Soulknife/Barbarian/Fighter Generic anime protagonist!

[AndrewBlade]

Hi everyone! I just now joined this forum after only perusing it when it popped up in my google search engine while trying to do some character research. The character builds on these forums have been very helpful to me in the past, and I would love to discuss a build I'm currently working on. I'm genuinely scared to have my ideas destroyed before my very eyes, while eager to see if anyone has any ideas for changes that might fit better.

I am currently working on what I think might be my penultimate character build for myself. I am inspired by the generic anime protagonist that is often outcast and untalented at things the people around him are talented at, but instead uses his own unique talents to and the skill of "never giving up" to overcome his weakness and be successful. I'm also really, really bad about multiclassing because I think I have a hard time with commitment. Almost every character I ever play is probably going to multiclass (Except the Aasimar vengeance paladin I'm playing at the moment).

The other inspiration for this build comes from features of characters I love to play. I love being a skill monkey, I love grappling in combat, I love attacking multiple times, and I love the idea of being armed even when I'm unarmed.

I have two equal parts of myself that are constantly vying for dominance, one is focused on mechanics, the other is focused on flavor/story. Ideally, I want these two aspects to line up in any choice I make for my characters. Sometimes I have to compromise.

With that lengthy explanation/introduction out of the way, I would like to submit for your consideration, comments, suggestions, etc...

Andrew Blade

Race- Goliath (He's a human raised by goliaths. The only thing human about him is how he looks and sounds, and his name)
Ability scores after racial adjustments (rolled, not pb or array)
15 Str (13+2)
17 Dex
16 Con (15+1)
11 Int
13 Wis
11 Cha

I want him to be physically weaker than the other goliaths, and be forced to use his dexterity and wits to be successful growing up in a goliath society. Other things happen that force him into exile from the tribe as he reaches adulthood.

Background: Outlander (proficiencies adjusted to allow Acrobatics, because he wasn't stronger than the goliaths he grew up around)

Level 1. Barbarian 1
Rage to get advantage on strength checks (mechanically) and
Stone’s Endurance
Skill proficiencies: Athletics, Animal Handling (he had/has a pet, I haven't decided if it survived his origin story or not), Acrobatics, Survival (he's exiled/exiles himself and has to live on the land himself), Perception

Stone's Endurance, Rage's damage reduction, and the max HP of a barbarian at level 1 mechanically work to help him be incredibly durable at level 1. In addition, "Rage" allows him to "push beyond" and have a cinematic quality to his combat. I know, mechanically there is a disconnect between having a character with Dex higher than his Str being a barbarian using strength weapons, but this is part of that flavor aspect I wanted. He'll be predominantly using a longsword and a shield, and Unarmored Defense.

Level 2. Rogue 1
Expertise- Acrobatics, Athletics
Skill proficiency- Stealth
Expertise in Athletics + Advantage on Str checks during rage = start of a grappler build. Plus his expertise in acrobatics will allow him to be a very flashy, flippy, acrobatic character in melee combat, which will be fun. I only now realize I will need to be using a finesse weapon to do sneak attack damage, so he might have to switch to a short sword or rapier until he hits level 3 in rogue.

Level 3. Fighter 1
Fighting Style- Dueling

So now he'll get a little bit more damage from dueling, and Second Wind will allow him to be even sturdier physically. Especially to make up for taking no more barbarian levels.

Level 4. Rogue 2
Cunning action will make him more mobile on the battlefield, being able to get away from enemies that might be causing him problems.

Level 5. Rogue 3 Soulknife.

Seriously, as soon as you hit soulknife, it feels incredibly feature-rich. Rerolling failed rolls, telepathy, and a weapon that deals psychic damage without leaving a trace. Super fun.

Level 6. Rogue 4, just for the ASI
Honestly, I think I want my first feat to be Resilient and bump my dex 1 to increase my AC and give me proficiency in dex saving throw.

Level 7. Fighter 2
Now to start working on his fighter levels. Action surge is going to be awesome.

Level 8. Fighter 3 Battle Master
I love the battle master's combat maneuvers, and I think they will really help out the idea of using tactics and guile to make up for his lack of physical strength in combat.

Level 9. Fighter 4
Okay now I can use an ASI or a feat to bump his strength up. I am leaning towards Tavern brawler, because if I hit with an unarmed strike, I can grapple as a bonus action. If my first unarmed strike uses the trip maneuver, I won't have to shove them prone, then I can grapple and beat up on them on the ground.

