D&D 5E 5e Fey Lock/Dream Druid

[StormNFlo]

I haven’t played since 3.5 but I’ve had this character idea in my head that I’ve been dying to try. I want to create a fey lock/dream Druid build. I think the idea of being touched by the summer court to be very interesting. Having madness and illusions haunt my enemies while having blessings and tranquility bless my team.

I know you can probably do that with out the fey lock part but I find it so interesting to either deeepply charmed by the fey or have my mind slightly broken by time spent in the fey realm to be super interesting and cool.

I don’t know which race I’d do or which pack I’d choose. But illusions, charms, and false dreams should be an important part of the play style. I know warlocks and druids are super versatile so you can go crazy with this idea if you want. Let me hear what you think.

 

[Esker]

I wonder if you'd be better off replacing the druid piece with bard... The bard spell list gives you more options for charm and mental-manipulation than does the druid list, and it's got the same casting stat to boot so it's not as costly a multi-class mechanically. I don't personally see much "dream" like about the Circle of Dreams features apart from the name until 14th level; they mainly get healing and buff abilities.

The College of Whispers bard, while generally not considered one of the mechanically stronger bard subclasses, feels like it might give you more of the theme you're looking for; and I would expect most DMs to be fine with you flavoring it however you want. Some DMs may have more rigid ideas about what it means to have levels in a particular class, but I tend to think of the classes as sets of mechanics that I can use to support my concept, not as something that dictates a concept.

I might take two levels of warlock for some thematic invocations: Misty Visions for sure, and probably one of Gaze of Two Minds, Mask of Many Faces (to appear as though a dream figure, and cast Friends to insinuate your will into their psyche), or Devil's Sight (dreams tend to happen in darkness)... Maybe a third level for either a fey familiar or a "Book of Dreams", plus extra 2nd level spell slots to more often cast some of those bread-and-butter manipulation spells like Suggestion and Phantasmal Force (although I would take those from bard and save my warlock picks for things bards can't get to help me not die, like Mirror Image and Misty Step, since you'll be quite squishy), and then go bard the rest of the way.

 

[Salthorae]

I haven’t played since 3.5 but I’ve had this character idea in my head that I’ve been dying to try. I want to create a fey lock/dream Druid build. I think the idea of being touched by the summer court to be very interesting. Having madness and illusions haunt my enemies while having blessings and tranquility bless my team.

I know you can probably do that without the fey lock part but I find it so interesting to either deeepply charmed by the fey or have my mind slightly broken by time spent in the fey realm to be super interesting and cool.

I don’t know which race I’d do or which pack I’d choose. But illusions, charms, and false dreams should be an important part of the playstyle. I know warlocks and druids are super versatile so you can go crazy with this idea if you want. Let me hear what you think.

You can take a look at the College of Glamour Bard as well. They have good ties to the fey as well.

It sounds like great fun to me. While you have to wait until 14th level on Druid to get the dream messing stuff. The fey presence and such are available earlier from Fey Lock and also Glamour Bard.

On the warlock side. Pact of the Chain might be fun with a Sprite familiar who can be invisible all the time and can be great fun. Otherwise, go Tome and you get some more cantrips, and then Book of Ancient secrets to getting some fun ritual spells.

Invocations for this kind of concept... you can look at these

• Beguiling Influence: proficiency in deception & persuasion skills
• Mask of many faces: disguise self at will without a spell slot
• Misty Vision: silent image at will without a spell slot
• Thief of Fates: bane once with a spell slot, but good way to mess with them. Steal their luck/fate.

For Warlock spells, don't forget enthrall and suggestion for some fun as well.

 

[Esker]

You can take a look at the College of Glamour Bard as well. They have good ties to the fey as well.

It sounds like great fun to me. While you have to wait until 14th level on Druid to get the dream messing stuff. The fey presence and such are available earlier from Fey Lock and also Glamour Bard.

On the warlock side. Pact of the Chain might be fun with a Sprite familiar who can be invisible all the time and can be great fun. Otherwise, go Tome and you get some more cantrips, and then Book of Ancient secrets to getting some fun ritual spells.

Invocations for this kind of concept... you can look at these

• Beguiling Influence: proficiency in deception & persuasion skills
• Mask of many faces: disguise self at will without a spell slot
• Misty Vision: silent image at will without a spell slot
• Thief of Fates: bane once with a spell slot, but good way to mess with them. Steal their luck/fate.

