Search results

Today's test character was a Scion Rogue. Rogues are another class where the subclasses usually aren't transformative. That said, there's two things consider here. One is that Scion Rogues are MAD for Dex and Int, so that encourages a build that goes light on feats so you can raise them both...

Exactly. D&D defines "Giants" as being related to a specific family of entities, and usually with an elemental alignment of some sort. It isn't a catch-all for "anything big". I can see the reasoning for the choice they made. If you want to define large sapient animals as paragon spirits of...

It may just be the latest attempt to solve the "How much Monster Manual page count do you devote to creatures the PCs won't actually be fighting?" quandary. IIRC the 4e MM just left out all the Good aligned creatures, which caused much complaints at the time. The 2014 5e MM put them back in, and...

Alternatively: NPC elven Bladesingers spent centuries mastering the full style and get NPC stats based on the overpowered 2e version. PC Bladesingers use a simplified version of just the basics that's taught to outsiders and can be learned in only a few years, which gives the 5e subclass package.

I spent a little time today mocking up a Spellfire Sorcerer. It harder to make broad judgments about it, because as a Sorcerer your choice of spells and Metamagic matters as much or more than your subclass. But I do like what's there. Spellfire Burst rewards regular use of Metamagic, rather...

Yeah, Dance/Genie goes way too hard on that one stat. Overall Genie Paladin isn't even that bad, if you're not doing some crazy minmax that sacrifices other important traits. Plate armor is AC 18, Studded Leather armor with Dex 20 and Cha 14 is AC 19. That's a pretty small difference. All it's...

Alternative AC calculations are, I believe, all armor alternatives. That is to say, both they and armor set your AC to a fixed number plus bonuses, and they're intentionally mutually exclusive. This Genie Paladin feature is designed to supplement Light armor, so mechanically there's no way to...

Yeah, you can dip one or two levels, but three or more is a full blown multiclass. And the cost of a full multiclass increases exponentially. I did look at it, but Genie Paladin + Dance Bard isn't optimizing for anything but raw AC. That's a nice thought experiment, not a real character. Like...

Yeah, that's why I'm looking at a TWF Genie Paladin. Take Defensive Duelist and skip Dual Wielder, to leave your Bonus Action free. That seems like a good balance of offense and defense. The other attractive option is to go all in on being a defender; sword & board, Defensive Duelist, Protection...

I spent a little while planning out character options for a Noble Genie Paladin with a one level dip in Warlock for Blade Pact. And my conclusion is... I'm not sure it's worth it. Not unless you have a really specific character fantasy to live out. Pros: You get to be Cha primary Dex secondary...

Yeah, if you're going to do this I don't think you want more than a one level dip in Warlock for Blade Pact. The question is, is it worth a level to go from 20 Dex 14 Cha to 14 Dex 20 Cha? Your AC and weapon attacks are the same. Your spells and aura are better. It rules out TWF, because you...

When you've got a large audience, it's impossible to make everyone happy. There's just too many conflicting tastes. So you've got to choose what to prioritize. Do you count your demographics and try to make the largest one happy? Do you try to be inoffensive and minimize the number of unhappy...

The Internet encourages hot fast takes, when emotions are high and information is low. Wise folks are willing to reconsider those hot takes, if cooler heads and greater context make it appropriate. And then there's the ones who double down because they can never admit to being wrong. The less...

If you're using Light armor you're not SAD because you still want Dex secondary, and if you're using Heavy armor then there's nothing new or different about the Noble Genie subclass. Also I'm highly suspicious of the action economy of Shillelagh builds under actual play.

Mage Armor isn't armor, in a technical sense.

More likely just one of each, and then you pick the appropriate choice off a sub-table. Like the Crafter feat, more or less.

Casting my attention to the Spellfire Sorcerer, a rules interaction occurs to me. Counterspell works by forcing a Con save, now. Does that mean Heightened Spell Metamagic works on Counterspell? To the best of my reading I think it does. Now normally, this would be a profligate waste of 2...

The design issue is that there's a wide gulf between a mostly non-combat pet, and a combat pet that scales with level and has upgrades to keep it relevant. Anything in between those two is just sad and useless. If you want the former, Magic Initiate (Wizard) for Find Familiar has you covered...

Indeed. I've been mocking up what you can do with it, and I see basically two branches. One is you focus on damage and use one of the TWF Finesse Paladin builds people had already been kicking around, just with a slightly better AC. The other is you really double down on the extra AC and go...

Oh heck, I didn't notice this on first read. Bladesinger lost Light armor. They don't get it from their feature anymore, and Bladesong is now incompatible with any armor. That's a big balance consideration.