Need help building my fighter or barbarian

[Nishant]

So, after several botched characters I've finally given up choosing a character to fill a role. It's not to say the characters were bad, but it hit a point where I wasn't having as much fun playing the cleric or a warlock or whatever because we 'needed a healer/ blaster'

So, concept wise, I have an idea of what I want for each pillar of play, but what is really sticking me is fighting; combat wise, my imagination goes to characters like Farron Knights, Artorias, and Gael from Dark Souls; strong, mobile, and reckless/erratic warriors that twist, turn, lunge, and leap with each strike.

That leads me to fighter or barbarian, but I'm stuck on a few things and need a hand in guiding the character creation.

. Not sure what barbarian path would fit
. Mobility Feat would help the idea, but it's questionable how helpful it would actually be
.Fighter and barbarian both fit /parts/ of the fluff, but leave wholes in the mechanical aspects.

I can see potential in dipping levels in one or the other, and any advice would be greatly appreciated; this doesn't need to be full on optimized, but I do want this to /work/ so to speak. I'll likely be playing a (V)human or half elf

[jaappleton]

What materials are you allowed to use? PHB only? Unearthed Arcana? Any other books?

[Nishant]

What materials are you allowed to use? PHB only? Unearthed Arcana? Any other books?

PHB, SCAG, Volo's, unearthed arcana with limited stacking (all the feats are up for grabs, but stacking UA archetypes are subject to approval and are likely to be denied.)

[Nicrosil]

While not mundane, perhaps a few levels of the new College of Swords could help? Blade Flourish gives you a bonus to movement and lets you perform some cool maneuvers, and the spell list gives some very nice utility.

[Citan]

So, after several botched characters I've finally given up choosing a character to fill a role. It's not to say the characters were bad, but it hit a point where I wasn't having as much fun playing the cleric or a warlock or whatever because we 'needed a healer/ blaster'

So, concept wise, I have an idea of what I want for each pillar of play, but what is really sticking me is fighting; combat wise, my imagination goes to characters like Farron Knights, Artorias, and Gael from Dark Souls; strong, mobile, and reckless/erratic warriors that twist, turn, lunge, and leap with each strike.

That leads me to fighter or barbarian, but I'm stuck on a few things and need a hand in guiding the character creation.

. Not sure what barbarian path would fit
. Mobility Feat would help the idea, but it's questionable how helpful it would actually be
.Fighter and barbarian both fit /parts/ of the fluff, but leave wholes in the mechanical aspects.

I can see potential in dipping levels in one or the other, and any advice would be greatly appreciated; this doesn't need to be full on optimized, but I do want this to /work/ so to speak. I'll likely be playing a (V)human or half elf
Hi!
What I read from you makes me think of...
- Barbarian: for the "strong" and "agressive" part.
- Battlemaster Fighter: for the "twist/turn/lunge" (although a College of Swords Bard could fit in, also I remember there were some UA Fighter archetypes that may be nice too).
- Swashbuckler ("duelist") or Mastermind ("analyst") Rogue: for the "mobile" part and some other nice features.
Since Rogue can work perfectly fine STR based, and Barbarians allow medium armor + shield while raging, you could easily mix and match those three classes as you want.

I'd say pick at the very least...
- Rogue 2 for Cunning Action (you will hardly make more mobile than that, unless also dipping Monk or a caster offering mobility spells such as Longstrider, Jump, Expeditious Retreat or Haste -the latter breaking up automatically on Rage).
- Battlemaster 3 for Manoeuvers (considering what you said, I suggest Goading Attack, Lunging Attack and Trip Attack) and Fighting Style.
- Totem Barbarian for either Bear (resistance) or Elk (further mobility).

Beyond that, anything goes, you should pick your main class based on fluff and main weapon wielding...
- Dual-wield? (Fighter's TWF Fighting Style and 3rd attack for the "sword slashes flurry" feeling)
- Sword and board? (Rogue's Expertise in Athletics and increase Sneak Attack for that "gladiator" prestance)
- Two-hander? (Barbarian + GWM feat for that "skull crusher" reputation)

Interesting features at 5: Extra Attack (Barb first because also gets Fast Movement, then Fighter), Uncanny Dodge (Rogue: halve damage against one instance).

Interesting features at 7: Advantage on Initiative (Barb), 2 more manoeuvrs +1 dice (Fighter), Evasion (Rogue).

If you cannot find a clear vision of your character, don't worry too much about it. Pick just one class based on its "key" fluff feature (Barbarian = STR, agressive. Fighter = neutral overall, balanced. Rogue = pesky, agile) and level it up a few levels until you have more thoughts about your final goal. :)

[jaappleton]

PHB, SCAG, Volo's, unearthed arcana with limited stacking (all the feats are up for grabs, but stacking UA archetypes are subject to approval and are likely to be denied.)

Ok. This is going to be a somewhat long post, but please read it. I need to convey this to you.

