Help with a Water Genasi Beastmaster

[Specter]

BMs are apparently the next hot (or warm?) thing in these forums, so I've decided to play one in my next campaign. The pet idea came from someone in the BM thread.

We start at level 4. My pet will be a giant crab, mostly for control purposes. What I've been thinking is to take Magic Initiate for Shillelagh (to pump WIS and leave DEX at 14, benefitting from Breastplate), Guidance/Frostbite (haven't settled for one yet; Guidance is great for skills, Frostbite would give me a ranged option) and Healing Word/Goodberry (either one is fine, really).

I'd go melee with a magical club and a shield, staying close to the crab so it can prevent chumps from running away and giving it advantage with Beast Bond (at level 4 he does 1d6+3 on a hit, pretty much what I'd do). Ranger spells would be Hunter's Mark, Beast Bond and Absorb Elements. Fighting Style would be Dueling.

What can be good for this? The only things that can't change are the race, the archetype and the pet, other than that go crazy.

[JumboWheat01]

Well if you want to prevent chumps from running and escaping your crab, make sure you snag Sentinel. Stop them from leaving your range and that of Sir Pinch-a-lot. I would definitely take Goodberry over Healing Word, it's better as a once-a-day spell. Frostbite is rather thematic for a Water Genasi, it's a good choice to go with for ranged damage.

Talk to your DM and see if he's cool on allowing other wooden weapons, like spears (aka, the sharpened stick) just so you can have some damage variance.

Also, later on, consider multi-classing with Druid, since you're going to have such good Wisdom, and snag the Coastal Land for more thematics.

[famousringo]

BMs are apparently the next hot (or warm?) thing in these forums, so I've decided to play one in my next campaign. The pet idea came from someone in the BM thread.

We start at level 4. My pet will be a giant crab, mostly for control purposes. What I've been thinking is to take Magic Initiate for Shillelagh (to pump WIS and leave DEX at 14, benefitting from Breastplate), Guidance/Frostbite (haven't settled for one yet; Guidance is great for skills, Frostbite would give me a ranged option) and Healing Word/Goodberry (either one is fine, really).

I'd go melee with a magical club and a shield, staying close to the crab so it can prevent chumps from running away and giving it advantage with Beast Bond (at level 4 he does 1d6+3 on a hit, pretty much what I'd do). Ranger spells would be Hunter's Mark, Beast Bond and Absorb Elements. Fighting Style would be Dueling.

What can be good for this? The only things that can't change are the race, the archetype and the pet, other than that go crazy.

I think this could work nicely. A few changes I'd make.

1. Take Ensnaring Strike over Hunter's Mark. Your beast's attacks get no benefit from Hunter's Mark, and you're pumping WIS so you'll have a good save DC. At level 5, you'll be able to control the movement of two enemies in a single round. At level 11, your crab can pinch two people while you entangle another one.

2. I'd take defensive style over duelist. Since you're sacrificing attacks to your beast, +1 AC on all incoming attacks sounds like a better deal than +2 damage on one attack each round.

3. For Magic Initiate, don't take Goodberry. Rangers already get it. Healing Word is a good choice, something like Entangle could be good, too. Frostbite does suit the tank/support role nicely, though CON is a hard target.

For future feats, I recommend Sentinel. it will help you maintain control and punish people for attacking the crab. Inspiring Leader is also a nice way to toughen up a pet.

[Specter]

I think this could work nicely. A few changes I'd make.

1. Take Ensnaring Strike over Hunter's Mark. Your beast's attacks get no benefit from Hunter's Mark, and you're pumping WIS so you'll have a good save DC. At level 5, you'll be able to control the movement of two enemies in a single round. At level 11, your crab can pinch two people while you entangle another one.

2. I'd take defensive style over duelist. Since you're sacrificing attacks to your beast, +1 AC on all incoming attacks sounds like a better deal than +2 damage on one attack each round.

3. For Magic Initiate, don't take Goodberry. Rangers already get it. Healing Word is a good choice, something like Entangle could be good, too. Frostbite does suit the tank/support role nicely, though CON is a hard target.

For future feats, I recommend Sentinel. it will help you maintain control and punish people for attacking the crab. Inspiring Leader is also a nice way to toughen up a pet.

Solid advice.

Important point: grappled and restrained are two separate conditions, so can the target be affected by both? If so, does he use the same action to rid of all of them or one at a time?

