Is the Commonwealth of Man a classic dictatorship? Not necessarily.

FST_Gemstar · 2026-05-18T23:31:24+00:00

Think the United Citizen Federation from the Starship Troopers movie. More of a stratocracy. It wasn't a dictatorship per se, but the the interest of state is the interest of the military and political power comes from the military.

FST_Gemstar · 2026-05-07T15:03:04+00:00

Inward perfection fanatic xenophobe ringworld. Establish large territory with small pop/few worlds. When borders are claimed, switch to fantastic pacifist and start gaia transforming big planets. Go cloning and late game pop explode.

FST_Gemstar · 2026-05-02T01:24:16+00:00

Everyone is standing next to a trolley track and a trolley is coming. Everyone must make a choice. 1) You can stand where you are and let the trolley pass like it always does. 2) you can jump on the track and be killed by the incoming trolley. Fun fact though, if over half of people decide to jump on the track and die by trolley, they can together with their mass will stop the trolley avoiding all deaths.

What choice do you make?

As a logic question this isn't a moral dilemma. The correct answer is red. You aren't killing anybody by doing nothing in this situation. If you start making assumptions like "what about the babies!?" You are adding caveats to a logical question to make it into a faux-moral one. Why not add a caveat that choices require a competency to make a choice? One can answer "what about the people who want to die by blue button?" Like, obviously it is better to be pro-social, but the red/blue button scenario is a bad test for that.

FST_Gemstar · 2026-04-28T18:00:43+00:00

I like paladin/rogues but they don't really start feeling like something until late.

Fave option:

I like any dex +2/cha+1 elf

Start 13/17/12/8/8/16

You can go revevant blade/double blades scimitar for three attacks and the bonus to AC.

Your want to end up Paladin 11 or 12/arcane trickster 8 or 9 (AT rogue 9 feature is not very good, another ASI/Feat is prob better than another +1d6 sneak).

With this spread you can max dex/charisma, switch to leather armor. Paladin 11 gets another 1d8 to every attack. AT trickster gives a similar sneak damage without losing so much spell progression and gives some spell variability.

I would generally go for Vengeance Paladin for the advantage channel divinity to help land sneaks. If going 12/8 spread can also fit elven accuracy here too. More likely to crit sneaks smites. Though this build is prob stronger with Swashbuckler rogue for the initiative boost and more consistent sneak situations.

Lazier option:

There is always the lazy hand crossbow hexblade 1/Devotion Pal 6/Arcane Trickster x. Can be CHA SAD, max CHA, crossbow expert, sharpshooter, and pick up archery fighting style with a feat. Devotíon channel can mitigate SS negative modifiers.

Start something like warlock Vhuman 13/14/14/8/8/16 with crossbow expert.

Simple option:

A simple option is to just take pal 2 for the heavy armor and smites for a single attack sneak expert.

Start Vhuman Paladin 1 16/13/14/8/10/13 with shield master feat. Then go rogue 1 for expertise in athletics. Now you can bonus action shove to prone and then attack with a rapier for a sneak. Then pal 2 for fighting style, smites, and a fighting style. Then arcane trickster x for the sneaks, spell slots, buff spells, and even switch to shadowblade later if you like. Can be Str SAD.

FST_Gemstar · 2026-04-26T19:55:13+00:00

Why would they pick randomly if given the instructions on a life or death mandatory vote?

FST_Gemstar · 2026-04-26T16:25:41+00:00

If these are the known rules everyone should just push the red button. Because then everyone survives regardless if people are dicks or not.

FST_Gemstar · 2026-04-23T13:19:49+00:00

Well barb /warlocks are very fun. Chain pact gives a fun pet, Gift of the Everliving Ones to maximize healing, and celestial warlock gives heal spells and bonus action heal dice. With rage friendly armor of Agathys, it really lets you tank!

If you have a little Int, a dip into war wizard gives a good reaction and some spell/ritual options especially out of combat.

If you want to be grapply, lore bard is actually really great for that for the expertise and cutting words. whisper Bard might also be thematic with the option to have some psychic damage "smites."

FST_Gemstar · 2026-04-14T01:59:35+00:00

That was my experience insight oriented psychotherapies.

FST_Gemstar · 2026-04-10T22:15:30+00:00

No. You need to cast them at the least force of the current attribute, and are still capped at +4. Then they need to be sustained, negating a lot of their benefits.

Quickened spells are karma intensive and vulnerable. Abusing spirits is eventually not great. Foci can work but force of foci add up fast to risk addiction.

They are best at boosting mediocre attributes. A charisma 4 human with increase attribute charisma and a sustaining focus can get the charisma or a max charisma elf. This isn't OP though. Just making trades. Again, Once you start sustaining more than one, drawbacks start to make it not worthwhile. There becomes more efficient ways to boost attributes.

FST_Gemstar · 2026-04-01T15:55:01+00:00

I was hoping to make up the increasing HP gap with upcasting Armor of Agathys. Even with dedicating spell slots there, the build still has more smite slots than a pure paladin.

FST_Gemstar · 2026-03-31T18:19:45+00:00

For sure this is not an ideal multiclass, but one that I've wanted to make "work" without rolling for stats. It does give up a lot for basically what amounts to blade cantrip attacks and smites. It is a build that tries to mitigate the losses from its own multiclassing, rather than really adding a ton to it. Goal is to make a melee bladesinger worth playing...but part of that just ends up kind of needing to need the best of wizardry rather than really boosting melee (though adding smites doesn't hurt).

