Opinions on my Paladin for upcoming Strahd campaign

[CTurbo]

I've never played or DM'd Strahd so I'm looking forward to it playing it. I want to play a Scourge Aasimar Devotion Paladin who puts the capital L in Lawful and the capital G in Good. I envision him being the most Paladinest Paladin that's ever Paladined. I'm imagining RPing him as a bit unintentionally funny in his righteousness. He's definitely going to be over-the-top. I am not interested in multiclassing.

There is a bit of a twist with character development which adds a bit of fun to things IMO. Our stat array is 18,16,14,10,9,7 and we aren't allowed to boost the 18 or 7 with racial mods. No starting feats allowed which kills vhuman and CL options. I guess the first 2 things to figure out is do I want to start with 18 Str, 14 Con, 18 Cha or 18 Str, 16 Con, 16 Cha and also where to put the 7.

My first thought was to put the 7 in Int, but I'm playing a 6 Int Barbarian in our other campaign so I kinda didn't want to play another dumb character simultaneously. I have played a 4 Dex Paladin in the past in a one shot and I RP'd him as extremely clumsy so that's my next thought. A very clumsy righteous Devotion Pally could be funny to play, but I'm worried it would be too much of a mechanical handicap and I don't want to hurt the party too much. Three of our players are 11,13,and 14 and they do like the funny, but I don't want to completely kill the dreary mood that's supposed to be the campaign atmosphere. I wouldn't even know how to play a 7 Wis character. Maybe he's so self absorbed that he's oblivious to his surroundings? Opinions on putting the 7 in Wis? Another option I've considered is going full Dexadin and putting the 7 in Str. It doesn't really fit the theme of the character though IMO.

I know I want to take the Knight background and have the retainers that work for me and/or my family. I'm almost definitely going to take Blessed Warrior as my Fighting Style for Sacred Flame and probably Guidance.

I don't know what to do at level 4 or what type of weapon I want to use. I've considered taking PAM at level 4, but S&B fits the typical Paladin trope better. If I do end up dumping Dex, I may take Shield Master at 4 to help mitigate the -7. Not sure how important Dex saves are for the module. Even if I decide to take PAM at level 4, S&B is probably still the best option from 1-3. Sword and Spear isn't out of the question and I could still take PAM with that setup.

There will be 5 or 6 players and although I'm pretty sure there with be a Cleric that's either Tempest or Light, I'm not concerned with the party makeup and will not make decisions on my character based on what everybody else is playing.

Another minor tidbit is, while normally he's very nice and caring of others, while he's using Radiant Consumption, he's going to turn cold, cruel, and completely uncaring until it ends, and when it ends, he'll have no memory of it or what happened during it.

What do yall think? Opinions and suggestions are welcome.

[Skrum]

Obviously the mechanically optimal thing to do is put the 7 in Int, but I hear you; I don't particularly like playing very low Int characters either.

When I think of low wisdom, I usually think of them as overly-focused on some narrow thing, and it makes them kinda blind to other things. This could come out as them being kind of maniacal (like a cultist or zealot), or even "crazy" (like, they don't perceive the world normally to some capacity). They probably don't do well with subtleties, take things at face value, and rarely reconsider whatever their first impression of something was even when presented with new information. A zealous paladin that just goes charging off, full of righteousness and not bothering to consider things like "consequences" or "is this a trap" might be fun. Obviously don't play this to the detriment of the group, but like...Drax the Destroyer but LG. Funny, but also a real character.

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Overall, I think I would go 18 10 16 9 7 16
Your stats are high enough you could grab PAM at 4th, and then boost str to 20 at 8th (how high does the campaign go?)

If you don't like PAM, str to 20 at 4th and then cha to 18 at 8th would also work great. Paladin is just a good class, and they get most of what they need from their features.

