#5e build

[dicebound]

Stolas 5e Build

The Barnaby post did so well that I decided to go ahead and make a Stolas build as well. 1. Lineage - Winged Tiefling Owlin again for obvious reasons. Alternatively, you could go for the winged tiefling option and reflavor your appearance as an owl. 2. Class - Wizard/Scribes So Stolas powers as far as we have seen them are demonic, celestial and tied to a grimoire. That gives us a few solid options for classes the obvious being Wizard, Warlock, and Cleric with honorable mention to a single subclass of Druid. Wizard and Warlock both can use spellbooks and have access to a lot of the starry/spacey spells as well as creepy/demonic spells. I'll admit, Warlock and Wizard also hedge out the others a bit in my mind for their access to the Flesh to Stone spell. For Wizard Subclasses I would recommend Order of Scribes or Divination School. Order of Scribes really is just Wizard+ allowing to squeeze everything you can out of your spellbook and really helps shine how important the Grimoire is. Divination school fits the scrying we've seen Stolas do in the past, but doesn't give a lot of star flavor otherwise. For Warlock, Pact of the Tome is a given with Fiend Patron being an obvious choice to represent getting his position and power from the Ars Goetia. The Great Old Patron also stands out for it's expanded spell list and the ability to make thralls, befitting the possession Stolas did while in the human world. For Cleric we've got solid choices in Knowledge Domain and Twilight Domain with his god assumedly being Asmodeus (in D&D/Forgotten Realms terms). Knowledge domain fits gleaming supernatural knowledge from the stars, but Twilight Domain has really strong flavor for night and shadow thats difficult to discount plus the subclass is among the game's most powerful. Finally for Druid, Circle of Stars has the strongest starry flavor in the game but the spell list, lack of demonic flavor, and ties to nature just don't scream Stolas to me.

For the purposes of this build I'm going with Order of Scribes Wizard, but any of these options fit the character and have different pros and cons behind them.

3. Background - Noble The Noble background is stand-out choice for Stolas, not much to be said here. 4. Skills For his Wizard Skills I think Arcana and History are the best choices. With the Noble background he gets Persuasion automatically and for it's pure utility I would grab Perception. 5. Stats With +2 Intelligence and +1 Dexterity from Variant Tiefling (Origins) and using point buy I would distribute his stats as follows: Str - 8 Dex - 14 Con - 12 Int - 16 Wis - 12 Cha - 16 Stolas is described as a "scrawny twig ass" by Stella, leading me to believe that most of physical stats are rather poor. Str as our dump stat and only okay Con, we pump Dex for AC and move on. Int is our casting stat so we prioritize it over all others, with finally a middling Cha and a low Wis. You could swap Wis and Cha around tho, and I'd believe you as he has both been a poor read of people and not very personable. 6. Spells Assuming spells for a 3rd level character, here are my recommendations. You want spells that are spooky or starry in flavor, plus just general utility. For Cantrips I'd grab options like Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Minor Illusion, Dancing Lights. For damage, I'd grab at least one attack roll cantrip such as Ray of Frost or Firebolt and out thematic one such as Toll the Dead or Mind Sliver. If you take Magic Initiate at 1st level you can focus on Wizard's utility cantrips and pick up your damaging options from the feat. As Wizard, Stolas could know any number of spells through spell scrolls and the like. As always choices like Detect Magic, Identify, Magic Missile, Mirror Image, Mage Armor and Shield are just plain useful. For thematic options you want spooky and starry so things like Augury, Shadow Blade, Tasha's Mind Whip, Hold Person, etc. For things we've seen Stolas actually do, Tasha's Hideous Laughter, Misty Step, Disguise Self, Darkness and Cause Fear stand out me. 7. Feats (Optional) If your GM allows Feats at First Level, then you have some solid options here. For plain utility Tough and War Caster are solid options. If you went with Variant Tiefling for your lineage, Infernal Constitution is also great as it gives you a lot of resistances for a squishy wizard. For build/fun stuff, Magic Initiate (Wizard/Warlock) are a solid choice to get even more spell options. If you take Warlock in particular, grab Eldritch Blast as the best damage dealing cantrip in the game and one of the options I mentioned in the Spell section. For the 1st level spell, Hex, Hellish Rebuke, Cause Fear and Arms of Hadar stand out to me as good flavor or just useful. Finally, Telekinetic, Telepathic, Shadow Touched, Metamagic Adept and Eldritch Adept can also be fun choices to get more ways of manipulating your spells/options.

for Eldritch Adept in particular, Eldritch Mind, Devil's Sight and Armor of Shadows stand out as very solid options for Stolas. Eyes of the Rune Keeper is flavorful and on theme even if it is more situational.

[nutnoce]

The Byrd Bard

A musician with a secret talent for the banjo..unfortunately he'd rather be known for his skill at French Horn. Which is why he left his job and maxed out his credit to get one. Will it be worth it?! All he has to do is learn it!

[psychhound]

yall i was searching for something in my google docs and just found possibly the funniest d&d homebrew i couldve ever made i dont remember this at all but im weeping

HEY DO YOU WANT SOME UH,,, ALLERGIES

IF YOU WANT YOUR CHARACTERS TO HAVE ALLERGIES HERE YOU GO

choose a number of allergy triggers from this list: 

specific animals 

specific foods 

plants and plant-based spells or effects 

specific materials or magical items

monster types (beasts, celestials, dragons, etc) 

magical damage types 

specific spells 

specific magical effects 

schools of magic 

spellcasting classes or subclasses 

choose between hay fever, nausea, or anaphylaxis for each allergen  

upon exposure to the allergen, make a DC 10 constitution saving throw. on a successful save there is no effect. on a failed save refer to your chosen allergy symptom 

hay fever: you enter the poisoned condition. your sneezing alerts enemies within 300 feet to your presence. you can make a DC 15 con save at the end of each of your turns to remove this condition 

nausea: you enter the poisoned condition. you must pass a DC 10 con save at the beginning of each of your turns in order to take bonus actions and movement, and beat a DC 15 in order to take actions. on a con save of 20 or higher the condition is removed 

anaphylaxis: you enter the incapacitated condition. you must pass a DC 10 con save at the beginning of each of your turns or your movement speed is halved. on a con save of 5 or lower you enter the stunned condition. on a con save of 20 or higher the condition is removed 

if you are under the allergy symptom condition and roll a natural 1 on a con save, you immediately enter unconsciousness but are stable and do not make death saves 

lesser restoration, protection from poison, and lay on hands all remove the allergy condition. protection from poison does grant advantage on allergy saving throws 

THERE YOU HAVE IT ????? ENJOY ........ THIS.

(for more 5e homebrew including free disability stuff check my pinned!!)

