An Eclectic Collection of Fun and Effective Builds

[monkey3]

I have a feeling I am (way) late to the party, but someone mentioned Celestial Generalist in another thread and so I found it here. I really like how the OP created what he intended (a generalist).
I did notice something that I see many do. They talk about all the things that go well together, but you can't do them together! I would actually advise against taking Eldritch Sight on this character, if the idea (which I like) is to 24-hour hex and madden it all day. You can't do that with Detect Magic as both Hex and it are concentration. This is yet another overreach of concentration which makes casters not want to cast detect magic, pretty much at any time, since I can't remember my 5+ caster not concentrating on something.
In this case a single "free" casting of Detect Magic makes you lose your hex and, and you only get 3 of them per short rest.

[Mercurias]

I was looking at the new Tashas stuff and wondered if there might be some way to combine a Swarmkeeper Ranger with a Druid or Cleric. 3 levels in Ranger will give you some nice added proficiencies on top of your Swarm, plus either a fighting style or two additional Druid Cantrips.

My immediate thought was to try it with a Shepherd Druid, but honestly Shepherd Druids have a lot they might want to do other than attack with their Actions. They have pets for that sort of thing. The Swarm may not get much use.

I could see the Swarm aspect working well with a Wildfire Druid, since you could use cantrips to shift enemies around the map and onto Cauterizing Flames, and Flame Druids are offense-minded enough to get use out of the Swarm.

For theme I might combine it with a Nature Cleric, letting you be a Tanky Gish with added nature spells, heavy armor, three bonus skills, and a swarm of helpful critters to haul enemies back into the range of your Spirit Guardians.

Anyone by chance had a similar thought, or have ideas on how to refine the idea?

[Schlendrian]

Hello Ludic,

i am following your builds with much enjoyment. You sometimes talk about unusual tanks and i would love if you could describe the builds you do when you make control/tanking your focus with little used classes for that like lore bards, wizards (especially the invoker and enchanter) and warlocks.

thanks for all your work in this forum

[Wraith]

I was looking at the new Tashas stuff and wondered if there might be some way to combine a Swarmkeeper Ranger with a Druid or Cleric. 3 levels in Ranger will give you some nice added proficiencies on top of your Swarm, plus either a fighting style or two additional Druid Cantrips.

I'd go with Swarmkeeper Ranger and Circle of Spores Druid, personally. The extra damage inflicted by your Swarm stacks with that inflicted by your Spores, which in turn stacks with the Shillelagh spell. At level Druid 2/Ranger 3 you're dealing 1d8+STR+2d6 which inflicts Magical Bludgeoning, Piercing and Necrotic damage for overcoming resistances, which is reasonably decent even before you add the damage from you Spore-aura.

Pick up a dip or feat for Booming Blade as well for another d8, plus Hunter's Mark or Searing Smite for more d6's and more damage types, and things start to look interesting.

Alucard89 suggested something similar with a Spore Druid/Gloom Stalker build.

The problem with Nature Cleric is that it is, by itself, just really good because it's a Cleric. If you want armour and melee then pure cleric is probably better than a Druid dip, and for spellcasting then arguably pure either is better than splitting your spell progression. I guess Nature Cleric/Spores Druid might work for the same reason above - whatever else you do it consistently adds to your melee DPS, which might be something you'd need.

[Mercurias]

I'd go with Swarmkeeper Ranger and Circle of Spores Druid, personally. The extra damage inflicted by your Swarm stacks with that inflicted by your Spores, which in turn stacks with the Shillelagh spell. At level Druid 2/Ranger 3 you're dealing 1d8+STR+2d6 which inflicts Magical Bludgeoning, Piercing and Necrotic damage for overcoming resistances, which is reasonably decent even before you add the damage from you Spore-aura.

Pick up a dip or feat for Booming Blade as well for another d8, plus Hunter's Mark or Searing Smite for more d6's and more damage types, and things start to look interesting.

Alucard89 suggested something similar with a Spore Druid/Gloom Stalker build.

The problem with Nature Cleric is that it is, by itself, just really good because it's a Cleric. If you want armour and melee then pure cleric is probably better than a Druid dip, and for spellcasting then arguably pure either is better than splitting your spell progression. I guess Nature Cleric/Spores Druid might work for the same reason above - whatever else you do it consistently adds to your melee DPS, which might be something you'd need.

Those are extremely good points! Thanks!

[Rerem115]

The Roving Scoundrel

A...being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

-Robert Heinlein

The Roving Scoundrel is not a build hyper-optimized for a particular task, though it is definitely capable of excelling in its chosen fields. In fact, I don't exactly see it as a 'build', but rather a sturdy chassis with plenty of hooks it can use to hang what it needs. While definitely a martial at its core, it blends it with magical capability, adding tools for a creative player.

