The Concept: The Terminator/Your hardest to kill build
The goal here is to be as hard to kill as possible without taking a route of straight up avoidance, you want to keep walking dramatically like the iconic T series we all grew up fearing. Votes will decide which character is the toughest on the block but imaginary bonus points will be awarded to any build that isn't entirely dependent on set up (doesn't get red in the face over being surprised).
Some rules for guidance:
-The primary schtick of your character should be to be as hard to kill as possible, without taking a route of avoidance (no skirmishers etc.), you must be able to face attacks/effects head on and keep walking in 80s meancing fashion
-Having damage and support capabilities is a nice extra, but should be a secondary consideration, your primary build concern and your primary consideration for voting
-No UA, only officially published materials
-You must include a stat array (Point Buy or Standard Array)
-Build to 20 with insights on how the build hands at levels 5, 11, 17 and 20 (include hp and AC at each point for each of reading)
-Multiclassing and feat optional rules in play
-Variants for races available (V. Human, Dragonmarks, SCAG variants)
-No magic items unless you have a way to create them from a class feature
-Normal starting items and gold, mundane armor upgrades be assumed to happen during tier 2 (so you can mention Plate/Half Plate in your commentary but you can only include it in snapshots for levels 11,17 and the final 20).
-Catchy names and fluff are not a requirement but are always nice to read
Suggested format:
Level 20 level split:
Race:
Stats: Str x Dex x Con x Int x Wis x Cha x
Background:
Starting level:
Any guidance or commentary you want
At 5th level:
Any guidance or commentary you want
At 11th level:
Any guidance or commentary you want
At 17th level:
Any guidance or commentary you want
At 20th level and final thoughts:
Voting:
To sort the wheat from the chaff we'll vote on builds and declare a 'winner' (a concept that will hopefully continue in future threads and put the contest into this), to vote simply make a post quoting the build you want to vote for (snipping the content to keep things getting out of hand) and say something that indicates you're voting e.g. +1, get's my vote etc.
-Each user only gets one vote but you can edit your post at any time before the deadline to change your mind.
-If you submit a build, you must vote for someone for your entry to be considered valid
-A user can submit more than one build but they must be in separate posts (and not back to back to respect forum rules)
-You cannot vote for yourself
-Each throwdown thread will run for 7 days after which no new builds will be accepted for contention, when the build deadline has closed votes will be accepted. The voting deadline will be five days after the build deadline, votes will be tallied and the winner announced (any vote edits after the deadline has passed will also not be counted, if the original vote cannot be seen the vote will be null and void).
Terminator build deadline/Voting opens: 24/07/2020 @ 9pm BST/4pm ET
Voting deadline: 29/07/2020 @ 9pm BST/4pm ET
PLEASE NOTE THAT VOTING IS NOW ONLY ONCE THE BUILD DEADLINE HAS PASSED.
I'm looking forward to what all the optimisers around here come up with so without further ado, let's THROWDOWN
Race: Bugbear (not optimized but you gotta for the lolz. if you are a sadistic miser, pick Lizardfolk for your best AC and stats)
Stats: Str 13 (10) Dex 13 (14) Con 14 Int 10 Wis 15 Cha 13
Background: any, but outlander is fun (lived among bears..)
Starting level: Barbarian. bog standard hard to kill. best hit dice in the game + resistance to physical damage and decent AC. pretty solid if you ask me. at this level you will be attacking with your great axe, and waiting for your time...
Any guidance or commentary you want: your stats REALLY don't matter. you are the bear.
At 5th level: oh yes. level 3 barb/ lvl 2 druid. you are the epitome of beariness. you are pretty much unkillable. you pick up bear totem for resistance to everything (except psychic. no mid flayers pls) and your danger sense gives advantage on Dex saves. moon druid allows for a CR 1 monster. obviously you are going for the brown bear. this allows you to have 34 HP, plus resistances (basically doubling your HP), plus your unarmored defence, plus your actual HP, plus you can do this TWICE per SHORT rest. so you are gonna have 64 HP and 13 AC in wild shape, and your regular HP/AC out of wild shape. as I said before, you are unkillable. as a bonus your attacks are deadly, and you can use reckless attack/rage damage on them.
Any guidance or commentary you want: pick up healing spells like goodberry and cure wounds and you can be a secondary healer as well. mostly just embrace that you are a bear now. then make your DM embrace it
At 11th level: level 3 barb/ level 8 druid. now you can swim and fly but who cares. you have upgraded to polar bear. you are now a bear but better HP (42), multiattack, and better attack damage. in short, you are your best self. plus you now have magical attacks, so F**k you other monsters resistances. for your ASIs pick up sentinel (for more tanking potential) and either tough, or a con increase. personally I prefer con, as it ups your AC, but if you don't care then tough all the way.
Any guidance or commentary you want: this is your epitome of beariness. you are amazing at tanking, pretty good at damaging, and can cast spells. what else could you ask for?
At 17th level: you thought a polar bear was good? now you are a badass bear made of fire! (or whatever other element). you have insane amounts of HP, resistance to everything under the sun (stay in the dark Psychic damage), ungodly attacks, can cast like a boss, and are basically you're DMs worst nightmare. any DMs out there? good luck killing this mothertrucker. pick up whatever you didn't get last time (tough or con increase)
Any guidance or commentary you want: at this point all the bears are suboptimal with is a shame. still, your elemental can look like whatever you want, and you best believe I am playing a bear with wings.
At 20th level and final thoughts: at this point idk what to say. there is no way in hell you are going down. you are an absolute beast. literally. your HP will be 102 (fire elemental), basically 204 with resistances, which you can do twice (408), plus your standard HP (an average of 219 {438 in rage}). this equals out to 846 HP. plus any heals, and your heals in wild shape. this is what it means to be unkillable.
Race: Bugbear (not optimized but you gotta for the lolz. if you are a sadistic miser, pick Lizardfolk for your best AC and stats)
Stats: Str 8 (10) Dex 13 (14) Con 14 Int 10 Wis 15 Cha 14
Background: any, but outlander is fun (lived among bears..)
Starting level: Barbarian. bog standard hard to kill. best hit dice in the game + resistance to physical damage and decent AC. pretty solid if you ask me. at this level you will be attacking with your great axe, and waiting for your time...
Any guidance or commentary you want: your stats REALLY don't matter. you are the bear.
