How to Optimise

[GilesTheCleric]

I enjoy playing the character-building minigame, and have developed a process that I usually stick to when making a build. I wonder, do any of you have a favourite method, a process, some sort of routine you follow when making a build? How long does it usually take? And, does that process change when you're making a class of a different tier (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?266559-Tier-System-for-Classes-%28Rescued-from-MinMax%29), or are not focusing on optimising?

[Red Fel]

I enjoy playing the character-building minigame, and have developed a process that I usually stick to when making a build. I wonder, do any of you have a favourite method, a process, some sort of routine you follow when making a build? How long does it usually take? And, does that process change when you're making a class of a different tier, or are not focusing on optimising?

My process is simple.
First, I ask the question: What do I want this character to do? That's the definition of optimization - designing a character to be effective at a given task or objective. "Optimize my character" is like "Upgrade my car" - it's a statement that could be taken a dozen different ways. So before I start down this road, I decide what specifically I want to be the focus of optimization. Frequently, I will also try to have a compatible fall-back position, so the character won't be a one-trick pony.
Next, I ask the question: What does that? This is one place where I may use one of my lifelines. Inevitably, one of the answers is "Wizard," but I frequently find other classes, feats, templates, and abilities that accomplish or facilitate the goal.
Next, I look at the list I've constructed, and ask: What don't I want? Having built a list of ways to do X, I start eliminating those methods which I deem too cheesy, or which don't fit the image of the character I've built in my head. This is frequently where Wizard goes bye-bye.
Penultimately, I look at what remains, and ask: How do I fit it all together? At this point, I start taking the pieces, figuring out where and when in a character build I can fit them, and assembling the skeleton of a build.
Finally, clean up. I fill in the gaps, and polish things up. Perhaps I didn't feel the need to pick a particular race, so I do that. Perhaps there were a few unassigned class levels, so I do that.
What emerges, generally, is a character who is ideally competent at that thing, and hopefully somewhat competent at at least one or two other things. This is my method irrespective of optimization level. Whether I'm designing Tier 1 or Tier 4, I use this process, although I may vary the details.

I also poke around on these forums for suggestions, generally starting around step 2-3. Inevitably, people have ideas I've overlooked.

The other part of your question, though, is confusing: How do I optimize when I'm not optimizing? I don't get it.

[Geddy2112]

All of my characters start with a concept-the overwhelming majority being famous musicians, but other sources might tickle my fancy.Then I pick the best class/mechanics to fit the concept. I analyze the source-what would they be good/bad at? Then I pick the class and how they would go about being said class. If I was trying to make a famous painter into a wizard, I would probably lean towards conjuration to represent painting summoned/created things into existence. I have a pretty good handle on the basics of all the classes, so this part is fairly quick. Then I go into details-spell lists, feat trees, items etc. This part takes a bit longer and can vary: full prepared casters take the longest, then full spontaneous, then 2/3rd prepared casters and down till I hit martial classes.

[Flickerdart]

While Fel's method works for the general case, I tend to follow a distinct process:


Accidentally find a super-cool thing I haven't seen before, or saw before and forgot.

Something that boosts a weak option (Valenar Trample and Cavalry Charger making Overrun useful, Gift of the Spider Queen making drow useful)
Something that is obscure (Psychic Meditation and Combat Focus feat subsystems)
An unusual way of accomplishing something (casting spiritual weapon type spells instead of being a sword-wielding warrior, or pimping out Decisive Strike + bonus attacks instead of full attacking)

Figure out what that lets me accomplish. More damage than normal? Mobility? Status effects? Sometimes the option isn't actually better and is maybe worse (such as a Killoren archer based on Divine Might for +CHA to damage and Charming the Arrow for +CHA to hit) but that just makes it more fair for everyone else.
Figure out the optimal chassis for taking advantage of the pros that the option offers, or for minimizing the disadvantages. For instance, Valenar Trample + Cavalry Charger relies on a strong mount that doesn't die a lot, so paladin is an excellent option for capitalizing on it.

[Red Fel]

Both Geddy and Flickerdart raise a good point, and that is concept. In terms of building, irrespective of optimization, this is where I start as well. That concept could be an image (say, an Elf with red hair and a cigar in his mouth,) an action (leaping down onto a horrified enemy with a sword in two hands and a primal scream on my character's lips), or a specific ability (as Flickerdart suggested, I might have seen a cool thing in a book that I wanted to see if I could use). I always build from concept, but moving from concept to crunch is where question 1 comes in.

