D&D 5E Suggestions for a New PC

[KarinsDad]

My nephew was interested in DMing, so I gladly handed over the reins.

I am bringing in a CN Half Elf Life Cleric 1, Necromancer Wizard 5. This guy struggles between life and death thoughts a lot and has problems with his dual heritage, elven and human. A lot of things are polar for this guy, so he tends to fall in the middle ground a lot. He has taken the Leadership feat (or whatever it is called) to give allies (and eventually undead allies) temp hit points after short rests.

His goal is to help out the party via healing and such, but he is conflicted and often wants to just blast away foes with necrotic damage (like Chill Touch or Inflict Wounds or Vampiric Touch). Our group rarely heals in combat, so I was going to have this guy actually do that once in a while.

The PC that he is replacing (my nephew's) is the Human Battlemaster Fighter with Heavy Armor Master, Sentinel, and Great Weapon Master feats. That PC did a lot of damage and was front line. Also, our Paladin PC is leaving (the player is moving out of town), so we will be losing another front line PC and going from a party of 7 to a party of 6 PCs.


One idea is for him to have a Tensor's Floating Disk with two skeletons and the Halfling Bard riding on it in complete darkness. All of the other PCs (now that the human fighter is gone) have darkvision and all but one are stealthy. The idea is to stealth from place to place and if it is complete darkness, an earlier init PC can pull out and drop a Continual Flame coin if a fight breaks out. If a fight does not break out, we can light up a room for exploration, and then turn off the lights to move to the next area.

His skeletons (usually 2, but probably rarely more than 4) will be used mostly to do Help actions, pour Healing potions into unconscious PCs (each skeleton will have a pouch with multiple healing potions, or fire short bows). They will also sometimes be used as free healing for him via Vampiric Touch.


Does anyone have any spell or other suggestions, especially to shore up the front line if necessary? Any other ideas on how he can help out a group that will soon be: Halfling Lore Bard, Half Elf Trickster Rogue, Half Elf Cleric/Wizard, Gnome Ranger/ Evocation Wizard, Dwarf Tempest Cleric, Wood Elf Moon Druid. Everyone has an AC of 17 or 18 (more so if using shields usually), so the Druid, his conjured animals, and melee Cleric can hold a front line and any PC can fill the gap if necessary. We will be losing two PCs that could spike melee damage quite a bit, so any suggestions on how this PC can help by nova-ing would be helpful.

Thanks.

 

[Zaruthustran]

Outfit the skeletons in heavy armor, complete with visored helms. Raises AC, and prevents pesky "why are you being followed around by undead?" issues.

Consider arming the skeletons with nets. Restrained is a big deal; it's like giving the Help and Dodge actions to the whole party, plus disadvantage for the target's Dex saves--a big deal in your caster-heavy party. Escaping requires an Action for a Str check (too bad you don't have a Warlock to Hex those checks), or an attack that deals slashing damage.

 

[GX.Sigma]

This really belongs in the Character Builds and Optimization forum, not the general 5e one.

 

[KarinsDad]

Outfit the skeletons in heavy armor, complete with visored helms. Raises AC, and prevents pesky "why are you being followed around by undead?" issues.

Consider arming the skeletons with nets. Restrained is a big deal; it's like giving the Help and Dodge actions to the whole party, plus disadvantage for the target's Dex saves--a big deal in your caster-heavy party. Escaping requires an Action for a Str check (too bad you don't have a Warlock to Hex those checks), or an attack that deals slashing damage.

Why are the skeletons proficient with nets? Skeletons are +4 to hit. Non-proficient would lower that to +2.

Same with heavy armor. It lowers their speed to 20 and they would be at disadvantage for Str/Dex attacks, saving throws, and ability checks.

Granted, Skeletons have armor scraps and can use a Shortsword or Shortbow, but should a DM really make them proficient with heavy armor and all ranged melee attacks? I could see nets (ranged melee attacks), but I suspect many DMs would not allow proficient heavy armor (and they would be better in breastplate, trousers, gloves, and pants than heavy armor).