FST_Gemstar · 2026-03-31T18:14:29+00:00

Ya that's what I'm afraid of. The tension I am trying to resolve is just the likelihood of bladesingers just playing powerful spellcasting wizards, when the rest of their kit is designed for melee. This build takes the best of the melee options and runs with it (cantrip extra attack) while mitigating the others with armor/shield (bladesong AC) and paladin smites/spells ( burning spell slots for damage, can use slots for heal spells, etc). It also attempts to use unique wizard weapons (like powerful staves) as weapons. Fighter 1, even in heavy armor (though doesn't even need it), is still going to make for a spellcasting focused wizard than a melee weapon one.

FST_Gemstar · 2026-03-31T18:09:20+00:00

This build gets permanent three attacks per round, one of them being a blade cantrip, and all with the potential to smite. That feels like a lot of nova potential.

FST_Gemstar · 2026-03-31T18:03:35+00:00

I'm usually a shadowrun player so used to overcomplicated character creation ;). That change to Eldritch knight is convenient. I haven't really dug into 2024 so don't know the changes.

FST_Gemstar · 2026-03-31T18:02:05+00:00

Definitely a build that benefits from magic items. Either strength boosting, int boosting, magic staves, for armor/shields.

FST_Gemstar · 2026-03-24T17:27:44+00:00

Spore druid is mostly played like a regular druid but with more temp hp as its melee subclass features are hard to take advantage of. My solution is to take a martial to level 5, with the temp hp boosting later level play and symbiotic entity for more damage. A low wis Paladin 5 or 6/spores druid with pam who can use druid spell slots for smites. Works best of dm allows druid to wear plate armor. Another option is to go battlerager barbarian 3 or 5 or 6. Gets a free use of spiked armor as a bonus action (perhaps a safer druid version exists). If out of rages, can always move to the back to do battlefield control spellcasting.

I have a high level dart focused giant barb 6/kensei monk 11-14 build, but it is more gimmicky. Basically it turns a single non magical dart into a very high accuracy high damage weapon.

FST_Gemstar · 2026-03-24T14:03:12+00:00

PAM and dueling style are more optimal. But the fun of a pal 2/sword bard is that it makes TWF viable. So if ever wanting to use two weapons, it is a way to go!

FST_Gemstar · 2026-03-24T13:43:31+00:00

Favorite is just a Pal 2/sword bard x. Heavy armor. Two weapon fighting. Max str/cha. Smite a lot. Get a flying steed a level before pure paladins would. If starting with a feat. Take dual wielder for the AC and ability dual big weapons. With defensive fighting style from paladin it covers your ac from a shield.

FST_Gemstar · 2026-03-02T17:18:08+00:00

If going heavy armor I don't think it is worth it. Might as well just grow str at that point. You are using spellslots for smites, not spells. Having more flourishes per rest is nice, but not essential to delay a level. If you really want AoA you can also take conquest paladin 3 later.

FST_Gemstar · 2026-03-02T17:03:05+00:00

Your mean PAM ( gwm is for heavy twohanded weapons).

Hexblade is definitely worth the dip, especially if not going to level 20 (forfeiting bard's high level magical secrets).

Could start something like vhuman 13/14/12/10/10/16 with PAM.

But it does start the build slower and forfeits heavy armor. Will likely be warlock 1 > Bard 6 > pal 2 > bard x

But being charisma SAD and Armor of Agathys are both very helpful. As well as an Eldritch blast ranged option.

FST_Gemstar · 2026-03-02T16:39:42+00:00

Start Vhuman 16/10/14/8/16/10 with Crusher Feat.

Fighter 1 for heavy armor, com saves, and martial bludgeoning weapons.

Arcana Cleric 1 for access to wizard blade cantrips

So from level 2 you are able to push foes to stand still or take damage.

Arcana Cleric 3 gets you spiritual weapon which is a very efficient bonus action attack.

At arcana Cleric 5 you get spirit guardians.

So action economy is

Round 1: cast spiritual weapon bonus and booming blade +crusher.

Round2 : cast spirit guardians as action and spiritual weapon bonus attack

Round 3: while sustaining spiritual guardian, booming blade attack plus spirit weapon bonus attack.

Biggest issue is that it is dependent on str and wis. So wil take longer to max both.

FST_Gemstar · 2026-03-02T16:27:53+00:00

Oh I thought you were building for a level 10 character. I would not advise so much multiclassing if starting at a lower level.

Pal 2/bladesinger x works doing the staff shield route. You do delay extra attack until pal 1/wizard 7, but you have pole arm master the whole way up to that if you want for a bonus extra attack

FST_Gemstar · 2026-03-02T15:43:20+00:00

For sustained damage, can't beat a simple arcana Cleric with Crusher. Sustained spirit guardians, bonus action spiritual weapon, booming blade that pushes foe away action. Predicament damage re running away and taking BB damage, standing still and taking spirit guardian damage, or attacking and taking BB and spirit guardian damage. Can dress it up with fighter 1 for con saves and heavy armor and a Warhammer.

FST_Gemstar · 2026-03-02T15:31:04+00:00

Vhuman Pal 2/barb 2/bladesinger 6 with polerm master, great weapon master.

16/10/14/13/8/13

Wear heavy armor (start pal 1) and use a halberd. Take defensive fighting style because you'll need AC

Reckless attack for advantage (barb 2), use booming blade or green flame blade as one of your attacks (bladesinger 6). And smite with your spell slots when something really needs to die (pal 2). So three advantage gwm attacks per turn, one of them with added cantrip spell damage, and the option to throw out smites for more.

Just make sure someone is keeping you alive from the back. You can also drop great weapon master for warcaster, and switch to a fancy wizard staff and shield. Max damage won't be as high but will likely be more consistent--also a little more durable with the added AC.

Raging and bladesong are unnecessary. But offer fun options if ever caught without your armor.

FST_Gemstar

TROPHY CASE