[famousringo]

Solid advice.

Important point: grappled and restrained are two separate conditions, so can the target be affected by both? If so, does he use the same action to rid of all of them or one at a time?

If you were using a frog, which grapples and restrains from one attack, I'd say so, since the restrain effect is derived from the grapple. It's one effect applying two status conditions, and to break one is to break both.

But in this case, you're looking at two effects, the crab which is grappling and the Ensnaring Strike which is restraining. Each effect requires an action to struggle out of. Somebody might be able to escape from both with a teleport ability, but even then I don't think that gets you out of Ensnaring Strike. That effect targets a single creature, not an area, so I think a teleporter would simply bring the vines along for the ride.

Edit: Forgot to answer the first question. Yes, a single target absolutely can be affected by both conditions at the same time.

[Naanomi]

I played that exact build (more or less), two things to think about:

-I always wanted to throw a net but didn't have the stats to do it well
- even with a swim speed, swimming tasks are often strength: athletics, so don't fully neglect that

I think I had Magic Initiate/+2 Wis/+2 Wis/Mobile/Lucky, but it wasn't necessarily a well thought out plan

[Specter]

Thank you very much, gents. One last question (unless you have more to say): what spells should I avoid for somatic materials and/or what should I do to get around it with a sword and a shield?

[Naanomi]

I didn't find it much of an issue really... most of the magic I used was 'buff' or 'utility' type, I wasn't casting a great deal in actual combat past the first round. Without using ranged weapons, most of the Ranger combat magic fades away. If you really need to, just sheath the club and draw it again next round. It can cost you a reaction (and thus 1d8+5/7) but otherwise doesn't matter a whole lot.

[famousringo]

Shillelagh is actually kind of tricky. It requires you to hold your club, and also requires a somatic component, so I don't know how you could cast it while holding a shield unless your shield is a focus or you have Warcaster. And rangers don't get foci. I think any DM without a shillelagh up their butt would let you do it while drawing, anyway, but RAW...

Edit: On further reflection, the club is the material component, so the somatic component of Shillelagh is just waving it around a bit. Not a problem.

Healing Word and Ensnaring Strike are no problem. Beast Bond can be cast before the fight. You can put away your club for a Frostbite, though again Shillelagh drops and that means another bonus action spent later. Absorb Elements is the worst, being somatic on a reaction, you have to have a hand free if you want to cast this. Even dipping druid so you can use your shield as a focus doesn't fix this, since their's no material component to the spell. Warcaster is the only way by RAW to cast this spell unless you conveniently don't have your weapon out when the Fireball hits.

Maybe you should dip druid for a shield focus and spend your first feat on Warcaster instead of Magic Initiate. It'll help you maintain Beast Bond on the front lines, too.

[Specter]

Shillelagh is actually kind of tricky. It requires you to hold your club, and also requires a somatic component, so I don't know how you could cast it while holding a shield unless your shield is a focus or you have Warcaster. And rangers don't get foci. I think any DM without a shillelagh up their butt would let you do it while drawing, anyway, but RAW...

Edit: On further reflection, the club is the material component, so the somatic component of Shillelagh is just waving it around a bit. Not a problem.

Healing Word and Ensnaring Strike are no problem. Beast Bond can be cast before the fight. You can put away your club for a Frostbite, though again Shillelagh drops and that means another bonus action spent later. Absorb Elements is the worst, being somatic on a reaction, you have to have a hand free if you want to cast this. Even dipping druid so you can use your shield as a focus doesn't fix this, since their's no material component to the spell. Warcaster is the only way by RAW to cast this spell unless you conveniently don't have your weapon out when the Fireball hits.

Maybe you should dip druid for a shield focus and spend your first feat on Warcaster instead of Magic Initiate. It'll help you maintain Beast Bond on the front lines, too.

OK, so AC 17 it is (BP + DEX + Defense). Any other reliable ways to boost AC, other than magic items?

[ad_hoc]

I would consider Faerie Fire for your magic initiate spell.

It is very good and verbal only too.

[famousringo]

It's worth asking your DM if s/he will allow you to drop an item on a reaction to cast the spell. Not sure if it's RAW, but dropping is usually considered a free action, and it's certainly worth taking the time to pick up your weapon later to take half damage on a dragon breath. It's also a little silly to forgo a shield just on the off chance that something breathes on you this encounter.