[dungeonmalcontent]

Imagine, if you will, a church of powerful clerics. They are incredibly knowledgeable and capable spellcasters and healers and scholars. But they don't train warriors, war and soldiers create conflict. They don't want a holy arms race.

Instead they have the mausoleum vault.

It is a heavily secured crypt of sealed burial chambers where they have locked away countless vampires. Many of them are knowledgeable and powerful, but cannot do much when faces with the order's overbearing holy power. And whenever the church has need of a lone powerful warrior, a durable agent to carry out an important task, they dig up a vampire.

They offer all the undead in their mausoleum a simple offer. Do the job and you might earn your soul back (the monks are quite capable of doing such things as undoing vampirism), or stay in the vault until you're willing to do the job. Try to run mid-job or betray the order and risk being hunted down and being stuffed back in your sealed coffin (which will be placed in a river). Because the order controls their place of regeneration, it's kind of hard to say no.

[ultimavela]

In a previous post, I talked about how I allow my players to push the odds in their favour by allowing them to expend X HP to increase in +X their rolls.

I have a new idea that does the same but tries to point at another issue that I have encountered with my game group: how inconsequential food is to the mechanics of the game.

The thing is that my group’s players truly enjoy describing what their characters eat, how they gather what they eat, and how they cook whatever they have gathered. But then, when they finish their descriptions, and if they have done a good job preparing a hearty meal, they look at me like waiting to hear that now their characters are better equipped for the challenges to come. But when the challenges come, whether they eat well or bad, tasty or bland, does not really matter.

That’s why in this new homebrew I tried to include food in the equation. To give a meaning to the actions of my players when they decide to go fishing for food instead of eating the stale bread they have stored at the bottom of their saddlebags.

[grailfinders]

Grailfinders Viewers' Choice #29: Alice Kuonji

today on grailfinders I desperately see how broken a character who does nothing themselves can be, because we’re making Alice Kuonji from Tsukihime, but she’s also in FGO now, so at least I’m saving myself a future headache. Alice is a Necromancer Wizard because we need an ungodly amount of magic, and also necromancers are just better summoners if all you want to do is summon. ᵃⁿᵈ ʸᵉˢ, ᴵ ᵏⁿᵒʷ ᵗʰᵉ ᵖˡᵒʸˢ ⁽ᵖʳᵒᵇᵃᵇˡʸ⁾ ᵃʳᵉⁿ’ᵗ ᶻᵒᵐᵇᶦᵉˢ, ᵇᵘᵗ ᵗʰᵉʸ ᵈᵒ ʳᵉᵖʳᵉˢᵉⁿᵗ ᵃ “ˡᵒⁿᵍ ᵈᵉᵃᵈ” ᵃᵍᵉ

well I thought I was being clever.

anyways, check out her build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here! I’m taking the next month off as far as vc builds go since I already have a sizeable backlog I need to catch up on and summer isn’t doing me any favors, so the next poll will hopefully be in August!

Ancestry & Background

starting things off nice and normal, Alice is a Satyr.

okay hear me out.

in the nasuverse, Alice Kuonji is a Witch, which is actually a type of fey, and thus not a human. while there are several races of fey that can be played in D&D, a lot of them can be ruled out quickly. Centaurs have the wrong number of limbs and focus on physical attacks, Faeries are just too small to work, and Changelings have a central conceit that we wouldn’t use in any capacity.

that leaves us with Hexblood, which is… fine, I guess, I guess you can use the eerie tokens as more familiars, but Satyrs are one of the most powerful races you can pick in D&D, and Alice is kind of busted, so it fits a bit better. besides, we’ll have plenty of familiars from magic alone, don’t worry.

as a Satyr you are, of course, a Fey, so spells like Hold Person straight up don’t work on you- already off to a great start for your immortality. you can Ram people which is not something we’re using, but your Magical Resistance more than makes up for it by giving you advantage on all saves against all magic. your Mirthful Leaps let you add extra distance to your long and high jumps, which actually fits rather well with your ability to levitate, and as a Reveler you get extra proficiencies. I’m actually going to keep Performance for a lil somethin’-somethin’ later, but you get Deception too, to hide your true nature from humans.

most of your ploys come from your ancestors, making you an Inheritor of their power. that gives you proficiency with Survival and Arcana.

Ability Scores

first is Intelligence- a lot of your ploys have weird conditions and drawbacks you have to keep in mind when you fight, so you have to fight smart. second is Wisdom- you’re actually not that great with the modern world, so most of your actual knowledge isn’t book smarts. of course, wisdom doesn’t have a mechanical benefit here, so it’s lower. third is Constitution. it’s not how much you can bleed, but how hard you can get hit and keep getting up. you have like 18 guts stacked on you by default, so… that’s a lot. your Dexterity is just above average to hopefully keep you alive until level 20. that means your Charisma isn’t great- you’re a shut-in among mages, which is really saying something. of course, we’re dumping Strength. you have other people to do that stuff for you. well, not people, but still.

Class Levels

1. at level one, all wizards get an Arcane Recovery, so once per day you can regain a few spell slots on your short rest, with the total level of all the slots equaling half your level, rounded up. speaking of, you also learn Spells, which you cast and prepare using your Intelligence. since you use a spellbook for these, you can also learn spells by copying them down from other wizards, and with six spells now and two more every level, you won’t be left wanting.

that being said I don’t have all day to exhaustively talk about every spell you’ll learn as you level up, so I’ll break them down into two categories: Familiars and Spells that Make You Die Less. if a spell doesn’t fit into either of these categories, or there’s something specific I want to point out, I’ll do it here, otherwise check the character sheet for the full spell list.

that being said, there’s two spells at level 1 I need to touch on- Detect Magic, because everyone needs an information dump at some point so they can follow along, and Fog Cloud. it’s not exactly Flat Snark just yet, but it’s a start.

2. second level necromancers become Necromancers, so you’re a necromancy savant, so copying necromancy spells is faster and cheaper. you also can reap a Grim Harvest, so whenever you kill a living creature with a spell you get double the spell’s level back in HP (or three times if it’s a necromancy spell). I don’t think this really works for Alice, but we don’t really use it in this build anyway, since you tend to use summons, so it’s never really “you” killing anything. the first couple levels are a bit slow, but things pick up when we can actually summon stuff, don’t worry.

you also learn Sleep this level though. No real reason for it tbh, but it felt like a faerie tale thing a witch would do, which is kind of your MO.

3. at third level you learn second level spells, so now you can make Darkness happen whenever you want. this doesn’t actually make it nighttime, so it doesn’t really affect your spells, but I figured I’d get it anyway as an homage.