The other players are pretty young, so my guess is the op level isn't particularly high. Playing it straight would probably be best. Grabbing something like Leadership though might also be fun - your character will sermonize to anything that sits still for 10 minutes, and though what he says is incredibly eye-rolling, people can't help but feel like a better world is in reach if only they believed hard enough

[RogueJK]

For your Paladin, I'd probably do something like this:
STR 18
DEX 7
CON 14+2
INT 9
WIS 10
CHA 16+1
ASIs: PAM at 4, Fey Touched (18 CHA, Gift of Alacrity) at 8


I put the 7 in DEX rather than WIS, because failing a WIS save hurts you a lot more than failing a DEX save. Failed WIS saves tend to impart ongoing save-or-suck effects that charm/frighten/incapacitate. Failed DEX saves tend to just deal HP damage. The primary drawback of a 7 DEX on a Paladin is the negative Initiative modifier, which can be mitigated using stuff like Fey Touched (Gift of Alacrity) or Alert if you want. Even better if you have a Twilight Cleric in the party.

Skip Shield Master as a means to attempt to shore up your DEX save. The +2 to DEX saves only narrowly applies to effects that target you alone, which isn't most DEX saves. Then the quasi-Evasion part only applies if you actually make your DEX save, which with a 7 DEX you're unlike to do.

(Shield Master is best used only on sword & board PCs who A) already have a good DEX save, B) don't get Evasion, C) have at least a moderately high Athletics bonus, and D) don't already have a regular use of their Bonus Action. That's a pretty narrow niche. Best case scenario would be a S&B build with DEX save proficiency like a Bard, Ranger, or Rogue 1-3/Fighter X, who has Athletics proficiency and Expertise, and either a high DEX/moderate STR or a high STR/moderate DEX.

[KorvinStarmast]

I've never played or DM'd Strahd so I'm looking forward to it playing it. I want to play a Scourge Aasimar Devotion Paladin who puts the capital L in Lawful and the capital G in Good. I envision him being the most Paladinest Paladin that's ever Paladined. I'm imagining RPing him as a bit unintentionally funny in his righteousness. He's definitely going to be over-the-top. I am not interested in multiclassing. Good choice.
A paladin will be a valuable member of the team. We have one, she's aasimar/protector/devotion, and she's been very valuable. She's all about her pole arm, but, she also got her hands on some full plate when we had a chance to do so in the FR phase of the published module. That makes a difference. I'd not count on that.

There is a bit of a twist with character development which adds a bit of fun to things IMO.
Our stat array is 18,16,14,10,9,7 and we aren't allowed to boost the 18 or 7 with racial mods. I'll get back to this.

I guess the first 2 things to figure out is do I want to start with 18 Str, 14 Con, 18 Cha or 18 Str, 16 Con, 16 Cha and also where to put the 7. Put the 7 in INT for a Paladin.
Scourge Aasimar = +2 Cha +1 Con.
I'd assign stats like this.
S 18 D 9 Con 16 Int 7 Wis 10 Cha 14.
Final Stats are:
S 18 D 9 Con 17 Int 7 Wis 10 Cha 16.
You never have to touch S or Cha again for this campaign.
Your Heavy Armor and S+B style fits this.
At level 4 either take PAM for your Spear and Shield thing, or just boost D 1o 10 and INT to 8.
At level 8 I'd suggest Inspiring Leader.

My first thought was to put the 7 in Int, but I'm playing a 6 Int Barbarian in our other campaign so I kinda didn't want to play another dumb character simultaneously. I see no reason to handicap your paladin and Your Party in this campaign due to a different campaign.

I know I want to take the Knight background and have the retainers that work for me and/or my family. I strongly recommend against Knight, since Barovia is not a setting where you can take advantage of that. Suggest Sailor, Soldier, or Acolyte.

I'm almost definitely going to take Blessed Warrior as my Fighting Style for Sacred Flame and probably Guidance. Great plan.


I don't know what to do at level 4 or what type of weapon I want to use. I've considered taking PAM at level 4, but S&B fits the typical Paladin trope better. If I do end up dumping Dex, I may take Shield Master at 4 to help mitigate the -7. Not sure how important Dex saves are for the module. Your shield master plan is a good one.

