D&D 5E Pesky odd stat and decision paralysis.

[Cyan Wisp]

Okay, I'm usually quite happy to "go my own way", but I'm playing my first 5e character (usually DM) and have encountered a minor quandary that I'd love some advice on.

I see a lot of talk on here about "must do ASIs before feats" and such. I don't really have the long term perspective of why this is so, having only DMed up to 6th level so far. So, here's my character:

Levelling up to 4th level. Wood elf urchin shadow monk. Straight monk levels planned at this stage.
S:10, D:17, Co:14, I:10, W:16, Ch:8. Notice... only one odd stat.

As I've just turned 4th, I immediately thought to bump Dex. It's a good general boost for me. Thing is, I'm beginning to question my decision. I quite like some of the feats: Mobile, Mage Slayer, maybe even Magic Initiate. Mobile is the favoured one here. Seems perfect for my role and ki-conserving to boot. And, I could start using those new abilities right now rather then waiting till some ephemeral future.

Refiguring my 4th level decision:

• Take Mobile or Mage Slayer. These just seem really cool for my character.
• Raise Wis to 18 to prep for Stunning.
• Raise Dex to 19? Stuck with an odd stat, though. How would I get it to 20 in the future?
• Bump Dex to 18 and Str to 11? Seems like a waste, though Str 11 does have added utility (carry weight, jump distance)
• Take Athlete for Dex 18 plus other (very situational) benefits? No odd stats to worry about, then.

Then 8th level... arrgh! Decision paralysis already! And does it really matter in the end!?

Advice from the masters? Please?

 

[Azurewraith]

I'm prob to min Max to answer this but bump dex to 19 at 4th then bump dex/Wis at 8th then continue to pump dex untilled its 20. I mean you could allways go pffft screw you 20stat I want a fun feat.

 

[KahlessNestor]

You will be perfectly functional in this edition without maxing tour stat, especially with a martial character. Go for what you find fun. Mobility is an awesome feat.

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[The Grassy Gnoll]

Well, your ASI of +1 DEX and +1 STR will give you immediate and scalable through Proficiency Bonus improvements to To Hit, plus immediate permanent boost to Damage, and AC. The "spare" point does go begging a little but as you say, may help with carry weights. Putting +2 to DEX gives you the same as a +1 and leaves you with an odd number in your main stat again.

Boosting WIS by +2 will help with AC and KI and your KI DC, so again, immediate improvements but not directly - you still have to hit (DEX) to enable your KI for Stunning.

But reading your post it seems that you have a feel for what you think makes your character cool and unique through taking a Feat instead.

I'm inclined to say go with your heart (concept) over your head (optimising).

And, does it matter? No. So long as you are excited by the cool stuff your character can do, everything is perfect. "I'm really good at hitting things" is cool; "I'm really powerful and can stun things" is cool; "I'm even harder to hit and super fast" is cool. What matters is what will make you smile as you think about what you can do.

If it was me, I'd probably go +1s STR and DEX or maybe Magic Initiate (I really like that feat, but would be inclined to for flavour choices like Unseen Servant, Prestigitation and one combat Cantrip to give me a decent ranged option in extremis).

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I like athlete. Those bonuses are not completely wasted. Jumping, climbing and jumping to your feet from prone are monk things.
Another feat to consider is observant. Or resilent con or wis. You will lose the benefit once you reach lvl 14 but it is not a lot compared to 1 more str, and the boost it adds immediatly is nothing to sneeze at. Though you may consider waiting till lvl 8 and raise dex and con or wis at level 4. If wis and dex were swapped, I would probably just take resilent wisdom.

As it is now, I would take athlete or maybe even weapon master, raise dex and learn to use a longbow.

Of course you nothing wrong if you don't raise any of your stats and take a feat you like.

 

[happyhermit]

What would your character do? Either way it should play fine, without knowing what kind of game you're playing it is hard to say how important either thing is but it is generally just situational/general.

Sounds like you like your character and it's the first in 5e, so I would say just go with what you think is cool for that character/game.

 

[feartheminotaur]

Mobile is nice - especially the extra 10 feet of movement on a wood elf (45 feet!) - and I've made a few PCs with it. But I've found the Dash action requirement (as opposed to just moving) to gain the ignore difficult terrain benefit is kinda hard to use unless you're a rogue, you are involved in a lot of chases, or you find yourself in open area combats a lot. The third feature is great for a stick and move type melee character.

Though, if Mobile is cool, Mage Slayer is seriously awesome. There are very few ways to force disadvantage on a Concentration save, and unless you're playing the aforementioned stick and move type melee character, you're going to want to be adjacent to your enemies anyway. It's also insanely powerful against the worst sort of effects you'll face, especially if your DM rules that Mage Slayer works vs. innate spellcasting (I'm inclined to think it would since Sage Advice says the key word is "casting", but best to be sure what your DM's interpretation is before taking the feat).

 

[Jediking]

Levelling up to 4th level. Wood elf urchin shadow monk. Straight monk levels planned at this stage.
S:10, D:17, Co:14, I:10, W:16, Ch:8. Notice... only one odd stat.

As I've just turned 4th, I immediately thought to bump Dex. It's a good general boost for me. Thing is, I'm beginning to question my decision. I quite like some of the feats: Mobile, Mage Slayer, maybe even Magic Initiate. Mobile is the favoured one here. Seems perfect for my role and ki-conserving to boot.

Remember that Shadow Monks get their Shadow Step feature at 6th level, which greatly enhances your mobility and gives advantage to your first melee attack on that turn (but takes your bonus action), and that your movement speed will keep scaling.

How often do you use or want to use Disengage usually? As you level up you get more Ki, so even if you use it 1-2 times per short rest that will cost less later. But think of what's fun and what it will enable you to do.

But yeah, no wrong choices. Only too many good ones

 

[ChrisCarlson]

I cannot think of a single available choice or option that would not be fun and/or useful*. Not a one. Barring any table-specific neutering houserules or playstyle we do not know about, of course.


(*though, as I've confessed in the other thread, I'm prone to consider feats first...)

 

[jgsugden]

Level 4: Dex +2.
Level 8: Dex +1, Wis +1.
Level 12: Resilient Wisdom.

That is my min/max answer. However, you said you favor mobile. Go for it. The only thing you should try to optimize at the game table is fun. If the feat fits the character and you think you'll an joy it, go for it. I once played a xeph character that moved insanely fast. He was a lot of fun. I encourage you to try the speedy approach h.