The Expected Journey Ends [5E, Gestalt]

[JNAProductions]

System: D&D 5E
Player Count: Four at most
Style of Play: Adventures in a cracking world
Allowed Content: If it's not on the list, don't ask.

• PHB
• DMG
• Xanathar's
• Volo's
• Mordenkainen's
• Ravnica
• Eberron
• Tasha’s
• Fizban’s
• Monsters of the Multiverse
• UA, Homebrew, or anything else available for free, legally, and online by request. Include a link with any request!

Character Creation: Mythweavers preferred, but anything I can easily read is acceptable

• Backstory: Skirt length
• Experience: 4th Level Gestalt
• Wealth: Standard starting gear per class and background, but you can upgrade your armor to any mundane armor you have proficiency in
• Ability Scores: Pick six numbers. These are your pre-racial stats. No number may be higher than 18 or less than 8. You may modify them freely up until the game starts, and may pick duplicate numbers.
• Hitpoints/Health: PHB Standard
• Alignment: Heroic
  

Other Notes: No Ravnica backgrounds. There's a special Gestalt note in the below spoiler-please read it and follow it.

Spoiler: Gestalt Details

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No multiclassing.
You gain the higher hit die from your classes.
You gain weapon, tools, and armor proficiencies from both classes.
You gain three saves total, chosen from among any saves available to your classes. If you can only pick two, you must pick those two, but then gain an extra free pick of save proficiency.
You may take skills from either class's list, and take the higher number of skills to gain from class.
You gain equipment from one class only. If you need essentials from another class (for instance, a Fighter//Wizard without an arcane focus) just ask, and you can have it.
Spellcasting is kept entirely separate on leveling, but in play, you can use slots from both sides for either side's spells.

Spoiler: Spellcasting Examples

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A level five Wizard//Fighter (not EK) has the normal slots of a level five Wizard.
A level five Wizard//Cleric would have eight 1st level slots, six 2nd level, and four 3rd level.
A level five Wizard//Paladin would have eight 1st level slots, five 2nd level, and two 3rd level.

In play, you can use any slots for any spell you know or have prepped.

For ASIs, you gain them from both sides, but no stat can be raised by more than 2 at any level.

Special Note For This Game: One class taken MUST gain Spellcasting or Pact Magic at level 1. The other must not.

---

You started off common. Ordinary people-the children of a merchant or a farmer or maybe even a noble, but nothing truly great was expected of you.
But you rose above-you took on the challenges that came your way, and you managed to excel! You know you're not the biggest heroes, but for the local area you're in? You are!
You started with wolves and bandits. You moved on to more dangerous foes-culminating in the defeat of a young dragon who had kidnapped the Duke's daughter, rescuing her and bringing peace to the land, for now at least.

Even so... Something feels wrong. Something feels... Hollow. It was all too... Expected? It wasn't easy. But you never doubted your success. Why didn't you?

The celebration is tomorrow. What will you do?

[Talivan]

Interested, will work on a Rogue//Wizard build.

Question, Is Arcane Trickster OK to use since Rogue gains spellcasting at lv 3?

[JNAProductions]

Interested, will work on a Rogue//Wizard build.

Question, Is Arcane Trickster OK to use since Rogue gains spellcasting at lv 3?

Yes. Arcane Trickster doesn't gain casting till 3rd level, meaning it qualifies with Wizard as the 1st level casting class.

Also, I just realized I made a pretty critical typo in the opening post. It has been fixed.

[Talivan]

On Ability scores you said pick six numbers from 18 to 8, may duplicate...meaning I can pick 18, 18, 17, 17, 16, 16? or I did interpreted it wrong?, sorry I'm new to some Giantitp terminology

[JNAProductions]

On Ability scores you said pick six numbers from 18 to 8, may duplicate...meaning I can pick 18, 18, 17, 17, 16, 16? or I did interpreted it wrong?, sorry I'm new to some Giantitp terminology

You can indeed. You could even go all 18s, if you wanted to.

I will say that most concepts are served better by having some areas that aren't strengths-not necessarily weak, but not quite so good either.

The important thing is, when the players end up getting selected, that everyone will be roughly balanced. If that means everyone wants 18s across the board, that's fine. If that means a high-powered array, but not quite that high-powered, also fine. If that's worse than the standard array, I will be shocked, but sure.

[TheAlmightyKue]

So a mad thing like a Monk//Wizard (Bladesinger) would be able to work in this kind of build. Since its wildly mad its virtually unusable normally. Might be fun.

[Talivan]

Ok So (WIP) Sheet:

• Name: Kiraz
• Arrary: 18,16,16,14,14,10
• Race: High Elf
• Side 1: Rogue (Arcane Trickster)
• Side 2: Wizard (Bladesinger)
• Essentials from the other class: Spellbook and Wand (Arcane Focus)
• Upgraded Armor: Studded Leather Armor

[JNAProductions]

Ok So (WIP) Sheet:

• Name: Kiraz
• Arrary: 18,16,16,14,14,10
• Race: High Elf
• Side 1: Rogue (Arcane Trickster)
• Side 2: Wizard (Bladesinger)
• Essentials from the other class: Spellbook and Wand (Arcane Focus)
• Upgraded Armor: Studded Leather Armor

Looks pretty good, but I see Fey Touched listed twice under Features.
Typo?