Race: Any, though perhaps best suited to Tabaxi, Elves and Half-Elves, and Satyrs
Level Progression: Rogue 1>Gloom Stalker 8>Arcane Trickster 12
Stats: 8 STR, 17 DEX (15+2), 14 CON, 12 INT, 14 WIS (13+1), 10 CHA
ASI: +DEX Half-Feat@4, Sharpshooter@8, +2 DEX@12, rest to taste; Resilient: CON, Skilled, Skill Expert, etc.
Recommended Skill Proficiencies: Perception, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Survival, Insight, Investigation, Persuasion

Tier 1(levels 1-4):
Starting off with Rogue, we have the most skills of any class at this point, and 1d6 Sneak Attack to keep our damage competitive. Expertise can go wherever, but it's difficult to go wrong with Perception and Stealth. We'll have at least 4 by the end, so choose what you think will be most relevant for your campaign. The rest of the tier will be Ranger, and boy howdy, is it front loaded. There's an argument to be made for UA Revised Ranger's Natural Explorer+Primeval Awareness+Favored Enemy, but the options from TCoE make it really up to personal preference. In my experience, I like UA Favored Enemy over Favored Foe and just barely prefer UA Natural Explorer to Canny, but for simplicity's sake (and because TCoE is more likely to be allowed at the table) we'll be using the published variant features.

Ranger 1, we've got an extra skill just from multiclassing, and another Expertise and 2 languages from Canny, as well as a bit more damage from Favored Foe. Ranger 2, we've got the Archery Fighting Style and spellcasting; 2 - then 3 - Ranger spells (Absorb Elements, Zephyr Strike, last to taste), and ability to use a Druidic Focus, and a bonus in the form of Speak With Animals and Disguise Self from Primeval Awareness and Gloom Stalker. Ranger 3 grants the aforementioned benefits, plus a pseudo-Extra Attack, plus WIS to Initiative, plus Darkvision, plus becoming Invisible in the shadows

You are slippery, even without Cunning Action; Zephyr Strike gives the benefits of a Disengage for a minute, as well as a Dash you can use once per cast. You've got durability, mobility, and plenty of utility in your myriad skills. You can frontline if need be; carrying a melee weapon and a shield isn't much of a tax, but you are primarily a skirmisher and skill monkey. If you need a party face, your proficiencies - maybe even Expertise - in Insight and Persuasion can come into play, or you can lean harder into the rugged survival aspect embodied by Rangers and focus more on tracking and survival with your spell and skill choices.

Tier 2 (levels 5-9):
Our first ASI! If you're an Elf, consider Elven Accuracy. Small races should consider Squat Nimbleness. If neither of those apply, Piercer is great for those who want more damage, and Skill Expert is just solid all around. Or, if the 2020 Psionics UA is on the table, Wild Talent is amazing. A floating die you can add to Initiative and other Dexterity checks that also can be used to shore up poor damage rolls is nothing to sneeze at.

Once you've picked your ASI, don't worry if you're a level behind other Martials for Extra Attack; you've got spell damage, Sneak Attack, Favored Enemy/Foe, and the first turn surge of Gloom Stalker helping you hold on until CL 6. Speaking of, Extra Attack isn't the only good thing you get in these levels. You get 4 more Ranger Spells (Rope Trick, Beast Sense, Pass Without Trace, the last as desired), a Bonus Action Dash, 5 more feet of movement, a swim speed, a climb speed, proficiency in Wisdom Saving Throws, the ability to ignore non-magical difficult terrain, and another ASI, this one going into Sharpshooter.

Our damage is great, as is our mobility and our ability to shut down spellcasters with vision denial and burst damage. We can escort the team into places they normally couldn't reach with Pass Without Trace, and camp out with Rope Trick.

Beyond:
From here, you go straight Rogue, using Sneak Attack, Cunning Action: Hide and Cunning Action: Aim to scale your damage. Meanwhile, Mage Hand Legerdemain, Find Familiar, and all the juicy Illusion and Enchantment spells give you more tools to use both in and out of combat, right at the levels when magic starts being really commonplace. Evasion and Uncanny Dodge keep your defenses relevant, and it's also a good time to pick up +2 Dexterity and Resilient: CON, with all other ASIs going towards your particular vision of your character.

[LudicSavant]

Hello Ludic,

i am following your builds with much enjoyment. You sometimes talk about unusual tanks and i would love if you could describe the builds you do when you make control/tanking your focus with little used classes for that like lore bards, wizards (especially the invoker and enchanter) and warlocks.

thanks for all your work in this forum

Okay! It's on my to-do list. Which... continues to have too many things on it. But I made progress on a writeup for a Frontliner Lore Bard writeup today! Stay tuned!

I have a feeling I am (way) late to the party, but someone mentioned Celestial Generalist in another thread and so I found it here. I really like how the OP created what he intended (a generalist).
I did notice something that I see many do. They talk about all the things that go well together, but you can't do them together! I would actually advise against taking Eldritch Sight on this character, if the idea (which I like) is to 24-hour hex and madden it all day. You can't do that with Detect Magic as both Hex and it are concentration. This is yet another overreach of concentration which makes casters not want to cast detect magic, pretty much at any time, since I can't remember my 5+ caster not concentrating on something.
In this case a single "free" casting of Detect Magic makes you lose your hex and, and you only get 3 of them per short rest.

Hello and welcome to the party Monkey3! You're not too late, I always read feedback on any and all of my builds. I sometimes even go back and add extra tips'n'tricks to the old ones, so anyone should feel free to speak up!

You're right that you can't spam Eldritch Sight while maintaining Concentration on something else, but it still offers some versatility even if you aren't using it all the time. You don't need to have Hex on all the time (even if you pre-cast it and it lasts 24 hours, your Concentration can break naturally. Or you can just drop it when the need arises -- your first cast is basically "free" as a "1-hour morning ritual" so it's not super high cost if you drop it).

