Endarire
2014-10-24, 10:30 PM
Greetings, all!
Adventurers' League material is here (http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/events/adventurers-league-resources). I was pondering a Bard/Warlock multiclass, tentatively Bard1/Warlock2/Bard (Lore)+17.
I was going for Lightfoot Halfling (+2 DEX/+1 CHA, reroll all d20 results of natural 1s once, benefits when hiding) and then I saw the Adventurers' League (AL) rules which state that Feat Humans are in and feats are kosher!
My reason for this build was simple: Build a spiffy sneaky caster who can do every job (tank, heal, sneak, cast, persuade) at least competently, though not necessarily at the same time. The idea of a stealth-focused caster appealed to me, since a high Stealth check makes me effectively invisible without casting a spell, and I can remain hidden while doing things that don't require accuracy rolls, like cast healing word or sleep.
Additionally, while soloing this game is probably very out of the question (since this isn't Morrowind or 3.5/Pathfinder), I still want to be fairly "self sufficient" in part due to the seeming unreliability of consistent party members.
From those who are knowledgeable about what's going on (especially those who have played AL games), what do you advise?
The Build v1: Korthai the True Neutral Lightfoot Halfling Bard1
Stats
8 STR/16 DEX/14 CON/8 INT/12 WIS/16 CHA
Chosen due to DEX, CON, and CHA being the highest priorities. I chose to make everything I could an even stat to start due to maximizing my ability score modifiers.
Also, due to ability scores normally being capped at 20, having a higher DEX for everything it entails (DEX saves, AC, initiative, weapon accuracy & damage, DEX checks...) may just be a higher priority than CHA for this character. Whatchya think?
Desired Adventurers' League Faction
Zhentarim.
After reading their goals and beliefs, I realized we align way too much to avoid going this route.
Background
Criminal (Fence)
Chosen due to Deception and Stealth being trained skills, the bonus dice and thief tools, and the possibility of the contacts leading me to magic items. Also fits with my desired faction.
Trained Skills
Background: Deception, Stealth
Bard: Perception, Persuasion, Religion
Religion chosen to justify my idea of using the silent image spell to mimic ghosts and incorporeal creatures. If this is not viable, I'm taking suggestions! (Acrobatics seems like a suitable substitute due to it seeming useful.)
Trained Tools
Background: Dice, Thief Tools
Bard: Drums/Percussion, Maracas, Voice
My goal is to combine the arcane focuses of a musical instrument (Bard) and a wand (Warlock) to strap to my arm via leather straps so I can minimize the amount of item switching, and maximize the amount of free hands I have. I may be able to persuade others that a snake is nearby due to the maraca.
Trained Saves
Bard: DEX, CHA
Spells Known by Level (Bard)
0: Blade Ward, Minor Illusion
1: Healing Ward, Heroism, Silent Image, Sleep
Blade ward just seems like the most useful cantrip to have in case I have to suddenly tank or take a defensive action against weapon users. Minor illusion is effectively a slightly better version of 3.5's ghost sound, and with my CHA and persuasive skills as they are, I should be able to convince minions that their commander yelled, "Retreat!" or make noises in certain parts of the room/hall to distract foes.
Healing ward versus cure wouonds was an initially tough choice for me. Healing word won out due to it being 60' range, which means I don't need to provoke AoO to reach someone. Heroism seemed like a spiffy "let's help the tank who might be me" buff. Silent image is debatably the most powerful level 1 spell in all of 3.5 if your GM let you get creative with it. Sleep is just... sleep. It's rockin' at level 1 but will likely change to another spell once I level up.
Proposed Warlock Spells Once I Get There
0: Eldritch Blast, Mage Hand
1: Charm Person, Protection from Evil and Good, Expeditious Retreat
Proposed Warlock Invocations Once I Get There
Agonizing Blast, Devil's Sight OR Misty Visions OR Repelling Blast
Cantrip-wise, I chose Eldritch Blast due to it being an iconic, handy Warlock ability. I get a free magical ranged attack at will that scales with level! Woot! That's also why I chose Agonizing Blast, to add 3 to 5 damage (via CHA) to each hit. Mage hand was simply the most useful (and non-redundant) ability I could get at this point.
For level 1s, I took charm person because I've seen what it can do in 3.5. Protection from evil and good just seems too good to pass up, and there's not much else that seems spiffy for me. Expeditious retreat is spiffy for getting away or getting into position. I'm not convinced the other Warlock level 1s are better, but, hey, I'm open to suggestions!
I chose the Warlock invocations I did due to extra damage (Agonizing Blast) and not being sure what the campaign would hold. How useful is 120' mundane and magical darkvision? How useful is silent image at will? How useful is a 10' knockback on my Eldritch Blast spam?