At 5th level: oh yes. level 3 barb/ lvl 2 druid. you are the epitome of beariness. you are pretty much unkillable. you pick up bear totem for resistance to everything (except psychic. no mid flayers pls) and your danger sense gives advantage on Dex saves. moon druid allows for a CR 1 monster. obviously you are going for the brown bear. this allows you to have 34 HP, plus resistances (basically doubling your HP), plus your unarmored defence, plus your actual HP, plus you can do this TWICE per SHORT rest. so you are gonna have 64 HP and 13 AC in wild shape, and your regular HP/AC out of wild shape. as I said before, you are unkillable. as a bonus your attacks are deadly, and you can use reckless attack/rage damage on them.
Any guidance or commentary you want: pick up healing spells like goodberry and cure wounds and you can be a secondary healer as well. mostly just embrace that you are a bear now. then make your DM embrace it
At 11th level: level 3 barb/ level 8 druid. now you can swim and fly but who cares. you have upgraded to polar bear. you are now a bear but better HP (42), multiattack, and better attack damage. in short, you are your best self. plus you now have magical attacks, so F**k you other monsters resistances. for your ASIs pick up sentinel (for more tanking potential) and either tough, or a con increase. personally I prefer con, as it ups your AC, but if you don't care then tough all the way.
Any guidance or commentary you want: this is your epitome of beariness. you are amazing at tanking, pretty good at damaging, and can cast spells. what else could you ask for?
At 17th level: you thought a polar bear was good? now you are a badass bear made of fire! (or whatever other element). you have insane amounts of HP, resistance to everything under the sun (stay in the dark Psychic damage), ungodly attacks, can cast like a boss, and are basically you're DMs worst nightmare. any DMs out there? good luck killing this mothertrucker. pick up whatever you didn't get last time (tough or con increase)
Any guidance or commentary you want: at this point all the bears are suboptimal with is a shame. still, your elemental can look like whatever you want, and you best believe I am playing a bear with wings.
At 20th level and final thoughts: at this point idk what to say. there is no way in hell you are going down. you are an absolute beast. literally. your HP will be 102 (fire elemental), basically 204 with resistances, which you can do twice (408), plus your standard HP (an average of 219 {438 in rage}). this equals out to 846 HP. plus any heals, and your heals in wild shape. this is what it means to be unkillable.
Goodbovine out
That was fast! Thank you for submitting a build, at the moment your build unfortunately doesn't meet the multiclassing prerequisites for Barbarian. The current requirements your build needs to meet are:
-Str 13
-Con 13 (met)
-Wis 13 (met)
Please update your build to meet the requirements.
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
Well, this thread is kinda done already. The math alone shows that Circle of Moon Druid with Totem Warrior Barbarian beats everything hands down until the Circle of the Moon Druid gets its 20 capstone talent. Unlimited Wildshapes...
At 20 Circle of the Moon druid, it doesn't matter that you don't have resistances. It doesn't matter that you don't have a high AC. It doesn't matter if your player stats are terrible. You could have 8's across the board. Doesn't matter. Every round you heal anywhere from 102 to 126 hit points depending on if you go fire or earth elemental. Literal limitless hitpoints beat everything.
On top of that if you do take enough damage to go down to your normal form you are still a max level full caster. You need some very special tactics to take down a level 20 Circle of the Moon Druid. Damage just won't do it.
Remember: the Barbarian levels means the Druid never gains Archdruid, and thus never gains unlimited Wild Shape.
On the other hand, the entry I'm working on for this thread does reach its capstone, and frankly I'd bet on my boi coming up here even over an Archdruid. After all, there's ways around Archdruidism, but there's not much you can do to...well.
Well, this thread is kinda done already. The math alone shows that Circle of Moon Druid with Totem Warrior Barbarian beats everything hands down until the Circle of the Moon Druid gets its 20 capstone talent. Unlimited Wildshapes...
At 20 Circle of the Moon druid, it doesn't matter that you don't have resistances. It doesn't matter that you don't have a high AC. It doesn't matter if your player stats are terrible. You could have 8's across the board. Doesn't matter. Every round you heal anywhere from 102 to 126 hit points depending on if you go fire or earth elemental. Literal limitless hitpoints beat everything.
On top of that if you do take enough damage to go down to your normal form you are still a max level full caster. You need some very special tactics to take down a level 20 Circle of the Moon Druid. Damage just won't do it.
Besides a straight 20 Moon Druid being a bit... boring for this kind of competition, you're also singing its praises a little too loudly:
-Anything that takes effect on 0hp is actually easier to implement on a Moon Druid than other characters, it doesn't matter if it was your Wildshape, it's still hitting 0
-Mental stats absolutely still matter, how are you going to keep wildshaping if you're suffering from a condition that incapacitates you?
-Damage absolutely can do it, even if it's just chipping away every time they revert, no one is able to ignore damage long term. No one.
Besides that, Barbearian isn't necessarily the hardest to kill with sheer damage and the capstone of a Moon Druid is exactly that, a capstone. You have to actually make it to 20 and these competitions require a break down at each tier, with the builds being evaluated as a whole, not just in their 20th level forms (becuase whilst that's neat, it's completely useless for people to look at and play themselves in a standard game).
There's plenty of tricks up sleeves for this concept and hopefully we'll see a wide array played out.
A note about Bears: it’s debatable/controversial whether ASI and racial ability modifiers apply to modify your bears attributes, but undeniable that feats do (features from your class, race, or other source). Half-stat feats like Athletics can thus can pump those bear Con and Dex scores a little higher for slightly better AC!
I'm curious to see how these builds compare to the obvious tank, so I'm going to throw it here just for the sake of being able to directly compare.
Hill Dwarf Barbarian 20
Level 1 Stats: Str 11 | Dex 15 | Con 15 (17) | Int 10 | Wis 10 (11) | Cha 10
Level 20 Stats: Str 15 | Dex 18 | Con 24 | Int 11 | Wis 11 | Cha 10
Background: Soldier (Not sure it really matters here)
Starting level:
Barbarians roll the best hit die at d12 so you start with the highest possible base health at 12 + CON (+3) + 1 (Racial). Only a VHuman Barb with 16 Con + Tough feat has more starting health (17) I THINK. May need someone to keep me honest here. We are proficient in STR and CON saving throws and start with 15 AC without need for armor (15 DEX). 17 if we want to throw a shield in there. We start resistant to Poison damage and have advantage on all Poison related saving throws, which I believe is one of the most prevalent throws in the game.
