Fun level 17 builds?

[CrazyCrab]

Hi everyone,
In a couple of months we will be starting a new game, level 17s. It's a continuation of a previous story, so it sort of makes sense to start this powerful.
Anyway, I'm looking for some fun character builds you've got up your sleeves - not necessarily OP, but reasonably useful (I wouldn't want to drag the party down). Not necessarily extremely optimized either, if I was going for pure power I already have a number of lethal comboes in mind. Simply silly ideas with lots of potentiality, I am sadly the kind of person who gets bored with monotonous characters very easily. Go on, give me your worst. You know you want to. :smallwink:

Official books are OK, Mystic is sort of out of the question. Most Unearthed Arcana I'll have to fight over just to get into the OP discussions afterwards followed by nerf after nerf. My fellow players do tend to pull the OP card quite often, despite being such wonderful players otherwise.

[Xrposiedon]

I just do Monk 15 / Way of the Shadow......Warlock 2.

With items etc....get your speed as high as you can....easily upwards of 100+ movement prior to dash.

Cast darkness.....Use the warlock to see through that magical darkness.....then run in, hit, run 60 feet away.

The creatures dont even see you, you get advantage on all attacks in the darkness, they get disadvantage.....and you end up becoming this darkness casting ...."THE FLASH" of death.


You can take less levels of monk and go into rogue for assassinate type perks.....
You can go totem barbarian for more movement...

But i prefer just punching stuff.

[Sans.]

Pureclass: any arcane full caster, Monk of the Open Hand.
Multiclass: Diviner 15/Knowledge 2, Battle Master 12/Assassin 5, War 12/Hunter 5.

Lots of others but these ones aren't too gimicky and I feel they all have a theme.

[Desamir]

Oathbreaker Paladins are good throughout, but getting access to perma-rage-lite at 15th level is pretty solid.

[Specter]

When you say 'useful', I imagine you want something else beside damage. So, I can think of one:

- Hunter 9/Assasin 8 (sharpshooter): All the skill potential you need, maximum sneakness, 4 expertised skills AND damage. Play sniper as you want and go crazy. Tracking, scouting, healing and skirmishing? Why not?

[Lombra]

Pretty much any class is funny at level 17: casters get 9th level spells and martials get their subclass capstone. This may be a good chance to try the way of the four elements monk.

[X3r4ph]

I would love to play a Revised Ranger (Horizon Walker) 15 / whatever 2. So much bampf. Lots of fun spells. Lots of mobility. Lots of attacks. Great defensive ability. Multiclass with fighter for nova and one more FS.
Monk 2 could be fun if your Wisdom is very high.
Cleric (War) 2 could work as well.

[X3r4ph]

Monk (Kensei) 11 / Revised Ranger (Hunter 3) / Fighter (Samurai) 3 could be cool as well. Swing a huuuuuge sword but use dexterity.

[Pichu]

You can start with Fighter (Battlemaster) 3/Ranger (Primeval Guardian?) 3 Bugbear with a reach weapon to get a Melendez reach of 25 ft. Get to Fighter 11/Ranger 4 for 3 attacks and the extra ASI and then continue from there.

[TheTeaMustFlow]

At level 17+, Bladesinger is really fun, for shapechange + bladesinging shenanigans, particularly given Song of Victory. A Bladesinging Marilith or Adult Red Dragon is a real terror - and it'll only get better as you level up, as you pick up better forms and spell mastery (for shield). Abjurer can also work on the same principle - nothing like having three separate overlapping health pools.

Also, you've got the entire wizard spell list at your disposal. Which is nice.