Also, you have altogether too many spells. You're only 4th level!

[TheAlmightyKue]

How would Monk and Bladesinger Extra attack stack? I would say obviously this allows the bonus action to allow the cantrip casting in place of the unarmed strike from Flurry of Blows. But would this mean 3 attacks before bonus action?

[JNAProductions]

How would Monk and Bladesinger Extra attack stack? I would say obviously this allows the bonus action to allow the cantrip casting in place of the unarmed strike from Flurry of Blows. But would this mean 3 attacks before bonus action?

Extra Attack does not stack. You can use the Bladesinger version of it, once you hit a high enough level, but the only way to get a reliable 3 attacks per action is Fighter 11.

[Talivan]

Looks pretty good, but I see Fey Touched listed twice under Features.
Typo?

Also, you have altogether too many spells. You're only 4th level!

Yeah, was a typo and spells removed (used old sheet).

Should be fixed by now, working on numbers

EDIT:Mechanically done, will do Fluff later

[Triskavanski]

Too bad Artificer | Warlock won't work for this. Love to have power armor and shoot lasers.

But I could do my Ascendant Dragon | Artificer? Warlock? - Harengon Monk

[Infernally Clay]

I do rather like the idea of a Fighter/Bard. Someone who rallies others from the front, inspiring them in battle and coordinating their efforts.

I think I'll go Zariel Tiefling. I'd ideally have two 18s for that to work best, but I think I can get away with 17, 16, 16, 14, 12, 10 for a stat array. With racial modifiers included, at first level, that'd be...

STR 18, DEX 14, CON 16, INT 12, WIS 10, CHA 18.

_______________________________

Okay and here she is!

Nithlaya Battlemaster Fighter // Swords Bard AC: 18 | HP: 40/40 | Initiative: +2 Saves: +4 / +4 / +5 / +1 / +2 / +6 Spell Slots: 1st: 4/4 | 2nd: 3/3 Bardic Inspiration: d6: 4/4 Superiority Die: d8: 4/4 | d6: 1/1 Active Effects: None Conditions: None

Nith never really wanted to do more than protect her home. It's why she joined the town watch in the first place. She didn't learn from the best but she learned well, and that was good enough. Before long she was organising defenses and training new recruits, leading them against roaming bandits and gangs looking up to set up a base of operations nearby. Nith found she was very good at encouraging others, making them better versions of themselves, inspiring bravery in them they didn't know they had, but she never abandoned her post. If there was a fight to be had, she was always there in front. Always leading the charge.

So when news spread of a dragon kidnapping the daughter of a nearby duke, Nith was initially uninterested. A duke could easily afford to hire a band of adventurers to slay such a beast. Such an issue was, really, very far away from the borders of the town Nith had sworn to protect. Then the trouble began. The dragon was scaring off local beasts and monsters, pushing them right to Nithlaya's hometown.

Nithlaya decided there and then she would kill the bloody dragon herself.

[Ilerien]

Sir Darren, at your service.

Array: 18, 18, 15, 15, 12, 12
Race: Variant Human (+1 STR and CHA)
Track 1: College of Whispers Bard
Track 2: Oath of Vengeance Paladin
Essentials from the other class: flute
Upgraded armor: plate armor

I was thinking conquest paladin, but it would probably be too low on the morality axis and wouldn't really mesh with the dragon-slaying heroics. Pairs better with the whispers bard, though.
Fluff is pending. I imagine a third son of some noble house trained as an agent of the law (and in some less than savory arts). Is there any info on local religions that might suit a paladin coming from noble upbringing?

Upd: here's the first draft of his backstory.

Spoiler: Backstory

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Every noble house needs an heir and a spare. I was neither, and it got me a measure of freedom. I discovered later there had been limits to it, but my youth was filled with music, high society parties, carnal pleasures and other peoples' secrets. You can't imagine how much one can get away with if one possesses sensitive knowledge.
So, what would you do if you were a patriarch of a noble family and discovered your useless son routinely causing scandals and souring your carefully built relations with the proverbial pit of vipers? My dear father loves when he can kill two birds with one arrow, figuratively and literally. I won't bore you with the details, it should suffice to say the House Arwana got a boost got to its standing both by removing myself from the equation and providing a knight to one of the holy orders. Make no mistake, I'm thankful. Having purpose in life doesn't hurt, and how many people can genuinely brag about rescuing a duke's daughter from the clutches of a dragon?
Now, it's your turn to tell me about yourself.

[OnceUponAnAxe]

Requesting use of Mage Hand Press Warmage and the Pawn archetype.



https://magehandpress.com/2022/09/wa...ase-class.html

[JNAProductions]

No to Warmage.

Region is still kinda unformed, and not necessarily important.

