DND - Character Builds

 Dungeon and Dragons Character Builds

We are starting a new gaming group, and campaign for the new year.  With rotating DM's that means I will have the option to actually play and have been thinking about my top three character options. They are all spellcasters being Bard, Cleric and Wizard.  Given most games do not go past level 10 I am focusing on what to expect for Tier 1 and Tier 2 play.

This quick build guide assumes assess to the three main books and uses content from the Player’s Handbook, Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, and Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.

Race selection

Feats can help define a character more than raw ability boosts.  I really like Telekinetic and Fay Touched from TCE.  There are two racial options for starting with a Feat.

• Custom Lineage (TCE): A Feat and either a Skill or Darkvision. If we are using point buy this also means we can start with an 18 score in our casting stat. 15 + 2 Race +1 Feat = 18. It is also nice that you can be small and still have 30' move.
• Variant Human (PHB): A Feat and a Skill as well as +1 to a pair of Abilities. Handy with rolled ability scores. to bring different ones up to even numbers.

The Divine Twilight Cleric

Concept: Redvus Dundonald Viking Priest of our Lady in Silver. He can trace his ancestors back a dozen generations to a demi-god and was drawn to the priesthood at a young age when he felt magic flowing through his blood (Telekinesis and later Sorcerer). There is a schism in his culture between those that want to embrace new technology* and those that do not. Redvus is on a self-imposed exile, or a penance, a journey of discovery seeking to find an answer to the schism by spending time with other cultures.
* The first time I played this character it was gunpowder but it could be new farming methods or anything else to act as the MacGuffin for adventuring.

Divine Domain: Twilight Domain. This gives us Darkvision and advantage on Initiative. There is also Heavy Armour proficiency which may be useful. Twilight Sanctuary, Our channel Divinity, gives a party wide buff of temporary hit points that refresh every round.
Ability Scores: Max Wisdom and 14 in Dexterity.  Also 13+ Charisma to multiclass.

Feats:
(1) Telekinetic (+1 Wis)
(4) Resilient (Con)
(8 & 12) War Caster or +2 Wisdom

Skills: Class: Insight, Persuasion; Background Sailor: Athletics, Perception; Race: Stealth

Multiclass: A Level of Divine Soul Sorcerer after level 5 can really help but is not essential. Shield and Absorb Elements boost our defences and Favoured by the Gods is a powerful bonus to Saving Throws. It is also thematic for a Divine caster to have the blood of a demigod flowing in their veins. Sorcerer Cantrips will mostly be utility but Firebolt has the advantage of targeting Objects and has a better range than even our crossbow.

Social: We can talk to people and know when they are lying.
Exploration: We have create food and water and a tiny hut for shelter in the wilderness. Perception for spotting hazards and stealth for avoiding them. There are also a number of divination spells Clairvoyance, Commune, Divination and Scrying we can use to gain information.
Tier 1 Combat: Bless lets us buff the party. Toll the Dead and Sacred Flame give us single target damage. While Command lets us try and make opponents waste their action possibly leaving themselves open to opportunity attacks (providing they can understand us). Telekinetic Shove gives us a constant Bonus Action for forced movement to break grapples or push people into hazards.
Tier 2 Combat: Clerics come into their own with Spirit Guardians giving persistent AoE damage. This becomes our primary spell with Telekinetic Shove allowing to push people in and out of the area.

Cleric Spells Prepared: Approximate list for Level 10
Cantrips: Guidance, Mage Hand [TK], Mending, Sacred Flame, Thaumaturgy, Toll the Dead.
1st Level: Bless, Command, Detect Magic (R), Healing Word, Domain - Faerie Fire, Sleep.
2nd Level: Aid, Lesser Restoration, Locate Object, Domain - Moonbeam, See Invisibility.
3rd Level: Dispel Magic, Revivify, Spirit Guardians, Domain - , Aura of Vitality, Leomund’s Tiny Hut (R)
4th Level: Banishment, Death Ward, Domain - Aura of Life, Greater Invisibility.
5th Level: Commune (R), Greater Restoration, Dawn, Domain - Circle of Power, Mislead.

The Armoured Bard

Concept: Taliesin the Mystic. A fortune teller who uses minor magics to enhance his showmanship. He uses his charm and wit to learn peoples secrets. Depending on what he learns he can either blackmail them later or act as a fence and sell them stolen property they want to acquire.

Bard College: College of Eloquence
Ability Scores: Max Charisma and 14 in Dexterity
Feats:
(1) Moderately Armoured
(4) Resilient (Con)
(8 & 12) +2 Cha / Fey Touched (+1 Cha) Command and Misty Step.