Even if I decide to take PAM at level 4, S&B is probably still the best option from 1-3. Sword and Spear isn't out of the question and I could still take PAM with that setup. Shield and Spear with PAM is a good idea. I played a battle master like that, and it worked well.


There will be 5 or 6 players and although I'm pretty sure there with be a Cleric that's either Tempest or Light, I'm not concerned with the party makeup and will not make decisions on my character based on what everybody else is playing. Well, I can't help you there, since I always look at what others are playing before I decide. My mental approach is Party Optimization, not PC optimization. That is because the basic unit of D&D is the Party. With that said, since you have 5 or 6 players, you should be fine.

Another minor tidbit is, while normally he's very nice and caring of others, while he's using Radiant Consumption, he's going to turn cold, cruel, and completely uncaring until it ends, and when it ends, he'll have no memory of it or what happened during it. If the rest of the players are fine with that, great. If they are not, then please Don't Be That Guy. (Read up on My Guy Syndrome (https://rpg.stackexchange.com/q/37103/22566) here).

Work with your team mates on good tactics so that whey you let loose with that capability it helps the party more than it hurts it.

D&D is a Team Sport.

[cZak]

You could do the Dex 7 > Resilient Dex@4; by 6th level you'd be +5/+6 on Dex saves with your Charisma boost seems a pretty good modifier

[CTurbo]

Obviously the mechanically optimal thing to do is put the 7 in Int, but I hear you; I don't particularly like playing very low Int characters either.

When I think of low wisdom, I usually think of them as overly-focused on some narrow thing, and it makes them kinda blind to other things. This could come out as them being kind of maniacal (like a cultist or zealot), or even "crazy" (like, they don't perceive the world normally to some capacity). They probably don't do well with subtleties, take things at face value, and rarely reconsider whatever their first impression of something was even when presented with new information. A zealous paladin that just goes charging off, full of righteousness and not bothering to consider things like "consequences" or "is this a trap" might be fun. Obviously don't play this to the detriment of the group, but like...Drax the Destroyer but LG. Funny, but also a real character.

-----

Overall, I think I would go 18 10 16 9 7 16
Your stats are high enough you could grab PAM at 4th, and then boost str to 20 at 8th (how high does the campaign go?)

If you don't like PAM, str to 20 at 4th and then cha to 18 at 8th would also work great. Paladin is just a good class, and they get most of what they need from their features.

The other players are pretty young, so my guess is the op level isn't particularly high. Playing it straight would probably be best. Grabbing something like Leadership though might also be fun - your character will sermonize to anything that sits still for 10 minutes, and though what he says is incredibly eye-rolling, people can't help but feel like a better world is in reach if only they believed hard enough

The 3 kids are young, but at this point, they've got a lot of hours playing under their belts. We've gone from level 1-8 in our other ongoing campaign and they've also played through a couple of one shots. I've already chosen a class and subclass that will for sure help the entire party so I think I can comfortably play a not fully optimized character without worry as long as I'm not being an outright detriment.

I'm pretty sure the campaign usually ends around level 10, but I've heard of players finishing it at level 9, 10, and 11.


For your Paladin, I'd probably do something like this:
STR 18
DEX 7
CON 14+2
INT 9
WIS 10
CHA 16+1
ASIs: PAM at 4, Fey Touched (18 CHA, Gift of Alacrity) at 8


I put the 7 in DEX rather than WIS, because failing a WIS save hurts you a lot more than failing a DEX save. Failed WIS saves tend to impart ongoing save-or-suck effects that charm/frighten/incapacitate. Failed DEX saves tend to just deal HP damage. The primary drawback of a 7 DEX on a Paladin is the negative Initiative modifier, which can be mitigated using stuff like Fey Touched (Gift of Alacrity) or Alert if you want. Even better if you have a Twilight Cleric in the party.

Skip Shield Master as a means to attempt to shore up your DEX save. The +2 to DEX saves only narrowly applies to effects that target you alone, which isn't most DEX saves. Then the quasi-Evasion part only applies if you actually make your DEX save, which with a 7 DEX you're unlike to do.

