leugren
2019-05-12, 04:34 PM
Dwarven Tunnel Titan Build - Fighter [Battlemaster] 12 / Ranger [Gloomstalker] 8
People rarely seem to post fully annotated builds any more, which I've always found instructive, so I thought I'd try my hand at one. This build attempts to recreate a classic fantasy trope by combining a sword-and-board Battlemaster with a Gloomstalker in order to gain added durability and damage output without straying too far from the basic character concept. Of particular note is the fact that this build grants proficiency in all 3 major saves by level 8. Any feedback is welcome!
Introduction:
This build began as an attempt to create a fairly archetypal dwarven warrior: the grizzled veteran who dons his heavy armor and battered shield, then wades into battle with his trusty warhammer, shrugging off injuries that would leave lesser souls crippled or dead.
For me, the essence of this archetype is survivability. The character needs to have good all-around defences--a high armor class, high hit points, good saving throws, and resistances of various types. All other concerns, including high damage output and the ability to draw enemy fire, are of secondary importance. The other attribute of this archetype that I deemed essential is a reliance on martial abilities. This is not a devotee of some god or a practitioner of the arcane arts; this is a seasoned grunt who survives primarily by the strength of his own arms.
The first class I looked at was the Barbarian. Gaining resistance to all bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage while raging makes for some of the best survivability in the game--even better if you go Bear Totem. There were a couple of things about the class that threw me off, however. First, none of the most important defensive abilities work if you are wearing heavy armor. Carrying a shield is also sub-optimal, since the Reckless Attack mechanic encourages you to open your guard and let your opponents beat on you, depending on your resistances to mitigate the damage. If you are granting advantage on nearly every attack, why bother with a shield? Finally, I simply couldn’t reconcile the idea of a primitive totem warrior with the level of discipline and organization that I normally associate with dwarven soldiers. In short, the flavor of the class and the style of play it encouraged seemed off to me, and I did not want to compromise on the vision for the character.
The next class I looked at was the Paladin. Paladins have great saving throw bonuses once they hit level 6. They gain heavy armor proficiency at level 1, and their Divine Smite ability ensures that you’ll be dishing out decent damage even if you’re wielding a hammer in one hand and a shield in the other. This is the only class I can think of where a sword-and-board style of play can still be optimal. One of the biggest problems I have with Paladins is that they are highly dependent on multiple attributes for their effectiveness, one of these being Charisma. This doesn’t quite gel with my idea of a tough, laconic dwarf grunt, whose primary attributes should be Strength and Constitution. To get the most out of the Paladin class, I would have to maximize Charisma at the expense of Constitution, which just feels wrong to me. I also can’t quite reconcile the single-minded zeal of a typical Paladin with the earthy pragmatism that I envision for this dwarven bruiser. I ruled out the Cleric class for similar reasons, as well as the reduced Hit Dice.
I next took a look at the Fighter class. From a flavor perspective, it fit my character concept to a tee, particularly the Battlemaster subclass. The Eldritch Knight subclass was out of the question, since there’s no way a self-respecting dwarf would be caught dead using arcane magic. The Cavalier subclass caught my eye, but the flavor was off, and its differentiating features don’t fully come on line until level 18. Unwavering Mark is neat, but the fact that the bonus action attack can only be used a number of times per day equal to your Strength modifier did a lot to dampen my enthusiasm for it. Warding Maneuver has a similar limitation. The biggest problem I have with this subclass, and with the Fighter class in general, is that it offers very little by way of damage mitigation to compensate for the added attention that will surely be drawn your way once you plant yourself on the front lines of every battle. Second Wind diminishes in value as you increase in level and can only be used once per short rest. Indomitable is nice, but the number of uses is way too limited. Your AC is decent, but without resorting to spells (e.g. Shield, Shield of Faith), you have no way to raise it into the stratosphere. With a maximum AC of 21, you can expect to get hit a lot, especially as you go up in levels, and while your hit points are going to be decent, you’re just a little cream-puff compared to a Barbarian. For a build that focuses on Strength and Constitution, you can also expect to bear the full brunt of most area-of-effect attacks, and you will be completely defenseless against these, since they usually require a Dexterity save. You are also particularly susceptible to charm and fear effects, since you lack proficiency with Wisdom saving throws. Expect to be put out of commission by these effects on a regular basis. In short, your own survivability will be largely dependent on the capabilities and play style of your fellow party members, who will be forced to expend quite a bit of their own energies just keeping you on your feet. This is less than ideal for our dwarven doughboy!
