Absurdly good stats, what to play?

[Danielqueue1]

So we are about to finish a campaign and we all rolled stats for our next one. I will be a player for this one. I rolled disgustingly good 18, 16, 16, 15, 14, 12. And it made me stop and think. There are a lot of multi-class combinations that don't work because the stats don't line up. There are some classes that are only dependant on 1 stat (and maybe constitution) that having high 3rd and 4th stats are only useful for skill checks and saving throws. I want to break away from that and play something that shouldn't be effective due to stats, but suddenly can. Something like heavy armor monk or paladin-ranger multiclass, something that by all rights shouldn't work but with high enough stats it suddenly does. And I am struggling pinning down an Idea.

Campaign will go from level 4 to level 14 (give or take) and allows PHB, XGTE, TCOE, SCAG, and Eberron.

Does the playground have any ideas?

[KorvinStarmast]

18, 16, 16, 15, 14, 12
Ranger, since its spell casting is Wisdom, is a MAD class. Ranger Druid might be a great MC here. A lot of folks feel that Ranger beyond Tier 2 doesn't have a lot to offer, so I'd suggest

Ranger (gloom stalker) 11 Druid (shepherd is my suggestion) 9.

Why Gloom Stalker 11? The level 11 feature where you can roll again on a miss is nice, particularly if you take Sharpshooter and choose the Archery Fighting style. You need very few ASIs to be stats, so you can go a little feat happy.

How would I stat this combo?

S 16 D 18 C 15 I 12 W 16 Ch 14
vHuman: feat Resilient Con. (Why? add a save prof, and for when you have druid spells: a lot of them require concentration)
You are now like this: S 16 D 19 C 16 I 12 W 17 Ch 14.
Background: pick one, but I love Criminal/Spy.
Build?
Ranger 5, Druid 5, Ranger to 11, Druid to the end.
Feats: Sharpshooter at 4
ASI at 9(druid 4) = +1 Dex +1 Wis.

Anyway, that's one of many ways to make a lot out of this set up.

[Nidgit]

Ranger/Druid is good! I've been eyeing a Goliath Spore Druid/ something Ranger build as a way to better utilize the Symbiotic Entity bonus damage. With stats like those, though, you could pretty easily go straight to polearm Paladin for Smites (Goliath is here to make Symbiot Entity last longer).

Another neat multiclass could be a Smiting Bladesinger! 2-3 Paladin levels and the rest in Bladesinger would make you a unique and potent gish.

[Ettina]

Multiclassing casters with different casting stats could be an option. Here's some fun ideas:

Divination wizard/wild magic sorcerer. Unfortunately, wild magic surge check isn't an attack roll, saving throw or ability check so it doesn't work with portent, but portent + bend luck gives you a lot of control over other people's rolls. Go halfling with bountiful luck for even more luck manipulation.

Cleric/paladin. More options for channel divinity, and the two fit together very well flavor-wise since they're both divine classes.

Dream druid/fey pact warlock. Both fey-flavored, and hearth of moonlight and shadow makes it easy to get a short rest to get warlock slots back. If you go at least druid 10/warlock 6, you have a lot of teleportation. Even more with druid 14/warlock 6.

[Gignere]

So we are about to finish a campaign and we all rolled stats for our next one. I will be a player for this one. I rolled disgustingly good 18, 16, 16, 15, 14, 12. And it made me stop and think. There are a lot of multi-class combinations that don't work because the stats don't line up. There are some classes that are only dependant on 1 stat (and maybe constitution) that having high 3rd and 4th stats are only useful for skill checks and saving throws. I want to break away from that and play something that shouldn't be effective due to stats, but suddenly can. Something like heavy armor monk or paladin-ranger multiclass, something that by all rights shouldn't work but with high enough stats it suddenly does. And I am struggling pinning down an Idea.

Campaign will go from level 4 to level 14 (give or take) and allows PHB, XGTE, TCOE, SCAG, and Eberron.

Does the playground have any ideas?

If I had these stats I’d definitely play Paladin / wizard either a Paladin / Bladesinger or Paladin / war wizard.

Maybe even go dexadin / war wizard with heavy armor mastery, nab elven accuracy and revenant blade for some sick crit fishing with a double scimitar. Haha this build is basically impossible without the sick abilities you rolled.

[loki_ragnarock]

Tabaxi Ranger/Sorcerer - Pyrokitty Sillypuss

Tabaxi provides mobility; combination of climb speed for verticality, capacity to double speed for distance.