4. use your first Ability Score Improvement to round up your Constitution and Intelligence to cast better and live long enough to cast even better later. remember, bonuses to your constitution affect your health retroactively, so you get 4 extra HP this level!

Prestidigitation is the cantrip you give someone when they’re just good at everything, and Alice can levitate, so… Levitate.

5. fifth level wizards get third level spells, and while I won’t go into much detail, you can celebrate gaining your first summoning spell, Summon Fey. you’ve had a couple ploys by now, but this is the first time one’s been really able to help you in battle.

6. at level six you can command Undead Thralls, giving you the Animate Dead spell for free, and whenever you summon undead, they come out with extra HP and damage. while this encourages us to stick only to undead, ploys are whatever the hell you want them to be, so feel free to experiment with the other summoning spells. like Tiny Servant! now you can make an adorable teapot minion to carry out your will. if you overcharge the spell, you can make a whole cutlery drawer do your bidding!

7. seventh level wizards get fourth level spells, and surprise surprise it’s more summoning!

8. at eighth level you gain the Gift of the Metallic Dragon instead of an Ability Score Improvement, so you learn Cure Wounds for a solid healing factor, and Protective Wings, giving you an even better shield. well, it’s not better yet, but shield is +5 AC and this right now is +3, but without using spell slots.

9. ninth level wizards get fifth level spells- Bigby’s Hand is our best simulacrum of a giant murderous you… for now, so I guess this is Flat Snarp’s final form… or is it?

10. tenth level necromancers are Inured to Undeath, so you resist necrotic damage and your HP total can’t be reduced. period. this is a secret tool that will help us later.

also, if you really want a great shield you can use Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere to lock yourself in a resilient sphere. nothing can pass into or out of the sphere, so make sure you summon your lackeys before hiding away in it.

actually don’t do that, most summons require concentration, as does this spell. once again, the rules of dnd prevent us from having a good time in dnd, shame.

11. eleventh level wizards get sixth level spells, and now you can create a Wall of Ice. the moon throws icebergs at people sometimes, don’t ask me for context. also you can Create Undead this level, but only at night! just like your ploys, eh? that’s what we call “flavor”. just. don’t actually lick the zombies.

12. in your final NP you kind of… become the snarp? I guess? so that’s why Tasha’s Otherworldly Guise is here.

13. thirteenth level wizards get seventh level spells, and you can turn the entire world into a fantasy land thanks to Mirage Arcane, letting you warp everything around you whenever you so wish. you can also create your own ploys this level using Create Magen. it’s worth pointing out that this spell normally has the drawback of permanently reducing your max HP, but we can safely ignore that because you’re a necromancer.

14. at fourteenth level you can Command Undead, forcing an undead creature under your control until you take someone else over. you can also use this on intelligent undead, but it won’t last nearly as long. your best ploys are someone else’s anyway, so it works.

15. at fifteenth level you can use eighth level spells, like Control Weather. I’m pretty sure this also can’t make it turn to night, but I’d let you do it, fuck it it’s an eighth level spell.

16. sixteenth level wizards get another ASI, to bump up your Constitution again. you can also use Telekinesis now. sometimes the moon throws a carnival at people, it’s fine don’t worry about it.

17. seventeenth level wizards get ninth level spells. Invulnerability makes you invulnerable, and True Polymorph lets you turn random objects into faerie-tale creatures. it turns out the rule-breaking ultramage really likes ninth level spells, go figure.

18. eighth level wizards learn Spell Mastery, letting you cast one 1st level spell and one 2nd level spell for free at will, so you know we have to grab Find Familiar and Levitate. you have way too many familiars and levitation is just something you do for funsies, it all fits.

also, you get Wish. yeah that’s just a thing you can do, idk how there’s any kind of plot with you around I’ll be honest.

19. use your last ASI to grab the Tough feat for 40 more HP. yep.

20. with our last level you get the wizard capstone, Signature Spells, two third level spells that you always have prepared, and they also get a free cast each day. so of course we’re getting Animate Dead and Tiny Servant. whimsical and horrifying, all in one go!

Pros & Cons

Pros:

thanks to the power of necromancy, building and maintaining an army of 30 ploys is not only possible, but not even close to the upper limit you can wield. you could even get the actual 108 you brag about all the time! not only that, but you’re not just limited to shambling corpses, having access to various kinds of fey, elementals, and magen to make some clever clogs under your control.

invulnerability makes you completely immune to damage for ten minutes, which is a long time for a wizard to be able to do whatever the fuck they want. even before that, you’re pretty durable for a spellcaster, with almost 200 HP, access to your own healing, and even having the option to clone yourself and come back time after time.

you have Wish, so you can literally just do whatever you want, forever. yes you have a good chance to lose the spell forever if you abuse it, but still, using it the right way once can end any problem you could possibly have.

Cons:

like most spellcasters, the good shit comes in the endgame, so you’ll have to survive a pretty long time on your lonesome first. you don’t even get any summons until level 5, so hopefully that’s when your campaign starts.

invulnerability is nice, but most of your damaging spells that aren’t zombie-related require concentration, so you’ll have to choose between turtling and living forever or doing stuff and being at risk. if you’re playing to character the former is the correct answer, but it might not be that fun in-game.

that ploy army requires upkeep, and the more you make the more spell slots will be used on just those zombies day after day. at a point, your zombies will be getting taken out in one hit, so just keep that in mind before you burn half your slots each morning.

[rustymaps]

Weasaros City

[a-wa-c]

The writing team behind Pathfinder 2nd Edition are doing good work. Not just just in terms of a good system, but a good setting.

Changing how places in their setting work and what they are like is pretty baller, with the first big example of that being the Mwangi Expanse not just being a new world ripe that is being conquered, but an actual place with peoples and cultures that exist there.

They're also going to do the same thing with the upcoming Tian book, trying to move away from just having Samurai and Ninja as classes and them being all mystical and spiritual all the time, to something still fantastical but realistic. A lot more is coming with the next GM book, so it'll be cool to see what's there when I can actually get my hands on it.

Also a meme-dig at WotC, because fuck them (on the D&D side. Their cardboard crack is still top-tier)

[nerdythebard]

#61: Loki Laufeyson [Marvel Comics]

[Art Credit: Gabriel Hernandez Walta | Doctor Strange (2015)] ---

I'll start by saying this, my dear Deities... I am not a fan. As a resident mythology nerd, I have a few baseball bats with Marvel decision-makers' names on them. But, I am a bard of the people and therefore shall hear my audience's requests. And thus, we're building Loki Laufeyson as depicted by Marvel Comics. Plenty of changes to the real Loki (which will be featured!), so let's see what we can do.

Next Time: You want more gods, I give you more gods. No more monkey business! Unless the monkey's business is to become immortal.