To summarize, while Battlemaster Fighter seems to fit my character concept perfectly, it falls short in terms of providing me with the additional survivability I need to plant myself on the front line of every battle. The following progression shows how I decided to compensate for these deficiencies to produce a build which is both effective and remains faithful to the original character concept.
The Build:
Level 1 - Mountain Dwarf Fighter 1:
Pre-racial Ability Scores: STR 14, DEX 13, CON 14, INT 9, WIS 14, CHA 8
Post-racial Ability Scores: STR 16, DEX 13, CON 16, INT 9, WIS 14, CHA 8
Background: Soldier
Skills: Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Perception
Tools: Smith’s Tools (from Dwarven Tool Proficiency), Dice Set, Vehicles (Land)
Languages: Common, Dwarvish
Darkvision 60 ft.
Dwarven Resilience
Stonecunning
Fighting Style: Defense
Commentary: We start off as a Fighter so that we can have proficiency with heavy armor right out of the gate as well as Constitution saving throws. My Strength and Constitution are maxed out as they should be. The Dexterity score of 13 gives me a small bump to Initiative, sets us up to take Resilient (Dexterity) later on, and sets me up to multiclass as Ranger. The Wisdom score of 14 gives me a respectable modifier to both Perception and Insight, and also sets me up to multiclass as Ranger. I chose Defense for my Fighting Style because it fits in with the theme of maximizing my survivability. At early levels, a tactic that I plan to use frequently is to plant myself within 5 feet of as many opponents as possible and to use the Dodge action.
Level 2 - Ranger 1:
Skill: Survival
Languages: Orc (from Favored Enemy)
Favored Enemy: Humanoid (Orcs, Goblinoids)
Natural Explorer: Underdark
Commentary: The choices for Favored Enemy and Natural Explorer fit thematically with our dwarven archetype.
Level 3 - Ranger 2:
Fighting Style: Dueling
Spells Known: Absorb Elements, Hunter’s Mark
Commentary: Between Dueling and Hunter’s Mark, our damage output just went up considerably. Opponents may think twice now before attempting to leave my reach. With proficiency in Constitution saves, maintaining Hunter’s Mark for a long time should be no problem, even if I am taking a lot of hits. The key ability at this level is Absorb Elements, however. No longer is my character a sitting duck against most area of effect spells, since he can grant himself resistance at will. The only tricky part about using Absorb Elements is that it requires a free hand in order to execute the somatic component. This means that, by RAW, my character will have to sheathe his hammer at the end of his turn if he suspects that he’s in imminent danger of getting blasted with an elemental attack. This sucks, quite frankly! Sword-and-board characters have a tough enough time competing against SS archers and GWM/PAM melee fighters without having to deal with this fiddly spell component crap! I will try to get my DM to give me a break. Note that none of the Ranger spells I’ve chosen or plan to choose depend in any way on Wisdom. Most of the ones I plan to use can also be explained as abilities that derive from my own skills or from my special connection with my underground home, which helps to preserve the integrity of my original character concept.
