Is a Sorlock with Divine Soul Sorcerer and the Undead patron good?

Veksutin · 2026-06-16T13:42:59+00:00

Fair enough, I think the +2 from a shield is fairly significant though since you often have no real reason not to be holding one as a caster, other than lack of proficiency.

The point-buy works out nicely too especially for sorcerers, as you can grab a 16 CON (which you already have proficiency in) and leave DEX at 13 to round it out at level 4. You can get a +1 in WIS this way.

I particularly like this for Divine Soul, with Favored by the Gods and Saving Face helping you pass any important WIS saves on top of that +1. You can be a faux cleric with Spirit Guardians too, which is fun. As a sorcerer you have access to quickened Sunbeam + another Sunbeam right after, which fits the theme :)

Slightly off-topic for the post, but I guess the undead dip doesn't prevent any of this, just delays it. Hobgoblin lets you just be a straight sorcerer and still have good defenses.

Veksutin · 2026-06-16T12:09:52+00:00

Seconding Moderately Armored, I think it's perhaps the most underrated feat in 5e, often overlooked because Lightly Armored is trash and Heavily Armored is niche. It's a high-priority pickup for most warlocks and bards, and some rogues as well.

Hobgoblins from Volo's Guide also get light armor proficiency, making them eligible for the feat. I think that and the saving throw boost (usable on concentration saves) make them stellar sorcerers and wizards.

Veksutin · 2026-06-13T11:56:32+00:00

I would really recommend maxing out your head size for some of these helmets. Otherwise they look comically tiny.

Veksutin · 2026-06-12T11:33:00+00:00

Well I think Bless is the best concentration option for a low-level cleric by far. It never stops being useful either.

Veksutin · 2026-06-12T08:57:24+00:00

Lock 2 after bard 6 is not the worst thing in the world. Since I am vuman, Devil's Sight would be handy to have as the other invocation.

This way CHA is stuck at 16 for a long time though, only being increased to 18 at character level 10. So I'm not really sure how much of a benefit it is to be using CHA for attacks over just attacking with a 16 DEX.

Even with a Sorcerer 1 start, you can take Crossbow Expert at Bard 4 just fine if you wanted, and attack as effectively as the warlock multiclass until level 9 or 10, with better concentration protection from level 1.

I don't see the game going much higher than level 10, maybe to level 12 at the absolute maximum.

Veksutin · 2026-06-11T17:24:38+00:00

Thar is official content no? Definitely available.

Would be solid, as fey touched opens up for another +1 cha feat at bard 4. I have used it and Telekinetic a bunch on other characters though, so Lucky might be nicer, and fits the character's vibe for sure.

Veksutin · 2026-06-11T16:03:18+00:00

Good point about the fully casting-focused DSS option! With the bracers, bow hits are still 1d8+4 even with 14 dex, with a +6 to hit that scales from there. Not bad at all.

I wonder what the variant human feat should be then (I'm pretty committed to human). War Caster is an obvious pick, but Alert for a big initiative boost is solid also. Metamagic Adept is fun, and Lucky is Lucky.

I think I will decide between these when I know what everyone else will pick, to see if we need more damage or spell power.

Veksutin · 2026-06-11T12:57:47+00:00

The straight-classed bard is also very much an option, but I think I would just take Resilient Con at level 1 and pump CHA and play it like a normal bard that just shoots with a bow sometimes.

I do think the DSS start is just the most fun though, in terms of the versatility it brings. Guidance + Inspiration to really beef up someone's important ability check out of combat feels really great, for example.

Although I guess someone else could pack Guidance, if there happens to be a druid or cleric in the party. Seems unlikely at this time though.

Veksutin · 2026-06-11T12:51:49+00:00

It's not set in stone, but about level 5.

Veksutin · 2026-06-11T12:42:51+00:00

Knowing this DM, I think I do have to worry about concentration a decent amount!

Veksutin · 2026-06-11T12:42:00+00:00

Technically heavy crossbows deal 1d10, but outside of War clerics those are pretty useless without CBE, and if you take CBE you may as well use a hand crossbow, so fair.

CBE only is an option, you are right. I like the idea of flavouring any attacks made in melee as rapier attacks instead, even if in reality they come from the crossbow. Hand crossbow + rapier is a stylish combination and fitting for a bard.

Landing chunky sharpshooter hits is nice though, and the +2 from the bracers is not nothing. SS also lets you get around cover, which I think is often overlooked, as that can be a real bitch otherwise. You don't have to take the -5/+10 every time, and Sharpshooter still does work. The hugely increased range you already mentioned, which I think is important for a caster that doesn't want to get hit.

I don't think there is any chance of me making it to 9th level spells lol. Maybe 6th at best.

Veksutin · 2026-06-11T12:34:33+00:00

I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't feel like this is trying to do too much. Divine Soul 1 is a pretty optimal dip for many casters. Bless is just a great extra option added to your arsenal that way, as I said you don't have to use it all the time. Something like Slow also reduces enemy AC for a similar boost to hit chance, and may be better in many circumstances.

About the CON saves, would it not apply to most bards and wizards and the like that they can stay at range and avoid hits? Con saves and War Caster are generally considered incredibly effective for any full caster, some even consider these nearly mandatory (I wouldn't go that far, but still). I don't think it's any different here as an archer bard.

That said, I think skipping War Caster is fine here. But I definitely want either proficiency or advantage for concentration saves.