So, what does this so-called Loki brings to the table:

Tall Tales & Tricks: Loki in most of his iterations is known for his speechcraft and manipulation techniques. This one, however, is also quite fond of spells and various magical practices, specialising however in illusions and shapeshifting (although seemingly limited to mostly humanoid forms).

Tough as... Ice: This Loki is a full frost giant (...shh! Keep the Jotunn lecture for those who ask, Nerdy) with all the physiological advantages. We're talking durability, strength, the entire package.

Shinies & Stabbies: This Loki likes his pointy objects. Daggers and the sword Lævateinn seem to be his particular favourites. Plus, we all remember the glaive/scepter he gets in the movies.

---

To properly represent Loki's Jotunn lineage, we will reach for the "distant cousins of giants" in the world of D&D - Firbolgs, as depicted in Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Multiverse. We get +2 Charisma and +1 Constitution, some Firbolg Magic which lets us cast Detect Magic and Disguise Self (once without expending spell slots, unless we have slots to spell - spoilers: we will), ability to turn invisible with Hidden Step, ability to communicate (one way) with nature using the Speech of Beast and Leaf, as well as Powerful Build which makes us count as one category larger for tasks such as carrying, pulling, or lifting.

Loki's many things, but in most instances he is a Charlatan, so that's what we're going with. We gain proficiency in Deception and Sleight of Hand, as well as with disguise and forgery kits (which will be useful to alter our clothes, as it cannot be done via magic). We are also able to craft False Identity for ourselves, completed with an entire past full of tangible evidence. What's better for a foundling child, adopted by a local warlord, who needs to use disguise magic to hid his true form?

ABILITY SCORES

This one's obvious - we are putting our highest score into Charisma, we will be using it most of the time both in and out of combat. We also need to avoid, dodge, and slip into the shadows so Dexterity will be next. Finally, let's grab Constitution, just in case some musclehead with a hammer catches us once in a blue moon.

Intelligence will actually be next, we're good at gathering information and utilising it. Strength comes from our giant lineage, although we rarely get physical. Finally, we're dumping Wisdom - if we had it, we'd learn to not constantly betray our brother or the heroes that gave us a chance (again).

CLASS

Level 1 - Rogue: We will start with our non-magical skills. Rogues get a d8 as their Hit Die, [8 + Constitution modifier] initial Hit Points, proficiencies with light armour, simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords, and thieves' tools. Let's give your standard leather armour, and two daggers plus a shortsword (which what would a Norse primary weapon be, provided you're wealthy enough).

Our saving throws are Dexterity and Intelligence, and we can choose four skills from the class list (Acrobatics, Perception, Performance, and Stealth). Rogues start with Expertise to their skills, doubling the proficiency bonus of two chosen skills; for this Loki, who uses illusions and body switching so often, let's put Expertise in Persuasion and Stealth. We also know Thieves' Cant (can't what? - no, that joke will never not be funny), a system of phrases and symbols used by Rogues to communicate. Slip some Asgardian lingo without worry of revealing plans.

We can also apply Sneak Attack to any attack (with a Finesse or Ranged weapon) that we have an advantage on. The amount of damage increase as we level up; for now it's an extra 1d6.

Level 2 - Rogue: Our quick thinking grants us Cunning Action. We can now take the Dash, Disengage, and Hide Actions as Bonus Actions, allowing for better positioning.

Level 3 - Rogue: Our Sneak Attack bonus now becomes 2d6. We also get to pick our subclass, our Roguish Archetype. I'm guessing some of you would go with Arcane Trickster here, but remember we're focusing on quick and stabby Loki in this part; put on your feather caps, we're going Swashbuckler! With Fancy Footwork, we do not provoke opportunity attacks if we make an attack against the enemy (notice, it doesn't say we need to hit the enemy, so this is a perfect testing-the-waters technique). Thanks to our Rakish Audacity, we can add our Charisma modifier to our Initiative, making us a good scout and once again helping with our positioning.

Additionally at this point, when we're in melee range of an enemy and there's nobody else within 5 feet, we do not need advantage for our Sneak Attack.

Level 4 - Sorcerer: As one wise Loki said "blades are worthless in the face of a Loki Sorcery", so we're going to focus on that now. Multiclassing into Sorcerer does not give us any extra bonuses, but it enables Spellcasting. Charisma is our casting ability and we know catrips and regular spells. Sorcerers get a fixed number of spells. We start with four cantrips (Fire Bolt, Friends, Minor Illusion, and Prestidigitation) and two 1st-level spells (Comprehend Languages and Sleep).

Sorcerers also pick their subclass, their Sorcerous Origin, at this level. We shall circle back to our giant legacy and pick the Giant Soul option from the Unearthed Arcana 51. With the legacy of the Frost Giants embedded in our essence, we gain Jotun Resilience - every level up we get an additional 1 Hit Point. We also carry the Mark of Ordning, which grants us some additional spells; at this level it's Armour of Agathys and Ray of Frost.

Level 5 - Sorcerer: We discover our inner Font of Magic and are now able to convert Sorcery Points into Spell Slots and vice versa. We can also grab another 1st-level spell; let's grab Charm Person to emulate the usage of the Mind Stone.

Level 6 - Sorcerer: We unlock Metamagic, which lets us use Sorcery Points to alter the properties of our spells. We get to choose two options: Quickened Spell uses 2 Sorcery Points to change a spell from Action to Bonus Actions. Subtle Spell uses 1 Sorcery Point to cast a spell without verbal or somatic components - perfect to sneakily place an body double illusion.

We also unlock 2nd-level spells here, so in regards to my previous sentence, let's take Mirror Image. We also get Hold Person from our subclass.

Level 7 - Sorcerer: Time for our first Ability Score Improvement. Let's raise our Charisma and Constitution by one, and then we can move to our spell selection. We get a new cantrip (Green-Flame Blade) and another 2nd-level spell: Misty Step.

Level 8 - Sorcerer: At this level, we normally do not get anything; the optional feature from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything called Magical Guidance lets us spend Sorcer Points to re-roll failed ability checks, but ask your DM about that one.

We do, however, unlock 3rd-level spells, so let's take Major Image to improve the quality of our projections, while we stick to the shadows.

Level 9 - Sorcerer: We get another subclass feature. With Soul of Lost Ostoria, we gain a benefit based on the Giant heritage we've chosen previously. For Frost Giants, after casting one of our Mark of Ordning spells, we get temporary Hit Points equal to our Consitution modifier. We also get another 3rd-level spell; let's grab Antagonise.

Level 10 - Sorcerer: Halfway through the build and unfortunately, we get no class boons here. We do, however, unlock 4th-level spells so let's take Charm Monster to hopefully avoid potential non-human fights... or to cause them.