Level 4 - Ranger [Gloomstalker] 3:
Dread Ambusher
Umbral Sight
Spells Known: Disguise Self, Zephyr Strike
Commentary: The range of my darkvision just went up to 90 feet, which is great for spotting opponents before they spot me. I also get to add my Wisdom modifier to my Initiative roll, which will help me reach to the ideal spot for tanking before my opponents can get there. The much needed movement boost and the extra attack with added damage in the first round of combat is pure gravy. Zephyr Strike will allow me to bypass the enemy front line as needed in order to reach softer, more dangerous targets lurking in the back. Alternatively, it makes for a great panic button if things get too hot. Gaining invisibility to darkvision does wonders for the survivability of this character in certain situations. As long as he can stay in the dark, he gains advantage against all opponents and all opponents have disadvantage against him. This is thematically perfect for a dwarf who cut his teeth fighting against the orcish hordes in the pitch black tunnels deep beneath the earth. I automatically get the Disguise Self spell, but I probably won’t ever use it except in extremis, since it really doesn’t fit in with the character concept.
Level 5 - Ranger [Gloomstalker] 4:
Feat: Resilient (Dexterity)
Commentary: My Dexterity is now 14, which boosts my Initiative modifier by 1 (total is +4). Together with the Absorb Elements spell, Resilient (Dex) helps to shore up a major weakness of this character in terms of survivability. AoE effects are not so scary for me any more. By level 8, when I gain Iron Mind, I will have proficiency with all 3 major saves: Dexterity, Constitution, and Wisdom. I prioritized this above capping out my Strength, since the build is focused on survivability above damage output.
Level 6 - Ranger [Gloomstalker] 5:
Extra Attack
Spells: Healing Spirit, Rope Trick
Commentary: Extra Attack comes one level later than for most martial characters, but again, the emphasis of this build is on maximizing survivability. Conventional optimization wisdom holds that it’s generally okay to delay Extra Attack by one level, but not more than one level. The Healing Spirit spell is just awesome for getting me back on my feet between combats. If I cast it on myself at the beginning of a combat, I can use it to heal 1d6 every turn, which is great for helping to keep me on my feet without relying on third-party healing buffs. I automatically get the Rope Trick spell, and it’s a really useful spell, even if it really doesn’t fit in with my character concept.
Level 7 - Ranger [Gloomstalker] 6:
Languages: Giant (from Favored Enemy)
Favored Enemy: Giants
Natural Explorer: Mountain
Commentary: The choices for Favored Enemy and Natural Explorer fit thematically with our dwarven archetype.
Level 8 - Ranger [Gloomstalker] 7:
Iron Mind
Spells: Lesser Restoration
Commentary: With Iron Mind, I am now proficient in all three major saves, and far less vulnerable to fear and charm effects. As a frontliner, I am feeling far more confident! Lesser Restoration lets me remove some nasty effects from myself and others.
Level 9 - Ranger [Gloomstalker] 8:
+2 Strength
Commentary: Having covered some major bases in terms of survivability, focus now shifts to capping out my Strength.
Level 10 - Fighter 2:
Action Surge
Commentary: Action Surge provides some much needed nova capability, though for this particular build, I am just as apt use it in order to take the Dodge action.
Level 11 - Fighter [Battlemaster] 3:
Tools: Mason’s Tools (from Student of War)
Maneuvers: Goading Attack, Menacing Attack, Trip Attack
Commentary: Goading Attack is great for drawing an enemy’s attention away from one of my allies and towards me. I can use Trip attack to grant myself and my comrades advantage on subsequent attacks. I will generally use it against weaker looking targets. For larger brutes, I will rely on Menacing Attack, which will make it much harder for them to hit me.
Level 12 - Fighter [Battlemaster] 4:
+2 Strength
Commentary: The obligatory capping out of my primary attack attribute is now complete, and we can move on to other things.
Level 13 - Fighter [Battlemaster] 5:
Commentary: This is the only dead level for me, since I would normally get Extra Attack. I view it as a necessary sacrifice, since I am hungry for the additional ASIs and the Extra Attack (2) ability which the Fighter class provides.