For Warlock spells, don't forget enthrall and suggestion for some fun as well.

Great minds... Good point about the glamor subclass. Sort of like the Seelie bard to the Whispers bard's Unseelie.

 

[Salthorae]

Great minds... Good point about the glamor subclass. Sort of like the Seelie bard to the Whispers bard's Unseelie.

I like that split/relationship building between those two Bard Colleges. Definitely feels thematically appropriate.

 

[StormNFlo]

Would it be better if I just went dream Druid and talk to the dm about being deeply related to fey? I also thought about just taking one level in warlock just for the patron. Any other classes that I’m not think of that would fit the theme I’m thinking of?

 

[Salthorae]

If it were me?

I would aim for a Dream Druid 14/Glamour Bard or Feylock 6 depending on which of those you prefer.

Both Bard and Warlock have their 2nd sublcass feature at 6th and Druid has its last one at 14th.

If you want to mess with dreams you need to get that spell and the Dream Druid gives it to you at 14th.

You can also get Dream as a 5th level spell from Bard or Warlock at 9th level. Dream Druid lets you do it and some other things for free once per day and you can travel back to a previous long rest location which is fun.

It depends on if you just want to mess with dreams or if you want to USE the dreams.

IT also depends on if you want high-level spells or not. You could go crazy and do something like Druid/Feylock/Glamour Bard. Maybe Druid 14/Warlock 2/Bard 4?

It depends on stats for multiclassing too.

 

[StormNFlo]

It depends on if you just want to mess with dreams or if you want to USE the dreams.

I really want to USE dreams. I’m thinking what I’d try to excel at is helping my party get through combat then attacking and investigating while the party rest.

Maybe dream hacking the big bad or their associates. Maybe it’ll be easier for my party to rest often. Don’t warlocks get most of their spells back from a short rest or something like that? But that’s pretty much what I’m trying to go for. Illusion and charms are also good. Kinda goes with having the characters unsure if it’s a dream or not.

What you suggested is VERY good though! Any other ideas would be awesome to hear!

 

[Salthorae]

If you did go with the triple threat I suggested it would net you all of these abilities (eventually and in whatever order you actually mutliclass)

• Bard
  • 2nd level bard spells; 7 spells known; 3 bard cantrips (including vicious mockery very fey themed! )
  • d6 Song of Rest
  • Bardic Inspiration d6 = Charisma Modifier
  • Jack of All trades: +1/2 proficiency to any skill you're not proficient with
  • 1 ASI/Feat
  • Expertise in 2 skills
  • 2 Glamour abilities: Mantle of Inspiration (grant 5 temp hp to people), Enthralling Performance (charm with a performance)
• Druid
  • 7th level druid spells; 4 druid cantrips (start with 2) which should include guidance!
  • Wildshape: 2/Short or Long rest 7 hours per change, up to CR 1 beasts not limited by movement mode (so any beast)
  • 3 ASI/Feats
  • All the Dream Druid Abilities: Balm of the Summer Court (2nd), Hearth of Moonlight & Shadow (6th), Hidden Paths (10th), Walker in Dreams (14th)
• Warlock
  • 2x 1st level Spell Slots, 3 1st level warlock spells known, 2 Warlock cantrips (could get minor illusion here or from bard)
  • 2 Invocations which for your build would probably want to include 2 of these 4:
    • Beguiling Influence: proficiency in deception & persuasion skills
    • Mask of many faces: disguise self at will without a spell slot
    • Misty Vision: silent image at will without a spell slot
    • Thief of Fates: bane once with a spell slot, but good way to mess with them. Steal their luck/fate.
  • Archfey - Fey Presence: 1/short or long rest charm or frighten creatures in a 10' cube on a failed save.

Man.. now I want to play this build

The only questions are: 1) which class to start with first 2) how to alternate or level them up. 3) What Background to take for other proficiencies

They're all d8 hit points, so you have consistency there.

• Skills; Bard gives you 3 of any skills while the other two give you 2 skills from their list.
• Saves: Bard = Dex/Cha, Druid = Int/Wis, Warlock = Wis/Cha
• Weapons: Bard = Simple + hand crossbow, longsword, shortsword, rapier, Druid = very specific list, Warlock = Simple
• Armor: Bard = light, Druid = light, medium, & shields, Warlock = light
• Tools: Bard = 3 instruments, Druid = Herbalism kit, Warlock = none

Multiclass into you gain these proficienies:

• Bard: one instrument, one skill (any), light armor (everyone has this so it's not a consideration)
• Druid: light armor, medium armor, shields
• Warlock: light armor, simple weapons.

