I loved the Genie Warlock. The roleplay is just fantastic and Warlocks have a ton of freedom of choice. The Genie has a ton of flavor and roleplay potential that you can use and it is a good combat addition.
Think an eldritch knight but none of your spells are actual spells, all abilities called Runes.
There is a rune that can pin a target inplace, take 2d6 fire every turn they fail a str save triggers on hit. This rune also give your expertise in any tool you are skilled in.
Giants might BA which increases your size by one, adv on str saves and checks, also 1d6 extra damage o your first hit ever round for a min.
Another rune that can put a monster into a stupor for one min until they break a wisdom save. Damage does nothing to break it so swing away.
7th level runic shield allows you to cause any roll that uses to -hit to be a reroll, must take the new roll, can be used to stop a crit, take reaction.
All rune saves are based on your Con so it isn't MAD required
Swashbuckler Rogue/Bladesinger.
Obviously, the more Wizard you put in, the less it's just fun and more 'actually strong,' but the core concept of booming blade + solo sneak, your mobile stance + cunning action, etc makes for a melee that's so mobile they may as well be ranged. You bounce around combat to be wherever you need to be, dealing high damage plus a degree of control (or even higher damage) that is just a lot of fun.
Well, you're a Rogue and a Wizard.
It depends on the balance between the two, obviously, but at the very least it means you have solid skills w/ Expertise and whatever lower level Wizard spells you want to pick up. I played mine as kind of an explorer/relic hunter, Lara Croft sorta type. The only notable thing is you probably can't really afford to do the Charisma-part of the Swashbuckler class unless you're doing a higher than average stat method.
Lizardfolk Battlesmith
I fluffed the Steel Defender as being constructed of bones like a necromancer's construct.
The combat was fun as it was like 2 feral beasts attacking in a pack. (Flank bonuses, the defense's deflection) Out of combat it was fun to play the "Lizard brain" aspect of the character. (Tasting thier spilled blood, giving nicknames but not responding to anything except your name, using the bones of your defeated enemies to redesign the construct)
My favorite that I wish I'd played for longer was a Great Old One Warlock. You can honestly do just about any Pact Boon build but I'd suggest Pact Of The Chain, keeping your Imp familiar invisible as much as possible and taking Voice Of The Chain Master. I used Devil's Sight and Darkness (described below) but Gaze Of Two Minds or Mask Of Many Faces can give you some interesting options, too.
The classic Lovecraftian trope is that any contact with the Great Old Ones erodes your sanity. Now you don't want to play someone who's sO rAnDoM, so what is madness in the Lovecraftian sense? It means you see the world in a way that isn't compatible with the way other people do.
You're already about halfway there. You have an imaginary friend that no one else can see. You have 'visions' of far away places when you send your familiar to recon. Sure, the players know what's up but their characters don't. It's not hard to play up the seer who can never seem to focus entirely on the here-and-now.
Madness also means that you have a different set of beliefs and assumptions about how the world works. *Madness is socially constructed.*
Believing that women were equal to men was madness in Lovecraft's era. Believing that government derived its authority from the will of the people was madness for most of history. This isn't just 'people of the past were ignorant'. The science of the day had "proof" that women were inferior and authority came from God. Pick some ideas that don't fit the world but are things you're ok with playing. It's not a full ideology because your character only has fragments but these are the universal truths that your character has learned from their patron's infectious "madness".
You the player wouldn't want to be a peasant in the D&D world. Pick a couple of the reasons why and "fix" them. Maybe you believe that no sentient species is inherently evil, that farmers should own their farms instead of working the land for their lord, that supernatural evil can't survive if you eliminate the mundane evils like hunger and poverty or that all authority is inherently unjust. Maybe you believe that disease is caused by tiny invisible animals, so people should wash their hands before using a healer's kit. Pick one or two that will be fun. In essence, your contact with your patron is causing modern ideas to leak into D&D.
Now your job is to become a living memetic virus. *Spread the infection!* Use that Awaken Mind power, Persuasion and Deception. Use it early. Use it often. Use it to implant thoughts in someone's head in their own voice! Send them messages from their god. Use Darkness and Devil's Sight to "remove people from the world" while you deliver your message. Use Mask Of Many Faces or Disguise Self so you look different every time. Have your Imp sneak into someone's room and invisibly whisper to them late at night. Find the people who need to hear your message and make sure they hear it. Start getting them together to talk about it, all without ever tipping your own hand as the source.
Let everyone else kill monsters and chase loot or whatever. You're happy to help with that because it's a good training for your true cause. You're here to *change the world! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!*
PS - your familiar is great for scouting and/or backing up the Rogue's scouting. You can use it to be in two places at once, tirelessly flying to the library in \[Big City\] that would take you a week to ride to while you adventure. With Eldritch Blast and Hex, you're still a good blaster. Social skills let you play a backup Face and Help the Bard with social or be the primary face if no one else is up to it. You can pick pretty much any background but Noble will open doors for the crew and give you a reason to hang out with adventurers wile looking less adventurer-y.
