I was assuming 2024 rules since you didn't specify otherwise. I was also assuming point buy for stats because most table are allowed to use point buy/standard array. The stats I suggested were for after adding the +2/+1 bonuses you get from your background. For the full spread, I would probably go 8 Str, 14 Dex, 15(+1) Con, 8 Int, 10 Wis, 15(+2) Cha.
Actually, they said they rolled for his stats and listed them. Don’t feel bad; I missed the part when they started at level 3. Having said that, I disagree personally. If they starts Pally, they get access to Heavy Armor, so I would assume to pit your bonuses and points in Strength, Constitution and Charisma and dump the rest. It sounds like they don’t get access to many items, so getting the heavy armor at the start may be the best possible armor in the game they can get.
But yeah, I was also confused when I realized Half-Elf was a 2014 only species (race technically). Hopefully they can specify with their DM whether or not they are using 2024 content or not. She sounds like a real stickler for these things, but better to ask now than show up with something wrong. Or worse, OP.