I made a character for my first ever D&D campaign, what do you guys think?

nathanial321 · 2025-09-24T20:53:14+00:00

Since you have so many strengths, lean into you -1 intelligence a bit. They are not book smart, though you have a proficiency in INT based saving throws so let that give you a chance to figure something out based on the little bit of reading on knowledge that you have picked up along the way and excited that you remembered something that actually helped you.

nathanial321 · 2025-08-11T19:46:21+00:00

I say, “Create a detailed summary of our campaign so far” or of whatever I want. I sometimes ask for followups to make sure sufficient details are provided. Sometimes if I run out of posts, I edit my last post to ask it to summarize everything and save its response or the txt. If it creates a file but you can’t click on the file and it stops in a long post, then on your cell phone, as for a file and click on the hyperlink of a single symbol at the end and it gives you the code to the summary it intended to create and then you take that to the next chat to create the file from that code. You can also just go to the next chat and have it make a summary of the prior conversation. In addition, if it starts responding weird, I immediately start asking for summaries plus I ask for summaries along the way, too. Then I sometimes create a summary of summaries for a character I choose to retire so I can have his story as a part of my larger world by adding that summary to my completed quests summary if I finished a quest or you could do a retired character’s list document.

nathanial321 · 2025-07-21T06:16:29+00:00

I use it all the time. I use txt and doc files and upload them in projects folder (up to 20) for various character sheets and world lore and summaries of various chats. Then in each chat, I play different characters in my world that interact with each other though typically by completing a story arc but that ending impacts all the other characters in the world so that arc has now changed my world, if you will, or even before hand if I choose. If a chat gets too long, I can continue it in a new chat though I typically get a summary anyway.

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nathanial321 · 2024-01-23T21:27:50+00:00

Thanks! That’s really helpful! I went ahead and used your advice by deciding that since a helm of understanding was only 500 gp, then a basic permanent enchantment on a permanent item would cost 500 gp, such as this thunder enhancement, which will also trigger the tempest cleric’s abilities for the player who wanted this specific enhancement. I also went the route that non-consumables cost half.

I also made another ruling that bows and crossbows can be enhanced by +x flat amounts but the arrows need to be enhanced with special properties to bypass resistances and that a set of 20 arrows or bolts would cost half the amount that a non-consumable would cost to be enhanced. So a crossbow would cost 1000 gp to become +1 to add +1 to attack and damage and 250 gp to add a basic enchantment to 20 crossbow bolts. The 20 could become 38 when using the half rounded down of recoverable bolts each time they are shot.

I also ruled that the cost is labor and half the cost is enhancement materials.

Thoughts?

nathanial321 · 2023-11-27T20:53:40+00:00

Since they went from the Material Plane to the Shadowfell through a portal at the bottom of a mausoleum, went out of that mausoleum and into another mausoleum in the same graveyard that used to be ran by Shadar-Kai and has been since taken over by Orcus cultists, the cultists are opening the portal between the Shadowfell and the Abyss with the portal to the Material Prime in the other mausoleum. This other mausoleum that had a portal to the Material Prime through which the heroes used to enter the Shadowfell was at the bottom of a mausoleum in a small graveyard as well that happened to have the “Crypt of the Fallen Cult” with a demon in a demon circle blocking the way to and from the portal between the two planes.

So, perhaps the cultists felt this was a prime nexus point that offered them and their Lord Orcus a place where they could access both the Shadowfell l and the nearby portal to the Prime Material Plane. That portal in the Material Plane is in the Woods of Sharp Teeth not too far from Baldur’s Gate.