Ranger. Take the cantrip fighting style. Get create bonfire: it can target four squares at a time to a distance of 60 feet, making it well above average for a cantrip, and it persists as a danger zone for the combat. Take Thornwhip: this lets you make an attack to produce forced movement. Be a swarmkeeper for forced movement.

Sorcerer. Take quicken spell - this lets you do your normal attack routine and bonus action whatever cantrips you have on hand. For cantrips, take lightning lure: this gives you an alternate pull ability, targeting a save rather than an attack and having no size limitation, should it matter.

Feats: Polearm Master, maybe Sentinel. No really. Anything that makes off turn attacks easier will do.

A combat sequence online by level 7ish with a 3/4 split:
Use superior mobility to find ideal position, use lightning lure or thornwhip to draw enemies adjacent to each other, quicken create bonfire to hit multiple targets. Ideally, you should position yourself to put them entering your threatened area by leaving the bonfire area; trigger polearm master attack, triggers forced movement from swarmkeeper on a hit, puts them entering the bonefire on another turn sequence for a second burst of bonfire damage.
Next round, move around bonfire to attempt to thornwhip/lightning lure an enemy through it with a quickened spell for another bonfire damage instance, use your attack to force them out of the bonfire so someone else can smack it into the bonfire on their turn.
If target is immune or resistant to fire, Pyrokitty makes a pouty face and uses cloud of daggers instead. If they can't burn, at least they can bleed.

But if Pyrokitty isn't facing fire resistant/immune foes, burn all those spells slots into sorcery points to continue the cantrip kitty kicking booty. Except whatever your highest level slot is; that's always for reserved for cloud of daggers in a pinch. Because Pryokitty needs for things to burn or to bleed.

Anyway, Polearm Master off turn attacks lets you push them back into the fire/dagger cloud. Sentinel off turn attacks lets you push them into the fire/dagger cloud and also set their movement to zero... which means they end their turn in the fire, setting off the damage yet another time. Way better use of concentration than hunter's mark, especially if you can get the rest of the party in on the bouncing.

For this to work, you need good strength, charisma, and wisdom. Like, top tier in each, and con and dex to help. So use the Tasha's ASI edit to make tabaxi give you the stats Pyrokitty needs.
This shouldn't work. But with that pre racial stat array, it could.

In down time, make sure Pyrokitty pathologically knocks things off of flat surfaces, thus completing the look. In fact, that should be your flaw; I compulsively knock items off of flat surfaces.

EDIT:
Stats should look something like:
S: 18 D: 14 C: 15 I: 12 W: 18 Cha:17

That should generally be enough to get you into tier 3 without real problems.

Further EDIT:
No, I also don't know what's wrong with me.

[tKUUNK]

i like the dex paladin suggestion. Or maybe just play any plain old monk, which is MAD without any fancy build in the first place.

Another way to look at this is:

Are there any feat-hungry builds you've always wanted to try? Here's your chance to play one without feeling the pain of missed ASIs. Have fun!

[TheMango55]

Unarmored defense Barbarian. Seems like it's rare that one of the defining features of the barbarian is actually worth using, but good stats it's actually worthwhile.

Put the 18 in Dex and play Mountain Dwarf to start with 18, 18, 18.

[Kane0]

I believe the traditional response for very good stat rolls is a pally/monk multiclass

[SLOTHRPG95]

The Librarian: Knowledge Cleric/Lore Bard/Diviner. If you're going up to 14th-ish, I'd probably go Half-Elf Knowledge Cleric 1-2/Diviner 2/Lore Bard X, with Str 12 Dex 14 Con 16 Int 17 Wis 18 Cha 18, with your first ASI going to your choice of Keen Mind or Observant (+1 INT) or Linguist. Scholar is an obvious choice for background. Lots of skills including expertise in six, lots of languages, and generally a loveable know-it-all support caster/skill monkey.

[bid]

So we are about to finish a campaign and we all rolled stats for our next one. I will be a player for this one. I rolled disgustingly good 18, 16, 16, 15, 14, 12. And it made me stop and think.
Last time someone mentioned straight bladesinger. Any extra stat makes it shine.
You can even wood elf for Str14 Dex18 Con16 Int18 Wis16 Cha12 for wood elf magic.
Since you'll stop around level 14, you want something that's up and running from the get go.

Or you can reflavor sorcadin through a Int/Wis caster.
Tempest works well with high stats and 3 CD from Paladin 3 / cleric 6 happen way before level 14. Since your domain has heavy armor, you can delay the paladin dip.