However, that said, I do think that if I were making the build just for myself (rather than demonstrating how I could fill everything on Mjolnirbear's checklist with a single character) I usually would pick one of the utility invocations that do not require Concentration instead, especially with some of the shiny new choices available to Tomelocks these days (like Far Scribe or Gift of the Protectors, both of which I think are really good). Precisely because of the things you're talking about.

You might be interested to look at the second Celestial Warlock I posted on this thread, the Celestial Giftlock / Ever-Living Generalist (which isn't trying to fit anyone's criteria but my own). I'd be curious to hear your feedback on that one!

[CrowOfJudgement]

Hi all, don't know how much people will care about this but I also just wanted to put this out here. I found this thread a while back through sheer luck and I've been absolutely in love with it since. I check back here constantly to see what people have added. I have a serious addiction to creating characters, and this thread has been incredibly helpful in feeding that addiction. I've made characters based off every build posted in this thread. Took absolutely ages to catch up, and I know I'll still be doing it for a while as long as you're all being your brilliant selves, but I just wanted to thank everyone for the wonderful time I've had doing this.

With that said, I have an organized list of every build in this thread, including ones that haven't been linked in the second post, so I'd be happy to help if it's needed Ludic!

[Wraith]

With that said, I have an organized list of every build in this thread, including ones that haven't been linked in the second post, so I'd be happy to help if it's needed Ludic!

I got tired after 106, but you're very welcome to collab if you would like to?

[ftafp]

Owl-Cowl: A pokemon-inspired ranger-danger that spells death from above

Race: Medium Owlfolk
Class Split: Twilight Cleric 2/Gloom Stalker 18
Progression: Twilight Cleric 1, Ranger 1 -> Gloom Stalker 5, Twilight Cleric 2, Gloom Stalker 6 -> 18
Stats: 8 Str, 16 Dex, 14 Con, 12 Int, 14 Wis, 10 Cha
ASI: Sharpshooter@5, Crossbow Expert@10, +2 Dex@14,+2 Dex@18
Fighting Style: Archery
Expertise: Stealth
Spells of Note: Guidance, Bless, Command, Sleep, Healing Word, Goodberry, Entangle, Aid, Pass Without Trace, Rope Trick, Conjure Animals, Fear, Plant Growth, Revivify, Conjure Woodland Beings, Greater Invisibility

Tier 1 (1-4): Rowlet
Okay, let me break down how this is going to go. At level 1 you're a twilight cleric which gives you so many goddam abilities it's not even funny, plus we've got a fly speed. Indoors, we try to stay 10 feet up at all times so we're out of melee In outdoor battles our strategy hinges on how many other players know healing spells. If it's more than 1 stay 150 feet up and pick off enemies with your longbow from outside their range, which is even better at night because few creatures have darkvision as good as you do. Otherwise, only stay 90 feet up so you can swoop down and heal allies at a moment's notice while still being out of range of many weapons and spells. You will only maintain the latter strategy until Ranger 2 at which point you get Goodberry and can switch to the former. Each party member should always have at least 1 goodberry on them at a time to revive allies. They last 24 hours so if you have spell slots left over at the end of the day, spend it on this before you go to bed, or better yet when you take watch. Otherwise, cast it once at the start of the day.

Note now that we did not take hunter's mark, that's because you'll be doing far more for your party AND for you by using your spell slots for Bless or Entangle. The latter can be crippling to enemies as not only does it make them easier to hit with both attacks and blasts, but it makes it harder for them to hit you, locks them out of melee range, requires an action just to make a check to get out of, and even if they do they have to trudge through difficult terrain to get into melee. If your enemies are casters though, Bless is a safer bet.

Tier 2 (5-10): Dartrix
Tier 2 starts with Sharpshooter, which not only adds to our damage but increases our already massive maximum range, and lets us ignore half and 3-quarters cover. At this point with your range, your sight, your accuracy and your invisibility at night, you are basicaly invincible with the night sky at your back. That was already awesome but it really kicks off at 6 when you get extra attack and access to Pass Without Trace and Rope Trick. These spells are basically cheat codes. The former can make your whole party basically undetectable and all but guarantees a surprise round, and the second can give your party an invisible bunker that they can run into mid combat and pick enemies off from by popping out, shooting and popping back in again. Aid is another good spell at this level, you can either cast it during watch with goodberry to give your whole party a max hp boost, but if enough party members go down you can also use it as a mass healing spell. This may be an opportunity often as many fights take place indoors. Fret not, at level 7 you get Twilight Sanctuary, which means that during indoor battles we can give our whole party temp hp every single turn. Finally, at 10 we get Crossbow Expert and trade our longbow in for a hand crossbow. This has a shorter long range of 120 feet our outdoor max height is going to drop to 135 feet which is still out of range of most spells and weapons

Tier 3 (11-16): Decidueye
Thank you for your patience, it's now Giant Owl Suicide Bomber time. At this level 11 your must-pick spell is Conjure Animals, which your combat strategy will become disgustingly simple

