Sup I'm a brand spanking new player that found out about dnd from a pretty simple video that just managed to pop up in my recommended. It was a video detailing the lore and ecology of red dragons that just captivated me, after that, I dipped my toes into dnd lore focusing on the monsters from elementals to owlbears I just gobbled up any videos detailing these fabulous creatures. Anyway, slowly I started getting into the actual player side of dnd and its sounds quite fun and I'd like to get into my first actual campaign.
I would love to try out other monstrous races like Minotaurs and the badass lion people, Loxodons, Bug Bear etc. However, I am a jobless 16 year old so Im stuck with the basics. HOWEVER, I plan to make the best of my situation! I decided on playing a Dragonborn. One of red dragon ancestry (they got me into the hobby after all) and im wondering what more experienced players reccomend for a Dragonborn between fighter and barbarian.
My idea for the character was a Dragonborn who is 1. Incredibly proud of himself as a warrior and would like to challenge the most powerful martial foes possible and overcome them. 2. Really enjoys fighting and is quite battle-hungry and finally 3. Thinks wizardry and magical enhancer are for wimps and I'd be an insult to his pride to rely on such things (So no hexblade for me if I choose to indulge in fighter)
I'd like for him to specialize in melee combat as well so no crossbow shenanigans. I have no idea what feats would be best either so help on that would be great as well, thanks to whoever answers.
So for this type of character would barbarian or fighter be fighter and any roleplaying tips are appreciated?
Is your DM allowing Unearthed Arcana content? There's a new one just out with a lot of draconic stuff in it, especially long-awaited fixes to address widespread opinion that dragonborn are the most underpowered PC race. UA content is always available for free. Here's a link: https://media.wizards.com/2021/downloads/Unearthed-Arcana-2021-Draconic-Options.pdf
Definitely Barbarian if you want strong mechanical incentives to keep things as melee as possible.
You won't be able to take a feat until level 4 at the earliest and probably won't want to, as you'll prefer to increase a stat by 2 points. In any case, when you're a level away from your first feat, you'll be able to ask us for feat advice again with some experience under your belt, which will help guide the convo about which feat you take. I suggest you wait and ask in the future.
The number one roleplaying tip I can offer a newbie red dragonborn barbarian is: take the sailor background with the pirate variant, and take this mantra to heart. "Never be afraid to be the first to resort to violence; anyone claiming violence never solved anything has obviously never tried it."
Sup I'm a brand spanking new player that found out about dnd from a pretty simple video that just managed to pop up in my recommended. It was a video detailing the lore and ecology of red dragons that just captivated me, after that, I dipped my toes into dnd lore focusing on the monsters from elementals to owlbears I just gobbled up any videos detailing these fabulous creatures. Anyway, slowly I started getting into the actual player side of dnd and its sounds quite fun and I'd like to get into my first actual campaign.
I would love to try out other monstrous races like Minotaurs and the badass lion people, Loxodons, Bug Bear etc. However, I am a jobless 16 year old so Im stuck with the basics. HOWEVER, I plan to make the best of my situation! I decided on playing a Dragonborn. One of red dragon ancestry (they got me into the hobby after all) and im wondering what more experienced players reccomend for a Dragonborn between fighter and barbarian.
My idea for the character was a Dragonborn who is 1. Incredibly proud of himself as a warrior and would like to challenge the most powerful martial foes possible and overcome them. 2. Really enjoys fighting and is quite battle-hungry and finally 3. Thinks wizardry and magical enhancer are for wimps and I'd be an insult to his pride to rely on such things (So no hexblade for me if I choose to indulge in fighter)
I'd like for him to specialize in melee combat as well so no crossbow shenanigans. I have no idea what feats would be best either so help on that would be great as well, thanks to whoever answers.
So for this type of character would barbarian or fighter be fighter and any roleplaying tips are appreciated?
Either could work well and I think that either Bear Totem Barbarian or Battlemaster probably fits the character best. Bear totem would just know that they outlast any opponent by sheer tenacity and stamina while the battlemaster would know that no one could beat them tactically. If you are stuck with Champion or Berserker, both can work but have problems. Berserker has to be more tactical with the frenzy uses or could literally exhaust itself to death. Champion doesn't provide a lot of gameplay variation since many of it's features are passive.
