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Character Builds & Optimization
[5E Build] The Arcane Juggernaut
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<blockquote data-quote="DarkTechnomancer" data-source="post: 6905796" data-attributes="member: 6855764"><p>Well that is a lot to cover, but I really appreciate the feedback. This is exactly the kind of discussion I was hoping for. I'll try to cover my reasoning from the start of your post, but feel free to point out anything I miss.</p><p></p><p>First, the shield. It's true that the build has less AC without Bladesong than a build using a shield would, and while carrying a shield as a backup is possibly, as you describe it would be pretty clunky. This is why I recommend a feat like Alert if you anticipate being ambushed a lot, or if you don't have a good spotter in your party. 1 AC is a pretty significant boost at early levels, and +3 is nothing to scoff at in the late ones. There is a reason why the designers are careful to keep boosts to AC locked behind "setters" like Mage Armor and Unarmored Defense, or other special clauses like with Barkskin. It's because even small boosts to AC are extremely powerful under the design philosophy of bounded accuracy. Even the most powerful monsters in the game have less than a +20 to hit against AC.</p><p></p><p>I am not sure what you mean by losing 1 AC by choosing to focus on Dex. Armor-types are actually pretty bizarrely balanced. Most of them reach 20 with varying levels of investment. Heavy Armor requires the smallest investment (unless you count money), but any armor has a hard time pushing past 20 without magical items. The trade-off there is that Str builds can focus more on damage, since the weapons and features for Str weapons provide way better DPR. With nothing more than Mage Armor or Sorcerer Scales and +3 dex, you're already at 16 AC, same as you'd get from Chainmail or Scale.</p><p></p><p>Delayed ASIs and features are something that any build which uses multi-classing has to deal with, unless they take all their dips post-16, which is rarely practical. Honestly, I can't really defend that. It's just a fact, and it is up to the player to decide if delaying those features is worth multi-classing. Similarly, many multi-classing characters lose-out on total ASIs compared to single-classes. Maining fighter, this one still gets a total of 6, which is only one fewer than a regular fighter. You could skip cleric, and just go Fighter/Wizard, then you'd miss none, though you'd lose your second action surge, which is a bummer. Rogue variant still gets 5, which is again only one fewer that a rogue would normally get.</p><p></p><p>Booming Blade is an awesome spell, but you're right, it doesn't play nice with fighter, nor any other class that gets extra attacks. For fighter, you pretty much just take it because what else are you really going to take as a cantrip on a gish? I think rogue variants do a much better job of abusing Booming Blade. It may actually be the better way to run the build, since a lot of its other features help cover weaknesses. I've been playing the fighter example that I listed, and until I got my extra attacks, Booming Blade was fantastic for when I needed my bonus action elsewhere.</p><p></p><p>For Blur...I never loved it in the first place, but I can't help but think you are wrong about how you value it. Actually I think you value Mirror Image incorrectly, too. But I don't want to be rude about it, so let me try to explain my reasoning. Mathematically, Blur (or more specifically, forcing disadvantage) is more powerful with every point of AC you have. If they already have a 95% chance of hitting you, then they have a 90% chance of hitting you with disadvantage, but if they have a 50% chance to hit you, then with disadvantage they have only a 25% chance. So with every point of AC, the difference between chance to hit normally, and chance to hit with disadvantage increases. With Mirror Image, the images AC is only 10+Dex, so with very high AC, you're likely to lose images to attacks that wouldn't have even hit you.</p><p></p><p>What kind of comparisons would you like me to make? Admittedly, high AC is pretty much the main target of the build. The game is balanced around an expectation that you'll only be able to get AC to a certain height. This build seeks push AC outside of those expectations without crippling every other aspect of the character.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="DarkTechnomancer, post: 6905796, member: 6855764"] Well that is a lot to cover, but I really appreciate the feedback. This is exactly the kind of discussion I was hoping for. I'll try to cover my reasoning from the start of your post, but feel free to point out anything I miss. First, the shield. It's true that the build has less AC without Bladesong than a build using a shield would, and while carrying a shield as a backup is possibly, as you describe it would be pretty clunky. This is why I recommend a feat like Alert if you anticipate being ambushed a lot, or if you don't have a good spotter in your party. 1 AC is a pretty significant boost at early levels, and +3 is nothing to scoff at in the late ones. There is a reason why the designers are careful to keep boosts to AC locked behind "setters" like Mage Armor and Unarmored Defense, or other special clauses like with Barkskin. It's because even small boosts to AC are extremely powerful under the design philosophy of bounded accuracy. Even the most powerful monsters in the game have less than a +20 to hit against AC. I am not sure what you mean by losing 1 AC by choosing to focus on Dex. Armor-types are actually pretty bizarrely balanced. Most of them reach 20 with varying levels of investment. Heavy Armor requires the smallest investment (unless you count money), but any armor has a hard time pushing past 20 without magical items. The trade-off there is that Str builds can focus more on damage, since the weapons and features for Str weapons provide way better DPR. With nothing more than Mage Armor or Sorcerer Scales and +3 dex, you're already at 16 AC, same as you'd get from Chainmail or Scale. Delayed ASIs and features are something that any build which uses multi-classing has to deal with, unless they take all their dips post-16, which is rarely practical. Honestly, I can't really defend that. It's just a fact, and it is up to the player to decide if delaying those features is worth multi-classing. Similarly, many multi-classing characters lose-out on total ASIs compared to single-classes. Maining fighter, this one still gets a total of 6, which is only one fewer than a regular fighter. You could skip cleric, and just go Fighter/Wizard, then you'd miss none, though you'd lose your second action surge, which is a bummer. Rogue variant still gets 5, which is again only one fewer that a rogue would normally get. Booming Blade is an awesome spell, but you're right, it doesn't play nice with fighter, nor any other class that gets extra attacks. For fighter, you pretty much just take it because what else are you really going to take as a cantrip on a gish? I think rogue variants do a much better job of abusing Booming Blade. It may actually be the better way to run the build, since a lot of its other features help cover weaknesses. I've been playing the fighter example that I listed, and until I got my extra attacks, Booming Blade was fantastic for when I needed my bonus action elsewhere. For Blur...I never loved it in the first place, but I can't help but think you are wrong about how you value it. Actually I think you value Mirror Image incorrectly, too. But I don't want to be rude about it, so let me try to explain my reasoning. Mathematically, Blur (or more specifically, forcing disadvantage) is more powerful with every point of AC you have. If they already have a 95% chance of hitting you, then they have a 90% chance of hitting you with disadvantage, but if they have a 50% chance to hit you, then with disadvantage they have only a 25% chance. So with every point of AC, the difference between chance to hit normally, and chance to hit with disadvantage increases. With Mirror Image, the images AC is only 10+Dex, so with very high AC, you're likely to lose images to attacks that wouldn't have even hit you. What kind of comparisons would you like me to make? Admittedly, high AC is pretty much the main target of the build. The game is balanced around an expectation that you'll only be able to get AC to a certain height. This build seeks push AC outside of those expectations without crippling every other aspect of the character. [/QUOTE]
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