Adb0782
Explorer
After some discussion on this forum, after read some guide and after making some math and readed almost all the available spells, i came out with this build for my BS. The campaign is actually at lv 4 and it will touch 20. The charatcter is an homebrew race but it have anyway the same bonus stat as an hight elf (+2 dex and +1 int).
Str 8
Dex 16
Cos 15
Int 18
Wis 10
Cha 8
I actually get the first asi +2 int, but i can still change it till this thursday as we ll not play till that day.
Spell progression should follow this scheme:
Cantrips:
Booming blade, Green Flame Blade, Mind Sliver, Shocking Grasp, minor illusion
1st lv:
SHield, Absorb elements, find familiar, identify, Mage Armor, Charm person, false life, detect magic
2nd lv:
Mirror Image, Shadow Blade, Misty Step, darkvision.
3rd lv:
Counterspell e Dispel Magic, Blink, hypnotic pattern, fireball (normally upcasted to 4th lv and choosed between 4th lv spells)
4th lv:
Mordenkainen Private Sanctum, Polimorph, dimension door
5th lv:
Wall of Force, Teleportation Circle, steel wind strike, Synaptic static
6th lv:
Contingency, Soul Cage, Scatter, true seeing
7th lv:
Simulacrum, Crown of stars, teleport, forcecage
8th lv:
Feeblemind, Clone, Mind Blank, Mighty Fortress
9th lv:
Foresight, Wish, Blade of Disater, Shapechange (or true polimorph for thematic reasons. This guy is obsessed with dragons, even they are extincted he study about them and seach for legends and stories that tell him more about them. If i understand well the spell it dont need that my character see the creature before polimorph a sufficient big object in the new form, so he probably want make dragons population grow again somehow, but i have to figure how to find some "object" enought big lol, also bcs in this world dragons are not magical, they are just beasts. If i get shapechange anyway is bcs i can change myself into a marilith when its needed keeping my int, for 7 attacks with +dex +int lol).
You dont see some concentration spell that normally mostly of wizards pick, because i want play often shadow blade ad because i picked spells that help me to fill the bonus action (soul cage and crown of stars), or give huge damage, positioning or debuff in the first turn (steel wind strike and synaptic static), as in the first turn i cant play bladesong and shadow blade together.
But for exemple i didnt pick haste also because, at least my DM, dont allow to apply Booming Blade on the extra attack granted from haste (but i hope ill find it in game for copy it, as id love my simulacrum hasting me sometimes, even he ll normally be more busy to take the control and debuffing part), while he allow me to make work Shadow blade and Booming Blade together.
Blur is another fantastic spell that i didnt pick, but again i dumped it for use Shadow blade or things like hypnotic pattern (even out combat or for avoid a fight) and wall of force later that will already often compete with SB, but i still can make good use of both bcs a wall of force its not always needed...
i dumped also Bigby's hand, but i kept indeed wall of force and Hypnotic pattern, the first one bcs its simply too good in many situations, and the second one because its probably the better use/cost spell of the wizard list. I also got some ritual spells and many utility (still figuring out how make the maighty fortress work well lol, but probably teleport help with it so that i can put inside there the clone with mordenkeien's private sanctum protecting it).
Animate Objects i put it down too, concentration and for deal damage i have better things, very useful spell but not so much for this character i suppose.
I dumped also Tenser Transformation that in the beginning seem very good to me, but it deal same damage as a SB of 5th lv, true with a better advantage and with +50 hp, but without counterspell, shield and absorb elements helping anymore, plus it cost a 6th lv slot that is just one till very late, and with which i can cast soul cage (6 turns with advantage on anything im gonna need), or true seeing (never a mistake), both later on or even Scatter. This choice can be reconsidered only if he ll find some nice shortsword (flametongue), but as this campaign consider a rare item as a very rare one and the dm is not "dropping magic items" friendly, i dont want count on it from beginning.
Normally he ll work with SB upcasted to lv3 (mirror image, blink later or both if it fight things that hit too easy), ill check during the campaign if its possible to upcast it to lv 5, but at a certain point i bet yes and bladesong+ synaptic static on turn 1 than steel wind strike + bonus action shadow blade slot lv 5 and so teleport wherever is more convenient for play it melee with an evil SB in turn 2, even burns all my 5th lv spell slots, its something i suppose ill play sometime (even Steel wind seem give same damage of a fireball same lv, but it dont hit allies and plus it teleport, it can be good also for run away from nasty situations, or for go to get the enemy caster in the backline) at the end of campaign (while before ill just play one between steel wind strike and synaptic static, probably this last one, or ill upcast one of them to lv 6 and some other time even to lv 8 slot...as im gonna feel, but unluckly they dont scale with spell slots). Also bcs its probably one of the best combos this build have (and seem it work better with SB than with Tenser transformation). If i want save a slot for a wall of force or i already used it, ill simply have to cast SB with a 3rd lv slot and lose some dpr, depend on circumstances what is better to do. So normally he ll choose one spell between synaptic static, steel wind strike and scatter as open fight spell, and in the second turn he ll go with SB, for later do what it gonna be more convenient. Its very flexible between use more magic power or more SB and melee power, at least from middle game. But till lv 11/13 for sure his SB will stay at 3rd lv, ill check from there on when its better to upcast it at 5th lv, probably in fights where i dont have to roll lots of savings, as upcast it to lv 5 mean probably give up soul cage for the whole day (not at all but its possible it happen).
