Wis based Frontliner

[Mystical-man]

I have been thinking of a character who uses wisdom for fighting much more than dexterity and strength, I like the idea of this as it makes him be a character who uses foresight and well placed strikes to fight just as good as someone who can hit like a semi truck or be as fast as a bullet. My main problem is how would I actually make a character with this? I want to make it not rely on dex and str much at all but I can't find much for that in the official rules. I understand that the way the DND works this might be suboptimal but I don't really mind that. My DM only allows official rules so how would I build a character like this?

(just gunna say, if you can build a idea like this using purely martial classes then thank you very much)

Edit: if wisdom is a bit hard to build around a INT or CHA character could work as well if there is more options for it but no hexblades please, a warlock doesn't fit with the idea I have for my character

[Unoriginal]

I have been thinking of a character who uses wisdom for fighting much more than dexterity and strength, I like the idea of this as it makes him be a character who uses foresight and well placed strikes to fight just as good as someone who can hit like a semi truck or be as fast as a bullet. My main problem is how would I actually make a character with this? I want to make it not rely on dex and str much at all but I can't find much for that in the official rules. I understand that the way the DND works this might be suboptimal but I don't really mind that. My DM only allows official rules so how would I build a character like this?

(just gunna say, if you can build a idea like this using purely martial classes then thank you very much)

Edit: if wisdom is a bit hard to build around a INT or CHA character could work as well if there is more options for it but no hexblades please, a warlock doesn't fit with the idea I have for my character

Taking the Shillelagh spell through the feat Magic Initiate will allow you this.

Now there is the question of AC. I recommand a Warforged War or Tempest Cleric with the highest tier of Warforged AC.

It would allow you to be a frontliner independently of DEX or STR.

Otherwise any player race can be a Shillelagh Monk.

When you say "official rules", are UAs included?

Because Fighter 1/Hill Giant Soul Sorcerer X would allow you what you want with CHA.

[etrpgb]

I have been thinking of a character who uses wisdom for fighting much more than dexterity and strength

From what you describe you want a Druid/Monk or Cleric/Monk. Or even a pure Monk with Magic Initiate [Druid] to have access to Shillelagh.


Edit:

Since you do not like the non martial classes probably the nearest you can get is: Monk (probably Long Death or Drunken Master), get Magic Initiate at the 4th level (or at first if Human Variant), go Battle Master (Duelling) for the rest.

Shillelagh on your Quaterstaff makes you attacks on WIS, the Monk makes your CA on WIS. The Battle Master gives your few special moves...

[nickl_2000]

It's certainly doable by RAW, especially with the Shillelagh spell.

-Take a High Elf Nature Cleric with Booming Blade from the high elf and Shillelagh from nature cleric. You now have a wisdom based frontliner who wears heavy or medium armor and attacks with wisdom.
-If you want an actual "martial" class, then you play a Ranger who either dips Druid/Nature Cleric or takes Magic Initiate to get Shillelagh.
-If you want more cheese you can go with PAM and a shield and a martial powerhouse by level 5 with hunter's mark and all the attacks.
-If you want pure martial, choose one of the fighter classes that doesn't create saves or have abilities based on Str/Dex (Champion, Brute, and Samurai would be solid choices), take Variant Human with Magic Initiate Druid for Shillelagh and whatever else seems good

[Mikal]

Arcana Cleric is surprisingly useful for this as well.
Go V-Human to pick up Magic Initiate- Shillelagh and Thorn Whip. Arcana Cleric to get the cantrips Booming Blade and GFB as Wisdom based cleric cantrips.
At level 7 all cleric cantrips gain Wisdom to damage.

Spellwise, go for stuff that boosts your combat abilities, such as spirit guardians, spiritual weapon, shield of faith, etc. Try and pick up a staff of striking as a magic item for more front line damage if possible, or just use a club if not. Regardless, use a shield for extra AC.
Stat wise, max your wisdom, get a decent constitution, and set your dexterity to 14 for medium armor maximization and you'll be doing lots of damage on the front lines with your wisdom boosted cleric cantrip damage attached to your wisdom based weapon damage. Spirit Guardians and Booming Blade keeps them from escaping, and if they do... Thorn Whip them back while causing more damage, while you get "Extra Attack" via Spiritual Weapon and/or GFB splash damage.

Extra Bonus- You eventually get a 7, 8, and 9 level Arcane spell in your pocket for those clutch situations.

[Palfatreos]

race: hill dwarf gettin plate armor withouth needing str requirement
class: cleric
Domain: tempest (it synergy well with booming blade that thunder based)
weapon: quarterstaff
Feats: *magic innate: to grab shill Shillelagh from druid and Booming Blade from warlock as for lvl 1 spell you could grab hex
*war caster+polearm: now you can use the combo as reaction when they trigger oppertunity attack when they enter or exit 5 feet of you.

[Arkhios]

Feats: *magic innate: to grab shill Shillelagh from druid and Booming Blade from warlock as for lvl 1 spell you could grab hex.

You choose a class when you take Magic Initiate. A class = one class. So, no. You can't take Shillelagh from druid and Booming Blade and Hex from Warlock. And druid doesn't have Booming Blade.

[Palfatreos]

You choose a class when you take Magic Initiate. A class = one class. So, no. You can't take Shillelagh from druid and Booming Blade and Hex from Warlock. And druid doesn't have Booming Blade.

my bad misreaded the description of it.