Note: Not saying that this is not possible, but it seems a bit much.

 

[HarrisonF]

Why only 2 skeletons normally? You are using a third level slot each day to retain them, and it does up to 4 automatically.


If you are using heavy armor + shield, you should have AC 19-20 at your level. If you stack Shield of Faith, that can put you to 21-22 base AC and then combined with the Shield spell, you can spike up to 26-27. You could even use the Dodge action at the same time. Creatures will have a really hard time hitting you. Normally I wouldn't use concentration for Shield of Faith, but it could sometimes be really nice, such as in a choke point or doorway (make sure you have Athletics proficiency for resisting pushs).


The hard part will be to get people to actually attack you. The sentinel feat might help with that, or when you start throwing out heals it can sometimes attract attackers. Also don't forget that you can grapple in some cases.


At your level, Fireball is a pretty good nova. Not as good single target DPS for sure, but it is pretty scary. I do see you have two other wizards, but they are multiclassed as well, so may not have it yet (not sure the level spread). Really, I think your character is setup pretty poorly to nova (both clerics and wizards aren't so good at it). You can do decent sustained damage with skeletons and spells, but not good single target burst.

 

[Shadowdweller00]

Nothing unusual here, but...you know

Standard lowbie hijinks: Command an owl familiar to aid a melee combatant then retreat to safety, preferably behind full cover; without the need for an action on your part. Use Unseen Servant (ritual cast) and a cloak, blanket, or sheet for mobile albeit slow-moving cover and concealment. Cast Darkness on a bead or other small item that can be easily enclosed in a hand or at least stuffed under a shirt for concealment on object interaction. Try to keep a good balance of information-gathering, single-target and area damage, battlefield control, and utility. Make sure you have enough non-concentration spells - Blindness/Deafness and Sleep are decent non-concentration control spells, for example. Shield/Absorb elements (PotA) are powerful defenses once first level slots start to become less valuable.

On the cleric side both Bless and Shield of Faith are great, if somewhat clichéd, investments for enhancing your meatshields if you can spare the concentration.

 

[Celtavian]

I haven't played with necromancers too much. Not sure what you could do to optimize. Keeping your undead out of melee and using them as archer support seems a better tactic. You don't concentration limitations, so you can stack some decent defensive spells.

I don't see why a DM might not allow skeletons to have heavy armor proficiency, if you create the skeletons from humanoids that could use heavy armor. I'm assuming the creature has armor scraps because it is assumed the skeleton has been left to decay. Do you think there is a viable reason that skeletons created from freshly killed hobgoblins would be forced to wear armor scraps?

Make sure you wear heavy armor. If you're a life cleric, then you get heavy armor proficiency. Strap on that platemail if you can.

 

[KarinsDad]

Thanks for the replies guys. Here is what I ended up with:

I was not able to get the Con (12) and Dex (14) and Wis (14) I wanted, so I switched the PC around to have Dex 10 instead of 14 and use Plate and Shield instead of Breastplate and Shield. This does mess up Stealth and Dex saves and Init and lowers his move to 20, but it also increases AC by 2 and replaced my 13 or 14 Wis with a 16 Wis. That makes Inflict Wounds a viable spell and increases Clerical spell selection by 1 or 2. So he can now take Inflict Wounds, Shield of Faith, Healing Word, and one more (in addition to Cure Wounds and Bless which he gets from the Life Domain).

And yes, he will sometimes have 4 skeletons instead of 2, but I was planning on just 2 most of the time to keep the board clear of 2 extra miniatures, and to allow for the Tenser's trick (which is no longer viable).

