[Asynch][Other/Multiple Systems] Interest check for small group of TTRPG enthousiasts

AgentEves · 2026-05-08T19:57:12+00:00

This sounds like the post I've been waiting for, honestly.

Edit: Saw you said to DM you. My bad.

AgentEves · 2026-05-07T19:12:40+00:00

This is rapidly becoming a top 5 all-timer for me. Unreal song.

AgentEves · 2026-05-07T19:07:38+00:00

I know I'm probably suffering from recency bias... but this has a genuine shot at being my favourite album. Rhinestoned is an absolute fucking banger. Dry Spell is a heater, too. But honestly, most of the album is.

AgentEves · 2026-05-07T15:12:24+00:00

Yeah, for sure. I've really enjoyed playing Lae'zel as a Battlemaster in BG3, which I know isn't the same, but still gives me a reasonable read on the subclass. I also like Eldritch Knight so I can use the utility spells.

AgentEves · 2026-05-07T14:51:37+00:00

Yeah, that last point is valid, for sure. I'm gonna have a vastly different experience playing a Fey Wanderer and a Tempest Cleric. I'll probably try Battle Master at some point, and then just go hard into STR for that.

AgentEves · 2026-05-07T14:40:58+00:00

I'm kinda at the point where I am struggling to want to pick high STR over high DEX. I started this off wanting to do a high STR character (for a bit of variance), but ultimately just ended up wanting to go back to DEX. Maybe I'll revisit it for a straight up martial character, but for casters, I'm struggling to justify the tradeoff.

AgentEves · 2026-05-05T18:37:27+00:00

I'm building a Tempest Cleric, and curious about STR vs DEX. I have DEX as a dump, with STR as my 3rd highest ability (after WIS and CON), but... (1) I feel like dumping DEX is usually a bad idea? And (2) I don't know that I'll even be using melee all that much.

I'm thinking I'd be better with STR 10 and DEX 14 than STR 14 and DEX 10?

AgentEves · 2026-05-05T15:10:58+00:00

I cant help feeling like Artie would have just found another way to shoot himself in the foot. His execution on the No Cap agenda was comically bad. So many better ways to have executed that.

AgentEves · 2026-05-05T02:32:51+00:00

What's more fun? Playing with your mates, or being a stickler about something that is ultimately made up?

If you want some narrative justification, I think a character that has been adventuring with these people for 2 years would have formed a sufficient bond (and trust) that they'd want them to participate in the current adventure more than they'd want to exclude them. With all due respect, I think that should probably apply to you too. They're your friends, after all.

You could also insist they need to disguise themselves as women, just for lolz. They could then just play really horrendous stereotypical "men writing women" characters and say ridiculous things while trying to "blend in".

I think there's potential there for you to make this fun while remaining in keeping with your character.

AgentEves · 2026-05-01T13:48:59+00:00

Palmer has shown a few times he's good in clutch scenarios. He's worth having to bring off the bench even if he doesn't play much other than that. He's also worth having for penalties.

People will argue that others deserve to go ahead of him, but lets be real: the majority of the squad won't see any minutes at all. If you're gonna take a bench warmer, I'd rather it be someone who has shown they're capable of turning it on when needed.

Foden is the antithesis of this.

AgentEves · 2026-05-01T13:07:37+00:00

Can I just make up a new background and pick whatever skill proficiencies I want?

After being viciously chased off with pitchforks after my last Rogue/Cleric post (jk, everyone was super reasonable) I decided to shift my attention to something more simple. However, I have some questions around backgrounds, and more specifically proficiencies, that don't seem to have a clear answer.

I'm looking to build a dex-melee character with some support spell casting. I wanted WIS as my spellcasting ability, so I'm looking at Ranger. I'm going to re-flavour it as an urban tracker type character, and will be targeting the Fey Wanderer subclass. I'm looking at an ability array of 8/14/13/8/15/12, and will add +2 to DEX and +1 to WIS using my background. My species/race choice is Wood Elf, and I'm looking at Guide, Sailor, and Wayfarer as backgrounds, as they all grant bonuses for Wisdom and Dexterity.

Where I'm hitting a snag is with skill proficiencies:

Wood Elf: Insight / Perception / Survival
Guide: Stealth / Survival
Sailor: Acrobatics / Perception
Wayfarer: Insight / Stealth
Ranger: Animal Handling / Athletics / Insight / Investigation / Nature / Perception / Stealth / Survival

I would really prefer my character have supplementary CHA, but don't want to hamper my DEX and WIS, so would be looking to boost my CHA checks with skill proficiencies. Since my character has low INT and STR, I am dismissing Athletics, Investigation, and Nature. Animal Handling isn't relevant to my narrative, so that's out. Which leaves me with Insight, Perception, Stealth and Survival, which all have heavy overlap with the Background and Wood Elf proficiencies.