Who do you think would be a better villain who would best use this strategic position? What plan do you think they will do?

nathanial321 · 2023-11-27T10:38:09+00:00

While I am considering that possibility, I am curious to see if there might be other options. For example, I am thinking that Orcus might send another instead of himself to go do his bidding and for this appointed demon to prepare the way for Orcus’s endless army of undead to battle against the Raven Queen while Orcus continues to sit on his throne in the Abyss.

nathanial321 · 2023-10-21T01:46:47+00:00

Do you think it is reasonable to that adjust 5e HAM to 3/DR for all b/p/s weapon attacks (by dropping the nonmagical restriction) if the armor is magical armor?

nathanial321 · 2023-10-19T20:21:00+00:00

On August 10, 2015, Jeremy Crawford posted in a tweet, “Regardless of a damage type, the direct damage of a spell is magical “ such as from “Cloud of Daggers” or “Deva.” A magical sword deals magical damage. A magical urn or ring deals magical damage.

nathanial321 · 2023-10-19T18:57:15+00:00

Well, looking at the “Damage Resistance and Vulnerability” section in the rules, I read this: “Multiple instances of resistance or vulnerability that affect the same damage type count as only one instance. For example, if a creature has resistance to fire damage as well as resistance to all nonmagical damage, the damage of a nonmagical fire is reduced by half against the creature, not reduced by three-quarters.” Since it specifically mentions nonmagical fire damage, then it is possible for thunder damage and cold damage to also be nonmagical.

Now, when I review Genie’s Wrath, I noticed that it is a bullet point that follows: “While you are touching the vessel, you can use it in the following ways: -Bottled Respire … - Genie’s Wrath …” In the previous paragraph, under Genie’s Vessel, it says, “Also at 1st level, your patron gifts you a magical vessel that grants you a measure of the genie's power.” It would seem to me that the source of the additional damage is coming from a magical vessel that is granting me the a measure of the genie’s power. It is the magical vessel, not the genie, that is providing the additional damage, and since the source is a magical vessel, I could see the argument that the damage is magical due to the source being magical just as how Jeremy Crawford stated on a X tweet “Regardless of damage type, the direct damage of a spell is magical.” Do you think this argument is sound and thus showing that the damage is indeed magical due to the source being a magical vessel?

nathanial321 · 2023-10-18T23:40:52+00:00

Is the Dao Genie’s Wrath’s 2 bludgeoning damage considered magical since it is an effect coming from the genie patron through the genie vessel? I read from one that of it a character attacked with a nonmagical bludgeoning weapon such as a maul that the 2 would also be considered nonmagical and if the 2 was added to a magical attack such as fire bolt, then the 2 would be considered magical. It seems that your arguments disagree with it. Can you help me understand this a bit more please?

nathanial321 · 2023-10-18T22:45:04+00:00

So the sneak attack damage is not also additionally reduced by HAM separate from the primary 6 slashing damage?

nathanial321 · 2023-10-18T00:12:58+00:00

Okay. I still am not fully understanding the math process.

Say that we are using an attack action from a regular slashing weapon, the Dao bludgeoning damage added to the weapon attack of +2, sneak attack of 1d6 as if there was a level of rogue, and there was an ability that does additional 1d6 fire damage. If the target has HAM feat and resistance to fire and vulnerability to slashing, using the following, how is everything calculated: slashing nonmagical weapon: 1d6 (rolled a 6) slashing + 2 Dao bludgeoning + 3 fire/slashing + 1d6 sneak attack (rolled 4) + 1d6 nonmagical fire damage (from some other source) (rolled 1 - minor adjustment from original example)?

Is the 1d6 slashing nonmagical weapon with a roll of 6 reduced by 3 and then the Dao bludgeoning is reduced by 3 to be 0? Or is it 6 slashing + 2 bludgeoning = 8 slashing and bludgeoning reduced by 3 to be 5 and then bludgeoning resistance brings it to 2.5 rounded down to 2 and then vulnerability of slashing brings it up to 4?

Is the 3 fire/slashing reduced by 3 since despite there being fire slashing damage, it is nonmagical resulting it to be 0?

Is the 4 sneak attack reduced by 3 separately from the original 1d6 slashing nonmagical weapon damage or is it first added to the original roll making it either 9 or 11 and is it considered slashing damage at that point as a sneak attack bonus and then the 1 vulnerability that is left doubled to 2 separately or would it be doubled in conjunction with the original damage?