Weapons and Armor
A rapier to start seems wonderful due to it dealing d8+DEX mod damage and using DEX for accuracy.
I'm not proficient with shields; otherwise, I'd be all over one of those!
Studded leather armor seems best for me due to me starting with 15 AC with this setup.
Feats
Feats... look... so... delicious! I'm not sure how to prioritize them! These are my top candidates, and seemingly good reasons to go Human instead of Halfling.
(On a side note, 5e's feats seem inspired by 3.5's tactical feats, which each had 3 applications.)
-Alert. I gushed over this feat the first time I saw it. It's better than 3.5's Improved Initiative (which was a 'mere' +4 initiative) and makes 3.5's Alertness look like a joke! Ahem. 5e's Alert feat grants +5 initiative and immunity to surprise and negates advantage on accuracy rolls against me due to them being hidden! I cannot think of a better feat to grab ASAP!
-Lucky. It's effectively reroll 3 d20s per day. These d20 rolls could be attacks against me, or seemingly any d20 roll I make - like for skills, attacks, or saves. Lucky is nowhere near as powerful as Alert, but still handy.
-Magic Initiate. Oh, goody - more options! The cantrips are probably trivial considering the others I plan to get, but grease may just be worth it. Grease was 3.5's way of saying, "Level 1 Wizards and Bards, you're relevant!" and was my group's favorite level 1 arcane spell for years. Considering it doesn't require Concentration and doesn't break Stealth, it may just be very, very delicious for a Charisma caster like me!
-Observant. It's +5 to my passive Perception and Intelligence (Investigation) checks and +1 INT or WIS. I can also read lips. I'm not convinced this is worth it, but may be good if we very much need a much higher passive Perception check. I feel inclined to take +2 to a stat ahead of this.
-War Caster. Getting advantage on CON saves when concentrating, as well as being able to cast a single target spell as an AoO, and be able to cast while carrying weapons and shields? Seems good, but Alert seems to keep me alive. I've heard this is the first feat all casters should take, but sell me on this.
+2 Stat: Not technically a feat, but can be taken in place of one at certain class levels. Maxing my CHA or DEX is probably wise - after I have the feats I want.
Other Issues
I wanted to buy a mule to bring with me. It can carry my stuff and attack. How does this work in AL?
Finally
Thank you all (preemptively) for your suggestions and helpful input! Even just saying, "It all looks right," helps - if indeed it looks right to you!
Adventurers' League material is here (http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/events/adventurers-league-resources). I was pondering a Bard/Warlock multiclass, tentatively Bard1/Warlock2/Bard (Lore)+17.
I was going for Lightfoot Halfling (+2 DEX/+1 CHA, reroll all d20 results of natural 1s once, benefits when hiding) and then I saw the Adventurers' League (AL) rules which state that Feat Humans are in and feats are kosher!
My reason for this build was simple: Build a spiffy sneaky caster who can do every job (tank, heal, sneak, cast, persuade) at least competently, though not necessarily at the same time. The idea of a stealth-focused caster appealed to me, since a high Stealth check makes me effectively invisible without casting a spell, and I can remain hidden while doing things that don't require accuracy rolls, like cast healing word or sleep.
Additionally, while soloing this game is probably very out of the question (since this isn't Morrowind or 3.5/Pathfinder), I still want to be fairly "self sufficient" in part due to the seeming unreliability of consistent party members.
From those who are knowledgeable about what's going on (especially those who have played AL games), what do you advise?
The Build v1: Korthai the True Neutral Lightfoot Halfling Bard1
Stats
8 STR/16 DEX/14 CON/8 INT/12 WIS/16 CHA
Chosen due to DEX, CON, and CHA being the highest priorities. I chose to make everything I could an even stat to start due to maximizing my ability score modifiers.
Also, due to ability scores normally being capped at 20, having a higher DEX for everything it entails (DEX saves, AC, initiative, weapon accuracy & damage, DEX checks...) may just be a higher priority than CHA for this character. Whatchya think?
Desired Adventurers' League Faction
Zhentarim.
After reading their goals and beliefs, I realized we align way too much to avoid going this route.
Background
Criminal (Fence)
Chosen due to Deception and Stealth being trained skills, the bonus dice and thief tools, and the possibility of the contacts leading me to magic items. Also fits with my desired faction.
Trained Skills
Background: Deception, Stealth
Bard: Perception, Persuasion, Religion
Religion chosen to justify my idea of using the silent image spell to mimic ghosts and incorporeal creatures. If this is not viable, I'm taking suggestions! (Acrobatics seems like a suitable substitute due to it seeming useful.)