Skills
Class/Background/Race: Deception, Persuasion, Insight, Athletics (or Acrobatics), Perception, Stealth
Background: Criminal getting Thieves' Tools.
Multiclass: The Bard works fine without needing a second class but they are stronger if you start as Warlock or Sorcerer and then move into Bard. This way your initial Saving Throws are better as are offensive cantrips. Divine Soul Sorcerer gives you all the cantrip you need and defence spells such as Shield. Bless gives you a party wide buff in Tier 1. You do have to swap the order of your feats around and take Moderately Armoured at Bard 4. Hexblade Warlock on the other hand is insanely overpowered giving you armour proficiencies on top of Eldritch Blast and Shield spell.   They both offer Mind Sliver to really make a debuffing spell stick.  The main downside of multiclassing is you will not get your Pegasus until Level 11 and the lower armour class of the Sorcerer in Tier 1 could be an issue for survivability.

Social: Expertise in Persuasion and Deception combined with Silver Tongue makes us really good at convincing people to do what we want.
Exploration: Jack of all Trades means we can try our hand at anything but it is not where we are going to excel. We can pick a few locks and maybe deal with a trap or two. Having an Unseen Servant around will help.
Tier 1 Combat: This is where Vicious Mockery shines as many monsters have a single big attack. We have plenty of single target debuff spells.  Against hordes we have Sleep and Shatter but neither of them are spells we will keep for long.
Tier 2 Combat: Hypnotic Patterns and Slow now give us an answer to mobs.  Later Wall of Force and Animate Objects add to this. Magical Secrets gives us a flying steed in the form of a Pegasus. By the time we get to Level 10 Mockery is probably not doing a lot. We are likely casting Command or Dodging while we concentrate on a powerful spell; it is still hear though for the odd time it is of use.

Bard Level 10 - 14 Spells Known +2 from Fey Touched.
Cantrips: Light, Mending, Minor Illusion, Vicious Mockery
1st Level: Command* [FT], Healing Word, Unseen Servant (R).
2nd Level: Aid, Misty Step [FT], Phantasmal Force, Suggestion.
3rd Level: Dispel Magic, Hypnotic Pattern, Slow
4th Level: Dimension Door, Find Greater Steed [MS], Polymorph.
5th Level: Animate Objects, Rary’s Telepathic Bond (R), Wall of Force [MS].
*If we do not have Fey Touched then drop one of our Rituals or Healing word to still have Command.

The Wizard

Concept: Milton Snavely, wandering pedler. He grew up in the guild halls learning various artisan trades. Given his crafting skills he got hired by a wizard to make items for enchanting. He would often hide away and watch the Wizard summoning and bargaining with demons. One day he overheard the Wizard offer to sell him into service of a demon! He grabbed a spell book and ran away for a safer life on the road.

Arcane Tradition: School of Divination.
Ability Scores: Max Intelligence and 14 in Dexterity and Wisdom (to multiclass Cleric)
Feats:
(1) Resilient (Con)
(4) Telekinetic (+1 Int)
(8) Fey Touched (+1 Int) Command and Misty Step.
(12) Lucky

Skills
Class: Arcana, Investigation
Background/Race: Acrobatics, Perception, Stealth
Proficiencies: Smith's and Weaver’s Tools
Tools are for use with the Fabricate spell. This lets us turn raw iron into Plate Mail and flax into fine clothes. It is not quite spinning straw into gold but about as close as you can get.

Multiclass: There is no Mage Armour in the spell book as the plan is to take a level of Cleric. If we are delaying that past level 2 we may need to adjust starting spells. Cleric gives us armour proficiency as well as access to Guidance cantrip, Bless and Healing spells. Twilight, Forge and Knowledge Domains all give useful benefits for the character.

Social: Nope. You are a Wizard leave that for the party Face.
Exploration: Our familiar can scout and we have a number of useful rituals that can help with information gathering.
Tier 1 Combat: Web gives us an area control spell and we have several single target disabling spells. Mind Sliver and Portent dice give us a way to make sure they stick on a target.
Tier 2 Combat: We get the big guns here with Fireball and Hypnotic Pattern and build all the way up to Wall of Force.

Spell Book (Approximate at level 10)
Cantrips: Fire Bolt, Mage Hand [TK], Mind Sliver, Minor Illusion, Mold Earth, Ray of Frost.
1st Level: Absorb Elements, Detect Magic (R), Comprehend Languages(R), Hideous Laughter, Identify(R), Find Familiar(R), Shield, Unseen Servant(R).
2nd Level: Levitate, Locate Object, Tasha’s Mind Whip, Web.
3rd Level: Counterspell*, Hypnotic Pattern, Fireball, Leomund’s Tiny Hut* (R), Phantom Steed (R).
4th Level: Arcane Eye, Dimension Door, Fabricate, Polymorph.
5th Level: Animate Objects, Contact other Plane (R), Rary’s Telepathic Bond (R), Wall of Force.
*There is one too many spells in this spell book. We either need to be able to copy a spell from another source or drop one of these.

Image Credits -

Art from rbl-m1a2tanker.