At 5th level:
You're assumed to be raging all the time at this point. You have 19 CON and are at 65 HP with a 16 AC (18 with shield). You have resistance to everything except for Psychic Damage because we're taking Bear Totem Barbarian. You have advantage against Dex Saving Throws on effects we can see and our saving throws are now +3, +2, +7, 0, 0, 0.
At 11th level:
Aspect of the Beast helps us none here. Advantage on Initiative means that we can get better positioning, for what that counts, and now we cannot be surprised so long as we have a rage handy. We have maxed out CON and have taken a bump up from 15 DEX (we bought into 15 DEX at the beginning) to 16 DEX and now enjoy a AC of 18 (20 with shield) with 148 HP. We still don't need armor and don't have to worry about being caught sleeping without our armor on (or any other conceivable scenario the DM deems armor a step towards exhaustion).
Edit: Here we have 148 HP.
At 17th level:
Relentless Rage now gives us a better Half-Orc racial. If we reach 0 HP we now can roll a CON saving throw (+9 now) against a 10 (+5 for subsequent attempts) DC to keep at 1 HP. We've grabbed Tough for even more HP and our Totemic Attunement of Eagle now gives us flying during our turn. To offset the DM's choice to flood us with Mind Flayers in an attempt to jab at our weakness we've also taken Resilience in INT instead of taking the DEX/AC bump. Our saving throws are +6, +3, +11, +6, 0, 0. We still boast a 18 AC (20 with Shield) and now have 260 HP. With resistance in everything, we can stand there and tank crits all day.
At 20th level and final thoughts:
We can get another ASI at 19. The Dex bump brings our AC up to 21 (23 with a shield). Primal Champion makes our CON now 24. We have a final saving throw lineup of +8, +4, +13, +6, 0, 0. If you thought 260 HP was good at 17, three levels later we now have 345 HP. We are now built specifically for tanking hits without relying on AC, assuming that we can't be taken out of our rage (even with our Persistent Rage). We are resistant to everything under the sun, and even if that "everything under the sun" wants to hit us with psychic damage we have a HP ocean deep enough to sail a boat on. We have advantage on DEX effects we can see. If something can kill us, it doesn't matter, we roll an automatic success on our Relentless Rage the first time, and our second success is all but guaranteed (avoid rolling a Nat 1). If we roll above a 7 the third time, we can even make a Half-Orc Samurai jealous about how we just cannot die. This is the least gimmicky, safest method to take damage head on and not die. This avoids the gaps in the armor of other builds that rely on actions/bonus-actions to maintain their resilience. We also have incredible saving throws to avoid directly damaging effects, silencing, anti-magic, concentration, etc. which another class might not have (especially those shapeshifters, monkaS). Being charmed, put to sleep, stunned, etc. does not end our rage/resistances (thanks Persistent Rage!). All in all, this is the safest build I can think of.
Let me know if you have any questions, or if you've found a flaw in my build. Hope you enjoyed!
“A ‘Mech as powerful as possible, as impenetrable as possible, and as ugly and foreboding as conceivable, so that fear itself will be our ally” ~Aleksandr Kerensky
In times of war, there comes a moment where a door must be kicked in. A window must be shattered, a wall must be broken, and someone must seize the breach and hold their ground so that those who come after can pry open this crack in an enemy’s defense. There must exist a soldier who can withstand the fury of an entire legion of foes, a soldier who can force the enemy to retreat. A soldier so unshakable, so proof against all reprisal, that in his obsidian eyes the enemy can see only Death.
When selecting gear, remember: you’re allowed to spend your starting gold on things not covered by your basic background, and some DMs let you sell back starting gear you don’t want. Use some of that money to acquire non-issue items any assault trooper knows will carry the day.
When selecting Starting Equipment, I recommend the following picks:
>take a handaxe and a quarterstaff for your two simple weapons. Neither is really critical or eminently useful to you as a weapon, but the handaxe has a hundred uses around a war camp, and in a pinch you can use your quarterstaff as an Arcane Firearm in a few levels >take the light crossbow and bolts, then immediately ask your DM if you can sell them back and acquire a shield, instead. If not, do that at some point early in your game. You will never use these, but you do need a shield ASAP. >You’re going to want scale mail; Atlas doesn’t bother with that pointless leather junk.
Factory Default: Level One Specs: AC: 17. HP: 10
At first level, Atlas is fresh from the Soul Forge with little beyond the armor on his back. Fortunately, the armor on his back is pretty gol-durn sturdy. 14 from Scale Mail, +2 from our Dex, and +1 from the warforged Integrated Protection trait, which also allows us to wear our armor nonstop 24/7 without having to justify it to the DM. As an Artillerist, Atlas focuses on magical offense via his cantrips: Shocking Grasp and Fire Bolt. No utility here – Atlas is a war machine and does not pretend otherwise. In combat, Atlas does not use distance strikes save to soften up defenses prior to engaging in close range battle. His armored mass is at the front, holding the line and blocking the enemy.
Key infusions to get at second level are Enhanced Defense and Enhanced Arcane Focus, both of which are critical pieces of the endgame kit. Goggles of Night are a good backup for when Atlas has to reconfigure his systems for nighttime operations. The final choice is up to taste.
At third we take our Artillerist specialization, unlocking access to key spells and setting Atlas upon the road to Ultimate Tankdom. And at fourth, we discover why Atlas was discharged from the military – the Aberrant Dragonmark feat. Atlas develops a mote of chaotic power, granting him a third cantrip choice and a single spell outside of his normal artificer spell list. My recommendations are Mold Earth and Earth Tremor, allowing Atlas to rapidly create earthworks fortifications alongside his unit, and further granting him the ability to shake the very ground upon which he treads.
Augmented Operation: Level Five Specs: 12/14/16/16/10/8. AC: 20. HP: 43
At fifth level, Atlas has already become a right and proper tank, acquiring system and structure upgrades that allow him to hold the line. With our starting scale mail and the acquisition of a shield, we reach 20 walking-around armor class – 14+2DX from Scale, +1 Warforged, +1 Enhanced Defense, +2 from our shield. That is quite respectable for a medium-armored character at level 5. We bolster this with ready access to the Shield spell and the Protector Eldritch Cannon. Protector grants 1d8+3 temporary HP as a bonus action every turn, which presents a constant barricade of healing for those who manage to get past Atlas’ defensive plating. Arcane Firearm on a wand allows us to deal extra damage with our combat spells from one hand without interfering with our shield.
