Maximum Unpredictability?

[Garresh]

So I have a character concept I want to run, it would be starting at 8 level. Essentially it is an adventurer who was touched by primal chaos and infused with it. The thing is, I'm not sure I want to go the Wild Sorcerer route. I've played them, and despite the occassional explosion, they're actually quite predictable, and make for an excellent and stable(the horror!) support character.

Rather, I'm trying to find a way to play a build or combination of multiclasses which creates a feel of a dartboard or an everything but a kitchen sink approach. Optimization is purely secondary here, and I expect to be bad at almost everything. That's fine.

But I want this character to be nearly completely unpredictable from round to round. Is he going to rush into melee, or is he going to eldritch blast? Will he faerie fire, or decide to grapple? Wait did he just turn into an elk? Why is he in Steve's head? Oh god, where did all these spiders come from?

The question basically boils down to, if we throw out optimization and accept that we will be weak in most categories, is it possible to "optimize" for unpredictability and controlled chaos to the degree that we remain somewhat useful, and not just an annoyance to the party? Furthermore, what low level features and options remain useful even if not built upon beyond the slightest dip?

I'm thinking for starters to go paladin 2, druid 2, rogue 1, so I get ways to use spell slots to compensate for poor melee, and some unusual utility and healing. Then maybe 3 levels in a casting class? Familiars are always useful, so wizard would be nice. Human NON-variant for maximum stat gains to compensate for the quite frankly horrific MAD going on. Anyways, its a start. Thoughts?

[Human Paragon 3]

Can't believe you didn't mention wild magic sorcerer.

[Aett_Thorn]

Can't believe you didn't mention wild magic sorcerer.

Ummm...he did. It's right there in the first paragraph. Unless there was a stealth edit.


If Wild Magic Sorc is out, I am going to suggest a Moon Druid. Is he going to cast a spell? Is he going to charge into melee as a bear? Is he going to cast Shillelagh and beat on people with a stick? Is he going to summon a pack of wolves to munch on his enemies? The options are endless!

[Garresh]

Can't believe you didn't mention wild magic sorcerer.

I... did? The reason I'm against it is because in practice its actually a highly predictable class. It sits in the back and casts spells. It makes an excellent support buffer similar to a bard in many ways. The only difference is once every other session it explodes with hilarious effects. I like wild sorcerers. I played a sorc cleric for a long time who kept his party infused with bless, haste, healing, and bent luck around them. That's not what I'm looking for.

I'm not against some buffs or things like that mixed in sporadically, but the goal is maximum unpredictability. I want a character so bizarre even I'm not sure what I'm doing next round. =p

[Mith]

To me, that implies two things:

1) A character that is good at both martial and casting with a randomized chart for general actions to do next turn.

2) A Frenzy Barbarian that rolls to see who he attacks next round.

I advise against 2).

[MrStabby]

Let me begin by addressing the definition of unpredictability.

Firstly unpredictability should refer to two factors: unpredictable actions and unpredictable results. To be meaningfully unpredictable these factors should be distinct. By this I mean attacking with a sword and attacking with a club are not distinct. Attacking with a sword and casting hypnotic pattern are.

For this I will form categories, at least for combat:

Damage
Buffing an Ally
Debuffing an enemy

Of these damage can be sub divided into single target damage and area of effect.

Buffs and debuffs are pretty varied.


For this, I would suggest cleric. Cleric can attack. They can cantrip. They have a broad selection of buffs and of debuffs. There have access to a whole load of spells - of which a random selection can be picked each day. If you were to randomly select what action to take each turn, randomly select what example of that action then you wouldn't need too much restriction in the choice of target to still be kind of effective.

[kladams707]

So I have a character concept I want to run, it would be starting at 8 level. Essentially it is an adventurer who was touched by primal chaos and infused with it. The thing is, I'm not sure I want to go the Wild Sorcerer route. I've played them, and despite the occassional explosion, they're actually quite predictable, and make for an excellent and stable(the horror!) support character.

Rather, I'm trying to find a way to play a build or combination of multiclasses which creates a feel of a dartboard or an everything but a kitchen sink approach. Optimization is purely secondary here, and I expect to be bad at almost everything. That's fine.

But I want this character to be nearly completely unpredictable from round to round. Is he going to rush into melee, or is he going to eldritch blast? Will he faerie fire, or decide to grapple? Wait did he just turn into an elk? Why is he in Steve's head? Oh god, where did all these spiders come from?