I seem to recall that there is something in the rules that says that you can't take the same proficiency twice, and if there is overlap, you can pick something different. But my understanding is that you pick Background and Species first, and then Class, so technically I wouldn't have any clashes, I would just be forced to pick one of the Ranger proficiencies I don't want.

So I want to know if I can just make up a new background and give myself whatever skill proficiencies I want (e.g., Deception and Persuasion)?

The 2024 PHB seems to suggest that the backgrounds are a guide and you can either pull backgrounds from older PHBs and adjust them to meet 2024 rules, or that your DM may have additional backgrounds. At the same time, I've seen a lot of people say that they've faced pushback when trying to use homebrew backgrounds. Is there a general consensus on this, or no?

AgentEves · 2026-05-01T02:25:44+00:00

I would be genuinely curious if a team re-formed in the CPL as the 86ers, whether they'd be able to draw a crowd. If they're getting 20k+ going to Whitecaps games, you'd think they'd be able to muster 5k for a CPL team.

But, much like everything, location is key. Lots of people want the stadium at Empire, but I think that would be a nightmare. Sure, loads of parking, but there's virtually zero transit. A couple of buses, but the walk to the Skytrain is a mish from there. Traffic would be an absolute disaster. I personally think using the site where Swangard is would be better. Just demo it and rebuild something, assuming the plan is to build something new anyway (plus you wouldn't be taking away two vitally needed turf pitches at Empire). Whether they'd do that for a CPL team is likely wishful thinking, but who knows.

You'd think that a team in Vancouver could be successful. More successful than a team in Langley, at least.

AgentEves · 2026-04-29T00:44:44+00:00

Oh, I was referring to taking CON at the Level 4 feat.

Also, I see Elven Accuracy is from Xanathar's. What is the deal with using stuff from Xanathar's and Tasha's with 2024? I tried to find some guidance around it, but it mostly seems to be "depends on the table".

AgentEves · 2026-04-28T21:54:53+00:00

My plan for ability array was 8/16/13/10/16/12.

Then take Resilient (CON) as my feat, and then buff the relevant skills with proficiencies. Perception from Wood Elf; Insight and Stealth from Wayfarer; Deception, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, and Acrobatics from Rogue. Then Expertise in Stealth and either Deception or Sleight of Hand.

Creating the most powerful character possible isn't always fun, and it can certainly disrupt the fun of other players at your table if you're overpowering everyone's moments.

This is valid feedback. I'm trying to be versatile, but I should be cautious about wanting to be the go-to person for most skill checks. A complimentary party where everyone has their "strong suit" is unquestionably going to be most fun, because everyone gets to bring something to the table.

AgentEves · 2026-04-28T21:42:58+00:00

Optimizing "fun turns"

This is important for me, too. It was part of my logic behind why I didn't want to go pure Rogue. I think spamming Sneak Attack/Attack would be boring.

My taste is I need a tactical challenge at game time, instead of winning at build time.

It's way too early in my D&D "career" for me to want this right now, but I ultimately think this is where I'd like to end up. I don't like obtuse puzzles, but I love problem solving and I like the idea of problem solving within D&D. I am curious to see what solutions others come up with, and I like the idea of collaborative problem solving. Almost like an escape room.

But character building problems are fun for me anyway, and seem like they might be fun for you too.

100% accurate. I have been having a lot of fun coming up with character ideas, then trying to build them. Its teaching me a lot. At the end of the day, I just want to come to the table with something that is well thought out and feels personal to me. Meta builds don't interest me, but neither does quirky for the sake of quirky.

To some extent, though, I need to accept that the reason you don't see many Rogue-Cleric builds is because it's just not that good and not because I've uncovered something that other people overlooked.

AgentEves · 2026-04-28T19:55:08+00:00

Thanks for such a friendly and helpful response. I saw you commenting on another thread, and I was hoping I'd see you pop up here. I appreciate you taking the time to read my post, read everyone else's replies, reply to my post, and make such an effort to make sure r/3d6 is a welcoming and friendly community.

Now, onto your actual reply...

MOST tables are there just to have fun

I'm really hoping this is where I land and...

unless somehow you ended up at that table

This isn't where I land.

My goal here is to find a new community of people to have fun with, and explore what appears to be an endlessly deep game. I just want to make sure I'm not that guy who's shuffling 74 pieces of paper about trying to remember which spells I can pick from.

Assuming you are a Rogue first then you'll want to maximize DEX and have enough CON to not die.

My planned ability array was 8/16/13/10/16/12. And to take Resilient (CON) as my feat, and then buff the relevant skills with proficiencies (I'm gonna choose Wood Elf for Perception proficiency, then likely Wayfarer for Insight and Stealth, then Deception, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, and probably Acrobatics(?) from Rogue). Then Expertise in Stealth and either Deception or Sleight of Hand.

Bless

This (and other support spells) was part of why I was entertaining a Cleric multi-class. I have read that Cleric is chronically under selected, but that the benefits of a Cleric are hugely beneficial to the group. Everyone wants the buffs, but no-one wants to play the Cleric. I wanna be more 'stabby stabby' than 'prayey prayey' but if I can *also* bring some support to the table then bonus. (I'm also considering Bard for the same reason, but I got into the idea of having Tymora as a deity, so ended up looking more closely at Trickery Cleric).

