EzekielRaiden
Follower of the Way
Alright--as I said in my other advice-seeking thread, I have settled on going for a Valor Bard with my character. It was given quite a bit of praise in that thread, and now that the path is open for it, I am hopeful I can get something fun out of it.
However...I still feel pretty lost in actually making the character, mechanically. (Thematics are still up in the air, but I can handle that part myself.)
First, some relevant information about the party and starting conditions:
1. We're starting at level 1.
2. The DM is pretty flexible, and willing to adapt just about anything that has a plausible basis to it.
3. The other characters are a Dex-based Devotion Paladin, a Moon Druid, and a Tempest Cleric.
And then some relevant information about what I'm looking for:
1. I want to mix it up in melee. I'm not really interested in flinging spells from afar...
2. ...but I am okay with my gameplay being a mixture of support and offense.
3. I'm playing a Dragonborn. This is really the only non-negotiable part of the character.
4. I'd like to do some Grappling. Perhaps not an "optimized" Grappler, but capable.
5. If at all possible, I want to avoid having a situation where I look over my character sheet and wonder whether my contribution to the current scene will matter. I know being a Bard in the first place takes care of a lot of that, but I'm just reiterating it.
One of my very real concerns at the start is that I'm not sure I can get enough protection. I don't want to dump Charisma, and Grappling means going for Strength...so my Dexterity can't be very high, and my AC is going to suffer as a result. I have heard that 5e is quite lethal at low levels; not Dungeon Crawl Classics levels of lethality, but still very dangerous for characters below level 3. Particularly since I'll be stuck with Light armor until I actually get the College of Valor benefits
However...I still feel pretty lost in actually making the character, mechanically. (Thematics are still up in the air, but I can handle that part myself.)
First, some relevant information about the party and starting conditions:
1. We're starting at level 1.
2. The DM is pretty flexible, and willing to adapt just about anything that has a plausible basis to it.
3. The other characters are a Dex-based Devotion Paladin, a Moon Druid, and a Tempest Cleric.
And then some relevant information about what I'm looking for:
1. I want to mix it up in melee. I'm not really interested in flinging spells from afar...
2. ...but I am okay with my gameplay being a mixture of support and offense.
3. I'm playing a Dragonborn. This is really the only non-negotiable part of the character.
4. I'd like to do some Grappling. Perhaps not an "optimized" Grappler, but capable.
5. If at all possible, I want to avoid having a situation where I look over my character sheet and wonder whether my contribution to the current scene will matter. I know being a Bard in the first place takes care of a lot of that, but I'm just reiterating it.
One of my very real concerns at the start is that I'm not sure I can get enough protection. I don't want to dump Charisma, and Grappling means going for Strength...so my Dexterity can't be very high, and my AC is going to suffer as a result. I have heard that 5e is quite lethal at low levels; not Dungeon Crawl Classics levels of lethality, but still very dangerous for characters below level 3. Particularly since I'll be stuck with Light armor until I actually get the College of Valor benefits