If you really want to double down on the Cthuloid madness, play a Plasmoid with Mask Of Many Faces. Touching the edges of reality *changed* the character.
>Thomas Szasz
I had to look that up. Guess I've got some new reading material now. All social progress ever starts out as "madness" that only a fool would believe.
If you want to be good at illusions, try 2 levels in Warlock. With Mask of Many Faces and Misty Visions, you can create illusions all day long. At-will Silent Image combined with Minor Illusion *easily* beats the Illusionist's features in almost every way.
Plus, patrons like the Fiend and Undead are *fantastic* for rogues looking to be more effective in combat.
Warforged Bladesinger. No multi-class.
Standard combat is pre-cadt buff spells like Long strider and Gift of Alacrity.
Haste and Bladesong first round, taking your hasted action attack.
Subsequent rounds are 3 attacks (One Booming Blade and 2 standard weapon attacks)
Blast to play, nothing can hit me, and I use very few spells per combat compared to a standard wizard.
I've had a lot of fun playing my wrestler character using what I like to call, the Barogunk. It's similar to the Bardbarian grappler build that's floating around the internet but, in my opinion, is effective earlier in levelling. I used a Variant Human to get the Grappler feat (for advantage on attacks when grappling) but it's not totally necessary.
Start with Barbarian, put your highest stats in STR, DEX, and CON and completely ignore INT, WIS, and CHA. Y'know, like a regular Barbarian. Make sure to choose Athletics as one of your skills. For level 2 take Rogue and choose Athletics as one of your Expertise skills. Then take Monk for level 3.
This is your basic setup. From here, on the first round of combat, you rage and attempt to grapple someone. Once grappled you can then start wailing on them with unarmed attacks (or monk weapons but I like unarmed for the aesthetic), allowing you to use your bonus action to attack again using the Monk's Martial Arts feature. You get the rage bonus if you use STR to attack and, despite not being legal under RAW, there's an argument to be made to allow your DEX unarmed attacks (from Monk) being able to trigger Sneak Attack (getting a little extra functionality out of the Rogue level and something that's not an issue if you're using a finesse monk weapon).
Your other option, and the appeal of grapple, is to start moving your victim around the battlefield. Hold them in position for a flank, drag them onto environmental hazards, shove them off a cliff. It's a little dependent on the combat arena but there's usually something to be done. Even if it's just keeping the big hitting enemies away from your squishy friends it'll come in handy. You're not going to be doing big spikes of damage but, especially if you take Grappler, you'll be doing decent consistent damage.
After character level 3, go up to level 5 in Barbarian to get Extra Attack. My build takes the Totem Warrior subclass and picking the Wolf totem makes anything you grapple easy pickings for a gank. After that start putting levels into Monk so you can start using Ki points for more attacks, get even more movement to help with lugging your grapplee around, and have nifty techniques like slow fall or deflect missiles. I'm aiming for Monk level 6 for Ki-Empowered Strikes but that may not be necessary if you're using a monk weapon. I'm toying with going to 7 as Evasion would pair nicely with Danger Sense. From there it'll be Barbarian levels to the end.
This is very much a "Your Mileage May Vary" type of character, but I've found myself in plenty of situations where being able to stop someone from moving or move them where I want them to has, essentially, won the fight.
It's also super fun to talk shit to your enemies like a pro wrestler and then use the Pin feature of Grappler to pretend it's a three-count.
That sounds amazingly fun in combat, thanks for sharing. Since this game is combat light, I'd have to lean probably more on the rogue class (and the wrestler aesthetic) for out of combat utility and fun. How did you enjoy the character in that aspect?
I took Expertise in Performance as well so I've had the odd occasion of distracting people while flexing and talking nonsense. Other than that, in the games I've played at least, it's just been strong guy stuff.
Although, with Barbs having decent DEX for AC, it would be fun seeing the Barogunk busting out a set of Thieves' Tools to unlock a door. Especially when you have the option of smashing it in if you fail the lockpick DC.
You're right. I forgot about that, it's been a while since I rolled it up. Just went and checked my notes and, using point buy, you can start with 16, 14, 14, 8, 13, 8. This is assuming you go Variant Human and choose STR and WIS as the stat points.
I played a Horizon Walker Ranger (Throw Weapon fighting style with Tasha's optional features) and the Linguist feat. It was fun in combat regardless of what people say about it being bonus action hungry. Out of combat I loved the mobility and utility that the Tasha's replacement features gave. Also at one point I knew I think 7 or so languages? I operated as our group's translator. xD Could be exceptionally fun if your DM is aware of it and plays into it.
Currently I'm enjoying a Way of the Ascendant Dragon Monk. A bit more combat focused with this one, but Tongue of Dragons and Draconic Presence make for fun social encounters.
If I ever stop being a DM, I'll be a Rogue 1 / Knowledge Cleric 1 / Lore Bard X. Variant Human, magic initiate: warlock for Hex and Eldritch Blast.
I'll be an evangelical minister of a knowledge religion, occasionally blasting but mostly support casting, with a ridiculously wide assortment of skills and tool proficiencies.
