Scouting Solo Caster, Level 10

[Captain Morgan]

Hey folks! So I'm looking at converting an old Pathfinder Oracle of the Dark Tapestry over to 5e, potentially for some solo adventures before meeting up with the rest of the party. I'm thinking my guy may need to do a lot of scouting and infiltration. Looking to infiltrate a hostile, oppressive nation state where magic is common, extricate some civilians, and uncover intel on big bad plots. Will be starting somewhere between levels 9 and 11. DM has authorized players to pilfer spell lists pretty freely between Sorc, Lock, and Wizard. I know I want to be CHA based.

I'm currently leaning towards a Great Old One Chainlock so I can use spells to pump people for information, Whispers of the Grave to do the same to corpses, and Many Faces to to blend with the enemy more. Plus an Imp familiar for all the wonderful scouting that enables. It seems to me that the at will invocations coupled with the ability to essentially spam spells like Scrying and Sending with just a safe spot and a nap would be real dandy.

On the other hand, the flexible casting of a sorcerer has it's advantages. Subtle spell seems clutch, and in the event that things go south the Sorc has more spell slots to burn in blasting their way out and then making a get away.

And finally, there's the Bard, who would of course be king of skills but I find lacking in flavor and magical flexibility at first glance.

What would y'all recommend?

[gfishfunk]

Advice: not Bard. Goolock is best, but Sorcerer works well. Charlatan background. See below for my analysis.

Bard isn't great for solo stuff, they really shine when working with others.

Everyone seems to love Warlock, and it's no wonder: very versatile. Probably the best for solo work and infiltration.

Sorcerer could work well too: it's very cannon-ish, and dragon subclass gives you both an HP pump and decent AC. Go elf for a free decent martial weapon, but know that you will shine when blasting enemies from farther away.

Any stealth background can be combined to give you the needed skills to infiltrate. Charlatan comes with built-in false background for you. But you will still get more tools out of a GOO-lock.

[JellyPooga]

Advice: not Bard.

Bard is best in party play and if this was solely a solo game, I'd concur with this advice. However, given the nature of the solo portion you'll be doing, Bard is excellent. Expertise in social skills means you'll rarely fail, even on DC 20 and at level 10, you can have 4 off-list spells of your choice; that's all sorts of versatile.

Given also that you'll later be joining a party, Bard will let you change up your style once you're in that party, making for a dynamic play experience from Solo to Party play. Add in Jack of all Trades to cover any bases you don't actively specialise in, as well as College features which enhance your solo capabilities and a Bard could be just what you're looking for.

[Sicarius Victis]

A Favoured Soul, possibly of Trickery, Death, or Knowledge, would probably be the most appropriate fluff-wise, given that it's an Oracle you're converting.

[Captain Morgan]

I don't think the DM will allow Favored Soul; she says they are over powered. Bards are cool and all, but I really want magic to be the emphasis on this dude. I know they are 9th level casters in 5e but they lack some of the flashy stuff I want.

Even if I go Warlock, I'm a little torn on specifics. Both Chain and Tome can provide a lot of utility. I'm not sure if I should go Variant Human or Half Elf. There's also a lot of magical loot I can choose from, including an Ioun Stone of Leadership, a +2 Shield, various cloaks of protection and displacement, and a freaking Staff of Thunder and Lightning. Going Moderately armored and rocking shillelagh would make me quite the tank when I wanted to be, but if I do that I probably need Warcaster which doesn't leave much room for Actor.

[JellyPooga]

Bards are cool and all, but I really want magic to be the emphasis on this dude. I know they are 9th level casters in 5e but they lack some of the flashy stuff I want.

What "flashy stuff" are you after? Those Magical Secrets go a long way and Bard is primarily a spellcaster, first and foremost. The Bard spell list, alone, is more diverse than it appears at first glance; if it's direct blasting you want then Bard probably isn't for you, but even then, you'll still be starting with two 3rd level and two 5th level off-list spells; how much "flash" do you really need?

If you're set on Warlock though, I'd go Tome rather than Chain because they're more "caster" and GOOlocks are very good in social and intrigue games. On top of that, as a GOOlock you'll have access to Telekinesis; a very good spell for both utility and creative uses in combat. Having said that, if you're looking to go caster, then be careful going Warlock; aside from Eldritch Blast, their capability to be a caster is kind of limited compared to a "true" spellslinger. Warlocks are really archers with tricks, not spellslingers.

[Captain Morgan]

What "flashy stuff" are you after? Those Magical Secrets go a long way and Bard is primarily a spellcaster, first and foremost. The Bard spell list, alone, is more diverse than it appears at first glance; if it's direct blasting you want then Bard probably isn't for you, but even then, you'll still be starting with two 3rd level and two 5th level off-list spells; how much "flash" do you really need?

If you're set on Warlock though, I'd go Tome rather than Chain because they're more "caster" and GOOlocks are very good in social and intrigue games. On top of that, as a GOOlock you'll have access to Telekinesis; a very good spell for both utility and creative uses in combat. Having said that, if you're looking to go caster, then be careful going Warlock; aside from Eldritch Blast, their capability to be a caster is kind of limited compared to a "true" spellslinger. Warlocks are really archers with tricks, not spellslingers.

You raise fair points. Indeed, the Bard list had most of the spells I really wanted anyway, just missing stuff like fireball and black tentacles. I think part of my reasoning was that the at will abilities would be more useful for "deep cover." I don't have to worry about my disguise self/silent image running out of time. I suppose one could argue a Bard could probably just use a disguise kit and their exceptional skill checks though. Bards also know more spells which is nice.

Not having much 5e experience, I also wasn't sure if spell slots or pact magic would be more efficient for this kind of thing. Being able to spam scrying or sending like 32 times a day from a safe house is kind of hilarious for spy purposes.

I'm not sure if I will ever actually wind up in group play here though, so I don't know if the group abilities will enter in. And the theoretically unlimited uses of so many Lock powers seems great, although arguably skills might be better for a society where magic is common.

I think no matter what class I go with, I still need to finalize a spell list. That's surprisingly hard with only 10 spells known for a Warlock. (14 for a Bard, though invocations seem to close that gap a lot in practice.) Is it just me, or is charm person way better than Dominate on a Lock? Hour long, no concentration, and multi targets at higher levels?

I'm currently considering on a tome lock:

Hex
Charm Person

Invisibility
Hold person

Sending
Fireball

Banishment
Black Tentacles

Telekinesis
Scrying

Suggestions for changes to this, or how to adapt this for a Bard?