Since your breath weapon depends on constitution, either works well, since both will want a higher constitution. Fighter does give more flexibility with stat placement since you can choose one of strength and dexterity to put lower than 13 and not have it affect your defensive or offensive capabilities as much. This is especially true if you go sword and board and choose the Shield Master feat since it strengthens your dex saves or go with a dex build.
Common feats for melee characters without magic are Polearm Master, Great Weapon Master, and Shield Master. Tough can be a target later. Other than that, it depends a lot on what you went with and how you play. Mobile is excellent for melee skirmishers, but isn't as useful if you plan on just sitting still and attacking a creature until it's dead then rinse and repeat. Sentinel is excellent for characters that want to keep enemies close to them.
I think a good build would be a dex build battlemaster, using a rapier, a shield, Shield Master, and Mobile. You'd be incredibly hard to hit or pin down, would have above average mobility, maneuvers to enhance each aspect as well as increase damage, and could freely put your 15 and 14 into dex and constitution and all the rest as you saw fit. It is less interesting if you can't use Tasha's to change the bonus attribute from Strength (at least) to dex.
In that case, go with a PAM build for either, possibly with Sentinel. Use a spear or quarterstaff if you want a shield, or a glaive or halberd if you want to be able to attack from 10 ft instead of 5. This works for either barbarian or fighter and is an excellent path to take if you want barbarian but are stuck with berserker. You can use the PAM 1d4+strength attack for your bonus action normally, and use frenzy once a day (maybe twice if you really need it, just don't frenzy to often) when you need the full 1d10 from the glaive or halberd (it's less interesting to use the spear and shield with the barbarian since they can shrug off hits very well).
Oh, are we giving mechanical build advice? I'm in. I'll assume as few splats and guidelines as possible, so e.g. no custom backgrounds.
Your color isn't just cosmetic; your breath weapon has a damage type and is resisted by a save, neither of which are monster-neutral. The shape of the breath also matters, but you've already chosen the better one - it's radically easier using a cone tactically than a line.
I'll save you the trouble on the saves part: targeting DEX saves is better than targeting CON saves if you have to choose blind.
The tl;dr is that red/gold is one of the better colors, but white/silver is also good - Cold damage is superior to Fire damage in general, but DEX save is superior to CON save for targeting. You desperately want to avoid green (everything and its mother is resistant or immune) and brass (just worse than red/gold in practice). Red is perfectly fine.
Statline: STR 17 CON 16 DEX 15 others 8, assuming you listen to me and grab stats at L4 (+1 STR +1 DEX). That's AC 15 naked, so you need a Breastplate for more, and AC 16 by level 4, so you can be credibly nude all the time, no matter how much the mammals plead with you to put on pants.
Background: Sailor (Pirate)
Skills: Buy Perception and Athletics from Barbarian, so when you take Pirate, the proficiencies become freely assignable. Buy Stealth and Insight (for picking who to punch).
Tools: Navigator's Tools, Boats.
Primal Knowledge Skills: Intimidation and Survival, in whichever order fits your playstyle and campaign better.
Subclass: Totem for being hard to kill, Ancestral Guardian for making your party hard to kill. If you're Totem, there are more choices to make, so I have more recommendations:
L3: Bear.
L6: Eagle. I highly recommend getting a source of darkvision at this point if you can, either from a party caster or from goggles of night (an uncommon magic item artificers can duplicate).
L14: Bear, Eagle, and Tiger are all so good that you should choose for yourself - if you can't figure out by this level which would be the most fun for you, I don't know what to tell you.
Loadout: Greatsword/Maul for dealing damage, Glaive for reach and several excellent feats, shield and carry a rapier and a whip for tanking with versatility (especially the whip if you want to engage in Shove and Grapple, which have fascinating interactions with a Glaive and a Whip). You'll probably want a backpack of javelins for that one time it comes up you have no way to reach the enemy in melee.
To everyone else Thanks so much, you all had great advice and I really appreciate it.
I do have a question real quick, going mostly barbarian but multiclassing into fighter slightly to get second wind sounds like a good idea because barb with self healing sounds quite good, would this be worth it or should I rely on my camps potential cleric?
To everyone else Thanks so much, you all had great advice and I really appreciate it.
I do have a question real quick, going mostly barbarian but multiclassing into fighter slightly to get second wind sounds like a good idea because barb with self healing sounds quite good, would this be worth it or should I rely on my camps potential cleric?