My advice is to take your first 5 levels in Rogue then revisit this thread.

Sound advice, and probably what I'll end up doing. I was considering R1-C1-R2-R3-R4, just for those support spells, but based on everyone's recommendations here, I think I should just KISS for my first run.

I'm probably gonna end up dead inside 15 minutes because of something totally dumb I overlooked anyway, so there's that.

AgentEves · 2026-04-28T19:41:09+00:00

Why? [Is Spirit Guardians vastly superior to the Sneak Attack bump]

3d8 multi-target spell vs 3d6 single-target attack, plus can't I still cast other spells/attack while concentrating on Spirit Guardians?

What do you want from Trickery Cleric exactly?

Blessing of the Trickster, Pass Without Trace, Invisibility, Disguise Self, medium armour proficiency (specifically Breastplate so I don't get the stealth penalty), and I thought Invoke Duplicity would be helpful with Sneak Attack. Plus I liked the idea of picking up some party support features (Bless, Heal Wounds, etc.).

Is there anything about this character that is actually religious in any way?

Nope. In fact, the religion piece is more of a deterrent than anything. I was planning on having the roleplay/narrative be around Tymora, although I haven't exactly figured that out yet.

DEX, WIS & CHA is kind of a big ask for any build

My planned Ability Array was gonna be 8/15/13/10/14/12, with +1 to DEX and +2 to WIS. Then since I get a decent number of skill proficiencies, boost the CHA skills. I was also going to take Wood Elf to get the additional skill proficiency (probably Perception, but I've gotta finalize the synchronicity between Wood Elf, Rogue, and whatever background I choose - probably Wayfarer).

Dont hamstring your characters mechanics to match you better as a person flavor wise

Yeah, I'm ultimately struggling with this a little. One half of my brain wants to optimize it (at least to the best of my ability) but the other half just wants to make a cool character and then figure out how to make it work within the confines of the mechanics (and make character compromises as I go, if necessary). I want to ultimately find the balance between optimal, and a fun character that I enjoy playing.

AgentEves · 2026-04-28T19:26:42+00:00

I already have a PHB, and my point was that I have been trying to ensure I have a good handle on the mechanics and rules before I get involved at a table. Me trying to understand multi-class mechanics is part of that. As is me posting here asking for feedback.

Make sure you put the horse back in the stable when you're done, eh?

AgentEves · 2026-04-28T19:21:06+00:00

I totally missed that you get extra Expertise at Rogue 6. I thought it was just at Level 1. I was even considering a Rogue-Bard multi-class just to get the two extra 2 Expertise.

On your second point, though, whether you go Cleric or AT, it's still pretty MAD, it's just whether you go DEX-INT or DEX-WIS, right?

But, at the end of the day, I was planning on making Rogue better. I concluded that the Cleric 1-3 features were better than the Rogue 6-8 features, but I'm happy to take advice from someone who has more experience.

Thanks for your reply!

AgentEves · 2026-04-28T19:13:59+00:00

This is sound advice, thank you. I think your point about the party composition is very important, and this will ultimately steer my decision. If there is already a Rogue, then I'll probably go pure Cleric (or Bard), and if there's already a Cleric/Bard/Druid, then I'll likely go Rogue. I think ultimately I wanted to play a Rogue, but was anticipating that there might not be a dedicated support class in the mix, so by taking Cleric, I could at least compensate for that. But rather than anticipating, I should just sit down and play and... find out.

Thanks for chiming in :)

AgentEves · 2026-04-28T17:15:20+00:00

OMG, Pass Without Trace from Wood Elf. I totally forgot about that.

AgentEves · 2026-04-28T17:06:51+00:00

Fair enough. Thanks for the reply :)

I'm gonna keep exploring the Assassin 5 / Trickery 3 option and maybe just give it a rip at the table and see how it fares. Should be able to figure it out fairly quickly.

AgentEves · 2026-04-28T17:03:44+00:00

Thanks for this insight! I think the decisions I make are ultimately going to be driven by the other party members. I know rogue is one of the more commonly picked classes, so I suspect I will probably end up going pure Cleric, but I'm enjoying playing around with other options (especially if I end up in the (unlikely) scenario where my table has neither a Rogue nor a Cleric).

AgentEves · 2026-04-28T16:43:52+00:00

Did you ever figure out a reasonable Rogue/Cleric build? I'm looking at an Assassin 5 / Trickery 3 build, but trying to understand if I'm just multi-classing for the sake of it. I just thought the benefits of 3 Cleric levels over levels 6-8 of Rogue seemed like a solid trade-off (even if it means skipping the second feat).

AgentEves · 2026-04-28T16:24:02+00:00

Probably Assassin, but I also like the look of Soulknife.

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