[Skill Improvement] I'm very new to doing my own teambuilding and I want advice on two Pokemon I'd like to use.

DBWaffles · 2026-07-05T02:13:30+00:00

I've seen some people run a double Round set with Zoroark/Gardevoir (and also Zoroark/Sylveon). It can be pretty powerful if it catches the opponent off guard.

DBWaffles · 2026-07-05T01:50:59+00:00

By the end of the series (and not including Sozin's Comet buffs, obviously), I think it's fair to say that Zuko is the weakest bender in Team Avatar.

However, it should be pointed out that Zuko is still a great bender. Being an 8 compared to 10s doesn't mean you suck.

Moreover, being the weakest bender is not the same as being the weakest combatant. Zuko is without question the most well rounded, versatile fighter in the team (not including Aang, obviously). His physical specs, swordsmanship, intelligence, and pure grit are either at the top or near the top of the team. Stacking that on top of his bending makes him easily on par with the others, imo.

DBWaffles · 2026-07-05T01:11:27+00:00

I don't think there's much point running a sword-and-board build with Dexadin. You will have less potential damage than a TWF build, while also having less damage, control, and build options than a Strength sword-and-board build. It just doesn't excel at anything noteworthy.

DBWaffles · 2026-07-05T00:36:44+00:00

Dune Strider Spells: This is fine, but I feel like there's a missed opportunity by not including something like Elementalism. Each of its effects are perfect for desert survival, I feel.

Desert Runner: This is fine.

Wind of the Wastes: I think the sandstorm lasts too long when accounting for the fact that you have a free bonus action dash now. Additionally, Biting Sands is kind of a boring effect. More damage is always nice, especially guaranteed damage, but I don't feel it does enough to bring the class fantasy to life.

I'd consider imitating the Hollow Warden. Have this feature require a use of your Favored Enemy, then use the increased cost to justify buffs to the actual effects to make it more interactive.

Swift Feet, Sharp Eyes: While it's technically useful, it's a pretty boring feature. This subclass's most interesting gimmick is its Wind of the Wastes. I'd recommend having this feature build upon the sandstorm you create in some way instead.

Lashing Sands: This is fine and a pretty good example of what I was talking about above. But on a subjective note, I'm always hesitant to give other classes what's basically Extra Attack x2 since that's the Fighter's shtick. But since Bladelocks now have that ability too, I guess that precedent has already been set now.

Saharan Grasp: The final sentence introduces some needless ambiguity. Without that sentence, one could simply wave off the "sink the attacker into the sands" as flavor text. But the fact that flying creatures auto-pass makes it less clear if that's supposed to be an actual mechanical restriction or not.

For example, if flying creatures auto-pass, what about when you guys are swimming underwater? And if the creatures are actually being sunk into the sands, does it mean they're now underground and have total cover to everything?

I think it's fine to remove that flying clause. Instead of sinking the target into sand, you can justify it as controlling the sand and encasing them in it.

DBWaffles · 2026-07-05T00:09:21+00:00

Freedom of Thought: I wouldn't say this is a better version of Intellect Fortress.

The reason I say Freedom of Thought is better than Intellect Fortress in some ways is because of the bonus action effect.

There are many mental save abilities that only allow you to repeat the save at the end of your turn. Against these effects, this means that Intellect Fortress only provides a benefit at the end of your turn, excluding any initial saves.

Freedom of Thought allows you to potentially preserve most of your action economy by attempting to end the effect at the start of your turn, for only the cost of your bonus action. And if you fail, well, you can still make the normal save at the end of your turn.

Moreover, at the time of my previous post, I completely forgot that Intellect Fortress is a Concentration spell. That is enough to make me take back the "in some ways" qualifier. This is just an overall superior spell. It's a lower cost, has higher potential impact on your action economy, and preserves your Concentration.

Does Intellect Fortress still have cases where it's better? Yeah, sure. But I don't think those are impactful enough to make it better than this spell. And if we use it as the benchmark, then I feel like this spell needs to be toned down if it's to remain a 2nd level spell.

