Dm challenged me to make the broken powerful character I can. Any ideas welcome!

[Rfkannen]

Campaign is levels 1 to 20. Probably mostly at low levels

Dm told me to make the most stupidly powerful game breaking character I can, and then role play the weird heck out of the build, the more obtuse and weird the better!

I want a character that is very good at one thing not a versatile build. Not sure which thing though!

I'm pretty sure point buy, but it might be roll but if it is it would have to be in person. No unearthed arcana or homebrew

You have any suggestions!?

[Easy_Lee]

What do you mean by overpowered: really good at some specific thing, good at everything, difficult to kill, having a wide variety of options to handle general situations, or something else?

[Rfkannen]

What do you mean by overpowered: really good at some specific thing, good at everything, difficult to kill, having a wide variety of options to handle general situations, or something else?

All she said was "overpowered" but personally I would prefer really good at one specific thing, not sure what though!

[Naanomi]

Are you rolling stats? Point buy? UA available?

[Rfkannen]

Are you rolling stats? Point buy? UA available?

Sorry I did not think to put this in the post! I'm pretty sure pointbuy, I'm going to assume no ua but yes to anything published.

[MrWesson22]

If UA is available, mountain dwarf life cleric 1/lore wizard 19. Full plate and shield, focus on save or suck spells and changing their saves to something they will be bad at. You will completely be able to lock down enemies while being near unkillable.

[Naanomi]

Point Buy, published material, viable through 1-20... you can make some strong stuff and builds that do one thing amazingly but... hard to end up really broken with these (good) restrictions

[mgshamster]

If your DM really wants you to play a broken character, just tell her to allow DanDWiki.

[Sariel Vailo]

Campaign is levels 1 to 20. Probably a lot at low levels

Dm told me to make the most stupidly powerful game breaking character I can, and then role play the weird heck out of the build, the more obtuse and weird the better!

I want a character that is very good at one thing not a versatile build. Not sure which thing though!

I'm pretty sure point buy, but it might be roll but if it is it would have to be in person. No unearthed arcana.

You have any suggestions!?
Serioisly just go to dnd wili where broken lives,thrives and violebty breeds with oher brokwn builds

[Easy_Lee]

Kryx can probably tell you what does the most damage. For the most damage exactly when you need it, it's hard to beat a vengeance paladin. Those smites hurt. A lot of people mix paladin with sorcerer for even bigger smites and more casting options. I've heard good things.

Divination wizards can force opponents to fail a save against a crucial spell. It's hard to oversell that.

If stealth is your thing, you might opt for a warlock - rogue - shadow monk who can see in darkness, teleport through darkness, hide as a bonus action, has stealth expertise, and will basically never be detected.

I've heard that a bard poaching high level ranger and paladin spells can be a real problem for DMs. Swift quiver at 10, for example, allows four attacks pet round several levels earlier than the fighter can do it.

And if you have the points for it, a polearm warlock with the right feats can cast spells as a reaction at a distance of 10', depending on who you ask. That's not something to ignore, either.

There are many options.

And to the others' points about d&d wiki, https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/5e_Optimized_Character_Builds

[Naanomi]

Basic battlemaster with a hand crossbow does amazing consistent damage

If you want to be more 'burst damage'; paladin/sorcerer is pretty classic; assassin/barbarian can be fun; aasimar booming blade assassin is pretty brutal when it works

There is a fun aasimar fighter/Bard/sorcerer build that does a ton of green flame blade damage but doesn't come online until later

If you are willing to do the paperwork it is hard to beat a real dedicated necromancer with huge minion hoards

[MrWesson22]

Battlemaster 12/assassin 8 with hand crossbow puts out insane dpr.

[Innocent_bystan]

Try a Wizard (Abjurer) X/Warlock (Chain) 3 of a small race

Fun tricks:
- Use Enlarge/Reduce to Enlarge your Imp familiar or Reduce yourself. Your imp is now capable of carrying you. You now have a flying, improved invisible mount.
- Use the Mage armor invocation to infinitely, but slowly, recharge your Abjurer's Ward.
- Warlock gives you access to the very best blasting cantrip for very high sustained damage.
- Choose a Fiend as your patron and enjoy those temporary hit points that stack with your ward.

You now have a flying, improved invisible, laser beam shooting, double shielded (ward + temp hp) halfling instrument of death and destruction

The build is fully operational at level 5 and remains viable throughout any level range.

[Kane0]

1) Look up the UA Racial Feat Elven Accuracy
2) Make an Elf or Half Elf with a source of advantage (Barbarian, Vengeance paladin, Shield Master)
3) ???
4) Profit!

Best mixed with:
- Extra attacks (fighter, Polearm Mastery)
- Attacks that benefit from advantage (champion crit fisher, rogue sneak attack)
- Abilities that improve crits (barbarian)
- Abilities that lower accuracy for other benefits (great weapon master)

[Citan]

Campaign is levels 1 to 20. Probably mostly at low levels

Dm told me to make the most stupidly powerful game breaking character I can, and then role play the weird heck out of the build, the more obtuse and weird the better!

I want a character that is very good at one thing not a versatile build. Not sure which thing though!

I'm pretty sure point buy, but it might be roll but if it is it would have to be in person. No unearthed arcana or homebrew

You have any suggestions!?