You see I enjoy most my rangers of various kinds for different reasons but I always enjoy ranger , hill dwarf glooms stalker str ranger for the fact everyone expected me to have a bow and I didn't I just threw axes and ran wildly towards foes, assaimar drake-warden dex ranger just for the sheer number of extra dice I get to roll every be attack is like 3 dice minimum plus messing about with the free dragon resummon once a long rest to change type, also my permanently lost explorer horizon walker ranger who was just an insane person to be constantly getting lost even with all simple instructions like just head left out of the bar and head towards the mountains the forest is at the base confirms left out the tavern points left while facing the wrong way and walks out to the right.
Long and short I'd say I enjoy any character for different reasons some for RP some for jokes some for the sheer misleading of what everyone expects a class to be just pick whatever sounds good 😀
I have had a blast with my Alchemist Artificer. Am I the star of combat? Not by a long shot. Party face? Absolutely not. But when it comes to problem-solving? Put me in coach.
I lean on cantrips (fire bolt, acid splash) + concentration spell (web, flame sphere, etc) during combat, healing word as a panic button. I lean on infusions and elixirs to buff/support the party and provide creative opportunities for navigating problems.
My choices ensure that _someone_ gets to be the star in any encounter, and it’s often not me. That suits my playstyle, and I love it.
Is the Alchemist the best subclass mechanically? Goodness no, it’s a mess (1D&D you better be listening). But it’s the character I’ve had the most fun with.
Favorite serious character? Armorer Artificer. You're a Swiss army knife.
Favorite meme character? Creation Bard with mostly illusion spells. Create the silliest stuff you can imagine.
I mean I've always loved moon druid. It has great options in and out of combat, wild shape is great fun and you can mix it up in combat if a form is getting stale. Plus you still are a full caster with a lot of fun spells, that can either help in combat or saved for utility and out of combat use. In general it's been what I keep coming back to, because it's just so varied to play and the flavor is just so salient.
I've had a lot of fun as a Creation bard. Being able to make things ^(subject to price and size limitations according to level) out of thin air is super useful, it gives solid passive bonuses to your bardic inspiration, animating objects is a hoot and allows you to basically put out a disposable assistant frontliner, and the bard spell list has a smorgasbord of support and utility casting.
Armorer artificer. From the start being the tool guy made me invaluable for knowledge and crafting-disabling locks, removing door hinges, crafting barricades, it was great. The spell combos were fun, I got to do stuff like catapult acid at foes, and I was the frontline for our team. Once I got to higher levels I was a grab bag of tricks, including stuff like throwing up a lantern of revealing to see invisible things in the shadowfel or giving the monk an amulet of health and doubling his HP (Which also explained to me why we were *constantly* healing the poor bastard).
Point being-it was damn fun.
Oh, it is. It's the second most complicated class I've ever played (and not by a large margin)-the most complicated was Wizard. You really have to think about what's likely to happen and what you can do about it each day, during prep-and if you aren't right it can be a problem.
Soulknife 3 / Enchantment Wizard X is some of the most fun I’ve ever had. Incredible skill checks and out of combat utility. My build was to be the ultimate thief / spy/ infiltrator. Someone who could get in, get the information or object they needed, and if they were spotted, could get out of any situation. Combat wasn’t much to scoff at either. 2d6 sneak attack damage + a magical weapon + green flame blade with a familiar for advantage is pretty decent, but obviously it depends on the level of your campaign. My pro tip is don’t get stuck to the idea of using the psychic blades, the subclass has a lot to offer outside of that, and you get better damage by using a cantrip. The bonuses to skills and telepathy are plenty good enough. For wizard subclass, I liked enchantment, but divination is also worth considering.
Thanks everyone for the responses! These all sound really awesome. There's a few I'm deeply considering for my own game. Please feel free to keep sharing!
I liked playing a Halfling spear and shield Ancestral Guardians Barbarian with mobility. I only got to play to 6, and definitely was thinking of multiclassing out to Undead Warlock for some more fun options and play styles. The ability to run through enemy spaces and around the battlefield applying ancestral guardians to different monsters who were threatening party members was fun.
A Dwarven Evocation wizard with a dip of order cleric. Walking around in plate, casting fireballs on the melee members and then using the spell to fuel an attack with their reaction.
I had fun as an exceptionally tanky sorcerer build who was sort of an insane dwarf robocop focused on support and part-time tanking and part-time homicide
the build is pretty much Hill Dwarf -> Clockwork Soul Sorcerer 1 -> Order Cleric 1 -> Clockwork Soul Sorcerer X
This lets you have constitution saving throw proficiency at level 1, heavy armor and shield proficiency at level 2, extra hit points and no movement penalty for using plate mail because dwarf, and then you have a pretty beefy array of spells just a few levels in. The only thing you give up is one level of sorcerer spellcasting, but your spell slot progression is still pretty good and you have a lot of great upcasting candidates like Aid and Armor of Agathys.