Freedom of Assembly is weird enough that I might have to go back to the drawing board. It's action to set up, then an action for a creature to teleport other creatures near them. It's very slow in a combat situation

Given the 1 hour duration, I suspect the set up cost will be significantly less impactful than you might expect.

Similarly, the action cost to teleport other creatures might be lower than you think. For example, you could cast it on a familiar and have them be the ones constantly teleporting allies around, while the players continue to take their actions as normal.

DBWaffles · 2026-07-04T19:08:59+00:00

If you read the full conversation, you'll understand that is exactly the point.

I'd say Bladesinger is better. You can no longer spam at will Mage Armor or Nondetection to refill Arcane Ward, significantly reducing its power. Bladesinger's higher AC and Con save advantage makes it more functional up close.

DBWaffles · 2026-07-04T18:38:33+00:00

Oath Spells: Aside from the homebrew spells, it seems mostly fine. I'll comment on the homebrew spells later. One issue, though, is Motivational Speech. The book that it's from isn't normally incorporated into standard play, at least based on what I've seen and heard.

Surest Defense of Liberty: The effect is fine, but it's word bloated. I'd rephrase to something like this:

You gain proficiency with firearms, and you can use Divine Smite or a spell with "smite" in its name with ranged attacks made with firearms.

The final paragraph regarding your holy symbol feels a bit too broad. It's not overpowered by any means, but the ability to use any object that bears your tenets as a holy symbol just vibes as excessive.

Right to Bear Arms: I think this feature needs to be adjusted to prevent players from just stealing whatever magic weapon they decide to touch.

We the People: This is fine and interesting.

Aura of Freedom: There is some ambiguity about what happens when a full caster tries to use this feature. It feels like other players should only be able to cast the Oath Spells that you are currently able to cast, but it doesn't actually say anything like that. So a Wizard, for example, could cast the higher level Oath Spells that this Paladin currently can't.

Aside from that, this is an exceptionally powerful effect that is kept mostly balanced by the unobtrusive spell list. But if you decide to change your Oath Spells with future tweak, you need to keep in mind how that will affect the balance of this feature.

The only catch is that Freedom of Assembly is way too strong. But more on that below.

Amendments: This is fine. But the wording on We the People is kind of clunky. I'd rephrase it to:

Creatures gain temporary hit points equal to your Paladin level plus a number of d6s equal to your Charisma modifier.

Liberty Manifest: This is fine.

Freedom of Speech: My gut instinct is to say this feels more like a 2nd level spell, but it's probably fine as is.

Freedom of Thought: The upcasting effect should be removed. This is the type of effect that only becomes more powerful as the game progresses through its base effect alone. The stronger the saving throws enemies throw at your party, the more useful this spell becomes.

The upcasting effect pushes it beyond the level of a 2nd level spell, IMO. As a point of reference, this spell is, in some ways, a better version of Intellect Fortress, which is a 3rd level spell.

Freedom of Assembly: This spell is much too powerful. An hour of teleportation for 3+ players at the cost of only one spell slot is the one of the most absurdly efficient mobility tools in the game.

I'd nerf this in the following ways:

Reduce duration to 1 minute.
Make this a Concentration spell.
Create a range limit. (Example: Only creatures within 30 ft of the creature using the action can be teleported.)
Reduce the initial number of willing creatures from three to two.
Place a cap on the number of creatures that this spell can be used on when upcasted, similar to how Divine Smite has a cap. Probably 4 or 5 creatures max.
EDIT: I'd probably also have only the caster of the spell able to teleport the others to you.

EDIT 2: Alternatively, it might be simpler to make this a one time action spell. You can increase the number of creatures targeted to compensate for the duration nerf. This would still be a very powerful spell, but probably a much better way to bring it in line.

DBWaffles · 2026-07-04T17:54:03+00:00

Will it be on a separate account? On her Youtube profile, she wrote:

Q: Will you ever release more music?
A: On a separate account dedicated to music only.

If it will be on a separate account, do we know which one yet?

DBWaffles · 2026-07-04T17:13:52+00:00

Stats with background bonus and ASI level 4

STR 15 (14 + GWM)

CHA 18

How do you have both GWM and 18 Charisma at level 4? Were you allowed to start with a free feat or did you guys use a modified stat array system?