Asi's progression is actually my nightmere lol.
I started thinking to get +2 dex, +2 int, resilient (con), +2 int, +2 dex
but now im more thinking to go +2 int, resilient (con), +2 int, +2 dex (or alert) +2 dex (or whatever).
other way could be +2 int, resilient (con) +2 dex, +2 int, +2 dex (or alert) if i see that around lv 12 he need to hit more often.
The reason made me think so is that he gonna benefit often of advantage due familiar, Shadow Blade and 2 paladins in the party, considering also he dont suffer any -5 penalty to hit for boost damage, 16 dex seem enought for hit for long and the +2 damage on just 2 attacks its just not so relevant, as he roll carovans of d8. While Int boost my concentration saves (and this guy gonna be hitted a bit more than his cousin with blur) and my DC spells that its normally more important than hit chances, and that help me to make enter things like steel wind strike and synaptic static, as hypnotic pattern earlier lv when its needed.
Resilient (con) give me 24 hp (or 16 depend at which lv i take the feat) and +11 (till +15 later) on savings against lose concentration, near to never fail, while warcaster give me advantage on concentration saves but nothing else, bcs for this capaign my DM dont allow to use 2 swords and cast all the spells (at this table it work only if the spell dont have material components, howhever between the spell i choose really few have it) neither if i get warcaster, as he dont allow BB on warcaster OA. I was thinking about it, but at this conditions resilient looks better.
Which asi's progression would you take?
Is alert worth, on this build, the sacrifice of dex maximization? Or do you think a full maximized dex work better?
PS the lucky feat is not pickable, we can become "lucky" during the campaign, but no player know how in this moment, as are not pickable racial feats like Elven Accuracy.
And other thing to know is: magic items are rarer than in normal 5e campaigns (Thats why you see things like mage armor).
Spells involving other planes are banned, such as banishment and demiplane.
The spells dont need to be prepared, he can cast all the spells he know using the appropriate spell slots.
I would like to put in the gliph and circle of teleportation, for use the clone more safely, but seem its difficult to make them enter, even i suppose for that time it should be possible to find scrolls or a book from where copy them.
Str 8
Dex 16
Cos 15
Int 18
Wis 10
Cha 8
I actually get the first asi +2 int, but i can still change it till this thursday as we ll not play till that day.
Spell progression should follow this scheme:
Cantrips:
Booming blade, Green Flame Blade, Mind Sliver, Shocking Grasp, minor illusion
1st lv:
SHield, Absorb elements, find familiar, identify, Mage Armor, Charm person, false life, detect magic
2nd lv:
Mirror Image, Shadow Blade, Misty Step, darkvision.
3rd lv:
Counterspell e Dispel Magic, Blink, hypnotic pattern, fireball (normally upcasted to 4th lv and choosed between 4th lv spells)
4th lv:
Mordenkainen Private Sanctum, Polimorph, dimension door
5th lv:
Wall of Force, Teleportation Circle, steel wind strike, Synaptic static
6th lv:
Contingency, Soul Cage, Scatter, true seeing
7th lv:
Simulacrum, Crown of stars, teleport, forcecage
8th lv:
Feeblemind, Clone, Mind Blank, Mighty Fortress
9th lv:
Foresight, Wish, Blade of Disater, Shapechange (or true polimorph for thematic reasons. This guy is obsessed with dragons, even they are extincted he study about them and seach for legends and stories that tell him more about them. If i understand well the spell it dont need that my character see the creature before polimorph a sufficient big object in the new form, so he probably want make dragons population grow again somehow, but i have to figure how to find some "object" enought big lol, also bcs in this world dragons are not magical, they are just beasts. If i get shapechange anyway is bcs i can change myself into a marilith when its needed keeping my int, for 7 attacks with +dex +int lol).
You dont see some concentration spell that normally mostly of wizards pick, because i want play often shadow blade ad because i picked spells that help me to fill the bonus action (soul cage and crown of stars), or give huge damage, positioning or debuff in the first turn (steel wind strike and synaptic static), as in the first turn i cant play bladesong and shadow blade together.
But for exemple i didnt pick haste also because, at least my DM, dont allow to apply Booming Blade on the extra attack granted from haste (but i hope ill find it in game for copy it, as id love my simulacrum hasting me sometimes, even he ll normally be more busy to take the control and debuffing part), while he allow me to make work Shadow blade and Booming Blade together.
