Favorite Gish: 2020 Edition

[tmjr6]

Hey everyone,

With Fifth Edition now getting close to its six year anniversary I'm curious if anyone's opinions on the classic concept "the gish." What is your favorite gish build in 5e, for both mechanical and RP reasons?

[Trask]

My favorite gish that I've done so far is definitely my Paladin 6/Sorcerer 14 that I brought all the way from around 5th to 20th level. Very fun to play, really captured the feel of a battle-mage. Swinging a sword and casting spells as needed, with a decent amount of responses to any situation. Her only weakness was her relative frailty but of course there are spells to help with that, notably blink or greater invisibility which I used to great effect.

As for RP, she was the daughter of a royal family of paladins who was born under the inauspicious shadow of a malevolent god and squirreled away from the kingdom after almost being killed at birth. Raised with a sort of dark "stain" on her excellent paladin pedigreed bloodline made for a delightfully edgy character to play, and a perfect mechanical fit for her origin story.

[Quietus]

I've only really gotten the chance to play one, but it was a blast. Half elf Paladin 2/Bard (college of swords) X. Got up to level 10, AL styled build. Had a little bit of ability in everything, opened a fight with a landscape-defining spell and then rolled in to hit targets of opportunity once they were already engaged. Played him up as a very Errol Flynn style character, over the top, and aiming for fun in all things. I'd love to get to keep playing him.

[Evaar]

I've only really gotten the chance to play one, but it was a blast. Half elf Paladin 2/Bard (college of swords) X. Got up to level 10, AL styled build. Had a little bit of ability in everything, opened a fight with a landscape-defining spell and then rolled in to hit targets of opportunity once they were already engaged. Played him up as a very Errol Flynn style character, over the top, and aiming for fun in all things. I'd love to get to keep playing him.

Was that dexterity or strength based?

And did you roll for stats or use point buy?

I've been wanting to do basically this, but wanted to play Dexterity for flavor and couldn't make the stats work out.

[Expired]

Hey everyone,

With Fifth Edition now getting close to its six year anniversary I'm curious if anyone's opinions on the classic concept "the gish." What is your favorite gish build in 5e, for both mechanical and RP reasons?
My favorite gishes are Sorcadins. My favorite build thus far has been an Acolyte VHuman Oath of Heroism Paladin 0-6/Divine Soul Sorcerer 0-14 of the Triad (Ilmater, Torm, and Tyr/Bahamut) with S&B and heavy armor with 16 Str, 15 Con, and 16 Cha (Shield Master, +2 Cha x2, Resilient: Con, and War Caster). Magic items I had were Belt of Giant's Strength, Ring of Protection, and Cloak of Protection.

The ability to tank (through high AC and amazing saving throws), deal NOVA damage, and cast spells (including Cleric spells) was fun and very effective in combat and social encounters.

[WaroftheCrans]

I'm currently playing a hexblade, who's not pact of the blade, but is a melee fighter.

For the roleplay part:
I love the concept of the hexblade, and my character is a Warforged Envoy Smith, named Fergus, who found an ancient tome with the instructions to build an otherworldly weapon.
Fergus burned the tome, but as with most eldritch things, it was permanently etched into his brain. After about a year of continuing visions of the tome and its instructions, he set out to try and gather the components he needs to craft the blade.
Due to warforged being almost nonexistent in this world, and Fergus' creation being an accident (construct that was imbued with sentience somehow) he disguises himself as a human scotsman. Plays bagpipes (without proficiency), wears a kilt, and speaks in a thick scottish brogue.

All of his skills revolve around his singular goal of finding the components of his project. He's true neutral, with a slight lawful bent, except where matters of the blade lie.
When he drops his disguise, he's a 6'4 envoy with sooty, darker blue plating, set upon ash wood and grey steel. His left hand contains a blowtorch that is fueled by the gas he stores in his "lungs." Right arm contains his integrated blacksmith's tools.


Mechanical
Pact of the tome, using SCAG cantrips to deal damage, along with a flametongue sword.
It's a ridiculously high magic campaign (we found a holy avenger and deck of many things at lvl 2, among other items), so Fergus went out and commissioned himself some illusionists bracers (https://5e.tools/items/illusionists-bracers-ggr.html), which are quite possibly the most broken item in dnd. Fergus dishes out his damage with 2 SCAG blade cantrips a turn with a flametongue sword.