Second Wind scales with fighter level, so it's not a lot of healing as you level. It's certainly better than a stab in the eye with a rusty spoon, but the primary reason most people take 1 fighter level is for the fighting style and so they can take a second fighter level (the L2 fighter ability Action Surge is so good as a combat opener that for many builds 2 levels of fighter is better than going for their own class's capstone (see e.g. the majority of wizard builds)).
Obviously, this person is new to D&D, meaning that they are new to D&D Beyond, meaning they are new to D&D Beyond Forums. Please exercise respect towards Volcanic and kindness. We don't want to scare away a new player because someone was complaining about their formatting.
Now, since I don't want to get reported for the same reason I just reported Born Of Fire's posts, I'll offer my advice.
You are a red dragonborn nonvariant, and choosing between fighter and barbarian. It's a tough decision, considering they offer similar benefits and you haven't elaborated much on your character concept (no offense). I would say Fighter, so that you have more options (considering the dragonborn doesn't like ranged or magic and most of the subclasses of barbarian have at least one of those).
For subclass options you have available the Champion, Battle Master, Banneret (Purple Dragon Knight), Cavalier, Gunslinger, and Samurai. Make sure to think carefully about this, because it can and should affect your roleplaying experience, and choosing your character's subclass will help define who they are. Of the subclasses I've mentioned, Samurai and Banneret can be ruled out, considering Samurai implies your character being elegant (and by your description, I would think he is not), and the Banneret relies on having allies (which your character presumably doesn't rely on having).
For your fighting style, I would choose Dueling, because of the flavor. Of course, this would mean that you would have to (or most optimally have) a longsword/battleaxe and shield, but the implications of being a duelist are too good for your character concept to pass up. (P.S. If you choose Champion subclass or Fighting Initiate feat and get to choose another fighting style, choose Defense for an extra AC.)
For feats, choose the Defensive Duelist feat first if you have at least 13 Dexterity, if not, choose the Savage Attacker feat to roll for damage with advantage (if you can take the Defensive Duelist feat, move the list down one notch each, and drop the last one). Second, take an Ability Score Increase for your attacking stat. Everyone needs improvment. After that, take the Dragon Fear feat to make his enemies frightened of him in battle. Fourth, take the Mage Slayer feat, fitting your character pretty well, considering he hates magic. Fifth, take the Sentinel feat, making yourself able to make more attacks, and making it impossible for anyone to run from you successfully. Sixth, take the Shield Master feat, giving yourself the ability to use your bonus action to shove a creature prone. This will allow you to attack with advantage against that creature until they get up. Seventh, take Tough. Tough gives you 2 extra hit points for each level you have, and it keeps helping in this way for the rest of your character's lifespan.
Anyway, as to the actual suggestion... it sounds like a Barbarian to me. The biggest problem you're going to run into, however, is that, since you're relying on the publicly available races and subclasses, the only Barbarian subclass you'll get access to on DNDBeyond is the Berserker subclass, which is one of the least popular Barbarian Subclasses. Then again, the only Fighter Subclass that's available is the Champion, which is better than Berserker on average, but is kind of boring, as far as Fighter Subclasses are concerned.
If you are interested in feats, Fighter gives you more opportunities, since the Fighter Subclass has more Ability Score Improvements than any other class.
Transmorpher makes a good point. Something to emphasize to both you and your GM is that there's no reason at all to force yourself to make your character on dnd beyond. The game's original design intent was to do it with pencil and paper anyway, and there are a variety of tools you can find on the web to make filling one out easier, like a downloadable form-fillable pdf, or there's a web site called roll20 that has like 3 different takes on the 5E sheet you can fill in manually. That way you can use any materials your GM has, like I assume the PHB - I'm sure you can work out how to make that happen, and it'll let you make things like the Bearbarian I suggested. The Ancestor subclass was from Xanathar's.
If your DM allows unearther Arcana as well as the recent draconic options there is also folk od the feyworld where you have options of other exotic races such as owlfolk. Many DMs (probably most) do not allow UA however as is test material which may be found to be unbalanced. Folk of the Feyworld UA
You might also be able to get access to paid content oif D&D thruogh your DM. If your DM has a master tier subscription they will be able to share the content they have bought with you. You might also be able to get features from your DMs paper copies of books as quindraco said.
