Chaosvii7
2014-12-10, 03:49 PM
I call this one
THE FALSE PRIEST
A BUILD GUIDE
----
PREFACE:
Everything I say and do is tongue-in-cheek but I didn't want to litter the page in blue text. Try to read everything carefully because a lot of it is my brand of sassy humor. I would apologize but I love myself in every way so I'm far too prideful to do that.
I like gish so I made this build. If you don't like it that's okay. If I said something wrong tell me so I can fix it. Otherwise I hope you enjoy the build or take something away from it.
THE FUNDAMENTALS:
Obviously most builds just don't happen for no reason. This build came about from the concept of making the Bladelock as powerful as possible. The gish is a classic staple of D&D(because the 90's were a long time ago) and it's come into it's own as getting a fair amount of representation ever since 3rd edition. 5th edition's is certainly among the best, solely because it's core-only when most of the hardcore spell and sword things didn't come along until later in most editions. That said, there are a few faults with options as it is. Nothing's perfect, and I think they're great, but I find people often not praising the merits of the features solely because they're definitely all-over the place. This build seeks to unify a lot of the features that are possible for spellswords into the most neat package that most efficiently mixes spell and sword.
This guide essentially focuses on one thing: Getting as much cool Warlock stuff as possible while also getting as many attacks as possible with Pact of The Blade. The end result is a character who betrays the typical image of the Bladelock, usually a finesse or two-weapon fighter in light armor. Instead, this concept took a step in the other direction: The guy with the big honking sword and the thick coat of metal armor.
On top of that, the theme of deception stacked nicely with the concept of somebody being a liar and a scoundrel through and through, so I took it upon myself to consider the build to fundamentally be a priest who secretly worships not the god they preach, but an ancient power that blesses them with their mighty weapon.
Without further ado, let's go into the actual build to understand how it works.
----
THE FALSE PRIEST:
Half-Elf Cleric 1/Warlock 17/Fighter 2
STR 15 + 1 = 16(+2 at second Ability Score Improvement)
DEX 8
CON 12
INT 10
WIS 13 + 1 = 14
CHA 14 + 2 = 16(+2 at first and third Ability Score Improvements)
Level
Features
Notes
Cleric 1
Spellcasting, War Domain
Now is the prime time to fool your party members into thinking you're actually gonna be a cleric all the way to 20.
Cleric 1/Warlock 1
Otherworldy Patron, Pact Magic
From this point on you're gonna wanna keep a low profile until that Pact Weapon comes in the mail.
Cleric 1/Warlock 2
Eldritch Invocations
Any two will do. Devil Sight is strong out of the gate but you need Darkness to make it shine. Worst case scenario, take something else and swap it out later if you need the slot.
Cleric 1/Warlock 3
Pact Boon
This is where you get to conjure some sort of satanic-looking egg beater and shock your party members by telling them you actually pray to some unspeakable horror at night.
Cleric 1/Warlock 4
Ability Score Improvement
Pump CHA for more spellcasting and prospective damage, or you could take a feat here.
Cleric 1/Warlock 5
Eldritch Invocation(Thirsting Blade)
I tell you which Invocation to take because at this stage in the game it should be obvious, but just in case the message wasn't clear we're trying to attack a lot.
Cleric 1/Warlock 5/Fighter 1
Fighting Style, Second Wind
Take Great Weapon Fighting so you can make your Great(this) or Great(that) more reliable in terms of damage.
Cleric 1/Warlock 5/Fighter 2
Action Surge
honestly the 2-level Fighter dip can probably happen at any point you want(even at level 18), but it's easier to get it out of the way now.
Cleric 1/Warlock 6/Fighter 2
Otherworldly Patron Feature
I don't actually want to fill the rest of the table out but I'm gonna because I like you guys.
Cleric 1/Warlock 7/Fighter 2
Eldritch Invocation
Variety is the spice of life, feel free to make your choices as diverse or as single-minded as you want.
Cleric 1/Warlock 8/Fighter 2
Ability Score Improvement
Between STR and CHA, put up the one you didn't improve last time. If you took the feat, pick now. If you want a feat, I suggest waiting until the final improvement to get it to make sure your ability scores are all taken care of.
Cleric 1/Warlock 9/Fighter 2
Eldritch Invocation
We're getting close to Mystic Arcana here, so start thinking ahead for those. Your invocation selection goes up a fair bit at this point so make sure to swap if you want to.