Since our party is now losing 2 of the 3 multiple attacks per round melee PCs, I am sometimes planning on Blessing the skeletons. At level 7 (which is just around the corner), that would make two of them 4+D4 to hit and D6+5 damage with short bows and give the Druid the third one (or alternatively, give my to hit spells a buff). Without even taking into account my PC's action, that raises the DPR against AC 12 of the 2 skeletons each from 3.75 to 7.1875 (14.375 total with 2 skeletons, 21.88 total with 4 skeletons). The Fighter that I am replacing had a DPR of 21.59 without nova-ing and damage mitigation in a hard encounter (himself only) of about 50 hit points if he could get a short rest between fights. Even against AC 18, the DPR has similar totals (9.275 2 skeletons, 13.475 4 skeletons; 13.82 Fighter). The damage mititgation that my PC should be about 42 hit points spread across the party per short rest.

So by casting Bless, 4 ranged skeletons is about the same DPR as the Fighter, but they are squishier. Another 7.2 DPR vs. the AC 12 case or 4.5 DPR vs. the AC 18 case for my PC casting cantrips and this is fairly solid DPR at the cost of a single spell.


Alternatively, if I do not Bless the skeletons and cast Vampiric Touch, I can wade into combat, have a familiar or one of the skeletons do help actions, and do 10 points of damage and heal myself about 10 points of damage if I hit (more if a foe drops) each time I hit for an entire encounter with one spell. With AC 20, a potential to Shield of Faith that for 2 more and Shield spell it to 27, I won't do a ton of damage, but I also will be hard to take down shy of spells or breath weapons. As Conan said in response to "What is best in life?":

" To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women!"

The concept of a plate and shield armored necromancer with a few helpers merely touching foes and their counterattacks hardly touching him is satisfying in its own way. Without using the helpers for Advantage, I'll do less damage with the Necromancer, but I'll do more damage with the skeletons hanging back shooting shortbows.

Granted, each time I am hit, I will need to make a DC 10 Con save to maintain concentration at +1 (+2 with a half proficiency house rule), but such a heavily AC-ed PC should rarely get hit.

At level 6, the PC has 21 Wizard spells (the DM supplied 7 due to 6+ levels of adventuring) to choose from. Prepped at any time, 8 Wizard spells, 6 Cleric spells (2 being Cure Wounds and Bless), and 7 cantrips. That's a lot of options compared to most 6th level Wizards at 9 Wizard spells and 4 cantrips.

 

[KarinsDad]

I haven't played with necromancers too much. Not sure what you could do to optimize. Keeping your undead out of melee and using them as archer support seems a better tactic. You don't concentration limitations, so you can stack some decent defensive spells.

I don't see why a DM might not allow skeletons to have heavy armor proficiency, if you create the skeletons from humanoids that could use heavy armor. I'm assuming the creature has armor scraps because it is assumed the skeleton has been left to decay. Do you think there is a viable reason that skeletons created from freshly killed hobgoblins would be forced to wear armor scraps?

Make sure you wear heavy armor. If you're a life cleric, then you get heavy armor proficiency. Strap on that platemail if you can.

One cannot create skeletons from freshly killed hobgoblins. Those would become zombies.

Skeletons can only be created by piles if bones.

I will discuss this with my DM. I think that medium armor is reasonable, but I am also ok with the skeletons out of the MM.


I do not want to overshadow the other PCs either. Healing is a good schtick because my PC can heal ~185 hit points per day if Cure Wounds is the only spell I cast. If the Cleric did that, she would only cure ~105 points (the Cleric could do more with Prayer of Healing, but not in combat). And the 4 other spell casters who can heal almost never do so.

We already have another multiclass Wizard, so I don't want to step on his schtick too much.

We already have a Druid that conjures animals, so I don't want to step on his schtick too much either.

And since we are losing two heavily armored PCs, that schtick is becoming available again (the best AC in the party is now 18, so my PC will have a 20, front line material ).

For the most part, I am quite content to make more modest contributions with skeletal arrows and cantrips (significantly more DPR than a non-necomancer though) and familliar/undead helps, and use a third to a half of the spells for healing, and have the undead use healing potions in combat for downed foes (currently, that is the exception instead of the rule). This frees up Healing Word (and even Mass Healing Word) spells of the other PCs for when PCs drop unconscious.

 

[Quajek]

I just want to say that I love the idea of a team of skeleton medics, that just run in, pull out unconscious PCs, and patch them up.