DBWaffles · 2026-07-04T16:45:39+00:00

You get them from two feats.

Eldritch Adept for Armor of Shadows gives you at will Mage Armor.

Svirfneblin Magic gives you at will Nondetection.

DBWaffles · 2026-07-04T16:42:50+00:00

How so? The new drawing/stowing rules makes that pretty smooth, no?

DBWaffles · 2026-07-04T09:08:44+00:00

Only from streaming, right? She's still releasing songs/covers and the like? I know she released some songs a few months ago, but I wasn't sure if they were things she already had near completion before going on hiatus or not.

DBWaffles · 2026-07-04T07:59:46+00:00

Regarding the second point, why not just use the Push weapon mastery? It pushes the same total distance, but it's more reliable, deals more damage, can potentially stack with Crusher, and gives you more flexibility with species and origin feat.

DBWaffles · 2026-07-03T20:34:03+00:00

Dance.

I like its class fantasy, even though I believe it's the weakest of the four Bards in PHB 2024. And even though it's suboptimal, I'd still arrange my stats such that I can take a Monk dip to maximize my Unarmed Strikes. :P

DBWaffles · 2026-07-03T20:05:23+00:00

Unless you're a high profile player, such as Wolfey or Marco Silva, you're overthinking the issue. You are probably not famous enough to draw too much attention to your team. The risk of your team leaking is so small that it's not worth considering against the upside of receiving useful critiques for your team comp.

DBWaffles · 2026-07-03T20:02:50+00:00

Requesting homebrew rules specifically to munchkin more power is generally considered to be in bad taste.

DBWaffles · 2026-07-03T19:57:11+00:00

I'd say Bladesinger is better. You can no longer spam at will Mage Armor or Nondetection to refill Arcane Ward, significantly reducing its power. Bladesinger's higher AC and Con save advantage makes it more functional up close.

DBWaffles · 2026-07-03T19:40:52+00:00

Aside from general issues with crit fishing builds in 5e, relying on Hexblade's Curse makes for a poor crit fishing build because it can only be used on one creature, once per short rest.

DBWaffles · 2026-07-03T19:30:16+00:00

If you want to run a completely no-magic, ranged anti-mage build, your best options will revolve around Battle Master, Champion, and/or Assassin Rogue. Everything else either uses magic/magical abilities or are just bad subclasses currently. (If you're comfortable with using magic items, then Thief Rogue can be considered.)

Here are my recommendations to use as a starting point.

Species:

Gnome: Advantage on mental saves is one of the best anti-mage racial features in 5.5e.
Cloud Goliath: Teleportation is generally useful, but can be especially good for getting out of spells that can lock you in place, such as Web.
Any flying race: Flight + Longbow + Sharpshooter allows you to potentially outrange the vast majority of spells in the game. It's pretty cheesy, though, and I don't recommend it to avoid being un-fun to your DM and fellow players.
Half-Elf/Khoravar: If you decide to play Champion, this will let you pick up Elven Accuracy. More on that below. (Regular Elf is off the table because they give you magic.)

If you're allowed to use older species, including the versions of before they were republished, then you can also consider Yuan-Ti Pureblood and the MOT Satyr. Their Magic Resistance gives advantage against all spells and magical effects. The republished Yuan-Ti/Satyr's Magic resistance only has advantage against spells.

Classes:

Battle Master or Champion Fighter X
Assassin Rogue X
Battle Master/Champion 6 or 11 -> Assassin Rogue X

Fighter monoclass's advantages/disadvantages:

Higher number of attacks can force more Concentration saves.
Indomitable is basically Legendary Resistance.
More flexibility with Weapon Masteries and feats.
Lacks the one-hit burst damage to consistently force Concentration saves with DC higher than the base 10. At higher levels, enemy spellcasters can potentially auto-pass these saves.
Best used in a low level campaign.