Cleric 1/Warlock 10/Fighter 2
Otherworldly Patron Feature
The level 10 Patron Features are simply put, okay.
Cleric 1/Warlock 11/Fighter 2
Mystic Arcanum(6th Level)
For increased difficulty(Ironman mode), pick all of your Mystic Arcana at random.
Cleric 1/Warlock 12/Fighter 2
Ability Score Improvement, Eldritch Invocation(Lifedrinker)
You know the drill. With Lifedrinker your DPS should climb up significantly with all the power options available to you via teammates.
Cleric 1/Warlock 13/Fighter 2
Mystic Arcanum(7th Level)
I'm honestly surprised that this is the most boring part of the build.
Cleric 1/Warlock 14/Fighter 2
Otherworldly Patron Feature
The only capstone you actually get. Cherish it.
Cleric 1/Warlock 15/Fighter 2
Mystic Arcanum(8th Level)
yaaaaaaaawwwwnnnn.
Cleric 1/Warlock 16/Fighter 2
Ability Score Improvement
Congrats, this is the last big milestone in the build. Pick up a feat if you want or max out CHA so you get as much DPR as possible.
Cleric 1/Warlock 17/Fighter 2
Mystic Arcanum(9th Level)
And the cherry on the whipped cream of this disgustingly high-calorie sundae that is the build. Don't be stingy with your spell choice, this is your last shot before you become a demigod or whatever.
PROS:
Look like a Cleric, act like a Fighter, actually turn out to be a Warlock!
2(Base attack + Thirsting Blade) x 2(Action Surge) +1(War Cleric) + 1(Haste) = 6 attack nova with a pact weapon!
Take a Greatsword, Great Weapon Fighting Style, and cast Hex for massive damage potential!
Max-level Pact Magic with 9th level Mystic Arcanum means you still get all the good parts of Warlock spellcasting!
And a level of Cleric spellcasting never hurt anybody!
One spare Feat or Ability Score Improvement!
Strong 1st level thanks to War Cleric!
Darkness + Devil Sight friendly!
CONS:
No capstones, except the Pact features of your chosen Patron. But a good structure doesn't need a capstone.
Your insane melee potential still only works a handful of times per day. That's why I made sure you could fall back on spellcasting.
2 good Hit Dice and 18 okay Hit Dice, but not a lot of Constitution. Not a problem if you pound everything into dust, but you're not gonna last long unless you play smart.
You will miss out on one Ability Score Improvement, one Warlock Spell known, and one Invocation. Nothing of value will be lost.
Buff-stacking means you're gonna need a friend to reach absolute peak efficiency. Not a problem if you're approachable and smell good.
Multiclassing means your sheet will look a little ugly and your build takes time to come online. But it's worth it.
This build is absolutely all about gish. If you're not a gish person this build probably isn't for you, because I probably hate you.
I am a terrible person and if you tell people you actually took my advice they will probably hate you for life.
----
Half-Elf is important for it's impressive bonuses to stats to get us two amazing scores and one great score out the gate. That is what makes us being MAD a lot easier to handle. Bounded accuracy picks up the slack by making it so that we don't have to grow very far to hit the cap but we're already well enough along where we'll be safe for a good period of time. I can't guarantee high and low points between levels, but I can say with confidence that the build works out after you get multiple attacks per round. It makes it's money back quickly when you can slaughter somebody with 6 hits from a fully-loaded magic greatsword.
The bells and whistles are to ensure that, like any good spellcaster, you're not a one-trick pony. Make sure your spell selection is diverse(save for the necessary buffs and utilities to get you into melee and doing a lot of damage). This isn't really a jack-of-all-trades thing, so don't be surprised if you're not the most versatile, but the two roles you definitely build for(spellcasting and melee DPR) you will be spectacular at.
The big sale here is the 6 attacks with a greatsword and all it's bells and whistles. You can probably kill something your CR reliably by just attacking so long as you have either Haste or Hex up. With both, obviously, your chances increase. Just remember concentration when you're trying to stack buffs with your spellcasting friends and you can probably become a melee missile.
I will update this build with customization options with other features from the books and then probably add pretty pictures or something so the build is more tolerable. Until then feel free to assail me with C+C, recommendations, or teach me reading comprehension and basic math so I can make sure the math is right. If anybody wants detailed info on the DPR and the possibilities for damage with other buff spells not mentioned in this build, I'll gladly do so.
Either way, thanks for reading. It shows that you are a wonderful human being, your ability to tolerate me and my ramblings for this long.