(Shield Master is best used only on sword & board PCs who A) already have a good DEX save, B) don't get Evasion, C) have at least a moderately high Athletics bonus, and D) don't already have a regular use of their Bonus Action. That's a pretty narrow niche. Best case scenario would be a S&B build with DEX save proficiency like a Bard, Ranger, or Rogue 1-3/Fighter X, who has Athletics proficiency and Expertise, and either a high DEX/moderate STR or a high STR/moderate DEX.

That's a good call out about Shield Master so I'll scratch that idea. I also agree with you about Wis saves being more important. It would be unfortunate to have a -2 Initiative. I did take Alert on that afore mentioned 4 Dex Paladin to cover the poor initiative. Alert is a decent feat, but I don't think I'd want to spend my 4th level option on that.


Good choice.
A paladin will be a valuable member of the team. We have one, she's aasimar/protector/devotion, and she's been very valuable. She's all about her pole arm, but, she also got her hands on some full plate when we had a chance to do so in the FR phase of the published module. That makes a difference. I'd not count on that.
I'll get back to this.
Put the 7 in INT for a Paladin.
Scourge Aasimar = +2 Cha +1 Con.
I'd assign stats like this.
S 18 D 9 Con 16 Int 7 Wis 10 Cha 14.
Final Stats are:
S 18 D 9 Con 17 Int 7 Wis 10 Cha 16.
You never have to touch S or Cha again for this campaign.
Your Heavy Armor and S+B style fits this.
At level 4 either take PAM for your Spear and Shield thing, or just boost D 1o 10 and INT to 8.
At level 8 I'd suggest Inspiring Leader.
I see no reason to handicap your paladin and Your Party in this campaign due to a different campaign.
I strongly recommend against Knight, since Barovia is not a setting where you can take advantage of that. Suggest Sailor, Soldier, or Acolyte.
Great plan.
Your shield master plan is a good one.
Shield and Spear with PAM is a good idea. I played a battle master like that, and it worked well.
Well, I can't help you there, since I always look at what others are playing before I decide. My mental approach is Party Optimization, not PC optimization. That is because the basic unit of D&D is the Party. With that said, since you have 5 or 6 players, you should be fine.
If the rest of the players are fine with that, great. If they are not, then please Don't Be That Guy. (Read up on My Guy Syndrome (https://rpg.stackexchange.com/q/37103/22566) here).

Work with your team mates on good tactics so that whey you let loose with that capability it helps the party more than it hurts it.

D&D is a Team Sport.

Thanks to Tasha's, the +2/+1 racial bonuses can go anywhere and aren't locked to +2 Cha and +1 Con. I'm probably going to add the +1 to wherever the 9 goes.

My idea to have him change during Radiant Consumption is more for flavor and shouldn't really hurt the party in any way. I'm the veteran of the group so I'm not going to be "that guy" and do things that hurt the party.

I'm going with Knight for flavor and am ok if it's not the most optimized option. It just fits this character too well not to use it.


You could do the Dex 7 > Resilient Dex@4; by 6th level you'd be +5/+6 on Dex saves with your Charisma boost seems a pretty good modifier

There's no rule that says we can't boost that 7 at level 4, but I think it defeats the purpose of what the DM is going for. We all agreed that we'd all have 1 terrible stat and in turn get a decent boost on the top end. Starting 18, 16, and 14 before racial is considerably better than what standard array or point buy can get us. I get where you're coming from though and it's definitely a good option mechanically speaking.


I've noticed that all 3 people who offered stat advice went with 18 Str, 16 Con, and 16 Cha. I'm definitely leaning towards 18 Str, 14 Con, 18 Cha.

If I don't go with PAM at 4, I could start with 18 Str, 16 Con, and 17 Cha and take Fey Touched at level 4 to bump Cha to 18 like Rogue said.

I may end up being the only Cha focused character so Inspiring Leader would be a good choice. It definitely fits the theme.

18 Str, 15 Con, and 18 Cha with Res(Con) at level 4 is an option 2.

I like PAM the most, but in a published module, I'm a little concerned about being shoe-horned into a specific weapon type, and what if I can't find a magic Glaive/Halberd?