1. Activate your Twilight Sanctuary
2. Cast Conjure animals to summon 8+ Giant Owls about 80 feet above the battlefield and within range of your twilight shield
3. Give your owls orders to go prone above enemy heads with 5 feet of their movement. This will cause them to drop 80 feet, dealing 4d6 to both them and whoever they land on, knocking them prone with a DC 15 Dex save (As per Tasha's Cauldron of Everything)
4. The minute they land, have them pop back up with half their speed, then dash back up skyward, not taking any attacks of opportunity because of flyby
5. grant them temp hp when they end their turn in the twilight sanctuary
6. repeat

This arial bombardment can do 4d6 per Owl per turn. (or up to 10d6 if you care more about nova damage than sustained carnage). Even better, this damage ignores nonmagic bludgeoning resistance/immunity, as non-magic resistances usually only apply to attacks. At level 11 you can potentially subject a single target to as much as 280 damage with a single 3rd level spell slot, and that value only scales when you 5th level slots

[Quietus]

Tier 3 (11-16): Decidueye
Thank you for your patience, it's now Giant Owl Suicide Bomber time. At this level 11 your must-pick spell is Conjure Animals, which your combat strategy will become disgustingly simple

1. Activate your Twilight Sanctuary
2. Cast Conjure animals to summon 8+ Giant Owls about 80 feet above the battlefield and within range of your twilight shield
3. Give your owls orders to go prone above enemy heads with 5 feet of their movement. This will cause them to drop 80 feet, dealing 4d6 to both them and whoever they land on, knocking them prone with a DC 15 Dex save (As per Tasha's Cauldron of Everything)
4. The minute they land, have them pop back up with half their speed, then dash back up skyward, not taking any attacks of opportunity because of flyby
5. grant them temp hp when they end their turn in the twilight sanctuary
6. repeat

This arial bombardment can do 4d6 per Owl per turn. (or up to 10d6 if you care more about nova damage than sustained carnage). Even better, this damage ignores nonmagic bludgeoning resistance/immunity, as non-magic resistances usually only apply to attacks. At level 11 you can potentially subject a single target to as much as 280 damage with a single 3rd level spell slot, and that value only scales when you 5th level slots

Flyby wouldn't work here. You're not making attacks, you're belly flopping. No attack action was taken, and therefore your giant owls will proc opportunity attacks as they leave. Perhaps not a huge deal, but worth pointing out.

[Frogreaver]

Flyby wouldn't work here. You're not making attacks, you're belly flopping. No attack action was taken, and therefore your giant owls will proc opportunity attacks as they leave. Perhaps not a huge deal, but worth pointing out.

Flyby isn't mobile.

"Flyby. The owl doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy's reach."

[Justin Sane]

Owl-Cowl: A pokemon-inspired ranger-danger that spells death from above

This is absolutely ridiculous, and I love everything about it.

[Quietus]

Flyby isn't mobile.

"Flyby. The owl doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy's reach."

I stand corrected!

[JerryGibbs]

I'm making an arcana cleric gish with standard array, but with a slight variance from the normal VHuman/CL.
I have two different builds that im looking at, using the vadahar elf for shillelagh. (high elf re-flavored with druid cantrip from planeshift: kaladesh)
Both builds end with 8, 14, 16, 12, 20, 10.
1st build has azorius background for counterspell, feats - warcaster, resilient:con, crusher, and fey-touched for misty step and dissonant whispers.
2nd build has either rakdos background for dissonant whispers or azorius for counterspell again. feats - warcaster, polearm master, and crusher.
2nd build tries to make better use of opportunity attacks but becomes even more bonus action heavy.
Any opinions? Just wondering if the PAM build is worth it over the non?

1st build is a bit more defensive. 2nd build pushes the opportunity attacks at the cost of res con and some other stuff. I wouldn't be using the bonus action from the feat, just the opportunity attack to punish npcs that attack me or try to move away.

Telekinetic is also a possibility, but the character is already so bonus action heavy. This allows for using dodge on the action and bonus action tele shoving. I rate it lower than the other options.

Thanks for any advice!

p.s. we also have an ancients paladin in the party to help with saves.

[Maan]

Any opinions? Just wondering if the PAM build is worth it over the non?

I think you are already aware of the problem. As you say, this build already has a lot of uses for the Bonus Action (Spiritual Weapon, Healing Word and Mass Healing Word immediately come to mind). And if take PAM just to reinforce the OAs you are pretty much discarding a third of the Feat.

[LudicSavant]

I'm making an arcana cleric gish with standard array, but with a slight variance from the normal VHuman/CL.
I have two different builds that im looking at, using the vadahar elf for shillelagh. (high elf re-flavored with druid cantrip from planeshift: kaladesh)
Both builds end with 8, 14, 16, 12, 20, 10.
1st build has azorius background for counterspell, feats - warcaster, resilient:con, crusher, and fey-touched for misty step and dissonant whispers.
2nd build has either rakdos background for dissonant whispers or azorius for counterspell again. feats - warcaster, polearm master, and crusher.
2nd build tries to make better use of opportunity attacks but becomes even more bonus action heavy.
Any opinions? Just wondering if the PAM build is worth it over the non?

1st build is a bit more defensive. 2nd build pushes the opportunity attacks at the cost of res con and some other stuff. I wouldn't be using the bonus action from the feat, just the opportunity attack to punish npcs that attack me or try to move away.