The One Who Just Convinces You. Everyone. Always...
Wild Magic Sorcerer 17, Rogue 1, Diviner Wizard 2.
Use Rogue's Expertise on Persuasion, Intimidation.
Grab all "charm" people spells you can as a Sorcerer, take Lucky feat, be a half-ling (IIRC their reroll also affects ability checks).
Obviously take the Subtle Metamagic.
With Max CHA, Expertise, advantage, plus Bend Luck, Portent and Lucky, I really see no way for you to fail that essential check of the day: even DC 30 should be fairly doable.

You are just the One that pacified the whole world, managing to persuade even the most evil creatures, the most blood-hungry, to just "let it go".

As for damage builds, I'll let other people suggest. I tend to always try to make versatile builds, so...

Only ones I would suggest with focus are...

The Silent Cursebringer
Arcane Trickster 9 / Bladesinger Wizard 11: start Rogue 1, immediately grab Wizard 2, then back Rogue up to 5 (Uncanny Dodge), then Wizard 3 (2nd level spells), then Rogue 9 and finish Wizard.
You will totally excel at debuffing groups of enemies (Slow, Fear) or single-ones (up to Dominate Monster).
Works with any caster really, so you could favor instead Sorcerer (Twin single-target debuff, Bend Luck or +CHA to Fireball/Chain Lightning), Lore Bard (Bestow Curse) or another Wizard (Diviner for single-target debuff).

The One Who Raises Everyone. Always. You shan't even die in the first place
Life Cleric 1 / Warlock 5 / Sorcerer 4 / Lore Bard 10.
Poach Goodberry, Aura of Vitality, Beacon of Hope, Raise Dead. Max CHA, grab Inspiring Leader, Healer.
Grab Extended Metamagic.
Spend every spell you still have (except your highest level one) on Life Goodberries. Upcast an Extended Aid before taking your long rest. When you have a tough fight but can decide on timing, upcast Extended Warding Bond or any other 1-hour non-concentration buff (Longstrider for example) and take a short rest.
Start your fight by upcasting Bless or Twin casting a Shield of Faith, Haste or Greater Invisibility.

The One That Makes Everything Stick to him
Land Druid 6 / Life Cleric 5 / Open Hand Monk 7 / Fighter 2
Land Druid for unhindered movement among plants, Cleric for Spirit Guardians, Fighter for Action Surge, Open Hand Monk for extra chances to prone.
Start fight with a Plant Growth. Try to aggro people, using your Deflect Arrows to protect from ranged attacks if need be. Once people are close enough, cast Spirit Guardians then Action Surge Attack then Flurry of Blows to Grapple / Shove them prone. Honestly Spirit Guardians is not strictly needed though, but its difficult terrain that stacks with Plant Growth (not "difficult terrain") so people that are downed once should never be able to even get up. And thanks to Monk's speed you have enough reach to go grab other people and come back. Or you can use Thorns Whip.
If you don't care about Spirit Guardians (because there is a Cleric in your party, or just because you don't want to use it), drop Cleric except for first level (buffs, but also Command spell) and get more Monk levels or Battlemaster archetype, you'll cast Haste instead (Grassland Druid) for even more damage.
Start as Life Cleric 1 > Monk 3 > Druid 1 > Monk 7 > Druid 6 > Fighter 2 > Cleric 5.

If UA was allowed, then a much better build would be Sheperd Druid 5 / Favored Soul Sorcerer 7 / Revised Hunter Ranger 8 (do they still get Land Stride? Don't remember): advantage on checks (Sheperd's "spirit"), Plant Growth (Druid), Haste (Sorcerer), Spirit Guardians (Sorcerer poach Cleric), Command (Sorcerer poach Cleric), advantage on Initiative, Extra Attack + Horde Breaker (Ranger), Twin Thorns Whip (take Spell Sniper for extra joy), Quickened Thorns Whip...

Finally...
Lazy Nova (or why your DM is very right to forbid UA XD)
UA required for best effect.
Undying Light* Fiend Warlock 5 / Draconic Sorcerer 7 / Fighter 2 / Lore Bard 6
Low-cost nova: Quickened GreenFlame Blade.
Low-cost nova+: GreenFlame Blade, Action Surge Greenflame Blade, Quickened Greenflame Blade.
Medium-cost nova: Scorching Ray, Action Surge Scorching Ray.
High-cost nova: Fireball, Action Surge Fireball.
Sustained nova: first turn, upcast 5th level Bestow Curse (non-concentration \o/) then Action Surge Heightened Hold Person/Monster or just simple Hex. Subsequent turns: 2x cantrips.

* Honestly I thought there was a better UA Warlock Patron, directly themed towards fire, but cannot find it. Maybe it was a Sorcerer instead...
* Also, if you don't care about fire damage specifically, you could just go Hexblade Warlock instead, it's plain better, like, broken better as I illustrate below.

Extreme (costly) nova (plain illustration of how UA is sometimes very dangerous XD)
Hexblade Warlock 1 / Wild Magic Sorcerer 17 / Fighter 2
From the (very poor imo but that's good for us) wording of Hexblade Warlock's immediate benefit, you gain a bonus on damage rolls equal to proficiency.
You want a nova? You are pretty sure this one is the BBEG and you will long-rest thereafter?
9th-level Scorching Ray, Action Surge 8th level Scorching Ray, with curse as bonus action beforehand: (10+9)*(2d6+2*6) so (provided all attacks hit of course which is improbable) just flat damage is already amounting up to 12*19=228 to which you have to add 38d6 for an average of 133 so average total damage of 362 damage.
And if you took a preparation turn before using the Bestow Curse + Hex then it could easily reach the 1000 probably.
I didn't even take criticals into account (can you get criticals with spell attacks? I think not but cannot find anything in PHB that would prevent it).