Level 14 - Fighter [Battlemaster] 6:
Feat: Shield Master
Commentary: The choices at this level were a bit of a toss-up for me between Sentinel and Shield Master. I eventually went with Shield Master, because it grants me the ability to take no damage from AoE effects, similar to the Evasion ability, but at the expense of my reaction. This fits well with the survivability theme, and synergizes with Resilient (Dex). One might argue that I should have taken it earlier in the build, but it doesn’t make much sense without Resilient (Dex) since without it, I would rarely succeed at Dex saves. I was also loathe to wait until 12th and 14th level before capping out my Strength. The bonus action Shove is situationally useful, but it has to take place after the Attack action, which means that my melee allies may benefit from advantage, but I almost certainly will not. Depending on the ratio of melee attackers to ranged attackers in the party, it may actually prove a detriment as opposed to a benefit.
Level 15 - Fighter [Battlemaster] 7:
Maneuvers: Riposte, Commander’s Strike
Commentary: Commander’s Strike is perfect when you want to pour some damage on your foe, especially if you have a rogue or divine smiting paladin in your party. Riposte is situationally useful for you, since your damage output is not great.
Level 16 - Fighter [Battlemaster] 8:
Feat: Sentinel
Commentary: Improved stickiness and situational action denial against a single foe per round. Fits the defender theme.
Level 17 - Fighter [Battlemaster] 9:
Indomitable (1 use / long rest)
Commentary: Ability to reroll one saving throw per long rest. Not great, but will occasionally save my bacon.
Level 18 - Fighter [Battlemaster] 10:
Maneuvers: Precision Attack, Disarming Attack
Commentary: Precision Attack is reserved for foes that are really hard to hit. I probably won’t use it too often, since there are much better choices for me, but it adds to my bag of tricks. Disarming Attack can be situationally useful if one of my allies can get to the dropped weapon before my opponent does.
Level 19 - Fighter [Battlemaster] 11:
Extra Attack (2)
Commentary: Apart from the extra ASIs, here is the real reason why we stuck with the Fighter class for this long.
Level 20 - Fighter [Battlemaster] 12:
Feat: Tough
Commentary: Since we don’t have enough ASIs left to cap out Constitution, we pick up the Tough feat, which provides us with the equivalent hit point bonus at the cost of a single ASI.
People rarely seem to post fully annotated builds any more, which I've always found instructive, so I thought I'd try my hand at one. This build attempts to recreate a classic fantasy trope by combining a sword-and-board Battlemaster with a Gloomstalker in order to gain added durability and damage output without straying too far from the basic character concept. Of particular note is the fact that this build grants proficiency in all 3 major saves by level 8. Any feedback is welcome!
Introduction:
This build began as an attempt to create a fairly archetypal dwarven warrior: the grizzled veteran who dons his heavy armor and battered shield, then wades into battle with his trusty warhammer, shrugging off injuries that would leave lesser souls crippled or dead.
For me, the essence of this archetype is survivability. The character needs to have good all-around defences--a high armor class, high hit points, good saving throws, and resistances of various types. All other concerns, including high damage output and the ability to draw enemy fire, are of secondary importance. The other attribute of this archetype that I deemed essential is a reliance on martial abilities. This is not a devotee of some god or a practitioner of the arcane arts; this is a seasoned grunt who survives primarily by the strength of his own arms.
The first class I looked at was the Barbarian. Gaining resistance to all bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage while raging makes for some of the best survivability in the game--even better if you go Bear Totem. There were a couple of things about the class that threw me off, however. First, none of the most important defensive abilities work if you are wearing heavy armor. Carrying a shield is also sub-optimal, since the Reckless Attack mechanic encourages you to open your guard and let your opponents beat on you, depending on your resistances to mitigate the damage. If you are granting advantage on nearly every attack, why bother with a shield? Finally, I simply couldn’t reconcile the idea of a primitive totem warrior with the level of discipline and organization that I normally associate with dwarven soldiers. In short, the flavor of the class and the style of play it encouraged seemed off to me, and I did not want to compromise on the vision for the character.