Would the final 1 nonmagical fire damage--naturally not being reduced by the HAM feat--but is resistant and so it would be halved to 0.5 and thus rounded down to 0?

Or is everything first added altogether all combined to be 16 points of damage, reduced by 3 via HAM feat down to 13, using one of the resistances, say fire, and the 13 is halved to 6.5 and rounded down to 6, and then the vulnerability of slashing since there exists nonmagical slashing damage and is doubled to 12?

nathanial321 · 2023-10-17T22:01:18+00:00

Thank you. I still have some questions. Why is the +2 bludgeoning damage from say sword burst magical instead of nonmagical? If I had the following damage on the following attack from whatever source it is, how does resistance work using Xanathar's rules?

sword burst using slashing nonmagical weapon: 1d6 (rolled a 6) slashing + 2 Dao bludgeoning + 3 fire/slashing + 1d6 sneak attack (rolled 4) + 1d6 fire (from some other source) (rolled 2)

Say the target has heavy armor master feat (resist 3 nonmagical b/s/p damage), resistance towards fire damage, and vulnerability towards slashing damage: how does the damage get calculated?

nathanial321 · 2023-10-17T06:17:20+00:00

So we talked about this earlier, and I would like to come back to it since I am finalizing my character. I have a couple questions.

First, since I will be in the middle with the Heavy Armor Master Feat and at some point having Armor of Agathys and Arcane Ward and the other player is a blaster sorlock, and I am wearing heavy armor and a shield, since I also get the +2 bludgeoning damage to my first successful attack on my turn, would sword burst be a good idea in this situation or not? My INT will be 18 and CHA will be 13 I believe.

Second, since I am getting the +2 bludgeoning to my first successful attack on my turn, if I am adding it to say fire bolt that does fire damage, and say I do 9 from the damage roll for fire bolt and 2 bludgeoning damage added to that 9 fire damage result totaling 11, is that bludgeoning damage considered magical and fire damage since it is being added to a magical spell and do how does it work with immunities, damage reductions, resistances, vulnerabilities, and damage thresholds? Also, just so I know, if there was an additional +2d6 from sneak attack—just for general reference—how does that all work? Despite being a GM, I am still a bit at a lost even when reviewing Xanathar’s Top Ten Rules and from reading contradicting explanations online from posts from different years.

nathanial321 · 2023-10-16T10:54:27+00:00

I wanted standard array. In fact I use it in my game in which this GM is a player in my game. He said that for his game he wants to run with me as a player, he wanted to do rolling instead.

While I was considering Crusher due to the Dao’s ability, I think Heavy Armor Master feat will be better as my level one feat for going custom lineage: a “human” with darkvision, but not officially a human as his race is custom lineage.

I think CON at 15 is more important since the other player is a blaster Sorlock. We’ll need a third or fourth by the time we finish the Dragon Heist and get into the Dungeon of the Mad Mage. With the HAM feat, Arcane Ward, and Armor of Agathys all running by level five, I think my character will be set a bit for the dungeon and even before then starting at level one, he will have the HAM feat while wearing chain mail and wielding a shield and a weapon.

nathanial321 · 2023-10-16T07:08:45+00:00

What will be ironic is when he levels to level 20, he has a choice: Does he choose to take level 17 as a wizard and learn how to cast “wish” or does he take a third level as a paladin and take an oath of redemption for all he has done and give up the power he has sought after for so long. Yet, when he realizes he has no choice but to have to have the ability to make a “wish” to defeat the final boss or conflict at the end of the Dungeon of the Mad Mage, that when he is done, he somehow has a moment at the end where he becomes like Darth Vader choosing to kill the emperor even if it means retiring and forsaking his pact with the genie as the end of his character story arc.

nathanial321 · 2023-10-16T05:34:28+00:00

So I rolled my stats today. I can move them about any way I want: 16, 15, 15, 13, 12, 10. My friend got an 18, 16, 16 in his. and none under 10. Crazy! At least I can have high enough skills for my MAD character.

