Let's TRY AGAIN! (My character died)

[jaappleton]

Hi, I'm Troy McClure. You may recognize me from the insane amount of "What should I play?" topics such as "My rogue just died".

Two person party.
We're level 3.

Other party member is a greatsword wielding fighter, focusing on damage.
That leaves me.

The DM has decided to be generous and give us two uncommon magic items. Fighter took a slightly de-powered version of Flame Tongue (to bring it down to Uncommon) and Gauntlets of Ogre Power.

I WAS a Tabaxi Rogue with a +1 Dagger with the Return property, & Boots of Elvenkind. I only rolled higher than like an 8 twice all night. Just a bad, bad night evening.

Note: No, the +1 Dagger & Boots of Elvenkind won't be available in addition to 2 Uncommon items. They're essentially on loan from a pawn shop. So my Fighter ally can 'recruit' my next character and exchange those two items for something more appropriate for... Whatever it is that I roll up.

Additional Note: The campaign world is homebrew. We've got a Goblin horde unlike any the history books have ever seen, and they're organized. So expect that to be a recurring enemy, though not the only thing we'll face, obviously.

So I need the following: Race, Class, 2 Uncommon Items
All Unearthed Arcana available
All Books available
Point Buy stats

Thoughts:

Something with a Bonus Action attack would really help at such a low level, though we're exceptionally short on spellcasting of all kinds.

No Bards. Nothing against them, but I recently played one for awhile, and loved it. Just want to switch it up.

Forge Cleric? Bladesinger Wizard?

Revised Ranger w/ Favored Enemy: Humanoid would be good.

[Arcangel4774]

If you can get an uncommon item that dismisses sunlight sensitivity a kobold riding a wolf for double pack tactics with the revised ranger seems nice. It also give you a meaningful ranged option when you need to hold back.

Tabaxi also make great kensai with the insane movement and the added bonus of making that unarmed attack trade for +2 ac while wielding a non monk weapon suck less.

[Specter]

I wouldn't worry about holding the front lines. What seems crucial in a two-man party is control: give yourself and the fighter tactical advantage, and you shall not die. Thus, I propose two classes:

1) Abjurer Wizard. A ton of hp, best counterspelling in the game, ability to save the fighter if in dire straits and of course, sweet Wizard spells.

2) Arctic Land Druid. Exploration made easy with Wild Shape, amazing terrain spells, good hp, and healing to boot.

As for the items, a Periapt of Health is the best you'll get. 19CON right off the bat? Yes please.

[MinotaurWarrior]

Yeah, if your campaign supports it, I'd just go Revised ranger 3. Primeval awareness: humanoids is kinda insane.

V.Human 10/16/13/10/16/10 (Skulker)
FE: Humanoid
Get proficiency in stealth and perception
Get boots of elvenkind.
Go deep stalker
Go FS: Archery, +1 Longbow

Try to survive by always being the ambusher. Get to level 6, consider MCing to:

Kensai: +1d4 / Target shot, and defensive / mobility gains.
Battlemaster: Action surge, superiority dice
Forge Cleric: Shield! +1AC, spells.

[Sigreid]

I think a cleric or a druid would be a good idea. Possibly leaning towards land druid for somewhat better crowd control.

[Citan]

Note: No, the +1 Dagger & Boots of Elvenkind won't be available in addition to 2 Uncommon items. They're essentially on loan from a pawn shop. So my Fighter ally can 'recruit' my next character and exchange those two items for something more appropriate for... Whatever it is that I roll up.

Additional Note: The campaign world is homebrew. We've got a Goblin horde unlike any the history books have ever seen, and they're organized. So expect that to be a recurring enemy, though not the only thing we'll face, obviously.

So I need the following: Race, Class, 2 Uncommon Items
All Unearthed Arcana available
All Books available
Point Buy stats

Thoughts:

Something with a Bonus Action attack would really help at such a low level, though we're exceptionally short on spellcasting of all kinds.

No Bards. Nothing against them, but I recently played one for awhile, and loved it. Just want to switch it up.

Forge Cleric? Bladesinger Wizard?

Revised Ranger w/ Favored Enemy: Humanoid would be good.
Hi!

Ok, so disclaimer: I'm not familiar at all with magic items. So maybe others will say if my ideas or viable or not.

1. If you can get an item improving your Dexterity...
a) Then a Long Death Monk or Sun Soul Monk or Open Hand (max WIS with your point-buy, then DEX&CON) would be a very nice addition to your Fighter. You will bring the mobility your party may lack otherwise, and you get 2/3 attacks from the get go.
- Long Death helps you survive thanks to THP (although it requires melee).
- Sun Soul allows you to maximize position efficiency by providing a decent range for your attacks.
- Open Hand gives you more occasions to shove prone enemies, which your friend with GWM will thank you for.
You can start with fairly good AC (even without item, you could start with 16 AC: 16 DEX+16 WIS), and spend your ki on evasion when needed.
Later options: Nature Cleric dip (Bless, Shillelagh, Shield of Faith), Druid dip (Thunderwave, Ice Knife, Absorb Elements, Shillelagh, Thorn Whip).
This makes a good "twin frontliner" build, except that you will have to be a bit more tactical to use your abilities while avoiding too much danger.


b) Alternatively, a Bladesinger Wizard would work well too. It would certainly work even with "only" your point-buy, but any stat boost will help. 16 DEX and 16 INT also means 16 starting AC. And being a full caster, plus a Wizard, you will bring potentially any and everything your two-man team may need... Provided you survive the first few levels.
To that end, DON'T engage! Use bladesong solely for defense, and use cantrips to blast away. Only start engaging once you get better AC, more HP, and more slots available for defensive spells.
Later options: Life Cleric dip (healing, buff, heavy armor if you want it), or Fighter (medium armor, action surge).
This makes a "two-line" classic team, one in front, one in back. This means your friend will have to favor strategic placement to limit enemy movement, because you will still be an easier target, and can be downed quickly until at least level 6 or so.

2. Otherwise, more generally, I suggest you take a look at this thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?509117-What-race-class-would-you-use-with-these-stats), which basically asks what kind of class/build works with only one high stat. What works for him will certainly work for you. ;) Among which the abovementioned Bladesinger Wizard, but also Ranger, Druid, even Barbarian (although you would lose on Unarmored).

[Foxhound438]

I'd go for light cleric. Right off you have spiritual weapon for a bonus action attack, and later you can get spirit guardians for good crowd control.

race should be something with con and wis, so variant human. pick tough for huge amounts of HP, or otherwise war caster is universally accepted as a "required" feat for clerics.