Assuming you are limited to free content if you choose barbarian you have to become a berserker subclass, if you choose fighter then you have to be a champion (all the other aub-classes are paid for). Typically a fighter is a trained, disciplined soldier type of character where a barbarian is much more instinctive fighter, either could work with the concept you have described. THe other thing you need to decide is whether you will normally use a shield, this gives you slightly less damage output but increases your defence. If you don't use a shiled you will probably want to use a two handed weapon (I might be wrong but I don't see your character using a small sword in each hand, and two weapon fighting doesn't work when you are in a frenzy if you choose barabarian)
Champion fighter gets a lot of critisism on the forums as the subclass features are passive for example from level 3 you will get a critical hit if you roll 19 (as well as 20) you don't need to think about. This makes it less tactical than most (probably all) other classes/subclasses though you will have some limited resources you have to think about from thegeneral fighter features such as action surge.
Berserker at level 3 gets Frenzy, as someone said make sure you don't overuse this. One level of exhaustion is manageable, you might not see the enemy hiding in the trees or be less effective than usual climbing a rock face but it is nothing too drastic. A second level halves your speed, if the kobalds start firing arrows at you from 100 feet away and your movement speed is 15 it is going to take some time to get to them with your sword (even if you use your action to dash). 3 levels of exhaustion meansdisadvantage on all attack rolls and saving throws (as well as the above) you don't want to be like that with any potential to get into combat. I would say never use frenzy if you already have a level of exhaustion. Barbarians are also rather more multi attribute dependednt as you also need decent dexterity (If you decide to wear medium armor it doesn't need to go higher than 14).
One thing that you may want to consider if you can't get on with someone with a subscription on here is checking your local library for a copy of the Player's Handbook. There have been some good ideas thrown into the mix, I think that you'll be able to get a better idea about some of the options available. The first thing I'd do is figure out whether your character is more of an offensive minded character (probably uses a 2 handed weapon and doesn't worry about being hit as much) or a defensive minded character (probably more sword and board for a fighter, barbarians are less reliant on it for defense but do just fine with them). Next decide whether the character will be more tactical (leans fighter) or more brute force (lean barbarian). Both are good options for learning the game as they don't get overburdened with lots of choices to make at each level (unlike many spellcasting classes) and the playstyle is fairly straightforward for both, though there is room for nuance as you grow more comfortable with the game.
Once you've chosen offensive or defensive and then the general fighting style the character will use, you can focus on the suggestions that were made and pick out your favorites.
Finally, don't worry about being super optimized with your first character. Use it to feel out the mechanics of the game and how you have fun playing the game. If it turns out that optimizing is how you have fun, you'll figure it out quickly, but focusing too much on it can distract from other aspects that you should explore as well.
Role play tips. Choose the personality options from the background and base most of your decisions in character on those personality traits. Feel free to lean into the character flaw, as that can sometimes be more fun than leaning into the strengths (but do spend time doing things the character is good at as well).
I feel like Battle Master might be too much for a newb player. I am a relatively proficient player, and reading through all of the Battle Master stuff gave me a headache. Plus you would have to track your superiority dice too.
Champion might be bland, but it's by no means weak. Your character concept sounds like someone who is a very good fighter, very confident in his abilities, which I think fits the Champion build well. Battle Master deals a lot more with allies and causing advantage/disadvantage, moving, disarming etc. This might be a bit much for a first time player.
Barbarian is another good choice for a straight up melee character. Flavor-wise, Totem might be too close to magic for your character (but that is ENTIRELY up to you!). If you're trying to avoid magic, I would think either Berserker, Beast, or Zealot would be good fits for your desired character concept.
Berserker is, at best, veteran player only - a newbie isn't prepared for how utterly crippling the frenzy rules are. Berserkers have to carefully manage the decision on when to Frenzy - do it in your first combat of the day, and the rest of the day is going to go poorly for you. I would never recommend Berserker to someone new.
Battle Master or Champion Fighter if you are just using the basics
Roleplay wise Erin M Evans wrote an awesome bit about playing a dragonborn in the Forgotten Realms. (Ignore if you dont play in the Realms)
Your character might want/need is to pick a clan and know your ancestor stories. These are like dragonborn nursery stories–but they are not cute. They are hard. You’ll have heard these basically since you broke the shell, and they shape a lot of really fundamental things. Art. Sayings. The way your parents yell at you. They are also good for making maunthreki wig out a little. (maunthreki is a kind of rude way dragonborn say “non-dragonborn.”)
If you’re a proper dragonborn, you also need facial piercings to indicate your clan. You get these when you’re grown enough to officially join your clan, and you can lose them if you piss off your elders enough to get exiled. For dragonborn in Djerad Thymar, having empty piercings is a bit like having a jailhouse tattoo–people are thinking “What did they do?”