At sixth level, Atlas obtains one of his most important upgrades – the ability to create the Wand Sheath Infusion. This allows Atlas to store his Arcane Firearm inside his forearm, deploying and using it without burdening his hand and granting him the ability to wield three* items at once. One is our shield, which is itself now a Repulsion Shield for the additional +1AC. One is our Arcane Firearm, wielded in proper Super Robot fashion in its forearm hardpoint. The last is our Protector Cannon, should we need to create it and carry it around, or whatever else we need it to be if not. Atlas trades on of his 2nd-level Infusion options at this stage for Resistance Armor; while he normally prefers Enhanced Defense for raw AC, the ability to trade a point or two of AC for resistance to an expected high-damage element (i.e. Fire Resistance armor when facing a red dragon tomorrow) is an important piece of Atlas’ modular construction.
At eighth level we increase our Intelligence score by 2, hitting 18. This gives us one extra Flash of Genius per long rest, as well as increasing that ability’s power. Plus, y’know, justy making Atlas better at using his spells.
At tenth level we gain another active Infusion, raising us to 4, gain a +2 bonus from both Enhanced Defense and Enhanced Arcane Focus, and the ability to create our next piece of key kit – the Cloak of Protection. Our other tenth-level infusion is Winged Boots, though Atlas doesn’t typically use these. Armor, Wand Sheath, Shield, Cloak – these are what Atlas uses as his standard combat loadout.
War Machine: Level Eleven Specs: 12/14/16/18/10/8. AC: 24. HP: 91
By eleventh level, Atlas has definitely traded his scale mail for half-plate, gaining an extra point of AC. We’re now sitting at 24 – 15+2 Half Plate, +1 Warforged, +2 Enhanced Defense armor, +3 Repulsion Shield, and +1 Cloak of Protection. At this tier, very little has a reliable chance of punching through 24AC, and with Flash of Genius and the Cloak bolstering key saves, our war machine is difficult to batter down with save effects, as well. We’ve also snagged a third cantrip, Ray of Frost, to fall back on should neither Fire Bolt nor Shocking Grasp prove useful.
We continue our progression, gaining the incredible Spell-Storing Item ability. Atlas uses his wand sheath as his SSI, with a bit of DM flavor fiat enabling us to fire the spell from his arm cannon like everything else. This is typically stuffed with either Scorching Ray or Cure Wounds, enabling Atlas to either blast Away at foes with withering firepower or continually repair himself in the face of withering firepower.
At twelfth level Atlas finishes maximizing his Intelligence score, though it’s at fourteenth level that the world truly becomes our oyster. At 14, we gain our final pieces of critical kit from our Infusion ability – the Amulet of Health and the Ring of Protection. We can’t use both just yet (only five active Infusions at 14, which is Armor, Wand Sheath, Cloak, Shield, and Amulet), but the Ring of Protection will serve us well in a few more levels. The Amulet of Health allows us to disregard Constitution from now on, which lets us bulk up with our last two ASIs to come.
Side note: yes, I know, it would be ‘more optimal’ to set Constitution to 8, assume Atlas lives until 14, and then rely on the Amulet of Health to patch up our weakness. This is the Terminator Throwdown. A critter with fewer than 80HP by fourteenth level does not qualify.
Level fifteen grants us a second cannon, as well as half cover whenever we’re within 10 feet of our cannon. Since Atlas normally holds his cannon in his Wand Sheath hand, that’s basically always, giving him EVEN MORE AC against ranged attacks or Dexterity save effects.
And finally, at sixteenth level Atlas invests in War Caster. Awfully late, but still excellent. We can now Shocking Grasp as a reaction for AoO, and we gain advantage on our Constitution saves. With a +10 to Constitution savbes at 16, concentration is not typically an issue. But don’t worry – it gets even better in just a few levels.
At seventeenth, Atlas is a very tuff boi indeed. Gaining access to fifth-level magic at this level, we nab a bunch of interesting spells...but it’s the next level, 18, that gives us our next piece of kit. We can select two more infusions, and we have the ability to turn on one more – meaning we can now wear our Ring of Protection. Up to 25AC, and another +1 to all saves. At this point it hardly matters what else you select to have ready – you have your six core pieces of arcane kit, everything else is modular adaptability. The march to 20, and our True Final Form, continues with only one more important pitstop. At nineteenth, Atlas takes his final feat – Tough. Just a huge mess of HP to become even more difficult to take down.
At twentieth level, Atlas has become a true avatar of invulnerability. With a walking-around armor class of 25, even the mightiest threats have no guarantee of being able to penetrate our war machine’s impregnable defenses. With a single cast of Shield, only the mightiest of threats stands any chance of cracking our armor outside of a lucky crit – and even when they do, there’s still that Protector Cannon generating temp HP every turn, wiping away what little damage gets through Atlas’ armor.
Nor can one resort to saving throws, either. At twentieth level we gain the ultimate in defensive abilities – Soul of Artifice. With five attuned items in our standard kit, this is +5 to ALL saving throws, on top of the +2 from our Ring and Cloak of Protection. Even our weakest save is at +6, and we can still bolster a low roll with Flash of Genius for a +5. Atlas’ Constitution save is at +17 before Flash; short of truly catstrophic damage, nothing breaks Atlas’ concentration.
And the best protection of all is that six times, should something manage to break Atlas’ incredible defenses and chew through his over two hundred hit points, Atlas can sacrifice an infusion to avoid death. Six separate times, Atlas Gets Back Up. His capabilities degrade, his items and equipment falls apart, but he gets back up.
Unceasing. Unsleeping. Relentless. Remorseless. With arm-mounted arcane blaster, multilayered active and passive armor and defenses, and the pitiless determination of a true machine, Atlas will hold the line. Against demons, against dragons, against all the endless hordes of the Mournlands, Atlas does not falter.
Oh yeah. Soul of Artifice is one of the most bonko class capstones in the game. it's right up there with Primal Champion and Archdruid, really. I'm not even fully optimizing it - those numbers would be one higher if I had one more non-Infusion magic item to attune to, or if I dropped my Enhanced Defense for Resistance Armor. There is something just deeply cool in knowing that one's walking-around, ordinary day AC and saves are (mostly) better than an Ancient Red Dragon. The durgan beats you on raw HP, but come on. It's an ancient durgan. Poor thing's gotta win somewhere.