This is plain worse as far as efficiency is concerned than just going Warlock 2 to grab Repelling Blast and Agonizing Blast as an Hexblade, because you just get the same magnitude of damage in the end for near zero resources, the only drawback is that it takes several turns.
So this is more for the sake of theory than a true suggestion.

[Hairfish]

Level 1 Wizard with Sleep.

[Drathmar]

Level 1 Wizard with Sleep.

This is funny because the last 3 campaigns I have played all the early enemies are ones immune to sleep because all DM's expect it at this point

[CaptainSarathai]

Pretty sure that for combat, no UA, you're looking at:
Sorc4+/Warlock2
And grabbing the Warcaster and Crossbow Expert feats.
Burn Lock slots for Sorc Points, then Quicken some Eldritch Blast, with Agonizing invocation and Hex for the target.
Ends up being 4d10+4d6+4Cha, x2 with Quicken. 104avg damage

Depending on how your DM treats reloading with Crossbow Expert, an Archery Style Fighter with a pair of Hand Crossbows and the Crossbow Expert and Sharp Shooter feats can get pretty bad. 5d6+50+5dex, for just -3 to Hit. 92.5avg damage

My personal favorite - just for trolling my DM, is:
Fighter3/Warlock12
Sentinel
Armor of Agathys, Parry, Riposte
The idea is that everything the enemy does triggers an attack:
Hit Me - I parry to reduce damage, you take AoA damage
Miss Me - I Riposte
Attack an Ally - Sentinel attack
Move Away - opportunity attack
Remain in place - I keep attacking

The attacks are hitting at Weapon+Stat+Cha, with added d8s for any Maneuver dice, and maybe even an extra d6 for Hex. There's room and reason to add Rogue levels in there and get SA damage, or to tack on extra Feats and get GWM for the sweet +10 dam. Warcaster let's you React with a spell, like Booming Blade to get the most of our 1 attack. If the DM is insane, you can use this as part of your Riposte scenario.

[Findulidas]

Battlemaster 12/assassin 8 with hand crossbow puts out insane dpr.

Assassin really sucks though. That initial ability is really situational and playing with some DM's it doesnt happen often.

I would say the swashbucklers abilities are just straight better overall and the masterminds bonus action to help is seriously underrated.

[Zardnaar]

The power builds.

Warlock 2 Sorcerer XYZ, sac spell slots for metamagic points, quicken eldritch blast.
Life Cleric 1/Land Druid XYZ, Goodberry+ life domain
Life Cleric 1/Valor Bard6+ (goodberry+aura of vitality)
Fighter 1/Warlock XYZ (fiendpact+GWM), eat temporary hit points, versatile eldritch blast at range
Paladin6/Sorcerer XYZ. Sac sorcerer spells to smites, quicken things like bless.
Hunter Ranger/Fighter +sharpshooter+longbow
Fighter+crossbow expert+sharpshooter
Great Weapon Master+Polearm Master Fighter/Paladin
Warlock 2/Fighter or Paladin XYZ, Polearm Master+Warcaster+repelling blast.
Rogue: Thief+ Healer feat (bonus action healing 1d6+4+level 1/short rest per PC).


Party combos are more where its at.

Paladin (avenger or green)
Light Cleric
Lore Bard
Abjurer Wizard

Make the DM weep via damage prevention/mitigation.

Basic party advice

Fighter (or Barbarian, Paladin, Ranger if archer)
Cleric
Rogue (or Monk or Lore Bard)
Wizard (or light cleric)

You want 2 melee,1 ranged, 1 hybrid,

5 PCs
5 PCs 2 melee, 1 hybird,, 3 ranged

6 PCs
4 primary spell casters
1 Melee
1 Hybrid

Most Powerful Subclasses

Barbarian: Totem
Bard Lore Bard
Cleric light, healer, war, nature
Druid. Moon at certain levels, Land for spells/MCing.
Fighter Battlemaster
Monk: Way of Fists, Shadowdancer, Long Death (anything apart from elemental)
Paladin Green or Avenger
Ranger Hunter
Rogue Thief, Mastermind, Swashbuckler
Sorcerer Draconic Fire (lightning if DM likes fire resistant critters)
Wizard Abjurer, Diviner, Bladedancer,
Warlock depends how you build it/want to do.

[Zardnaar]

Level 1 Wizard with Sleep.

Plan B Burning Hands.

A Party (versatile)

Battlemaster Fighter
Rogue
Sharpshooter Ranger/Fighter
Cleric
Wizard (or light cleric, lore bard etc))

Without a battlemaster

Paladin (Green or Avenger)
Cleric (light)
Lorebard
Wizard
Cleric (war, warcaster+resilient, spectral guardians).

[Gtdead]

Paladin 2/dragon sorc 18. Beat anything on the level curve. Never look back.

