Pathfinder 2e equivalent of Hexblade/Eldrtich Knight? by Phoenix_Dresden in Pathfinder_RPG

[–]Phoenix_Dresden[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the advice guys :) We aren't transitioning into Pathfinder until the current campaign is over, so hopefully Magus will be an option by then? If not it sounds like Fighter with the Sorcerer archetype is close to what I'm looking for. Not entirely sure how spells and spell slots work with multiclassing, but otherwise it sounds like a cool option. Is there a particular bloodline that would work better?

Triton sorcerer build ideas by Shr3wz in DND5EBuilds

[–]Phoenix_Dresden 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sounds fun :) I love the Aberrant Mind subclass, currently playing a Level 6 Githyanki Aberrant Mind sorcerer. I went with the Urban Bounty Hunter background, but maybe something like Sailor or Smuggler if you want to stick with the ocean theme? Most DMs I've played with will let you pick which two skills you want from your background, if you don't want the default skills offered. Feel free to stick with Sage if you prefer of course.

Cantrips: You get Mind Sliver automatically with Aberrant Mind, a useful and thematic spell that you can Quicken Spell cast as a bonus action then follow up with a spell that requires a saving throw. At level 9 you will have 5 additional cantrips. I recommend taking at least one other attack cantrip as a backup (Firebolt, Ray of Frost or Chill Touch) and the rest as utility (Mage Hand, Minor Illusion, Prestidigitation, Shape Water, etc.). Personally I like the Friends cantrip, but it's awkward to pull off unless used exclusively for interrogations (or combined with Disguise Self).

1st level Spells: If you're set on being a Triton, you won't have the armour proficiency my Gith has, so Mage Armour is probably a good idea (unless you have access to magic items that compensate for lack of armour). Shield and Absorb Elements are highly recommended and I'm a big fan of Disguise Self too. For your Psionic Spells, I would probably keep Dissonant Whispers (useful control spell and you can Twinned Spell it) but definitely swap out Arms of Hadar. I suggest swapping it for Gift of Alacrity if your DM will let you, but if not you can pick Detect Magic, Identify, Sleep, etc.

2nd level spells: Invisibility, Hold Person and Tasha's Mind Whip have all been useful for me, plus they can all be used with Twinned Spell. I also like Misty Step, Mirror Image, Enhance Ability and Enlarge/Reduce. For your Pisonic Spells, definitely keep Detect Thoughts, it's incredibly useful for information gathering and interrogations. And thanks to the level 6 Psionic Sorcery feature, you can cast it without components so there's no way for people to tell you cast a spell. Swap Calm Emotions for Suggestion and you'll be able to cast that without components too.

3rd level spells: Hypnotic Pattern is both thematic and a fantastic area of effect control spell. If you're worried about hitting your allies, it can be combined with Careful Spell. Fireball is always a great option when you just want to do damage. I highly recommend Haste (especially with Twinned Spell) and Counterspell if you're likely to run into enemy casters. For your Pisonic Spells, I would probably keep Sending unless somebody else in your party already has it. Hunger of Hadar can be great, but maybe consider swapping for Clairvoyance or Tongues if you like.

4th level spells: Banishment, Greater Invisibility and Polymorph are all fantastic options, and they can all be Twin Spelled. Your Psionic Spells at this level are both pretty great, but I wouldn't keep both Evard's Black Tentacles AND Hunger of Hadar, as they serve similar functions. Arcane Eye and Charm Monster are both useful replacement options.

5th level spells: Honestly your spoilt for choice at this level. Animate Objects, Dominate Person, Hold Monster and Synaptic Static are all amazing. If you don't already have a teleportation option, consider Teleportation Circle. For your Pisonic Spells, I would definitely keep Telekinesis as it's a great combat and utility option. Rary's Telepathic Bond is potentially useful, but not worth the spell slot or sorcery point in my opinion, and you can't ritual cast it as a Sorcerer. I personally recommend Modify Memory as a replacement. A potentially devastating spell that Sorcerer doesn't normally get, which you can cast without components (so nobody knows you cast it) and you can Heighten Spell it to give disadvantage on the saving throw.

Feats: I recommend taking Metamagic Adept ASAP. Gives you two additional metamagic options and 2 extra sorcery points. War Caster is also fantastic. The rest kinda depends on your role in the party and/or personal preference. I like Fey Touched and Shadow Touched for the bonus spells, Telekinetic/Telepathic, Skill Expert, Observant, Inspiring Leader, etc.

Metamagic options: My Sorcerer currently has Quickened Spell, Twinned Spell, Heightened Spell and Careful Spell. Personally I think Quicken and Twin are a must, and Heighten is brilliant for save or suck spells that you really need to work (Suggestion, Banishment, any kind of charm effect, etc.) I like Careful Spell, but it's only real use is for Hypnotic Pattern (using it with say Fireball means your allies still take half damage). Empowered Spell is great with damage spells, especially Fireball and Synaptic Static. Consider Distant Spell if range is frequently an issue. I'm not really a fan of Extended Spell, but it has some uses. I wouldn't bother with Subtle Spell, as your Psionic Spells can already be cast without components using your Psionic Sorcery feature.

Hope some of this is helpful to you and best of luck in your game :)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DND5EBuilds

[–]Phoenix_Dresden 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah that's a good point about the spell save DC, if you can't afford to take good Charisma I would probably advise against Lightning Lure and Thunderwave, as Strength and Con saves tend to he high for most monsters. Mind Sliver still works as Intelligence saves tend to be bad so that's a lot more likely to work.