Background can start you well and then let you mutliclass later into that thing more fully. So you could start as a Druid with the Entertainer background, then gain one more skill and one more instrument when you mutliclass into Bard. You could start as a Bard with the Outlander background who was the skald of a druid circle, left to enjoy the world, then comes back to embrace their circle and fey roots, etc.

I'd probably start as Druid and mutliclass into bard and warlock at later levels.

Practically speaking 3 classes might be too much to actually enjoy the class abilities, so think about what of the above you'd enjoy the most and focus on those first, and so on.

 

[StormNFlo]

If you did go with the triple threat I suggested it would net you all of these abilities (eventually and in whatever order you actually mutliclass)

• Bard
  • 2nd level bard spells; 7 spells known; 3 bard cantrips (including vicious mockery very fey themed! )
  • d6 Song of Rest
  • Bardic Inspiration d6 = Charisma Modifier
  • Jack of All trades: +1/2 proficiency to any skill you're not proficient with
  • 1 ASI/Feat
  • Expertise in 2 skills
  • 2 Glamour abilities: Mantle of Inspiration (grant 5 temp hp to people), Enthralling Performance (charm with a performance)
• Druid
  • 7th level druid spells; 4 druid cantrips (start with 2) which should include guidance!
  • Wildshape: 2/Short or Long rest 7 hours per change, up to CR 1 beasts not limited by movement mode (so any beast)
  • 3 ASI/Feats
  • All the Dream Druid Abilities: Balm of the Summer Court (2nd), Hearth of Moonlight & Shadow (6th), Hidden Paths (10th), Walker in Dreams (14th)
• Warlock
  • 2x 1st level Spell Slots, 3 1st level warlock spells known, 2 Warlock cantrips (could get minor illusion here or from bard)
  • 2 Invocations which for your build would probably want to include 2 of these 4:
    • Beguiling Influence: proficiency in deception & persuasion skills
    • Mask of many faces: disguise self at will without a spell slot
    • Misty Vision: silent image at will without a spell slot
    • Thief of Fates: bane once with a spell slot, but good way to mess with them. Steal their luck/fate.
  • Archfey - Fey Presence: 1/short or long rest charm or frighten creatures in a 10' cube on a failed save.

Man.. now I want to play this build

The only questions are: 1) which class to start with first 2) how to alternate or level them up. 3) What Background to take for other proficiencies

They're all d8 hit points, so you have consistency there.

• Skills; Bard gives you 3 of any skills while the other two give you 2 skills from their list.
• Saves: Bard = Dex/Cha, Druid = Int/Wis, Warlock = Wis/Cha
• Weapons: Bard = Simple + hand crossbow, longsword, shortsword, rapier, Druid = very specific list, Warlock = Simple
• Armor: Bard = light, Druid = light, medium, & shields, Warlock = light
• Tools: Bard = 3 instruments, Druid = Herbalism kit, Warlock = none

Multiclass into you gain these proficienies:

• Bard: one instrument, one skill (any), light armor (everyone has this so it's not a consideration)
• Druid: light armor, medium armor, shields
• Warlock: light armor, simple weapons.

Background can start you well and then let you mutliclass later into that thing more fully. So you could start as a Druid with the Entertainer background, then gain one more skill and one more instrument when you mutliclass into Bard. You could start as a Bard with the Outlander background who was the skald of a druid circle, left to enjoy the world, then comes back to embrace their circle and fey roots, etc.

I'd probably start as Druid and mutliclass into bard and warlock at later levels.

Practically speaking 3 classes might be too much to actually enjoy the class abilities, so think about what of the above you'd enjoy the most and focus on those first, and so on.

Oh man! This sounds amazing!

I think I’d start off with entertainer bard. That could be the reason I draw the attention to the fey court in the first place. Come back with a level in warlock. Then focus on leveling Druid and only adding levels in warlock when I do things to actually appease my patron. Something like that?

I really have no idea which race I’d pick. Elf seems like the obvious choice. But you can do other stuff like maybe a halfling hermit. A gnome urchin. A human outlander. I’m just spitballing here. Any ideas for other options than elf and entertainer?