D&D 5E Your First 5e Character (now with PHB content!)

ZombieRoboNinja · Aug 6, 2014

So now that we've gotten some hot EXCLUSIVE peeks into the PHB, with numerous and heartfelt thanks to Palladion and everyone else braving the forums to answer questions with their shiny new before-street-date PHBs in hand, who else is interested in using all the various (legitimate) leaks and info we've gotten so far to build a dang character?

I'll post my first couple tries in a minute. Let's build, argue about rules, and so on in here to avoid clogging up that other thread, eh?

Lanoitakude · Aug 6, 2014

I'm really excited to try a Guild Merchant High Elf Rogue (Arcane Trickster)!

Stats
Str 8
Con 13
Dex 16
Int 16
Wis 10
Cha 12

Skills
Acrobatics, Stealth, Insight (Guild Merchant), Investigation, Thieves tools, Perception (Elf), Persuasion (Guild Merchant), Sleight of Hand
Expertise: Perception, Stealth

The prospect of gaining spells like Invisibility, Blurr, Hold Person, Sleep, and Silence without having to sacrifice Sneak Attack progression sounds so juicy. In addition, being able to use Mage Hand to disarm traps and unlock doors will keep me nice and safe!

Mirtek · Aug 6, 2014

I guess I'll settle for the warlock (who killed the swordmage and took his stuff much more so than the eldritch knight did).

A human (variant traits) warlock starting with Str 8, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 16 and Tough as his free feat.

For my build idea this seems like the only feat I'll ever take (from PHB, maybe future splat books will have something tempting), raising Dex and Cha to 20 and a little extra Con if the warlock class has enough ability raises available)

From an RP perspective he's not very wise (Wis penalty) and that's how he ended up stuck in his pact in the first place. Since his pact is that of the great old one variety, he's also often distracted by the voices inside his head (Wis penalty to perception fits this nicely)

He's physically frail (low Str) but surprisingly enduring for one of his frame, since his pact keeps him healthy (Con 14, Tough).

Given the physical appearance an enemy might think triumph is at hand after he made it close enough to render ranged spells pointless, only to learn his error in his last moments of life when a suddenly manifested pact blade rapier and carves him up with shocking speed and precision.

Snapdragyn · Aug 6, 2014

For me it's a human Sage Tomelock (though I can NOT decide on Patron - they're all so delicious!). Shipped off to school to study to be a wizard, 'charmed' (non-magically) his way through the entrance exams, but got into trouble once classes started & his moderate INT couldn't keep up. Desperate (& obsessed), he found a dusty tome, tucked away in a forgotten corner of the school's library. The more he read, the harder it was to put it down, & finally one dark night he dared try a ritual it contained - with disastrous results. The Sage equipment mentions 'letter from a dead colleague' - well, guess how said colleague died, oopsie! I could even see working that into a Bond & long term campaign goal, working to free his dead friend's soul from the clutches of his evil patron (shades of Constantine there).

Stats

STR 9
DEX 14 (point buy to 12 +1 human +1 Moderately Armored)
CON 14
INT 12
WIS 12
CHA 16 (point buy to 15 +1 human)

Skill Proficiencies

Arcana
History
Deception
Investigation
(human bonus: not sure - maybe Persuasion, maybe Insight, maybe Religion)

Leveling up, he'll focus on spells & invocations that allow him to gain knowledge & obscure the truth (so divinations, illusions, etc.), & deal with extraplanar baddies.

[Edit: And just confirmed that Misty Visions, an invocation that allows silent image to be cast without using a spell slot at will, is in the PHB - mwahahaha!]

If the DM goes for it, I'd like his patron to be called the Lord of Mists, & be focused on controlling truth through revealing it, discovering it, & bending it to its will. Preferably an evil patron, with a contentious relationship between them. This is one that would really work with any of the patron types, so I can build to suit the campaign in that regard.

ZombieRoboNinja · Aug 6, 2014

Here's my first try. Anything not from the previews and tidbits people have leaked is assumed unchanged from the leaked Alpha (which I know is dubious).