He occasionally uses a wand of magic missiles to dish out his ranged damage (I have not yet learned eldritch blast), or a circlet of blasting.
He has an ac of 24, and has a ring of spell storing stacked with castings of shield.
Laying down darkness and then hitting with a couple of green flame blades is always pretty fun, and armor of agathys punishes any monsters that can hit Fergus.
The paladin with holy avenger helps Fergus make any saving throws he needs to do.

[Quietus]

Was that dexterity or strength based?

And did you roll for stats or use point buy?

I've been wanting to do basically this, but wanted to play Dexterity for flavor and couldn't make the stats work out.

Dex, half elf. Started with 13/16/14/8/8/16 I think? Took bard to 3,then got my paladin levels, then straight bard from there. I definitely felt the lack of extra Atco at levels 5, 6, and 7, but since I was usually leading with faerie fire, (upcast) hold person, hypnotic pattern, or blindness /deafness, I never felt like I was dead weight.

All ASI went to bumping charisma, to ensure that first round spell landed on maximum targets, and get me more inspiration /flourishes. Concentration was rarely a problem, for two reasons. One, by the time I joined combat, the rest of the party looked like a bigger threat, and if any opponent decided otherwise it was by the time we were cleaning up. And two, between 16 dex, half plate, and shield, I was already at 19+magic AC. Add a defensive flourish to that, or the pushing flourish and a little bit of gtfo, and I was quite safe most of the time.

[Alucard89]

My favourite gishes are Hexblades. They not only get everything gish wants without multiclassing but they also summon their magical weapons, they are monsters in melee thanks to constant advantage. They can be both great melee and range fighters. They get smite that works for both melee and range weapons. They get best single target damage spell in game. They get Life Drinker, Extra Attack, Smites and MAs for 6,7,8,9 level spells. They also get all ASI while staing mono-class and still get tons of most powerful spells in game.

My second favourite is Hexblade 1/Whisper or Sword Bard with Crossbow Master and Sharpshoter. They are beasts when it comes to DPR, utility, skills etc. and whisper hexbard can deal over 150 DPR after level 15, all with advantage.

My third one are Hexsorcadins in many variants and shapes. My recent fav one is Yuan-Ti Pureblood 1 Hexblade/7 Ancients Paladin/12 Divine Soul Sorcerer as being the ultimate tank in game + still having great Nova, AoE and CC. Pretty much invurneable to spells. Or 1 Hexblade/6 Vengeance Paladin/13 Lore Bard Half-Elf is also great as that "poetic justice" servant + really really versitile with Counterspell + Spirit Guardians from Magic Secrets, tons of expertise and skills, cutting words on reaction, SAD CHA, VoE etc.

I have to yet try to build something around Battle Smith but I didn't have chance yet.

Most dissapointing? Bladesingers.

[SpawnOfMorbo]

Hey everyone,

With Fifth Edition now getting close to its six year anniversary I'm curious if anyone's opinions on the classic concept "the gish." What is your favorite gish build in 5e, for both mechanical and RP reasons?

Trickery Cleric w/Charger feat.

You look and act like a big threat to allow your bigger threats to be bigger threats.

Mirror Image or Blink, or both, is fun on a charger.

[jmartkdr]

I'd say my sorcadin hit the idea of someone blending magic and swordplay better than any of the other options I've tried so far. Hexblade is a close second.

I have also played: EK, hexblade (a couple times), pure paladin, sword bard.

I do want to try an EK/bladesinger.

[ThatoneGuy84]

Bladesinger is probably one of my favorite, all the power of a Wizard with almost zero worry about ending up in melee.
Battlemaster/swashbuckler I had an extraordinary time playing also, so much great use of action economy, the ability to clear the distance to get into melee relatively quickly and excellent as a "duelist" style charactor.

[stoutstien]

Im looking forward to playing a battle Smith starting tomorrow. I don't usually care for gish styled PCs but being able to almost completely change up play style day to day is very alluring.

Took them long enough to introduce a way of healing while attacking in a single action.

[Bobthewizard]

I have 2.

First is a goblin Stone Sorcerer (UA). AC 13 + CON + shield, booming blade and bonus action disengage makes for a fun Gish with full spellcasting.

Second is a Mark of Shadow Vengeance Paladin. Lots of good wizard spells on their list and still a full melee paladin.

C Minor Illusion
1 Disguise self, Silent Image, Bane, Hunter’s Mark, Command
2 Invisibility 1/LR, Hold Person, Misty Step, Darkness, Pass Without Trace, Lesser Restoration
3 Haste, Protection from Energy, Clairvoyance, Major Image, Revivify
4 Banishment, Dimension Door, Greater Invisibility, Hallucinatory Terrain
5 Hold Monster, Scrying, Mislead, Destructive Wave