Heh, but yes. What "Terminator" throwdown is really complete without a nigh-invulnerable machine loaded with magical screwballery Dope Future Tech?
I haven't been able to take a look at the Artificer class at all yet (damn you class paywalls) but the potential looks incredible. Can I ask why you picked Warforged? Extra AC or flavor?
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The Concept: The Terminator/Your hardest to kill build
The goal here is to be as hard to kill as possible without taking a route of straight up avoidance, you want to keep walking dramatically like the iconic T series we all grew up fearing. Votes will decide which character is the toughest on the block but imaginary bonus points will be awarded to any build that isn't entirely dependent on set up (doesn't get red in the face over being surprised).
Some rules for guidance:
-The primary schtick of your character should be to be as hard to kill as possible, without taking a route of avoidance (no skirmishers etc.), you must be able to face attacks/effects head on and keep walking in 80s meancing fashion
-Having damage and support capabilities is a nice extra, but should be a secondary consideration, your primary build concern and your primary consideration for voting
-No UA, only officially published materials
-You must include a stat array (Point Buy or Standard Array)
-Build to 20 with insights on how the build hands at levels 5, 11, 17 and 20 (include hp and AC at each point for each of reading)
-Multiclassing and feat optional rules in play
-Variants for races available (V. Human, Dragonmarks, SCAG variants)
-No magic items unless you have a way to create them from a class feature
-Normal starting items and gold, mundane armor upgrades be assumed to happen during tier 2 (so you can mention Plate/Half Plate in your commentary but you can only include it in snapshots for levels 11,17 and the final 20).
-Catchy names and fluff are not a requirement but are always nice to read
Suggested format:
Level 20 level split:
Race:
Stats: Str x Dex x Con x Int x Wis x Cha x
Background:
Starting level:
Any guidance or commentary you want
At 5th level:
Any guidance or commentary you want
At 11th level:
Any guidance or commentary you want
At 17th level:
Any guidance or commentary you want
At 20th level and final thoughts:
Voting:
To sort the wheat from the chaff we'll vote on builds and declare a 'winner' (a concept that will hopefully continue in future threads and put the contest into this), to vote simply make a post quoting the build you want to vote for (snipping the content to keep things getting out of hand) and say something that indicates you're voting e.g. +1, get's my vote etc.
-Each user only gets one vote but you can edit your post at any time before the deadline to change your mind.
-If you submit a build, you must vote for someone for your entry to be considered valid
-A user can submit more than one build but they must be in separate posts (and not back to back to respect forum rules)
-You cannot vote for yourself
-Each throwdown thread will run for 7 days after which no new builds will be accepted for contention, when the build deadline has closed votes will be accepted. The voting deadline will be five days after the build deadline, votes will be tallied and the winner announced (any vote edits after the deadline has passed will also not be counted, if the original vote cannot be seen the vote will be null and void).
Terminator build deadline/Voting opens: 24/07/2020 @ 9pm BST/4pm ET
Voting deadline: 29/07/2020 @ 9pm BST/4pm ET
PLEASE NOTE THAT VOTING IS NOW ONLY ONCE THE BUILD DEADLINE HAS PASSED.
I'm looking forward to what all the optimisers around here come up with so without further ado, let's THROWDOWN
The Contestants:
GoodBovine's 'Bugbearian'
JacksonTC's 'The Obvious Tank'
Yurei's 'Atlas' 7 Votes
Lostwhilstfishing's 'Steven Zealot'
Gabriel Rockman's 'Aeric'
Chicken_Champ's 'Slaab' 4 Votes
Bobbybaker's 'Celestial/Life Cleric'
HeroZero's 'Gnome Paladin'
Transmorpher's 'Prince Alpha'
Brewksy's 'Jank the Tank'
Jegpeg's 'The Redemption Paladin'
Songofblues' 'Heqanakthi'
BramblefootDruid's 'the Boss'
BramblefootDruid's 'The Holy Redeemer'
The winner is: Yurei's Atlas!
Previous winners:
Throwdown #1: The Gish - Yurei1453's 'Aine, Avandra's Blade'
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the the bugbear Bear BarBearian.
Level 20 level split: 3 barbarian (totem [bear])/17 druid (moon)
Race: Bugbear (not optimized but you gotta for the lolz. if you are a sadistic miser, pick Lizardfolk for your best AC and stats)
Stats: Str 13 (10) Dex 13 (14) Con 14 Int 10 Wis 15 Cha 13
Background: any, but outlander is fun (lived among bears..)
Starting level: Barbarian. bog standard hard to kill. best hit dice in the game + resistance to physical damage and decent AC. pretty solid if you ask me. at this level you will be attacking with your great axe, and waiting for your time...
Any guidance or commentary you want: your stats REALLY don't matter. you are the bear.
At 5th level: oh yes. level 3 barb/ lvl 2 druid. you are the epitome of beariness. you are pretty much unkillable. you pick up bear totem for resistance to everything (except psychic. no mid flayers pls) and your danger sense gives advantage on Dex saves. moon druid allows for a CR 1 monster. obviously you are going for the brown bear. this allows you to have 34 HP, plus resistances (basically doubling your HP), plus your unarmored defence, plus your actual HP, plus you can do this TWICE per SHORT rest. so you are gonna have 64 HP and 13 AC in wild shape, and your regular HP/AC out of wild shape. as I said before, you are unkillable. as a bonus your attacks are deadly, and you can use reckless attack/rage damage on them.
Any guidance or commentary you want: pick up healing spells like goodberry and cure wounds and you can be a secondary healer as well. mostly just embrace that you are a bear now. then make your DM embrace it
At 11th level: level 3 barb/ level 8 druid. now you can swim and fly but who cares. you have upgraded to polar bear. you are now a bear but better HP (42), multiattack, and better attack damage. in short, you are your best self. plus you now have magical attacks, so F**k you other monsters resistances. for your ASIs pick up sentinel (for more tanking potential) and either tough, or a con increase. personally I prefer con, as it ups your AC, but if you don't care then tough all the way.
Any guidance or commentary you want: this is your epitome of beariness. you are amazing at tanking, pretty good at damaging, and can cast spells. what else could you ask for?