Dragonborn in the realms if they come from a clan have a kind of filial piety.
Omin’ iejirsjighen—“What the clan writes on the blood;” the things you owe your clan because you were taught their importance. (e.g.serving your two in the Lance Defenders would fall under this, or being a good host*)
omin’ iejirkkessh—“The clan that is in the blood;” the things you owe your clan which you shouldn’t need to be taught (e.g. respecting your clan elders, the importance of the past, having a drive to be a good defender)
throtominarr—“the clan repeated” the honor you show your ancestors by improving on what they created (e.g. increasing your clan’s status, building a better mousetrap, making a trade agreement that was lost in previous generations) The art here is considered to be improving, but not undoing.
Now dragonborn in the realms are not atheists, specifically. It’s hard to exist in the Realms and not accept that there are gods. But they don’t have any interest in them. Dragonborn describes the gods as being like "beggars—you give them a little attention and they’ll be after you and your coin purse for all your days."
However gods of battle and combat (tempus, valkur, and the red knight) may be more likely to be followed by a dragonborn.
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Red dragonborn are pretty nice. Can spin it as whatever means you want (fire breath is useful for breathing flame from nose for a candle and all that)
While there is the desire for melee martial things. I have a few ideas. A ranger (hunter archetype with horde breaker specifically) Plus fighter levels with eventual battlemaster. Could pick champion or whatever, but battle master allows a whole lot of extra things. I figure a strong dragonborn would like to mow down some people, so horde breaker allowing a free action to attack another target within range of your attack (so even using a bow as they close in, you can hit anyone else in range of your weapon) great for melee too as be swarmed and mess up that extra person for a free attack roll! Battlemaster lets you do things like trip people to get advantage. make use of action surge when two weapon fighting. (since you got two fighting styles to have fun with at your desire) So even before you get extra attack. you can get three attacks off in a single turn. (attack with main hand like normal. Bonus action to use off hand. fighting style gives you your modifier to damage. horde breaker for main hand to another person.) Battle master just lets you do extra things with the maneuvers. Cleave to deal damage to another, save your allies, whaterver in the list seems attractive to you. Plus you get them back after a short rest. Which you may as well try to make use of a lot.
Barbarian has the rage benefit, which I would also mention would be fun to make use of horde breaker for a free extra attack. Depending on your DM and game. beast totem offers so much more beyond bear totem. Hyper attractive, and would ask your DM if on a long rest to swap it out. Since those other totems are useful. like tripping in melee attacks, or faster travel speed, or seeing clearly a mile away to read the peoples plans through their window while on the hill a mile away.
Ranger also has the colossus slayer where if the target is damaged, you deal an extra d10 damage once a turn. I far prefer the extra attack as it makes groups around you a free attack to usually do more damage.
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Sup
I'm a brand spanking new player that found out about dnd from a pretty simple video that just managed to pop up in my recommended. It was a video detailing the lore and ecology of red dragons that just captivated me, after that, I dipped my toes into dnd lore focusing on the monsters from elementals to owlbears I just gobbled up any videos detailing these fabulous creatures. Anyway, slowly I started getting into the actual player side of dnd and its sounds quite fun and I'd like to get into my first actual campaign.
I would love to try out other monstrous races like Minotaurs and the badass lion people, Loxodons, Bug Bear etc. However, I am a jobless 16 year old so Im stuck with the basics. HOWEVER, I plan to make the best of my situation!
I decided on playing a Dragonborn. One of red dragon ancestry (they got me into the hobby after all) and im wondering what more experienced players reccomend for a Dragonborn between fighter and barbarian.
My idea for the character was a Dragonborn who is
1. Incredibly proud of himself as a warrior and would like to challenge the most powerful martial foes possible and overcome them.
2. Really enjoys fighting and is quite battle-hungry
and finally
3. Thinks wizardry and magical enhancer are for wimps and I'd be an insult to his pride to rely on such things (So no hexblade for me if I choose to indulge in fighter)
I'd like for him to specialize in melee combat as well so no crossbow shenanigans.
I have no idea what feats would be best either so help on that would be great as well, thanks to whoever answers.
So for this type of character would barbarian or fighter be fighter and any roleplaying tips are appreciated?
