Interesting Effective Builds?

[Skuxintux]

Hey everybody, do you have any builds that are fun & unique while still being effective? I need ideas as we're starting a Level 5 campaign. Thanks!

[Orc_Lord]

Too general.

Let's do it a different way. Do you want to cast spells or not. Do you want to be close or far away.

Do you want to think about your character or do a very effective trick, the same one, every combat?

Any races that look interesting?

[Finger6842]

What other classes are in the party>? Some would say it doesn't matter but I believe in the team concept. What stats will you start with? Single class or multi-class?


Personally I would play:
1. half elf lore bard, magic secrets next level plus fits into any kind of campaign.

2. Human Fighter, can go ranged or melee.

3. Elven Wizard, can really go any path but incredibly specialized, quite opposite the bard.

4. Dwarven Moon Druid, because no one would ever suspect.

[JakOfAllTirades]

Interesting build: Storm Sorcerer 3 / Tempest Cleric 2. You've got lots of lightning and thunder spells, metamagic, heavy armor, shields, martial weapons, and the ability to maximize a lightning/thunder spell using channel divinity. Pick a race with good Strength and Charisma, leave your Wisdom at 14; you're just multi-classing for the armor, weapons, and maximize. (But don't completely dump it because your 1st level domain power has a Wisdom save.)

Simpler build without so much cheese: Just go Tempest Cleric 5. You won't have quite as many different lightning/thunder spells, but when you can maximize an upcast Shatter, or a Call Lightning, you don't need much else, really. Take Magic Initiate at 4th level if you want to pick up a few more lightning/thunder spells. Booming Blade, Shocking Grasp, and Absorb Elements are all on-theme.

[Banana3lf]

Rogue 1 Lore bard 3 life or zeal cleric 1. What more of lore bard to you ever need thsn 3 lvls? Also instand healer with access to all the lvl 1 cleric spells. Spell progression is only behind from rogue which gives you so much at lvl 1.

[JakOfAllTirades]

Rogue 1 Lore bard 3 life or zeal cleric 1. What more of lore bard to you ever need thsn 3 lvls? Also instand healer with access to all the lvl 1 cleric spells. Spell progression is only behind from rogue which gives you so much at lvl 1.

At level 5 the Bard's Inspiration feature recharges on a short rest instead of a long rest. At level 6 the Lore Bard gets Magical Secrets, 4 levels earlier than other Bards. Those two features alone are worth getting.

[Aaron Underhand]

Hexblade 2/lore Bard 3++

VHuman str8 dex14 con14 int 10/12 Wis 12/10 Cha 16

Healer feat

EB + Agonizing Blast plus Devil's sight

Medium armour + shield, empty hand to cast.

Good at will damage, excellent support, and good stuff as more and more bard cuts in.

Healers are welcome in any party....

[CTurbo]

Draconic Sorcerer 1, Swashbuckler Rogue 4. Spam Booming Blade with an AC or 13+Dex. Sneak attack every single turn. Profit.

[Unoriginal]

Not really unique, but Fighter 1/Hill Giant Soul sorcerer X let you go full Movie!Sauron, which can be pretty fun and is pretty effective.

[Arkhios]

Note: This does require a DM who doesn't disagree with a houserule my main character (which I find to be the most interesting and effective of my characters) is more or less relying to.

VHuman Oath of the Ancients Paladin 5:
Str 18, Dex 9, Con 16, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 16 (obviously these are the stats I rolled for my character, so you'd have to replace them with your own stats)
Feats: Dual Wielder, Tavern Brawler. Taken in that order.
Fighting Style: Protection (because why the hell not? As a paladin I have no other reliable use for my reactions, and I'm already using a shield all day long (having enough AC for my needs), so I might just as well spend the reaction to help an ally avoid being hit every now and then).
The concept: Dual Wielding Sword and Board.

