I only have what the DM emailed us, so some info I might be missing, but this is how our party is currently constituted.:
Mountain Dwarf Cleric Sha Dai Arcane Trickster 1/2 Elf Battlemage (I'm thinking maybe a War Wizard) Dwarf Paladin/Cleric Sorceror or Druid Ranger
I was thinking of doing a Hexbard. Does it seem like we're low anyplace? Not sure if we're not low on magic and I'm really hoping that Dwarf can tank. Any advice or suggestions are appreciated. I'm not concerned necessarily with being a perfectly constructed party as much as not having gaping holes.
That's a pretty large group with all of the important bases covered, or over covered. Don't worry about the party composition at this point, just pick something you think will be fun or contribute to the story.
A Warlock with a Patron tied to the Barovia would give the DM strings to pull on to motivate the party.
An Artificer could give you interesting options in a resource starved region.
Bards are generally well rounded and can fill in gaps as needed.
What kind of Bard? Have you gotten to that point yet?
Swords stays pretty good with melee, using your Bardic Inspiration for extra damage.
Creation is good for letting you cast spells with expensive material components, even if said components never become available in the campaign.
Eloquence is good if you plan to be social (not being able to roll less than a 10 on Persuasion and Deception). This is especially good if you're a Changeling.
Lore lets you take more spells from other spell lists than even the standard Bard.
My plan is to be a Swords bard. When combined with the Hexblade, I can attack with my charisma and I think I'll be a pretty formidable fighter while also being a good face for the group. Thanks for the reply :-)
I think bard a good choice here - if there's one thing that party might well lack, it's a Face. Yes, the paladin and sorcerer will have the charisma to do that, but not necessarily the full complement of skills to capitalize on it. And, though I haven't played Curse of Strahd, conversations with vampires and such is definitely part of the gothic horror genre template. A vampire won't necessarily want to talk to or spare the paladin, but the oh-so-exquisitely-aesthetic Bard is a great candidate for cozying up to villains and getting them to monologue and reveal their plans. You could interview the vampire!
Hexblade Swords bard is definitely a great striker who also has a ton of utility. Your group definitely seems very well covered on all major fronts. You could probably justify taking just a single level of Warlock and going full bard after that. If you plan to go any further into Warlock I would recommend waiting until after you hit level 6 as a Swords Bard so you can get extra attack... you're already due to be a bit behind the martial fighters, since your subclass grants you Extra Attack a level later than them, and you're delaying it at least one level with your Hexblade dip.
I only have what the DM emailed us, so some info I might be missing, but this is how our party is currently constituted.:
Mountain Dwarf Cleric
Sha Dai Arcane Trickster
1/2 Elf Battlemage (I'm thinking maybe a War Wizard)
Dwarf Paladin/Cleric
Sorceror or Druid
Ranger
I was thinking of doing a Hexbard. Does it seem like we're low anyplace? Not sure if we're not low on magic and I'm really hoping that Dwarf can tank. Any advice or suggestions are appreciated. I'm not concerned necessarily with being a perfectly constructed party as much as not having gaping holes.
That's a pretty large group with all of the important bases covered, or over covered. Don't worry about the party composition at this point, just pick something you think will be fun or contribute to the story.
A Warlock with a Patron tied to the Barovia would give the DM strings to pull on to motivate the party.
An Artificer could give you interesting options in a resource starved region.
Bards are generally well rounded and can fill in gaps as needed.
Etc...
Thanks, I went with the Hexbard. So far so good
What kind of Bard? Have you gotten to that point yet?
Swords stays pretty good with melee, using your Bardic Inspiration for extra damage.
Creation is good for letting you cast spells with expensive material components, even if said components never become available in the campaign.
Eloquence is good if you plan to be social (not being able to roll less than a 10 on Persuasion and Deception). This is especially good if you're a Changeling.
Lore lets you take more spells from other spell lists than even the standard Bard.
My plan is to be a Swords bard. When combined with the Hexblade, I can attack with my charisma and I think I'll be a pretty formidable fighter while also being a good face for the group. Thanks for the reply :-)
I think bard a good choice here - if there's one thing that party might well lack, it's a Face. Yes, the paladin and sorcerer will have the charisma to do that, but not necessarily the full complement of skills to capitalize on it. And, though I haven't played Curse of Strahd, conversations with vampires and such is definitely part of the gothic horror genre template. A vampire won't necessarily want to talk to or spare the paladin, but the oh-so-exquisitely-aesthetic Bard is a great candidate for cozying up to villains and getting them to monologue and reveal their plans. You could interview the vampire!
Dhampir. And when Strahd shows up bite him on the neck. He will never see it coming
Hexblade Swords bard is definitely a great striker who also has a ton of utility. Your group definitely seems very well covered on all major fronts. You could probably justify taking just a single level of Warlock and going full bard after that. If you plan to go any further into Warlock I would recommend waiting until after you hit level 6 as a Swords Bard so you can get extra attack... you're already due to be a bit behind the martial fighters, since your subclass grants you Extra Attack a level later than them, and you're delaying it at least one level with your Hexblade dip.
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Yeah, there are weaknesses here for sure, but I think around level 6 I should really come into my own.