Either could work well and I think that either Bear Totem Barbarian or Battlemaster probably fits the character best. Bear totem would just know that they outlast any opponent by sheer tenacity and stamina while the battlemaster would know that no one could beat them tactically. If you are stuck with Champion or Berserker, both can work but have problems. Berserker has to be more tactical with the frenzy uses or could literally exhaust itself to death. Champion doesn't provide a lot of gameplay variation since many of it's features are passive.
Since your breath weapon depends on constitution, either works well, since both will want a higher constitution. Fighter does give more flexibility with stat placement since you can choose one of strength and dexterity to put lower than 13 and not have it affect your defensive or offensive capabilities as much. This is especially true if you go sword and board and choose the Shield Master feat since it strengthens your dex saves or go with a dex build.
Common feats for melee characters without magic are Polearm Master, Great Weapon Master, and Shield Master. Tough can be a target later. Other than that, it depends a lot on what you went with and how you play. Mobile is excellent for melee skirmishers, but isn't as useful if you plan on just sitting still and attacking a creature until it's dead then rinse and repeat. Sentinel is excellent for characters that want to keep enemies close to them.
I think a good build would be a dex build battlemaster, using a rapier, a shield, Shield Master, and Mobile. You'd be incredibly hard to hit or pin down, would have above average mobility, maneuvers to enhance each aspect as well as increase damage, and could freely put your 15 and 14 into dex and constitution and all the rest as you saw fit. It is less interesting if you can't use Tasha's to change the bonus attribute from Strength (at least) to dex.
In that case, go with a PAM build for either, possibly with Sentinel. Use a spear or quarterstaff if you want a shield, or a glaive or halberd if you want to be able to attack from 10 ft instead of 5. This works for either barbarian or fighter and is an excellent path to take if you want barbarian but are stuck with berserker. You can use the PAM 1d4+strength attack for your bonus action normally, and use frenzy once a day (maybe twice if you really need it, just don't frenzy to often) when you need the full 1d10 from the glaive or halberd (it's less interesting to use the spear and shield with the barbarian since they can shrug off hits very well).
Oh, are we giving mechanical build advice? I'm in. I'll assume as few splats and guidelines as possible, so e.g. no custom backgrounds.
I was just trying out something different as my first forum ever, if it was that much of an eye-searing chore to look at...why comment at all?
Thanks for the forum advice tho, I'll stick to the standard from now on but dude...coulda been a bit less of an jerk about it
To everyone else
Thanks so much, you all had great advice and I really appreciate it.
I do have a question real quick, going mostly barbarian but multiclassing into fighter slightly to get second wind sounds like a good idea because barb with self healing sounds quite good, would this be worth it or should I rely on my camps potential cleric?
Second Wind scales with fighter level, so it's not a lot of healing as you level. It's certainly better than a stab in the eye with a rusty spoon, but the primary reason most people take 1 fighter level is for the fighting style and so they can take a second fighter level (the L2 fighter ability Action Surge is so good as a combat opener that for many builds 2 levels of fighter is better than going for their own class's capstone (see e.g. the majority of wizard builds)).
Obviously, this person is new to D&D, meaning that they are new to D&D Beyond, meaning they are new to D&D Beyond Forums. Please exercise respect towards Volcanic and kindness. We don't want to scare away a new player because someone was complaining about their formatting.
Now, since I don't want to get reported for the same reason I just reported Born Of Fire's posts, I'll offer my advice.
You are a red dragonborn nonvariant, and choosing between fighter and barbarian. It's a tough decision, considering they offer similar benefits and you haven't elaborated much on your character concept (no offense). I would say Fighter, so that you have more options (considering the dragonborn doesn't like ranged or magic and most of the subclasses of barbarian have at least one of those).
For subclass options you have available the Champion, Battle Master, Banneret (Purple Dragon Knight), Cavalier, Gunslinger, and Samurai. Make sure to think carefully about this, because it can and should affect your roleplaying experience, and choosing your character's subclass will help define who they are. Of the subclasses I've mentioned, Samurai and Banneret can be ruled out, considering Samurai implies your character being elegant (and by your description, I would think he is not), and the Banneret relies on having allies (which your character presumably doesn't rely on having).
For your fighting style, I would choose Dueling, because of the flavor. Of course, this would mean that you would have to (or most optimally have) a longsword/battleaxe and shield, but the implications of being a duelist are too good for your character concept to pass up. (P.S. If you choose Champion subclass or Fighting Initiate feat and get to choose another fighting style, choose Defense for an extra AC.)