Not sure about magic items, maybe a pearl of power and wand of magic missiles? neither scale too well, but the prior gives you an extra spell per day right off, and the latter pretty much garuntees a kill against a goblin.



Alternatively to light domain, if the enemies like to cluster together, tempest domain gets shatter, which almost guarantees kills against goblins even if they make the save.

[jaappleton]

For those saying Wizard...

...Headband of Intellect is Uncommon.

Periapt of Health is also Uncommon?

Go, wonderful minds! Think of how I might become unstoppable! :P

Unfortunately Bracers of Defense aren't Uncommon. Which sucks for me, for numerous builds.

Anyone know of Magic items from adventure books, that aren't in the DMG, which might be relevant?

[Citan]

For those saying Wizard...

...Headband of Intellect is Uncommon.

Periapt of Health is also Uncommon?

Go, wonderful minds! Think of how I might become unstoppable! :P

Unfortunately Bracers of Defense aren't Uncommon. Which sucks for me, for numerous builds.

Anyone know of Magic items from adventure books, that aren't in the DMG, which might be relevant?
And in one phrase, Bladesinger became a gold option... XD
Point-buy stat with dump INT to have as high DEX/CON/WIS as possible then equip Headband and game on...

Yeah, this is so metagaming... I feel really dirty inside right now. ^^
Also, don't know if I'm RAW or not on this, but I would totally NOT consider the item buff as far as multiclassing is concerned, so you would have to stick Wizard the whole way... Something to check with DM if you really wanna prioritize the mechanical optimization.

But frankly, I'd suggest you just build your Wizard normally and enjoy the still hefty +1 or +2 boost you get thanks to the item compared to "only" point-buy. Your conscience will be much cleaner, and you will still rock. :)

[Foxydono]

For those saying Wizard...

...Headband of Intellect is Uncommon.

Periapt of Health is also Uncommon?

Go, wonderful minds! Think of how I might become unstoppable! :P

Unfortunately Bracers of Defense aren't Uncommon. Which sucks for me, for numerous builds.

Anyone know of Magic items from adventure books, that aren't in the DMG, which might be relevant?
I'll second wizard for massive aoe damage you can probably use. You'll want 20 intelligence though, so I trade in the headband of intellect for boots of flying. Together with the gauntlets of ogre power and a one level dip in that new forge UA cleric. You can go variant human with the the following stats Str 8, Dex 10, Con 14(+1), Wis 13, Int 15(+1), Cha 12. If you take resilient con and the gauntlets this becomes Str 19, Dex 10, Con 16, Wis 13, Int 16, Cha 12.

You can wear a full plate armor +1 (from forge cleric) together with a shield for a base armor of 21 and you can cast shield to make your ac 26 (at lvl 3!). You lack darkvision, but you'll be fine with the light cantrip. Besides your huge ac you can cure the warrior and do massive damage. Take either divination or abjuration. Both are good, but abjuration is probably slightly better.

Did I forget to mention you can fly?! You are also proficient with con saves, so just pump int to 20 asap and after that take whatever feat you like. Alternatively you can take a dagger of warning btw if you find boots of flying cheesy. Only downside is getting fireball and counterspell at lvl 6, but if you manage till then you'll be an unkillable aoe machine

Edit: Gignere brought up an excellent idea, the sentinal shield! Depends on your campaign. If everything is in the open flying boots are awesome (in dungeon crawls: not so much). In a situation with a lot of (potential) ambushes take weapon of warning and if you might face a lot of casters sentinal shield is a safe bet.

[Coffee_Dragon]

The DM has decided to be generous and give us two uncommon magic items. Fighter took a slightly de-powered version of Flame Tongue (to bring it down to Uncommon) and Gauntlets of Ogre Power.

Your DM would do well to consult the Sane Magical Prices document, which puts the GoOP at 8000 gp, i.e. very rare.

[jaappleton]

Your DM would do well to consult the Sane Magical Prices document, which puts the GoOP at 8000 gp, i.e. very rare.

Since it benefits my party for him to not know, I'm going to have to ask you to delete that post :smalltongue:

[Gignere]

Since it benefits my party for him to not know, I'm going to have to ask you to delete that post :smalltongue:

Forge Cleric - Sentinel Shield and gauntlets of ogre power. Now you can dump strength and pump it all into con and wis.

Abilities to start vhuman.

S - 8 D - 12 C - 15 I - 8 W - 15 +1 CH - 13 +1 - start with resilient con

At level 3 assuming you start with full plate + shield +1 from forge cleric, you will have 21 AC / 26 AC with shield spell. With the spread above you can be the face and if you nab thieves tools even be halfway decent at it. If your partner is already partially the face reallocate the points in CH into I to become the investigator and lore guru. Eventually my advice is to find a suit of mithral full plate to use so you have no disadvantage while stealthing in full plate. At level 4 nab magic initiate Druid to gain shillelagh, thorn whip or magic stone, and of course good berry.

The item is that you tank them your partner kills them. But at level 5 with spiritual weapon and spirit guardians you should be dishing it as good as anyone.

[bid]

And in one phrase, Bladesinger became a gold option... XD
Point-buy stat with dump INT to have as high DEX/CON/WIS as possible then equip Headband and game on...
I thought MC requirements were hard and could not be covered by magic items.

[Foxhound438]

Periapt of Health is also Uncommon?


nope. it's a rare.

[djreynolds]

Conan had Subati, in the movie. Thief and archer.
Ranger/rogue.

[Specter]

nope. it's a rare.

Just checked Periapt of Health on the magic items rarity table, it's uncommon.

[Ugganaut]

Hill Dwarf Cleric(Light).
S:15 C:14+2 D:8 I:8 W:15+1 C:10
Shield and heavy armor with sacred flame or warhammer/battleaxe your "main weapon"(Warcaster feat, then boost that Wis to 20). Good AC/HP, a defensive Warding Flare, plus Spiritual Weapon and Burning Hands/Faerie Fire(domain spells) plus that Radiance of Dawn channel divinity for a big AoE. You'd have fireball to look forward to at 5th.
Only need the Str for Plate armor, so could drop it to 13 for Chainmail and put the points elsewhere.
Personally I'd focus more on Sacred Flame as the main attack, as lvl 8 you'd get Potent Spell Casting, with your Wis at 18 by that stage.