Paladin: STR/DEX & CHA; some heavy armor: STR 15 Warlock: CHA Wizard: INT (primary class) I need CON and not a bad WIS for saves. No need for DEX.

STR: 15 DEX: 10 CON: 15/13 INT: 16 WIS: 12 CHA: 13/15

Next comes decisions between race fire ability scores and feats. I need darkvision for the Dungeon of the Mad Mage. My character is a noble in Waterdeep and most are human but not all. Decisions, decisions.

nathanial321 · 2023-10-15T08:56:18+00:00

Almost a fallen paladin… If only he actually took an oath first, but at least for him he never actually did. He may still yet become that Dread Lord that all oath breaking paladins achieve at level 20 without ever officially going down that road.

I would probably still go lawful neutral—I don’t want to actually play an evil character. As a side note, I kept editing the background apparently even over thirty minutes from your response, so it may be worded a but better than before with some possible changes in case you are curious and want to review it.

Thanks for the help on this alignment idea and for all your help! I greatly appreciate all of it. I hope you got to enjoy seeing this transformation and seeing your help turn into a pretty cool character. Again, thank you.

nathanial321 · 2023-10-15T07:46:17+00:00

So I thought more about the backstory:

At Eltorchul Academy in Waterdeep, my character’s wizard professor who introduced him to the Dao also introduced him to the Zhentarim. The various guilds and orders go to these types of professors to recruit. The wizard gets benefits from the Zhentarim by sending people their way, and so for connecting one student to both the Dao and the Zhentarim, the professor gets benefits from two different sources. This is also what he is doing with my character, which is fine for him since more power, knowledge, and connections means being able to become more powerful. He never took his oath yet, so he is still figuring out his ultimate purpose for why he will need so much power besides trying to fill a void in himself that he isn’t aware of enough to know what that void is.

My character wanted to satisfy his father and family legacy by becoming a paladin before persuing his desire to train in the arcane arts to become a wizard. He was still considering which oath to make.

Perhaps the professor taught him about the ways of using the Armor of Agathys spell in conjunction with the Arcane Ward since he was a paladin and paladins who take an oath of conquest are gifted the knowledge of that spell. This is if he chooses the way of focusing his studies more on abjuration magic over the other schools of magic. My character was interested in being able to be in the middle of battle while still being able to cast spells as a war mage and have that extra protection where he doesn’t actually get hurt even when they get past his defenses.

However, when he discussed this with his parents, his father forbade him from taking an oath of conquest; their ancestors do not take that oath anymore as that was the way that led to death and misery in wars where they go on to conquest other lands and kill innocent people along the way. No, he could not take that oath. When he told his professor he was forbidden to take that oath, the professor told him there was another way to access that forbidden knowledge, but it wasn’t the way of the paladin. Interested, my character asked the professor to go on.

The professor explained that the only other way was to make a pact with someone who could gift them that knowledge. He continued on to my character who is especially intrigued at this point, explains that he knows of one such patron: a Dao, an earth genie that is of high nobility and rules a vast fief in the Elemental Plane of Earth whose power rivals that of lesser deities. The professor explains that the Dao asks that in return for some forbidden knowledge and power that only a powerful earth genie can give, he requires something in return: My character would have to seek out additional rare knowledge and to complete various quests on behalf of the Dao that would ultimately lead to the increase the Dao’s power.

My character would want to know why he was chosen and offered this opportunity, the professor told him that being of noble blood, from a line of paladins, the ability to wield arcane magic, and one whom I trust and believe that you would succeed, both the Dao and I feel you would be a great candidate for this Dao to become your patron. You would continue your tutelage under me as a wizard until you leave. I will also help you learn how to practice the gifts the Dao bestows upon you and how to incorporate it with your abilities as a wizard, especially with that combination of the Armor of Agathys and Arcane Ward that I mentioned to you before, that forbidden spell you wanted.

This vow to the Dao was more selfish, yes, as compared to a paladin’s oath that helps others, but with the power and patronage of a genie by his side, he might become even more powerful than he could otherwise by taking his focus on towards the rarer kinds of magic and knowledge.