[Decstarr]

go 14 levels in monk for proficiency in all saving throws, then MC into paladin and play a REALLY charismatic monk. You're likely not hitting too hard, but you'll provide the sweet aura to your allies - if they have other Paladins, even better! - and since you are proficient with all saves AND get that nice +5 bonus from your own 20 charisma (and maybe even more if there's another Pala in the group), you'll make your DM's life really miserable. We actually thought about doing an all Paladin group once, just smiting stuff and never be affected by anything that requires a save. Feeling like a dragon as soon as you reach level 6 must be nice...

I think the stacking pala aura is the most broken thing so far.

Another flavor build would be a halfling divination wizard with the lucky feat. Just to mess with your DM as much as possible. Not broken, but likely fun for you!

[Biggstick]

go 14 levels in monk for proficiency in all saving throws, then MC into paladin and play a REALLY charismatic monk. You're likely not hitting too hard, but you'll provide the sweet aura to your allies - if they have other Paladins, even better! - and since you are proficient with all saves AND get that nice +5 bonus from your own 20 charisma (and maybe even more if there's another Pala in the group), you'll make your DM's life really miserable. We actually thought about doing an all Paladin group once, just smiting stuff and never be affected by anything that requires a save. Feeling like a dragon as soon as you reach level 6 must be nice...

I think the stacking pala aura is the most broken thing so far.

Another flavor build would be a halfling divination wizard with the lucky feat. Just to mess with your DM as much as possible. Not broken, but likely fun for you!

I'd say the opposite is true. If you have a group of Players who have all decided to take at least 6 levels of Paladin, then you've got a great game on your hands. I'd love to DM for a group that was full of Paladins!

I'm also pretty sure that the save aura doesn't stack. I can't find the link for it at the moment, but someone else probably will be able to. In my game though, I'd allow it to stack. Of course, that requires each Paladin to be standing within 10' of each other, all nicely clumped together....

As for actually answering the OP's question, the answer is Wizard.

It doesn't matter what kind, simply Wizard. The prepared Player will be able to destroy pretty much anything the DM has set-up with proper application of a Wizard.

The second route I would go would be a Lightfoot Halfling Dex Battlemaster 17 // Rogue 3. It doesn't matter which archetype you go with for Rogue, you're just looking for the Cunning Action ability (Hide in particular), a few extra sneak attack dice, and Expertise in a pair of skills. With Cunning Action Hide and a Mastiff mount (medium creature), you can utilize your mount to hide behind every round before/after taking your ranged attacks. Speaking of ranged attacks, here is the build.

Fighter 1: Archery.
--
Fighter 3: Precision Shot Maneuver (rest can be whatever you'd like).
Fighter 4: Crossbow Expert.
--
Fighter 6: Sharpshooter or +2 Dex.
--
Fighter 8: Sharpshooter or +2 Dex.
--
--
--
Fighter 12: Sharpshooter or +2 Dex.
--
Fighter 14: Resilient: Wisdom.
--
Fighter 16: Lucky or Alert.
Fighter 17: Second Action Surge, third Indomitable.
Rogue 1 (PC 18): Skill, two Expertises.
Rogue 2 (PC 19): Cunning Action.
Rogue 3 (PC 20): Rogue archetype.

Now you can really slip these three Rogue levels in wherever you'd like. For ease of illustration, I put them in as the last levels of the build. Personally I would probably take them after Fighter level 8, but anyone picking up Rogue levels might want to have Rogue levels sooner rather then later. What this build does is allow you to fight from 120ish feet, utilize Sharpshooter shots 2-4 times per round, Hide behind medium creatures as a bonus action, and just overall rain down the damage from afar.

In reality, you could choose from a plethora of classes that have a solid 3 level dip. Grabbing 2-3 levels of Cleric, Druid, or Ranger could bring in some great utility or just a straight damage boost to the class overall. The real core with this build is a Halfling (doesn't roll 1's) with CE/SS/Battlemaster dice to ensure as many Sharpshooter shots as possible are going off and connecting with the target.

[Naanomi]

If you want to try something martial instead of a caster...

Fallen Aasimar
Fighter 1/Rogue 19
Background: Pirate (or choice of customized background)
STR: 16
DEX: 13
CON: 14
INT: 8
WIS: 10
CHA: 16
Skills: Athletics, Perception, Persuasion, (three of choice); Ask your GM if you can poison a whip, if you can then get Poisoner's Kit?

Subclass: Swashbuckler
Class Features: Duelist Combat Style; Expertise: Persuasion, Athletics; Expertise: Perception, (one of choice)
ASI (In order): Spell Sniper (Get Booming Blade); +2 Strength; +2 Strength; Shield Mastery; Warcaster; Sentinel

Run around with a whip, maneuvering around the battlefield and hitting your preferred target for big Booming Blade/Backstab attacks! With full plate and a shield your defenses are substantial. If you unleash your inner fallen angel; then you will be hitting people with 1d4+10d6+27 damage. Shove folks to the ground with shield mastery, and sentinel gives you a bit more tankishness in the end of your high-damage career.

[Renduaz]

Try a Wizard (Abjurer) X/Warlock (Chain) 3 of a small race

Fun tricks:
- Use Enlarge/Reduce to Enlarge your Imp familiar or Reduce yourself. Your imp is now capable of carrying you. You now have a flying, improved invisible mount.
- Use the Mage armor invocation to infinitely, but slowly, recharge your Abjurer's Ward.
- Warlock gives you access to the very best blasting cantrip for very high sustained damage.
- Choose a Fiend as your patron and enjoy those temporary hit points that stack with your ward.