[Mitchellnotes]

Strength based monk/barbarian? Im away from book, so i don't remember if you can use str with the monks unarmed attacks, but rage damage with the many attacks a monk gets seems like it could be good. Focus would be Str and wis (you could go dex if you didnt find forgoing reckless attack). There was a thread on str monks a couple of days ago that went into more detail about what you could or couldnt do in armor if you wanted to pick upmedium armor (though im not sure it'd be necessary)

[Menji]

Paladin/Wizard is super fun and super hard to manage as far as being MAD.

Go some variant of elf/half-elf and add a level of hexblade for elven accuracy/smite crit fishing shenanigans.

[da newt]

Pali Wizard is about as MAD GISH as I can think of.

I'd be tempted to go with a race with extra saves like YuanTi / Satyr, grab RES CON with the 15 at lvl 4. Once your aura comes on line, your saves will be great.

Or you can finally play that punny PC build that makes no sense, but with your crazy stats everything works.

[Maan]

Pali Wizard is about as MAD GISH as I can think of.
A Paladin/War Wizard would enjoy something like +9 minimum to every save! :smallbiggrin:

Honestly, it's really a matter of what you want to play: you could build some really powerful character or make some ridicolous idea work just because of how filthy good your stats are.

Just a simple Sorcadin would work really good with those stats: the usual limit of the build it's its MADness, but you could even afford a number of Feats and still have all the Abilities where you want 'em.

[Man_Over_Game]

Strength based monk/barbarian? Im away from book, so i don't remember if you can use str with the monks unarmed attacks, but rage damage with the many attacks a monk gets seems like it could be good. Focus would be Str and wis (you could go dex if you didnt find forgoing reckless attack).

Yup, that's my vote. Barbarian and Monk have an insane number of synergies, they just can't multiclass together well due stupid stat issues.

Coincidentally, having 4 stats that are good as primary attributes suddenly removes all of the problems you'd have as playing one.

Play as a Dwarf, pick up that feat that spends a Hit Die whenever you Dodge, and now you're Dodging as a Bonus Action while healing a Barbarian Hit Die (1d12 + Con). Pretty damn solid.

Go Ancestral Guardian + Drunken Master, now you're dashing in, hitting a bunch of enemies recklessly, taunting one, and jumping back out before they can gang up on you. That's just one trick you can pull off.

After reading the suggestions, they seem kinda...flat? "Add generic spell slots to a 1/2 caster than can burn them". AKA, "Another Sorcerer/Paladin". We've all seen what one of those can do. Go for something different, OP.

[bid]

After reading the suggestions, they seem kinda...flat? "Add generic spell slots to a 1/2 caster than can burn them". AKA, "Another Sorcerer/Paladin". We've all seen what one of those can do. Go for something different, OP.
I've never heard of a paladin with 3 CD, that's definitely new to me.
Someone else had a high stat bladesinger and mentioned how different it played.
I think those 2 builds are far from flat.

I won't denigrate your unkillable tank, it's a challenge to find an interesting non-caster. But you must agree you missed some interesting builds listed here.

[da newt]

Barbarian Bard - the Face that Smashes Faces. Open combat with a big spell, then rage and smash stuff with a stick.
Out of combat you dominate all the social interactions. Start Barb Vendalkin so at lvl 2 you are Proff at ST and CON saves and have ADV on DEX, INT, WIS, CHA saves. Extra flavor points if you go heavy metal theme and look like LOBO.


Honestly, it's hard to find anything unique that a single class couldn't do just as well, but a crazy good stat array will just make better and allow for more feats. Any MC with casters just gets diluted by delaying spells known / slots.

Bear Totem Monk
Moon Druid Monk (can beast forms flurry and stun?)
Pali - Artificer
Rogue Wizard

[Man_Over_Game]

I've never heard of a paladin with 3 CD, that's definitely new to me.
Someone else had a high stat bladesinger and mentioned how different it played.
I think those 2 builds are far from flat.

I won't denigrate your unkillable tank, it's a challenge to find an interesting non-caster. But you must agree you missed some interesting builds listed here.

I totally missed the Paladin/Cleric synergy, although I'd like to find out if that's canon. I know that the Psionic Dice from the Soulknife and Psi-Knight aren't officially compatible with each other, but is there word regarding Channel Divinity for the same thing?

Straight Bladesinger would be strong, it just does the one thing that OP said he wasn't looking for.

[Damon_Tor]

Yup, that's my vote. Barbarian and Monk have an insane number of synergies, they just can't multiclass together well due stupid stat issues.