It seems that we're going to have a Grave Cleric, a Moon Druid, and a Zealot Barbarian in the party. Not sure about the other 1 or 2 characters.

[Damon_Tor]

A low int character doesn't need to be act stupid, especially if he's high cha. Someone with high charisma should be totally capable of appearing to be smarter than he actually is. He might even be entirely unaware of how dumb he is. When you roll low on a knowledge check you might offer up a totally incorrect (but very convincing!) conspiracy theory in place of the actual truth.

[RogueJK]

That's a good call out about Shield Master so I'll scratch that idea. I also agree with you about Wis saves being more important. It would be unfortunate to have a -2 Initiative. I did take Alert on that afore mentioned 4 Dex Paladin to cover the poor initiative. Alert is a decent feat, but I don't think I'd want to spend my 4th level option on that.

Agreed. PAM is a better option at 4.

Taking Gift of Alacrity from Fey Touched gives effectively the same average Initiative bonus as Alert (1d8/4.5 vs. 5), plus +1 CHA and Misty Step too.

[Slipjig]

7 INT doesn't have to be dumb-as-a-post. It can just be a character with a short attention span, or a bad memory. Drax and Jonny Lawrence from Cobra Kai are both low-INT characters who are functional despite not being quick on the uptake.

Or, given how high your STR and CON are, it's totally appropriate to describe him as so huge and heavily-muscled that he's on the slow side and a little clumsy, and put that 7 in DEX.

Curse of Strahd came out way back in 2016, and there's been a LOT of PC power creep since then. If you are playing with everything published in the intervening eight years, I wouldn't worry too much about being optimized. Most classes have a safe dump stat, so with that stat array you guys are already starting with a solid leg up.

And without spoiling what's in the module... for story reasons, I'd recommend going S&B, especially as the paladin.

[Tawmis]

I've never played or DM'd Strahd so I'm looking forward to it playing it. I want to play a Scourge Aasimar Devotion Paladin who puts the capital L in Lawful and the capital G in Good. I envision him being the most Paladinest Paladin that's ever Paladined. I'm imagining RPing him as a bit unintentionally funny in his righteousness. He's definitely going to be over-the-top. I am not interested in multiclassing.
There is a bit of a twist with character development which adds a bit of fun to things IMO. Our stat array is 18,16,14,10,9,7 and we aren't allowed to boost the 18 or 7 with racial mods. No starting feats allowed which kills vhuman and CL options. I guess the first 2 things to figure out is do I want to start with 18 Str, 14 Con, 18 Cha or 18 Str, 16 Con, 16 Cha and also where to put the 7.
My first thought was to put the 7 in Int, but I'm playing a 6 Int Barbarian in our other campaign so I kinda didn't want to play another dumb character simultaneously.


The 7 in INT doesn't have to mean you're stupid.
The 7 in INT could symbolize your inability to see any other view than your own view that would make you the - as you put it "the most Paladinest Paladin that's ever Paladined."

So the 7 INT could simply represent your close-mindedness to seeing other people's points of view.

That said, I am playing in a CoS campaign myself (also a Paladin, and also a Tiefling) - and the thing with CoS is it's generally a pretty dark adventure. It's difficult to pull off comedic moments 'in character' - most of the comedy in my current CoS game seems to come from bad rolls and explaining what went wrong.

[KorvinStarmast]

I'm pretty sure the campaign usually ends around level 10, but I've heard of players finishing it at level 9, 10, and 11. Sounds about right.

I also agree with you about Wis saves being more important. They sure are.


Thanks to Tasha's, the +2/+1 racial bonuses can go anywhere and aren't locked to +2 Cha and +1 Con. I'm probably going to add the +1 to wherever the 9 goes.
My suggestion: drop the +1 onto the 9 for your Wis save to start at 0 PLUS your proficiency bonus since you are proficient.


I'm going with Knight for flavor and am ok if it's not the most optimized option. It just fits this character too well not to use it. Beautiful. Sounds like fun. I agree with the resilient Dex at 4 suggestion.