I also want to switch his fighting style to unarmed to take advantage of that action economy and do more damage with his bare hands, then use his soulknife at his leisure to deal sneak attack/psychic damage. And then it adds some damage while grappling too. I wrestle with this decision a little bit. The grappling concept will not work in all scenarios.

Level 10. Fighter 5
Extra attack will be nice. Especially with the idea of unarmed strike to trip, bonus action to grapple and keep them prone, sneak attack with the psychic blade because they're now prone. Then just continue that circle until dead. Of course it won't work on larger monsters or a whole bunch of enemies at once, but you get the idea otherwise, right?

Level 11. Fighter 6
Another ASI/Feat. Could boost my Str to 18. Or take the Tough feat to become even more durable. Depending on the campaign, if we're fighting a lot of magic users, I might take Mage Slayer. Crusher is also neat.

Level 12. Fighter 7
Know Your Enemy is such a terrible archetype feature...

Level 13. Fighter 8
Another ASI/Feat. Could boost strength to 20, or boost con to gain more HP and AC. Or another feat. Fey Touched sounds really useful for someone who wants to be able to move around the battle field and do more damage (hunter's mark). Observant isn't terrible either.

Level 14. Rogue 5
Okay back to rogue now that I'm a bit more formidable. Uncanny Dodge is nice. Evasion will be even nicer. Just gotta get there...

Level 15 Rogue 6
Expertise again! Yay! Just not sure what I want to put it into. Maybe Stealth and Perception. Especially if I took Observant.

Level 16 Rogue 7
There's Evasion! Now I'm done with Rogue. Fighter the rest of the way.

Level 17 Fighter 9
Indomitable is nice

Level 18 Fighter 10
Boosting combat maneuvers

Level 19 Fighter 11
Yay! A third attack!

Level 20 Fighter 12
Another ASI/Feat

The later on in levels that I go, the more I know I won't be able to predict the things that will be happening in-game and what magical items/experiences he might have that could push the decisions of this build in other directions. I have a lovely DM who does a lot of really fun things.

This was stupid long. I'm very appreciative of you reading this. I was primarily inspired by Naruto Uzumaki, Yuji Itadori (he's very flippy), Asta, and Izuku Midoriya, along with my love of psychic knives, grappling, and being a melee-damage-dealing skill monkey. I am open to all comments, suggestions, questions, and anyone who wants to poke a hole in this.

After noob pointed out I will not be able to take advantage of the primary reason I took up to 11 levels in Figher (Extra attack x2), and that I was severely weakening my rogue abilities, I have decided instead to stop at level 6 in Fighter and go the rest of the way in Rogue.

Instead- From level 12 on, proposed character progression will instead look like this.

Level 12. Rogue 5
Uncanny Dodge, nice. And 3D6 Sneak attack

Level 13. Rogue 6
Expertise again! Yay! Just not sure what I want to put it into. Maybe Stealth and Perception. Especially if I took Observant.

Level 14. Rogue 7
Evasion! Sweeeeet. Also, 4D6 Sneak attack now

Level 15. Rogue 8
ASI/Feat, What to do... Again, Tough, Observant, Tavern Brawler all seem nice for what I have in mind.

Level 16. Rogue 9
Soul knives, heck yes! I can add my psi die to an attack if I miss, and I only expend it if it hits. And I can teleport as a bonus action! Also 5D6 Sneak attack

Level 17. Rogue 10
ASI/Feat, another big bonus of taking more rogue than fighter

Level 18 Rogue 11
Reliable Talent! Also, 6D6 Sneak

Level 19 Rogue 12
ASI/Feat, this build is awesome

Level 20 Rogue 13
Hidden Veil! Invisibility for an hour that only goes away if I hit someone or make them roll a save. And 7D6 Sneak attack! Super stoked about this.

[noob]

Hi everyone! I just now joined this forum after only perusing it when it popped up in my google search engine while trying to do some character research. The character builds on these forums have been very helpful to me in the past, and I would love to discuss a build I'm currently working on. I'm genuinely scared to have my ideas destroyed before my very eyes, while eager to see if anyone has any ideas for changes that might fit better.

I am currently working on what I think might be my penultimate character build for myself. I am inspired by the generic anime protagonist that is often outcast and untalented at things the people around him are talented at, but instead uses his own unique talents to and the skill of "never giving up" to overcome his weakness and be successful. I'm also really, really bad about multiclassing because I think I have a hard time with commitment. Almost every character I ever play is probably going to multiclass (Except the Aasimar vengeance paladin I'm playing at the moment).

The other inspiration for this build comes from features of characters I love to play. I love being a skill monkey, I love grappling in combat, I love attacking multiple times, and I love the idea of being armed even when I'm unarmed.