Ghostwise Halfling Druid(Circle of Twilight).
S:8 C:12 D:12+2 I:10 W:17+1 C:10
Shillelagh and a shield for melee, best armor you can get you can legally wear(I'd get an uncommon item here). Use Wildshape as more of a HP buffer if you get in trouble, or some "free" rounds in melee. I like the idea of Ice Knife with the d6 AoE damage boosted with Harvests Scythe. It has good HP pool, some healing, and some damage. Ghostwise lets you talk to your companions while in beast form.

You seem to having an issue staying alive, so something with a bit more survivabilty :) My pick would be the cleric. Stout, heals, pretty damn good AoE.

[bid]

Only need the Str for Plate armor, so could drop it to 13 for Chainmail and put the points elsewhere.
You don't even need it, being a dwarf.

[ruy343]

I mean... I don't really know what you enjoy playing or anything, but if you want to try something different (i.e. not min-maxing), but which can get your bonus action attack, maybe play a monk? they do pretty good damage at low levels, and they've got a handful of great skills. Personally, I would choose path of Tranquility or 4-elements because I'm that guy, but Kensei as written is pretty broken (be sure to choose "greatsword" as your Kensei weapon :P)

[Aaron Underhand]

I agree the Hill dwarf cleric of light seems a very good choice, however:

1 Light does not give Heavy Armor proficiency - which is a good thing, I would pick Str 12, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 8, Wis 16, Cha 8. Use Medium armor and a shield.

2 Medium armor allows you to use stealth - get stealth and perception as skills (*).

3 Hard to pass up on winged boots or a flying broomstick

4 A cloak of elvenkind is uncommon...

That said one of your party may not be sneaking and the main problem with a two person party is a single bad roll can ruin you day.

I would suggest a bag of tricks to give the enemy extra targets, but I wonder if you could take the variant Noble background, and trade the magic items to upgrade your Commoners to an Acolyte, a Guard and a Scout.

* Note if you pick History and Persuasion as Cleric skills this allows you to take Stealth and Perception as alternative skill picks from Noble

[Ugganaut]

You don't even need it, being a dwarf.

Why's that? Is the "their speed is not reduced by heavy armor" bypass the str requirement?

[Ugganaut]

I agree the Hill dwarf cleric of light seems a very good choice, however:

1 Light does not give Heavy Armor proficiency - which is a good thing, I would pick Str 12, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 8, Wis 16, Cha 8. Use Medium armor and a shield.


I missed that, makes things even easier :)

[bid]

Why's that? Is the "their speed is not reduced by heavy armor" bypass the str requirement?
Yep. The only thing that heavy armor does is slow you down.

So, if you don't want to invest in Str, you can be a dwarf or get the mobile feat.

[Arcangel4774]

Kensei as written is pretty broken (be sure to choose "greatsword" as your Kensei weapon :P)

It makes for a good dichotomy between characters. One who thinks of the greatsword as weapon and a show of power and one who treats it like an art.

[djreynolds]

Are you looking to mechanically compliment the fighter.... or to have fun?

A bookish wizard, evoker could be cool. Sculpt spell, drop a fireball or AoE right where the fighter is fighting. Lots of good fun. Fighter, "Hey you knew I was over there fighting the enemy?" Wizard, "Yes, that's why I drop the fireball on all of you... so you're a little singed."

Like a Raistlin/Cameron duo. Sword and sorcery.

[Citan]

I thought MC requirements were hard and could not be covered by magic items.
Sure, and that is what I said below in the same post. ;)

But that is the thing: as long as you don't look to multiclass, you are allowed to dump stats that would be normally required to be at a minimum.
That is how you can play a purely DEX-based Paladin for example, or a low-WIS Ranger. ;)


@OP: Good luck choosing among all the great options that have been suggested in the thread. XD

[Ugganaut]

Yep. The only thing that heavy armor does is slow you down.

So, if you don't want to invest in Str, you can be a dwarf or get the mobile feat.

Groovy, good to know. Just can't remember the finer details :)

[Coyote81]

I recommend a Minotaur Arcane Domain Cleric. Uses a Shield and an open hand (or focus item) in other hand. Horns for melee attacks. Medium Armor
Arcane Domain gives you access to some key attack spells that wizard get, while maintain you heals and utility spells from cleric. You also get wizard cantrips, so now you can cast green flame blade (Horn) and Booming Blade (Horn).

Medium armor and shield should be enough defense. You also have some cleric spells you can use as well.

For magic items, I'd take Periapt of Wound Closure (You need to stay alive so you can keep your fighter alive) and an Immovable Rod (If your creative this items can be used for a ton of things.)

[CantigThimble]

Well, I'm going to suggest a nature cleric again. Spike growth and fog cloud are simply some of the most powerful control spells against small, fast or ranged targets, which goblins are. Your AC will be solid and shillelagh means you can go dwarf, dump strength and pretty much be a single ability score character so you can easily max wis and then just take feats.

[bid]

But that is the thing: as long as you don't look to multiclass, you are allowed to dump stats that would be normally required to be at a minimum.
I had a brain fart, sorry. I was under the delusion you were MCing your bladesinger.:smallconfused:

[bid]

I recommend a Minotaur Arcane Domain Cleric.
Horn GFB is prolly the neatest trick of this thread.

I think it's even better than life: one saves slots by doing better damage, the other by healing better.

I still have a soft spot for nature and its level 6 dampen elements, but I'm not sure how useful that would be against goblins. Although the potential to use your forest friends to spy would make "combat as war" shine.

[jaappleton]

Lots of votes for various Clerics, and a couple for Wizards. Revised Ranger has a few, too.

[Naanomi]

Life Cleric wouldn't be bad either, in a few levels the 'heal two people at the same time' ability would be stellar in a two-person team

[Gignere]

Problem is in a two person team you and your partner should be covering multiple roles each. However it seems like your buddy is only DPR. So you need to cover tanking, healing, cc and maybe skills. This leaves you with not much choices and a Gish like a cleric can come out of the gate without a lot of optimization to tank and heal. Not hard to pick a correct domain to add some cc and cover partially the skills too.

[MinotaurWarrior]

Lots of votes for various Clerics, and a couple for Wizards. Revised Ranger has a few, too.

I think Cleric is getting overepresented because there's more to say about it, with the eight domains and all. Ranger is relatively straightforward.

At level three, you have insane strategic recon abilities, and your preferred flavor of a conditional second attack, and some spellcasting. It's really, really dope.