For feats, choose the Defensive Duelist feat first if you have at least 13 Dexterity, if not, choose the Savage Attacker feat to roll for damage with advantage (if you can take the Defensive Duelist feat, move the list down one notch each, and drop the last one). Second, take an Ability Score Increase for your attacking stat. Everyone needs improvment. After that, take the Dragon Fear feat to make his enemies frightened of him in battle. Fourth, take the Mage Slayer feat, fitting your character pretty well, considering he hates magic. Fifth, take the Sentinel feat, making yourself able to make more attacks, and making it impossible for anyone to run from you successfully. Sixth, take the Shield Master feat, giving yourself the ability to use your bonus action to shove a creature prone. This will allow you to attack with advantage against that creature until they get up. Seventh, take Tough. Tough gives you 2 extra hit points for each level you have, and it keeps helping in this way for the rest of your character's lifespan.
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Spells, Monsters, Magic Items, Feats, Subclasses.
I am an Archfey, but nobody seems to notice.
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Anyway, as to the actual suggestion... it sounds like a Barbarian to me. The biggest problem you're going to run into, however, is that, since you're relying on the publicly available races and subclasses, the only Barbarian subclass you'll get access to on DNDBeyond is the Berserker subclass, which is one of the least popular Barbarian Subclasses. Then again, the only Fighter Subclass that's available is the Champion, which is better than Berserker on average, but is kind of boring, as far as Fighter Subclasses are concerned.
If you are interested in feats, Fighter gives you more opportunities, since the Fighter Subclass has more Ability Score Improvements than any other class.
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Transmorpher makes a good point. Something to emphasize to both you and your GM is that there's no reason at all to force yourself to make your character on dnd beyond. The game's original design intent was to do it with pencil and paper anyway, and there are a variety of tools you can find on the web to make filling one out easier, like a downloadable form-fillable pdf, or there's a web site called roll20 that has like 3 different takes on the 5E sheet you can fill in manually. That way you can use any materials your GM has, like I assume the PHB - I'm sure you can work out how to make that happen, and it'll let you make things like the Bearbarian I suggested. The Ancestor subclass was from Xanathar's.
If your DM allows unearther Arcana as well as the recent draconic options there is also folk od the feyworld where you have options of other exotic races such as owlfolk. Many DMs (probably most) do not allow UA however as is test material which may be found to be unbalanced.
Folk of the Feyworld UA
You might also be able to get access to paid content oif D&D thruogh your DM. If your DM has a master tier subscription they will be able to share the content they have bought with you. You might also be able to get features from your DMs paper copies of books as quindraco said.
Assuming you are limited to free content if you choose barbarian you have to become a berserker subclass, if you choose fighter then you have to be a champion (all the other aub-classes are paid for). Typically a fighter is a trained, disciplined soldier type of character where a barbarian is much more instinctive fighter, either could work with the concept you have described. THe other thing you need to decide is whether you will normally use a shield, this gives you slightly less damage output but increases your defence. If you don't use a shiled you will probably want to use a two handed weapon (I might be wrong but I don't see your character using a small sword in each hand, and two weapon fighting doesn't work when you are in a frenzy if you choose barabarian)
Champion fighter gets a lot of critisism on the forums as the subclass features are passive for example from level 3 you will get a critical hit if you roll 19 (as well as 20) you don't need to think about. This makes it less tactical than most (probably all) other classes/subclasses though you will have some limited resources you have to think about from thegeneral fighter features such as action surge.
Berserker at level 3 gets Frenzy, as someone said make sure you don't overuse this. One level of exhaustion is manageable, you might not see the enemy hiding in the trees or be less effective than usual climbing a rock face but it is nothing too drastic. A second level halves your speed, if the kobalds start firing arrows at you from 100 feet away and your movement speed is 15 it is going to take some time to get to them with your sword (even if you use your action to dash). 3 levels of exhaustion meansdisadvantage on all attack rolls and saving throws (as well as the above) you don't want to be like that with any potential to get into combat. I would say never use frenzy if you already have a level of exhaustion. Barbarians are also rather more multi attribute dependednt as you also need decent dexterity (If you decide to wear medium armor it doesn't need to go higher than 14).