I have two equal parts of myself that are constantly vying for dominance, one is focused on mechanics, the other is focused on flavor/story. Ideally, I want these two aspects to line up in any choice I make for my characters. Sometimes I have to compromise.

With that lengthy explanation/introduction out of the way, I would like to submit for your consideration, comments, suggestions, etc...

Andrew Blade

Race- Goliath (He's a human raised by goliaths. The only thing human about him is how he looks and sounds, and his name)
Ability scores after racial adjustments (rolled, not pb or array)
15 Str (13+2)
17 Dex
16 Con (15+1)
11 Int
13 Wis
11 Cha

I want him to be physically weaker than the other goliaths, and be forced to use his dexterity and wits to be successful growing up in a goliath society. Other things happen that force him into exile from the tribe as he reaches adulthood.

Background: Outlander (proficiencies adjusted to allow Acrobatics, because he wasn't stronger than the goliaths he grew up around)

Level 1. Barbarian 1
Rage to get advantage on strength checks (mechanically) and
Stone’s Endurance
Skill proficiencies: Athletics, Animal Handling (he had/has a pet, I haven't decided if it survived his origin story or not), Acrobatics, Survival (he's exiled/exiles himself and has to live on the land himself), Perception

Stone's Endurance, Rage's damage reduction, and the max HP of a barbarian at level 1 mechanically work to help him be incredibly durable at level 1. In addition, "Rage" allows him to "push beyond" and have a cinematic quality to his combat. I know, mechanically there is a disconnect between having a character with Dex higher than his Str being a barbarian using strength weapons, but this is part of that flavor aspect I wanted. He'll be predominantly using a longsword and a shield, and Unarmored Defense.

Level 2. Rogue 1
Expertise- Acrobatics, Athletics
Skill proficiency- Stealth
Expertise in Athletics + Advantage on Str checks during rage = start of a grappler build. Plus his expertise in acrobatics will allow him to be a very flashy, flippy, acrobatic character in melee combat, which will be fun. I only now realize I will need to be using a finesse weapon to do sneak attack damage, so he might have to switch to a short sword or rapier until he hits level 3 in rogue.

Level 3. Fighter 1
Fighting Style- Dueling

So now he'll get a little bit more damage from dueling, and Second Wind will allow him to be even sturdier physically. Especially to make up for taking no more barbarian levels.

Level 4. Rogue 2
Cunning action will make him more mobile on the battlefield, being able to get away from enemies that might be causing him problems.

Level 5. Rogue 3 Soulknife.

Seriously, as soon as you hit soulknife, it feels incredibly feature-rich. Rerolling failed rolls, telepathy, and a weapon that deals psychic damage without leaving a trace. Super fun.

Level 6. Rogue 4, just for the ASI
Honestly, I think I want my first feat to be Resilient and bump my dex 1 to increase my AC and give me proficiency in dex saving throw.

Level 7. Fighter 2
Now to start working on his fighter levels. Action surge is going to be awesome.

Level 8. Fighter 3 Battle Master
I love the battle master's combat maneuvers, and I think they will really help out the idea of using tactics and guile to make up for his lack of physical strength in combat.

Level 9. Fighter 4
Okay now I can use an ASI or a feat to bump his strength up. I am leaning towards Tavern brawler, because if I hit with an unarmed strike, I can grapple as a bonus action. If my first unarmed strike uses the trip maneuver, I won't have to shove them prone, then I can grapple and beat up on them on the ground.

I also want to switch his fighting style to unarmed to take advantage of that action economy and do more damage with his bare hands, then use his soulknife at his leisure to deal sneak attack/psychic damage. And then it adds some damage while grappling too. I wrestle with this decision a little bit. The grappling concept will not work in all scenarios.

Level 10. Fighter 5
Extra attack will be nice. Especially with the idea of unarmed strike to trip, bonus action to grapple and keep them prone, sneak attack with the psychic blade because they're now prone. Then just continue that circle until dead. Of course it won't work on larger monsters or a whole bunch of enemies at once, but you get the idea otherwise, right?

Level 11. Fighter 6
Another ASI/Feat. Could boost my Str to 18. Or take the Tough feat to become even more durable. Depending on the campaign, if we're fighting a lot of magic users, I might take Mage Slayer. Crusher is also neat.

Level 12. Fighter 7
Know Your Enemy is such a terrible archetype feature...

Level 13. Fighter 8
Another ASI/Feat. Could boost strength to 20, or boost con to gain more HP and AC. Or another feat. Fey Touched sounds really useful for someone who wants to be able to move around the battle field and do more damage (hunter's mark). Observant isn't terrible either.