[Temperjoke]

You know, maybe you're looking at it the wrong way. You should try a Goblin Trickster Cleric/Thief Rogue, and try for a stealthier approach to things, since there is just the two of you. That way you're not split too far trying to fill all the necessary roles. One item I would recommend is the Hat of Disguise, which you can use while you are in non-goblin territory.

[MinotaurWarrior]

You know, maybe you're looking at it the wrong way. You should try a Goblin Trickster Cleric/Thief Rogue, and try for a stealthier approach to things, since there is just the two of you. That way you're not split too far trying to fill all the necessary roles. One item I would recommend is the Hat of Disguise, which you can use while you are in non-goblin territory.

No, he literally can't because he's only level 3. At most he could be trickery 1 / rogue 2.


Though goblin (or goblinoid) IS a great race suggestion.

[Temperjoke]

No, he literally can't because he's only level 3. At most he could be trickery 1 / rogue 2.


Though goblin (or goblinoid) IS a great race suggestion.

I didn't mean he should immediately start at that, more a suggestion of focus for leveling, instead of just saying generic rogue and letting him figure it out from there what my full thought was. :P

[jaappleton]

No, he literally can't because he's only level 3. At most he could be trickery 1 / rogue 2.


Though goblin (or goblinoid) IS a great race suggestion.

I could be a Goblin named Benedict Arnold :smallbiggrin:

[jaappleton]

Going Revised Ranger as VHuman nets me 16 Dex & Wis, Crossbow Expertise, and likely Deep Stalker at 3 to nail Darkvision on a Human.

My issue with that is that... it's strictly superior to dual wielding. That's more a problem with mechanics than with the actual build, though. But it's very effective.

Hand Crossbow +1
???

1d6 + 4 per hit
+2 Damage VS Humanoids

+8 to attack rolls (3 Dex, 2 Archery Style, 2 Prof bonus, +1 Hand Crossbow)

Due to Deep Stalker, I can cast Hunter's Mark and still get two attacks in the first round.

So 4d6 + 8 in round one. Not bad. More than the Cleric spell Guiding Bolt or Inflict Wounds.

[Sigreid]

So, a beast conclave ranger would give you limited healing and crowd control and effectively another full combatant. Make it a kobold riding a wolf and you and your beast both have a constant advantage you you have increased mobility. Pick up crossbow expert at level 4 and you have some serious mounted archer kung fu starting.

[gfishfunk]

I immediately went for a build centered around magic items.

Rust bag of tricks.
Brown bag of tricks.
Variant human, maxed charisma, inspiring leader feat, beast Master ranger. Only take the speak with animals spell.

Every morning, take out six creatures from your two bags. Then, use inspiring leadership and talk with Animals to get them temp HP. Now, you are legion.

[jaappleton]

I immediately went for a build centered around magic items.

Rust bag of tricks.
Brown bag of tricks.
Variant human, maxed charisma, inspiring leader feat, beast Master ranger. Only take the speak with animals spell.

Every morning, take out six creatures from your two bags. Then, use inspiring leadership and talk with Animals to get them temp HP. Now, you are legion.

My DM will punch me in the face.

It works, there's no denying that. But man would he be livid if I brought this to the table :smalltongue:

[Sariel Vailo]

be a lizard folk monk with way of the long death insane armor class and every kill temp hp plus the option to bite as an unarmed atk when in doubt be bitey the monk

[jaappleton]

be a lizard folk monk with way of the long death insane armor class and every kill temp hp plus the option to bite as an unarmed atk when in doubt be bitey the monk

First - I saw that topic, and the build is hilarious.

Second - Lizardfolk's natural armor doesn't stack with Unarmored Defense. Whenever a feature allows you to calculate AC, you only pick one. None can stack with eachother.

Third - If it were rolled stats, I'd do it. But it's point buy. No way to start with 16 Dex.

[furby076]

V.human polearm master/sentinal oath of ancients paladin. Quarterstaff, shield plus eventual plate. You can heal, u can do some control (trip incoming enemies, punish goblins attacking ur friend, entangle ). Also u have spells which ur team lacks. Ur ac is gonna be great. Especially if u eventually find cloak of displacement. Ur lvl 6 and 7 auras will help keep the both of u alive and kicking.

[jaappleton]

Here's the conundrum that I'm at:

On one hand, Revised Ranger has a lot to like. Lot of damage there.

On the other hand, full spellcasting... That's really tempting. It is. Light Cleric brings a lot to the table. Wizard brings a lot as well.

Wizard lets me take a Headband of Intellect, and just not worry about Int anymore. Focus on Con and Dex.

Ranger (and to a lesser degree, Cleric) lets me wade into melee a little and take some hits off my buddy.

Cleric, unlike Wizard, has more buffs. Bless is a powerful spell.

For Cleric and Wizard, though, once my spells are gone... that's it. That's all there is.

Ranger can keep shooting all day long.

[Foxydono]

Here's the conundrum that I'm at:

On one hand, Revised Ranger has a lot to like. Lot of damage there.

On the other hand, full spellcasting... That's really tempting. It is. Light Cleric brings a lot to the table. Wizard brings a lot as well.

Wizard lets me take a Headband of Intellect, and just not worry about Int anymore. Focus on Con and Dex.

Ranger (and to a lesser degree, Cleric) lets me wade into melee a little and take some hits off my buddy.

Cleric, unlike Wizard, has more buffs. Bless is a powerful spell.

For Cleric and Wizard, though, once my spells are gone... that's it. That's all there is.

Ranger can keep shooting all day long.
But in my previous example: Forge cleric 1/wizard x, with gauntlets of ogre power, you have everything. You can cast bless, cure wounds, you have wizard aoe once you get fireball and excess to control spells like fog etc. If you do run out of spells you can do decent melee damage with a +6 to hit and +4 to damage and an ac of 21. Not to mention your abjuration ward for extra hp and boots of flying if you want. That's a pretty versatile character of you ask me. If you encounter a lot of casters take sentinal shield and you will be set!

[MinotaurWarrior]

Here's the conundrum that I'm at:

On one hand, Revised Ranger has a lot to like. Lot of damage there.

On the other hand, full spellcasting... That's really tempting. It is. Light Cleric brings a lot to the table. Wizard brings a lot as well.

You're level 3. You're not missing out on wish. You're losing something like spiritual weapon. And no spell can replicate that primeval awareness at level three, telling you how many goblins there are and where they're going.