I've played a lot of characters for 5E. Lots of classes. Warlock, Monk, Rogue, Wizard, Cleric, Bard, Fighter... Only things I haven't played are Sorcerer, Ranger and Druid.

Everything else? Played it. Official archetypes, homebrew, Unearthed Arcana, etc. I've played things that were brokenly powerful (Tempest Theurge Wizard), things that were off the wall and interesting, etc.

By far the most fun I had was playing a Half Orc Totem Barbarian (Bear), named Grom.

Grom wasn't overpowered. Just stuff straight out of the PHB, nothing special. No homebrew, UA, nothing.

He was immensely fun. Strong, too. I took great pleasure in solo-ing things I shouldn't be able to. I loved planting myself in a doorway as enemies tried to come through to hurt my allies, and ensuring nothing got through. Grom would be covered in the blood of his enemies by the end of every fight, and it felt AMAZING to be able to do that.

Did I have any AoE? No. Was I stealthy? No. Charismatic, smart, wise? No.

I was a lug. My allies pointed me at things they wanted dead, and I'd oblige their requests. It was so simple to play. No decisions were strategic or tactical. Just a guy with his greataxe, dishing out tons of damage.

It felt GREAT. The campaign ended around lv8, players came in and out, so we started fresh.

I went with a Lore Bard. Honestly? Felt equally powerful, but in a different way. Much more tactical in my choices. Using Inspiration to turn hits into misses and misses into hits, using spells to lock down enemies, etc.

If you want a real feeling of just cleaving through enemies, and laughing while you do it, Barbarian can't be beat. It's not perfect, like how its pretty vulnerable to charms and such. But its incredibly fun.

[Nishant]

Before I say anything else, thank all of you for your clear and thorough advice. You guys made me think about other ideas on how to fit the role.

I may look into of college of swords, as I was planning on either using a longsword or greatsword.
Rogues are fun, but because I plan on being more tanky character, and doesn't really fit what I have in mind.

I also don't want to multiclass excessively.

Now, for Barbarians. I do enjoy barbarians, about as much as I do fighters. The issue I have is with the archetypes. Because I want to fill more into a knight or desperate fighter trope, I struggle to find out what to choose at 3rd level. I have personal distaste for the berserker path, where the totem just doesn't feel quite right. Truly, that's likely what's keeping from choosing barbarian in full force.

[jaappleton]

Before I say anything else, thank all of you for your clear and thorough advice. You guys made me think about other ideas on how to fit the role.

I may look into of college of swords, as I was planning on either using a longsword or greatsword.
Rogues are fun, but because I plan on being more tanky character, and doesn't really fit what I have in mind.

I also don't want to multiclass excessively.

Now, for Barbarians. I do enjoy barbarians, about as much as I do fighters. The issue I have is with the archetypes. Because I want to fill more into a knight or desperate fighter trope, I struggle to find out what to choose at 3rd level. I have personal distaste for the berserker path, where the totem just doesn't feel quite right. Truly, that's likely what's keeping from choosing barbarian in full force.

Remember, most features have flavor associated with them, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have to use that flavor. I've seen a Gnome Totem Barbarian that was played as a dandy. Well dressed, top hat, who flew into a rage whenever insulted about his height.

Don't feel trapped or pigeonholed into certain things based on flavor.

[Nishant]

Rolled 12, 15, 15, 17, 16, and 11 unadjusted. If I go half elf I'll put my +1's on the 17 and one of the 15's for strength and con, leave a 16 for dex..? Or I could choose a human and get
Mobile, and take bear instead of elk totem. What do you all think?

[jaappleton]

Barbarian? Gotta run with Greatweapon Master, to be combined with Reckless Attack.

[Nishant]

At such a low level though? I feel like I'd still be missing more than I hit.

Edit; Blade Mastery seems nice though

[jaappleton]

At such a low level though? I feel like I'd still be missing more than I hit.

Edit; Blade Mastery seems nice though

Blade Mastery ain't bad. It's solid.

Enemies typically have one of two things regarding their hit-ability:

Low AC but high HP (Earth Elemental, for example)
High AC but mediocre HP

If you're at lv1, and 16 Str, you're basically rolling just a straight d20 to hit.

You can wait til lv4, and it's likely wise to do so. But you only get so many ASI / Feats, so I'd definitely go with a Strength focused race (Goliath? Half-Orc?) if you push GWM off til 4.

[GlenSmash!]

Before I say anything else, thank all of you for your clear and thorough advice. You guys made me think about other ideas on how to fit the role.

I may look into of college of swords, as I was planning on either using a longsword or greatsword.
Rogues are fun, but because I plan on being more tanky character, and doesn't really fit what I have in mind.

I also don't want to multiclass excessively.

Now, for Barbarians. I do enjoy barbarians, about as much as I do fighters. The issue I have is with the archetypes. Because I want to fill more into a knight or desperate fighter trope, I struggle to find out what to choose at 3rd level. I have personal distaste for the berserker path, where the totem just doesn't feel quite right. Truly, that's likely what's keeping from choosing barbarian in full force.