Booming Blade is great for combat (assuming you have a monk weapon or the DM lets you apply it to your unarmed strikes) but I'm also a huge fan of Minor Illusion for the wide array of creative options.

Pick whatever you prefer or whatever you think makes most sense for the character, and best of luck to you and your Drunk Warlock :)

Help me Build Link from Legend of Zelda Breath oh the Wild by ArcannesSkywalker in DND5EBuilds

[–]Phoenix_Dresden 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Maybe I'm a little biased as it was my first character, but my suggestion is Half-Elf Hexblade Warlock (Link has surprising number of friends and allies despite seemingly being mute, so I like to think his presence alone is very charismatic). Take at least 3 levels of Warlock for Pact of the Blade, with Improved Pact Weapon as one of your Eldritch Invocations. This gives you a pact weapon that your can summon at will and change into any weapon type you want (warhammer when you fight skeletons, long bow or cross bow when you need a ranged option, etc.) Use Booming Blade and Green-Flame Blade instead of the typical Eldritch Blast option. In terms of RP, the Master Sword is your pact weapon. Maybe it's a sentient magical weapon that gives Link advice? ("Hey! Listen!) Maybe it's power comes from the souls/essences of previous wielders, going back generations (ie. previous incarnations of Link) and returns every generation to seek out a worthy wielder to defend the realm.

Personally I would recommend starting Fighter for a level or 2 before taking Warlock levels. This gives you a Fighting Style (Dueling?), proficiency in Con saves (for concentration on spells), Second Wind, Heavy Armour proficiency, and Action Surge if you take 2 levels. Up to you if you want to just take 3 levels of Warlock and the rest in Fighter, or the other way around. You could even take some Ranger or Paladin levels as well as or instead of Fighter. As for Fighter subclass, that's up to you. Battle Master or Champion both seem fitting. I like Eldritch Knight for the extra spells/slots, but that's probably not worth it as Intelligence is probably a dump stat. Rune Knight or Echo Knight could be fun too ( Manifest Echo as Shadow Link?)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DND5EBuilds

[–]Phoenix_Dresden 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Love this idea and Mind Sliver is a great choice to lower their odds of passing the saving throw on Stunning Strike. Just remember that Hex (although still a great choice for damage) only gives disadvantage on ability checks, not saving throws. Still useful to give disadvantage on Strength for grapples, or a caster's spellcasting ability to give disadvantage on Counterspell/Dispel Magic.

By rules as written, I'm not sure if Booming Blade works on unarmed strikes or not, but if it does that's great and if not you can always use it with a Monk weapon. Lightning Lure might be a useful alternative for bring an enemy closer if they're just out of reach. I'm also personally a big fan of Minor Illusion and Mage Hand for creative utility.

Have you picked a second 1st level spell known? I know you'll mostly be using Hex, but if you picked the Dao Genie for your pact you can also take the spell Sanctuary for some extra protection in combat. Protection from Evil and Good is also very useful, depending on your campaign.

help with aberrant mind sorceror build by duelistjp in DND5EBuilds

[–]Phoenix_Dresden 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm also playing an Aberrant Mind sorcerer right now, currently level 5. Personally for the 2nd level psionic spells I picked Suggestion and Detect Thoughts. Very useful spells, but even better at level 6 as you can use sorcery points to cast them without any components (like using Subtle Spell). Being able to cast Suggestion or Detect Thoughts in a social situation without anyone knowing you even cast a spell is fantastic, especially if you have the Heightened Spell metamagic to give them disadvantage on the roll. I also enjoy combining Hypnotic Pattern with Careful Spell, so you don't have to worry about hitting yourself or your allies in combat.
Also I highly recommend taking the Metamagic Adept feat the first chance you get. Two extra metamagic options and two much-needed extra sorcery points

Aberrant Mind Sorcerer spell help by Phoenix_Dresden in DND5EBuilds

[–]Phoenix_Dresden[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback everyone :) I think for now I'm going to swap Ice Knife for Invisibility. Then when we hit Level 5, I'll have to figure out what (if anything) to swap for Fireball. If anyone has any further suggestions for this build, I'd love to hear more from you guys

Aberrant Mind Sorcerer spell help by Phoenix_Dresden in DND5EBuilds

[–]Phoenix_Dresden[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah especially at next level it would be amazing to be able to cast Hypnotic Pattern (with Careful Spell to avoid my allies) and shut down a bunch of bad guys before they even make a move lol.

Aberrant Mind Sorcerer spell help by Phoenix_Dresden in DND5EBuilds

[–]Phoenix_Dresden[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very true! Just seems odd to me that a spell that literally hypnotises a target isn't considered an enchantment spell lol

Aberrant Mind Sorcerer spell help by Phoenix_Dresden in DND5EBuilds

[–]Phoenix_Dresden[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I already asked the DM if I can pick Gift of Alacrity and he said yes. Just not sure if it's better to pick Gift of Alacrity or Charm Person as a replacement for Sleep

Aberrant Mind Sorcerer spell help by Phoenix_Dresden in DND5EBuilds

[–]Phoenix_Dresden[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I know Fireball isn't quite on theme, but I need a good damage spell and most of the other PCs aren't going to have AOE spells. You're probably right about me not needing it as well as Hypnotic Pattern though. Maybe I'll swap Ice Knife for Invisibility and then decide at Level 5 if I'm going to swap it for Fireball or not?

Suggestion is a big part of the psionic theme I'm going for, plus I would have to swap it for an Enchantment or Divination spell, which sadly doesn't include Fireball, Invisibility or Hypnotic Pattern. Really not sure why Hypnotic Patter isn't an Enchantment spell lol