I may end up being the only Cha focused character so Inspiring Leader would be a good choice. It definitely fits the theme.
Yep. It's helpful. I have never regretted taking it.
18 Str, 15 Con, and 18 Cha with Res (Con) at level 4 is an option 2.
That's a very good idea, as that opens up some of the concentration spells Paladin has to being more likely to stay up. (Bless, Sheild of Faith, etc)

I like PAM the most, but in a published module, I'm a little concerned about being shoe-horned into a specific weapon type, and what if I can't find a magic Glaive/Halberd? Sword and Board works, just saying. :smallsmile:

It seems that we're going to have a Grave Cleric, a Moon Druid, and a Zealot Barbarian in the party. Not sure about the other 1 or 2 characters. Looks like a well rounded crew.

The 7 in INT doesn't have to mean you're stupid.
The 7 in INT could symbolize your inability to see any other view than your own view that would make you the - as you put it "the most Paladinest Paladin that's ever Paladined."

So the 7 INT could simply represent your close-mindedness to seeing other people's points of view.

That said, I am playing in a CoS campaign myself (also a Paladin, and also a Tiefling) - and the thing with CoS is it's generally a pretty dark adventure. It's difficult to pull off comedic moments 'in character' - most of the comedy in my current CoS game seems to come from bad rolls and explaining what went wrong. Nice points about INT, but the comedy in Strahd mostly comes from the players; the setting is for sure sparse on it. (Our group finds a way).

[CTurbo]

I'm so indecisive!!! I know the best thing to do is to put the 7 in Int, but part of me really wants to stick it in Dex and go with the slightly clumsy angle. I did talk to the DM and he won't punish me in wild ways for having a poor Dex like he's not going to make me fall on my face prone in front of the BBEG if I crit miss or anything lol. I just feel like I'm always dumping Int and I see this guy as a decently educated Noble/Knight type. He's also going to be the party leader. I do like the 'spouts nonsense confidently' angle though.

I'm still equally indecisive about what to do at level 4. I still want PAM, and is likely what I end up doing, but I'd prefer glaive or halberd over spear/shield. Maybe I'll ask the DM if he's willing to let there be a magic glaive/halberd. I've never played Strahd, but I've been around long enough to know some of the magic weapons that are in there. I know the main one, but I have no idea where it is or when to find it. I know my character would be the best option to wield it though.

I still want the Blessed Warrior fighting style, but since there's going to be at least one Cleric, I'm not going to take Guidance. I think I'm going to go with Sacred Flame and Word of Radiance.

For spells, I'm thinking....

Compelled Dual
Cure Wounds
Divine Favor
Protection From Evil and Good
Sanctuary

[Theodoxus]

Our stat array is 18,16,14,10,9,7 and we aren't allowed to boost the 18 or 7 with racial mods.

Taking what others have noted, your comments on them, and having both played and run CoS - no spoilers! - here's my recommendation, though I'm pretty sure you'll poopoo it - but here goes anyway.

18 (base) Strength. No need to increase this further.
10 (base) Dexterity. No need to increase this further.
14 (base) Constitution. +2 at 8th level if you're finding yourself loosing too many HP/failing Con(c) saves.
10 (9 base, +1 race) Intelligence. You're not a moron, you're just not a quick thinker.
7 (base) Wisdom. Resilient Wisdom at 4th level. Same basic reasons cZak mentioned for Dex, but playing low Wis is a lot more fun (IME) than low Dex.
18 (16 base, +2 race) Charisma. I'd increase this to 20 if you make it to 12th level.

Having a -2 Dex penalty is a lot more detrimental on the Initiative front than the save front (it affects every combat, after all). I'd avoid that on a frontliner (which I expect you'll share with the moonie, especially if you go S&B as suggested).

Having a -2 Wis penalty won't be overly obvious in tier 1. And since the idea is to shore up your Wis saves with Resilient, you'll be +1 at 4th, +2 at 5th, and +6 at 6th... right when you'll probably be facing a fair share of Wis saves.