Coincidentally, having 4 stats that are good as primary attributes suddenly removes all of the problems you'd have as playing one.

Play as a Dwarf, pick up that feat that spends a Hit Die whenever you Dodge, and now you're Dodging as a Bonus Action while healing a Barbarian Hit Die (1d12 + Con). Pretty damn solid.

After reading this, I find I have to concur. This sounds rad. I would probably go for a beast barbarian for this concept, personally.

[Man_Over_Game]

After reading this, I find I have to concur. This sounds rad. I would probably go for a beast barbarian for this concept, personally.

You might need some things cleared with your DM, like whether Natural Weapons are inherently Monk Weapons, or whether they can be used for Unarmed Attacks. A lot of that can be mitigated with something like Kensei's weapon stuff (so you can now use Stunning Strike with your claws), but having your DM's approval beforehand can open up a lot of other options.

[Willie the Duck]

something that by all rights shouldn't work but with high enough stats it suddenly does.

If Multiclassing isn't part of the requirements, how about simply something like a AD&D-style Greatsword- (or other Str-based weaponry) and Longbow-wielding fighter? Or maybe a Str-based valor bard? Monk who actually gets to take a feat or two? Melee non-moon Druid?

[SLOTHRPG95]

Or maybe a Str-based valor bard?

Str-based Valor Bard or Str-based bladelock would both love this array. The latter especially, since non-Hexblade bladelock is relying on Dex for AC moreso than a medium armor user.

[Mitchellnotes]

My other suggestion (barb/monk would be the first thought bc really, when would you get that opportunity again?) would be a barb/lock, ending either barb 4 or 8 and lock 16 or 12. Start barb 1, go to lock 5, barb to 4, and then go from there. Be a blade pact lock (of course), but grab any patron. Fiend and celestial both have good synergy with rage, genie is slways a good choice, undead could be good, but has bonus action conflict with the warlock feature. For the barb side, zealot could be thematic, and bear totem could be good (combined with fiend you can resist all damage). You can both do warlock things, eldritch blast, cast spells, etc, and rage, GWM shenanigans, all that. Rage refreshes on a long rest, lock spells on a short, so you should always have something to do. Medium armor, and spells that synergize with rage (armor of agathys, fire shield depending on pact)

I would play it as a character who really, really wants to be a paladin but just can't make the cut. Start aasimar (for lay on hands), barb 1 (going zealot for radiant damage), fiend warlock (or celestial) w/ plade pact. Grab the smite invocation (bc you need smites), and you have a quasi paladin! For feats, grab GWM, max str and cha (prob with fey touched if starting 19 cha), then really whatever youd like. I'd start:

18 (16+2), 14, 16, 15, 12, 19 (18+1)

[5eNeedsDarksun]

If I had these stats I’d definitely play Paladin / wizard either a Paladin / Bladesinger or Paladin / war wizard.

Maybe even go dexadin / war wizard with heavy armor mastery, nab elven accuracy and revenant blade for some sick crit fishing with a double scimitar. Haha this build is basically impossible without the sick abilities you rolled.

My first thought was Bladesinger/ Paladin, but Bladesinger/ Ranger could also be interesting.

[Mith]

A Paladin/War Wizard would enjoy something like +9 minimum to every save! :smallbiggrin:

Honestly, it's really a matter of what you want to play: you could build some really powerful character or make some ridicolous idea work just because of how filthy good your stats are.

Just a simple Sorcadin would work really good with those stats: the usual limit of the build it's its MADness, but you could even afford a number of Feats and still have all the Abilities where you want 'em.

Paladin/Monk could do +11, but that's at the high end, and possibly out of reach of this play range.

Plus smite fists.

[Damon_Tor]

You might need some things cleared with your DM, like whether Natural Weapons are inherently Monk Weapons, or whether they can be used for Unarmed Attacks. A lot of that can be mitigated with something like Kensei's weapon stuff (so you can now use Stunning Strike with your claws), but having your DM's approval beforehand can open up a lot of other options.

The weapons provided by the Path of Beast are all explicitly simple melee weapons. No special rulings should be required here. It's true that your explicitly unarmed strikes (martial arts, flurry of blows) won't use the claws (or teeth or whatever), but that's a pretty minor issue.

[Maan]

Plus smite fists.
You can't smite with unarmed attacks, RAW.
Though with Tasha you could totally use a longsword as a monk weapon or, at higher levels, something like a whip for added reach.