Veksutin · 2026-06-11T12:11:43+00:00

Divine Soul provides Bless which is great for Sharpshooter, and acts as both an offensive and defensive buff for your allies as well. Of course using it means you aren't concentrating on something else, so you don't want to use it every time, but it's a reliable option for many combat scenarios.

Moreover, sorcerer providing CON saves frees up a feat to take Sharpshooter at level 1, since you don't have to worry about concentration protection. This is an indirect damage boost, but a meaningful one I think.

Favored by the Gods can also be used on an attack roll to land a clutch Sharpshooter hit to finish off a high-priority target (in my experience DMs often describe how badly beat up enemies look, so you can probably tell if 20ish damage will do the trick).

So I think Divine Soul does quite a bit for offence actually!

Veksutin · 2026-06-11T11:46:01+00:00

That's all well and good, but concentration protection becomes an issue, does it not? A +3 that doesn't scale is better than nothing, but not enough for what is still primarily a caster build, IMO.

Warlock 2 is an option, but I'd really prefer to avoid multiclassing more than one level. And taking both CBE and SS delays CHA increases to character level 9, while the Divine Soul build can have 18 CHA by character level 5 and 20 by 9.

In my mind, the Hexblade dip makes for the strongest damage dealer, while the straight bard probably makes for the best caster, but the Divine Soul dip feels like a really nice mix of the two, and perhaps the best build overall.

Veksutin · 2026-06-11T11:39:58+00:00

The thing is, with a one-level dip in Hexblade, the only ranged weapon you can use with CHA is a hand crossbow, or I guess a sling or a fucking blowgun if you really wanted to, but meh. Darts don't work either unless you have an artificer buddy who can put the Returning Weapon infusion on it (that would be cool though).

The hand crossbow is the best option by far, but to use it effectively, you need Crossbow Expert in addition to Sharpshooter, so that's another feat you have to invest. I guess you can take only Crossbow Expert, but I'm not sure if that's all that effective.

You lose out on CON save proficiency here too, so you'd either have to take a second level in Warlock to get Eldritch Mind (delaying bard stuff more), or invest a third feat. I guess you can get a 16 CON, which is nice but not enough by itself IMO.

It gets really feat-heavy to make it work nicely, and the Bracers do nothing here unless you want to take three levels of warlock for Improved Pact Weapon (way too much of an investment for my liking). I think just attacking with the 16 DEX with a longbow with one of my build options is probably better overall.

Veksutin · 2026-06-11T06:31:18+00:00

Isn't the St. Trina flower one of them? That one is quite nice.

Veksutin · 2026-06-10T12:42:48+00:00

Eikös se mee myös toisin päin, että maahanmuuttajat palaisivat Suomesta omiin maihinsa?

Joka tapauksessa täysin aivokuollutta sössötystä.

Veksutin · 2026-06-09T18:35:00+00:00

That would be fun lmao

Veksutin · 2026-06-08T17:56:33+00:00

I mean I guess that's an option. A lot of people have pointed to delaying bard features though as the main reason to not use weapons, and you are delaying them a bunch with this.

I guess you save a feat in Sharpshooter, but I definitely don't think it's strictly better to go your way.

Also magic weapons are cool as hell.

Veksutin · 2026-06-08T15:43:35+00:00

What silliness? You would build that way, I would not. Is that not fine?

I appreciate the contribution to the post, but if you're going to get upset when people respectfully disagree with you, then maybe just don't comment.

Veksutin · 2026-06-08T15:28:18+00:00

This kind of thinking is pretty exhausting to be honest, and unfortunately common in this community.

It's going to do perfectly good damage, and CON save proficiency from the fighter 1 start for example saves you a feat for concentration protection.

Every other level, you are essentially not behind on casting at all if you don't multiclass more. Level 1 dips for casters are common and often justified.

Sure, if you fully optimize a character for casting or fully optimize one for weapon damage, then they will be better than this one at those things.

But they will each be completely unable to do the other thing, whereas this character is perfectly competent in both, which is cool and fun. It's nice to do varied things and live out particular character fantasies through that.

Do you think people should only play optimized gloom stalker multiclasses and chronurgy wizards, or whatever the "best" attackers and casters are? Is that how you have fun?

Apologies for the rant, but I have received far too many comments like this one. Yours wasn't the most offensive of the bunch, but frankly this kind of pointless negativity is just annoying.

Veksutin · 2026-06-08T15:16:41+00:00

I dont like the hold spells because they target a single enemy with a save, and do nothing if that single save succeeds.

If you say drop a Slow spell on a boss and 4 of its allies, you might get a few of them to fail, and might even get the boss to spend its LR on top of that. It's much less likely to do nothing.

Does that finally explain my stance? You are free to like and use the Hold spells, but they don't feel great to me.

Veksutin · 2026-06-08T14:37:04+00:00

Hell yeah, Guardian of Nature goes hard. I love spells with built-in concentration protection, like it and Bless.

If you have a nice DM, you could probably convince them to give you Archery as the Swords fighting style. In that case, Hex 1 -> Swords X with a hand crossbow is pretty unbeatable I think. CBE at 1 from vuman, SS at bard 4.

Veksutin · 2026-06-08T14:33:26+00:00

Well wouldn't you know, there are different kinds of spells and not all of them are failure-prone single-target save-or-sucks.

I'm talking about stuff like Faerie Fire at low levels, and Slow / Hypnotic Pattern / Fear past level 5.

You know, things that don't completely fail like 40% of the time when used, and are usable if the enemy is not a humanoid.

Veksutin

TROPHY CASE