Telekinetic is also a possibility, but the character is already so bonus action heavy. This allows for using dodge on the action and bonus action tele shoving. I rate it lower than the other options.

Thanks for any advice!

p.s. we also have an ancients paladin in the party to help with saves.

Personally I'm not a big fan of the PAM/Crusher build.

- Your feat/ASI progression is too slow. Wisdom is important.

- Crusher is much less beneficial for Clerics than it is for many other characters, for three mains reasons. 1) You're actually freeing them from your Warcaster pressure if you're disengaging via knockback. 2) As single-attack characters, Clerics do not crit often, and thus benefit little from the Advantage-generation effect. 3) The stat boost is not especially helpful for you.

- PAM's bonus action is basically worthless for you. Attack + Bonus Action attack is worse than just using Booming Blade. Also, you already have strong bonus actions.

- PAM's reaction can totally wreck individual melee-reliant enemies with 5-foot reach, but I feel like Arcana Clerics kind of already wreck those enemies. And if you're dealing with a small number of big beatstick enemies (like giants), there's a fair chance they have reach anyways (especially by the time you manage to get all these feats; you're going to be high level by then!). So to me it feels like doubling down on a matchup that you're already probably winning, at the cost of other matchups that I care about more.

[JerryGibbs]

Personally I'm not a big fan of the PAM/Crusher build.

- Your feat/ASI progression is too slow. Wisdom is important.

- Crusher is much less beneficial for Clerics than it is for many other characters, for three mains reasons. 1) You're actually freeing them from your Warcaster pressure if you're disengaging via knockback. 2) As single-attack characters, Clerics do not crit often, and thus benefit little from the Advantage-generation effect. 3) The stat boost is not especially helpful for you.

- PAM's bonus action is basically worthless for you. Attack + Bonus Action attack is worse than just using Booming Blade. Also, you already have strong bonus actions.

- PAM's reaction can totally wreck individual melee-reliant enemies with 5-foot reach, but I feel like Arcana Clerics kind of already wreck those enemies. And if you're dealing with a small number of big beatstick enemies (like giants), there's a fair chance they have reach anyways (especially by the time you manage to get all these feats; you're going to be high level by then!). So to me it feels like doubling down on a matchup that you're already probably winning, at the cost of other matchups that I care about more.

Thank you so much for the advice. I had to finish off character creation yesterday and I came to the same conclusions. I ditched crusher and pam and I'm focusing more on warcaster, bumping wis quickly, and res:con. I'm still left with fey touched and a half feat of choice.

[SleepThief]

I'd like to make a build request! Anyone can fill it, I'd love to see ideas. I've started thinking about using a druid as an infiltrator/thief type of character. I realize it's not exactly an original idea, but I've been wondering how one would optimize using Wildshape in this fashion. Assume stats aren't an issue, the DM I play with has us roll until we have at least two 15's or above, so multiclassing isn't out of the question, as well as the custom lineage rules for racial stat bonuses.

[stoutstien]

I'd like to make a build request! Anyone can fill it, I'd love to see ideas. I've started thinking about using a druid as an infiltrator/thief type of character. I realize it's not exactly an original idea, but I've been wondering how one would optimize using Wildshape in this fashion. Assume stats aren't an issue, the DM I play with has us roll until we have at least two 15's or above, so multiclassing isn't out of the question, as well as the custom lineage rules for racial stat bonuses.

Depending on how your DM runs the level 6 feature a dream druid can be an absolute beast at moving about unseen. I would go deep gnome for access to at will nondetection. Every circle feature works while in wild shapes and the capstone can turn you into a Trojan horse (spider). A small dip in rogue for expertise and CA and that's about all it would take.

[Lavaeolus]

In terms of Wild Shape, I think simpler is better. Spiders, ravens and cats are all examples of Tiny beasts with statblocks that could prowl around a city mostly without people batting an eye, the spider in particular being able to get just about anywhere that's not magically floating in the sky. Rats are also an option, but people are more likely to react negatively to seeing them. Granted, arachnophobes are a thing, but a lot of people are probably willing to turn an eye to an individual spider.

Bats have blindsight, which might of use, and there are a few other forest critters like hares, weasels and badgers that could be worth using to spy without being noticed, depending on environment. The downside is that these common-animal forms are fragile, usually with just 1 hitpoint, but they're all creatures you're likely to have seen, won't draw attention, and will be available early on.

Otherwise, note that all Druids can pick up Pass Without Trace and have access to a fair few divination spells. They'll have high WIS, which will help with Insight/Perception checks and such, but are SAD enough to maintain a decent score elsewhere. I'd consider Dexterity (for Stealth) or Charisma (for manipulation), although there's probably no need to maximise the latter so long as you pick the right proficiencies. Speak with Plants can also be useful for information-gathering. Fools that they are, few ever think "We must speak in private, let's make sure no grass is nearby."

In terms of multiclass options, well, this is a concept that I think can work single-class fine. A spellcaster should always be weighing up multiclass benefits against getting more and better spells. Rogue'll get you Expertise and Cunning Action, which may come in handy although is mainly an option if your DM really rewards skill-proficiency. I wanted to suggest Monk, but without further investment you'd really just be getting Unarmored Defense for your forms.