Level 11 - Sorcerer: Time for another ASI. Let's put points into Constitution and Wisdom, and then grab another 4th-level spell: Greater Invisibility.

Level 12 - Sorcerer: Once again, we get nothing class-wise. We do unlock 5th-level spells now, so let's take Creation to have an opportunity to always have a tool or a wepon on our hands.

Level 13 - Sorcerer: We get to pick another Metamagic option here. With Extended Spell, we can extend the duration of our spells (if available) by spending Sorcery Points to a maximum of 24 hours. Useful to keep some illusions or the Creation spell we've picked up last level.

We also pick up our last cantrip of the build (Mending) and another 5th-level spell; this time, let's get Telekinesis to reorganise the environment around us (and pick some loose trinkets laying in the open).

Level 14 - Sorcerer: Once again, no new class boons but we do unlock 6th-level spells. With Mass Suggestion, we can now convince an entire crowd of mortals to bow down before us (or perhaps vote us President).

Level 15 - Sorcerer: For our next ASI, we will increase our Dexterity by two points to get better AC and Initiative options.

Level 16 - Sorcerer: Unlocking 7th-level spells, we can now use Teleport to call up a lift from Heimdall. Just make sure to collect some knick-knacks from the place you want to teleport to for a better chance of actually going there. Spatial travel's tough.

Level 17 - Sorcerer: For our final subclass option of the build, we are able to unleash the Rage of Fallen Ostoria. When casting a spell, we can spend one additional Sorcerer Point to transform into our Giant Form. For 1 minute, we become one category size larger and gain the following benefits:

Our current Hit Points and Hit Points Maximum increase by 1 per Sorcerer Level.

Our reach increases by 5 feet.

Our speed increases by 5 feet.

We have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.

We get a bonus damage to our weapon attacks equal to our Constitution modifier.

Level 18 - Sorcerer: Once again, no class boons, but we do unlock 8th-level spells. To once again hopefully avoid combat, let's use the power of the Norse Runes and grab Power Word: Stun.

Level 19 - Sorcerer: For our final ASI of the build, let's cap our Charisma to 20. Who knows, maybe the BBEG would be so willing to step down after having a nice little chat.

Level 20 - Sorcerer: For our capstone as Sorcerer 16, we get to enhance our Metamagic yet again. For the late game, let's get Twinned Spell to add one additional target to some of spells (like Telekinesis, Charm Monster, Major Image, etc.).

---

And this is what I can do for the Marvel Comics version of Loki. Let's see what story I came up with:

First of all, we have a fantastic Initiative score. With a +7, we are almost certain to start every combat first which gives us fantastic opportunity to hide, reposition, or distract the enemy before they even make their move. Because this is what we are: we're a skirmisher, a supporter. We have enough to protect ourselves with but mostly we use Crowd Control and sticking to the back lines. We are first and formost the Party's out-of-combat Face for all social interactions.

Our AC is 14 and we have the average of 153 Hit Points.

Despite a solid identity as the Face, our Wisdom score is absolutely abysmal, which is not really great considering that is one of the most used and abused by the enemies. We are very vulnerable to any charmed or feared effects, so it's best to avoid being seen or invest into some magic item protection.

---

So that is it. You guys want more gods, I listen and serve. It's good to be back in the character building saddle. I'll see you soon with another breakdown build, my friends <3

-Nerdy out!

[astarion-appreciation-station]

So I've played D&D in some form for 20 years. Started in college, met my husband over it, still play it today. I've seen a lot of tips and tricks over the years.

One trick I like while playing a necromancer is Summon Undead.

This is different than the usual animate dead because you can choose a specific type of undead to summon. So here's what you can do!

1) Summon a Putrid Undead. Among the other usual undead traits it has this:

Okay great, it poisons enemies that's good

*BUT WAIT THERES MORE!*

2) Poison an enemy round one. On the undead's turn attack with this:

3) So now you have a chance to paralyze a target and keep it paralysed as long as it fails saves. Combine this with ways to lower the chance of a failure (I personally used this with an eloquence bard / Unsettling Words - basically a use of Bardic Inspiration that subtracts the roll from a creatures next save) and you have an almost permenantly stunned enemy.

That's great!

...

So how does this relate to BG3?

Well, imagine my surprise when I first played to see that Cazador had Putrid Zombies with a poison aura that paralyzed on hit. I almost wiped because of that.

But you know what? I wasn't even mad, because I recognized the same trick I had used in a past game!

... Reluctantly, I had to give Caz mad props for that. He still died horribly for hurting my vampire boyfriend but for a moment, I respected his game.

From one necromancer to another.

[fantasticalrealmsandlands]

What kind of paladin do you play (Musicals Version)?

Which song speaks to the heart of what drives your paladin? 1. To Dream The Impossible Dream. From Man of La Mancha.

2. C'est Moi. Camelot.

3. Stars. Les Miserable.

Because I am a huge DnD and musicals nerd and for too long have questions like these boiled in my mind. And because it is me...I will make an item for the winner. Or the top two if it gets 100 interactions. Or all three if it gets 500. And a subclass for the winner if it gets over 1000.

[dicebound]

Striker D&D 5e Build

My Stolas post is making the rounds again, so I thought I'd build Striker for funsies. 1. Lineage - Tiefling (Fierna) Being an imp, Tiefling is an obvious choice for Striker. What sub-lineage you choose varies on what class you end up picking for him. Zariel or Standard Tiefling is the most fitting in my eyes, followed by Fierna Tiefling for the charm and suggestion angles. If you wanted to play up the rattlesnake aspect of Striker's character, you could also go with Yuan-ti.

2. Background - Urban Bounty Hunter So here's the thing, we don't know much about where Striker comes from and why he's the way he is. He seems to be from the Wrath Ring, given his cowboy theming, and has a strong dislike of Nobles. He also takes jobs from just about anyone to do just about anything. I'd say Criminal/Spy, Urban Bounty Hunter or Outlander are your primary thematic options for him given what information we have at this time. I could also see Faction Agent with a specific tie to the Zhentarim in a Forgotten Realms game.

3. Class - Vengeance Paladin So Class is fun, as Striker can do a little bit of everything. He's a highly capable contract killer with a charismatic flair. He fights with guns and whips, rides hell steeds with ease, and even plays the guitar. He also seems to struggle to keep his cool under pressure as of his second and third outings. Because Striker has such a wide array of talents, he could realistically be many classes. Bard, Fighter, Ranger, Rogue, Paladin or Warlock all fit him to one degree or another. I feel stronger about the Martial Classes than I do the spellcasting ones, given we haven't really seen Striker use magic. SO let's break it down. A) Bard Striker is sexy and charming and Bard is the class most known for it's Charisma shenanigans. Their skill monkey nature fits Striker's wide range of capabilities. However, Striker isn't much of a spellcaster and no Bard subclass currently enhances ranged combat. If you want to go this route, go College of Whispers or College of Valor. B) Fighter If your DM allows Guns and Critical Role content from DDB, then Gunslinger Fighter is an easy answer. You really couldn't go wrong with it. If not, Arcane Archer or Battle Master Fighter could also do the trick. Arcane Archer more for it's focus on flashy ranged attacks and Battle Master for being just fucking good. Also Chevalier may be good to represent his ropin' and riding.