[jaappleton]

You're level 3. You're not missing out on wish. You're losing something like spiritual weapon. And no spell can replicate that primeval awareness at level three, telling you how many goblins there are and where they're going.

....this is actually a REALLY good point.

I hadn't factored in the exploration factor of Ranger. Which, oddly enough, is what most people complained about with the PHB Ranger.

[Finieous]

In a two-person party, the sheer versatility (and extra hp) of a moon druid is hard to beat. Magic items: Bag of Tricks and Staff of the Python for friends. Goggles of Night and Eyes of Charming for darkvision and shenanigans in any form.

[jaappleton]

With the UA that was just released....

http://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/downloads/UAPaladin_SO_20161219_1.pdf

Half Elf (Drow) Paladin of Treachery?

Bless, +20 damage every short rest, Faerie Fire once per day from Drow... Looks pretty sweet.

Thoughts?

[Foxydono]

With the UA that was just released....

http://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/downloads/UAPaladin_SO_20161219_1.pdf

Half Elf (Drow) Paladin of Treachery?

Bless, +20 damage every short rest, Faerie Fire once per day from Drow... Looks pretty sweet.

Thoughts?
I would probably play a kobold for pack tactics so you almost always have advantage on attack rolls. You can consider multiclass into rogue. This way you have expertise (stealth and perception) and sneak attack. A one level dip is fine or you can go 5 or 7 pally / x rogue. If you think you'll reach lvl 20 maybe go straight pally.

[jaappleton]

I would probably play a kobold for pack tactics so you almost always have advantage on attack rolls. You can consider multiclass into rogue. This way you have expertise (stealth and perception) and sneak attack. A one level dip is fine or you can go 5 or 7 pally / x rogue. If you think you'll reach lvl 20 maybe go straight pally.

That Sunlight Sensitivity, though... Best ways to counter that?

[Citan]

Here's the conundrum that I'm at:

On one hand, Revised Ranger has a lot to like. Lot of damage there.

On the other hand, full spellcasting... That's really tempting. It is. Light Cleric brings a lot to the table. Wizard brings a lot as well.

Wizard lets me take a Headband of Intellect, and just not worry about Int anymore. Focus on Con and Dex.

Ranger (and to a lesser degree, Cleric) lets me wade into melee a little and take some hits off my buddy.

Cleric, unlike Wizard, has more buffs. Bless is a powerful spell.

For Cleric and Wizard, though, once my spells are gone... that's it. That's all there is.

Ranger can keep shooting all day long.
Some things to consider...
- Bladesinger: in your particular case, you could probably have a better AC at level 4 than most other people, martials included: start with 17 DEX, 16 CON, 19 INT, spend first ASI on INT and DEX, gives you AC 17 at level 3, AC 19 at level 4. This should compensate fairly your low hit die.
And once out of spells, you still have great cantrips.

- Cleric: if you are afraid to be bothered when out of slots, you could go Arcana (for weapon cantrip) or Nature (for Shillelagh) then take Polearm Master, Warcaster or Sentinel as a feat. Heavy Armor for AC and Bless means you can hit reliably while being able to sustain a few hits.

- Ranger: if you are the kind who actually tries to exploit every feature a class offers, then unless your DM actively tries to prevent you using the features, it is a good choice indeed.

For a two-man party though, I think fullcaster is still the best: advantage Cleric if you want to be sure you have some spell healing, in most other cases Wizard would be the better choice "mechanically".

[Herobizkit]

For Cleric and Wizard, though, once my spells are gone... that's it. That's all there is.

Ranger can keep shooting all day long.

Cantrips never run out. You can spam Fire Bolt (d10) or Ray of Frost (d8, 10' move penalty) all day.

Arrows do run out. :)

[jaappleton]

Let's talk Magic Items for a minute.


Sentinel Shield - Adv on Perception & Initiative - Strong option

+1 Weapon - Obvious

Headband of Intellect - Sets Int to 19 - Obviously for Wizards or EK

Pearl of Power - Additional spell slot - Not bad for any caster

Mithral Armor - Lets you ignore Strength & Stealth Disadvantage on armor - OK for some builds (Clerics that dump STR?)

Gauntlets of Ogre Power - Sets STR at 19 - For some builds (But I'd like to be Dex-based to offset my Fighter friend)

Cloak of Protection - +1 to AC & Saves - Good for about anyone



So... What's best for who? If the Bracers of Archery worked with a Hand Crossbow, then its decided. But... -shrug-

[Citan]

Let's talk Magic Items for a minute.


Sentinel Shield - Adv on Perception & Initiative - Strong option

+1 Weapon - Obvious

Headband of Intellect - Sets Int to 19 - Obviously for Wizards or EK

Pearl of Power - Additional spell slot - Not bad for any caster

Mithral Armor - Lets you ignore Strength & Stealth Disadvantage on armor - OK for some builds (Clerics that dump STR?)

Gauntlets of Ogre Power - Sets STR at 19 - For some builds (But I'd like to be Dex-based to offset my Fighter friend)

Cloak of Protection - +1 to AC & Saves - Good for about anyone



So... What's best for who? If the Bracers of Archery worked with a Hand Crossbow, then its decided. But... -shrug-

Well... I have the solution for you to decide (https://www.wizards.com/dnd/dice/dice.htm)! XD

More seriously...
If you just wanted to "try something new with added benefit of starting magic item", I'd say just go with your gut.
But, considering you tell us you are on a big trend of dying every 10 steps you make...
I'd really suggest you take a build that has built-in defense, so you can hope actually reaching level 6 one day... ^^

In that respect, and taking into account that you need to be as complementary as possible to your fighter, there are not so many choices: War/Tempest/Life Cleric with Gauntlets or Bladesinger Wizard with Headband.

Cleric
Cleric means you start with 18 AC, without penalty since you have high STR. And you still can have good WIS, CON and decent DEX. You can even cast Shield of Faith instead of Bless where you feel AC is the top priority, or for the bigger fight cast Warding Bond on your Fighter...
>>> Top defense tactic (for when you have more slots): cast Warding Bond on Fighter, Spiritual Weapon, Sanctuary on yourself. Use action to Dodge or cast a heal spell, bonus action to contribute to damage. ;)

Wizard
Wizard means you start with 17 AC, but can reach 19 by next level (confer previous post). You have much better chance to land save or suck spells, a much better concentration also. You can use Flaming Sphere when you want to get the most from your 2nd slot, unless you Levitate a big melee enemy, or Enlarge your pal. You can keep one slot for an emergency Shield.
Once you get level 5, you can use powerful debuffs with great chance of success (such as Slow), or Haste your friend without worrying too much about losing concentration.
You also get plenty of great rituals to help you adventuring in general, a familiar that could potentially help your Fighter, and more generally many more offensive options than a Cleric.