RAW accuracy:
#1) A shield is not listed as a weapon in the rules, so attacking with it would, in other words, count as using an improvised weapon. Thus, without Tavern Brawler, you don't get to add your proficiency to the attack roll. I'd recommend taking Dual Wielder first because it lets you realize the concept from 1st level onward. Losing a +2 bonus to one attack with a shield for the first three levels isn't really that big thing, in my experience. This part is all RAW.

#2) Since a shield isn't listed as a weapon, it doesn't have any weapon properties inherently, other than it's most likely a one-handed melee weapon. But the point is, a shield is not a light nor heavy weapon. Thus, you can't fight with a shield and a weapon without Dual Wielder feat, because two-weapon fighting normally works only with two light melee weapons. Additionally, since it's not a finesse weapon either, you have to use Strength to attack with a shield. Again, still solid RAW.

#3) Since there are no actual weapons (in the rules) that resemble a shield, an improvised attack with a shield would deal 1d4 damage at the very least (there is room for your DM to rule otherwise, but I tend to agree that a shield would deal at least 1d4 bludgeoning damage. Not less than that. Once more, this is also RAW.

Now, to the houseruled part(s):
#4 and 5) Since, when attacking with a shield as an improvised weapon, it does technically count as a weapon in off-hand, and my DM houseruled that I get to, indeed, add the +1 AC from Dual Wielder when I attack with the shield. It applies to the +2 AC normally gained from a shield, and BY RAW, shield isn't deprived of its AC when used to attack or - in the case of Shield Master - to make a shove attempt. In my case, as long as I use my bonus action to attack via two-weapon fighting with the shield, I get a total +3 to AC from the shield. Technically, one could argue that since the shield isn't really a weapon, you can't use it for two-weapon fighting, so that's the other houseruled part here.

Do note that you could pull this combo off with any melee character using a melee weapon and a shield, with a priority to strength over dexterity. Since I haven't been able to find any rule that would say how using a shield without shield proficiency affects your character, I'd say it's probably for the best to make sure you have that proficiency to avoid a headache.
I chose paladin, because two-weapon fighting adds quite a lot of fun to Divine Smites, as you can - RAW - trigger Divine Smite even with a hit using an improvised weapon (or even Unarmed Strikes, which are also slightly more powerful due to having Tavern Brawler). Also, because it's a shield I'm using as the off-hand weapon, I can live without being able to add my strength to damage rolls, as it does get the bonus to AC from Dual Wielder feat. Also, as a Paladin, I have access to spells like Divine Favor and Bless which, depending on the need, add a nice boost to the damage, even without using Divine Smites, as the bonus radiant damage with Divine Favor applies to all attacks I make for the spell's duration, not just one hit, and Bless adds to attack rolls with, again, all attack rolls I make, as well as saving throws.

To conclude the reasoning we (more importantly, my DM) agreed that because it takes investment in two feats, and a bonus action each turn, to maintain an additional +1 to AC while dual wielding with a shield and a weapon, it's not really that broken at all.

...as far as role-playing goes with my character, I depict him as a "barbarian" without the raging, sort of like a mixture between a viking and a Celt worshiping the Old Faith, as is customary to his society. Obviously druids are held in high regard in their priesthood. The fighting technique is to resemble his somewhat fierce approach with still much more discipline than an actual barbarian would have.

[DevilMcam]

Paladin 2/ sword bard X.

Paladin 2 give you acces to paladin spellcasting, espacially the cool smites spell and divine smite. Heavy armor let you use strength to attack, you can if you wish use a shield and any martial weapon, and bard expertise to athletics makes you a great shover/grapler once you get extra attacks.
a

Use a whip/glaive (but you loose on bard figthing style) for reach smites/flourish, thundertous smite+mobile flourish lets you push people up to 20 feats from 10 feats away for a lot of lols.

On the downside, good luck roleplaying that =)

[Arkhios]

On the downside, good luck roleplaying that =)

What do you mean by downside with that?

That's an impressive chance to play a righteous gladiator! Bards are, after all, almost always performers. What's the better arena for a swords bard than ... wait for it ... arena! :smallbiggrin:

[Unoriginal]

I don't see any difficulty in roleplaying that.