Level 14. Rogue 5
Okay back to rogue now that I'm a bit more formidable. Uncanny Dodge is nice. Evasion will be even nicer. Just gotta get there...

Level 15 Rogue 6
Expertise again! Yay! Just not sure what I want to put it into. Maybe Stealth and Perception. Especially if I took Observant.

Level 16 Rogue 7
There's Evasion! Now I'm done with Rogue. Fighter the rest of the way.

Level 17 Fighter 9
Indomitable is nice

Level 18 Fighter 10
Boosting combat maneuvers

Level 19 Fighter 11
Yay! A third attack!

Level 20 Fighter 12
Another ASI/Feat

The later on in levels that I go, the more I know I won't be able to predict the things that will be happening in-game and what magical items/experiences he might have that could push the decisions of this build in other directions. I have a lovely DM who does a lot of really fun things.

This was stupid long. I'm very appreciative of you reading this. I was primarily inspired by Naruto Uzumaki, Yuji Itadori (he's very flippy), Asta, and Izuku Midoriya, along with my love of psychic knives, grappling, and being a melee-damage-dealing skill monkey. I am open to all comments, suggestions, questions, and anyone who wants to poke a hole in this.
Heavy multiclassing means that you get the third attack from fighter very late, that you do not have a great sneak attack and that your barbarian class features will be weak.
So you will underperform in most fighting purposes relatively to some more serious builds such as single classed paladins or fighters.
You will also not be as good at skills as a single classed rogue.
Mixing rogue and fighter have the main advantage of increasing the odds of doing a sneak attack however if you get the third attack only at level 19 it is likely that you are better off taking only 5 fighters levels for the extra attack(for sneak attack reliability) then pump up more rogue levels.

[Warder]

I don't have much to add in terms of the actual build, but I'm super curious what makes this the penultimate build for you, OP - I don't think I've ever heard anyone talk about their penultimate builds here or elsewhere, so I have a burning desire to know the story behind it now!

[AndrewBlade]

Heavy multiclassing means that you get the third attack from fighter very late, that you do not have a great sneak attack and that your barbarian class features will be weak.
So you will underperform in most fighting purposes relatively to some more serious builds such as single classed paladins or fighters.
You will also not be as good at skills as a single classed rogue.
Mixing rogue and fighter have the main advantage of increasing the odds of doing a sneak attack however if you get the third attack only at level 19 it is likely that you are better off taking only 5 fighters levels for the extra attack(for sneak attack reliability) then pump up more rogue levels.

That is true. That one extra attack later on in the game is soooo late, that chances are i am less likely to even reach that point- as much as I would like to. Without the guarantee this character will even reach that level, I am more motivated to push Rogue than Fighter. What does Fighter give me, honestly, in those six levels before a third attack? An extra ASI at level 6? Rogue gets an extra ASI at 10, right? I'll have to do some more research, because Soulknife 9 gets some bad-ass enhancements that might overpower what Fighter gives me. Especially if I take the Tough feat to gain some HP.

As for Barbarian, yeah, I'm definitely only interested in the rage ability and unwilling to take more levels in it than Rogue and Fighter. It's purely for advantage on strength checks and resistance to non-magical attacks at Tier 1. That and his background story melds with it, which is longer than I'd like to state here.

As for under-performing in combat, I am comfortable with that considering the broad spectrum of things I'll be capable of in trade for not being as good in a few things. And you're right, he is not as much of a true skill monkey as a true Rogue would be, again, trading level of skill for number of skills.


I don't have much to add in terms of the actual build, but I'm super curious what makes this the penultimate build for you, OP - I don't think I've ever heard anyone talk about their penultimate builds here or elsewhere, so I have a burning desire to know the story behind it now!

Andrew Blade has been like... the character I've wanted to make since I first started playing D&D. At first he was a dual-wielding swordsman, a pure fighter, back in 3.5, when you could take a gajillion two-weapon fighting feats and swing like, 6 times a turn at higher levels. Then the expanded psionics handbook came out and I was intrigued. I've never been a fan of spells and spell levels and spells slots and magic, but for some reason the power points attributed to the psionics system's economy made it appealing to me- that and it wasn't called magic- so I became more intrigued. Follow that with the soulknife being able to generate a blade of his own, and I thought that the capabilities of a semi-psychic class with martial options and psychic blade was 100% what I wanted in a character. But I never got a chance to make him. Back in my 3.5 days, I was almost always the forever DM.

