TRPG General Chat

Daniel Zastoupil

22:00

That's a major part of it. The Fighter Class is very boring, so it's filled with feats to contend with other classes when it comes to fun and uniqueness

But on top of that, there are few ways to increase survivability without stat buffs.

Luke Sommers

Ah. Or you could just max your fighting stat and CON

Daniel Zastoupil

True, but that's still your choice.

I could, as a warlock, choose to max out eldritch blast and grab spell sniper, and get the invocations. It'd be strong, but boring. But that'd be my choice.

OR I can grab Actor and Disguise Self as a cantrip, and basically be a changeling all game.

Luke Sommers

What feats would you recommend for a dex based fighter without shields?

Daniel Zastoupil

Mobile is really good.

It basically gives you the entire swashbuckler archetype with a single feat.

Luke Sommers

Looks good. Perhaps Alert? Blade Mastery? Sentinel might be good.

Daniel Zastoupil

22:06

Both are good.

Luke Sommers

MI?

For Booming blade and the like.

Daniel Zastoupil

Nah. Booming Blade grants you a SINGLE attack that whole round.

Unless you use your action surge.

No bonus action attack. No extra ttacks.

Luke Sommers

Oh, ok.

Daniel Zastoupil

The attack is embedded in Booming Blade, not a part of a string of attacks.

So you're spending your action for a spell, not spending your action for an attack string.

Luke Sommers

Any combat cantrips that would work with it?

Daniel Zastoupil

22:08

Meaning that dual wield can't activate, and your extra attacks don't come into play.

Blade Ward or Lightning Lure

That's about it.

Luke Sommers

Darn.

Daniel Zastoupil

Unless you're comfortable with RP or support cantrips.

Both of those cantrips I mentioned are good.

Blade Ward makes you indestructible for a turn.

Luke Sommers

True... may do it, may not.

Defensive Duelist?

Daniel Zastoupil

And Lightning Lure is good for something just out of reach, or in case you can't move and need to trap something.

Combine Lightning Lure with Sentinel, and someone's gonna get REAL mad.

Defensive Duelist is alright.

Luke Sommers

jots that down

Daniel Zastoupil

22:12

Keep in mind, that combo will just make things really want to hit you.

Luke Sommers

I'd also probably have to get War Caster, since I'm dual wielding.

Daniel Zastoupil

Not necessarily. Sentinel covers the need for keeping enemies within reach.

Lightning Lure is to get them INTO reach.

Luke Sommers

To cast spells with somatic elements.

Daniel Zastoupil

Not necessarily. You already have dual wielding.

Depending on your DM, they'll let you sheath your off hand the same turn you drew it.

Luke Sommers

Ah.

Daniel Zastoupil

22:15

RAW, it lets you draw two weapons, but I definitely wouldn't think of it as being game breaking to allow them to sheathe their weapon to cast a spell.

Luke Sommers

Would Savage Attacker be good?

Daniel Zastoupil

Not really. Your build is focused around many attacks.

And many dice.

Luke Sommers

Got it.

Daniel Zastoupil

It'd be better if you had a heavy weapon, that does 1d12 or something.

Luke Sommers

More like barbarians?

Daniel Zastoupil

22:17

Yep. Depends on the barbarian, though.

Luke Sommers

Tough would be good, right?

Daniel Zastoupil

Always.

Luke Sommers

Got it.

Daniel Zastoupil

I know it sounds dumb, but that's probably better for the squishier fighters.

Like Eldritch Knights, who have MAD problems.

Since their Con is lower, the flat health boost from Tough gives a more dramatic difference.

Luke Sommers

Makes sense, but if I have Sentinel...

Daniel Zastoupil

22:18

Very true.

I really like Sentinel, but it runs into the same pitfall that the Spirit barbarian runs into. If enemies can't hurt your friends, they'll hurt you instead.

The spirit barbarian is probably my favorite and most powerful subclass in the game, IMO. But you need a supportive team.

Makes your whole team indestructible. Except you. You get no defensive buffs from the subclass. The only defense you get is from standard barbarian bonuses, like Rage.

Luke Sommers

As soon as I can, I'm going for studded leather or some type of medium armor. I don't care for the ones with stealth disadvantage, so I might go breastplate.

Daniel Zastoupil

And most team's long term contingency plans revolve around spreading the damage.

If you're the tank, you could look into Medium Armor Master.

Luke Sommers

Perhaps.

Chain Shirt would get me 17 AC, including the dual wielding

If I took Medium Armor master

Daniel Zastoupil

I can kinda see a stealthy tank work out.