[tmjr6]

Bear Totem Barbarian 5/Rogue X. Play a grappler and grab and stab. Make the attack reckless for guaranteed sneak attack. Bugbear, Firbolg, Goliath, Loxodon (Ravniva), or Orc could work well with this with Powerful Build.

[ImproperJustice]

Scout / Battlemaster

Makes for a great archer and spell-less ranger.


Life Cleric / Diviner Wizard

Solid support and defense, heal and buff allies, debuff enemies, occasionally hit stuff and relax knowing your not the typical squishy mage.

Monk / Paladin

Be Iron Fist. Take Dueling and smite people with mighty chi fists.

Paladin / Ranger

It seems wierd and it is. But you can be the ultimate hunter of evil if you wish.

Fighter / Rogue / Cleric / Wizard / Bard or Warlock
Standard human only.
More fun than it sounds. Cantrips and rituals are big here.

[Man_Over_Game]

Race is Gnome (for saving throw advantage) Level 1 Barbarian, then go into Moon Druid. Transform into Bear, dealing massive damage, taking half damage from rage, and saving almost all of your saving throws. Grapple enemies and shove them prone to keep them from going anywhere with your advantage on grapple checks while bearly suffering any damage. Enemies will have disadvantage to all of their attacks and the only way to remove it is to break your unstoppable grapple with an action.

The key point to this build is the relationship of Grapple+Prone with STR advantage with Rage, combined with the natural tankiness and strength of Gnomish Moon Druid Bears.

Play this if you want to be a tiny gnome that transforms into the most terrifying of bears.

Comes online at level 3.

Dexterity Barbarian with Sharpshooter feat, leveling into Ancestral Guardian. Use your Rage on-hit debuffs while maintaining range as your enemies have disadvantage to hit anything but you, making everyone on your team but you extremely tanky while you stay out of the fight. Have allies pick up Sentinel, and you will be the bastard of battle. Use Javelins with Reckless Attack to guarantee a hit without risk of retaliation.

The key point to this build is the fact that the weakest ally protected with your bonuses is tankier against a boss than you are while raging. Combine this with the impossibility of being attacked, and you have an invincible team.

Play this if you want to play a Barbarian prince, being spoiled by his ancestors who assist his allies because of the poor actions of their "disrespectful and cowardly" prince.

Comes online at level 3, and improves at 4.

Eldritch Knight, picking up the Mobile feat. Charge in, hit hard, use mobility spells to get out of combat without provoking any attacks, or use Concentration spells to enhance your attacks without risk of losing them due to staying in combat.

The key point to this build is to cast hard hitting touch spells frequently without retaliation and before the mosh pit of combat starts.

Play this if you want to be a warrior that fools everyone with his bulk by becoming lightning fast with magic.

Comes online at 3-4.



Similar to the Lightning Blade. Wood Elf Monk with Mobile at 4. Move with 55 feet per turn at the start of combat. Use Dodge with your main action. Enemies will waste many attacks attempting to hurt you. Use Flurry of Blows to attack everything nearby, and move 35+ feet away. Most humanoids can only move 30 feet. The following turn, move 5 feet, attack, move 35 feet away, and repeat (you will have about 15 feet of movement to spare). As long as you have the space, melee enemies will never reach you, and Deflect Missiles will prevent ranged attacks from hurting you. Grab Mage Slayer at higher levels to become a constant obstacle to mages while your party handles the melee fighters. If your melee allies are able to hold the line, you can use this combo to pressure inwards, towards the enemy's back line and split the enemy's frontline up.

The key point to this build is using your insanely good and consistent mobility to prevent combatants from hurting you, and having you fight in situations that benefit only you. The mobility also helps with walking on walls/water.

Play this one if you want to play a warrior who fights like the wind, darting in where he needs to go and combines unbreaking patience with unstoppable speed.

Comes online at 2/4, depending on your race.



