D&D 5E Build For a Fickle Player?

[Garresh]

Hey everyone. I'm going to be making an adventurer's league character relatively soon, but I'm looking for some build advice or inspiration. Basically I tend to get bored with doing the same thing every combat. I like to mix it up, switch roles, or draw on my environment in order to fight. In 3.5 I played the Binder a great deal, and in other games I've always favored the jack of all trades type characters. I often find myseld butting heads with DMs because I genuinely like characters who can do everything, but much worse than dedicated specialists. But doing one thing repeatedly just bores me a great deal.

So I'm asking if there are any good builds for "unfocused" characters? Basically characters who are just barely passable in multiple categories, or just do one thing a lot, but in a lot of different ways?

 

[Not a Hobbit]

valor bard?

 

[iserith]

I'm a big fan of the Tavern Brawler feat because of it gives some rules support to using improvised weapons, grappling, and unarmed attacks. While this doesn't per se make the character a "jack of all trades," it definitely allows you to use your environment a lot more. My tavern brawler barbarian, "Immovable Rod" Manleigh, doesn't carry weapons at all. He just uses what is laying around at the time, be it a rock, a chair, a corpse - whatever. It's a lot of fun.

Another build I'm really enjoying is my wizard (transmuter)/druid of the land, Ebenezer Switch. He also has the Alchemist feat. His wild shape forms are always utility rather than combat-focused. I've turned into a mule to pull a stolen siege weapon, a salmon to swim upstream in a flooding tunnel full of zombies, and a cat with expeditious retreat cast on it in order to lure dire wolves away from a wounded comrade. He has a very wide assortment of spell options and both Natural Recovery and Arcane Recovery for getting spells back at short rests.

One last option would be like my lore bard/wizard (diviner), Fortuna Farsight, who has the Lucky feat. All her spells and class features are either divination in nature or manipulate the dice with advantage, disadvantage, bonus dice, or rerolls. This allows for a lot of utility and I'm constantly saving the party's bacon by screwing with the DM's dice. Super fun.

Of course, I don't even know if multiclassing and feats are permitted in Adventurer's League, let alone stuff from UA.

 

[Waterbizkit]

I'm also going to suggest the Valor Bard. You'll be able to dip into melee combat without fear of outclassing those who've dedicated themselves to it. Your magical secrets feature comes later than a Lore Bard so while your spell list is still versatile you won't be able to poach as many choice spells from other classes. You also still have enough skill versatility to be quite good at several things but always have something to potentially contribute in any situation. And of course you have bardic inspiration which is always useful. To me the Valor Bard is the way to go, no question.

But that's just one person's opinion.

 

[manduck]

There are a few options that come to mind when wanting to take on multiple roles or do lots of things. Fortunately 5E makes this a little easier even in just the base class with options like Arcane Trickster and Eldrich Knight. So I'll rattle off a few.

I'll throw in a nod to the Valor Bard, for all the reasons listed above. It's a solid choice for a Jack of all Trades kind of hero.

Arcane Trickster is a good choice. Lots of skills with the base Rogue class. Throw in a healthy dose of arcane magic and features that give a variety of interesting things you can do. Plus with sneak attack you can be pretty nasty in a straight up fight.

Bladelock or Eldrich Knight. Mix arcane magic with melee fighting. Warlock has some interesting features more on the magical side while fighter has some of the best fighting abilities (action surge). So you can fight and cast with some niche features others may not have.

Paladin. Mix fighting, divine magic and healing all in one. Paladins are good at a bunch of different things and can be really tough with their armor, immunity to diseases or fear, and save bonuses. Their spells have a lot of utility or you smite something for heavy damage. Lay on hands is good for HP or poisons/disease. The oaths they have available are all pretty strong too with unique feels to them.

Fighter/Cleric multi class. There is a pretty solid fighter 11/cleric 9 build floating around here that has some good stuff. Lots of attacks and access to divine magic, which has healing and utility. If you want more interesting things in combat, go battlemaster and cleric.

Eldrich Knight/Wizard is another popular multiclass. Lots of utility and damage in wizard spells and cantrips. Add in some fun fighter features. Basically like the fighter/cleric if you prefer arcane magic instead of divine.

If you're looking to break the mold with skills or get access to skills outside your class options, backgrounds can really help out. Lots of good ways to get stealth for a dex fighter or something like that.

 

[Warmaster Horus]

A nice thing about AL is that you can experiment early on. Try something and if you don't like it you can reconfig (everything but PC name and a couple of other little things) up to Level 5.

 

[Azurewraith]

I think everyone has covered my thoughts so go with them.

 

[kalil]

Moon druid?

 

[MonkeezOnFire]

Both cleric and druid allow you to access to their entire spell list when selecting spells for the day. This can allow you to switch up your entire list on a day to day basis if you enjoy mixing up your play style. While the druid and cleric spell list aren't as extensive as the other casters there is some variety giving you access to healing, buffing, debuffing, damage and battlefield control.

On the druid side you have wild shape to further switch things up being able to change form to do different things (you'll have to go moon circle if you want to get good melee forms for this).

On the cleric side of things your choice of domain will give you some nice toys. Trickery gives all kinds of tricks or going war/tempest you'll be comfortable on the front lines as well as the back.

 

[bedir than]

Sun Monk

A Human Fighter that takes Magic Initiate and Inspiring Leader by 4th level.