One thing that you may want to consider if you can't get on with someone with a subscription on here is checking your local library for a copy of the Player's Handbook. There have been some good ideas thrown into the mix, I think that you'll be able to get a better idea about some of the options available. The first thing I'd do is figure out whether your character is more of an offensive minded character (probably uses a 2 handed weapon and doesn't worry about being hit as much) or a defensive minded character (probably more sword and board for a fighter, barbarians are less reliant on it for defense but do just fine with them). Next decide whether the character will be more tactical (leans fighter) or more brute force (lean barbarian). Both are good options for learning the game as they don't get overburdened with lots of choices to make at each level (unlike many spellcasting classes) and the playstyle is fairly straightforward for both, though there is room for nuance as you grow more comfortable with the game.
Once you've chosen offensive or defensive and then the general fighting style the character will use, you can focus on the suggestions that were made and pick out your favorites.
Finally, don't worry about being super optimized with your first character. Use it to feel out the mechanics of the game and how you have fun playing the game. If it turns out that optimizing is how you have fun, you'll figure it out quickly, but focusing too much on it can distract from other aspects that you should explore as well.
Role play tips. Choose the personality options from the background and base most of your decisions in character on those personality traits. Feel free to lean into the character flaw, as that can sometimes be more fun than leaning into the strengths (but do spend time doing things the character is good at as well).
Berserker is, at best, veteran player only - a newbie isn't prepared for how utterly crippling the frenzy rules are. Berserkers have to carefully manage the decision on when to Frenzy - do it in your first combat of the day, and the rest of the day is going to go poorly for you. I would never recommend Berserker to someone new.
Battle Master or Champion Fighter if you are just using the basics
Roleplay wise Erin M Evans wrote an awesome bit about playing a dragonborn in the Forgotten Realms. (Ignore if you dont play in the Realms)
Your character might want/need is to pick a clan and know your ancestor stories. These are like dragonborn nursery stories–but they are not cute. They are hard. You’ll have heard these basically since you broke the shell, and they shape a lot of really fundamental things. Art. Sayings. The way your parents yell at you. They are also good for making maunthreki wig out a little. (maunthreki is a kind of rude way dragonborn say “non-dragonborn.”)
If you’re a proper dragonborn, you also need facial piercings to indicate your clan. You get these when you’re grown enough to officially join your clan, and you can lose them if you piss off your elders enough to get exiled. For dragonborn in Djerad Thymar, having empty piercings is a bit like having a jailhouse tattoo–people are thinking “What did they do?”
Dragonborn in the realms if they come from a clan have a kind of filial piety.
Now dragonborn in the realms are not atheists, specifically. It’s hard to exist in the Realms and not accept that there are gods. But they don’t have any interest in them. Dragonborn describes the gods as being like "beggars—you give them a little attention and they’ll be after you and your coin purse for all your days."
However gods of battle and combat (tempus, valkur, and the red knight) may be more likely to be followed by a dragonborn.
Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D. Plus there is a talking Dragon named Quill.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPmyTI0tZ6nM-bzY0IG3ww
Red dragonborn are pretty nice. Can spin it as whatever means you want (fire breath is useful for breathing flame from nose for a candle and all that)
While there is the desire for melee martial things. I have a few ideas. A ranger (hunter archetype with horde breaker specifically) Plus fighter levels with eventual battlemaster. Could pick champion or whatever, but battle master allows a whole lot of extra things. I figure a strong dragonborn would like to mow down some people, so horde breaker allowing a free action to attack another target within range of your attack (so even using a bow as they close in, you can hit anyone else in range of your weapon) great for melee too as be swarmed and mess up that extra person for a free attack roll! Battlemaster lets you do things like trip people to get advantage. make use of action surge when two weapon fighting. (since you got two fighting styles to have fun with at your desire) So even before you get extra attack. you can get three attacks off in a single turn. (attack with main hand like normal. Bonus action to use off hand. fighting style gives you your modifier to damage. horde breaker for main hand to another person.) Battle master just lets you do extra things with the maneuvers. Cleave to deal damage to another, save your allies, whaterver in the list seems attractive to you. Plus you get them back after a short rest. Which you may as well try to make use of a lot.
Barbarian has the rage benefit, which I would also mention would be fun to make use of horde breaker for a free extra attack. Depending on your DM and game. beast totem offers so much more beyond bear totem. Hyper attractive, and would ask your DM if on a long rest to swap it out. Since those other totems are useful. like tripping in melee attacks, or faster travel speed, or seeing clearly a mile away to read the peoples plans through their window while on the hill a mile away.
Ranger also has the colossus slayer where if the target is damaged, you deal an extra d10 damage once a turn. I far prefer the extra attack as it makes groups around you a free attack to usually do more damage.