Background:
I'm joining a 5e game that's just starting up. I mostly have experience with 4e. The DM has asked people to please "munchkin as little as possible (I'm under no illusions you'll avoid it altogether)". I trust the group to follow this, although it has several mathy compulsive optimizer types (including me).
Creation rules:
I rolled 17 15 13 12 11 9 (which becomes 18 17 15 13 12 11).
Personal character goals (non-"optimal" constraints I'd like to impose on myself)
This is what I've put together so far:
Class: Fighter
Race: Human (standard, not variant)
Starting stats: Str 18 Dex 14 Con 16 Int 19 Wis 13 Cha 12
Background: Thief-taker (homebrew variant Criminal I've asked my DM to allow, gets Investigation/Stealth as skills)
Skills: Athletics, Perception
Fighting Style: Dueling (for sword-and-board)
Planned Martial Archetype: Battle Master
Planned Maneuvers: contingent on party makeup, which I don't know yet. Hoping we have a solid rogue so I can take Commander's Strike.
Planned Feats:
4: Sentinel
6: +2 Strength
8: Medium Armor Mastery
12: +2 Dexterity
14: Resilient: Wisdom
16: Observant (+1 Int)
19: ???? Shield Master or +2 to something, probably
I care more about getting myself functional and fun ASAP than about theoretical level-20 power.
The thing that's bothering me about this build is that I spent ages trying to work out this build with Great Weapon Fighting as the style and Polearm Master and Great Weapon Master as feats alongside Sentinel. The PM/Sentinel synergies look neat and both PM and GWM seem like they are huge damage boosts to have to give up, but I couldn't figure out how to get a decent AC with those without wearing heavy armor which kills stealth.
Will I be OK with just Sentinel? Is there anything obvious I've missed?
I'm joining a 5e game that's just starting up. I mostly have experience with 4e. The DM has asked people to please "munchkin as little as possible (I'm under no illusions you'll avoid it altogether)". I trust the group to follow this, although it has several mathy compulsive optimizer types (including me).
Creation rules:
- Starting at 2nd level
- Custom setting (some of the other players are familiar with this, it's set several hundred years after their last campaign)
- Races available: Humans, Elves, Gnomes, Half-Elves, Dragonborn, or Tieflings
- No chaotic evil characters
- Noble/Knight backgrounds forbidden
- All characters ought to be either poor or have some sort of criminal past
- Rolled stats (ugh, yeah, I know), replace lowest score with 18
I rolled 17 15 13 12 11 9 (which becomes 18 17 15 13 12 11).
Personal character goals (non-"optimal" constraints I'd like to impose on myself)
- Fighter, no spellcasting
- Human
- Warlordy action-granting/etc. (don't care about healing)
- Functional defender mechanics
- High Int, ability to at least thematically emulate the Str/Int tactician warlord even where I can't do so mechanically
- Ability to use Stealth effectively
- Kind of prefer Str fighter to Dex fighter, but at this point I feel like that's just being difficult
This is what I've put together so far:
Class: Fighter
Race: Human (standard, not variant)
Starting stats: Str 18 Dex 14 Con 16 Int 19 Wis 13 Cha 12
Background: Thief-taker (homebrew variant Criminal I've asked my DM to allow, gets Investigation/Stealth as skills)
Skills: Athletics, Perception
Fighting Style: Dueling (for sword-and-board)
Planned Martial Archetype: Battle Master
Planned Maneuvers: contingent on party makeup, which I don't know yet. Hoping we have a solid rogue so I can take Commander's Strike.
Planned Feats:
4: Sentinel
6: +2 Strength
8: Medium Armor Mastery
12: +2 Dexterity
14: Resilient: Wisdom
16: Observant (+1 Int)
19: ???? Shield Master or +2 to something, probably
I care more about getting myself functional and fun ASAP than about theoretical level-20 power.
The thing that's bothering me about this build is that I spent ages trying to work out this build with Great Weapon Fighting as the style and Polearm Master and Great Weapon Master as feats alongside Sentinel. The PM/Sentinel synergies look neat and both PM and GWM seem like they are huge damage boosts to have to give up, but I couldn't figure out how to get a decent AC with those without wearing heavy armor which kills stealth.
Will I be OK with just Sentinel? Is there anything obvious I've missed?