Now, if my starting point is an image or an action, I can move from there to "how do I do this," which is basically questions 1 and 2. If, on the other hand, I'm starting with a specific ability, such as, say, Smite Evil, I skip 1 altogether - since it's been answered - and part of 2. I have the ability, although I could still use things to make it better, so part of the work is already done.

An example of this was when I did my Building a Tempest (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?363006-Building-a-Tempest) thread. In a previous thread, I had been doing my usual method - saying "What do I want to do" and "How do I want to do that" with the question of causing massive collateral damage to property. Someone had mentioned the Greater Dragonmark of Storm, and its Control Winds SLA, and I was fascinated. So I started a new one, from the position of "What can I do with this ability?" That skips step 1 and part of step 2, and moves on to "How do we do this better" and "Okay, but what don't we want to do?" You can observe the process in the thread itself.

[GilesTheCleric]

The other part of your question, though, is confusing: How do I optimize when I'm not optimizing? I don't get it.

I put that in as a catch-all; sometimes when I'm building NPCs or throwaway characters/ encounter-testers, I just pick a number of options that roughly represent a build archetype or an average. Alternatively, if I'm asked to roll up a character on the spot, I also don't "optimise", and instead just pick options from PHB, or make a generic build with options that I have memorised and the elite array. I suppose that could also be called optimising, but I wouldn't call it that myself.

Of course, there's also making what bekeleven calls a grade F build (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?459141-Optimization-and-Tiers-The-Tier-System-Expanded), that is, intentionally building poorly or against the spirit of the game.

Edit: I suppose that playing an entirely- or partly-randomised character also might/ not count as op.

[Flickerdart]

Throwaway characters are the best time to use weird alternative options!

[Telonius]

I usually start with the character concept. I get the background and motivations down first, and that usually narrows the starting options pretty well. I build up from there.

For example: let's say I get the idea for a Halfling who turns the "happy jolly" thing on its head, though not quite in the Belkar direction. The character has a serious morbid streak. He's a generally nice guy, but is fascinated with death, and its effect on his community. Kind of like a funeral home director. Necessary to any society, but weird to think of how a Halfling would fit into that. Okay, so he's a nice guy, cares about the community, interest in death rituals. Raising undead wouldn't be his thing, so Dread Necromancer and similar are out. He doesn't seem like a Wizard to me, so that's out too. Divine casting, yeah, that sounds right. So Cleric or Favored Soul. He's an official funeral director, so Cleric seems like a more natural fit. Maybe a level of Divine Bard; music to console the bereaved? Possible. Keep that idea handy in case it could work. So, generally set on Cleric, I'd look up some information on Halfling deities. Yondalla is the main one, but there are others. I'd go back to Faiths and Pantheons (or Races of the Wild) and see that there's a compatible god called Urogalan; score! Nothing terribly Forgotten Realms-specific in his background, other than a couple of domains (listed there but not in the Races of the Wild version), so it should be usable. I might have a word with the DM to see if the Repose domain is allowed, since that's really in keeping with the character. Nothing screams "Earth" about him, and the so Law and Protection would be the domains if Repose isn't allowed. So, from there, I'd figure out where the character is going. He's going to want to be a powerful caster, focused on the powers of life and death, as well as giving protection to the people he cares about. So, I'd start looking up feats and prestige classes that would allow him to do that stuff well. Sacred Exorcist might be a nice option. Easy prereqs, stacks with everything Cleric cares about, and it could fit in with what he wants to do.

[Florian]

I'm an odd duck.

I value Fluff higher than chrunch and never plan a build that hinges on having access to items at a certain level. If I really plan something, then with the lowest PB value availlable.
So, right now, around 30mins with Excel and the PRD and thats it.

[nedz]

I start with a concept, be that thematic or mechanical, and see where that takes me. I will look at all of the options, and then discard those which don't fit the concept. My concepts tend to be quite complex, with multiple elements, and include limiting factors. I have a small library of such builds.

But then we come to choosing what to play in a game.

I will consider party balance, based on the tier system and the system mastery of the other players.
I will consider what roles the character can fulfil.
I will try to avoid duplicating roles unless they are passive — so things like healing, perception and stealth are fine to duplicate.
I will also consider the brief - which is the type of characters the DM has asked for.
Then I will select a concept I have been working on, or start over. I usually have something I want to try out which fits.


Incidentally, since I DM more than I play, I always need new builds for antagonists — so my build library comes in handy.