Just wondering: what are everyone's best ideas on a mainly protection based build (Both self and others)? Multiclassing, XGtE, Unearthed Arcana and most other things are fine too.
I definitely wouldn't take the Interception FS with an Ancestral Guardian Barbarian - they compete for your Reaction. Spirit Shield is 2-4d6 (avg 7-14) and a range of 30 ft. I wouldn't see a reason to ever use Interception instead of Spirit Shield.
You'd want something extra that could reliably use your Bonus Action since that's what the Ancestral Guardian lacks.
Yes, sorry- I wasn't thinking, yet again. It's late in the evening where I am:P
But you get the idea. Not just pure classes, but dips/multiclasses are great too. Also, anything that is not widely known is great. Niche stuff.
Personally, Battlemaster (Rally, Goading Attack, etc.), Mastermind Rogue (Help as bonus action) and Divination Wizard (Quite obvious what I'm talking about here...) combo works quite well.
I find with the Ancestral Guardian that, at higher levels, the damage reduction isn't significant enough to be worth the reaction a lot of the time. You can technically make it work, but unless you're fighting minions, I prefer to stick with reduction to attack rolls/ infliction of special conditions/ other features rather than pure damage reduction (as it tends to be minor, unless it comes from a spell).
Having said that, the 4d6 reduction + 4d6 damage at 14th level is nice, and can be used to a great extent.
Rogues get evasion, so your multiclass should include them.
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All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
Rogues get evasion, so your multiclass should include them.
Evasion is helpful, but saying to go 7 levels rogue (or monk) for it when shield master can substitute... It isn't enough justification imo.
Abjuration Wizard can do a lot of protecting. Projected ward absorbs a lot of damage. Throw in 3 levels artificer for battle Smith or artillerist for steel defender and its deflect attack or protector eldritch cannon for even more damage absorption. Plus more buff spells and armor.
Paladin can protect allies pretty well. Auras buff saves, spells that lock down enemies, protection or interception FS. Throw in 3 levels celestial chain warlock for more support and healing, a familiar to deliver spells to your allies for you when you are too far away, and lance of lethargy and grasp of hadar invocations lets EB drag and slow enemies to keep them near you. Or you can throw in some battle master instead if you feel like.
Yeah- paladin isn't a bad plan. The only thing is, I can't stand heavy armour, and one of our players is already dipping in Paladin soon. So probably not.
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Hi there! I'm a Christian musician based in Canada :)
Would you consider a medium armour build? A hexblade warlock 1 / swords bard X with medium armour mastery could potentially have... 25 + your inspiration die AC.
Would you consider a medium armour build? A hexblade warlock 1 / swords bard X with medium armour mastery could potentially have... 25 + your inspiration die AC.
You mean 26AC. +3 Half plate, +3 shield, +3 DEX. Very reliant on DM though.
And you might as well go 2 ot 3 levels into warlock for invocations/second slot and pact boon/level 2 slots.
For self AC? I think the Bladesinger works well. But for reduction of damage and surviving AoE's? No one can touch the Astral Monk in this respect, with Evasion + High AC + Diamond Soul + Damage reduction on melee damage types. The only way to improve its self defence would be to pick up the Shield and Absorb Elements spells through a multiclass (probably around two levels in Wizard. Though this is MAD, I can't think of a better contender. Cleric would be a go to, but it yields neither spell).
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Hi there! I'm a Christian musician based in Canada :)
In earlier editions, theorycrafting AC and such often relied on specific magic items. Generally, 5E builds don't incorporate magic, since there's less of a standardized "at level X you have Y gp worth of magic items". So to be relevant to readers, I'd stick to discussing race, class, feat, stat, and (PHB) equipment in any potential thread or guide you're building, since those are the pieces that are actually within a player's control to build their character.
Sorry back to on-topic...
The full release of Centaur removed their feature allowing them to be a mount for same-sized players, but didn't change the fact that their physiology is still clearly suitable for a small-sized rider. The combination of a small rider with Mounted Combatant and a centaur that's an Ancestral Guardian Barbarian creates a great duo that can protect each other! (1) Rider has advantage on attacks against all small enemies; (2) centaur can hit one creature per round to give them disadvantage on attacks against their rider and give the rider resistance; (3) rider can force attacks against the centaur to target itself (combo with 2); (4) centaur gains evasion because of rider's Mounted Combat. A PAM+Sentinel Cavalier Fighter makes a great class for the rider (less likely to fall from the saddle, lots of control shennanigans to keep mobs from rushing into melee with themself and the centaur, ability to mark foes and protect the centaur from attacks), as does an Oath of the Ancients Paladin (buff its adjacent ally centaur with lots of goodies including resistance to spells, plenty of lay on hands and healing available to expand both of their HP pools). Barbarians often want to avoid multiclassing in a campaign with potential to hit 20, but if not, a few levels of Scout Rogue could be fun to get some additional move speed and the ability to gallop around more
Would you consider a medium armour build? A hexblade warlock 1 / swords bard X with medium armour mastery could potentially have... 25 + your inspiration die AC.
