I have an idea in my (fevered) mind for a character that moves around a lot in close combat. I can't see doing this unless I can avoid Opportunity Attacks from the foes around me. What's the best way to do this on a consistent basis?
The mobile feat and swashbuckler rogue allow you to prevent opportunity attacks from anyone you make a melee attack against but if you really want ot move around a lot you are likely to want to move away from enemies that you have not tred to hit at times.
You could always disengage wen this occurs but you probably want ot use your action for something else so I would suggest being a rogue so you can disengage as a bonus acrtion and either be a swashbuckler or take the mobile feat. Most of the time you can just use your attack(s) to prevent an op attack but when necessary you can disengage and still have you action to do something useful.
You could potentially do this with monk and mobile, monks need to use a ki to disengage as a bonus action but they do get more attacks so can prevent op attacks from more creatures without disengaging, at low levels however you would be likely to run out of ki quickly..
There are a ton of things that do this. Feats, several class abilities. You should think about what it looks like. Also note there are several abilities that push your opponent away 5 ft, which often allows you to then just walk away as they are not in range of AoO. But this does not work on creatures with Reach, so it is less certain.
Here are the ones most people consider:
Feat: Mobile
Any Rogue - using Bonus Action to disengage
Rogue (Scout) - Skirmisher,
Rogue (Swashbuckler) - Fancy Footwork,
Fighter (Echo Knight) - constantly switching places/teleporting with the echo,
Thanks, gang. I'd forgotten about the Rogue Cunning Action. Since that comes in early (Yay front-loading!), I may plan for 2 levels of Rogue early on and maybe 2 more later.
You can also push your AC and hope that AoO's miss. Shield spell, Blade Singer sub class, Shield of Faith spell, Haste spell, Evasive Footwork Battlemaster maneuver are some examples of ways to boost AC to the point where provoking AoO's might not be so risky. You can also make opponents regret making AoO's with spells like Armor of Agathys or Fire Shield.
You could potentially do this with monk and mobile, monks need to use a ki to disengage as a bonus action but they do get more attacks so can prevent op attacks from more creatures without disengaging, at low levels however you would be likely to run out of ki quickly..
Drunken Master gets Drunken Technique at third that gives Disengage, plus 10' of movement, for free when they use Flurry of Blows. Drunken Masters might actually be closest to what the OP is thinking about.
I have an idea in my (fevered) mind for a character that moves around a lot in close combat. I can't see doing this unless I can avoid Opportunity Attacks from the foes around me. What's the best way to do this on a consistent basis?
Thanks in advance.
There's this spell called Zephyr Strike from the Ranger's spell list that might be what you are looking for. Also note you can concentrate on the spell for 1 minute even though you only get the bonus damage and speed increase once.
And you get that bonus at the end not the start. But truth is Zephyr Strike was never really about the speed boost, strike advantage or damage it is and will be about avoiding opportunity attacks for all or most of a battle.
At higher levels greater invisibility is a great option. A creature that can cast it however is unlikely to be wanting to wander around in melee. Gettign the wizard to cast it on the rogue with elven accuracy for virtually guaranteed sneak attack and very frequent crits however might be a very effective option for the party.
The problem with invisibility is you lose it when you attack and then folks can get an OA. Obscurement/fog cloud/darkness has limited range and pisses off everyone in your party unless they are all prepared for it - and of course it’s useless if the foes are prepared and use it themselves. Greater invisibility does work - but you have to get to higher levels to use it, a L2 ranger can use zephyr strike.
Seconding Nicandor’s suggestion of the Drunken Master monk. If you really want to lean into the constantly in motion striker, it’s the subclass for you. Especially if you add Mobile as a feat at some point. Punch three or four different enemies a turn - maybe even with Stunning Strike.
The capstone feature - Intoxicated Frenzy - is the ultimate version of high mobility crowd fighting. You can punch up to 7 times with Flurry of Blows as long as you have at least 5 targets! Who need AoE when you can punch everyone!
If the name concerns you, there’s no actual alcohol involved in the mechanics of the subclass. You could reflavor it as The Way of the Wind (like Shang-Chi) and rename the features if you want. Or just describe your actions along those lines.
Also, Goblins have the Nimble Escape feature, which allows you to Disengage or Hide as a Bonus Action, which is probably the easiest way to get access to a bonus action Disengage with any class and without having to invest in any feats.
Ashardalon's Stride is a world-ending spell. Even assuming your DM is generous and doesn't have you set yourself on fire as the spell mandates you do, casting it anywhere near any objects you want to continue to exist is a fool's errand.
Get a mount and have it take the disengage action every turn. If you're a small character you could even have a medium sized mount that could fit in most spaces you would need it to.
Ashardalon's Stride is a world-ending spell. Even assuming your DM is generous and doesn't have you set yourself on fire as the spell mandates you do, casting it anywhere near any objects you want to continue to exist is a fool's errand.
I do not see why the spell should set the caster on fire - unless you want to read it that unless it specifically says it doesn’t then it must. More typically such spells do not affect the caster but do affect everything/one around them. So you run on the back sides of the foes so your friends on the front aren’t affected. Of course you don’t want to use it in a room full of scrolls your mage friends will want to scarf up 😁
nothing really world ending except I don’t believe it calls for concentration so you can cast other spells and still use it.
Ashardalon's Stride is a world-ending spell. Even assuming your DM is generous and doesn't have you set yourself on fire as the spell mandates you do, casting it anywhere near any objects you want to continue to exist is a fool's errand.