Cleric, meanwhile, is a generally solid dip that can be rewarding with just one level, although some of what it offers might not be as valuable to most Druids. Twilight Cleric seems like it could be tied in thematically and has its charms, although given you're probably not likely to get much use out of heavy-armor or martial-weapons, I don't know if it's really worth taking a level just for long-range darkvision.

[Wraith]

If you're taking requests, I was just now wondering that if you could, how would you build Trevor Belmont from Castlevania?

I think he might be some sort of mix of a paladin and Monster Hunter, wielding a flail, a whip, or both, and a short sword, switching between them as needed. Athletic and acrobatic AF, as well as both strong and agile.

I think you have pretty much got it spot on - Monster Slayer makes perfect sense thematically, and I see Trevor as a DEX build since he doesn't wear metal armour and although physically fit and athletic he's typically not stronger than most other humans. I think he'd have Two-Weapon Fighting as his Fighting Style in order to alternate between his short sword and whip/morning star as required, though he's not really an outdoors kind of person so he'd probably stop taking Ranger at level 7, picking up Supernatural Defence but not necessarily Land's Stride.

I think that Paladin is also a great call, with Smite standing in for the explosive effect of his Morning Star sacred weapon.
Oath of Glory Paladin probably fits his abilities, although the theme is a little wonky. The subclass spells are mostly self-buffs like Heroism, Magic Weapon and Enhance Ability which suit his athletic ability and apparent lack of magical skill - he's not one to throw around fireballs, but having been 'trained to be a warrior' he could get away with bursts of strength and speed. Similarly, the Peerless Athlete divine channelling seems perfect for representing his prowess and acrobatic fighting style.

If not Glory, then Vengeance works quite well, too - thematically more appropriate, and similar self-buffs and abilities that make himself a better warrior rather than causing AoE damage like Sypher, or obviously supernatural shapechanging and telekinesis like Alucard.

Finally a dip into Rogue for Expertise (Athletics) and a little Sneak Attack? He's not above fighting dirty, but that's just pragmatism rather than dedication to a fighting style, so I don't see him as having a Rogue Subclass.

Monster Slayer Ranger (7), Rogue (2), Glory Paladin 11
Two-Weapon Fighting, Peerless Athlete, Expertise (Athletics)
Feats: Alert, Defensive Duellist (Or Duel Wielder?), Lucky

Seems about right, to me. I *might* have swapped Monster Slayer Ranger for Battle Master Fighter if I just wanted him to be better at fighting things and employing martial training "tricks", but either is pretty close.

[SleepThief]

Depending on how your DM runs the level 6 feature a dream druid can be an absolute beast at moving about unseen. I would go deep gnome for access to at will nondetection. Every circle feature works while in wild shapes and the capstone can turn you into a Trojan horse (spider). A small dip in rogue for expertise and CA and that's about all it would take.

Hmm, yeah I don't think the 6th lvl feature would be that useful for moving around, since it stipulates that it has to be during a rest and vanishes at the end of such rest, which you would end if you did anything more strenuous than keeping watch.

In terms of Wild Shape, I think simpler is better. Spiders, ravens and cats are all examples of Tiny beasts with statblocks that could prowl around a city mostly without people batting an eye, the spider in particular being able to get just about anywhere that's not magically floating in the sky. Rats are also an option, but people are more likely to react negatively to seeing them. Granted, arachnophobes are a thing, but a lot of people are probably willing to turn an eye to an individual spider.

Bats have blindsight, which might of use, and there are a few other forest critters like hares, weasels and badgers that could be worth using to spy without being noticed, depending on environment. The downside is that these common-animal forms are fragile, usually with just 1 hitpoint, but they're all creatures you're likely to have seen, won't draw attention, and will be available early on.

Otherwise, note that all Druids can pick up Pass Without Trace and have access to a fair few divination spells. They'll have high WIS, which will help with Insight/Perception checks and such, but are SAD enough to maintain a decent score elsewhere. I'd consider Dexterity (for Stealth) or Charisma (for manipulation), although there's probably no need to maximise the latter so long as you pick the right proficiencies. Speak with Plants can also be useful for information-gathering. Fools that they are, few ever think "We must speak in private, let's make sure no grass is nearby."

In terms of multiclass options, well, this is a concept that I think can work single-class fine. A spellcaster should always be weighing up multiclass benefits against getting more and better spells. Rogue'll get you Expertise and Cunning Action, which may come in handy although is mainly an option if your DM really rewards skill-proficiency. I wanted to suggest Monk, but without further investment you'd really just be getting Unarmored Defense for your forms.

Cleric, meanwhile, is a generally solid dip that can be rewarding with just one level, although some of what it offers might not be as valuable to most Druids. Twilight Cleric seems like it could be tied in thematically and has its charms, although given you're probably not likely to get much use out of heavy-armor or martial-weapons, I don't know if it's really worth taking a level just for long-range darkvision.

I didn't realise that Pass Without Trace was a druid class spell somehow, perhaps I was more concerned with finding sources of Invisibility, but that definitely opens it up more. As for the class dips, rogue probably gets more bang for buck there with Expertise and Cunning Action, and starting as rogue would get more skill proficiencies in. And unless I went for Moon druid, taking a dip in monk seems too much for just a level when druid needs investment for Wildshape forms with flight early on.