Then 5e came out, and I was intrigued, but the option for my dual-wielding fighter wasn't as appealing. One extra attack with a bonus action sucked by comparison to what I used to consider, and homebrewing more attacks with dual wielding was viewed as too OP. And there was no psionics yet. The mystic gave me some hope, though, in UA, as well as the soulknife UA.

In the meantime, the grappling system was very appealing, and the idea of playing a character with expertise in athletics who could lock down and control opponents was great, but Grappler wasn't a good enough feat to take to gain advantage on grapple checks, and I just never got around to finding a good way to fit a one-level dip of barbarian into a character's story. On top of that, covid slowed down gaming, and it all just kind of went to hell until recently.

Then Tasha's came out with the soulknife. I was disappointed to not have the same system of psionics (c'mon 5.5...), but a lot of the same benefits still applied.

I started watching some anime with my wife, and I realized that I loved a lot of the same tropes that many anime protagonists have. So I started building a backstory, and then thinking of concepts, and figuring out how to tie in a lot of some of my favorite traits. Until boom. This guy came to be. Now I just need to round him out, and I think the suggestion about taking fewer fighter levels because the third extra attack comes so late makes a lot of sense. I think 6 levels is still a good idea because of the ASI at level 6, then 1 level of Barbarian, because Rage, HP, damage reduction, all those things. Which means 13 levels of Rogue. less HP, but more sneak attack and sneaky abilities. Like I said, Battle Master's level 7 ability sucks- there really isn't anything very appealing until level 11 in Fighter, especially since as a rogue, I can use psychic die to reroll failed rolls, so that might be better than indomitable. That only applies to skills, never mind. But still. I'm comfortable with it.

[Warder]

Andrew Blade has been like... the character I've wanted to make since I first started playing D&D. At first he was a dual-wielding swordsman, a pure fighter, back in 3.5, when you could take a gajillion two-weapon fighting feats and swing like, 6 times a turn at higher levels. Then the expanded psionics handbook came out and I was intrigued. I've never been a fan of spells and spell levels and spells slots and magic, but for some reason the power points attributed to the psionics system's economy made it appealing to me- that and it wasn't called magic- so I became more intrigued. Follow that with the soulknife being able to generate a blade of his own, and I thought that the capabilities of a semi-psychic class with martial options and psychic blade was 100% what I wanted in a character. But I never got a chance to make him. Back in my 3.5 days, I was almost always the forever DM.

Then 5e came out, and I was intrigued, but the option for my dual-wielding fighter wasn't as appealing. One extra attack with a bonus action sucked by comparison to what I used to consider, and homebrewing more attacks with dual wielding was viewed as too OP. And there was no psionics yet. The mystic gave me some hope, though, in UA, as well as the soulknife UA.

In the meantime, the grappling system was very appealing, and the idea of playing a character with expertise in athletics who could lock down and control opponents was great, but Grappler wasn't a good enough feat to take to gain advantage on grapple checks, and I just never got around to finding a good way to fit a one-level dip of barbarian into a character's story. On top of that, covid slowed down gaming, and it all just kind of went to hell until recently.

Then Tasha's came out with the soulknife. I was disappointed to not have the same system of psionics (c'mon 5.5...), but a lot of the same benefits still applied.

I started watching some anime with my wife, and I realized that I loved a lot of the same tropes that many anime protagonists have. So I started building a backstory, and then thinking of concepts, and figuring out how to tie in a lot of some of my favorite traits. Until boom. This guy came to be. Now I just need to round him out, and I think the suggestion about taking fewer fighter levels because the third extra attack comes so late makes a lot of sense. I think 6 levels is still a good idea because of the ASI at level 6, then 1 level of Barbarian, because Rage, HP, damage reduction, all those things. Which means 13 levels of Rogue. less HP, but more sneak attack and sneaky abilities. Like I said, Battle Master's level 7 ability sucks- there really isn't anything very appealing until level 11 in Fighter, especially since as a rogue, I can use psychic die to reroll failed rolls, so that might be better than indomitable.

Oh, thank you for the very detailed explanation - I think there's a misunderstanding here, in that you're talking about your ultimate character but wrote penultimate, so that really drew my attention because you don't normally see a lot of people discuss their second favorite character concept! I'm still happy I asked though, especially since you mentioned the expanded psionics handbook. Any character concept born out of a love for 3.5e psionics and their awesome weirdness has my attention and my blessing, haha. I'm glad you get to finally make your dream character!