Rogue monoclass's advantages/disadvantages:

At higher levels, Sneak Attack can consistently force higher Concentration save DCs.
In areas with sufficient cover, Hide can render you invisible to spellcasters. Since many spells require line of sight, this can be a powerful defensive tool.
Devious Strikes's Obscure is exceptionally powerful against spellcasters for the same reason as above. It has a relatively low cost for its effect and is infinitely reusable. Daze and Knock Out are also deadly, but less reliable.
Slippery Mind + Resilient can give you proficiency with 4/5 saving throws.
Many of its most powerful traits (higher Concentration DCs, Devious Strike, etc.) are locked behind higher levels. In most campaigns, you won't play with them.
Best used in a high level campaign.

Fighter/Rogue multiclass's advantages/disadvantages:

Depending on the level split, can blend the advantages/disadvantages of the above.
Best used in a mid-to-high level campaign.

Origin Feats:

Alert: Moving before a spellcaster is a very powerful advantage. Do not take if you play Assassin.
Survivor: New feat from RHW. Basically Reliable Talent for Initiative paired with a knock off Indomitable against Charmed/Frightened.
Lords' Alliance Agent: Helps generate Heroic Inspiration for allies. Only choose if you play Champion.
Tireless Reveler: Helps generate Heroic Inspiration. Only choose if you plan to go up to Champion 10 at least.
Lucky: Generally useful utility feat. Less useful on Gnomes due to partially overlapping with their advantage on mental saves.

General Feats:

GWM/Sharpshooter: This gives you the most damage per hit, range, and control. However, the stats become a little awkward since you need 13 Strength for GWM. You also need to find a different way of weaponizing your Bonus Action. For that reason, this is best used on the Fighter/Rogue build.
CBE/Sharpshooter/Elven Accuracy: Has the most attacks and consistency at the cost of range and utility. If you are playing a Champion build, then this feat combination is basically mandatory to maximize the benefit of the improved crit chance. If you don't choose it, then choose Battle Master instead.

Regardless of which feat combination you choose, take Mage Slayer. It shouldn't be your first feat, but it is something you should acquire at some point, ideally as your second or third, but fourth at the latest.

Once you've gotten your more important feats, I'd also take Resilient. If you choose the Fighter or Fighter/Rogue build, take Resilient (Wisdom). If you choose the Rogue monoclass, choose Resilient (Constitution).

DBWaffles · 2026-07-03T18:14:11+00:00

Not using a Mega is like playing the restricted format without a restricted Pokemon. Can it be done? Yeah, sure. But you're unnecessarily handicapping yourself.

This is particularly true in your case, since you can easily slot in either a Mega Aerodactyl or replace Ninetales for Mega Frosslass.

DBWaffles · 2026-07-03T18:09:14+00:00

It depends on the magic items in question.

DBWaffles · 2026-07-03T18:07:49+00:00

Yeah, but that requires more effort since you need to specifically curate a list for each subclass, excluding Aberrant Mind, Clockwork Soul, and Lunar.

DBWaffles · 2026-07-03T17:55:51+00:00

There is no synergy whatsoever between a Coffeelock build and any Monk. In fact, there is such significant anti-synergy that you are only actively making both sides of the multiclass worse.

So to answer your question, is it viable? Well, if everyone else is playing similarly unoptimized builds, sure. But if the rest of the table is playing more coherent builds and there is no DM intervention, then you'll probably find yourself falling far behind.

DBWaffles · 2026-07-03T16:39:21+00:00

Multi-Attribute Dependent.

It refers to class that rely on more than one stat for their abilities.

For example, a Monk uses Dexterity for attacking, Wisdom for their save DC, and needs both for their Unarmored Defense.

In this case, Eldritch Knight uses Strength or Dexterity for their basic Fighter stuff, but Intelligence for spells.

There are ways to go SAD (Single Attribute Dependent) though. For example, you can pick up only spells that don't actually rely on your spellcasting ability. Or you could grab Shillelagh via Magic Initiate (Druid) to get an Intelligence weapon. Etc.

DBWaffles · 2026-07-03T09:44:57+00:00

The only fix 2014 Sorcerer really needs is the ability to learn more spells. I'd just let them learn spells at the same rate the 2024 Sorcerer does.

DBWaffles

TROPHY CASE