C) Ranger So Cowboys just *are* Rangers. They spend time out in nature alongside trusty steeds and stocks of steer. That being said, it's not a popular class in 5e and only Hunter really fits Striker as a character. I also don't know if I'd represent Striker as especially Wise, given his demeanor. D) Rogue He's a criminal who takes jobs with the mafia and assassination contracts against nobles, he's got Rogue energy for sure. Skill monkey also fits well with his wide range of talents. Assassin is a given but also consider Swashbuckler and Scout as subclass options. Swashbuckler for it's Charisma focus and stylin' on the enemy and Scout for it's ranger, outdoorsy flavor. You really can't go wrong with Rogue. E) Paladin This might seem way off base, but I think Paladin has some great potential to represent Striker really well. Charisma based martial class with limited holy power (angelic weapons anyone?). While we don't know the full scope of it, Striker seems to have an ideology that he's intent on carrying out and holds against others. Oath of Conquest, Oath of Vengeance, or Oathbreaker are the stand-outs to me. My only grip is Smite doesn't work on Ranged attacks (though One D&D may fix that) Conquest's battlefield control really fits the fantasy of fighting and winning against multiple people at once, while Vengeance seems to fit his anti-noble ideology.

F) Warlock Finally, we need to pay some lip service to Warlock. Striker is a demon, he usually works for a greater evil (Crimson or Stella for example), and Hexblade may be too good to pass up. Also hey, Eldritch Smite is a thing. I don't see Striker being anything other than Pact of the Blade for this though and He hasn't been shown doing any real spellcasting. It's one of the weaker options in terms of accuracy to the character.

For my purposes, I'm gonna go with Vengeance Paladin but really Assassin Rogue, Hunter Ranger, and Gunslinger Fighter are all excellent options.

4. Stats With +2 Dexterity and +1 Charisma from Tiefling (Origins) and using point buy I would distribute his stats as follows: Str - 14 Dex - 16 Con - 12 Int - 10 Wis - 10 Cha - 14 If not for the Strength requirement of Paladin (minimum 13) I may not have it so high. You could variably give him higher Intelligence or Wisdom but Striker has some butt monkey tendencies after his first outing that make me happy with how I've spread his stats. Alternatively, you swap his Dex and Charisma scores around as well.

5. Skills Skills that make sense for Striker are Athletics, Deception, Intimidation, Persuasion, Stealth, Animal Handling, Survival and Perception. You could also grab Performance for funsies. For my build, I grabbed Athletics and Intimidation from Paladin and Persuasion and Deception from Urban Bounty Hunter.

He also gets some tool proficencies from his background so I grabbed Thieves Tools and a Lute (sweet victory!).

6. Spells In my build, he's still a partial spellcaster. Most of his spell slots will go to Smite, but let's take a look anyway. Can't go wrong with the Smite Spells, Bane or Bless, and Heroism or Divine Favor could all be great. He debuffs his enemies or buffs himself and hits you where it hurts. Find Steed/Find Greater Steed seems like a must once you reach high enough level to take it.

7. Feats (Optional) - Skilled (Survival, Animal Handling, Perception) Most people use feats and feats at first level, but they're technically optional. That being said you have a lot of good options. Infernal Constitution from Tiefling could be nice to make Striker just hardier (he takes a lot of punishment in the show). Dual Wielder, Crossbow Expert/Gunner and Sharpshooter/Firearms Specialist are no brainers for a ranged focus character like Striker (varies if you use guns or not). Skilled / Skill Expert to show just how much more talented he is than you. Alert, Mobile, Tough, and War Caster are all easy choices with no real downsides. Mounted Combatant could be fun if you want to focus more on the ropin' and ridin' aspect of Striker's character.

[wizaardvarksworkshop]

“Not a coin or crown lies in the dragon’s lair. If not for the golden hue, you would think the dragon’s hoard a vast pool of quicksilver. But as you draw near, the surface ripples and, with an unearthly roar, it breaks as a dripping draconic form emerges to defend the boiling remains of its molten hoard.”

For Smaugust 2023 over on Instagram I am following prompt 3, molten. I knew it needed to be the dragon’s comeuppance for hoarding all that gold. Part ooze, part undead, part dragon, this is intended as a surprise boss at the end of dungeon for a lower level party of adventurers. It’s slow enough to keep away from, until it closes the distance along its trail, or locks you down in molten gold.

Knowing that this one was going to be basically covered in hot glue and UV resin, I focused more on overall shape when picking the dinosaur toys that went into this. It let me use some that had already been chopped up for other builds, and others that had defects in their plastic that I could hide under globs of gold.

[rebelcourtesan]

My D&D 5e Character Build for Alastor

Yep, Alastor was tricky to build.

Alastor, the mysterious Overlord benefactor who protects the Hazbin Hotel, but has ulterior motives we have yet to discover. Always grinning, and always there when you need him and when you don't want him around.

Lost post below with spoilers.

Stats (In order from Top to Lowest)

Charisma: Top Stat Alastor is the Radio Demon, Hell top Radio Host for a reason. We want this as high as possible.

Wisdom: 2nd Highest Alastor seems to notice when someone is hiding something from him. Such as Carmine Camilla at the Overlord meeting and whenever Vaggie is irritated.

Dexterity: 3rd Highest Alastor was able to dodge Adam's sloppy attacks with ease.

Constitution: 4th Highest Alastor had to retreat after a brutal hit from Adam.

Intelligence: 5th Highest Alastor isn't dumb, but he relies on his power and manipulation to get what he wants.

Strength: Dump Stat.

You're never fully dressed without a smile.

Race

For this build, we're going to go with Variant Human.

Put a point into Charisma and use the other point to round out any odd number score.

For the Feat, take War Caster. This will let Alastor roll his concentration with advantage and he can cast a spell instead of melee attack.

Selection Insight for skill proficiency.

As for Background, choose Entertainer which nets Alastor proficiency in Performance and Acrobatics.

First appearance of the Radio Demon

We're going to start with Warlock. Season 1 revealed Alastor answers to another power, whom I suspect is the source of his power. Hence a patron, and Warlocks spell modifier is their Charisma.