One thing I love about 5e is that Backgrounds can help fill in the flavor. A Barbarian with the Knight, or Knight of the Order background makes a great knight. A Barbarian with the Soldier or Mercenary Veteran Background makes a great Desperate Fighter.

I once saw a Totem Barbarian with the Mercenary Veteran Background who re-fluffed his totem abilities. Instead of a Bear Totem he had a memento from his bear-like mercenary commander. I thought it was a great concept.

[jaappleton]

One thing I love about 5e is that Backgrounds can help fill in the flavor. A Barbarian with the Knight, or Knight of the Order background makes a great knight. A Barbarian with the Soldier or Mercenary Veteran Background makes a great Desperate Fighter.

I once saw a Totem Barbarian with the Mercenary Veteran Background who re-fluffed his totem abilities. Instead of a Bear Totem he had a memento from his bear-like mercenary commander. I thought it was a great concept.

Such a good concept that I might steal it >_>

[Citan]

Rolled 12, 15, 15, 17, 16, and 11 unadjusted. If I go half elf I'll put my +1's on the 17 and one of the 15's for strength and con, leave a 16 for dex..? Or I could choose a human and get
Mobile, and take bear instead of elk totem. What do you all think?
Hi again!

Both are good choice usually.
I'd say it mainly depends on whether you are interested in having a good Charisma or not.
Otherwise, a *normal* human will be by far the best bet.

Let me stress the normal.
You have 4 odd stats, three of which being 15 or over.
By going normal human, you could start with 18 in STR, 16 in DEX and CON for a 16 AC Unarmored (or even 18 in DEX instead to go finesse and +1 AC).
With such high starting stats, you won't need any second thoughts about taking a feat at level 4 (which comes fast enough anyways) and even maybe level 8. And you get a "free" 13 to multiclass into any caster you may like later, or even put the 16+1 into WIS for high starting save, ability to efficiently dip into Ranger/Monk, and get Resilient:Wisdom sometimes to round out your defense.

Starting variant human means you get a feat earlier, but you would lose much in the long run stats-wise in comparison.

[djreynolds]

So, after several botched characters I've finally given up choosing a character to fill a role. It's not to say the characters were bad, but it hit a point where I wasn't having as much fun playing the cleric or a warlock or whatever because we 'needed a healer/ blaster'

So, concept wise, I have an idea of what I want for each pillar of play, but what is really sticking me is fighting; combat wise, my imagination goes to characters like Farron Knights, Artorias, and Gael from Dark Souls; strong, mobile, and reckless/erratic warriors that twist, turn, lunge, and leap with each strike.

That leads me to fighter or barbarian, but I'm stuck on a few things and need a hand in guiding the character creation.

. Not sure what barbarian path would fit
. Mobility Feat would help the idea, but it's questionable how helpful it would actually be
.Fighter and barbarian both fit /parts/ of the fluff, but leave wholes in the mechanical aspects.

I can see potential in dipping levels in one or the other, and any advice would be greatly appreciated; this doesn't need to be full on optimized, but I do want this to /work/ so to speak. I'll likely be playing a (V)human or half elf

Its all about gaining a source of advantage, you are more likely to hit and score crits.

Reckless attack is awesome, but could dangerous. Especially if you are not raging and have no other source of damage mitigation. Reckless attack can be performed in heavy armor, but rage requires medium armor or less

Shield master is great, but you are limited to 1d8 weapons, expertise in athletics is wanted here

Shoving, athletics contest is great but you must give up an attack, and expertise in athletics is wanted here as well

Here's the thing, IMO, when designing a fighter you want to be able to multiclass into either bard or rogue and that means 2 things

For a fighter, you will a 13 in dex to grab a level of rogue for expertise in athletics, when combined with shield master or just giving up an attack to shove... you always have a very viable source to get advantage.

Or you can have a 13 in charisma for bard, but you will need 3 levels to grab expertise

So it comes down to a question of magic, I prefer to make an eldritch knight with a charisma of 13 so I can grab 2 levels of paladin so I can use my spell slots to smite and have divine favor up and running. But I'm dumping dex or leaving it at 10

Now if I do not plan on using magic, I will dump charisma totally and have my dex at 13 so I can grab some rogue.

[Psikerlord]

In all seriousness - make a custom feat and get your GM/table approval on it. Treat it as being in "playtesting" mode ala the Unearthed Arcana stuff.

Now you can give your PC the theme you want, and everyone's happy.

Off the top of my head:

Reckless Warrior
- Foes have disad on OA's against you
- When you damage a foe, you may move an extra 10 ft that turn
- you may attack recklessly gaining +2 hit but suffering -2 AC till your next turn

Now this feat might not be balanced against everything in the book - but that doesnt matter. All that matters is that it be balanced at your table - bearing in mind your actual party in play - and you're good to go.

Have fun