In short: Cleric is the quickest return on investment, at low levels, because having healing as bonus action can always save your ass, and you get several encounter-lasting buffs that make you feel your slots are always well-used. Wizard is the best overall return on investment, thanks to a much broader array of spells (especially if your DM is cool enough to give you chances to learn spells from scrolls and such) including rituals, better at-will attack (weapon cantrips, ranged cantrips with effect) and as good or better defense as Cleric in the end (Mirror Image / Blur / Blink / Greater Invisibility).
Or take the best of both worlds (since you would want a decent WIS anyways) by dipping Cleric sometime... Or even start Life Cleric 1 / Bladesinger Wizard 2: you are late getting your Wizard spells, which is damn annoying, but you get all the great level 1 spells to help you survive, with still all the benefits of Bladesong and being a Wizard in general.

[Ogre Mage]

So I need the following: Race, Class, 2 Uncommon Items
All Unearthed Arcana available
All Books available
Point Buy stats


I would recommend a Half-Elf Favored Soul 3 with the life domain. It gives you a solid mix of arcane and divine magic.

Str 10 (2 points)
Dex 14 (5 points +1 half-elf)
Con 14 (5 points +1 half-elf)
Int 12 (4 points)
Wis 12 (4 points)
Cha 16 (7 points +2 half-elf)

Favored Souls can start with medium armor, so scale mail + shield +2 Dex bonus for 18 AC.

You are a full-blown arcane caster while the life domain adds the key spells bless, cure wounds and spiritual weapon. Be sure to take shield as one of your sorcerer spells.

For your two uncommon magic items I would recommend winged boots (requires attunement) and a sentinel shield (advantage on initiative rolls and perception checks).

[jaappleton]

Ok.

I know it may not be the PERFECT choice, but I'm going for...

Dex-based Paladin of Treachery
Half-Drow (SCAG)
Dueling Fighting Style
Sentinel Shield
+1 Rapier

How's that work?

[Citan]

Dont know about the oath but it is a solid choice also : array of healing buff control damage and defense. Paladin is good like that.

Have fun !; )

[MinotaurWarrior]

Ok.

I know it may not be the PERFECT choice, but I'm going for...

Dex-based Paladin of Treachery
Half-Drow (SCAG)
Dueling Fighting Style
Sentinel Shield
+1 Rapier

How's that work?

The thing I worry about here is that it doesn't seem like you add a whole lot to the party that the fighter wasn't already doing. Both of you just get up into melee and hit people with swords.

[jaappleton]

The thing I worry about here is that it doesn't seem like you add a whole lot to the party that the fighter wasn't already doing. Both of you just get up into melee and hit people with swords.

I was thinking that after I made the character.

I got too excited about the nova potential with Treachery. The +20 poison damage looked so appealing. If he were a spellcaster or something, it'd be a good setup.

I'm going to sit down and compare Revised Ranger - Deep Stalker, Light Cleric, and Forge Cleric. Deep Stalker for damage, Light Cleric for AoE and Forge for Tank. 17 (Can't start with Plate, costs too much) + Shield + Forge Cleric's armor bonus = 20AC. Bladesinger seems very appealing with the Headband of Intellect but the d6 HD is pushing me away.

[Gignere]

I was thinking that after I made the character.

I got too excited about the nova potential with Treachery. The +20 poison damage looked so appealing. If he were a spellcaster or something, it'd be a good setup.

I'm going to sit down and compare Revised Ranger - Deep Stalker, Light Cleric, and Forge Cleric. Deep Stalker for damage, Light Cleric for AoE and Forge for Tank. 17 (Can't start with Plate, costs too much) + Shield + Forge Cleric's armor bonus = 20AC. Bladesinger seems very appealing with the Headband of Intellect but the d6 HD is pushing me away.

The amazing thing about forge cleric is shield as domain spell so that 20 AC can be 25 on demand and you can still layer shield of faith for upwards of 27 AC. Honestly once you hit level 5 spirit guardians is enough AoE.

[jaappleton]

The amazing thing about forge cleric is shield as domain spell so that 20 AC can be 25 on demand and you can still layer shield of faith for upwards of 27 AC. Honestly once you hit level 5 spirit guardians is enough AoE.

And an advantage of that over Light is that Shield lasts until the start of my next turn. Warding Flare is only against a single attack. Now, don't get me wrong, that can turn a Crit into a normal hit. But still worth noting.

Though Forge does put me in the "We're both dumping Dex at this point". Which, IMO, puts Ranger up there as an optimal choice.

[Citan]

I was thinking that after I made the character.

I got too excited about the nova potential with Treachery. The +20 poison damage looked so appealing. If he were a spellcaster or something, it'd be a good setup.

I'm going to sit down and compare Revised Ranger - Deep Stalker, Light Cleric, and Forge Cleric. Deep Stalker for damage, Light Cleric for AoE and Forge for Tank. 17 (Can't start with Plate, costs too much) + Shield + Forge Cleric's armor bonus = 20AC. Bladesinger seems very appealing with the Headband of Intellect but the d6 HD is pushing me away.


And an advantage of that over Light is that Shield lasts until the start of my next turn. Warding Flare is only against a single attack. Now, don't get me wrong, that can turn a Crit into a normal hit. But still worth noting.

Though Forge does put me in the "We're both dumping Dex at this point". Which, IMO, puts Ranger up there as an optimal choice.

1. Low hp die for Wizard is in your specific case more than compensated by higher AC and CON than most usual casters, putting you effectively close or equal to a 1d8 class. : )

2. I see no reason why you would have to dump Dex just because you happen to have heavy armor proficiency with your Domain... You could go variant human with MAM so you get a 18 AC with medium possibly 19 with forge ability with 16 starting Dex and never look back.

3. If you favor Cleric but want Dex to complement then Trickster Cleric is your best bet. You will even make your whole 2-man team extra sneaky. Which is one of the best way to keep control on which fight to wage ; )

[MinotaurWarrior]

I was thinking that after I made the character.

I got too excited about the nova potential with Treachery. The +20 poison damage looked so appealing. If he were a spellcaster or something, it'd be a good setup.