Level 1 - Warlock 1st Level

Saving Throws are Charisma and Wisdom.

Skills Proficiencies, choose Deceptions and Intimation

Alastor gets two cantrips and two spells. I'm going to choose spells based on the powers we've witnessed him use and based on his personality.

Cantrips

Eldritch Blast - (This is a must have for Warlocks. Flavor it anyway you like). A spell range attack for 1d10 force damage. The damage goes up as Alastor levels up in.

Toll the Dead - an enemy Alastor can see within range must make a Wisdom saving throw or take 1d8 necrotic damage. If the enemy is missing any hit points, it takes 1d12 instead. The damage goes up as Alastor levels up.

Spells

Arms of Hadar - This is right up Alastor's alley. Dark tendrils erupt in a 10 ft radius. Any creature in the area must make a Strength saving throw; on a failure, they take 2d6 necrotic damage and cannot take any reactions that turn. On a success, they only take half damage, but not other effects.

Hex - Alastor can select an enemy to take another 1d6 necrotic damage whenever damaged by an attack. Alastor can also choose an ability for the target to have disadvantage on checks with that ability.

Alastor's true face?

At level 1, Warlocks choose their patron. Since we don't know who Alastor has a deal with, I'm choosing the most appropriate patron for this build.

Patron: The Undead

Form of Undead - as a bonus action, Alastor can change his form for 1 minute for the following benefits:

Gain temporary hit points equal 1d10 + Warlock Level

Once during a turn, if Alastor hits an enemy, he can impose an Wisdom saving throw, on a failure, they become frightened of him until the end of his next turn.

Alastor becomes immune to the frightened condition

He can transform as many times as his proficiency bonus which refreshes after a long rest.

He also gains two spells added to his spell list.

Bane - Alastor can select up to three creatures who must make Charisma saving throws. On a fail, they must roll a 1d4 and subtract the number from any attack roll or saving throw until the spell ends. (This will be very useful as a lot of Alastor's spells and abilities depend on targets failing saving throws).

False Life - Alastor can bolster himself with 1d4 + 4 temporary hit points.

Alastor has a habit of unnerving people.

Level 2 - Warlock 2nd Level

At this level, Alastor gains Eldritch Invocations.

Agonizing Blast - adds Charisma modifier to damage roll for Eldritch Blast

Armor of Shadows - cast Mage Armor at will (adds 13 + Dex modifier) for AC so long as Alastor isn't wearing armor.

He also gains a new spell.

Charm Person - a target that fails a Charisma saving throw is charmed by Alastor who views him as a friendly face.

And more spells from his patron.

Blindness/Deafness - Alastor chooses a target that must pass a Con save or be blind or deafened.

Phantasmal Force - Alastor creates an elaborate illusion to fool enemies who must make an Intelligence save to see through it.

Level 3 - Warlock 3rd Level

This level Alastor gains Pact of the Talisman. Assume it's his radio staff which lets him roll a 1d4 and add the result to a failed saving throw. It can be done equal to his proficiency bonus and refreshed after a long rest.

Alastor gets a new spell:

Flock of Familiars - For one hour, Alastor can summon three familiars to do his bidding.

From his patron, he also gets the spells Phantom Steed and Speak with Dead. Not anything we've seen him do before, but better to have than not have.

Alastor always has a smile, even when he's pissed.

Level 4 - Warlock 4th Level

Ability Score Improvement - Put both points into Charisma to buff up Alastor's spell casting and Charisma checks.

New spell - Misty Step: as a bonus action, Alastor can teleport himself 30 ft.

He also gains two more spells from his patron:

Death Ward - Alastor can touch an ally and give it protection from death. When the ally drops to 0 hits points, instead they remain standing with 1 hit point.

Greater Invisibility - Alastor or an ally he can touch can go invisible for one minute.

Level 5 - Warlock 5th Level

Alastor get a new Eldritch Invocation:

Maddening Hex - When using the Hex spell, Alastor can use a bonus action to deal psychic damage to the target and any creature within 5 ft of it. The damage equals his Charisma modifier so long as the target is within 30 ft.

Alastor receives a new spell.

Hunger of Hadar - Alastor creatures a space of darkness and tentacles in a 20 foot radius. Any creature starting their turn there takes 2d6 cold damage.

From his patron, Alastor receives two more spells.

Antilife Shell - A barrier surrounds 10 ft radius of Alastor, protecting him from melee attacks.

Cloud Kill - Alastor creates a 20 radius cloud forcing any creatures within it to make Con saves or take full 5d8 poison damage. Half on a successful save.

Level 6 - Warlock 6th Level

Another boon from his patron, Grave Touch, Alastor can replace a damage die with necrotic damage. When he is in his Form of Dread, he can add an extra die of necrotic damage on a sucessful hit.

New spell: Summon Shadowpawn - Alastor can summon a shadowy spirit to aid him in battle.

Old pal . . .?

We're leaving Warlock behind to go into Sorcerer which uses Charisma as a spell modifier as well. It will also net Alastor more spells as well as Sorcery Points to cause major damage to enemies.

Level 7 - Sorcerer 1st Level

For Sorcerous Origin, we're going with Shadow Magic for good reason.

Alastor gets Eyes of the Dark which gives him Darkvision of 120 feet.

And he gets Strength of the Grave, when Alastor's hit points get reduced to 0, he can make a Charisma saving throw (DC 5 + damaged taken). On a success he can retain 1 hit point. This ability cannot be used if the damaged taken is radiant or a critical hit. He can use this ability again after a long rest.

At first level Sorcery, Alastor gains four new cantrips and two spells from the Sorcerer's spell list.

Cantrips

Mage Hand - a shadowy hand Alastor controls can manipulate objects.

Chill Touch - a spell attack that deals 1d8 necrotic damage and prevents target from regaining hit points that round of combat.

Friends - gives Alastor advantage on any Charisma checks against the target.

Message - Alastor can whisper a message only the target can hear within 120 ft.

Spells

Comprehend Languages - Alastor can understand any language in spoken or written word.

Chaos Bolt - A mass of chaotic energy hits a target for 2d8 + 1d6 damage for random damage type.

The Radio Demon . . .

Level 8 - Sorcerer 2nd Level

Alastor gains Font of Magic. He receives two Sorcery Points and gains more as as he levels up. These points can be used as a bonus action to create spell slots and/or convert a spell slot into Sorcery Points.

He also gets a new spell: Magic Missile - he launches magical darts that won't miss hitting their target, dealing 1d4 + 1 force damage.

Level 9 - Sorcerer 3rd Level

With Metamagic, Alastor use Sorcery Points to twist magic in his favor and devastate his enemies. Choose the follow:

Quickened Spell - spending 2 Sorcery Points lets Alastor cast a spell requiring an action, to be a bonus action instead.

