D&D 5E Cantrip Warrior

[Warpiglet]

Hello all,

I just had a thought about a different character. I usually like using weapons with spellcasters; hence my doomed romance with blade pact warlocks. Surely not for everyone.

But I was thinking about playing a character who is a warrior at least in some ways who relies on cantrips for their primary attack.

So, with all of the eggheads on this site, I figured there would be some cool ideas to implement this. I would like to develop a character who is armored, often in combat but uses cantrips to a very great extent. I would want spells to be less frequent. Bonus if any spells used are touch attack where cantrips could be a variety.

Some caveats: I want armor and to have some hit points; I do not want to do eldritch blast due to reasons.

I am intrigued by poision spray, chill touch, acid splash and shocking grasp. Bonus points for a selection of cantrips that have a cool rider such as chill touch and undead.

I do not (Clearly!) have optimization as a top concern. I want a combat centric character who uses touch attacks as well as cantrips which may/may not be touch.

Which feats would make this fun (e.g. warcaster)? It is OK if it is not a full caster. Magic initiate and sharpshooter are fine considerations.

Thanks for interesting ideas for class, race, and selection of cantrips and spells. Any commentary on predicted effectiveness would be very welcome as well.

Thanks in advance for your creativity and brain power!

 

[iserith]

I played a tanky infernal tome pact warlock that was a lot of fun. My main cantrips were blade ward and green flame blade. Armor of Agathys on as much as possible. Warcaster and Sentinel feats. The build set up some tough decisions for the DM during combats and I was always rife with temporary hit points.

Edit: Forgot to mention my other cantrip - shillelagh.

 

[thethain]

Make sure to look at booming/greenflame blade from Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide.

As an eldritch knight, you can use a cantrip and make an attack as a bonus action. This is really pretty much what you are describing. They have very poor spell progression (1/3 level) but get cantrips. Unfortunately, the cantrips are going to start losing out to attacking at level 11+ (as you could get three attacks as opposed to the cantrip + 1 bonus attack).

Since fighters get lots of bonus feats, you can pickup warcaster and even magic initiate if you want more options. (Also crossbow master helps ANY ranged attack, including spells, while in melee, so its a consideration)


Bladesinger is the other direction you can use from SCAG. They are a wizard who gets a bladesong which adds INT to AC for 1 min 2x/rest. Which when combined with a high Dex score can end up granting more AC than heavy armor users.

 

[Ashkelon]

There is a stone sorcerer in unearthed arcana. It gains some armor proficiencies and its melee attacks do additional damage. That would probably work.

 

[gyor]

A High Elf Fighter Battle Master with Booming Blade could be interesting.

 

[Warpiglet]

I played a tanky infernal tome pact warlock that was a lot of fun. My main cantrips were blade ward and green flame blade. Armor of Agathys on as much as possible. Warcaster and Sentinel feats. The build set up some tough decisions for the DM during combats and I was always rife with temporary hit points.

Edit: Forgot to mention my other cantrip - shillelagh.

Several ideas already are intriguing. I love blade pacts for reasons. However, I think a tome pact would be fascinating. I could even add magic initiate later for MORE cantrip power. I am not much of a dipper, but one level of sorcerer with this guy would be interesting too.

I could take a variant human off the bat and get moderately armored...very interesting...

If I did one level of sorcerer or so, I could also get access to shield as well.

 

[Warpiglet]

Make sure to look at booming/greenflame blade from Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide.

As an eldritch knight, you can use a cantrip and make an attack as a bonus action. This is really pretty much what you are describing. They have very poor spell progression (1/3 level) but get cantrips. Unfortunately, the cantrips are going to start losing out to attacking at level 11+ (as you could get three attacks as opposed to the cantrip + 1 bonus attack).

Since fighters get lots of bonus feats, you can pickup warcaster and even magic initiate if you want more options. (Also crossbow master helps ANY ranged attack, including spells, while in melee, so its a consideration)


Bladesinger is the other direction you can use from SCAG. They are a wizard who gets a bladesong which adds INT to AC for 1 min 2x/rest. Which when combined with a high Dex score can end up granting more AC than heavy armor users.

I like eldritch knights. Have one that got to third but really focused on greatsword. I could just to three levels and then use some other classes if I am mainly interested in canrips vs. extra attacks.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I once made a basic, old-school wizard with the variant human and the eldrich knight. Grab an armored robe (chainmail and robes), use a staff in two-hand, Firebolt+Green Flame blade as cantrip with Magic Initiate and Find Familiar as 1 lvl spell. Then she can wade into battle with her flamming staff or throw firebolt from the back, Gandalf style. At level 3 take Eldritch Knight; for her career he'll be able to teleport, bind weapons, cast spells while having the HP and AC to forgive a few tactical mistakes. Far from optimized, but a lot of fun.

 

[TwoSix]

Several ideas already are intriguing. I love blade pacts for reasons. However, I think a tome pact would be fascinating. I could even add magic initiate later for MORE cantrip power. I am not much of a dipper, but one level of sorcerer with this guy would be interesting too.

I could take a variant human off the bat and get moderately armored...very interesting...

If I did one level of sorcerer or so, I could also get access to shield as well.

3 levels of sorcerer so you get metamagic like quicken and twin to be able to cast more cantrips would be interesting.

 

[Warpiglet]

I once made a basic, old-school wizard with the variant human and the eldrich knight. Grab an armored robe (chainmail and robes), use a staff in two-hand, Firebolt+Green Flame blade as cantrip with Magic Initiate and Find Familiar as 1 lvl spell. Then she can wade into battle with her flamming staff or throw firebolt from the back, Gandalf style. At level 3 take Eldritch Knight; for her career he'll be able to teleport, bind weapons, cast spells while having the HP and AC to forgive a few tactical mistakes. Far from optimized, but a lot of fun.

That's cool. Yes, I am more into fun and memorable at this stage. I don't want to be feeble or incompetent of course. That sounds fun...Eldritch knight is on the differential. I like Charisma as a casting and plain stat. I could take Eldritch Knight and if multiclassed cast spells with that stat in the Eldrith Knight slots...

I may have to think about that too.

I assume that the action surge could be two spell effects if one is a cantrip and one a spell with a bonus action time...