Human Variant, picking up Actor. Rogue 1, then Warlock up to 3, then Rogue for future levels. Grab Devil's Sight, Mask of Many Faces as your Invocations, and grab Darkness. Go Swashbuckler Rogue. Cast Darkness on a throwing dagger as your side weapon. You have advantage on all attacks, disadvantage to be hit, and you can look and act like anyone at will. If you team needs to see, throw the dagger and now your Darkness is mobile.

The key point to this build is to utilize the combination of Devil's Sight + Darkness in combat, and Actor + Mask of Many Faces out of combat; both are extremely powerful combos. The increased initiative from Swashbuckler also helps get Darkness off before enemies can organize against your team.

Play this if you are an agent of darkness, of lies, of fear and shadow. As you laugh in your cloak of shadows, enemies will flee.

Changeling bonuses for a Variant Human starts at 3. Darkness + Devil's Sight starts at 4. The build improves at 8, when Rogues get Uncanny Dodge.

[Man_Over_Game]

Just remembered a few more:

Tempest Cleric, focused on Dexterity, grabbing Spell Sniper. Using Spell Sniper, grab Booming Blade. Use it to keep distance from your foes as you strike them down.

Once you hit level 6, ready your action to cast Booming Blade after an enemy strikes you. Once an enemy does strike you, use your reaction to strike them with Booming Blade, followed by your Channel Divinity to deal lightning damage to them, which also pushes them back 10 feet, locking them in place 15 feet back. Fun against enemies with multiattack.



Life Cleric, with Warding Bond as your main spell of choice.

Use the fact that your level 6 bonus heals you whenever you cast healing spells as you ward key allies, like your Fighter. Use Heavy Armor Master to further reduce the majority of extra attacks you will take to become a miniscule value while making your fighter nearly indestructible. If your Fighter uses Heavy Armor Master, that reduces damage for both of you by 3 each. If you have it, the damage is reduced by 3 for just you. Combined, damage received via Warding Bond to you will be reduced by 9 damage each hit, assuming it was from a non-magical weapon.



Unintentionally, a lot of these classes have been named after winds and storms and lightnings, but they're all different playstyles.

[Snowbluff]

Paladin 2/ sword bard X.

Paladin 2 give you acces to paladin spellcasting, espacially the cool smites spell and divine smite. Heavy armor let you use strength to attack, you can if you wish use a shield and any martial weapon, and bard expertise to athletics makes you a great shover/grapler once you get extra attacks.
a

Use a whip/glaive (but you loose on bard figthing style) for reach smites/flourish, thundertous smite+mobile flourish lets you push people up to 20 feats from 10 feats away for a lot of lols.

On the downside, good luck roleplaying that =)
OKay, firstly you're right. I made a Swords Bard Paladin. It's cool.

I would not use the smite spells. Bless is my go to.
Also, I went with TWF. 2 Scimitars for more damage.

Also, it's not hard to RP at all. You're a leader guy who likes to fight. :smallbiggrin:

[Mortis_Elrod]

Barbarian 3(really any besides the dwarven one) and Moon Druid 2.

Classic mix right there and when you aren't raging you still have a few spells to cast. If you want the 2nd level spells more take off a level of Barb and put it into Moon druid.

or my one of my favorites the Goblin Ninja:
Goblin Gloomstalker Ranger 3(preferably revised ranger)/Monk 2

-Bonus action disengage and hide is super useful here, and the short rest +level damage is cool.
-Your one of the fastest short races plus you got monk levels for 40 feet total.
-Your first round of combat will give you your extra attack plus you can always bonus action to unarmed strike
-the multiclass works well stat wise and the classes compliment each other nicely

I recommend wielding a short sword or spear and nothing else but a dark cloth and alot of dirt and grime to cover in your skin in a black sheen.

Next 3 level should be in monk to increase unarmed damage, ki points, grab Shadowstep, and the Shadow monk spells, plus stunning strike and more movement speed. pick up Mobile or Skulker or an ASI increase (dex>wis unless DCs are what you want to focus)

After hitting Shadow monk 6/gloomstalker ranger 3 you should focus on ranger levels. You're 11th level ability is pretty good and so is 7th, plus you'll probably want more spells/slots.

