D&D 5E Know any loopholes?

[The Boogeyman]

Ive played a few games now and i want to try something new. ive always done fun classes like ride a huge spider or run in to things like a madman, but this time i want to own the game. if there are any races that paired with this and that, make them power machines, do tell

 

[Yalım]

Hexblade's Curse applies damage once per roll when you deal damage, and magic missile has each of the magical bullet hit individually, which adds up to a very funny amount of damage. LudicSavant came up with a great build for this trick, and CMCC Builds put out a fun video on it (content warning on the vid: includes a gore-heavy scene from Pulp Fiction)

 

[jmartkdr2]

Wildhunt Shifters have he following trait while shifted: While shifted, you have advantage on Wisdom checks, and no creature within 30 feet of you can make an attack roll with advantage against you, unless you're incapacitated.

Therefore, a wildhunt shifter barbarian who uses Reckless Attack while shifted does not get attacked with advantage unless it's a relatively long-range attack. They still make all of their attacks with advantage.

Pick your favorite barbarian subclass and/or multiclass, but if you're going this route I recommend finding a way to use it with Great Weapon Master.

 

[Kurotowa]

Ive played a few games now and i want to try something new. ive always done fun classes like ride a huge spider or run in to things like a madman, but this time i want to own the game. if there are any races that paired with this and that, make them power machines, do tell

You're in the wrong game for that. Exploits to break the game's power curve are for solo games, where you're not ruining anyone else's fun. In a shared multiplayer game like D&D, the other people at the table may have strong objections to it. Also because of this, there's a real shortage of truly broken options. Well, as long as you're sticking to official books.

If you want to "own the game" then buy a video game. That's not a good goal to have with D&D.

 

[jgsugden]

There are no truly broken builds. There are some that are more powerful than others, but selecting something just because it deals more damage or exerts more control may not give you the same levels of joy that you get from a more distinctive design with more personality.

That being said, if you want to be highly effective from level 1, a Variant Human Fighter with the Archery Fighting Style and the highest dex you can get is great at level 1. However, I'd settle for not being so strong at level 1 and instead go Ranger so that I get spells (including Hunter's Mark) at level 2. The key is Sharpshooter + Archery Fighting Style to get a decent chance to hit and and that +10 damage.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The D&D Shorts YouTube channel has a lot of "broken" stuff which is just either powerful combos or silly stuff that rely on your DM going along with obviously unintended interactions.

But if you're looking to optimize your D&D character, I believe the Giant in the Playground forums are still ground-zero for that kind of discussion.

 

[J-H]

Yeah... if you're the DM, you get to try every kind of character you want against real live intelligent opponents who will ruthlessly exploit your mistakes 4 brains vs. 1, and you also control what items you have and even what dragons do. Real ultimate power is yours!

 

[Seramus]

Reborn Twilight Cleric with Inspiring Leader and Chef.

Hand out buckets and buckets of temporary HP, roleplaying a dapper zombie who just won't stay down. Offer people bits of your flesh and claim they are cookies. Stay awake all night and drool at the sight of your party members (while keeping watch).