The question basically boils down to, if we throw out optimization and accept that we will be weak in most categories, is it possible to "optimize" for unpredictability and controlled chaos to the degree that we remain somewhat useful, and not just an annoyance to the party? Furthermore, what low level features and options remain useful even if not built upon beyond the slightest dip?

I'm thinking for starters to go paladin 2, druid 2, rogue 1, so I get ways to use spell slots to compensate for poor melee, and some unusual utility and healing. Then maybe 3 levels in a casting class? Familiars are always useful, so wizard would be nice. Human NON-variant for maximum stat gains to compensate for the quite frankly horrific MAD going on. Anyways, its a start. Thoughts?


Half-elf lore bard/frenzy path barbarian.

Most skills you'd be proficient in with the rest eventually being at half.

I know you can't cast spells in rage, but what's more unpredictable than a dilettante casting fireball only to rush into battle with a greataxe threatening to disembowel them with cutting words and making good on that threat?

Add luck feat if allowed.


As you can see I took unpredictable to heart & this character isn't optimized, but I think it could be fun if played right as that unpredictable spoiler.

[The Shadowdove]

Kobald race wins.

I wouldn't know what to expect from a kobald. Even with slightly higher than average (for a kobald) intelligence.

I second bard. Tell your DM that he believes inspiring others with fear is another way of performing.

Using a mixture of instrumental performance(or perhaps interpretive dance), and intimidation rolls if they don't appreciate his (insert instrument here), use him to either charm of terrorise your way through any social engagement.

On top of that, he doesn't believe he's a kobald. He's actually the perfect example of a half dragon, as the dragon over deity himself intended. Mountainous power in a conveniently streamlined body.

Anything larger would simply be cumbersome and serve only to get in the way of his ability to execute deadly spells and swordplay with precision and agility; too fast and cunning for the common peasant to comprehend.

[Grod_The_Giant]

So... you want a character who can do a little bit of everything, decently well? Valor Bard, picking up a blasty spell/cantrip or two via Magical Secrets. Ta-da.

[N810]

Whatever path you choose, you are going to need a wand of wonder and a deck of many things
for maximum randomness. :elan:

[Human Paragon 3]

I... did?

Wow, don't know how I missed that.

[CursedRhubarb]

Could be fun to run a crazy melee ravager build. Start with Valor Bard 3/ Sorcerer 3/ GOO Warlock 2.

Wild Magic could be fun here since you'll be focusing around melee range instead of staying back and blasting but Draconic works too.

I'd recommend half-elf, dump Int and Wis and focus Dex/Cha but keep Str up. Sorcerer for lvl 1 for the Con Prof.

For invocations I'd snag Mask of Many Faces and either Misty Visions or Thief of Five Fates.

With medium armor and heckling melee with a Rapier you can have fun. Invocations mix it up a bit and can make social interactions interesting (change your face a lot or use the MoMF+Friends combo).

Snag Quicken Spell as one of your Metamagics and once you hit lvl 9 raise Warlock to 3 and get Blade Pact. You can use you action then to change your weapon or summon it back to you then use a Sorcery Point to Quicken a Booming Blade or Green -Flame Blade attack. Congratulations, you've become a crazed version of Noctis Lucis Caelum. 😁

[Garresh]

Whatever path you choose, you are going to need a wand of wonder and a deck of many things
for maximum randomness. :elan:

My last chaos character was a Wild Sorc with a cleric dip, as stated higher up, and I actually did manage to acquire a deck of illusions and a wand of wonder. My DM eventually let me do some weird chaos magic that not even my character understood as a means to brew special beer using wand of wonder charges. It was mechanically identical to using the wand, but with even LESS control, but was much easier to convince other people to use.

In every sense, that character was singlehandedly getting the party either into or out of bad situations constantly. His massive supportive, healing, and buffing potential made everyone function at peak efficiency, but he also hamstrung himself and others constantly through his lack of control. Really, it was just an incredibly fun character all around. :smallbiggrin:

[DiceDiceBaby]

Aside from picking class features that let you everything, I also suggest to try making a custom background with your DM for this character to justify, in-universe, why they act that way.

Possible custom backgrounds include:

1) Having an ambiguous psychological disorder that is untreatable even by magic, such as bipolarism, pathological lying, kleptomania, or just being generically crazy.

2) Being a compulsive gambler who cannot resist taking risks, or who depends on random trinkets like dice or coin flips to make decisions. Carries various gaming sets with him and challenges people to it.

3) Having a highly superstitious personality that causes various quirks that no one else understands, or have the D&D gods and goddesses pick on him because of a curse of some sort.

Would probably play like a Batman villain: like the Joker or Two Face. Sounds like fun!