D&D 5E Tasha’s cauldron character thread

[JPL]

A few ideas I'm knocking around . . .

1. Using the sidekick rules . . . a sage. I've had the notion since I first read about sages in the 1e DMG. Take all the Intelligence skills, and the default in combat is that he dodges every round and uses Help as a bonus action as much as possible. Do a thing like Fishlegs from "How to Train Your Dragon" where his schtick is that he has basically memorized the Monster Manual. Good contender to multiclass later on, as he is invested with power by some knowledge-related deity . . .

2. Blind characters are suddenly viable, so . . . I dunno, a blind bard? Bladesinger wizard with a staff?

3. Just looking at the 4e Heroes of the Feywild book, and reading about the Tuatha, a scattered ancient tribe of fey-touched humans. Sounds like a Fey Wanderer Ranger, with an Irish accent and weird spiral tatoos and maybe a blink dog sidekick.

 

[Dausuul]

Certainly not as powerful as that sorcerer poster claims, but there is a very sneaky clause that lets you sub in wizard spells.

That is less potent than it might seem, since you're limited to enchantment and divination. Divinations tend to be highly situational, which is a red flag for a sorcerer's spell picks (particularly since they took out Spell Versatility), and a lot of the best enchantments are already on the sorcerer list: Sleep, suggestion, hold person/monster, synaptic static. The one notable pickup is Tasha's hideous laughter, and that is also somewhat situational.

However, free Subtle Spell is a big deal. Not for the reasons the sorcerer guy claims, but because it takes away one of the biggest drawbacks of using enchantment magic in a social situation--the fact that people other than the target are apt to notice you casting a spell. You could always use regular Subtle Spell, of course, but getting it for free a) conserves sorcery points and b) allows you to use other metamagic, particularly Heightened Spell.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Yeah, only get two psionic spells per level too, so there is very little on the wizard-not-sorcerer list that is worth picking up. Couple of things on the warlock-not-sorcerer list that might be worth a second look.

 

[Dausuul]

Yeah, only get two psionic spells per level too, so there is very little on the wizard-not-sorcerer list that is worth picking up. Couple of things on the warlock-not-sorcerer list that might be worth a second look.

That is a good point; the warlock picks are actually better than the wizard picks here. The two I notice are enthrall and hex.

While hex has little synergy with sorcerer damage spells (unless you are pulling sorlock shenanigans), it packs a side effect of disadvantage on the ability check of your choice, and there is no saving throw. So you can spend 1 sorcery point to impose disadvantage on a sentry's Wisdom checks, or a leader's Charisma checks, or a grappler's Strength checks.

 

[JPL]

Actually, that blink dog sidekick looks better and better.

10 Intelligence, speaks Blink Dog, and understands Sylvan but not Common, so maybe some communication issues with the rest of the party, and maybe the ridiculousness of a human / humanoid trying to speak Blink Dog.

As a defensive warrior or an expert, some good options to teleport where needed and then run interference.

As a spellcaster . . . I'd have to take a good look at the spell list, but the idea of a smart dog who can cast illusion or enchantment spells is pretty cool.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

That is a good point; the warlock picks are actually better than the wizard picks here. The two I notice are enthrall and hex.

While hex has little synergy with sorcerer damage spells (unless you are pulling sorlock shenanigans), it packs a side effect of disadvantage on the ability check of your choice, and there is no saving throw. So you can spend 1 sorcery point to impose disadvantage on a sentry's Wisdom checks, or a leader's Charisma checks, or a grappler's Strength checks.

Yeah - so it's great when you want to con someone and you don't know want them to see what you are doing. Or hex dexterity before launching an attack, nerfing your enemy's initiative roll.

 

[Flamestrike]

Yeah - so it's great when you want to con someone and you don't know want them to see what you are doing. Or hex dexterity before launching an attack, nerfing your enemy's initiative roll.

Does bring us back to the question of 'is someone subject to a Hex spell aware they're Hexed'.

What does it feel like to be Hexed? Does a Hexed Wisdom suddenly make things foggy for you? A Hexed Strength or Con suddenly noticably weaken you? Etc

 

[Warpiglet-7]

Subject to DM approval, don't forget.

So it begins.

 

[Oofta]

Yeah - so it's great when you want to con someone and you don't know want them to see what you are doing. Or hex dexterity before launching an attack, nerfing your enemy's initiative roll.

I assume any aggressive action (which includes hex) starts combat and initiative. So hexing someone's initiative isn't going to work, any more that pulling out that sword and stabbing someone before they roll for initiative.

 

[Dausuul]

Does bring us back to the question of 'is someone subject to a Hex spell aware they're Hexed'.

What does it feel like to be Hexed? Does a Hexed Wisdom suddenly make things foggy for you? A Hexed Strength or Con suddenly noticably weaken you? Etc

I think that would fall under this paragraph from the PHB: "Unless a spell has a perceptible effect, a creature might not know it was targeted by a spell at all. An effect like crackling lightning is obvious, but a more subtle effect, such as an attempt to read a creature's thoughts, typically goes unnoticed, unless a spell says otherwise."

There is some debate over whether having to make a saving throw is enough to tip you off that you were targeted, but hex does not grant a saving throw. You might notice when you have to make an ability check and mysteriously have disadvantage. However, you don't normally roll Perception to detect a stealthy creature--the stealthy creature makes a check against your passive Perception--and of course, by the time you roll initiative, you're starting combat anyway.

I assume any aggressive action (which includes hex) starts combat and initiative. So hexing someone's initiative isn't going to work, any more that pulling out that sword and stabbing someone before they roll for initiative.

It may start initiative, but it certainly does not start combat if the target doesn't even know it was hexed.

This is why I hate, hate, hate "rolling for initiative" being an in-game event that can be manipulated and trigger other events. It leads to all kinds of weird questions over what exactly causes the roll and when you roll again. If I sneak up to an enemy camp, hex the big bad, sneak away, and take a short rest to get my spell slot back before combat (maintaining hex through the rest), is there a new initiative roll when we come back? What if the big bad gets wind of our presence and attacks us while we're resting? Has my hex inoculated the party against "rolls initiative" triggers from the enemy?