[LudicSavant]

Big update! All of the following builds have been added to the first page:

1. The Road Rash Wrestler by Wraith
2. The Kraken by Sol0botmate
3. The Umbral Messiah by ftafp
4. Heaven's Commando by Citadel97501
5. Ambulatory Tank by LumenPlacidum
6. The War Princess: Master of Malicious Minionmancy by ftafp
7. The Fire Marshal by ftafp
8. The Sanguine Bastion by Rerem115
9. The Blazing Boa by Dalinar
10. The Whisperer in the Dark by ftafp
11. The Thundering Cleric by LumenPlacidum
12. The Counterer of Spells by Jon talks a lot
13. Drink Your Way to Valhalla by Jon talks a lot
14. Caliban by RingoBongo
15. The Joestar Special by Dalinar
16. The Rave Queen by Jon talks a lot
17. Everyone's Best Friend by Evaar
18. Literally Luke Skywalker by Renduaz
19. The Oxymoronic Meat Grinder by Wraith
20. (Angelic Variant on Oxymoronic Meat Grinder) by Citadel97501
21. The Wagoneer by ftafp
22. The d6 Piercer by Rihno
23. Soulknife Generalist by LumenPlacidum
24. Arcane Knight by Rihno
25. The Farfire Visionary by Renduaz
26. Korg - the Push by Houster
27. The Eye of Annihilation by Wraith
28. The Ring Leader by Evaar
29. The Hobgoblin Battle Commander by NCat
30. The Hex Grappler by Jon talks a lot
31. Sparky McDibben's Way of the Demonweb Pits Subclass
32. Breath of the Twin-Headed Dragon by Wraith
33. The Cerulean City Sorlock: A Build for the Pokemon Trainer In Your Heart by ftafp
34. The Unseelie Wander: A multi-faceted terror for those who want to join the Wild Hunt by ftafp
35. The Spooky Scary Paladin aka The Gothic Tank by Lavaeolus
36. The Bondage, Domination, and Servitude Mountie by ftafp
37. The Roving Scoundrel by Rerem115
38. Owl-Cowl: A pokemon-inspired ranger-danger that spells death from above by ftafp

Please let me know if I missed any!

[Bardon]

Wow, we're up to 120 builds here! This is such an impressive community resource and it says a lot about the people putting in the effort and sharing their ideas, in particular of course the one who started this thread, @LudicSavant!

Kudos to all involved!

[ZRN]

Big update! All of the following builds have been added to the first page:

Hi Ludic, you mentioned in another thread that you'd had a lot of luck playing, I believe, an evoker tank build? Is that already somewhere in this thread, and if not, would you mind linking/elaborating? Thanks!

[Mitchellnotes]

Alright, I have another build! Introducing the Alienist - a take on the fathomless warlock! I've always loved the Alienist from 3.5, though there isn't as much support for summoning in 5e. I've been recently thinking about the fathomless warlock, and found a way to combine the two ideas! At the core of this build is the fathomless warlock, though it is going to be flavored a bit more like the Great Old One. The idea is that what the Alienist calls forth isn't necessarily a "tentacle from the deep" but rather an extradimensional being. If you think about how a 2d world would envision a 3d creature interacting with it (they would essentially see the intersection of the 3d creature in their 2d space), the tentacle and flavor of what is being called forth is similar in that it is a being from a higher dimensional plane interacting with a 3d world (like how a tesseract is shown as an evolving 3d shape). The alienist is going to focus spell selection on things that are going to fit this theme (more psionic type spells, more spells related to knowledge or magic in general, cold related to the chill of the "vast endlessness between worlds") and less on things like summoning fiends, etc (though there will still be a few things). Due to this overall flavor, I wanted a race that focused more on the psionic and may have some ties to outer-wordly things...and thought of the githyanki! This is going to use the tasha's optional rules to switch some stats around.

For a patron, a githyanki alienist has a lot of different options given the lore. It could be a inscrutable primordial entity that goes back to a time when the gith were still dominated by mind flayers, it could be an entity that is deep in the astral plane, or it could even be Gith herself (or an entity connected to Tiamat!). A githyanki also provides a bit more support on the psionic end as well as medium armor proficiency. I am going to lay out an example build to 11 (to get the bonuses at 10 as well as the third spell slot and first mystic arcanum). After that, you could keep leveling warlock, or multiclass into something else. Sorcerer and fighter both could provide benefit (action surge and metamagic). One could also start as a fighter and then pick up fighter 2 later down the road (probably after at least level 5 in lock). Also, no background has been identified, so there should be a couple of additional skills available as well

Gith FathomLock

Githyanki

Starting stats:
Str: 8
Dex: 14 (13+1)
Con: 14
Int: 10
Wis: 12
Cha: 17 (15+2) (18 @ 4) (20 @ 8)

Languages, skills, and tools
Common, Gith, Abyssal
Arcana, deception, perception
Simple weapons, short sword, long sword, great sword
Light armor, medium armor
Githyanki psionics: mage hand, jump (3rd), misty step (5th)

Warlock 1
Saves in Wis and Cha
Fathomless warlock: gift of the sea, tentacle of the deep
Spells: Level 1 / 1 slot
Armor of agathys, Hex
Cantrips: Eldritch blast, mind sliver, (mage hand)