THE FALSE PRIEST
A BUILD GUIDE
----
PREFACE:
Everything I say and do is tongue-in-cheek but I didn't want to litter the page in blue text. Try to read everything carefully because a lot of it is my brand of sassy humor. I would apologize but I love myself in every way so I'm far too prideful to do that.
I like gish so I made this build. If you don't like it that's okay. If I said something wrong tell me so I can fix it. Otherwise I hope you enjoy the build or take something away from it.
THE FUNDAMENTALS:
Obviously most builds just don't happen for no reason. This build came about from the concept of making the Bladelock as powerful as possible. The gish is a classic staple of D&D(because the 90's were a long time ago) and it's come into it's own as getting a fair amount of representation ever since 3rd edition. 5th edition's is certainly among the best, solely because it's core-only when most of the hardcore spell and sword things didn't come along until later in most editions. That said, there are a few faults with options as it is. Nothing's perfect, and I think they're great, but I find people often not praising the merits of the features solely because they're definitely all-over the place. This build seeks to unify a lot of the features that are possible for spellswords into the most neat package that most efficiently mixes spell and sword.
This guide essentially focuses on one thing: Getting as much cool Warlock stuff as possible while also getting as many attacks as possible with Pact of The Blade. The end result is a character who betrays the typical image of the Bladelock, usually a finesse or two-weapon fighter in light armor. Instead, this concept took a step in the other direction: The guy with the big honking sword and the thick coat of metal armor.
On top of that, the theme of deception stacked nicely with the concept of somebody being a liar and a scoundrel through and through, so I took it upon myself to consider the build to fundamentally be a priest who secretly worships not the god they preach, but an ancient power that blesses them with their mighty weapon.
Without further ado, let's go into the actual build to understand how it works.
----
THE FALSE PRIEST:
Half-Elf Cleric 1/Warlock 17/Fighter 2
STR 15 + 1 = 16(+2 at second Ability Score Improvement)
DEX 8
CON 12
INT 10
WIS 13 + 1 = 14
CHA 14 + 2 = 16(+2 at first and third Ability Score Improvements)
Level
Features
Notes
Cleric 1
Spellcasting, War Domain
Now is the prime time to fool your party members into thinking you're actually gonna be a cleric all the way to 20.
Cleric 1/Warlock 1
Otherworldy Patron, Pact Magic
From this point on you're gonna wanna keep a low profile until that Pact Weapon comes in the mail.
Cleric 1/Warlock 2
Eldritch Invocations
Any two will do. Devil Sight is strong out of the gate but you need Darkness to make it shine. Worst case scenario, take something else and swap it out later if you need the slot.
Cleric 1/Warlock 3
Pact Boon
This is where you get to conjure some sort of satanic-looking egg beater and shock your party members by telling them you actually pray to some unspeakable horror at night.
Cleric 1/Warlock 4
Ability Score Improvement
Pump CHA for more spellcasting and prospective damage, or you could take a feat here.
Cleric 1/Warlock 5
Eldritch Invocation(Thirsting Blade)
I tell you which Invocation to take because at this stage in the game it should be obvious, but just in case the message wasn't clear we're trying to attack a lot.
Cleric 1/Warlock 5/Fighter 1
Fighting Style, Second Wind
Take Great Weapon Fighting so you can make your Great(this) or Great(that) more reliable in terms of damage.
Cleric 1/Warlock 5/Fighter 2
Action Surge
honestly the 2-level Fighter dip can probably happen at any point you want(even at level 18), but it's easier to get it out of the way now.
Cleric 1/Warlock 6/Fighter 2
Otherworldly Patron Feature
I don't actually want to fill the rest of the table out but I'm gonna because I like you guys.
Cleric 1/Warlock 7/Fighter 2
Eldritch Invocation
Variety is the spice of life, feel free to make your choices as diverse or as single-minded as you want.
Cleric 1/Warlock 8/Fighter 2
Ability Score Improvement
Between STR and CHA, put up the one you didn't improve last time. If you took the feat, pick now. If you want a feat, I suggest waiting until the final improvement to get it to make sure your ability scores are all taken care of.
Cleric 1/Warlock 9/Fighter 2
Eldritch Invocation
We're getting close to Mystic Arcana here, so start thinking ahead for those. Your invocation selection goes up a fair bit at this point so make sure to swap if you want to.