I do not see why the spell should set the caster on fire - unless you want to read it that unless it specifically says it doesn’t then it must. More typically such spells do not affect the caster but do affect everything/one around them. So you run on the back sides of the foes so your friends on the front aren’t affected. Of course you don’t want to use it in a room full of scrolls your mage friends will want to scarf up 😁
nothing really world ending except I don’t believe it calls for concentration so you can cast other spells and still use it.
The (C) in the duration suggests it does require concentration.
I have an idea in my (fevered) mind for a character that moves around a lot in close combat. I can't see doing this unless I can avoid Opportunity Attacks from the foes around me. What's the best way to do this on a consistent basis?
Thanks in advance.
The mobile feat and swashbuckler rogue allow you to prevent opportunity attacks from anyone you make a melee attack against but if you really want ot move around a lot you are likely to want to move away from enemies that you have not tred to hit at times.
You could always disengage wen this occurs but you probably want ot use your action for something else so I would suggest being a rogue so you can disengage as a bonus acrtion and either be a swashbuckler or take the mobile feat. Most of the time you can just use your attack(s) to prevent an op attack but when necessary you can disengage and still have you action to do something useful.
You could potentially do this with monk and mobile, monks need to use a ki to disengage as a bonus action but they do get more attacks so can prevent op attacks from more creatures without disengaging, at low levels however you would be likely to run out of ki quickly..
There are a ton of things that do this. Feats, several class abilities. You should think about what it looks like. Also note there are several abilities that push your opponent away 5 ft, which often allows you to then just walk away as they are not in range of AoO. But this does not work on creatures with Reach, so it is less certain.
Here are the ones most people consider:
Feat: Mobile
Any Rogue - using Bonus Action to disengage
Rogue (Scout) - Skirmisher,
Rogue (Swashbuckler) - Fancy Footwork,
Fighter (Echo Knight) - constantly switching places/teleporting with the echo,
Thanks, gang. I'd forgotten about the Rogue Cunning Action. Since that comes in early (Yay front-loading!), I may plan for 2 levels of Rogue early on and maybe 2 more later.
You can also push your AC and hope that AoO's miss. Shield spell, Blade Singer sub class, Shield of Faith spell, Haste spell, Evasive Footwork Battlemaster maneuver are some examples of ways to boost AC to the point where provoking AoO's might not be so risky. You can also make opponents regret making AoO's with spells like Armor of Agathys or Fire Shield.
Drunken Master gets Drunken Technique at third that gives Disengage, plus 10' of movement, for free when they use Flurry of Blows. Drunken Masters might actually be closest to what the OP is thinking about.
There's this spell called Zephyr Strike from the Ranger's spell list that might be what you are looking for. Also note you can concentrate on the spell for 1 minute even though you only get the bonus damage and speed increase once.
And you get that bonus at the end not the start. But truth is Zephyr Strike was never really about the speed boost, strike advantage or damage it is and will be about avoiding opportunity attacks for all or most of a battle.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Create obscurement using darkness or fog cloud or similar. If your foe cannot see you then they cannot make an attack of opportunity against you.
Become invisible.
At higher levels greater invisibility is a great option. A creature that can cast it however is unlikely to be wanting to wander around in melee. Gettign the wizard to cast it on the rogue with elven accuracy for virtually guaranteed sneak attack and very frequent crits however might be a very effective option for the party.
The problem with invisibility is you lose it when you attack and then folks can get an OA. Obscurement/fog cloud/darkness has limited range and pisses off everyone in your party unless they are all prepared for it - and of course it’s useless if the foes are prepared and use it themselves. Greater invisibility does work - but you have to get to higher levels to use it, a L2 ranger can use zephyr strike.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Seconding Nicandor’s suggestion of the Drunken Master monk. If you really want to lean into the constantly in motion striker, it’s the subclass for you. Especially if you add Mobile as a feat at some point. Punch three or four different enemies a turn - maybe even with Stunning Strike.
The capstone feature - Intoxicated Frenzy - is the ultimate version of high mobility crowd fighting. You can punch up to 7 times with Flurry of Blows as long as you have at least 5 targets! Who need AoE when you can punch everyone!
If the name concerns you, there’s no actual alcohol involved in the mechanics of the subclass. You could reflavor it as The Way of the Wind (like Shang-Chi) and rename the features if you want. Or just describe your actions along those lines.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned kinetic jaunt or Ashardalon's stride yet.
Also, Goblins have the Nimble Escape feature, which allows you to Disengage or Hide as a Bonus Action, which is probably the easiest way to get access to a bonus action Disengage with any class and without having to invest in any feats.
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Ashardalon's Stride is a world-ending spell. Even assuming your DM is generous and doesn't have you set yourself on fire as the spell mandates you do, casting it anywhere near any objects you want to continue to exist is a fool's errand.
Get a mount and have it take the disengage action every turn. If you're a small character you could even have a medium sized mount that could fit in most spaces you would need it to.
I do not see why the spell should set the caster on fire - unless you want to read it that unless it specifically says it doesn’t then it must. More typically such spells do not affect the caster but do affect everything/one around them. So you run on the back sides of the foes so your friends on the front aren’t affected. Of course you don’t want to use it in a room full of scrolls your mage friends will want to scarf up 😁
nothing really world ending except I don’t believe it calls for concentration so you can cast other spells and still use it.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
The (C) in the duration suggests it does require concentration.
Your right I missed it
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.