Trained Tools
Background: Dice, Thief Tools
Bard: Drums/Percussion, Maracas, Voice
My goal is to combine the arcane focuses of a musical instrument (Bard) and a wand (Warlock) to strap to my arm via leather straps so I can minimize the amount of item switching, and maximize the amount of free hands I have. I may be able to persuade others that a snake is nearby due to the maraca.
Trained Saves
Bard: DEX, CHA
Spells Known by Level (Bard)
0: Blade Ward, Minor Illusion
1: Healing Ward, Heroism, Silent Image, Sleep
Blade ward just seems like the most useful cantrip to have in case I have to suddenly tank or take a defensive action against weapon users. Minor illusion is effectively a slightly better version of 3.5's ghost sound, and with my CHA and persuasive skills as they are, I should be able to convince minions that their commander yelled, "Retreat!" or make noises in certain parts of the room/hall to distract foes.
Healing ward versus cure wouonds was an initially tough choice for me. Healing word won out due to it being 60' range, which means I don't need to provoke AoO to reach someone. Heroism seemed like a spiffy "let's help the tank who might be me" buff. Silent image is debatably the most powerful level 1 spell in all of 3.5 if your GM let you get creative with it. Sleep is just... sleep. It's rockin' at level 1 but will likely change to another spell once I level up.
Proposed Warlock Spells Once I Get There
0: Eldritch Blast, Mage Hand
1: Charm Person, Protection from Evil and Good, Expeditious Retreat
Proposed Warlock Invocations Once I Get There
Agonizing Blast, Devil's Sight OR Misty Visions OR Repelling Blast
Cantrip-wise, I chose Eldritch Blast due to it being an iconic, handy Warlock ability. I get a free magical ranged attack at will that scales with level! Woot! That's also why I chose Agonizing Blast, to add 3 to 5 damage (via CHA) to each hit. Mage hand was simply the most useful (and non-redundant) ability I could get at this point.
For level 1s, I took charm person because I've seen what it can do in 3.5. Protection from evil and good just seems too good to pass up, and there's not much else that seems spiffy for me. Expeditious retreat is spiffy for getting away or getting into position. I'm not convinced the other Warlock level 1s are better, but, hey, I'm open to suggestions!
I chose the Warlock invocations I did due to extra damage (Agonizing Blast) and not being sure what the campaign would hold. How useful is 120' mundane and magical darkvision? How useful is silent image at will? How useful is a 10' knockback on my Eldritch Blast spam?
Weapons and Armor
A rapier to start seems wonderful due to it dealing d8+DEX mod damage and using DEX for accuracy.
I'm not proficient with shields; otherwise, I'd be all over one of those!
Studded leather armor seems best for me due to me starting with 15 AC with this setup.
Feats
Feats... look... so... delicious! I'm not sure how to prioritize them! These are my top candidates, and seemingly good reasons to go Human instead of Halfling.
(On a side note, 5e's feats seem inspired by 3.5's tactical feats, which each had 3 applications.)
-Alert. I gushed over this feat the first time I saw it. It's better than 3.5's Improved Initiative (which was a 'mere' +4 initiative) and makes 3.5's Alertness look like a joke! Ahem. 5e's Alert feat grants +5 initiative and immunity to surprise and negates advantage on accuracy rolls against me due to them being hidden! I cannot think of a better feat to grab ASAP!
-Lucky. It's effectively reroll 3 d20s per day. These d20 rolls could be attacks against me, or seemingly any d20 roll I make - like for skills, attacks, or saves. Lucky is nowhere near as powerful as Alert, but still handy.
-Magic Initiate. Oh, goody - more options! The cantrips are probably trivial considering the others I plan to get, but grease may just be worth it. Grease was 3.5's way of saying, "Level 1 Wizards and Bards, you're relevant!" and was my group's favorite level 1 arcane spell for years. Considering it doesn't require Concentration and doesn't break Stealth, it may just be very, very delicious for a Charisma caster like me!
-Observant. It's +5 to my passive Perception and Intelligence (Investigation) checks and +1 INT or WIS. I can also read lips. I'm not convinced this is worth it, but may be good if we very much need a much higher passive Perception check. I feel inclined to take +2 to a stat ahead of this.
-War Caster. Getting advantage on CON saves when concentrating, as well as being able to cast a single target spell as an AoO, and be able to cast while carrying weapons and shields? Seems good, but Alert seems to keep me alive. I've heard this is the first feat all casters should take, but sell me on this.
+2 Stat: Not technically a feat, but can be taken in place of one at certain class levels. Maxing my CHA or DEX is probably wise - after I have the feats I want.
Other Issues
I wanted to buy a mule to bring with me. It can carry my stuff and attack. How does this work in AL?
Finally
Thank you all (preemptively) for your suggestions and helpful input! Even just saying, "It all looks right," helps - if indeed it looks right to you!