Cleric 1/Warlock 10/Fighter 2
Otherworldly Patron Feature
The level 10 Patron Features are simply put, okay.
Cleric 1/Warlock 11/Fighter 2
Mystic Arcanum(6th Level)
For increased difficulty(Ironman mode), pick all of your Mystic Arcana at random.
Cleric 1/Warlock 12/Fighter 2
Ability Score Improvement, Eldritch Invocation(Lifedrinker)
You know the drill. With Lifedrinker your DPS should climb up significantly with all the power options available to you via teammates.
Cleric 1/Warlock 13/Fighter 2
Mystic Arcanum(7th Level)
I'm honestly surprised that this is the most boring part of the build.
Cleric 1/Warlock 14/Fighter 2
Otherworldly Patron Feature
The only capstone you actually get. Cherish it.
Cleric 1/Warlock 15/Fighter 2
Mystic Arcanum(8th Level)
yaaaaaaaawwwwnnnn.
Cleric 1/Warlock 16/Fighter 2
Ability Score Improvement
Congrats, this is the last big milestone in the build. Pick up a feat if you want or max out CHA so you get as much DPR as possible.
Cleric 1/Warlock 17/Fighter 2
Mystic Arcanum(9th Level)
And the cherry on the whipped cream of this disgustingly high-calorie sundae that is the build. Don't be stingy with your spell choice, this is your last shot before you become a demigod or whatever.
PROS:
Look like a Cleric, act like a Fighter, actually turn out to be a Warlock!
2(Base attack + Thirsting Blade) x 2(Action Surge) +1(War Cleric) + 1(Haste) = 6 attack nova with a pact weapon!
Take a Greatsword, Great Weapon Fighting Style, and cast Hex for massive damage potential!
Max-level Pact Magic with 9th level Mystic Arcanum means you still get all the good parts of Warlock spellcasting!
And a level of Cleric spellcasting never hurt anybody!
One spare Feat or Ability Score Improvement!
Strong 1st level thanks to War Cleric!
Darkness + Devil Sight friendly!
CONS:
No capstones, except the Pact features of your chosen Patron. But a good structure doesn't need a capstone.
Your insane melee potential still only works a handful of times per day. That's why I made sure you could fall back on spellcasting.
2 good Hit Dice and 18 okay Hit Dice, but not a lot of Constitution. Not a problem if you pound everything into dust, but you're not gonna last long unless you play smart.
You will miss out on one Ability Score Improvement, one Warlock Spell known, and one Invocation. Nothing of value will be lost.
Buff-stacking means you're gonna need a friend to reach absolute peak efficiency. Not a problem if you're approachable and smell good.
Multiclassing means your sheet will look a little ugly and your build takes time to come online. But it's worth it.
This build is absolutely all about gish. If you're not a gish person this build probably isn't for you, because I probably hate you.
I am a terrible person and if you tell people you actually took my advice they will probably hate you for life.
----
Half-Elf is important for it's impressive bonuses to stats to get us two amazing scores and one great score out the gate. That is what makes us being MAD a lot easier to handle. Bounded accuracy picks up the slack by making it so that we don't have to grow very far to hit the cap but we're already well enough along where we'll be safe for a good period of time. I can't guarantee high and low points between levels, but I can say with confidence that the build works out after you get multiple attacks per round. It makes it's money back quickly when you can slaughter somebody with 6 hits from a fully-loaded magic greatsword.
The bells and whistles are to ensure that, like any good spellcaster, you're not a one-trick pony. Make sure your spell selection is diverse(save for the necessary buffs and utilities to get you into melee and doing a lot of damage). This isn't really a jack-of-all-trades thing, so don't be surprised if you're not the most versatile, but the two roles you definitely build for(spellcasting and melee DPR) you will be spectacular at.
The big sale here is the 6 attacks with a greatsword and all it's bells and whistles. You can probably kill something your CR reliably by just attacking so long as you have either Haste or Hex up. With both, obviously, your chances increase. Just remember concentration when you're trying to stack buffs with your spellcasting friends and you can probably become a melee missile.
I will update this build with customization options with other features from the books and then probably add pretty pictures or something so the build is more tolerable. Until then feel free to assail me with C+C, recommendations, or teach me reading comprehension and basic math so I can make sure the math is right. If anybody wants detailed info on the DPR and the possibilities for damage with other buff spells not mentioned in this build, I'll gladly do so.
Either way, thanks for reading. It shows that you are a wonderful human being, your ability to tolerate me and my ramblings for this long.