Blur is another fantastic spell that i didnt pick, but again i dumped it for use Shadow blade or things like hypnotic pattern (even out combat or for avoid a fight) and wall of force later that will already often compete with SB, but i still can make good use of both bcs a wall of force its not always needed...
i dumped also Bigby's hand, but i kept indeed wall of force and Hypnotic pattern, the first one bcs its simply too good in many situations, and the second one because its probably the better use/cost spell of the wizard list. I also got some ritual spells and many utility (still figuring out how make the maighty fortress work well lol, but probably teleport help with it so that i can put inside there the clone with mordenkeien's private sanctum protecting it).
Animate Objects i put it down too, concentration and for deal damage i have better things, very useful spell but not so much for this character i suppose.
I dumped also Tenser Transformation that in the beginning seem very good to me, but it deal same damage as a SB of 5th lv, true with a better advantage and with +50 hp, but without counterspell, shield and absorb elements helping anymore, plus it cost a 6th lv slot that is just one till very late, and with which i can cast soul cage (6 turns with advantage on anything im gonna need), or true seeing (never a mistake), both later on or even Scatter. This choice can be reconsidered only if he ll find some nice shortsword (flametongue), but as this campaign consider a rare item as a very rare one and the dm is not "dropping magic items" friendly, i dont want count on it from beginning.
Normally he ll work with SB upcasted to lv3 (mirror image, blink later or both if it fight things that hit too easy), ill check during the campaign if its possible to upcast it to lv 5, but at a certain point i bet yes and bladesong+ synaptic static on turn 1 than steel wind strike + bonus action shadow blade slot lv 5 and so teleport wherever is more convenient for play it melee with an evil SB in turn 2, even burns all my 5th lv spell slots, its something i suppose ill play sometime (even Steel wind seem give same damage of a fireball same lv, but it dont hit allies and plus it teleport, it can be good also for run away from nasty situations, or for go to get the enemy caster in the backline) at the end of campaign (while before ill just play one between steel wind strike and synaptic static, probably this last one, or ill upcast one of them to lv 6 and some other time even to lv 8 slot...as im gonna feel, but unluckly they dont scale with spell slots). Also bcs its probably one of the best combos this build have (and seem it work better with SB than with Tenser transformation). If i want save a slot for a wall of force or i already used it, ill simply have to cast SB with a 3rd lv slot and lose some dpr, depend on circumstances what is better to do. So normally he ll choose one spell between synaptic static, steel wind strike and scatter as open fight spell, and in the second turn he ll go with SB, for later do what it gonna be more convenient. Its very flexible between use more magic power or more SB and melee power, at least from middle game. But till lv 11/13 for sure his SB will stay at 3rd lv, ill check from there on when its better to upcast it at 5th lv, probably in fights where i dont have to roll lots of savings, as upcast it to lv 5 mean probably give up soul cage for the whole day (not at all but its possible it happen).
Asi's progression is actually my nightmere lol.
I started thinking to get +2 dex, +2 int, resilient (con), +2 int, +2 dex
but now im more thinking to go +2 int, resilient (con), +2 int, +2 dex (or alert) +2 dex (or whatever).
other way could be +2 int, resilient (con) +2 dex, +2 int, +2 dex (or alert) if i see that around lv 12 he need to hit more often.
The reason made me think so is that he gonna benefit often of advantage due familiar, Shadow Blade and 2 paladins in the party, considering also he dont suffer any -5 penalty to hit for boost damage, 16 dex seem enought for hit for long and the +2 damage on just 2 attacks its just not so relevant, as he roll carovans of d8. While Int boost my concentration saves (and this guy gonna be hitted a bit more than his cousin with blur) and my DC spells that its normally more important than hit chances, and that help me to make enter things like steel wind strike and synaptic static, as hypnotic pattern earlier lv when its needed.
Resilient (con) give me 24 hp (or 16 depend at which lv i take the feat) and +11 (till +15 later) on savings against lose concentration, near to never fail, while warcaster give me advantage on concentration saves but nothing else, bcs for this capaign my DM dont allow to use 2 swords and cast all the spells (at this table it work only if the spell dont have material components, howhever between the spell i choose really few have it) neither if i get warcaster, as he dont allow BB on warcaster OA. I was thinking about it, but at this conditions resilient looks better.
Which asi's progression would you take?
Is alert worth, on this build, the sacrifice of dex maximization? Or do you think a full maximized dex work better?
PS the lucky feat is not pickable, we can become "lucky" during the campaign, but no player know how in this moment, as are not pickable racial feats like Elven Accuracy.
And other thing to know is: magic items are rarer than in normal 5e campaigns (Thats why you see things like mage armor).
Spells involving other planes are banned, such as banishment and demiplane.
The spells dont need to be prepared, he can cast all the spells he know using the appropriate spell slots.
I would like to put in the gliph and circle of teleportation, for use the clone more safely, but seem its difficult to make them enter, even i suppose for that time it should be possible to find scrolls or a book from where copy them.
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