Vorn, human fighter1/warlock5
HP: 22+5d8 (or 47)
Stats: Str 16, Dex 8, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 16
Saving Throw Proficiencies: Con and Str
Skills: Intimidation, Athletics, Persuasion, Arcana
Feats: Greatweapon Master (lvl1), War Caster (lvl4)
Fighting Style: Defense
Invocations: Devil's Sight, Mask of Many Faces, Thirsting Blade
Pact Abilities (Archfiend): Dark One's Blessing
Spells:
Cantrips: Chill Touch, Eldritch Blast, Mage Hand
Level 1:Charm Person,Thunderwave
Level 2

arkness, Ray of Enfeeblement
Level 3: Fly, Fireball

Vorn was born scion to a minor noble family, and quickly became obsessed with improving his skill on the battlefield and spreading the glory of his family name. When he heard of a cursed blade that could claim men's souls for the promise of power, he didn't hesitate to seek it out. He may have gotten more than he bargained for...

Vorn likes to call on the dark soul of his blade (which usually takes the form of a massive greatsword) to mask the battlefield in Darkness as he enters the fray (since he can see through it with Devil's Sight). He can use Ray of Enfeeblement as an opportunity attack, cursing those who would shun face-to-face combat, and picking off distant foes with Eldritch Blast or Fireball when necessary. He also doesn't hesitate to fly around in battle, since Con proficiency plus War Caster makes it almost impossible to break his concentration.

Pickles JG · Aug 6, 2014

Too many & as I am likely to be DMing for a while

Warlock as she seems super powerful & I have a great Tiefling model that's been begging for a use.

After the shine wears off a character with no story & only mechanical power probably an arcane Trickster - Grey Mouser if he had not strayed (or did his master get killed - it's been decades)

Monk & Ranger both look far more interesting than I am used to for those classes too.

pkt77242 · Aug 6, 2014

Paladin (Oath of the Ancients) undecided between elf and half-elf.

In fact the party looks to be somewhat earth/forest themed

Ranger
Druid
Bard (Loremaster) who is the historian for a Druidic circle
the last charcter we don't know yet.

Snapdragyn · Aug 7, 2014

pkt77242 said:
Paladin (Oath of the Ancients) undecided between elf and half-elf.

In fact the party looks to be somewhat earth/forest themed

Ranger
Druid
Bard (Loremaster) who is the historian for a Druidic circle
the last charcter we don't know yet.

In that group, if I were playing the final character I'd have to go Warlock w/ Archfey patron. Take invocations like the ones to speak w/ animals, flavor everything w/ fey/nature imagery... & get the DM to have the patron out to infiltrate & steal something from the Druidic circle everyone is serving (mwahaha!). The character, of course, would be free to accede to the patron's demands or seek to somehow stymie them without ticking it off.

Shiroiken · Aug 7, 2014

I was going to do Eldritch Knight, but my group is not rebooting our campaign with the PHB (we're using the last Playtest), as I expected. Instead, we have the option of remaking our characters with the new rules or making a new character. I didn't want to bring in my Eldritch Knight idea into an existing game, so I remade my existing character.

I'm working my High Elf Cleric/Mage into an Arcane Trickster. I'm a spy from the Moonstars, so I've been pretending to be a Priest of Sehanine Moonbow trying to investigate an NPC the group has been with. I've not used much Cleric spells, so I'm playing it off as part of my disguise and illusion use.

ZombieRoboNinja · Aug 7, 2014

Shiroiken said:
I was going to do Eldritch Knight, but my group is not rebooting our campaign with the PHB (we're using the last Playtest), as I expected. Instead, we have the option of remaking our characters with the new rules or making a new character. I didn't want to bring in my Eldritch Knight idea into an existing game, so I remade my existing character.

I'm working my High Elf Cleric/Mage into an Arcane Trickster. I'm a spy from the Moonstars, so I've been pretending to be a Priest of Sehanine Moonbow trying to investigate an NPC the group has been with. I've not used much Cleric spells, so I'm playing it off as part of my disguise and illusion use.

You could always take the initiate feat to get some cleric cantrips and a spell! Or even take a single level of cleric, which would give you higher level spell slots for your arcane trickster stuff too...