[AndrewBlade]

Oh, thank you for the very detailed explanation - I think there's a misunderstanding here, in that you're talking about your ultimate character but wrote penultimate, so that really drew my attention because you don't normally see a lot of people discuss their second favorite character concept! I'm still happy I asked though, especially since you mentioned the expanded psionics handbook. Any character concept born out of a love for 3.5e psionics and their awesome weirdness has my attention and my blessing, haha. I'm glad you get to finally make your dream character!

Yes, sadly I think 3.5 is gone for me- I've since sold all my books and committed to the new edition.

[Sorinth]

Triple multiclasses are tough.

It seems like Barbarian is there more as a background justification. Outlander is more then enough to highlight your background aspects and you don't really need Advantage and Expertise to be good at grappling one or the other and a decent Str which you have is more then enough. I'm also not sure if Rage is a good fit narrative wise, it seems like your character growing up had to learn to fighter faster/smarter which isn't the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Rage. So my suggestion would be to drop the Barbarian level and stick to being a Fighter/Rogue will do just fine.

Battlemaster is of course a great subclass, but you might also consider Rune Knight. It has that Giant flavour, helps with grappling thanks to Enlarge and you get the advantage on strength checks you lost by dropping barbarian, and there are some interesting skill interactions with the runes. Frankly either option pairs well with Rogue so there's no real wrong choice here.

If going Rune Knight you could reflavour the Soulknife powers as an extension of the Rune Magic, or the opposite and flavour the rune magic as additional Psychic powers. From a narrative POV you could even work the whole Rune Magic into the reason for your exile. Maybe the Goliath tribe that adopted you had strict views on rune magic being for giants and not for humans like you. So you learnt what you could while being as sneaky about it as you could but eventually were caught and got exiled because of it.

[AndrewBlade]

Triple multiclasses are tough.

It seems like Barbarian is there more as a background justification. Outlander is more then enough to highlight your background aspects and you don't really need Advantage and Expertise to be good at grappling one or the other and a decent Str which you have is more then enough. I'm also not sure if Rage is a good fit narrative wise, it seems like your character growing up had to learn to fighter faster/smarter which isn't the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Rage. So my suggestion would be to drop the Barbarian level and stick to being a Fighter/Rogue will do just fine.

Battlemaster is of course a great subclass, but you might also consider Rune Knight. It has that Giant flavour, helps with grappling thanks to Enlarge and you get the advantage on strength checks you lost by dropping barbarian, and there are some interesting skill interactions with the runes. Frankly either option pairs well with Rogue so there's no real wrong choice here.

If going Rune Knight you could reflavour the Soulknife powers as an extension of the Rune Magic, or the opposite and flavour the rune magic as additional Psychic powers. From a narrative POV you could even work the whole Rune Magic into the reason for your exile. Maybe the Goliath tribe that adopted you had strict views on rune magic being for giants and not for humans like you. So you learnt what you could while being as sneaky about it as you could but eventually were caught and got exiled because of it.

The barbarian is definitely a lot of flavor for the background, but it also pushes the first tier concept of an incredibly durable character that has been forced to be tough. The added HP of the Barbarian class, the grappling advantage from rage, and the damage resistance are the primary motivators. The unarmored defense is nice too. It won't matter as much later on in his development, but it is very important to his concept starting out. The inspiration is taken from many anime characters, such as Naruto and Asta, who often were forced to persevere strictly based on the force of their will. His ability to shrug off damage so early is a big part of his identity starting out. The Goliath tribe he was born into were barbarians, and he strived to earn acceptance among his peers, which was always hard because he was smaller. The first level of barbarian is a big part of his identity. I have his story tuned to satisfaction, trust me. It's just long and I don't think a lot of people want to read about characters they aren't going to interact with.

The rage aspect also leans towards the notion that his psychic powers are latent and were uncontrollable early on. And the small amount of bonus damage, again, is very helpful in early levels. Less so later on.

[Kane0]

The thing that strikes me the most is that you don't get extra attack until level 10. That's a fairly major problem even if you're grappling most of the time, because you're only getting one try and grappling conflicts with sneak attacks until you get multiple attacks to split them on.

How flexible is your DM with homebrew? Perhaps you could drop the barbarian level and stay fighter/rogue if you could use an ASI to get the one or two barbarian features you really want? Alternatively, the opposite using an ASI to get fighting style and/or battlemaster maneuvers if your DM doesn't give you the OK. You miss out on second wind and action surge but you do get danger sense (so you don't need resilient DEX as much), primal knowledge, extra speed and even feral instinct and instinctive pounce if you go far enough.