As for playing a low Wisdom character, the easiest way I've ever seen it done, was to play on your phone during other player's turns, and only ask the DM what is immediately pertinent for your character to know. This creates a natural obliviousness, and as long as you're not bugging everyone to call out what you missed (which obviously obviates the whole point), it isn't even particularly disruptive. (You should get DM buy in though, so they're not annoyed by your not paying attention - and note, this is really only for combat or other situations where your tiefling doesn't care what's happening around them.) Could really play up the whole 'Devotion Paladin' aspect by shouting out a rallying cry whenever your (as the player) attention is brought back into the game.

It sounds like the rest of the players, while young, aren't leaning on you to help them play their characters - and if they are, this obliviousness will help 'kick them out of the nest' too. Win/Win.

[RogueJK]

7 (base) Wisdom. Resilient Wisdom at 4th level.


Paladins already get WIS save proficiency, so Resilient WIS is redundant.

[KorvinStarmast]

Paladins already get WIS save proficiency, so Resilient WIS is redundant.

Hence the Res Dex suggestion. :smallsmile:

[Psyren]

I think negative Dex is fine. You'll fail Dex saves more which could be painful in an HP sense, but you have better than average HP to start with as well as your own source(s) of healing. Your AC won't suffer because you can wear heavy armor, and you can pack javelins for ranged enemies. That just leaves initiative, but Paladins work nearly as fine reactively as proactively anyway.

[CTurbo]

I appreciate all the input so far. I'm still wildly indecisive on where to put the 7 and what to do at level 4.

I'm even considering going all in on Dex and putting the 7 in Str and playing him as an amazing fighter, but not nearly as strong as he thinks he is. I'm not going to multiclass anyway, and have played a Dexadin in the past to great success. The negative Int doesn't fit his character as he's going to be the party leader and I see him as overzealously charging into battle. It doesn't make sense for him to go "last" in combat. I also don't want to put the 7 in Dex and then spend feats/resources in boosting it's penalties because that kind of defeats the purpose of having the 7 in the first place which we all agreed on having. It was actually my idea to have the bad dump stat lol. Side note, I usually really enjoy having 1 really bad stat, but it's not working with this character.

If I had to choose right now like if we were playing today, I'd put the 7 in Int and rp him as the confidently wrong guy who thinks he knows everything, but doesn't. If I wasn't also playing a 6 Int Barb, this would be an easy decision. Of course whichever I choose to get the 7 between Dex and Int, the other is going to get a 10 so it's really not THAT much difference ultimately. I'm likely to either have a -2 or +0 initiative in the end anyway.

Since I'm taking the Knight background, maybe one of his retainers can be his trusted advisor.

[CTurbo]

In a stunning and unexpected turn of events, the DM says we can start with a free feat as long as it makes sense to our characters' background.

In that case, I think I'm going to start with PAM and start with a spear and shield. If I can find a magic Glaive or Halberd then I'll ditch the shield.

That still doesn't completely solve what to do at level 4 and now I kinda want Sentinel there whereas I would have considered it at level 8. I generally wouldn't even mention level 8 at level 0 character creation, but Sentinel was high on the list for that slot.

That being said, if I can start with PAM, I may be boring and just bump Str and Cha at levels 4 and 8.

[RogueJK]

If that's the case, then I'd definitely find a way to fit Inspiring Leader in there. It's a massive boost to the party's HP, and fits the character well.

20 STR and 20 CHA isn't necessary in a Tier 1-2 game. You're already well ahead of the curve with your high starting stats. 18s will do just fine.

I'd strongly consider starting 18 STR and 18 CHA with PAM, then taking Inspiring Leader at 4, then either Sentinel or 20 CHA at 8.

[Tawmis]

I'm so indecisive!!! I know the best thing to do is to put the 7 in Int, but part of me really wants to stick it in Dex and go with the slightly clumsy angle. I did talk to the DM and he won't punish me in wild ways for having a poor Dex like he's not going to make me fall on my face prone in front of the BBEG if I crit miss or anything lol. I just feel like I'm always dumping Int and I see this guy as a decently educated Noble/Knight type. He's also going to be the party leader. I do like the 'spouts nonsense confidently' angle though.