[sithlordnergal]

So, you wanna play a Wisdom based front liner. Welp, I have the build for you:

Race: Variant Human

--Ability Scores--

There are several ways to do this, but your main goal is to get Strength and Charisma to 13 or higher, and Wisdom to 16. I have two examples below



Str: 14
Dex: 10
Con: 12
Int: 8
Wis: 16
Cha: 14


Your two ability points from being a V-Human go into Cha and Wisdom




Str: 14
Dex: 8
Con: 14
Int: 8
Wis: 16
Cha: 13


This gives you a bit higher Con at the price of Dex and Charisma.


You can also build it to where you have 15 Strength so you can immediately use Plate Armor once you can afford it.

---Build---

Cantrip: Shillelgah

Feats: You're gonna want Magic Initiate and Polearm Master, UNLESS you choose to go Paladin/Druid. In which case you can just grab Polearm Master and be perfectly fine

Class: Pure Paladin, or Paladin/Sorcerer. Though given your Wisdom a Paladin/Druid works well too.

There ya go, now you have a Paladin who can tank, and provide plenty of DPR due to having a Bonus Action attack every round. And you'll use Wisdom for all of those attacks.

[Man_Over_Game]

You choose a class when you take Magic Initiate. A class = one class. So, no. You can't take Shillelagh from druid and Booming Blade and Hex from Warlock. And druid doesn't have Booming Blade.

The Druid doesn't, but the Arcana Cleric already gets to pick two Wizard cantrips, and Booming Blade is definitely an option there.

Magic Initiate, into Druid, going Rogue Inquisitive would work rather well. Grab that coveted Shillelagh and grab Magic Stone while you're at it, max out your Insight and Perception, use your high Wisdom to fuel your bonus action abilities. Magic Stone, with a Sling, is able to benefit from Sneak Attack (although the range would be limited to the sling range of 30 feet).

Alternatively, Monk, going into Four Elements, is a great pick. Your saving throws are determined by your Wisdom score, and the most powerful abilities from that subclass utilize saving throws. On top of that, your AC would scale with your Wisdom (as would your main attack via Shillelagh), and once you max out your Wisdom, you can start maxing out your Dexterity to further increase your AC and unarmed strikes.

Of course, the most obvious option (and probably easiest) is a Moon Druid. You'd keep the Wisdom score into your beast shapes, which would help with saving throws and skills and whatnot. Out of beast form, you could use things like Primal Savagery or Poison Spray to deal heavy melee damage that scales with your level (where Shillelagh only scales with multiple attacks). Magic Stone is an interesting option, as you could shapeshift into an Ape and start throwing the rocks at enemies with your enhanced Wisdom.

[fert1g]

I think that the best frontline wisdom build is someone who is able to use Shillelagh and either Booming Blade or Green-Flame Blade simultaneously. I think the most effective build would be a pure cleric.

Taking the Nature Domain archetype gives you access to Shillelagh and plate armour at level one and through variant Human one could access Magic Initiate at level one to get Booming Blade or Green-Flame Blade from the Wizard Spell list (along with Find Familiar). Alternatively, one could play a variant Half-Elf (High-Elf) to gain access to Booming Blade or Green-Flame Blade at level one (from the extra cantrip), too. Furthermore, a cleric gains access to Spiritual Weapon and Spirit Guardians which are amongst the best combat spells in the game. I'd also recommend Warcaster to maximise the amount of time that Spirit Guardians would be up and to allow one to use a shield and cast spells simultaneously without worry.

This type of build would have an impressive action economy and have high damage output, using a Blade cantrip as their action, attacking with Spiritual Weapon as a bonus action, concentrating on Spirit Guardians, and using Dampen Elements to grant allies and themselves resistance as a reaction. In addition, their Divine Strike damage type can be changed at-will to exploit enemy vulnerabilities. Outside of combat, it would make an excellent healer (since it's a full cleric) and an excellent survivalist and explorer (thanks to the Nature Domain's spell list). To fill out the saves and improve concentration saves I'd also recommend Resilient (Constitution).

Since Shillelagh only works with clubs and quarterstaffs, I'd recommend using a shield (as the quaterstaff's versatile feature becomes irrelevant once Shillelagh has been cast). Using a shield also grants access to the Shield Master feat, allowing one to improve their dexterity save and benefit from something similar to the Rogue's evasion feature. If one prefers offence, one could consider using a Wand of the War Mage in their offhand to improve the accuracy of Spiritual Weapon.

Please bear in mind that, unless playing a Dwarf, this character would require at least a fifteen in strength to wear plate armour or a fourteen in dexterity to gain the maximum armour class afforded by medium armour (seventeen).

I'd play it as a grizzled old man who's as old as the woods and uses nature and the elements to fight, channelling the power of the forest (Shillelagh) and the weather (Booming Blade). Spiritual Weapon and Spirit Guardians could take the forms of ghostly woodland creatures, like the Patronuses in Harry Potter. In addition, the ability to change Divine Strike's damage type to exploit an enemy's vulnerability further adds to the idea of a wise fighter that thinks as he fights, in my opinion.

[Arkhios]

The Druid doesn't, but the Arcana Cleric already gets to pick two Wizard cantrips, and Booming Blade is definitely an option there.

Yes, but I responded to a post that had nothing to do with Arcana Cleric.

[Willie the Duck]

If the only goal is to use Wis as your combat stat, then picking up shillelagh is the only req. (plus figuring out armor, but str 15, dex 14, or dwarf race are the simplest solution to that). A straight up fighter can still put their highest stat into Wisdom, get MI (shillelagh and a ranged combat cantrip, if desired) and just go from there.

[Man_Over_Game]

Yes, but I responded to a post that had nothing to do with Arcana Cleric.
My bad, misread that. Good call.