[Sorinth]

The barbarian is definitely a lot of flavor for the background, but it also pushes the first tier concept of an incredibly durable character that has been forced to be tough. The added HP of the Barbarian class, the grappling advantage from rage, and the damage resistance are the primary motivators. The unarmored defense is nice too. It won't matter as much later on in his development, but it is very important to his concept starting out. The inspiration is taken from many anime characters, such as Naruto and Asta, who often were forced to persevere strictly based on the force of their will. His ability to shrug off damage so early is a big part of his identity starting out. The Goliath tribe he was born into were barbarians, and he strived to earn acceptance among his peers, which was always hard because he was smaller. The first level of barbarian is a big part of his identity. I have his story tuned to satisfaction, trust me. It's just long and I don't think a lot of people want to read about characters they aren't going to interact with.

The rage aspect also leans towards the notion that his psychic powers are latent and were uncontrollable early on. And the small amount of bonus damage, again, is very helpful in early levels. Less so later on.

No worries it wasn't clear how detailed you had your backstory beyond the major events. If you've already got it all down that's great. You'd be surprised how many people actually like seeing other peoples backstories so don't be afraid to post something long (The spoiler tags are a great way to avoid it seeming like a mega post). I think one of the biggest threads on this board is the backstory thread so you'll likely find an audience for it.

I'd still recommend dropping the Barbarian level. There are lots of ways to show to build the same concept. For example you could show off the toughness aspect by grabbing the Tough Feat, less recommended would be to put the 17 in Con to start so you have an 18 Con after adjusment (Probably beeline Fighter 6 with maybe only 1 Rogue level to get those ASI). My main concern with the triple multiclass is it just pushes everything out one more level and so you will likely fall behind the power curve. Being a martial without extra attack until level 10 and only getting a few SA dice to compensate seems like it will be a rough ride unless you get plenty of SR to replenish those BM dice.

There is also of course the option of dropping the fighter instead as Barb/Rogue is a solid multiclass. You can use a finesse weapon but attack with Strength and still get SA which allows for using Reckless Attack to help ensure SA.

[AndrewBlade]

The thing that strikes me the most is that you don't get extra attack until level 10. That's a fairly major problem even if you're grappling most of the time, because you're only getting one try and grappling conflicts with sneak attacks until you get multiple attacks to split them on.

How flexible is your DM with homebrew? Perhaps you could drop the barbarian level and stay fighter/rogue if you could use an ASI to get the one or two barbarian features you really want? Alternatively, the opposite using an ASI to get fighting style and/or battlemaster maneuvers if your DM doesn't give you the OK. You miss out on second wind and action surge but you do get danger sense (so you don't need resilient DEX as much), primal knowledge, extra speed and even feral instinct and instinctive pounce if you go far enough.

Yeah, I definitely want to get extra attack quickly, but the character's story means I want to get Soulknife as quickly as I can. Earliest I would get it would be 9 with the priority that I have set for it. I'm sure I'll have other party members able to help carry the party in combat until I hit level 10.

Grappling works well with sneak attack, honestly, if I shove them prone, then grapple, and I use the soulknife to apply sneak attack damage. A prone opponent provides advantage. Soulknife is a finesse weapon that I don't have to sheath or draw. But that only works in situations where grappling is prevalent. I'll need to flank otherwise.

[AndrewBlade]

There is also of course the option of dropping the fighter instead as Barb/Rogue is a solid multiclass. You can use a finesse weapon but attack with Strength and still get SA which allows for using Reckless Attack to help ensure SA.

I had not considered that, since I was always pushing fighter to get 3 attacks. I'd miss out on an ASI, but that's minor. And as a Bear Totem barbarian, I'd have damage resistance to everything. I could take some feats to pick up maneuvers and a fighting style, if I really wanted to.

Edit: I do like what action surge can bring, though. It delays my two attacks per round by one level, which is a big level jump when it's 8 to 9, but I think between Action Surge, Second wind, a fighting style, and battle master, I'd rather have one level of barbarian and be less effective until a little bit later than take five levels of barbarian and miss out on action surge and a fighting style as well as battle maneuevers.

[Grod_The_Giant]

I had not considered that, since I was always pushing fighter to get 3 attacks. I'd miss out on an ASI, but that's minor. And as a Bear Totem barbarian, I'd have damage resistance to everything. I could take some feats to pick up maneuvers and a fighting style, if I really wanted to.
I think this is probably a good plan-- unlike in 3.5, you have to be careful multiclassing, especially at low levels, and casters are probably more forgiving than martials.

Instead of Bear Totem, have you considered Ancestral Guardian? Screaming about the memory of your heroically deceased father while focusing on protecting your allies sounds very shonen to me.