Warlock 2
Spells: Level 1 / 2 slots
Protection from evil
Invocations: Agonizing blast, repelling blast

Warlock 3
Pact of the Tome
Spells: Level 2 / 2 slots
Suggestion, gust of wind, -hex, (find familiar, detect magic)
Cantrips: light, guidance, mending
Invocations: -repelling blast, +book of ancient secrets

Warlock 4
ASI: fey touched
Spells: Level 2 / 2 slots
Comprehend languages, (misty step, command)
Cantrip: create bonfire

Warlock 5
Spells: Level 3 / 2 slots
Lightning bolt, hunger of hadar, -comprehend languages

Invocations: Repelling blast

Warlock 6
Fathomless: guardian coil, oceanic soul
Spells: Level 3 / 2 slots
Hypnotic pattern, summon shadowspawn, -suggestion

Warlock 7
Spells: Level 4 / 2 slots
Banishment, Dispel magic, -prot from evil

Invocations: Eldritch Mind

Warlock 8
ASI (+2 cha)
Spells: Level 4 / 2 slots
Counterspell, fly, -gust of wind

Warlock 9
Spells: Level 5 / 2 slots
Synaptic static, Bigby's hand, -summon shadowspawn

Invocations: gift of the protectors

Warlock 10
Fathomless: Grasping tentacles
Spells: Level 5 / 2 slots
(Evard's black tentacles), contact other plane, -hunger of hadar
Cantrip: minor illusion

Warlock 11
Spells: Level 5 / 3 slots
Scrying, cone of cold, -Contact other plane
Mystic arcanum: Mass Suggestion

[LudicSavant]

Hi Ludic, you mentioned in another thread that you'd had a lot of luck playing, I believe, an evoker tank build? Is that already somewhere in this thread, and if not, would you mind linking/elaborating? Thanks!

Basically it's a variant of the Nuclear Wizard. The Hexblade dip gives you everything you need to survive on the front line, and the Evoker gives you an extremely strong pressure game (for example, you can do the Magic Missile combo on a Warcaster OA. Not to mention having things like Potent Toll the Dead, Empowered Evocation familiar-advantage Booming Blade, or Empowered Potent Frostbite as cantrip OA options), as well a ton of control tricks (like I always say, Evocation isn't just the school of Fireball, it's the school of Walls! And putting your teammates inside of Sculpted hazard spells!), and you have things like Armor of Agathys, or Contingent Overchanneled Fire Shield, and Counterspell, all of which don't eat your Concentration. And of course you get all the "these spells are more like major class features" spells like Find Familiar and Simulacrum. Oh, and you qualify for Inspiring Leader because of that 13 Cha you took to qualify for Hexblade.

Also of note, Hexvokers are really hard to run out of first level spell slots, because of the combination of Wizard slots + Warlock slots + Arcane Recovery providing up to 17 level 1 slots in a "standard adventuring day." Even as early as level 4, you'd have 9x level 1 slots in a day with 2 short rests (3 from Warlock, 4 from Wizard, 2 from Arcane Recovery).

Despite playing in a game where 6+ encounters a day was commonplace, I basically never had to worry about running out of Shields or Absorb Elements or the like.

Your range is also very flexible, you fight and lockdown control people whether you're close or far away, so you're free to rotate in and out as you please -- enemies basically can't focus anyone down. Oh, and your familiar is like a better version of Healing Word (because they can feed people cheap Healing Potions). And a ton of other tricks... Wizards have too many for me to list in a post.

And of course, you're still a Nuclear Wizard who can just outright delete an enemy if you decide they're too dangerous to permit to exist.

You basically have a good answer to every kind of enemy, whether it's mook swarms, big melee guys, enemy casters, ranged kiters, mental assaults, whatever.

I've often said that being a tank (rather than just a turtle) is about sabotaging the enemy's decision tree. Well in this case, the enemy's decision tree is made out of lava. They do what you want them to do, or die.

[mw_147]

Hey, long time lurker here and a huge fan of the builds. There are so many that I keep swapping between which I want to try next. The latest to catch my eye is the Demonweb Spider. Never really been interested in playing a monk but my head has been turned. Quick question, Ludic, you mention the build gets 7 attacks a turn a few times in the thread, is that including one as a reaction? I'm not sure where the 7th is coming from otherwise, because I only count Attack, Extra Attack, Flurry of Blows x 2 then two more attacks from Action Surge.

Thanks, can't wait to see more awesome builds.

[LudicSavant]

Hey, long time lurker here and a huge fan of the builds. There are so many that I keep swapping between which I want to try next. The latest to catch my eye is the Demonweb Spider. Never really been interested in playing a monk but my head has been turned. Quick question, Ludic, you mention the build gets 7 attacks a turn a few times in the thread, is that including one as a reaction? I'm not sure where the 7th is coming from otherwise, because I only count Attack, Extra Attack, Flurry of Blows x 2 then two more attacks from Action Surge.

The 7 attacks case is including the reaction attack. You get one if an enemy moves into your reach (Brace), misses you (Riposte) or moves away from you (OA).

Interestingly, Brace works off your reach, rather than "within 5 feet" or the like, so it can benefit from using a whip as your Monk weapon.