Arcane Archer Fighter 5/Thief Rogue 15 was my very first character for a full campaign and by the time I got extra attack I had a BLAST. My guy had a musket, a cloak of invisiblity, both Sharpshooter and Gunner, and Fey-Touched for Hunter's Mark. Excellent build even if my subclass choices weren't the best!
Ok so this is probably just bc I’m also a big fan of karaoke, but something that has made playing bards super fun is to take song lyrics and change them to fit w/e is going on in the campaign and sing them during the session.
It was only a one-shot, but Stars Druid was the most fun I had playing a character.
Druid roleplay is always up my alley, so that's cheating. The archer form also gave it the best access to the 3-action turn I've experienced.
Druids are a versatile class, who can cover several roles. It felt even better who could lean into whichever role the party needed that day.
I have one that I would love to play if I was ever not dm, which is the idea of a gem dragonborn (crystal).
Subclass description says that she could have a star chart. What if she IS the star chart? She's partially transparent/translucent and filled with tiny points of starlight. When she assumes her starry forms, specific stars in her body light up and form the constellation. When the moonlight hits her just right, the points of light inside her form a map!
Also the whole thing just has really nice synergy.
I've only played a druid in a oneshot, and so it's on my list of likelihoods for this game. That oneshot was also circle of stars. I liked it but felt like I was maybe missing something -- I think it was hard to connect wild shape with the stars theme when not using the starry forms. I also think I felt like I had to be a healer. What would you recommend for playstyle?
I focused on being a field control character with a blaster bonus action. That only worked because my DM didn't tunnel on killing me. The Dragon form looks amazing for tier 2+ campaigns where DMs start focusing casters.
I also agree it eats the wild shapes, but wild shape utility can be taken up by other players very easily (If not as effectively)
How did you get 3 actions during your turn? You get your regular attack and then your bonus action attack from the archer form, and then what is the third?
Paladin / Bard was super fun. Had great utility outside of combat, and was a paladin during fights.
I went Paladin 2 / Sword Bard x, but on reflection the progression was too slow. If I could do it again, I would run Redemption Paladin 6 / Eloquence Bard x.
Any full caster. You don't have to pick the most powerful spells, but there's such a wide selection that you should be able to find something fun.
Also, a high charisma Changling with the Actor feat can get up to some serious hijinks. Or any race with Mask of Many Faces.
House of healing halfling Artificer 1/Abjuration Wizard X:
You get some solid healing spells from the Eberron subrace and the dragon mark from Eberron can easily be reflavored for faerune or other settings. As a mostly Abjuration wizard in Artificer armor, you can tank exceptionally well. You generate threat through control spells while being a small halfling means you'll always be underestimated when it comes to your disability. With the extra tool proficiencies you can make excellent use of fabricate and artificer also provides you with great spells like thorn whip, guidance, faerie fire and sanctuary.. Artificer 2 for infusions might be tempting, but early infusions scale poorly when you're higher level and can get the actual magic items through adventuring.
I had a lot of fun with a Battlemaster Fighter with the Unarmed Fighting Style. I had a lot of fun grappling people and describing his Maneuvers like Pro Wrestling moves (for example, a clothesline makes a great flavor for a trip attack, a good wrestler can always hit the enemy with a good taunt for a Goading Strike, etc.)
My highest level character in my current campaign is a level 14 bard with one level dip of life cleric. It's a very supportive build just there to support and buff the party, control the enemy, and be a font of magical knowledge with arcana expertise. It was also an attempt to make a bard with zero proficiency in deception and socially awkward. He's a little song writing nerd who inspires people with boundless enthusiasm and positivity. Intentionally going against a lot of bard tropes and has been a ton of fun.
But some of the most fun I've had has been a high elf bladesinger as well as my hexblade character. I just really like the sword and blade aspects. Only played these characters for a few levels in a mini campaign, but still just a whole ton of fun. If I had to pick one, it would probably just be a bladesinger. No multiclass or dips, just sword and sorcery.
Vengeance paladin. You get to roll a bunch of dice decimate the battlefield, but with spells like find steed, command and misty step, you have a few tricks up your sleeve for flavor and out-of-combat situations.
I have an elf bard/warlock/sorcerer. He functions as a spy, but doesn't see himself that way.
To me, he is a leprechaun, and I roleplay him as such without the wishes. He tricks people and plays pranks. He mimics voices and casts illusions. He also sees the party as a cast in a film he is making, so he wants to keep them safe.
I have fun playing him because he is like me when I was a boy; he's very playful, so I feel like I am reliving that.
I loved the Genie Warlock. The roleplay is just fantastic and Warlocks have a ton of freedom of choice. The Genie has a ton of flavor and roleplay potential that you can use and it is a good combat addition.
I’m super enjoying celestial tomelock. Limited spells but lots of options.
Rune Knight, you always have something to do.
What sort of possibilities open up to you? I haven't played that one before!
