For my next character I'm planning to play a Scourge Aasimar Barbarian but it's certainly not going to be your average Barbarian. This character is going to be a Barbarian first and foremost, but is also going to be the party face too.
The idea is for her to be a beautiful woman that likes to wear dresses(unarmored defense) and look nice in general, but she's not afraid to get her hands dirty if needed. She probably wears her hair in a braid while traveling and fighting, but lets it down in towns and cities. She will not look as strong as she's going to be. She's certainly not going to look like a barbarian. She is most definitely GOOD and I mean pure good all the time. She hates all things evil and will not tolerate evil acts in her presence. Originally I envisioned her being LG, but I'm kinda thinking NG or even CG makes more sense to her concept as I see her doing any and everything in order to snuff out evil even if it means breaking or ignoring the law. I see her as coming from a wealthy family and her entire reason for adventuring is to seek out and destroy evil. I am torn between the Noble and Courtier backgrounds as both fit and both offer Persuasion which is very important. I'm open to suggestions on other backgrounds. I considered Far Traveler as "All eyes on me" kind of fits. She will be overly kind and generous probably giving money to the poor and going out of her way to help the needy. I don't see her as naive but her flaw will probably be that she tries to hard to see the good in people and will possibly be a bit too trusting, but not ignorantly so. She won't be easy to take advantage of. Obviously, she is going to have an explosive temper.
Now for some mechanics
Almost 100% certain I'll be going Zealot Barb as it makes the most sense. Ancestral Guardian sounds decent though...
Rolled stats are 18, 17, 16, 15, 13, 12 so after racials I am pondering between-
18 Str, 16 Dex, (15+1)16 Con, 12 Int, 13 Wis, (17+2)19 Cha or
18 Str, 16 Dex, (17+1)18 Con, 12 Int, 13 Wis, (15+2)17 Cha
I get a free feat to start and will be starting at level 2 or 3. With my free feat I am leaning towards Diplomat which would give me Expertise in Persuasion and give me a nice Charm ability. It also gives me a +1 Cha which would make the first array start with 20 Cha and the second array would have 18.
Here is where I'm looking for opinions and advice. An investment in Bard makes a LOT of sense for her character. She is going to love singing and is going to have a voice like an angel. Inspiration dice is right up her ally too. Take a level in Bard hurts me mechanically but it adds so much thematically. 1 level Bard gets me 2 cantrips and 4 spells known. I would probably take Mending which sounds perfect for her, and Vicious Mockery which would have to be re-fluffed as her scolding an enemy as opposed to insulting it. As for spells, I don't really see her being a big spell caster so I would probably take mostly Rituals and always cast them as such. The one exception would probably be Cure Wounds which I could re-fluff as Divine magic pretty easily and all spell slots could be used for it. I love the idea of her having Cure Wounds because she will hurt her friends if she does her Aasimar racial transformation close to them so she would be able to heal them after the fight.
One of the things I am most unsure about is whether to stop at just 1 level of Bard or take more. 2 levels gets me Song of Rest and Expertise. 3 levels I would probably choose Swords for a Fighting Style and some defensive maneuvers. 5 levels get me short rest recharging Inspiration dice which is awesome. I don't think I'd ever take more the Bard 5 no matter what.
I could start Barb 1, Bard 1, and then take 4-5 more levels of Barb for extra attack and the Zealot's 6th level feature which is nice. I could take +2 Str or Inspiring Leader at Barb 4. I guess I'm just unsure about when/if to take more Bard levels.
I'm also torn about what kind of weapon she will use. I don't like the idea of her using a huge 2 handed weapon as that's too video game for me. I'm leaning towards longsword and shield, but I kind of like the idea of her TWF.
I'll be playing with an established group that I've never played with before, but I have known one of the guys a long time. His says their campaigns usually make it into the mid levels but doesn't think we'd ever reach level 14.