You now have a flying, improved invisible, laser beam shooting, double shielded (ward + temp hp) halfling instrument of death and destruction

The build is fully operational at level 5 and remains viable throughout any level range.


The flying mount only potentially works for 1 minute though while maintaining concentration and is really tough to handle. On the other hand with a regular Find Familiar and Spell Mastery of an 18th level Wizard it can possibly be permanent, or permanent flight with mage hand outside combat with a gnome that weighs 80 pounds. ( Renewing Enlarge/Reduce and then Mage Hand before the 10 rounds are over )

Alarm as a ritual will also work just as well, though I find Abjuration Ward to be a bit underpowered in terms of hit points and the extent of what you can restore it to during combat.

Also, in case anyone was thinking about it, Goodberry doesn't gain an HP bonus from Life Domain. It's "Whenever you use a spell of 1st level or higher to restore hit points to a creature", Not whenever you use a spell to create Goodberries, and then the creature eats them as an action to restore his own hp. Anyway, this would be my build, in addition to using everything I can from both (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?526078-A-list-of-30-core-spell-exploits) of my trick (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?525624-The-Advenurer-s-Guide-to-Abusing-Monsters) lists:

Oz, The Great and Powerful ( Trickery Cleric 2/Illusion Wizard 18/Feats ) - The Invincible Mage

Statistics

Name: Oz
Race: Deep Gnome
Class: Trickery Cleric 2/Illusion Wizard 18
Starting Ability Scores: 8 STR, 13 DEX, 15 CON, 17 INT, 13 WIS, 8 CHA
Level 20 Ability Scores: 8 STR, 13 DEX, 15 CON, 20 INT, 13 WIS, 8 CHA
Feats: Observant ( Intelligence ), Heavily Armored, Svirfneblin Magic, War Caster, Mage Slayer, Spell Sniper
Spell Mastery: Shield, Misty Step

Powers

1-minute Invincibility: As been fully and elaborately discussed here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?528162-The-Invincible-Caster-(-Invoke-Duplicity-Etherealness-Forcecage-Other-)), albeit too long to post in this thread, Oz can gain almost total invincibility for 1 minute while retaining his spellcasting capabilities for up to 1 minute and a range of 120 feet or more. ( Invoke Duplicity+Etherealness/Forcecage, Including True Seeing, Mind Blank and Heroe's Feast when needed )

Blessing of the Trickster: Oz can cancel the stealth disadvantage imposed by wearing heavy armor.

Armor Class: Oz can have a starting AC of 17 with Scale Mail and a Shield, 19 when sacrificing concentration for Shield of Faith, and up to 24 when using Shield. Oz's full non-magical potential with War Caster and Heavily Armored is an AC of 20 with Plate and Shield and 22 with Shield of Faith, up to 27 for 10 minutes with Shield and Spell Mastery. Magical potential with +3 Plate, +3 Shield, A ring/cloak/ioun stone of protection ( 2 ), and +2AC with the Staff of Power ( Ignoing Wand of Orcus +3AC ), you can have a permanent AC of 30 and 37 to 10 minutes with Shield and Spell Mastery, up to 42 with 3/4 cover. Heavy Armor without Strength will penalize your speed by 10 feet, but this class build doesn't really need speed, and it's cancelled with Longstrider for 1 hour anyway.

Superior Darkvision: Oz can see up to 120 feet with Darkvision

Gnome Cunning: Advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma saving throws against magic

Ghost in the Machine: Svirfneblin Magic allows Oz to be permanently immune to all Diviniation magic with Nondetection on self at will, possibly with a few seconds interval before a Long Rest, unless resting in a warded area.

Tiny Flight: Oz can initially or with enough diet weigh 80 pounds, and with Enlarge/Reduce for up to 1 minute with concentration, can carry his own weight with Mage Hand for up to 9 rounds ( 7 if recasting enlarge/reduce and Mage Hand ) to move up to 270 or 210 feet ( Doubled if recast, tripled if renewed 3 times, and so on ) flying, also passing through spaces as narrow as 1.5 feet. Useful for certain situations, or if one needs a very quick boost and just really doesn't want to spend a 3rd-level slot on Fly. Not useful for combat because moving the Mage Hand takes an action. At level 20 with Spell Mastery and choosing Enlarge/Reduce, Oz can have permanent flight this way ( Renewing Enlarge/Reduce at 8th round and Mage Hand at the 9th, moving for the rest ) in case various teleport slots have been expended or reserved and you want to reach somewhere in the air, in case for some reason you want to fly further than abilities such as Fly will let you, while reserving the spell slot ( Albeit with half the speed ), if flying mounts and creatures who need to rest every hour or two are insufficient, or unable to fly through certain aerial or planar terrain, or space ( While the Mage Hand never tires, takes no damage, isn't frightened, etc.. and your own size is 1.5 feet while weighing 10 pounds ), or if no flying magical items are available.

Spell Sniper: Choosing Eldritch Blast as a cantrip, With Invoke Duplicity, for 7 rounds ( Minus the 3 rounds it would take to move the Illusion up to 120 feet away from you ), Oz can cast spells as though he were in the Illusion's space, meaning a spell like Firebolt will now have a range of 240 feet from Oz himself when cast through the illusion, and with Spell Sniper, it's 360 feet. The same is true for all spells with an attack roll, to varying ranges.

