So I had this idea of a character that was absolutely obsessed with rope and all its variants. He would carry with him all the rope he physically could, try to sell it or gift it at any opportunity, attempt to make stronger rope out of any acquired monster parts and if there was ever a chance to make a magic item? You guessed it; rope. My question is if there's any class that would also allow me to best make use of rope in a mechanics sense as well. I know the spell rope trick exists but that's about the extent of my ideas.
Remember that the standard rules for Knot-Tying presented in XGtE are as such: Make an INT-based Sleight of Hand check to set the DC for the knot. That DC determines how hard it is to untie the knot (Using the same kind of check) or burst it.
With this in mind, it may be useful to gravitate towards a character that has high INT and proficiency in Sleight of Hand.
I'd recommend an Arcane Trickster Rogue who wields a reflavored whip as their primary weapon and has Expertise in Sleight of Hand. Sneak Attack will counter the whip's d4 damage, all the while granting you reach with a finesse weapon. Then take Rope Trick, Snare, maybe Tasha's Mind Whip, and any other spells that fit the flavor. Just remember that, aside from one spell at 3rd, 8th, 14th, and 20th levels, you can only learn spells from the illusion or enchantment schools of magic. So be sure to grab Snare with your 3rd level free spell, and pick up Rope Trick with your 8th level one.
If you could persuade your DM to allow you to use Shillelagh with rope instead of with a wooden weapon, this might also justify using the rope as a whip. It also or alternatively could lend into use of the thornwhip cantrip.
Druids get spells for crafting, locating and growing plants etc. which could be helpful in regard to your source materials.
He wears a piece of humble rope as his belt. Innocuous and harmful. However, he's woven it so he can use it as a whip. Perhaps you could work out a form of Ki ability that would enable him to stiffen it to use as a staff or as a pole to vault longer distances.
If you'd rather not go Monk, discuss Nets with the DM. Lots of possibilities there.
I could see you dipping into a weird form of Artificer where your chosen material to work with is rope. At level 2 you'd have 4 Infusions known with 2 active at a time. So one infusion might be a Hook (potential to trip or pull an enemy) and the other a spear.
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So I had this idea of a character that was absolutely obsessed with rope and all its variants. He would carry with him all the rope he physically could, try to sell it or gift it at any opportunity, attempt to make stronger rope out of any acquired monster parts and if there was ever a chance to make a magic item? You guessed it; rope. My question is if there's any class that would also allow me to best make use of rope in a mechanics sense as well. I know the spell rope trick exists but that's about the extent of my ideas.
You could ask if you can reflavor a whip to be a rope. A Kensei Monk could use a whip to its fullest potential.
How about the snare spell? It explicitly uses rope.
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My homebrew stuff:
Spells, Monsters, Magic Items, Feats, Subclasses.
I am an Archfey, but nobody seems to notice.
Extended Signature
Remember that the standard rules for Knot-Tying presented in XGtE are as such: Make an INT-based Sleight of Hand check to set the DC for the knot. That DC determines how hard it is to untie the knot (Using the same kind of check) or burst it.
With this in mind, it may be useful to gravitate towards a character that has high INT and proficiency in Sleight of Hand.
I'd recommend an Arcane Trickster Rogue who wields a reflavored whip as their primary weapon and has Expertise in Sleight of Hand. Sneak Attack will counter the whip's d4 damage, all the while granting you reach with a finesse weapon. Then take Rope Trick, Snare, maybe Tasha's Mind Whip, and any other spells that fit the flavor. Just remember that, aside from one spell at 3rd, 8th, 14th, and 20th levels, you can only learn spells from the illusion or enchantment schools of magic. So be sure to grab Snare with your 3rd level free spell, and pick up Rope Trick with your 8th level one.
...Can I steal this idea?...
A PC obsessed with rope... here's some inspiration from pop culture.
If you could persuade your DM to allow you to use Shillelagh with rope instead of with a wooden weapon, this might also justify using the rope as a whip. It also or alternatively could lend into use of the thornwhip cantrip.
Druids get spells for crafting, locating and growing plants etc. which could be helpful in regard to your source materials.
Of course, a Ranger would be like an epic Boy Scout, and they would rope for all sorts of things.
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
could just make a grapple build
Work with the DM on this and think about a Monk.
He wears a piece of humble rope as his belt. Innocuous and harmful. However, he's woven it so he can use it as a whip. Perhaps you could work out a form of Ki ability that would enable him to stiffen it to use as a staff or as a pole to vault longer distances.
If you'd rather not go Monk, discuss Nets with the DM. Lots of possibilities there.
I could see you dipping into a weird form of Artificer where your chosen material to work with is rope. At level 2 you'd have 4 Infusions known with 2 active at a time. So one infusion might be a Hook (potential to trip or pull an enemy) and the other a spear.