The next class I looked at was the Paladin. Paladins have great saving throw bonuses once they hit level 6. They gain heavy armor proficiency at level 1, and their Divine Smite ability ensures that you’ll be dishing out decent damage even if you’re wielding a hammer in one hand and a shield in the other. This is the only class I can think of where a sword-and-board style of play can still be optimal. One of the biggest problems I have with Paladins is that they are highly dependent on multiple attributes for their effectiveness, one of these being Charisma. This doesn’t quite gel with my idea of a tough, laconic dwarf grunt, whose primary attributes should be Strength and Constitution. To get the most out of the Paladin class, I would have to maximize Charisma at the expense of Constitution, which just feels wrong to me. I also can’t quite reconcile the single-minded zeal of a typical Paladin with the earthy pragmatism that I envision for this dwarven bruiser. I ruled out the Cleric class for similar reasons, as well as the reduced Hit Dice.
I next took a look at the Fighter class. From a flavor perspective, it fit my character concept to a tee, particularly the Battlemaster subclass. The Eldritch Knight subclass was out of the question, since there’s no way a self-respecting dwarf would be caught dead using arcane magic. The Cavalier subclass caught my eye, but the flavor was off, and its differentiating features don’t fully come on line until level 18. Unwavering Mark is neat, but the fact that the bonus action attack can only be used a number of times per day equal to your Strength modifier did a lot to dampen my enthusiasm for it. Warding Maneuver has a similar limitation. The biggest problem I have with this subclass, and with the Fighter class in general, is that it offers very little by way of damage mitigation to compensate for the added attention that will surely be drawn your way once you plant yourself on the front lines of every battle. Second Wind diminishes in value as you increase in level and can only be used once per short rest. Indomitable is nice, but the number of uses is way too limited. Your AC is decent, but without resorting to spells (e.g. Shield, Shield of Faith), you have no way to raise it into the stratosphere. With a maximum AC of 21, you can expect to get hit a lot, especially as you go up in levels, and while your hit points are going to be decent, you’re just a little cream-puff compared to a Barbarian. For a build that focuses on Strength and Constitution, you can also expect to bear the full brunt of most area-of-effect attacks, and you will be completely defenseless against these, since they usually require a Dexterity save. You are also particularly susceptible to charm and fear effects, since you lack proficiency with Wisdom saving throws. Expect to be put out of commission by these effects on a regular basis. In short, your own survivability will be largely dependent on the capabilities and play style of your fellow party members, who will be forced to expend quite a bit of their own energies just keeping you on your feet. This is less than ideal for our dwarven doughboy!
To summarize, while Battlemaster Fighter seems to fit my character concept perfectly, it falls short in terms of providing me with the additional survivability I need to plant myself on the front line of every battle. The following progression shows how I decided to compensate for these deficiencies to produce a build which is both effective and remains faithful to the original character concept.
The Build:
Level 1 - Mountain Dwarf Fighter 1:
Pre-racial Ability Scores: STR 14, DEX 13, CON 14, INT 9, WIS 14, CHA 8
Post-racial Ability Scores: STR 16, DEX 13, CON 16, INT 9, WIS 14, CHA 8
Background: Soldier
Skills: Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Perception
Tools: Smith’s Tools (from Dwarven Tool Proficiency), Dice Set, Vehicles (Land)
Languages: Common, Dwarvish
Darkvision 60 ft.
Dwarven Resilience
Stonecunning
Fighting Style: Defense
Commentary: We start off as a Fighter so that we can have proficiency with heavy armor right out of the gate as well as Constitution saving throws. My Strength and Constitution are maxed out as they should be. The Dexterity score of 13 gives me a small bump to Initiative, sets us up to take Resilient (Dexterity) later on, and sets me up to multiclass as Ranger. The Wisdom score of 14 gives me a respectable modifier to both Perception and Insight, and also sets me up to multiclass as Ranger. I chose Defense for my Fighting Style because it fits in with the theme of maximizing my survivability. At early levels, a tactic that I plan to use frequently is to plant myself within 5 feet of as many opponents as possible and to use the Dodge action.