Healing: Oz primarily uses the Cleric's spellcasting to heal himself with Cure Wounds or allies with Healing Word when needed ( Hence why the Wisdom modifier hardly matters ), and can even heal allies from afar with Cure Wounds using Invoke Duplicity, bonus action to move the illusion up to 30 feet, and an action to cast Cure Wounds through it.

Illusory Reality - Oz uses this to block off creatures from escaping with some kind of transparent box or sphere ( Such as those made of Diamonds ) with Major Image of 6th level or higher, combined with Silence for spellcasters, to block off a target from escaping and still affecting it with spells that require a line of sight. Foregoing Silence, the illusion of Invoke Duplicity can pass through the barrier to cast any other spell on the target, while the target can't affect it in turn. Foregoing both Invoke Duplicity and Silence, the Major Image can also be cast at 3rd level with concentration. Oz can also use it to create 3/4 or even total cover with Minor Illusion for himself.


Pretty sure that for combat, no UA, you're looking at:
Sorc4+/Warlock2
And grabbing the Warcaster and Crossbow Expert feats.
Burn Lock slots for Sorc Points, then Quicken some Eldritch Blast, with Agonizing invocation and Hex for the target.
Ends up being 4d10+4d6+4Cha, x2 with Quicken. 104avg damage

Depending on how your DM treats reloading with Crossbow Expert, an Archery Style Fighter with a pair of Hand Crossbows and the Crossbow Expert and Sharp Shooter feats can get pretty bad. 5d6+50+5dex, for just -3 to Hit. 92.5avg damage

My personal favorite - just for trolling my DM, is:
Fighter3/Warlock12
Sentinel
Armor of Agathys, Parry, Riposte
The idea is that everything the enemy does triggers an attack:
Hit Me - I parry to reduce damage, you take AoA damage
Miss Me - I Riposte
Attack an Ally - Sentinel attack
Move Away - opportunity attack
Remain in place - I keep attacking

The attacks are hitting at Weapon+Stat+Cha, with added d8s for any Maneuver dice, and maybe even an extra d6 for Hex. There's room and reason to add Rogue levels in there and get SA damage, or to tack on extra Feats and get GWM for the sweet +10 dam. Warcaster let's you React with a spell, like Booming Blade to get the most of our 1 attack. If the DM is insane, you can use this as part of your Riposte scenario.

Warlock 2/Fighter 2/Sorcerer 16, Sentinel Feat - Action Surge for x4, or x5 if used in coordination with fear/command from someone else or a moving creature by coming near it after finishing the attacks, and provoking another Eldritch Blast from War Caster when it tries to move away, while Sentinel prevents it from actually leaving even with disengage? Sounds good.

[Sirithhyando]

If you want to surprise your DM, maximise your speed.
Not sure of the build, afb... but wood elf (35' movement) plus monk... then disengage and flee from every encounter.
It's not overpower but you'd definitly be the absolute best at running away :smallcool:

There are builds on the forum for maximising your AC if you want it overpowered. It's a combination of wizard and barbarian I think though with UA, maybe immortal mystic-wizard could work.

[Citan]

If you want to surprise your DM, maximise your speed.
Not sure of the build, afb... but wood elf (35' movement) plus monk... then disengage and flee from every encounter.
It's not overpower but you'd definitly be the absolute best at running away :smallcool:

There are builds on the forum for maximising your AC if you want it overpowered. It's a combination of wizard and barbarian I think though with UA, maybe immortal mystic-wizard could work.
There are some threads about maximum movement (search "speed" or "mile" in forum).

But if the goal is just to move away, seriously any character should be able to achieve just that: Phantom Steed. :)
Of course, a character with ritual, and stacking Haste on it, would go even better. Probably a Cleric/Beast Ranger multiclass with Mounted Combatant feat (although I'm pretty sure that by RAW you cannot use the Phantom Steed "as your beast" so you couldn't enjoy the "buff beast&self both" benefit in fact. But if a DM was willing... ^^).

[Potato_Priest]

The most amusingly broken class combo I ever saw was a warlock/ sorcerer build.

The basis of the build was that the warlock would avoid taking long rests, instead taking a multitude of short ones. After each short rest they would convert their warlock spell slots into sorcery points and then into sorcerer spell slots, which were unaffected by short rests. Using this strategy, the player could acquire way more spell slots than a normal spell caster, as there is no rule stipulating that the number on the table is the maximum number you can have. They had to avoid ever taking a long rest though, as it would reset their sorcerer spell slots.

I'm away from my book right now, but I recall the whole thing being RAW legal. If someone wants to check, though, that would be great.

[Bloodcloud]

Pretty sure that for combat, no UA, you're looking at:
Sorc4+/Warlock2
And grabbing the Warcaster and Crossbow Expert feats.
Burn Lock slots for Sorc Points, then Quicken some Eldritch Blast, with Agonizing invocation and Hex for the target.
Ends up being 4d10+4d6+4Cha, x2 with Quicken. 104avg damage

Depending on how your DM treats reloading with Crossbow Expert, an Archery Style Fighter with a pair of Hand Crossbows and the Crossbow Expert and Sharp Shooter feats can get pretty bad. 5d6+50+5dex, for just -3 to Hit. 92.5avg damage

My personal favorite - just for trolling my DM, is:
Fighter3/Warlock12
Sentinel
Armor of Agathys, Parry, Riposte
The idea is that everything the enemy does triggers an attack:
Hit Me - I parry to reduce damage, you take AoA damage
Miss Me - I Riposte
Attack an Ally - Sentinel attack
Move Away - opportunity attack
Remain in place - I keep attacking

The attacks are hitting at Weapon+Stat+Cha, with added d8s for any Maneuver dice, and maybe even an extra d6 for Hex. There's room and reason to add Rogue levels in there and get SA damage, or to tack on extra Feats and get GWM for the sweet +10 dam. Warcaster let's you React with a spell, like Booming Blade to get the most of our 1 attack. If the DM is insane, you can use this as part of your Riposte scenario.