At 17th level: you thought a polar bear was good? now you are a badass bear made of fire! (or whatever other element). you have insane amounts of HP, resistance to everything under the sun (stay in the dark Psychic damage), ungodly attacks, can cast like a boss, and are basically you're DMs worst nightmare. any DMs out there? good luck killing this mothertrucker. pick up whatever you didn't get last time (tough or con increase)
Any guidance or commentary you want: at this point all the bears are suboptimal with is a shame. still, your elemental can look like whatever you want, and you best believe I am playing a bear with wings.
At 20th level and final thoughts: at this point idk what to say. there is no way in hell you are going down. you are an absolute beast. literally. your HP will be 102 (fire elemental), basically 204 with resistances, which you can do twice (408), plus your standard HP (an average of 219 {438 in rage}). this equals out to 846 HP. plus any heals, and your heals in wild shape. this is what it means to be unkillable.
Goodbovine out
“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
How many levels of Paladin?
A fool pulls the leaves. A brute chops the trunk. A sage digs the roots.
My Improved Lineage System
Wow. That made every other barb/moon druid look like a wizard with anger issues and a tree hugger...
My build is coming soon, and i think it's pretty fun...
'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
I'll worldbuild for your DnD games!
Just a D&D enjoyer, check out my fiverr page if you need any worldbuilding done for ya!
That was fast! Thank you for submitting a build, at the moment your build unfortunately doesn't meet the multiclassing prerequisites for Barbarian. The current requirements your build needs to meet are:
-Str 13
-Con 13 (met)
-Wis 13 (met)
Please update your build to meet the requirements.
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I mean, who needs charisma?
'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
I'll worldbuild for your DnD games!
Just a D&D enjoyer, check out my fiverr page if you need any worldbuilding done for ya!
This shall be interdasting....
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
sorry edited it :)
“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
you got me.
only bears. give em a hat, a tie and a love for anything edible and you have yogi the unkillable. can't wait for your build.
“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
Well, this thread is kinda done already. The math alone shows that Circle of Moon Druid with Totem Warrior Barbarian beats everything hands down until the Circle of the Moon Druid gets its 20 capstone talent. Unlimited Wildshapes...
At 20 Circle of the Moon druid, it doesn't matter that you don't have resistances. It doesn't matter that you don't have a high AC. It doesn't matter if your player stats are terrible. You could have 8's across the board. Doesn't matter. Every round you heal anywhere from 102 to 126 hit points depending on if you go fire or earth elemental. Literal limitless hitpoints beat everything.
On top of that if you do take enough damage to go down to your normal form you are still a max level full caster. You need some very special tactics to take down a level 20 Circle of the Moon Druid. Damage just won't do it.
Remember: the Barbarian levels means the Druid never gains Archdruid, and thus never gains unlimited Wild Shape.
On the other hand, the entry I'm working on for this thread does reach its capstone, and frankly I'd bet on my boi coming up here even over an Archdruid. After all, there's ways around Archdruidism, but there's not much you can do to...well.
Y'all will see. :P
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Besides a straight 20 Moon Druid being a bit... boring for this kind of competition, you're also singing its praises a little too loudly:
-Anything that takes effect on 0hp is actually easier to implement on a Moon Druid than other characters, it doesn't matter if it was your Wildshape, it's still hitting 0
-Mental stats absolutely still matter, how are you going to keep wildshaping if you're suffering from a condition that incapacitates you?
-Damage absolutely can do it, even if it's just chipping away every time they revert, no one is able to ignore damage long term. No one.
Besides that, Barbearian isn't necessarily the hardest to kill with sheer damage and the capstone of a Moon Druid is exactly that, a capstone. You have to actually make it to 20 and these competitions require a break down at each tier, with the builds being evaluated as a whole, not just in their 20th level forms (becuase whilst that's neat, it's completely useless for people to look at and play themselves in a standard game).
There's plenty of tricks up sleeves for this concept and hopefully we'll see a wide array played out.
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A note about Bears: it’s debatable/controversial whether ASI and racial ability modifiers apply to modify your bears attributes, but undeniable that feats do (features from your class, race, or other source). Half-stat feats like Athletics can thus can pump those bear Con and Dex scores a little higher for slightly better AC!
dndbeyond.com forum tags
I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
racial and ASIs don't IMO. my build does take that into account
“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
I'm curious to see how these builds compare to the obvious tank, so I'm going to throw it here just for the sake of being able to directly compare.
Hill Dwarf Barbarian 20
Level 1 Stats: Str 11 | Dex 15 | Con 15 (17) | Int 10 | Wis 10 (11) | Cha 10
Level 20 Stats: Str 15 | Dex 18 | Con 24 | Int 11 | Wis 11 | Cha 10
Background: Soldier (Not sure it really matters here)
Starting level:
Barbarians roll the best hit die at d12 so you start with the highest possible base health at 12 + CON (+3) + 1 (Racial). Only a VHuman Barb with 16 Con + Tough feat has more starting health (17) I THINK. May need someone to keep me honest here. We are proficient in STR and CON saving throws and start with 15 AC without need for armor (15 DEX). 17 if we want to throw a shield in there. We start resistant to Poison damage and have advantage on all Poison related saving throws, which I believe is one of the most prevalent throws in the game.
At 5th level:
You're assumed to be raging all the time at this point. You have 19 CON and are at 65 HP with a 16 AC (18 with shield). You have resistance to everything except for Psychic Damage because we're taking Bear Totem Barbarian. You have advantage against Dex Saving Throws on effects we can see and our saving throws are now +3, +2, +7, 0, 0, 0.
At 11th level:
Aspect of the Beast helps us none here. Advantage on Initiative means that we can get better positioning, for what that counts, and now we cannot be surprised so long as we have a rage handy. We have maxed out CON and have taken a bump up from 15 DEX (we bought into 15 DEX at the beginning) to 16 DEX and now enjoy a AC of 18 (20 with shield) with 148 HP. We still don't need armor and don't have to worry about being caught sleeping without our armor on (or any other conceivable scenario the DM deems armor a step towards exhaustion).
Edit: Here we have 148 HP.
At 17th level:
Relentless Rage now gives us a better Half-Orc racial. If we reach 0 HP we now can roll a CON saving throw (+9 now) against a 10 (+5 for subsequent attempts) DC to keep at 1 HP. We've grabbed Tough for even more HP and our Totemic Attunement of Eagle now gives us flying during our turn. To offset the DM's choice to flood us with Mind Flayers in an attempt to jab at our weakness we've also taken Resilience in INT instead of taking the DEX/AC bump. Our saving throws are +6, +3, +11, +6, 0, 0. We still boast a 18 AC (20 with Shield) and now have 260 HP. With resistance in everything, we can stand there and tank crits all day.