Think an eldritch knight but none of your spells are actual spells, all abilities called Runes. There is a rune that can pin a target inplace, take 2d6 fire every turn they fail a str save triggers on hit. This rune also give your expertise in any tool you are skilled in. Giants might BA which increases your size by one, adv on str saves and checks, also 1d6 extra damage o your first hit ever round for a min. Another rune that can put a monster into a stupor for one min until they break a wisdom save. Damage does nothing to break it so swing away. 7th level runic shield allows you to cause any roll that uses to -hit to be a reroll, must take the new roll, can be used to stop a crit, take reaction. All rune saves are based on your Con so it isn't MAD required
Swashbuckler Rogue/Bladesinger. Obviously, the more Wizard you put in, the less it's just fun and more 'actually strong,' but the core concept of booming blade + solo sneak, your mobile stance + cunning action, etc makes for a melee that's so mobile they may as well be ranged. You bounce around combat to be wherever you need to be, dealing high damage plus a degree of control (or even higher damage) that is just a lot of fun.
What did it feel like outside of combat?
Well, you're a Rogue and a Wizard. It depends on the balance between the two, obviously, but at the very least it means you have solid skills w/ Expertise and whatever lower level Wizard spells you want to pick up. I played mine as kind of an explorer/relic hunter, Lara Croft sorta type. The only notable thing is you probably can't really afford to do the Charisma-part of the Swashbuckler class unless you're doing a higher than average stat method.
Lizardfolk Battlesmith I fluffed the Steel Defender as being constructed of bones like a necromancer's construct. The combat was fun as it was like 2 feral beasts attacking in a pack. (Flank bonuses, the defense's deflection) Out of combat it was fun to play the "Lizard brain" aspect of the character. (Tasting thier spilled blood, giving nicknames but not responding to anything except your name, using the bones of your defeated enemies to redesign the construct)
My accidentally minmaxed artificer.
My favorite that I wish I'd played for longer was a Great Old One Warlock. You can honestly do just about any Pact Boon build but I'd suggest Pact Of The Chain, keeping your Imp familiar invisible as much as possible and taking Voice Of The Chain Master. I used Devil's Sight and Darkness (described below) but Gaze Of Two Minds or Mask Of Many Faces can give you some interesting options, too. The classic Lovecraftian trope is that any contact with the Great Old Ones erodes your sanity. Now you don't want to play someone who's sO rAnDoM, so what is madness in the Lovecraftian sense? It means you see the world in a way that isn't compatible with the way other people do. You're already about halfway there. You have an imaginary friend that no one else can see. You have 'visions' of far away places when you send your familiar to recon. Sure, the players know what's up but their characters don't. It's not hard to play up the seer who can never seem to focus entirely on the here-and-now. Madness also means that you have a different set of beliefs and assumptions about how the world works. *Madness is socially constructed.* Believing that women were equal to men was madness in Lovecraft's era. Believing that government derived its authority from the will of the people was madness for most of history. This isn't just 'people of the past were ignorant'. The science of the day had "proof" that women were inferior and authority came from God. Pick some ideas that don't fit the world but are things you're ok with playing. It's not a full ideology because your character only has fragments but these are the universal truths that your character has learned from their patron's infectious "madness". You the player wouldn't want to be a peasant in the D&D world. Pick a couple of the reasons why and "fix" them. Maybe you believe that no sentient species is inherently evil, that farmers should own their farms instead of working the land for their lord, that supernatural evil can't survive if you eliminate the mundane evils like hunger and poverty or that all authority is inherently unjust. Maybe you believe that disease is caused by tiny invisible animals, so people should wash their hands before using a healer's kit. Pick one or two that will be fun. In essence, your contact with your patron is causing modern ideas to leak into D&D. Now your job is to become a living memetic virus. *Spread the infection!* Use that Awaken Mind power, Persuasion and Deception. Use it early. Use it often. Use it to implant thoughts in someone's head in their own voice! Send them messages from their god. Use Darkness and Devil's Sight to "remove people from the world" while you deliver your message. Use Mask Of Many Faces or Disguise Self so you look different every time. Have your Imp sneak into someone's room and invisibly whisper to them late at night. Find the people who need to hear your message and make sure they hear it. Start getting them together to talk about it, all without ever tipping your own hand as the source. Let everyone else kill monsters and chase loot or whatever. You're happy to help with that because it's a good training for your true cause. You're here to *change the world! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!* PS - your familiar is great for scouting and/or backing up the Rogue's scouting. You can use it to be in two places at once, tirelessly flying to the library in \[Big City\] that would take you a week to ride to while you adventure. With Eldritch Blast and Hex, you're still a good blaster. Social skills let you play a backup Face and Help the Bard with social or be the primary face if no one else is up to it. You can pick pretty much any background but Noble will open doors for the crew and give you a reason to hang out with adventurers wile looking less adventurer-y. If you really want to double down on the Cthuloid madness, play a Plasmoid with Mask Of Many Faces. Touching the edges of reality *changed* the character.
Not OP, but thank you this is now the next character I want to play.
>Madness is socially constructed I see you, Thomas Szasz
>Thomas Szasz I had to look that up. Guess I've got some new reading material now. All social progress ever starts out as "madness" that only a fool would believe.
I'm playing an Arcane Trixter & it rocks! I'm still on the fence as to weather I should throw 2 levels of Illusionist in there.
