Battlefield control

[Sirithhyando]

Hi,

I've got a character that my DM might want to let me retrain some features/entire level...

Right now, it's a Half-Orc Champion 6/ Barbarian 1
STR 16+2 (race); DEX 18; CON 16+1 (race)+1 (feat); INT 8; WIS 5; CHA 14
With tavern brawler feat and defense fighting style (which is now unused because of the barbarian)

We rolled stats and started with 18-16-16-14-8-5

I'd switch DEX, INT and CHA to get STR 18; DEX 14; CON 17; INT 18; WIS 5; CHA 8
I'd go Samurai 6/ Immortal Mystic 1
Both feat would be PAM and Sentinel
The immortal mystic would go with the giant growth discipline.

The idea would be that with a reach weapon, i'd control 10ft of the battlefield around my character.
Then focusing on the giant growth, add 5ft of reach for 15ft of control.
Then, if it stacks (that's what i'm not sure), 2 psi point to become large and adding to the reach for 20ft control around my character.

The samurai part, occasionally i'd use his fighter spirit to gain advantage on attack rolls and some resistance (3 times per short rest is very good).
At my turn my bonus action is there to get me on my defense style from the tunnel fighter.

Oh, i'm aware that both fighter spirit and tunnel fighter requires the bonus action so usually i'd have to chose between one or the other. So i'd have two good choice for the bonus action depending on the situation.

Am I missing something?
Any thoughts?

[Finger6842]

You are in the 5e thread but I'm not familiar with Samurai as a class. Is this a Next question or should it be in another thread?

[PhantomSoul]

The Samurai is in 5e's Unearthed Arcana (Fighter subclass: https://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/downloads/2016_Fighter_UA_1205_1.pdf). I can't comment beyond that at this point though; I'd have to revise the Samurai subclass and the Mystics!

[Finger6842]

The Samurai is in 5e's Unearthed Arcana (Fighter subclass: https://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/downloads/2016_Fighter_UA_1205_1.pdf). I can't comment beyond that at this point though; I'd have to revise the Samurai subclass and the Mystics!

I see, thanks, my group doesn't use UA so I can't help much with this question beyond TC.

[Sirithhyando]

The Samurai is in 5e's Unearthed Arcana (Fighter subclass: https://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/downloads/2016_Fighter_UA_1205_1.pdf). I can't comment beyond that at this point though; I'd have to revise the Samurai subclass and the Mystics!


I see, thanks, my group doesn't use UA so I can't help much with this question beyond TC.

Ah well, thanks anyway.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Why bother with Samurai at all? BM Fighter seems much better for what you want to do. Trip Attack, in particular, can also really help you with battlefield control as well as damage.

Consider, if you will, Sweeping Strike, in conjunction with PAM/Sentinal and Tunnel Fighter. Make an Opportunity Attack against someone, his buddy, whom you just stopped, also gets hit by the same attack, plus superiority dice. Tripping and Disarming strike are also excellent choices for melee battlefield control. Pushing Attack also combos really well, as you get to not only stop them, but push them back as well.

Samurai... does nothing for this build.

[Sirithhyando]

Why bother with Samurai at all? BM Fighter seems much better for what you want to do. Trip Attack, in particular, can also really help you with battlefield control as well as damage.

Consider, if you will, Sweeping Strike, in conjunction with PAM/Sentinal and Tunnel Fighter. Make an Opportunity Attack against someone, his buddy, whom you just stopped, also gets hit by the same attack, plus superiority dice. Tripping and Disarming strike are also excellent choices for melee battlefield control. Pushing Attack also combos really well, as you get to not only stop them, but push them back as well.

Samurai... does nothing for this build.

Oh, somehow I thought you couldn't use superiority dice on reactions... thanks

And the samurai would only give advantage on all attack and resistance to bludeoning, piercing and slashing until the end of the next turn. This can be used 3 times per short rest as opposed to 4 superiority dice per short rest. I thought they were pretty close equivalent and would be different, but i hadn't thought of going to see the possible manœuvres... pushing attack would be very good and precise would be about the same (not exactly, but it gives another chance to touch) as having advantage.

[Puh Laden]

Keep in mind that you only get your one opportunity attack when a creature leaves your reach completely, not if they move within your reach. So your build will be less useful if you're usually fighting in small rooms. Even if you fight in the open, once you use one opportunity attack, everyone else in your reach is free to leave it until your next turn. If you just want the ability to hit anything within a 20-foot radius, you're good to go.

[Sirithhyando]

Keep in mind that you only get your one opportunity attack when a creature leaves your reach completely, not if they move within your reach. So your build will be less useful if you're usually fighting in small rooms. Even if you fight in the open, once you use one opportunity attack, everyone else in your reach is free to leave it until your next turn. If you just want the ability to hit anything within a 20-foot radius, you're good to go.

Mmm, I had in mind to stop everyone at the limit of my reach. Then on my turn, I hit one or two of them then fall back 5' as to have them out of my reach. Then if they move again towards me or those beind me, they'd get punish again. Of course, they'll learn fast to avoid me, but still, no build is perfect. :smallbiggrin:
With PAM or sentinel (not sure which one does it), the opportunity attack is when they enter your reach instead of leaving it and you can make one additional opoprtunity attack when they move within your reach.

[Puh Laden]

Mmm, I had in mind to stop everyone at the limit of my reach. Then on my turn, I hit one or two of them then fall back 5' as to have them out of my reach. Then if they move again towards me or those beind me, they'd get punish again. Of course, they'll learn fast to avoid me, but still, no build is perfect. :smallbiggrin:
With PAM or sentinel (not sure which one does it), the opportunity attack is when they enter your reach instead of leaving it and you can make one additional opoprtunity attack when they move within your reach.

I'd forgotten about the sentinel thing. So your plan is to be a sort of wall then? Well, a 60-foot wall is definitely more useful than 15-foot wall.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

PAM lets you Opportunity Attack when they enter reach, Sentinel makes them stop dead in their tracks when you hit with it, Tunnel Fighter lets you do so an arbitrary number of times in a given round.

It's a sexy combo.

As far as resistance to damage... if an opponent cannot hit you, they cannot deal damage. So if you use Pushing Attack, they are now well outside their reach, since that's 15' back from your 15' reach... and they are stuck there. Immunity to being hit, in effect, which is better than resistance to damage.