On that second one, stack heavy armor master and have your cleric cast warding bond to make that armor of aghatys last forever.

[Renduaz]

The most amusingly broken class combo I ever saw was a warlock/ sorcerer build.

The basis of the build was that the warlock would avoid taking long rests, instead taking a multitude of short ones. After each short rest they would convert their warlock spell slots into sorcery points and then into sorcerer spell slots, which were unaffected by short rests. Using this strategy, the player could acquire way more spell slots than a normal spell caster, as there is no rule stipulating that the number on the table is the maximum number you can have. They had to avoid ever taking a long rest though, as it would reset their sorcerer spell slots.

I'm away from my book right now, but I recall the whole thing being RAW legal. If someone wants to check, though, that would be great.

I can't see why it wouldn't also work with a simple sorcerer taking long rests. A long rest doesn't reset their sorcerer spell slots, you just regain all expended spell slots, and spent sorcery point. So you spend 7 sorcery points to create an additional 5th level spell slot, take a long rest while never using that slot, and all that happens is that you regain expended spell slots and new sorcery points. Even if you expended the additional slot, taking a long rest will just make you regain it.

It seems broken as it is. The key word here is "You transform unexpended sorcery points into one spell slot", and what transform means. If they aren't simply spent and gone to create the spell slot, but rather they count as 7 unexpended sorcery points in the form of a 5th spell level slots, then if you are say, a level 7 Sorcerer, when you take a long rest, you'll still have only those 7 unexpended sorcery points in the form of an additional 5th level spell slot, then indeed it seems only the Warlock trick would work, but there would be no reason not to take long rests. Because a long rest will only replenish the additional spell slots if they have been expended, an do nothing with the pool of sorcery points, since none of them are considered spent, only transformed.

[Innocent_bystan]

The flying mount only potentially works for 1 minute though while maintaining concentration and is really tough to handle. On the other hand with a regular Find Familiar and Spell Mastery of an 18th level Wizard it can possibly be permanent, or permanent flight with mage hand outside combat with a gnome that weighs 80 pounds. ( Renewing Enlarge/Reduce and then Mage Hand before the 10 rounds are over )

Alarm as a ritual will also work just as well, though I find Abjuration Ward to be a bit underpowered in terms of hit points and the extent of what you can restore it to during combat.


Not only is you mount flying, but also

Invisibility. The imp turns invisible until it attacks or until its
concentration ends. Anything the invisible imp is carrying or
wearing is invisible as long as it remains in contact with the imp.

Warlock 3 gives you 2 lvl 2 spell slots per short rest to cast Enlarge/Reduce with. How many combats last longer than a minute? How many enemies can target a flying, invisible caster with a range of 120 feet? How many can do so at level 3?

I know Alarm as a ritual also recharges the Ward, but it takes 10 minutes per cast. The warlock invocation reduces that time to an action. You can now fill up the ward in less than 2 minutes. Fast enough to do so after every combat. At level 20 (wizard 17, int 20) this means 39 extra hitpoints per encounter, or 311 extra hitpoints in a standard 8 encounter adventuring day. Even at level 5 (wizard 2, int 16) you get 7 extra hp per encounter. You likely have more functional hp than the party barbarian.

[Renduaz]

Not only is you mount flying, but also

Invisibility. The imp turns invisible until it attacks or until its
concentration ends. Anything the invisible imp is carrying or
wearing is invisible as long as it remains in contact with the imp.

Warlock 3 gives you 2 lvl 2 spell slots per short rest to cast Enlarge/Reduce with. How many combats last longer than a minute? How many enemies can target a flying, invisible caster with a range of 120 feet? How many can do so at level 3?

I know Alarm as a ritual also recharges the Ward, but it takes 10 minutes per cast. The warlock invocation reduces that time to an action. You can now fill up the ward in less than 2 minutes. Fast enough to do so after every combat. At level 20 (wizard 17, int 20) this means 39 extra hitpoints per encounter, or 311 extra hitpoints in a standard 8 encounter adventuring day. Even at level 5 (wizard 2, int 16) you get 7 extra hp per encounter. You likely have more functional hp than the party barbarian.

True enough when you present it that way, there are a few mechanical problems left though. Even though Reduce technically makes your size "Tiny", you can tell (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HCOp5Un3vpw/VHl1tdGYUaI/AAAAAAAACV0/xChJKt1gk_8/s1600/5e%2Bsize.jpg) that as a Small creature such as a Deep Gnome, You'd still be 1.5 feet tall and I'm not really sure how wide, while the Imp is just 2 and 1/2 by 2 and 1/2 feet ( Monster Manual ), while it has the body of a tiny human with wings, making it extremely difficult to ride, and it's already hard to ride creatures suited for that as it is. A DM might probably ask you to make Dex check all the times not to fall off every time you cast a spell or something. But I suppose I don't see a reason why that couldn't be circumvented by asking your Imp to carry you with it's claws with a strength of 6 while you weigh 10 pounds instead of mounting it, actually.