[AndrewBlade]

I think this is probably a good plan-- unlike in 3.5, you have to be careful multiclassing, especially at low levels, and casters are probably more forgiving than martials.

Instead of Bear Totem, have you considered Ancestral Guardian? Screaming about the memory of your heroically deceased father while focusing on protecting your allies sounds very shonen to me.

I looked at ancestral guardians and it just doesn't appeal to me as much as the damage resistance of bear totem. In the end, I think that one level dip of barbarian should be fine, and I think it'll be more fun to play than skipping out on battle maneuvers.

[Kane0]

I looked at ancestral guardians and it just doesn't appeal to me as much as the damage resistance of bear totem. In the end, I think that one level dip of barbarian should be fine, and I think it'll be more fun to play than skipping out on battle maneuvers.

Is the rage or the unarmored defense the big draw? Because Rune Knight can give you much the same effect as Rage, and both fighter and rogue offer extra ASIs to spend on getting battlemaster maneuvers (one feat for maneuvers directly and another for maneuver via fighting style).

[Bosh]

the skill of "never giving up"

For this never day die! Kind of build I'd go with a simpler build: human two levels of barbarian then five levels of rogue. Use strength attacks (advantage whenever you want, fits with the MAXIMUM EFFORT you see from a lot of generic anime protagonists) but enough dex to be pretty tanky with medium armor and a shield. When you bag five levels of rogue you can halve incoming damage 1/round ON TOP OF barbarian rage resistances.

Lot of options for the feats, subclasses, and skill expertise depending on where you want to take things.

For really doubling down on "NEVER SAY DIE!" go with a dwarf barbarian/undying monk. Damage resistance, temp HPs, AND bonus action healing. You can even do it while wearing armor.

[AndrewBlade]

Is the rage or the unarmored defense the big draw? Because Rune Knight can give you much the same effect as Rage, and both fighter and rogue offer extra ASIs to spend on getting battlemaster maneuvers (one feat for maneuvers directly and another for maneuver via fighting style).

The rage at level 1 is the biggest draw. Unarmored defense is good too, but damage resistance with the hp boost and the whole cinematic element of rage pushing a character past their normal boundaries is a huge draw in this instance. Uncanny Dodge with rage's damage resistance, plus stone's endurance is very appealing for 5 levels of Rogue, but I'm more interested in getting soulknife first, then action surge, then extra attack in fighter. Rune knight has a lot of interesting options, though, and I'm taking a look at them right now to see if they might be a better alternative to battle master. I'm afraid I'm pretty set on just a dip in barbarian, with 6 levels of fighter, and the rest soulknife rogue, though.

But who knows, a lot of things can change during a campaign, and that can often dictate what decisions are made. I do like the Tough feat, but durable might be a good option as well. Tavern Brawler is a half-feat that gives me the opportunity to grapple as a bonus action- if I hit with an unarmed attack- which might be helpful with action economy early on and I take an unarmed fighting style. Observant would be good after I've established more martial feats/ASI's to help with perception, especially if I expertise in it. And if there are enemy casters, Mage Slayer might be good too.

[Kane0]

I'm afraid I'm pretty set on just a dip in barbarian, with 6 levels of fighter, and the rest soulknife rogue, though.

That's fine, the only thing I recommend is getting your hands on Extra attack as soon as possible between Barb and Fighter. Mixing them both together plus throwing in Rogue in the middle will likely lead to you not being threatening enough in combat. You might not die because of all the things you pick up to keep yourself alive, but you won't be helping end fights quickly or keeping your allies alive.

Alternatively, just wait for the chance to start at a higher level so you don't have those 'teething issues'

[prototype00]

On the mechanics side, there is a popular build making the rounds that resembles yours, but the mechanics are such that the fighter levels you have proposed add little to nothing to the ultimate power of the build and you are better off going Beast Barbarian/ Soulknife Rogue to get to the good parts of the build as quickly as possible.

For reference the original thread:

https://www.reddit.com/r/3d6/comments/lfimyp/want_to_make_4_attacks_as_a_barbarian_just_put/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

[AndrewBlade]

On the mechanics side, there is a popular build making the rounds that resembles yours, but the mechanics are such that the fighter levels you have proposed add little to nothing to the ultimate power of the build and you are better off going Beast Barbarian/ Soulknife Rogue to get to the good parts of the build as quickly as possible.

I actually read the article about making four attacks as a beast barbarian with claws. It does sound a little bit intriguing, but I don't really want to be a beast barbarian.