D&D 5E Companion thread to "5E Survivor - Subclasses (Part VI: Fighters)"

[Ancalagon]

The thing about Shield on an EK is it is very strong. It's like stunning fist/paladin smite/hunters mark/hex for their respective classes. It tends to use up your consumable resource, leaving little left over to do anything else. It also tends to channel the EK into the role of tank.

What tends to be overlooked is spell slots are a transferable resource, and EKs benefit more than most from the newer feats, races and backgrounds added to the game.

Yeah... from what I've seen, an EK from level 1-6 casts shield, sometimes absorb element. The "magic" comes from having a familiar and a few cantrips. At level 7 it opens up a bit, but I feel that should have occurred earlier, for many campaigns that's past 2/3 of the way...

 

[doctorbadwolf]

The thing about Shield on an EK is it is very strong. It's like stunning fist/paladin smite/hunters mark/hex for their respective classes. It tends to use up your consumable resource, leaving little left over to do anything else. It also tends to channel the EK into the role of tank.

What tends to be overlooked is spell slots are a transferable resource, and EKs benefit more than most from the newer feats, races and backgrounds added to the game.

Oh yeah I get it, I just haven’t seen it. My EK players don’t reserve their slots for shield, or even cast shield often.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Yes, if you decide to lean on the magic and take things like fey touched (hex is good, and misty step is good too, mobility is good for a melee PC), magic initiate, ritual caster etc, it does help make it "feel" more magical.

Look at a few of these options: Hexblood (VGR), Duergar, Fairy, Githzeri (MoM); Stryxhaven and Dragonlance backgrounds; Metamagic Adept Feat (Quicken).

Is it that effective though? at low levels you are going to get what, 2 shields a day?

Yes. Thing is, your AC should be good anyway, you only need to use shield as a backup.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Cavalier. When your mount dies, where are you going to get another one? Just play a paladin already.

Besides the first ribbon, it doesn't actually interact with the mount. Cavalier is WotC's passive-aggressive way to give something like 4e's marking, so I can understand why some people feel it has some merit - it's one of a very few ways to be a Defender in 5e (as long as everyone stays nicely in melee range of you).

Knight was a much better name for it.

Eldritch Knight. Not as bad as the others here, but War Magic gets redundant as you get more Extra Attacks. Also, too little magic.

It also basically has War Caster as feat tax...

 

[Undrave]

The popularity of the EK just goes to show there was probably room in DnD for a proper Arcane Gish class

It also basically has War Caster as feat tax...

Oh yeah I forgot about that...

Has anyone ever built a ranged Eldritch Knight? I'm curious because it seems like melee tank is their best role and wonder if anyone did any off color builds?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

The popularity of the EK just goes to show there was probably room in DnD for a proper Arcane Gish class


Oh yeah I forgot about that...

Has anyone ever built a ranged Eldritch Knight? I'm curious because it seems like melee tank is their best role and wonder if anyone did any off color builds?

There isn’t actually much reason to be a melee EK over ranged, IMO.

I just wish EK could use a cantrip as a BA after using the attack action, instead of the other way around.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

People make a melee EK, because that's the gish dream. But yes, he really isn't doing much with it. His chance to use cantrips also feels brief-lived, being active only from lv7 to lv10.

Now, mountain dwarf sorcerers with Cha 8, quickening their booming blades, to lock people down with the Crusher feat, that's a proper tanky lad right there!

 

[CleverNickName]

It cracks me up when people in this thread look at the Eldritch Knight and ask "golly, why didn't WotC make a gish class?" You're literally looking at it.

 

[Vaalingrade]

It cracks me up when people in this thread look at the Eldritch Knight and ask "golly, why didn't WotC make a gish class?" You're literally looking at it.

Okay, so revising: "golly, why didn't WotC make a gish class that's good at being a gish?'.

 

[Ancalagon]

5e is strange that it doesn't have a "proper gish classes" - instead it has a bunch of classes have have a "gish build" - the bladesinger, the EK, the hexblade, the college of sword (esp if you take one level of hexblade), the sorcadin... etc etc.

So perhaps not having a gish class gave us more variety?