Note: The dragon was defeated. They are not dead.

[Ilerien]

Region is still kinda unformed, and not necessarily important.

Pity. But we'll make do without it.
The brief backstory is in the original post. Is it sufficient, or do you prefer me to expand on it?

[JNAProductions]

Backstory looks just fine.

Also, if anyone could make a table of applicants, that'd be appreciated.

[Escheton]

Oeh, this looks interesting.
Will make a Bard//Ranger
and a table if there isn't one later today.

[JNAProductions]

Lemme lay down some cliff notes for your region...

House Arwana covers the government of a few farming villages and a small town, underneath the supervision of the Duke Liemin. There's a few other noble families, none of which are especially big or notable, and none of whom have MAJOR beef with the Duke. Oh sure, there's politicking and scheming and such, but there's nothing really severe going on.
The terrain has large amounts of fertile farmland, with a nearby area being more rocky and hilly-that's where the dragon roosted.
The military is primarily militia, with only the nobles having standing forces.

And some cliff notes for oddities...

The bandits were not killed-they were run off.
The dragon was not killed-they were defeated.
You have family and friends, and no one you know has ever died. In fact, no one's ever been seriously hurt-not permanently, anyway.
You can't remember the last time you met someone from outside your region of the world-the duke and other nobles get messages every once in a while, but you never see the couriers bringing them in.

[Lentrax]

Thinking of revitalizing an old gestalt idea. Concept is Warlock (Fey patron)//Ranger (Fey Wanderer).

Two pieces of requested brew.

First: The Kitsune, for race.

Second: A spell-less variant for Ranger.

[JNAProductions]

Thinking of revitalizing an old gestalt idea. Concept is Warlock (Fey patron)//Ranger (Fey Wanderer).

Two pieces of requested brew.

First: The Kitsune, for race.

Second: A spell-less variant for Ranger.

Kitsune is fine, as per usual.
That Ranger adjustment, though, I am not a fan of. If you can find the old UA where they did a Ranger sans spells, I think that was a better implementation. Or another homebrew Ranger, but not this one.

[Lentrax]

I was looking for the old UA, but it doesn't seem to exist anymore.

But then I saw this, and the knacks system intrigues me. If you don't want this one, that's totally fine because in this case its just... random stuff I found? (But seriously. Why does the spell-less ranger not exist anymore. le sigh.)

[JNAProductions]

That one looks good. :)

[Lentrax]

In that case, here is the start for Hinoka.

Spoiler

Show

Original Stat Array: 8, 14, 14, 12, 16, 17.

Quick Backstory: Hinoka lived at the edge of the woods. She made her living gathering herbs and plants that grew in deep places in the woods that many feared to tread for fear of running afoul of the fey that were said to make their homes there. But Hinoka always said that was foolish, and went deep to gather the things that made her living easier.

And then she ran afoul of a fairy queen, bespoiling a ring, and drawing her ire. Hinoka found herself trapped by the fairy queen, and given little choice but to accept the terms offered her. Her body was changed, and with the change came with it a surge of magic.

(more tbd)

[Talivan]

THE TABLE

Player	Character	Array	Race	Side1	Side2	Extras	Status
Talivan	Kiraz	18,16,16,14,14,10	High Elf	Rogue (Arcane Trickster)	Wizard (Bladesinger)	Spellbook, Wand, Studded Leather Armor	Crunch Done, Fluff WIP
Infernally Clay	Nithlaya	17,16,16,14,12,10	Tiefling	Fighter (Battlemaster)	Bard (Swords)	-	Ready
Ilerien	Sir Darren	18,18,15,15,12,12	Variant Human	Bard (College of Whispers)	Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)	Flute, Plated Armor	Ready
OnceUponAnAxe	-	-	-	-	-	-	Pending build
Lentrax	Hinoka	8,14,14,12,16,17	Kitsune	Warlock (Fey patron)	Ranger (Fey Wanderer)	-	WIP

[Da'Shain]

Posting interest as a Tabaxi scout/troublemaker type character. My current idea is a Rogue (Scout)//Mystic (Awakened), but does Mystic count as a character with Spellcasting? It says Psionics are a distinct form of magic use; I assume it's equivalent, but if not I'll probably want to have the Mystic gestalt with some other spell caster.

[JNAProductions]

Posting interest as a Tabaxi scout/troublemaker type character. My current idea is a Rogue (Scout)//Mystic (Awakened), but does Mystic count as a character with Spellcasting? It says Psionics are a distinct form of magic use; I assume it's equivalent, but if not I'll probably want to have the Mystic gestalt with some other spell caster.

Mystic is not from a default allowed source.
You have to link it for approval-and generally in the past, I've not allowed it.

[Infernally Clay]

Since two other applicants have at least one 18 in a stat would it be advised to bump up my own character's stats to par, if she's chosen?

[JNAProductions]

Since two other applicants have at least one 18 in a stat would it be advised to bump up my own character's stats to par, if she's chosen?

So long as everyone is roughly on par, it’ll be good.