Heightened Spell - when Alastor casts a spell that requires the target to make a saving throw, he can spend 3 Sorcery Points to impose a disadvantage on the roll.

Shadow Magic grants him the Darkness spell. He can create a magical darkness for a 15 ft radius that not even creatures with darkvision could see through nor can non-magical light illuminate the area. If Alastor uses Sorcery Points to create it, he can see through it.

New spell from the Sorcerer spell list: Enlarge/Reduce - Alastor can choose a target (himself) to increase his size.

Alastor protecting the hotel.

Level 10 - Sorcerer 4th Level

Ability Score Improvement - Both points go into Charisma to max it out, making Alastor's spells more lethal.

New cantrip: Thunderclap - Alastor creates a burst of sound around 5 ft of him, forcing creatures to succeed on a Con save or take 1d6 thunder damage.

New spell: Chromatic Orb - Alastor creates an orb of a chosen type of damage; on a hit it deals 3d8 damage.

Level 11 - Sorcerer 5th Level

Alastor now has Magical Guidance; he can spent a Sorcery Point to reroll a failed ability check, but must take the second roll.

New Spell: Fear - Alastor creates a phantasmal image of a creature's worst nightmare. Creatures in a 30 ft cone must make a Wisdom save or be frightened.

Level 12 - Sorcerer 6th Level

Since Alastor likes summoning darklings to do his bidding, he gets an ability that lets him summon something special.

Hound of Ill Omen - as a bonus action he can spend 3 Sorcery Points to summon a shadow hound with the dire wolf stats.

New spell: Thunder Step - Alastor can teleport himself within 90 feet. Immediately after he leaves a space, each creature within 10 ft of that point must make a Con save or take a full 3d10 thunder damage or half damage on a success.

Alastor summons an armor of shadow creatures.

Level 13 - Sorcerer 7th Level

Alastor gets a new spell: Conjure Shadow Demon - Alastor summons a shadow to fight for him. As long as the creature is in shadows or dim light and can attack enemies, it'll obey Alastor. If the requirements are not met, then Alastor must make a Charisma check to keep it under control.

Level 14 - Sorcerer 8th Level

At this level, Alastor can do an Ability Score Improve, with points going into Charisma, but if it's already maxed out, Alastor should take a feat instead.

Choose Metamagic Adept - This will give Alastor an extra 2 Sorcery Points and two Metamagic options. Choose the following:

Seeking Spell - If Alastor fails on a ranged attack spell, he can spend 2 Sorcery Point to reroll and take the second result.

Subtle Spell - spending 1 Sorcery Point lets Alastor cast a spell without any somatic or verbal components. (Like when he snapped his fingers and shadow demons appeared to fix the hole in the hotel).

He also gets a new spell.

Spirit of Death - Alastor can summon a reaper to help him in battle until he dismisses it or its reduced to 0 hit points.

Alastor uses magic to change people's appearances.

Level 15 - Sorcerer 9th Level

Alastor gains a new spell: Seeming - Allows Alastor to change the appearances of targets such as changing them into early 1900s outfits.

Level 16 - Sorcerer 10th Level

Alastor gains two more Metamagic options. Select:

Empowered Spell - when Alastor rolls for damage with a spell, he can spend 1 Sorcery Point to reroll any damaged equal to his Charisma modifier and take the second result.

Transmuted Spell - Alastor can spend 1 Sorcery Point to change the damaged type of a spell to  acid, cold, fire, lightning, poison, or thunder. Really useful if the enemy is vulnerable to any of those types of damage.

Alastor gains a new spell: Enervation - A black tendrils extends from Alastor to touch a target to drain their life. The target must make a Dex save to take only 2d8 necrotic damage, on a failed save the target takes 4d8 necrotic damage and until the spell ends, Alastor can use an action to deal another 4d8 necrotic damage each turn. When the spell ends, Alastor regains hit pints equal half of the damage the target had taken.

He also gains a new cantrip: Acid Splash - Alastor hurls a bubble of acid forcing target to make a Dex saving throw. On a failure, they take 1d6 acid damage. Damage die goes up as Alastor levels up.

Alastor using big magic to protect the hotel.

Level 17 - Sorcerer 11th Level

Alastor gains a new spell.

Circle of Death - Alastor creates a sphere of negative energy, each creature within the circle must make a Con save. On a failure they take 8d6 necrotic damage or half damage on a successful save.

Level 18 - Sorcerer 12th Level

This level Alastor gains Ability Score Improvement. If Charisma isn't already maxed out, go ahead and max it out. If it is, then let's take a feat.

Observant - increase Alastor's Wisdom score by one and adds +5 to his Passive Wisdom (Perception) and Passive Intelligence (Investigation) scores. And he can now read lips.

Level 19 - Sorcerer 13th Level

Alastor gains a new spell, Finger of Death - a spell attack forcing a target to make a Con saving throw. On a failure they take 7d8 + 30 necrotic damage. On a successful save, they take half damage. If a creature is killed by this attack, they instantly come back as a zombie under Alastor's command.

Level 20 - Sorcerer 14th Level

From Shadow Magic Alastor gains Shadow Walk. When Alastor is in dim light or darkness, as a bonus action, he can teleport up to 120 ft to another point in dim light or darkness.

And to top off this character build, Alastor gets one more spell.

Power Word: Pain - Alastor's utters a word of power to cause intense pain to an enemy. If the target has less than a 100 hit points, it experiences crippling pain. Crippling pain reduces the target's speed to 10 and has disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws, save for Con saves. If the target attempts to case a spell while under this spell's effect, they must make a Con save to do so. On a failure, the spell is wasted. The effects of Alastor's spell ends until the target succeeds on a Con save at the end of one of its turns.

Alastor is a powerful being of shadows and fear.

And there you have it. With powerful Warlock spells he refreshes after a short rest, paired with even more powerful Sorcery spells enhanced with Metamagic, Alastor is a forced to be reckoned using shadows and necrotic spells to cause the denizens of Hell to fear the Radio Demon.

[dungeonmalcontent]

Normalize telling your players to make up their own curses, swears, and oaths that originate from their character's background. Have your dwarf players come up with something like "diamond head" which is a big insult for dwarves because diamonds are extremely common, extremely basic (as far as mineral complexity goes), and extremely dense. Have woodland elves call people they dislike and consider promiscuous "mints" because they reproduce everywhere and smell very strongly.

Player characters are allowed to be (and imo should be) little vulgar bastards. But swearing like everyone is speaking normal English is boring and lacks entertainment value.

[azurecanary]

Me, making any DnD build: "Now at what point shall i multiclass Battlemaster Fighter?"