I'm open to suggestions on background, starting feat, fighting style, and to Bard or not and if so, when and how much. Also, how important is it for her to be proficient in the other social skills Deception, Performance, and Intimidation?
The idea is for her to be a beautiful woman that likes to wear dresses(unarmored defense) and look nice in general, but she's not afraid to get her hands dirty if needed. She probably wears her hair in a braid while traveling and fighting, but lets it down in towns and cities. She will not look as strong as she's going to be. She's certainly not going to look like a barbarian. She is most definitely GOOD and I mean pure good all the time. She hates all things evil and will not tolerate evil acts in her presence. Originally I envisioned her being LG, but I'm kinda thinking NG or even CG makes more sense to her concept as I see her doing any and everything in order to snuff out evil even if it means breaking or ignoring the law. I see her as coming from a wealthy family and her entire reason for adventuring is to seek out and destroy evil. I am torn between the Noble and Courtier backgrounds as both fit and both offer Persuasion which is very important. I'm open to suggestions on other backgrounds. I considered Far Traveler as "All eyes on me" kind of fits. She will be overly kind and generous probably giving money to the poor and going out of her way to help the needy. I don't see her as naive but her flaw will probably be that she tries to hard to see the good in people and will possibly be a bit too trusting, but not ignorantly so. She won't be easy to take advantage of. Obviously, she is going to have an explosive temper.
Now for some mechanics
Almost 100% certain I'll be going Zealot Barb as it makes the most sense. Ancestral Guardian sounds decent though...
Rolled stats are 18, 17, 16, 15, 13, 12 so after racials I am pondering between-
18 Str, 16 Dex, (15+1)16 Con, 12 Int, 13 Wis, (17+2)19 Cha or
18 Str, 16 Dex, (17+1)18 Con, 12 Int, 13 Wis, (15+2)17 Cha
I get a free feat to start and will be starting at level 2 or 3. With my free feat I am leaning towards Diplomat which would give me Expertise in Persuasion and give me a nice Charm ability. It also gives me a +1 Cha which would make the first array start with 20 Cha and the second array would have 18.
Here is where I'm looking for opinions and advice. An investment in Bard makes a LOT of sense for her character. She is going to love singing and is going to have a voice like an angel. Inspiration dice is right up her ally too. Take a level in Bard hurts me mechanically but it adds so much thematically. 1 level Bard gets me 2 cantrips and 4 spells known. I would probably take Mending which sounds perfect for her, and Vicious Mockery which would have to be re-fluffed as her scolding an enemy as opposed to insulting it. As for spells, I don't really see her being a big spell caster so I would probably take mostly Rituals and always cast them as such. The one exception would probably be Cure Wounds which I could re-fluff as Divine magic pretty easily and all spell slots could be used for it. I love the idea of her having Cure Wounds because she will hurt her friends if she does her Aasimar racial transformation close to them so she would be able to heal them after the fight.
One of the things I am most unsure about is whether to stop at just 1 level of Bard or take more. 2 levels gets me Song of Rest and Expertise. 3 levels I would probably choose Swords for a Fighting Style and some defensive maneuvers. 5 levels get me short rest recharging Inspiration dice which is awesome. I don't think I'd ever take more the Bard 5 no matter what.
I could start Barb 1, Bard 1, and then take 4-5 more levels of Barb for extra attack and the Zealot's 6th level feature which is nice. I could take +2 Str or Inspiring Leader at Barb 4. I guess I'm just unsure about when/if to take more Bard levels.
I'm also torn about what kind of weapon she will use. I don't like the idea of her using a huge 2 handed weapon as that's too video game for me. I'm leaning towards longsword and shield, but I kind of like the idea of her TWF.
I'll be playing with an established group that I've never played with before, but I have known one of the guys a long time. His says their campaigns usually make it into the mid levels but doesn't think we'd ever reach level 14.
I'm open to suggestions on background, starting feat, fighting style, and to Bard or not and if so, when and how much. Also, how important is it for her to be proficient in the other social skills Deception, Performance, and Intimidation?