You mean 26AC. +3 Half plate, +3 shield, +3 DEX. Very reliant on DM though.
And you might as well go 2 ot 3 levels into warlock for invocations/second slot and pact boon/level 2 slots.
Would you consider a medium armour build? A hexblade warlock 1 / swords bard X with medium armour mastery could potentially have... 25 + your inspiration die AC.
You mean 26AC. +3 Half plate, +3 shield, +3 DEX. Very reliant on DM though.
And you might as well go 2 ot 3 levels into warlock for invocations/second slot and pact boon/level 2 slots.
Don't forget the shield spell from hexblade.
Oh, you meant 20 from nonmagic armor and +5 from shield. I don't like including limited resources in calculations, especially if the resource is needed for other things (and especially without mentioning them).
I’m playing a cavalier now, but we’re only 2 sessions in. So far it’s what you’d expect from most fighters, fun in combat, not a lot to do (or do well, at least) outside of it. But like I said, only 2 sessions
I will throw my hat in for Cavalier. They're able to pull aggro pretty well and can melt down an enemy if ignored. Add Polearm Master and Sentinel and now you're a wall of steel. It gets really hard to get past you then.
Another option is always Oath of Conquest Paladin. The AoE fear's and crowd control they get is a powerful way to protect your allies. It's hard to shank a wizard when an enemy gets feared as soon as they get close to the Paladin standing next to the Wizard :P
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Hey there.
Just wondering: what are everyone's best ideas on a mainly protection based build (Both self and others)? Multiclassing, XGtE, Unearthed Arcana and most other things are fine too.
Hi there! I'm a Christian musician based in Canada :)
Barbarian Ancestral Guardian for me.
Mega Yahtzee Thread:
Highest 41: brocker2001 (#11,285).
Yahtzee of 2's: Emmber (#36,161).
Lowest 9: JoeltheWalrus (#312), Emmber (#12,505) and Dertinus (#20,953).
Yes - it's definitely a good one, but can it do better? Maybe a jump into Battle Master, and grab the UA fighting style Interception?
Idk. Any ideas welcome.
Hi there! I'm a Christian musician based in Canada :)
I definitely wouldn't take the Interception FS with an Ancestral Guardian Barbarian - they compete for your Reaction. Spirit Shield is 2-4d6 (avg 7-14) and a range of 30 ft. I wouldn't see a reason to ever use Interception instead of Spirit Shield.
You'd want something extra that could reliably use your Bonus Action since that's what the Ancestral Guardian lacks.
Mega Yahtzee Thread:
Highest 41: brocker2001 (#11,285).
Yahtzee of 2's: Emmber (#36,161).
Lowest 9: JoeltheWalrus (#312), Emmber (#12,505) and Dertinus (#20,953).
Yes, sorry- I wasn't thinking, yet again. It's late in the evening where I am:P
But you get the idea. Not just pure classes, but dips/multiclasses are great too. Also, anything that is not widely known is great. Niche stuff.
Personally, Battlemaster (Rally, Goading Attack, etc.), Mastermind Rogue (Help as bonus action) and Divination Wizard (Quite obvious what I'm talking about here...) combo works quite well.
I find with the Ancestral Guardian that, at higher levels, the damage reduction isn't significant enough to be worth the reaction a lot of the time. You can technically make it work, but unless you're fighting minions, I prefer to stick with reduction to attack rolls/ infliction of special conditions/ other features rather than pure damage reduction (as it tends to be minor, unless it comes from a spell).
Having said that, the 4d6 reduction + 4d6 damage at 14th level is nice, and can be used to a great extent.
Hi there! I'm a Christian musician based in Canada :)
Rogues get evasion, so your multiclass should include them.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
Maybe some paladin in there for auras?
Evasion is helpful, but saying to go 7 levels rogue (or monk) for it when shield master can substitute... It isn't enough justification imo.