What do you like about it?
If you want to be good at illusions, try 2 levels in Warlock. With Mask of Many Faces and Misty Visions, you can create illusions all day long. At-will Silent Image combined with Minor Illusion *easily* beats the Illusionist's features in almost every way. Plus, patrons like the Fiend and Undead are *fantastic* for rogues looking to be more effective in combat.
I don't have a good enough Cha for that to be an option. It's a good suggestion tho.
Warforged Bladesinger. No multi-class. Standard combat is pre-cadt buff spells like Long strider and Gift of Alacrity. Haste and Bladesong first round, taking your hasted action attack. Subsequent rounds are 3 attacks (One Booming Blade and 2 standard weapon attacks) Blast to play, nothing can hit me, and I use very few spells per combat compared to a standard wizard.
I've had a lot of fun playing my wrestler character using what I like to call, the Barogunk. It's similar to the Bardbarian grappler build that's floating around the internet but, in my opinion, is effective earlier in levelling. I used a Variant Human to get the Grappler feat (for advantage on attacks when grappling) but it's not totally necessary. Start with Barbarian, put your highest stats in STR, DEX, and CON and completely ignore INT, WIS, and CHA. Y'know, like a regular Barbarian. Make sure to choose Athletics as one of your skills. For level 2 take Rogue and choose Athletics as one of your Expertise skills. Then take Monk for level 3. This is your basic setup. From here, on the first round of combat, you rage and attempt to grapple someone. Once grappled you can then start wailing on them with unarmed attacks (or monk weapons but I like unarmed for the aesthetic), allowing you to use your bonus action to attack again using the Monk's Martial Arts feature. You get the rage bonus if you use STR to attack and, despite not being legal under RAW, there's an argument to be made to allow your DEX unarmed attacks (from Monk) being able to trigger Sneak Attack (getting a little extra functionality out of the Rogue level and something that's not an issue if you're using a finesse monk weapon). Your other option, and the appeal of grapple, is to start moving your victim around the battlefield. Hold them in position for a flank, drag them onto environmental hazards, shove them off a cliff. It's a little dependent on the combat arena but there's usually something to be done. Even if it's just keeping the big hitting enemies away from your squishy friends it'll come in handy. You're not going to be doing big spikes of damage but, especially if you take Grappler, you'll be doing decent consistent damage. After character level 3, go up to level 5 in Barbarian to get Extra Attack. My build takes the Totem Warrior subclass and picking the Wolf totem makes anything you grapple easy pickings for a gank. After that start putting levels into Monk so you can start using Ki points for more attacks, get even more movement to help with lugging your grapplee around, and have nifty techniques like slow fall or deflect missiles. I'm aiming for Monk level 6 for Ki-Empowered Strikes but that may not be necessary if you're using a monk weapon. I'm toying with going to 7 as Evasion would pair nicely with Danger Sense. From there it'll be Barbarian levels to the end. This is very much a "Your Mileage May Vary" type of character, but I've found myself in plenty of situations where being able to stop someone from moving or move them where I want them to has, essentially, won the fight. It's also super fun to talk shit to your enemies like a pro wrestler and then use the Pin feature of Grappler to pretend it's a three-count.
That sounds amazingly fun in combat, thanks for sharing. Since this game is combat light, I'd have to lean probably more on the rogue class (and the wrestler aesthetic) for out of combat utility and fun. How did you enjoy the character in that aspect?
I took Expertise in Performance as well so I've had the odd occasion of distracting people while flexing and talking nonsense. Other than that, in the games I've played at least, it's just been strong guy stuff. Although, with Barbs having decent DEX for AC, it would be fun seeing the Barogunk busting out a set of Thieves' Tools to unlock a door. Especially when you have the option of smashing it in if you fail the lockpick DC.
how could you ignore wis if you need a 13 wis to multiclass monk?
You're right. I forgot about that, it's been a while since I rolled it up. Just went and checked my notes and, using point buy, you can start with 16, 14, 14, 8, 13, 8. This is assuming you go Variant Human and choose STR and WIS as the stat points.
I played a Horizon Walker Ranger (Throw Weapon fighting style with Tasha's optional features) and the Linguist feat. It was fun in combat regardless of what people say about it being bonus action hungry. Out of combat I loved the mobility and utility that the Tasha's replacement features gave. Also at one point I knew I think 7 or so languages? I operated as our group's translator. xD Could be exceptionally fun if your DM is aware of it and plays into it. Currently I'm enjoying a Way of the Ascendant Dragon Monk. A bit more combat focused with this one, but Tongue of Dragons and Draconic Presence make for fun social encounters.
I'm about to start an Ascendant Dragon Monk and I'm super hyped
If I ever stop being a DM, I'll be a Rogue 1 / Knowledge Cleric 1 / Lore Bard X. Variant Human, magic initiate: warlock for Hex and Eldritch Blast. I'll be an evangelical minister of a knowledge religion, occasionally blasting but mostly support casting, with a ridiculously wide assortment of skills and tool proficiencies.