Level 2 - Ranger 1:
Skill: Survival
Languages: Orc (from Favored Enemy)
Favored Enemy: Humanoid (Orcs, Goblinoids)
Natural Explorer: Underdark
Commentary: The choices for Favored Enemy and Natural Explorer fit thematically with our dwarven archetype.
Level 3 - Ranger 2:
Fighting Style: Dueling
Spells Known: Absorb Elements, Hunter’s Mark
Commentary: Between Dueling and Hunter’s Mark, our damage output just went up considerably. Opponents may think twice now before attempting to leave my reach. With proficiency in Constitution saves, maintaining Hunter’s Mark for a long time should be no problem, even if I am taking a lot of hits. The key ability at this level is Absorb Elements, however. No longer is my character a sitting duck against most area of effect spells, since he can grant himself resistance at will. The only tricky part about using Absorb Elements is that it requires a free hand in order to execute the somatic component. This means that, by RAW, my character will have to sheathe his hammer at the end of his turn if he suspects that he’s in imminent danger of getting blasted with an elemental attack. This sucks, quite frankly! Sword-and-board characters have a tough enough time competing against SS archers and GWM/PAM melee fighters without having to deal with this fiddly spell component crap! I will try to get my DM to give me a break. Note that none of the Ranger spells I’ve chosen or plan to choose depend in any way on Wisdom. Most of the ones I plan to use can also be explained as abilities that derive from my own skills or from my special connection with my underground home, which helps to preserve the integrity of my original character concept.
Level 4 - Ranger [Gloomstalker] 3:
Dread Ambusher
Umbral Sight
Spells Known: Disguise Self, Zephyr Strike
Commentary: The range of my darkvision just went up to 90 feet, which is great for spotting opponents before they spot me. I also get to add my Wisdom modifier to my Initiative roll, which will help me reach to the ideal spot for tanking before my opponents can get there. The much needed movement boost and the extra attack with added damage in the first round of combat is pure gravy. Zephyr Strike will allow me to bypass the enemy front line as needed in order to reach softer, more dangerous targets lurking in the back. Alternatively, it makes for a great panic button if things get too hot. Gaining invisibility to darkvision does wonders for the survivability of this character in certain situations. As long as he can stay in the dark, he gains advantage against all opponents and all opponents have disadvantage against him. This is thematically perfect for a dwarf who cut his teeth fighting against the orcish hordes in the pitch black tunnels deep beneath the earth. I automatically get the Disguise Self spell, but I probably won’t ever use it except in extremis, since it really doesn’t fit in with the character concept.
Level 5 - Ranger [Gloomstalker] 4:
Feat: Resilient (Dexterity)
Commentary: My Dexterity is now 14, which boosts my Initiative modifier by 1 (total is +4). Together with the Absorb Elements spell, Resilient (Dex) helps to shore up a major weakness of this character in terms of survivability. AoE effects are not so scary for me any more. By level 8, when I gain Iron Mind, I will have proficiency with all 3 major saves: Dexterity, Constitution, and Wisdom. I prioritized this above capping out my Strength, since the build is focused on survivability above damage output.
Level 6 - Ranger [Gloomstalker] 5:
Extra Attack
Spells: Healing Spirit, Rope Trick
Commentary: Extra Attack comes one level later than for most martial characters, but again, the emphasis of this build is on maximizing survivability. Conventional optimization wisdom holds that it’s generally okay to delay Extra Attack by one level, but not more than one level. The Healing Spirit spell is just awesome for getting me back on my feet between combats. If I cast it on myself at the beginning of a combat, I can use it to heal 1d6 every turn, which is great for helping to keep me on my feet without relying on third-party healing buffs. I automatically get the Rope Trick spell, and it’s a really useful spell, even if it really doesn’t fit in with my character concept.
Level 7 - Ranger [Gloomstalker] 6:
Languages: Giant (from Favored Enemy)
Favored Enemy: Giants
Natural Explorer: Mountain
Commentary: The choices for Favored Enemy and Natural Explorer fit thematically with our dwarven archetype.