Abjuration Wizard can do a lot of protecting. Projected ward absorbs a lot of damage. Throw in 3 levels artificer for battle Smith or artillerist for steel defender and its deflect attack or protector eldritch cannon for even more damage absorption. Plus more buff spells and armor.
Paladin can protect allies pretty well. Auras buff saves, spells that lock down enemies, protection or interception FS. Throw in 3 levels celestial chain warlock for more support and healing, a familiar to deliver spells to your allies for you when you are too far away, and lance of lethargy and grasp of hadar invocations lets EB drag and slow enemies to keep them near you. Or you can throw in some battle master instead if you feel like.
Yeah- paladin isn't a bad plan. The only thing is, I can't stand heavy armour, and one of our players is already dipping in Paladin soon. So probably not.
Hi there! I'm a Christian musician based in Canada :)
Would you consider a medium armour build? A hexblade warlock 1 / swords bard X with medium armour mastery could potentially have... 25 + your inspiration die AC.
You mean 26AC. +3 Half plate, +3 shield, +3 DEX. Very reliant on DM though.
And you might as well go 2 ot 3 levels into warlock for invocations/second slot and pact boon/level 2 slots.
A cavalier fighter with pole arm master and sentinel. Put it on a horse and you lock down a big chunk of real estate.
I've really wanted to try a Cavalier fighter since they released it. Looks fun to play!
Hi there! I'm a Christian musician based in Canada :)
For self AC? I think the Bladesinger works well. But for reduction of damage and surviving AoE's? No one can touch the Astral Monk in this respect, with Evasion + High AC + Diamond Soul + Damage reduction on melee damage types. The only way to improve its self defence would be to pick up the Shield and Absorb Elements spells through a multiclass (probably around two levels in Wizard. Though this is MAD, I can't think of a better contender. Cleric would be a go to, but it yields neither spell).
Hi there! I'm a Christian musician based in Canada :)
If you're after a character with the highest AC give this thread a read.
Mega Yahtzee Thread:
Highest 41: brocker2001 (#11,285).
Yahtzee of 2's: Emmber (#36,161).
Lowest 9: JoeltheWalrus (#312), Emmber (#12,505) and Dertinus (#20,953).
In earlier editions, theorycrafting AC and such often relied on specific magic items. Generally, 5E builds don't incorporate magic, since there's less of a standardized "at level X you have Y gp worth of magic items". So to be relevant to readers, I'd stick to discussing race, class, feat, stat, and (PHB) equipment in any potential thread or guide you're building, since those are the pieces that are actually within a player's control to build their character.
Sorry back to on-topic...
The full release of Centaur removed their feature allowing them to be a mount for same-sized players, but didn't change the fact that their physiology is still clearly suitable for a small-sized rider. The combination of a small rider with Mounted Combatant and a centaur that's an Ancestral Guardian Barbarian creates a great duo that can protect each other! (1) Rider has advantage on attacks against all small enemies; (2) centaur can hit one creature per round to give them disadvantage on attacks against their rider and give the rider resistance; (3) rider can force attacks against the centaur to target itself (combo with 2); (4) centaur gains evasion because of rider's Mounted Combat. A PAM+Sentinel Cavalier Fighter makes a great class for the rider (less likely to fall from the saddle, lots of control shennanigans to keep mobs from rushing into melee with themself and the centaur, ability to mark foes and protect the centaur from attacks), as does an Oath of the Ancients Paladin (buff its adjacent ally centaur with lots of goodies including resistance to spells, plenty of lay on hands and healing available to expand both of their HP pools). Barbarians often want to avoid multiclassing in a campaign with potential to hit 20, but if not, a few levels of Scout Rogue could be fun to get some additional move speed and the ability to gallop around more
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I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
Don't forget the shield spell from hexblade.
Oh, you meant 20 from nonmagic armor and +5 from shield. I don't like including limited resources in calculations, especially if the resource is needed for other things (and especially without mentioning them).
I’m playing a cavalier now, but we’re only 2 sessions in. So far it’s what you’d expect from most fighters, fun in combat, not a lot to do (or do well, at least) outside of it. But like I said, only 2 sessions
I will throw my hat in for Cavalier. They're able to pull aggro pretty well and can melt down an enemy if ignored. Add Polearm Master and Sentinel and now you're a wall of steel. It gets really hard to get past you then.
Another option is always Oath of Conquest Paladin. The AoE fear's and crowd control they get is a powerful way to protect your allies. It's hard to shank a wizard when an enemy gets feared as soon as they get close to the Paladin standing next to the Wizard :P