The DM may not punish you by making you fall - but the dice are going to punish you when your AC is going to be potentially pretty bad.

In another game (Dragonlance) our fighter is playing an "old veteran minotaur fighter" - so his bad stat was Dexterity. Even with Breastplate, I believe his AC is 13.
I play a Wizard in the group and joke that when I do Mage Armor, I have the same AC he does. :D
(Granted he has a metric ton more hit points... but that's besides the point) lol

[CTurbo]

The DM may not punish you by making you fall - but the dice are going to punish you when your AC is going to be potentially pretty bad.

In another game (Dragonlance) our fighter is playing an "old veteran minotaur fighter" - so his bad stat was Dexterity. Even with Breastplate, I believe his AC is 13.
I play a Wizard in the group and joke that when I do Mage Armor, I have the same AC he does. :D
(Granted he has a metric ton more hit points... but that's besides the point) lol


As I'll be wearing heavy armor and using a shield, my Dex score will have no effect on my AC

[RogueJK]

Yep. Heavy Armor in 5E ignores DEXMOD, either positive or negative. With full plate and a shield, you're looking at a 20 AC, with no negative effects there from a 7 DEX.

[KorvinStarmast]

Yep. Heavy Armor in 5E ignores DEXMOD, either positive or negative. With full plate and a shield, you're looking at a 20 AC, with no negative effects there from a 7 DEX.

Pro Tip: finding full plate in CoS is not as simple as ordering it from Amaz0n.kom. :smallwink:

[RogueJK]

Even with starting equipment chain mail and a shield, you have an 18 AC.

[CTurbo]

I really don't expect to find Plate and have accepted that I'll likely have 18-19 AC for the entirety of the campaign. If we happen upon a magical shield I'll let the Cleric have it.

Still have no idea what I'm going to do with the 7 or what my starting feat is going to be lol. Too indecisive! I'm leaning away from PAM though. The more think about it the more I see this guy using a longsword.

[Keravath]

I really don't expect to find Plate and have accepted that I'll likely have 18-19 AC for the entirety of the campaign. If we happen upon a magical shield I'll let the Cleric have it.

Still have no idea what I'm going to do with the 7 or what my starting feat is going to be lol. Too indecisive! I'm leaning away from PAM though. The more think about it the more I see this guy using a longsword.

If your DM runs Strahd as written then no character in the party should count on getting magic items that will help. In fact, even mundane items over 25gp may be completely unavailable which is something to keep in mind.

On the other hand, with a younger group, the DM may add some things to help keep them happy.

[Theodoxus]

If your DM runs Strahd as written then no character in the party should count on getting magic items that will help. In fact, even mundane items over 25gp may be completely unavailable which is something to keep in mind.

On the other hand, with a younger group, the DM may add some things to help keep them happy.

mmm, I mean, there are some very well known Cleric enhancing magic items, that a Paladin could use as well...

There's also a very difficult location (encounter-wise) that has amazing rewards, if you survive.

One playthrough, the DM graciously allowed my blacksmith Dwarven Life Cleric to refashion leftover armor from one encounter into plate mail for himself... it was a bit handwavy, but certainly not unreasonable...

Though I tend to agree that if you go into the campaign with the mindset that you're going to need to rely on party composition and whatever gear you had when the Mists took you, instead of hoping to find what you need later on, you'll have a better time of it - and should you manage to obtain better gear in Barovia, celebrate it :)

[tKUUNK]

Just chiming in re: putting a 7 in wisdom-

I would.

Devotion paladin can't be charmed at lv7+
Paladin can't be frightened at lv10+
There go two of your biggest concerns, np.

Toss one of those 18s in charisma for the +4 to all saves at lv6+

And then have a blast playing this LG zealot who relies on his paladin oaths as-taught because he lacks the insight to fully interpret & deeply understand the oaths for himself.

I don't think this is going to cripple your wisdom saving throws in a way that is particularly cruel, at least not post-lv6 when the campaign starts to really heat up.