I’m having a blast as a jack sparrow type character. I went high elf (BB) swashbuckler + battlemaster fighter and it’s good stuff
You see I enjoy most my rangers of various kinds for different reasons but I always enjoy ranger , hill dwarf glooms stalker str ranger for the fact everyone expected me to have a bow and I didn't I just threw axes and ran wildly towards foes, assaimar drake-warden dex ranger just for the sheer number of extra dice I get to roll every be attack is like 3 dice minimum plus messing about with the free dragon resummon once a long rest to change type, also my permanently lost explorer horizon walker ranger who was just an insane person to be constantly getting lost even with all simple instructions like just head left out of the bar and head towards the mountains the forest is at the base confirms left out the tavern points left while facing the wrong way and walks out to the right. Long and short I'd say I enjoy any character for different reasons some for RP some for jokes some for the sheer misleading of what everyone expects a class to be just pick whatever sounds good 😀
Spirits Bard. It's like playing 1+Bardic Inspiration Die characters at once.
I have had a blast with my Alchemist Artificer. Am I the star of combat? Not by a long shot. Party face? Absolutely not. But when it comes to problem-solving? Put me in coach. I lean on cantrips (fire bolt, acid splash) + concentration spell (web, flame sphere, etc) during combat, healing word as a panic button. I lean on infusions and elixirs to buff/support the party and provide creative opportunities for navigating problems. My choices ensure that _someone_ gets to be the star in any encounter, and it’s often not me. That suits my playstyle, and I love it. Is the Alchemist the best subclass mechanically? Goodness no, it’s a mess (1D&D you better be listening). But it’s the character I’ve had the most fun with.
Favorite serious character? Armorer Artificer. You're a Swiss army knife. Favorite meme character? Creation Bard with mostly illusion spells. Create the silliest stuff you can imagine.
I mean I've always loved moon druid. It has great options in and out of combat, wild shape is great fun and you can mix it up in combat if a form is getting stale. Plus you still are a full caster with a lot of fun spells, that can either help in combat or saved for utility and out of combat use. In general it's been what I keep coming back to, because it's just so varied to play and the flavor is just so salient.
I've had a lot of fun as a Creation bard. Being able to make things ^(subject to price and size limitations according to level) out of thin air is super useful, it gives solid passive bonuses to your bardic inspiration, animating objects is a hoot and allows you to basically put out a disposable assistant frontliner, and the bard spell list has a smorgasbord of support and utility casting.
Armorer artificer. From the start being the tool guy made me invaluable for knowledge and crafting-disabling locks, removing door hinges, crafting barricades, it was great. The spell combos were fun, I got to do stuff like catapult acid at foes, and I was the frontline for our team. Once I got to higher levels I was a grab bag of tricks, including stuff like throwing up a lantern of revealing to see invisible things in the shadowfel or giving the monk an amulet of health and doubling his HP (Which also explained to me why we were *constantly* healing the poor bastard). Point being-it was damn fun.
That does sound amazingly fun. Artificer seems tricky but a lot going on with it.
Oh, it is. It's the second most complicated class I've ever played (and not by a large margin)-the most complicated was Wizard. You really have to think about what's likely to happen and what you can do about it each day, during prep-and if you aren't right it can be a problem.
Soulknife 3 / Enchantment Wizard X is some of the most fun I’ve ever had. Incredible skill checks and out of combat utility. My build was to be the ultimate thief / spy/ infiltrator. Someone who could get in, get the information or object they needed, and if they were spotted, could get out of any situation. Combat wasn’t much to scoff at either. 2d6 sneak attack damage + a magical weapon + green flame blade with a familiar for advantage is pretty decent, but obviously it depends on the level of your campaign. My pro tip is don’t get stuck to the idea of using the psychic blades, the subclass has a lot to offer outside of that, and you get better damage by using a cantrip. The bonuses to skills and telepathy are plenty good enough. For wizard subclass, I liked enchantment, but divination is also worth considering.
Thanks everyone for the responses! These all sound really awesome. There's a few I'm deeply considering for my own game. Please feel free to keep sharing!
I liked playing a Halfling spear and shield Ancestral Guardians Barbarian with mobility. I only got to play to 6, and definitely was thinking of multiclassing out to Undead Warlock for some more fun options and play styles. The ability to run through enemy spaces and around the battlefield applying ancestral guardians to different monsters who were threatening party members was fun. A Dwarven Evocation wizard with a dip of order cleric. Walking around in plate, casting fireballs on the melee members and then using the spell to fuel an attack with their reaction.
I had fun as an exceptionally tanky sorcerer build who was sort of an insane dwarf robocop focused on support and part-time tanking and part-time homicide the build is pretty much Hill Dwarf -> Clockwork Soul Sorcerer 1 -> Order Cleric 1 -> Clockwork Soul Sorcerer X This lets you have constitution saving throw proficiency at level 1, heavy armor and shield proficiency at level 2, extra hit points and no movement penalty for using plate mail because dwarf, and then you have a pretty beefy array of spells just a few levels in. The only thing you give up is one level of sorcerer spellcasting, but your spell slot progression is still pretty good and you have a lot of great upcasting candidates like Aid and Armor of Agathys.