Level 8 - Ranger [Gloomstalker] 7:
Iron Mind
Spells: Lesser Restoration
Commentary: With Iron Mind, I am now proficient in all three major saves, and far less vulnerable to fear and charm effects. As a frontliner, I am feeling far more confident! Lesser Restoration lets me remove some nasty effects from myself and others.
Level 9 - Ranger [Gloomstalker] 8:
+2 Strength
Commentary: Having covered some major bases in terms of survivability, focus now shifts to capping out my Strength.
Level 10 - Fighter 2:
Action Surge
Commentary: Action Surge provides some much needed nova capability, though for this particular build, I am just as apt use it in order to take the Dodge action.
Level 11 - Fighter [Battlemaster] 3:
Tools: Mason’s Tools (from Student of War)
Maneuvers: Goading Attack, Menacing Attack, Trip Attack
Commentary: Goading Attack is great for drawing an enemy’s attention away from one of my allies and towards me. I can use Trip attack to grant myself and my comrades advantage on subsequent attacks. I will generally use it against weaker looking targets. For larger brutes, I will rely on Menacing Attack, which will make it much harder for them to hit me.
Level 12 - Fighter [Battlemaster] 4:
+2 Strength
Commentary: The obligatory capping out of my primary attack attribute is now complete, and we can move on to other things.
Level 13 - Fighter [Battlemaster] 5:
Commentary: This is the only dead level for me, since I would normally get Extra Attack. I view it as a necessary sacrifice, since I am hungry for the additional ASIs and the Extra Attack (2) ability which the Fighter class provides.
Level 14 - Fighter [Battlemaster] 6:
Feat: Shield Master
Commentary: The choices at this level were a bit of a toss-up for me between Sentinel and Shield Master. I eventually went with Shield Master, because it grants me the ability to take no damage from AoE effects, similar to the Evasion ability, but at the expense of my reaction. This fits well with the survivability theme, and synergizes with Resilient (Dex). One might argue that I should have taken it earlier in the build, but it doesn’t make much sense without Resilient (Dex) since without it, I would rarely succeed at Dex saves. I was also loathe to wait until 12th and 14th level before capping out my Strength. The bonus action Shove is situationally useful, but it has to take place after the Attack action, which means that my melee allies may benefit from advantage, but I almost certainly will not. Depending on the ratio of melee attackers to ranged attackers in the party, it may actually prove a detriment as opposed to a benefit.
Level 15 - Fighter [Battlemaster] 7:
Maneuvers: Riposte, Commander’s Strike
Commentary: Commander’s Strike is perfect when you want to pour some damage on your foe, especially if you have a rogue or divine smiting paladin in your party. Riposte is situationally useful for you, since your damage output is not great.
Level 16 - Fighter [Battlemaster] 8:
Feat: Sentinel
Commentary: Improved stickiness and situational action denial against a single foe per round. Fits the defender theme.
Level 17 - Fighter [Battlemaster] 9:
Indomitable (1 use / long rest)
Commentary: Ability to reroll one saving throw per long rest. Not great, but will occasionally save my bacon.
Level 18 - Fighter [Battlemaster] 10:
Maneuvers: Precision Attack, Disarming Attack
Commentary: Precision Attack is reserved for foes that are really hard to hit. I probably won’t use it too often, since there are much better choices for me, but it adds to my bag of tricks. Disarming Attack can be situationally useful if one of my allies can get to the dropped weapon before my opponent does.
Level 19 - Fighter [Battlemaster] 11:
Extra Attack (2)
Commentary: Apart from the extra ASIs, here is the real reason why we stuck with the Fighter class for this long.
Level 20 - Fighter [Battlemaster] 12:
Feat: Tough
Commentary: Since we don’t have enough ASIs left to cap out Constitution, we pick up the Tough feat, which provides us with the equivalent hit point bonus at the cost of a single ASI.