End with Monk 8/Ranger 12.
I would end with

[Ivor_The_Mad]

Hey everybody, do you have any builds that are fun & unique while still being effective? I need ideas as we're starting a Level 5 campaign. Thanks!

Yay! One of my favorite combos is the Tabaxi (feline agility) monk (Drunken master with a dip into either rogue or fighter for action surge or cunning action) At 3rd level you get +10 to movement meaning with a dash and feline agility you can run 160ft plus after flurry of blows with drunken master you get +10 and a disengage meaning once you get to 5th you can use cunning action/action surge to escape 200 feet away after the flurry of blows without provoking opportunity attacks. At 5th you can move at 22 mph and at 20th your up to 280 and with boots of speed you can get up to 560ft. It is insane. I named my monk Pinball.

Edit: then with longstrider, you can hit 640ft and with freedom of movement makes him the perfect courier. And if you add haste to the mix you can hit 2560

30+30(monk bonus)+10(drunken technique)+10(longstrider) 80ft then boots of speed x2 160 dash (cunning action) x2 320 haste x2 640 and feline agility x2 1280 then you can do it all again -10 base spee with the extra action from haste so that's 2400. (thats pushing 300mph)

[sophontteks]

Wild sorcerer

/Thread:smallcool:

[Keravath]

Hexblade 2/lore Bard 3++

VHuman str8 dex14 con14 int 10/12 Wis 12/10 Cha 16

Healer feat

EB + Agonizing Blast plus Devil's sight

Medium armour + shield, empty hand to cast.

Good at will damage, excellent support, and good stuff as more and more bard cuts in.

Healers are welcome in any party....

Good choice ... though I might suggest resilient con at first level rather than the healer feat ... taking warlock 1 first will give you proficiency with both con and wis saves to start ... 1 bard gives dex and con saves.

[Rerem115]

My current Lesser-Cheese (as opposed to Greater-Cheese) build of choice is Half-Elf Champion Fighter with Brawny/Prodigy (Athletics), Shieldmaster, and Elven Accuracy. You knock 'em all down, then you crit for days.

[Keravath]

Another choice would be

3 divine soul sorcerer/2 hexblade

healing, support, and quickened eldritch blasts for those times you really need a lot of damage.

[Keravath]

Vhuman 5 gloomstalker ranger with alert feat
Switching over to assassin rogue after 5 for potentially very nasty first rounds.

With alert + gloomstalker wis to init you can end up with +11 to init really easily.

[Asmotherion]

Sorcerer with Twin Spell, Magic Initiate/Ritual Caster for a Familiar and Dragon's Breath.

One of my favorite Sorcerer Only tricks. Effectivelly Doubles your Ongoing DPT for a minute, and makes you look super cool by having both you and your familiar Breathing Elemental Fury like Dragons on your opponents. Bonus if you're of the Dragonic Origin, thus it makes an extra RP point for you.

And you thought you needed fireball to pack some decent AOE damage.

[JakOfAllTirades]

Wild sorcerer

/Thread:smallcool:

Okay, everyone just back away slowly and don't make any sudden moves or loud noises.... :wink:

[8wGremlin]

My current Lesser-Cheese (as opposed to Greater-Cheese) build of choice is Half-Elf Champion Fighter with Brawny/Prodigy (Athletics), Shieldmaster, and Elven Accuracy. You knock 'em all down, then you crit for days.

At level 5? wouldn't that be level 8?

Hexblade 2/Sorcerer (divine soul) 3 is is very effective. Human for the feat. (ritual caster wizard is useful)

[Rerem115]

Oops, missed that bit about starting at level 5. I'll admit, it takes a couple levels to pick up steam, but you can have everything on line by level 8, because Fighters are fantastic.

[8wGremlin]

Another interesting build at level 5 is the Barbarian(totem) 3/Druid (moon) 2
turn into something get a massive amount of HP to soak when transformed.