I'm going to sit down and compare Revised Ranger - Deep Stalker, Light Cleric, and Forge Cleric. Deep Stalker for damage, Light Cleric for AoE and Forge for Tank. 17 (Can't start with Plate, costs too much) + Shield + Forge Cleric's armor bonus = 20AC. Bladesinger seems very appealing with the Headband of Intellect but the d6 HD is pushing me away.

What exactly are your DMs gold limitations & when would you expect to get plate? Also, remember to factor in Shield of Faith / Shield (the spell). The problem with this is that your GWF buddy is pretty much always going to be available as an easier target on the front lines, so you're not gonna get as much out of your AC as you would if, say, he was a sharpshooter.

Remember that a single-class BS with the HoI can dump INT and spend those points to, say, start with 16 Con & 16 Dex, which should make up for the d6 HD.

At level 3, the gap between a Deep Stalker and a Light Cleric's AoE isn't that huge. Hail of Thorns can kill a lot of goblins. Burning Hands / Flaming Sphere is better, don't get me wrong, but you're still in the AoE game until a few more levels have passed. Then, at level 5 (when the Light Cleric starts chucking fireballs from behind the protection of Spirit Guardians) you're not really relevant AoE-wise, but you now have pass without trace, which will nearly guarantee stealth success for even your 8-dex fighter buddy (goblin PP=9, Hobgoblin and Bugbear PP=10). Yay surprise!

[jaappleton]

Cleric also has the ability to Heal. So doesn't Ranger, even if it IS minimal and Cure Wounds takes a full Action.

For Cleric (and Paladin), there's Bless. Always a strong spell to Concentrate on. Makes my Fighter ally that much more effective, since DPR is useless if it doesn't hit.

Those two factors combined takes Bladesinger out, IMO. I'm not saying it's bad; It isn't. I LOVE what the Bladesinger can do. But for the current party makeup, it's not ideal.



Forge Cleric - Great AC, strong spell list

Light Cleric - Blasty AoE, alright AC, strong spell list, awesome Channel Divinity

Ranger - Great single target damage, some AoE, minimal healing


The advantage I like with the Ranger is that it's got its fallback. Good attacks. Clerics? Run out of spells and you're in trouble, ESPECIALLY at early levels. Plus the Ranger has the exploration options that the class is known for.

"There's six Goblins and two Hobgoblins this way"
"How do you know?"
"It's my thing."

With Archery style, it's also very accurate. If I could find SOME WAY to get Bless... Would Magic Initiate at 4 be worth it over +2 Dex? Is Bless more valuable than Hunter's Mark?

[MinotaurWarrior]

With Archery style, it's also very accurate. If I could find SOME WAY to get Bless... Would Magic Initiate at 4 be worth it over +2 Dex? Is Bless more valuable than Hunter's Mark?

Level five, 1st turn in combat, your friend is using action surge, you've got crossbow expert. You're in a deadly encounter with a CR 5 gorgon, AC 19

He's got +2 to hit, four attacks, and does 2dGWF+14 (22.3) on a hit. That's 17.8 damage. With Bless, that's 28.99 [22.3*4*(1-(12/20)-(1/80)-(2/80)-(3/80))]

You've got +8 to hit, four attacks, three doing 1d6+3 damage, one just doing 1d6 damage. 23 total, if everything hit. Without bless, that's 11.5. With bless that's 14.375 [23*(1-(6/20)-(1/80)-(2/80)-(3/80))]

So, bless is getting you 14.065 damage in this scenario.

Alternatively, if you had higher dex and cast hunter's mark, you'd have +9 to hit on three longbow attacks dealing 1d8+1d6+4. That's 12 per hit, 36 total, 16.2 damage So, you're gaining 4.7 damage over the baseline, and losing ~9.3 damage versus bless.

In this scenario, which is somewhat heavily weighted to make bless look better, getting bless wins out.

But you could have cast Pass Without Trace as a third option. Then you'd've likely gotten a full round of attacks off before the gorgon got a response. If you have boots of elvenkind, it'd be virtually guaranteed (1/400 to be spotted on a critical failure), and even a terribly unsneaky fighter with -1 to the skill would have a decent shot.

Anyway, if you really want Bless I think just MCing to Cleric or Paladin is the better way to go, versus spending an ASI.

[Citan]

Cleric also has the ability to Heal. So doesn't Ranger, even if it IS minimal and Cure Wounds takes a full Action.

For Cleric (and Paladin), there's Bless. Always a strong spell to Concentrate on. Makes my Fighter ally that much more effective, since DPR is useless if it doesn't hit.

Those two factors combined takes Bladesinger out, IMO. I'm not saying it's bad; It isn't. I LOVE what the Bladesinger can do. But for the current party makeup, it's not ideal.



Forge Cleric - Great AC, strong spell list

Light Cleric - Blasty AoE, alright AC, strong spell list, awesome Channel Divinity

Ranger - Great single target damage, some AoE, minimal healing


The advantage I like with the Ranger is that it's got its fallback. Good attacks. Clerics? Run out of spells and you're in trouble, ESPECIALLY at early levels. Plus the Ranger has the exploration options that the class is known for.

"There's six Goblins and two Hobgoblins this way"
"How do you know?"
"It's my thing."

With Archery style, it's also very accurate. If I could find SOME WAY to get Bless... Would Magic Initiate at 4 be worth it over +2 Dex? Is Bless more valuable than Hunter's Mark?
Well then, it seems you thought about your objectives quite clearly now. ;)
You give me the impression you are set with Ranger because it fits you better for sustained damage and skills. So then, if you still want Bless, I'd say...

Why not Ranger with a single level dip in Life Cleric?
Seems to me you get the very best of both worlds...
- You can don heavy armor (so you have the best AC even before having maxxed DEX, and it does not affect your archery).
- You get powerful healing, which seems to be one of your priorities for helping survive low levels (and in that aspect, nothing bests Healing Words, especially if you plan to be at range).
- You get Sacred Flame to use when facing high AC enemy.
- You get the "Life Shillelagh" trick which will help you greatly spare slots or potions for your whole life, but more importantly in the first levels when both slots and gold are scarce.
- And you get Bless which is FAR better to spend your Concentration on compared to Hunter's Mark, at least until you get either Crossbow Expert, or Extra Attack, or both. For exactly the same reasons you said: applies to both of you, and help with attacks > sustained damage. Also helps avoiding spells by the way, so one more benefit on the survival side.
- The only drawback is that it pushes away Extra Attack by one more level, but you get Horde Breaker which is a toned down version on the way...