[CaptainSarathai]

Warlock 2/Fighter 2/Sorcerer 16, Sentinel Feat - Action Surge for x4, or x5 if used in coordination with fear/command from someone else or a moving creature by coming near it after finishing the attacks, and provoking another Eldritch Blast from War Caster when it tries to move away, while Sentinel prevents it from actually leaving even with disengage? Sounds good.
If I'm reading that correctly, the goal is to Action Surge and Quicken Eldritch Blast, using Warcaster when they move away.
Warcaster was (iirc) ruled to only work on Opportunity Attacks, not Reaction attacks in general. So you can't EB someone for attacking your friend.

When I play my build, the idea is to get as many Reaction and Bonus attacks as possible, since optimizing your action usage is one of the best ways to optimize in general. To that end, I'm usually running either PAM or Two Weapon Fighter for the bonus swings. With PAM, I actually move all the way into their melee range and then step back after attacking, to try and provoke extra shots of AoA from their Opp Attack.


On that second one, stack heavy armor master and have your cleric cast warding bond to make that armor of aghatys last forever.
DR3 is good, and Heavy Armor Master is usually on the shopping list if the build can support it. It adds a feat to an already feat-intensive build, and there are other ways to reduce damage and MADness. Warlocks are prime candidates for dual wielding, can use Dex for defense with Mage Armor Invoc, and my Fighter levels can Parry to reduce armor by d8+Dex, as well as MC into Rogue eventually and just reduce all incoming by half as a reaction.
The party did eventually learn that pumping me with magic gave HUGE returns, so I did end up catching some Warding Bonds and so forth.

[Gastronomie]

I don't know how powerful it is since I've never actually seen one being played, but a Necromancer who controls dozens of undead seems hell overpowered on paper (I've played with necromancers before, but these players were always kind to the DM and controlled only a minimum number of skeletons/zombies).

[Naanomi]

I don't know how powerful it is since I've never actually seen one being played, but a Necromancer who controls dozens of undead seems hell overpowered on paper (I've played with necromancers before, but these players were always kind to the DM and controlled only a minimum number of skeletons/zombies).
It has vulnerabilities and limitations (some spells and opponents shut it down quick); but overall a legion of skeletons with ranged weapons and some Spell support does shatter normal adventuring expectations

[Renduaz]

I don't know how powerful it is since I've never actually seen one being played, but a Necromancer who controls dozens of undead seems hell overpowered on paper (I've played with necromancers before, but these players were always kind to the DM and controlled only a minimum number of skeletons/zombies).


It has vulnerabilities and limitations (some spells and opponents shut it down quick); but overall a legion of skeletons with ranged weapons and some Spell support does shatter normal adventuring expectations

With great power comes great attention. Players who demonstrate sufficient munchkinry with their magical abilities are going to be challenged appropriately. There's a reason why even Vecna was forced into hiding and why most necromancers hole up deep underground or in catacombs. If enough Good aligned NPC's have seen the necromancer's hordes, which is almost universally considered evil magic and disturbing the souls of the deceased, he's eventually going to be hunted down by legions of Paladin orders and Clerics as a major threat. If enough evil creatures have seen what he's capable to and even one reliable underling managed to report it somewhere higher up like in a Drow city or Illithid colony or a BBEG's organization and so forth, that player is now no longer a laughable nuisance but rather someone whom the creature leadership or BBEG are diverting their entire numbers, assassins and methods into putting down before he becomes powerful.

All the arch-liches and various arch-mages who have eyes and ears and divination sensors everywhere also take notice of a new worthy competitor to their order, focus all their spies and divination on him and start brutally assailing the player with 20th-level spellcaster magical traps, ambushes, encounters and so on. And if he's somehow never spotted or never killed and still manages to increase in necromantic powers, the various deities like Kelemvor or Lathander are going to first notice the corruption of souls on a massive scale and view that player the same way as Vecna, sending a vision or communication to their High Priests to hunt him down. Later on it's going to be Solars and at the highest levels they're going to manifest their own avatars which are pretty much like Tiamat in power, except 5 times more powerful for Greater Deities like Lathander or Tyr, and possibly with overwhelming abilities against undead and so on.

[Naanomi]

If the response is 'the setting and plot has to warp and marshal itself to deal with my character'; I'll say I've crossed the necessary power threshold for this thread.

[Renduaz]

If the response is 'the setting and plot has to warp and marshal itself to deal with my character'; I'll say I've crossed the necessary power threshold for this thread.

That response is true in all cases since creatures are expected to behave naturally. There's going to be a different police response if you're a guy with a broken bottle at the bar or if you're an "Armed and dangerous" AWOL ex-commando or an ISIS cell. The same happens in D&D depending how much power a party can exert on the world, whether it be in levels ( Tiers of play ) or in magical talent. And it's extremely easy to gain immense power in this game with the right exploitation of magic.

[Garresh]

Broken varies from level to level. If you want to have a little fun at level 1 though, go human war cleric, grab sharpshooter, take a longbow, and cast bless. Fire off 2 shots in one turn for 1d8+13 damage at LEVEL 1. You'll have a 0 to hit but Bless helps with that. Next level dip fighter for archery style. Pretty amazing for all of 2 levels.