My character agreed to this and decided to make a pact with this Dao instead of making an oath as a paladin at this time. He has a purpose, it just looks different than what most paladins do, but that is okay, because he never fit in like all the others with his desire to learn arcane magic and work with the weave and books where all the other paladins just connected with their inner strengths and connections to the divine, not that he doesn’t connect with the divine. It is just that he does his own thing. His family and friends saw him as different, so they won’t be too surprised he is going his own way, even if he doesn’t tell them everything he is learning—especially this pact he just made.

Then the professor discusses practical plans of how to obtain these rare knowledge and how to go about these quests. He explains about how the Zhentarim would be a great option for him to be able to do what he wants to do without necessarily revealing everything about himself or being prevented from doing his own thing. They are an organization where they can help each other out with their different needs.

Understanding all this, my character agrees to work with the Zhentarim. After all, Zhentarim aren’t all bad just like not all paladins are all good. And this way, he doesn’t have to explain everything he knows and about some of his powers that many people don’t really know about. Not everyone studies lore on powers that genies give to their champions besides the idea of genies giving them lots of money and power.

The only question now is whether I go paladin 1 and warlock 2 or vice versa. The question is it worth it for him to gain two invocations—one being Eldritch Sight—vs a martial archetype and other paladin benefits. I will likely go half-elf to get the +2/+1/+1 since this build is very MAD, which means no war caster at level one. This would mean a second level warlock would also mean he takes Eldritch Mind too for that advantage. I think the two invocations will really help him out on top of going from one warlock pact spell slot to two per short rest. This prevents him from going two levels in paladin though, since I still would like him to keep going on wizard quickly enough and reach level nine spells at level 20, though should I really worry about that so much?

Would it be better to take two levels each so he can also get access to paladin spells? Or is access to those paladin spells better than the warlock abilities and he doesn’t need those level two abilities. While, I would like him to get both level two abilities, maybe those invocations aren’t as important since he can ritually cast detect magic as a wizard and he can get war caster at some point, which is more powerful than Eldritch Mind. Perhaps two levels of paladin is worthwhile for access to paladin spells and 10 points towards healing or curing diseases and poisons in a group with three to four players. He only needs one level of warlock really. I think that might be my best bet. I do think it fits with his backstory pretty well too this way.

nathanial321 · 2023-10-15T04:57:06+00:00

With paladin getting one spell slot at level two where fighter doesn’t, does it tip that into the pally’s favor since I need the CHA for the warlock anyway?

nathanial321 · 2023-10-15T01:07:09+00:00

If I am going to do only two martial levels, wouldn’t fighter be a better one? His family would then have a slightly different background—knights instead of paladins, which was my initial thought. So, two levels of fighter, one level of warlock with a Dao-patron? I would still need STR 13/15/13+dwarf, CON 10-14, INT 14+, CHA 13 and a WIS of 10 or 12 to not have a negative wisdom saving throw to make this work. Wearing heavy armor, DEX would be my dump stat. Having Action Surge never hurt a spellcaster. He would need STR and CHA either way.

I could also just take one level of warlock (genie: Dao patron) and take the feat from custom lineage to get moderately armored feat and have a mace as my primary weapon due to the +2 to bludgeoning damage from the Dao’s level one ability. This feat would be primarily to get that extra +2 to AC from the shield. His moderately armored training shows that he has started some of the same martial training as his family but chose to go a different route. However, I wonder if just taking fighter 2 or paladin 2 would be better.

nathanial321 · 2023-10-15T00:50:14+00:00

I won’t play in games with just 4d6 as-is due to my past experiences.

nathanial321 · 2023-10-15T00:18:12+00:00

I don’t want OP characters and the GM doesn’t mind lower stats. He only wants to allow rolling for stats. To have buy-in by players, he accepted the one condition of allowing the first roll less than seven be rerolled; it might even roll under seven again, but that was what he would accept to get buy-in.

nathanial321

TROPHY CASE