Life Cleric 1 / (Hunter) Ranger 2 really seems the best fit for you considering everything you said. ;)

[jaappleton]

After much thought...

Hill Dwarf Light Cleric

The AoE is what puts it over the top. The extra HP from Hill Dwarf, the Radiance of the Dawn AoE every short rest (14 average damage to a bunch of enemies, all-friendly, at lv3? No spell slot? Pretty good), good spells, decent AC, Warding Flare...

It's got a lot to offer. A real lot.

I'm thinking that's it.

Medium Armor lets me set Dex as 14, with a shield, giving 18 AC. Nothing to shake a stick at. Focus on Wis & Con.


NOTE: You all know I'll be making another topic in like 3 weeks when this character gets brutally murdered, right?

[MinotaurWarrior]

NOTE: You all know I'll be making another topic in like 3 weeks when this character gets brutally murdered, right?

IDK. You're getting 10hp/level, right? 35hp and AC 18 right now, with access to healing. I think the next thread might be "my warrior buddy died."

[jaappleton]

IDK. You're getting 10hp/level, right? 35hp and AC 18 right now, with access to healing. I think the next thread might be "my warrior buddy died."

Well, hopefully there is no next thread in this chain of constant PC death. But if he does die, hopefully it's not because I didn't do my job as Cleric! :smallbiggrin:

[jaappleton]

RIGHT!

I still need magic items!

So, what's available? Sentinel Shield is still top-notch, I think.

What about the second option? Cloak of Protection? That's +1 AC and +1 to all Saves. Can't go wrong with that. The advantage on Initiative means I'll be able to blast people to death before they can do anything.

[Foxydono]

After much thought...

Hill Dwarf Light Cleric

The AoE is what puts it over the top. The extra HP from Hill Dwarf, the Radiance of the Dawn AoE every short rest (14 average damage to a bunch of enemies, all-friendly, at lv3? No spell slot? Pretty good), good spells, decent AC, Warding Flare...

It's got a lot to offer. A real lot.

I'm thinking that's it.

Medium Armor lets me set Dex as 14, with a shield, giving 18 AC. Nothing to shake a stick at. Focus on Wis & Con.


NOTE: You all know I'll be making another topic in like 3 weeks when this character gets brutally murdered, right?
No human variant? Well I guess dwarves ain't that bad :p

As for magical items I agree with the sentinal shield and a cloak of protection is always a solid choice. You might want to consider slippers of spider climbing as an out of the box idea. Can be very useful in a lot of situations.

[Citan]

IDK. You're getting 10hp/level, right? 35hp and AC 18 right now, with access to healing. I think the next thread might be "my warrior buddy died."
Subtitle:"because I cast Shield of Faith on myself rather on him". XD

[Ogre Mage]

RIGHT!

I still need magic items!

So, what's available? Sentinel Shield is still top-notch, I think.

What about the second option? Cloak of Protection? That's +1 AC and +1 to all Saves. Can't go wrong with that. The advantage on Initiative means I'll be able to blast people to death before they can do anything.

Cloak of Protection is a very solid option. However, I would repeat again Winged Boots -- the ability to fly out of melee range is very valuable for a ranged attacker like a light domain cleric.

The sentinel shield will be nice at 5th level when you want to win initiative and drop a fireball before the enemy can make a move. I'd also recommend you find a way to get proficiency in the perception skill. Your high wisdom, advantage on the roll via sentinel shield and proficiency will make your PC very effective at this critical skill.

[Ogre Mage]

After much thought...

Hill Dwarf Light Cleric

The AoE is what puts it over the top. The extra HP from Hill Dwarf, the Radiance of the Dawn AoE every short rest (14 average damage to a bunch of enemies, all-friendly, at lv3? No spell slot? Pretty good), good spells, decent AC, Warding Flare...

It's got a lot to offer. A real lot.

I'm thinking that's it.

Medium Armor lets me set Dex as 14, with a shield, giving 18 AC. Nothing to shake a stick at. Focus on Wis & Con.


I have played an AL hill dwarf light cleric in Rage of Demons. Some advice:

1. Stay as a single-classed light cleric. Do not multiclass.

2. A light domain cleric is very heavily based on spell attack rolls and having a good spell DC, so raise your wisdom to 20 ASAP.

3. Get the sacred flame cantrip. It fits thematically, at 8th level you get to add your wisdom modifier to the damage (another reason to get Wisdom 20) and you can use it without invoking disadvantage if someone gets into melee range with you. As you have probably guessed, melee is a relative weak point for a light cleric, although with 18 AC and warding flare you are considerably less vulnerable than some others.

5. Bless on the party (including yourself) followed by scorching ray is an effective move.

6. Radiance of the Dawn only affects hostile creatures and the save is based on your spell DC -- another reason to raise wisdom.

I might do my stats as something like this:

Dexterity 14 (7 points)
Constitution 16 (7 points +2 dwarf)
Wisdom 16 (9 points, +1 hill dwarf)

That leaves 4 points for Strength, Intelligence and Charisma. Basically a 10, 10 and 8. It is your discretion as to which one you are going to make as your dump stat. Opinions vary.

[jaappleton]

I have played an AL hill dwarf light cleric in Rage of Demons. Some advice:

1. Stay as a single-classed light cleric. Do not multiclass.

2. A light domain cleric is very heavily based on spell attack rolls and having a good spell DC, so raise your wisdom to 20 ASAP.

3. Get the sacred flame cantrip. It fits thematically, at 8th level you get to add your wisdom modifier to the damage (another reason to get Wisdom 20) and you can use it without invoking disadvantage if someone gets into melee range with you. As you have probably guessed, melee is a relative weak point for a light cleric, although with 18 AC and warding flare you are considerably less vulnerable than some others.

5. Bless on the party (including yourself) followed by scorching ray is an effective move.

6. Radiance of the Dawn only affects hostile creatures and the save is based on your spell DC -- another reason to raise wisdom.

I might do my stats as something like this:

Dexterity 14 (7 points)
Constitution 16 (7 points +2 dwarf)
Wisdom 16 (9 points, +1 hill dwarf)

That leaves 4 points for Strength, Intelligence and Charisma. Basically a 10, 10 and 8. It is your discretion as to which one you are going to make as your dump stat. Opinions vary.

Great minds, because this is exactly what I did. I plan to play him as an irritable old man.

With an AC of 19 via Cloak of Protection, I should be able to get into the front and have a few hits glance off me. And it'll really help with Spirit Guardians.