Luke Sommers

I just don't want to be the one that fails the stealth check and ruins the mission

Daniel Zastoupil

22:24

Hide near the entrance, allies lure enemies to them. As melee enemies engage allies, enemies meander past you and you hit the archers.

What's gonna happen if you fail? You get surrounded?

That's exactly where the fighter wants to be.

And then your buddies surround those guys.

Luke Sommers

Gotcha

Daniel Zastoupil

The worst part about scouts is once they're caught, they're dead.

The thing with you is that you're ALSO the tank.

So the mage whips his dick out and hits you with a fireball because he panics. Which happens to be a dex save.

In fact, most severe spells are dex saves.

Luke Sommers

They can't kill you if they're not alive

Also, DEX based fighter

Daniel Zastoupil

Probably more of the "Assassin" style.

Exactly.

SPavel

If any of y'all follow Order of the Stick, today's update is really good

Daniel Zastoupil

22:27

You can afford to spread away from the group, since getting caught by a small patrol isn't death.

What race are you, human?

Luke Sommers

You know what would be really fun? Ranks like in PF. Also, yes, variant, that's how I got dual wielder

Daniel Zastoupil

Like skill ranks?

Luke Sommers

Yeah.

Daniel Zastoupil

I can see that. I'm kinda 50/50 on that one.

Luke Sommers

Why's that?

Daniel Zastoupil

22:33

Proficiency made it so we don't have to look at our character sheets, you just have to know your 6 modifiers and what skills you are proficient in.

That's like, 10 things. You can memorize that.

My dex is +4. I'm proficient in stealth. +6 to roll. No character sheet needed.

Freaking easy.

But it does lead away from some customization

Luke Sommers

Got it.

One of my favorite things to do in PF is to just max out Linguistics. I will know every language.

Daniel Zastoupil

What do you mean?

Luke Sommers

Put a rank into Linguistics every level, get a new language every level

Have a high starting INT, get more languages, get more ranks

Daniel Zastoupil

Couldn't you just grab Tongues or something?

Luke Sommers

Don't want to waste a daily use.

Daniel Zastoupil

22:38

Sure.

A combination worth looking into:

Luke Sommers

I'm pretty sure my level 2 alchemist knows at least 6 languages

Daniel Zastoupil

Vengeance Paladin, Sentinel, Tunnel Fighter (unearthed arcana)

Oh, Polearm Master

Luke Sommers

What does that combo do?

Daniel Zastoupil

It effectively allows you to have unlimited attacks of opportunity, move when you make one, stop an enemy when you make one, you're allowed to make one when someone moves toward you, away from you, or attacks someone else is adjacent to you.

Luke Sommers

Oh man

Daniel Zastoupil

22:42

So an enemy moves within range. You poke them and they stop, you move 10 feet, and you let someone else get within range and repeat.

Luke Sommers

Got it

Daniel Zastoupil

And that's not even on your turn.

Luke Sommers

Ah

Daniel Zastoupil

But the Deep Stalker ranger, that was supposed to get the Tunnel Fighter fighting style was too strong, so they remade it into the Gloom Stalker.

Which is both worse and better in combat.

Can blind enemies that use darkvision and can ignore magical darkness. I haven't DM'd for one yet, but I don't look forward to it.

*Sorry, not blind. It makes you invisible when in darkness.

Which is not much better.

Luke Sommers

Makes sense

Daniel Zastoupil

22:51

Looking into it, Magic Initiate into Druid might work in your favor.

Luke Sommers

I think I'm good on feats for now

Daniel Zastoupil

Lol, alright.

Luke Sommers

I have 5 written down to maybe take already

Daniel Zastoupil

It might be worthwhile later to dip into Warlock for a single level.

The level 1 hexblade bonuses are very useful, and it gives you access to Hex.

Which grants extra damage per hit.

Luke Sommers

Perhaps

Daniel Zastoupil

22:53

I'd probably do it after level 5, when you get extra attack.

Luke Sommers

Definitely

What if I went into rogue for just one level?

Daniel Zastoupil

Sneak attack is a single 1d6 without investing into it, and only if you're adjacent to an enemy.

Luke Sommers

Which I would be, I'm a fighter

Daniel Zastoupil

Sorry, only if an ally is adjacent to the target. Unless you had advantage or something.

Luke Sommers

Which, again, I probably would be.

Daniel Zastoupil

22:56

Hex does 1d6 per hit, lasts an hour, you can place it on a new creature if the original dies, and the only drawback is it's concentration, which won't be a problem considering your high Con and lack of other concentration spells.