At 20th level and final thoughts:
We can get another ASI at 19. The Dex bump brings our AC up to 21 (23 with a shield). Primal Champion makes our CON now 24. We have a final saving throw lineup of +8, +4, +13, +6, 0, 0. If you thought 260 HP was good at 17, three levels later we now have 345 HP. We are now built specifically for tanking hits without relying on AC, assuming that we can't be taken out of our rage (even with our Persistent Rage). We are resistant to everything under the sun, and even if that "everything under the sun" wants to hit us with psychic damage we have a HP ocean deep enough to sail a boat on. We have advantage on DEX effects we can see. If something can kill us, it doesn't matter, we roll an automatic success on our Relentless Rage the first time, and our second success is all but guaranteed (avoid rolling a Nat 1). If we roll above a 7 the third time, we can even make a Half-Orc Samurai jealous about how we just cannot die. This is the least gimmicky, safest method to take damage head on and not die. This avoids the gaps in the armor of other builds that rely on actions/bonus-actions to maintain their resilience. We also have incredible saving throws to avoid directly damaging effects, silencing, anti-magic, concentration, etc. which another class might not have (especially those shapeshifters, monkaS). Being charmed, put to sleep, stunned, etc. does not end our rage/resistances (thanks Persistent Rage!). All in all, this is the safest build I can think of.
Let me know if you have any questions, or if you've found a flaw in my build. Hope you enjoyed!
Breach Assault Unit, Factory Model AS7, “ATLAS”
“A ‘Mech as powerful as possible, as impenetrable as possible, and as ugly and foreboding as conceivable, so that fear itself will be our ally”
~Aleksandr Kerensky
In times of war, there comes a moment where a door must be kicked in. A window must be shattered, a wall must be broken, and someone must seize the breach and hold their ground so that those who come after can pry open this crack in an enemy’s defense. There must exist a soldier who can withstand the fury of an entire legion of foes, a soldier who can force the enemy to retreat. A soldier so unshakable, so proof against all reprisal, that in his obsidian eyes the enemy can see only Death.
That soldier is Atlas.
Atlas
Warforged Artillerist 20
12/14/13(15)/15(16)/10/8
Soldier Background
Level Zero:Gear and Starting Stuff Selection
When selecting gear, remember: you’re allowed to spend your starting gold on things not covered by your basic background, and some DMs let you sell back starting gear you don’t want. Use some of that money to acquire non-issue items any assault trooper knows will carry the day.
When selecting Starting Equipment, I recommend the following picks:
>take a handaxe and a quarterstaff for your two simple weapons. Neither is really critical or eminently useful to you as a weapon, but the handaxe has a hundred uses around a war camp, and in a pinch you can use your quarterstaff as an Arcane Firearm in a few levels
>take the light crossbow and bolts, then immediately ask your DM if you can sell them back and acquire a shield, instead. If not, do that at some point early in your game. You will never use these, but you do need a shield ASAP.
>You’re going to want scale mail; Atlas doesn’t bother with that pointless leather junk.
Factory Default: Level One
Specs: AC: 17. HP: 10
At first level, Atlas is fresh from the Soul Forge with little beyond the armor on his back. Fortunately, the armor on his back is pretty gol-durn sturdy. 14 from Scale Mail, +2 from our Dex, and +1 from the warforged Integrated Protection trait, which also allows us to wear our armor nonstop 24/7 without having to justify it to the DM. As an Artillerist, Atlas focuses on magical offense via his cantrips: Shocking Grasp and Fire Bolt. No utility here – Atlas is a war machine and does not pretend otherwise. In combat, Atlas does not use distance strikes save to soften up defenses prior to engaging in close range battle. His armored mass is at the front, holding the line and blocking the enemy.
Key infusions to get at second level are Enhanced Defense and Enhanced Arcane Focus, both of which are critical pieces of the endgame kit. Goggles of Night are a good backup for when Atlas has to reconfigure his systems for nighttime operations. The final choice is up to taste.
At third we take our Artillerist specialization, unlocking access to key spells and setting Atlas upon the road to Ultimate Tankdom. And at fourth, we discover why Atlas was discharged from the military – the Aberrant Dragonmark feat. Atlas develops a mote of chaotic power, granting him a third cantrip choice and a single spell outside of his normal artificer spell list. My recommendations are Mold Earth and Earth Tremor, allowing Atlas to rapidly create earthworks fortifications alongside his unit, and further granting him the ability to shake the very ground upon which he treads.
Augmented Operation: Level Five
Specs: 12/14/16/16/10/8. AC: 20. HP: 43
At fifth level, Atlas has already become a right and proper tank, acquiring system and structure upgrades that allow him to hold the line. With our starting scale mail and the acquisition of a shield, we reach 20 walking-around armor class – 14+2DX from Scale, +1 Warforged, +1 Enhanced Defense, +2 from our shield. That is quite respectable for a medium-armored character at level 5. We bolster this with ready access to the Shield spell and the Protector Eldritch Cannon. Protector grants 1d8+3 temporary HP as a bonus action every turn, which presents a constant barricade of healing for those who manage to get past Atlas’ defensive plating. Arcane Firearm on a wand allows us to deal extra damage with our combat spells from one hand without interfering with our shield.
At sixth level, Atlas obtains one of his most important upgrades – the ability to create the Wand Sheath Infusion. This allows Atlas to store his Arcane Firearm inside his forearm, deploying and using it without burdening his hand and granting him the ability to wield three* items at once. One is our shield, which is itself now a Repulsion Shield for the additional +1AC. One is our Arcane Firearm, wielded in proper Super Robot fashion in its forearm hardpoint. The last is our Protector Cannon, should we need to create it and carry it around, or whatever else we need it to be if not. Atlas trades on of his 2nd-level Infusion options at this stage for Resistance Armor; while he normally prefers Enhanced Defense for raw AC, the ability to trade a point or two of AC for resistance to an expected high-damage element (i.e. Fire Resistance armor when facing a red dragon tomorrow) is an important piece of Atlas’ modular construction.
At eighth level we increase our Intelligence score by 2, hitting 18. This gives us one extra Flash of Genius per long rest, as well as increasing that ability’s power. Plus, y’know, justy making Atlas better at using his spells.