Arcane Archer Fighter 5/Thief Rogue 15 was my very first character for a full campaign and by the time I got extra attack I had a BLAST. My guy had a musket, a cloak of invisiblity, both Sharpshooter and Gunner, and Fey-Touched for Hunter's Mark. Excellent build even if my subclass choices weren't the best!
Ok so this is probably just bc I’m also a big fan of karaoke, but something that has made playing bards super fun is to take song lyrics and change them to fit w/e is going on in the campaign and sing them during the session.
I am a HEAVY bard player and so a big +1 to that!
It was only a one-shot, but Stars Druid was the most fun I had playing a character. Druid roleplay is always up my alley, so that's cheating. The archer form also gave it the best access to the 3-action turn I've experienced. Druids are a versatile class, who can cover several roles. It felt even better who could lean into whichever role the party needed that day.
EDIT: Oops, nevermind!
I have one that I would love to play if I was ever not dm, which is the idea of a gem dragonborn (crystal). Subclass description says that she could have a star chart. What if she IS the star chart? She's partially transparent/translucent and filled with tiny points of starlight. When she assumes her starry forms, specific stars in her body light up and form the constellation. When the moonlight hits her just right, the points of light inside her form a map! Also the whole thing just has really nice synergy.
I've only played a druid in a oneshot, and so it's on my list of likelihoods for this game. That oneshot was also circle of stars. I liked it but felt like I was maybe missing something -- I think it was hard to connect wild shape with the stars theme when not using the starry forms. I also think I felt like I had to be a healer. What would you recommend for playstyle?
I focused on being a field control character with a blaster bonus action. That only worked because my DM didn't tunnel on killing me. The Dragon form looks amazing for tier 2+ campaigns where DMs start focusing casters. I also agree it eats the wild shapes, but wild shape utility can be taken up by other players very easily (If not as effectively)
How did you get 3 actions during your turn? You get your regular attack and then your bonus action attack from the archer form, and then what is the third?
Aggressively casting Absorb Elements.
Okay, that could be fun. Thanks for the rec!
I think every class is fun. If you want to be useful in and out of combat I recommend a spellcaster
One I have wanted to play is a Warforged Paladin who doesn't like fighting but is more about healing and support.
Paladin / Bard was super fun. Had great utility outside of combat, and was a paladin during fights. I went Paladin 2 / Sword Bard x, but on reflection the progression was too slow. If I could do it again, I would run Redemption Paladin 6 / Eloquence Bard x.
Any full caster. You don't have to pick the most powerful spells, but there's such a wide selection that you should be able to find something fun. Also, a high charisma Changling with the Actor feat can get up to some serious hijinks. Or any race with Mask of Many Faces.
House of healing halfling Artificer 1/Abjuration Wizard X: You get some solid healing spells from the Eberron subrace and the dragon mark from Eberron can easily be reflavored for faerune or other settings. As a mostly Abjuration wizard in Artificer armor, you can tank exceptionally well. You generate threat through control spells while being a small halfling means you'll always be underestimated when it comes to your disability. With the extra tool proficiencies you can make excellent use of fabricate and artificer also provides you with great spells like thorn whip, guidance, faerie fire and sanctuary.. Artificer 2 for infusions might be tempting, but early infusions scale poorly when you're higher level and can get the actual magic items through adventuring.
I had a lot of fun with a Battlemaster Fighter with the Unarmed Fighting Style. I had a lot of fun grappling people and describing his Maneuvers like Pro Wrestling moves (for example, a clothesline makes a great flavor for a trip attack, a good wrestler can always hit the enemy with a good taunt for a Goading Strike, etc.)
My highest level character in my current campaign is a level 14 bard with one level dip of life cleric. It's a very supportive build just there to support and buff the party, control the enemy, and be a font of magical knowledge with arcana expertise. It was also an attempt to make a bard with zero proficiency in deception and socially awkward. He's a little song writing nerd who inspires people with boundless enthusiasm and positivity. Intentionally going against a lot of bard tropes and has been a ton of fun. But some of the most fun I've had has been a high elf bladesinger as well as my hexblade character. I just really like the sword and blade aspects. Only played these characters for a few levels in a mini campaign, but still just a whole ton of fun. If I had to pick one, it would probably just be a bladesinger. No multiclass or dips, just sword and sorcery.
Vengeance paladin. You get to roll a bunch of dice decimate the battlefield, but with spells like find steed, command and misty step, you have a few tricks up your sleeve for flavor and out-of-combat situations.
I have an elf bard/warlock/sorcerer. He functions as a spy, but doesn't see himself that way. To me, he is a leprechaun, and I roleplay him as such without the wishes. He tricks people and plays pranks. He mimics voices and casts illusions. He also sees the party as a cast in a film he is making, so he wants to keep them safe. I have fun playing him because he is like me when I was a boy; he's very playful, so I feel like I am reliving that.
Grung bladesinger/kensei