Luke Sommers

I could do that, or get a bunch of temp HP from Fiend

Daniel Zastoupil

Fiend only grants temporary hit points on a kill

Luke Sommers

Yeah

Daniel Zastoupil

Hexblade grants normal hit points with the same formula, but also crits on a 19, and proficiency as a bonus to all hits against the target

You don't need to land the finishing blow with hexblade, but you do with Fiend.

Luke Sommers

Oh wait temp HP doesn't stack

Daniel Zastoupil

23:00

Correct

Luke Sommers

Yeah, will probably go Hexblade

Daniel Zastoupil

However, Fiend is permanent, where Hexblade is a single target, cursed for a minute, per each short rest

Luke Sommers

Yeah...

Daniel Zastoupil

So Hexblade is MUCH MUCH better, but will only really benefit against bosses.

I would still say Hexblade is in your favor.

Luke Sommers

I suppose

Daniel Zastoupil

23:02

It'd be rather flavorful, too. At level 5, you might have gained interest from the Hexblade patron for being so good at murdering people.

Luke Sommers

Lol yeah

Maybe dip into Cleric?

Daniel Zastoupil

At level 6, that bumps your standard damage to 3d8+9+3d6+9

Luke Sommers

3d4*

Daniel Zastoupil

Which is 2 standard attacks +1 bonus action attack + Modifier to damage + 3 activations for Hex + 3 hexblade bonuses.

Oh, and +3d4 from brute

Luke Sommers

What's the 3d6?

Daniel Zastoupil

23:05

Hex. Basically Hunter's Mark, but for Warlocks.

Luke Sommers

Gotcha

Daniel Zastoupil

Deals 1d6 necrotic damage for every hit on the cursed target, lasts an hour, uses concentration, costs a bonus action to activate but not to maintain, if the target dies, you can target a new person using a bonus action, and the curse penalizes ability checks of your choice.

Luke Sommers

Fighter 5/Hexlock 1/Forge or Death Cleric 1 ?

Daniel Zastoupil

Don't bother with Cleric, dipping too hard into other classes.

Plus, the right invocations are super broken.

I'd get Super Darkvision 120 feet as a level 2 warlock if you're not planning on going back to fighter.

Luke Sommers

What would you recommend?

Daniel Zastoupil

23:10

See through magical darkness, plus 120 feet? Really damn good.

In fact, it's one of two ways to see through magical darkness.

The other is a whole ranger subclass.

Luke Sommers

Well yeah, I mean others.

Guessing I'm not going for EB?

Burning Hex?

Chilling?

Daniel Zastoupil

Eh, I'd probably grab an RP option at that point.

The Disguise Self is the best one, IMO.

All the others aren't beneficial to you.

Then just one more level into Warlock and grab Darkness (a level 2 spell) and your DM won't know what to do with you.

Sorry, bud, gotta go. Good talking to yah.

Luke Sommers

See ya! Grasp of Hadar + Sentinel would be good...

BESW

@Anaphory I feel like "nearly 10,000 games" doesn't even come close to describing the scope and breadth of the RPG landscape. (Probably at least a third of them are minor d20 System variants and OSR tools, meaning they're all still fundamentally D&D-esque.)

The scope of RPGs is found in stuff that's GMless, diceless, simulating story types entirely unlike D&D, challenging the definition of success, messing with agency, toying with diegetics. Microscope and Dread, InSpectres and Lovecraftesque, A Penny For My Thoughts and Do: Pilgrims of the Flying Temple.

(One of those games uses dice; three barely use randomization at all; four have no GM; one uses the game manual as an in-game object; four have mechanics for other players to gain control of "your" character; two are completely unheroic in any traditional sense...)

Like, if you take someone who's only played over-the-shoulder shoot-em-up video games and tell them there's more than ten thousand other games, it wouldn't help them understand that you're talking about Myst and Zork and Firewatch and Crypt of the Necrodancer and Hatoful Boyfriend.

@Pixie Rust monsters. Giant vermin. Small dinosaurs.

Luke Sommers

23:40

Take Mobile, Alert, Sentinel, Tough, maybe medium armor master. Warcaster after coming back to Fighter.

At level 6 and 7, take Warlock levels. Hexblade patron.
Cantrips: Eldritch Blast, Toll the Dead
1st level: Hex, Hellish Rebuke, Healing Elixir
Invocations: Devil's Sight, Agonizing Blast

Should look like: F1-F2-F3-F4-F5-W1-W2-F6

Does this make sense by chance?

Luke Sommers

23:53

Take Brute archetype at level 3 Fighter, Sentinel feat at level 4, and War Caster feat at level 6.

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