At tenth level we gain another active Infusion, raising us to 4, gain a +2 bonus from both Enhanced Defense and Enhanced Arcane Focus, and the ability to create our next piece of key kit – the Cloak of Protection. Our other tenth-level infusion is Winged Boots, though Atlas doesn’t typically use these. Armor, Wand Sheath, Shield, Cloak – these are what Atlas uses as his standard combat loadout.
War Machine: Level Eleven
Specs: 12/14/16/18/10/8. AC: 24. HP: 91
By eleventh level, Atlas has definitely traded his scale mail for half-plate, gaining an extra point of AC. We’re now sitting at 24 – 15+2 Half Plate, +1 Warforged, +2 Enhanced Defense armor, +3 Repulsion Shield, and +1 Cloak of Protection. At this tier, very little has a reliable chance of punching through 24AC, and with Flash of Genius and the Cloak bolstering key saves, our war machine is difficult to batter down with save effects, as well. We’ve also snagged a third cantrip, Ray of Frost, to fall back on should neither Fire Bolt nor Shocking Grasp prove useful.
We continue our progression, gaining the incredible Spell-Storing Item ability. Atlas uses his wand sheath as his SSI, with a bit of DM flavor fiat enabling us to fire the spell from his arm cannon like everything else. This is typically stuffed with either Scorching Ray or Cure Wounds, enabling Atlas to either blast Away at foes with withering firepower or continually repair himself in the face of withering firepower.
At twelfth level Atlas finishes maximizing his Intelligence score, though it’s at fourteenth level that the world truly becomes our oyster. At 14, we gain our final pieces of critical kit from our Infusion ability – the Amulet of Health and the Ring of Protection. We can’t use both just yet (only five active Infusions at 14, which is Armor, Wand Sheath, Cloak, Shield, and Amulet), but the Ring of Protection will serve us well in a few more levels. The Amulet of Health allows us to disregard Constitution from now on, which lets us bulk up with our last two ASIs to come.
Side note: yes, I know, it would be ‘more optimal’ to set Constitution to 8, assume Atlas lives until 14, and then rely on the Amulet of Health to patch up our weakness. This is the Terminator Throwdown. A critter with fewer than 80HP by fourteenth level does not qualify.
Level fifteen grants us a second cannon, as well as half cover whenever we’re within 10 feet of our cannon. Since Atlas normally holds his cannon in his Wand Sheath hand, that’s basically always, giving him EVEN MORE AC against ranged attacks or Dexterity save effects.
And finally, at sixteenth level Atlas invests in War Caster. Awfully late, but still excellent. We can now Shocking Grasp as a reaction for AoO, and we gain advantage on our Constitution saves. With a +10 to Constitution savbes at 16, concentration is not typically an issue. But don’t worry – it gets even better in just a few levels.
Literal Tank: Level Seventeen
Specs: 12/14/19/20/10/8. AC: 24. HP: 156.
At seventeenth, Atlas is a very tuff boi indeed. Gaining access to fifth-level magic at this level, we nab a bunch of interesting spells...but it’s the next level, 18, that gives us our next piece of kit. We can select two more infusions, and we have the ability to turn on one more – meaning we can now wear our Ring of Protection. Up to 25AC, and another +1 to all saves. At this point it hardly matters what else you select to have ready – you have your six core pieces of arcane kit, everything else is modular adaptability. The march to 20, and our True Final Form, continues with only one more important pitstop. At nineteenth, Atlas takes his final feat – Tough. Just a huge mess of HP to become even more difficult to take down.
Deus Machina: Level Twenty
Specs: 12/14/19/20/10/8. AC: 25. HP: 223.
Saves: +8, +9, +17, + 18, +7, +6
At twentieth level, Atlas has become a true avatar of invulnerability. With a walking-around armor class of 25, even the mightiest threats have no guarantee of being able to penetrate our war machine’s impregnable defenses. With a single cast of Shield, only the mightiest of threats stands any chance of cracking our armor outside of a lucky crit – and even when they do, there’s still that Protector Cannon generating temp HP every turn, wiping away what little damage gets through Atlas’ armor.
Nor can one resort to saving throws, either. At twentieth level we gain the ultimate in defensive abilities – Soul of Artifice. With five attuned items in our standard kit, this is +5 to ALL saving throws, on top of the +2 from our Ring and Cloak of Protection. Even our weakest save is at +6, and we can still bolster a low roll with Flash of Genius for a +5. Atlas’ Constitution save is at +17 before Flash; short of truly catstrophic damage, nothing breaks Atlas’ concentration.
And the best protection of all is that six times, should something manage to break Atlas’ incredible defenses and chew through his over two hundred hit points, Atlas can sacrifice an infusion to avoid death. Six separate times, Atlas Gets Back Up. His capabilities degrade, his items and equipment falls apart, but he gets back up.
Unceasing. Unsleeping. Relentless. Remorseless. With arm-mounted arcane blaster, multilayered active and passive armor and defenses, and the pitiless determination of a true machine, Atlas will hold the line. Against demons, against dragons, against all the endless hordes of the Mournlands, Atlas does not falter.
He holds. He fights. And he does.
Not.
Stop.
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not what I expected......but REALLY cool. gonna have to play this someday. add to my ever growing list...
“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
WOAH. Diamond Soul Monks, look away.
Oh yeah. Soul of Artifice is one of the most bonko class capstones in the game. it's right up there with Primal Champion and Archdruid, really. I'm not even fully optimizing it - those numbers would be one higher if I had one more non-Infusion magic item to attune to, or if I dropped my Enhanced Defense for Resistance Armor. There is something just deeply cool in knowing that one's walking-around, ordinary day AC and saves are (mostly) better than an Ancient Red Dragon. The durgan beats you on raw HP, but come on. It's an ancient durgan. Poor thing's gotta win somewhere.
Heh, but yes. What "Terminator" throwdown is really complete without a nigh-invulnerable machine loaded with
magical screwballeryDope Future Tech?Why you shouldn't start ANOTHER thread about DDB not giving away free redeems on your hardcopy book purchases.
Thinking of starting ANOTHER thread asking why Epic Boons haven't been implemented? Read this first to learn why you shouldn't!
I haven't been able to take a look at the Artificer class at all yet (damn you class paywalls) but the potential looks incredible. Can I ask why you picked Warforged? Extra AC or flavor?